GANGREL FLAW

GANGREL FLAW

**of Note**

The Gangrel clan's greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. The Gangrel are tied to the Beast Within in ways that no other vampire could understand; their greatest gifts come from that primal connection, but with every slip of control into frenzy, the Beast leaves its mark. The mark is usually a visible feature, a physical change to the Gangrel's body. More rarely the mark is on the vampire's soul, affecting his behavior or his very identity.

Other clans speak derogatorily of the Gangrel's animalistic features as the results of "losing control." This is not strictly true: Any frenzy, whether entered willingly or fiercely resisted, inflicts the same penalty upon the Outlanders. Gangrel entering Rotschreck may not suffer this curse; so long as the vampire obeys the "flight" tenet of the Red Fear, she does not acquire an animal feature. A cornered Gangrel who resorts to the "fight" half of the equation will regain her senses to find another feral feature, as even necessary violence brings the Beast bubbling to the fore.

The rules governing frenzy—what causes it, its effects and when it ends — are purposely left open for the Storyteller's interpretation (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 228). The Storyteller should use his discretion in situations where the line between fight and flight is thin; a glancing blow from a Gangrel in the grip of Rotschreck may hurt its target, but not register to the Gangrel's Beast as anything more than simply clearing the path.

Most of the features caused by the Beast are visible and clearly animal or even insectoid in origin: growing fur, feathers or scales; changes to the structure of facial features, hands or feet; sprouting additional appendages like a tail or antennae; or developing truly odd features like nictating membranes, a marsupial pouch or a working musk gland. Dramatic changes are unlikely to occur all at once, although some particularly unlucky or rabid Gangrel may find themselves with some of the drastic modifications listed below. It is far more likely that each subsequent CHAPTER Two: INSIDE THE GANGREL Bruce,