Insanity [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

Insanity [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Stormbrand
05-12-07, 01:31 AM One current character of mine is insane. Think of Alienist meets Evil Priestess.

What I am looking for are ways to portray her madness, not in cute, eccentric, loveable ways, but deeply disturbing and pathological ways. All while still making the character functional (in a modern setting).

So I would like some suggestions for how to roleplay someone who is extremely mad, yet highly intelligent, socially effective, and even quite charming in a general sense. Able to hold down a job, make contacts, social connections or people to exploit.

Based in a modern setting, although will be a spellcaster.

Any ideas for flavour, roleplaying hints and behaviour that could suitably unnerve people at the table? Types of madness to roleplay? How to make her appropriate? That sort of thing.

Thank you.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
05-12-07, 02:18 AM The most obvious madness is paranoia. But for alienist/evil priestess? Consider auditory hallucinations. She may get distracted while listening to something elsewhere and need a repeat of what someone here just said from time to time. As long as she knows real from hallucination she should still be able to function quite well. Phobias can be fun too and are well associated with alienist. Other traits to consider could be a deep superstitious streak. Keep charms against various assaults around but out of sight.

The key should be in understanding that in order to function in modern society the most important thing is to know the difference between when your dealing with reality and when your dealing with something in your own head. She therefore needs to have strict definitions for "real" and "not real". If she sees something impossible she should automatically assume its "not really there" even if, because of the nature of the game, it is. Whenever she sees something impossible and it turns out to be real let her madness out just a little (or a lot for a little while:D )
Stormbrand
05-12-07, 03:52 AM Excellent! Very interesting, since the line between her magic and her insanity becomes sort of blurred. Those Voices she hears could either be hallucinations or some distant entity that she actually communicates with. Most of her superstitions could be related to the magic she practices.

I am impressed.

So any idea of possible superstitions? Or maybe trends she hears in the Voices?
Esgay
05-12-07, 06:41 PM This idea has been completely stolen from "Darker than Black" but how about after extended periods of spellcasting she has some kind of little ritual or thing she has to do. examples from the anime include breaking a finger, laying out a handful of tiny pebbles in a grid, flipping through a book form cover to cover etc. Just bizarre little things like that.
Terjon of the Blue Rose
05-13-07, 12:01 AM Excellent! Very interesting, since the line between her magic and her insanity becomes sort of blurred. Those Voices she hears could either be hallucinations or some distant entity that she actually communicates with. Most of her superstitions could be related to the magic she practices.

I am impressed.

So any idea of possible superstitions? Or maybe trends she hears in the Voices?

Name at least 3 voices. These are ones she isn't quite sure if they are real or not. She knows they "cannot be" yet is sure they "are".

For superstitions try going a little bit dark. Dead enemies must be turned to face one another or impossable foes must be burned once dead and she seeks to destroy all evidence she can find of the things existance
BreegJac17
05-15-07, 11:01 PM Or maybe she is constantly turning around thinking someone is behind her, another gruesome option could be that she cuts out every dead enemies tongue while whispering shhhh..
Westbound
05-16-07, 02:47 AM You want to get pathological? I ask, because there is a huge difference between paranoia, schizophrenia, and a true pathological problem. You see, paranoia and schizophrenia are called psychosis - and are often physiological in condition, mostly involving chemical/physical responses or damage in the brain. A phobia is a psychosis. A pathological condition is something altogether different.

An obsessive/compulsive is a pathological condition, in that the person knows full well that what's happening to him is not normal, but either doesn't care, can't do anything about it, or wants to do something about it but fails repeatedly, or won't do anything about it. The character Monk from the TV show of the same name is obsessed with cleanliness and neatness, for instance. If you haven't seen this show yet, do so, by all means. It's funny, but sad as well. He knows that it's not normal to have this obsession, but he does it anyway because it gives him some feeling of control. Drug addiction, alcoholism and smoking are somewhat pathological, but some debate that they might be psychosis as well.

More disturbing would be an obsession about the opposite gender or a particular person, and this obsession could be an absolute desire, or an absolute hatred. And I'm not talking outright bigotry, which has more to do with social, political, and economic power than anything else when you get right down to it. I'm talking about a horrendous hatred that is so intense that he probably wouldn't think twice about hurting or even killing the object of his obsession.

Going further into this train of thought comes the true darkness - sociopaths. We're talking Hannibal Lecter, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Leopold and Loeb, John Wayne Gacy, Willie Horton and Ted Bundy. These are people who have learned that killing gives them a sense of power that they otherwise would never have had if they played by society's rules. Compassion or pity for their victims never, at any point, enters their minds. Most of us normally, even to some extent soldiers and law enforcement officials, feel some remorse over the death we may cause if it comes to taking another person's life. The sociopath never does. He doesn't necessarily hate his victims - he gets off on the fear he causes and the power over the life or death of that person, however fleeting it may actually be.
CrimsonDeath
05-16-07, 06:52 PM The movie "As Good as It Gets" is also a decent example of severe obsessive/compulsive tendencies.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Stormbrand 05-12-07, 01:31 AM	One current character of mine is insane. Think of Alienist meets Evil Priestess. What I am looking for are ways to portray her madness, not in cute, eccentric, loveable ways, but deeply disturbing and pathological ways. All while still making the character functional (in a modern setting). So I would like some suggestions for how to roleplay someone who is extremely mad, yet highly intelligent, socially effective, and even quite charming in a general sense. Able to hold down a job, make contacts, social connections or people to exploit. Based in a modern setting, although will be a spellcaster. Any ideas for flavour, roleplaying hints and behaviour that could suitably unnerve people at the table? Types of madness to roleplay? How to make her appropriate? That sort of thing. Thank you.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 05-12-07, 02:18 AM	The most obvious madness is paranoia. But for alienist/evil priestess? Consider auditory hallucinations. She may get distracted while listening to something elsewhere and need a repeat of what someone here just said from time to time. As long as she knows real from hallucination she should still be able to function quite well. Phobias can be fun too and are well associated with alienist. Other traits to consider could be a deep superstitious streak. Keep charms against various assaults around but out of sight. The key should be in understanding that in order to function in modern society the most important thing is to know the difference between when your dealing with reality and when your dealing with something in your own head. She therefore needs to have strict definitions for "real" and "not real". If she sees something impossible she should automatically assume its "not really there" even if, because of the nature of the game, it is. Whenever she sees something impossible and it turns out to be real let her madness out just a little (or a lot for a little while:D )
Stormbrand 05-12-07, 03:52 AM	Excellent! Very interesting, since the line between her magic and her insanity becomes sort of blurred. Those Voices she hears could either be hallucinations or some distant entity that she actually communicates with. Most of her superstitions could be related to the magic she practices. I am impressed. So any idea of possible superstitions? Or maybe trends she hears in the Voices?
Esgay 05-12-07, 06:41 PM	This idea has been completely stolen from "Darker than Black" but how about after extended periods of spellcasting she has some kind of little ritual or thing she has to do. examples from the anime include breaking a finger, laying out a handful of tiny pebbles in a grid, flipping through a book form cover to cover etc. Just bizarre little things like that.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 05-13-07, 12:01 AM	Excellent! Very interesting, since the line between her magic and her insanity becomes sort of blurred. Those Voices she hears could either be hallucinations or some distant entity that she actually communicates with. Most of her superstitions could be related to the magic she practices. I am impressed. So any idea of possible superstitions? Or maybe trends she hears in the Voices? Name at least 3 voices. These are ones she isn't quite sure if they are real or not. She knows they "cannot be" yet is sure they "are". For superstitions try going a little bit dark. Dead enemies must be turned to face one another or impossable foes must be burned once dead and she seeks to destroy all evidence she can find of the things existance
BreegJac17 05-15-07, 11:01 PM	Or maybe she is constantly turning around thinking someone is behind her, another gruesome option could be that she cuts out every dead enemies tongue while whispering shhhh..
Westbound 05-16-07, 02:47 AM	You want to get pathological? I ask, because there is a huge difference between paranoia, schizophrenia, and a true pathological problem. You see, paranoia and schizophrenia are called psychosis - and are often physiological in condition, mostly involving chemical/physical responses or damage in the brain. A phobia is a psychosis. A pathological condition is something altogether different. An obsessive/compulsive is a pathological condition, in that the person knows full well that what's happening to him is not normal, but either doesn't care, can't do anything about it, or wants to do something about it but fails repeatedly, or won't do anything about it. The character Monk from the TV show of the same name is obsessed with cleanliness and neatness, for instance. If you haven't seen this show yet, do so, by all means. It's funny, but sad as well. He knows that it's not normal to have this obsession, but he does it anyway because it gives him some feeling of control. Drug addiction, alcoholism and smoking are somewhat pathological, but some debate that they might be psychosis as well. More disturbing would be an obsession about the opposite gender or a particular person, and this obsession could be an absolute desire, or an absolute hatred. And I'm not talking outright bigotry, which has more to do with social, political, and economic power than anything else when you get right down to it. I'm talking about a horrendous hatred that is so intense that he probably wouldn't think twice about hurting or even killing the object of his obsession. Going further into this train of thought comes the true darkness - sociopaths. We're talking Hannibal Lecter, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Leopold and Loeb, John Wayne Gacy, Willie Horton and Ted Bundy. These are people who have learned that killing gives them a sense of power that they otherwise would never have had if they played by society's rules. Compassion or pity for their victims never, at any point, enters their minds. Most of us normally, even to some extent soldiers and law enforcement officials, feel some remorse over the death we may cause if it comes to taking another person's life. The sociopath never does. He doesn't necessarily hate his victims - he gets off on the fear he causes and the power over the life or death of that person, however fleeting it may actually be.
CrimsonDeath 05-16-07, 06:52 PM	The movie "As Good as It Gets" is also a decent example of severe obsessive/compulsive tendencies.