Institutionalize
Born from Morotrophians’ study, infiltration and dependence on isolation, the Institutionalize Discipline manipulates the psychology and physiology of inmates. It’s a proven phenomenon that prisoners and patients can rely so much on the rules of a foundation that they are unable to cope with life on the outside. From excons who commit crimes to get sent back to jail to psychiatric patients who go into convulsions when removed from a hospital, the reaction has been the focus of intense mortal discourse for over a century. No one has studied or understood it more than the Morotrophians. By using the potency of their undead will and blood, Monks are able to control and manipulate this reaction to a degree that mortal tyrants and wardens can only dream of.
Institutionalize is a limited Discipline in some ways; it works under only specific conditions and on specific targets. No Institutionalize power can affect someone who is not part of a confined, defined and regimented social group. Thus, the Discipline cannot be used on a random mortal on the street. Exactly what makes a group vulnerable to Institutionalize is subject to Storyteller interpretation, but there are some general guidelines.
Storytellers are encouraged to apply circumstance modifiers to represent how formally institutionalized a group is. An asylum filled with lifelong inmates that’s presided over by an abusive staff may grant as much as a +3 bonus to uses of Institutionalize. A college fraternity with a campus house and a tradition of hazing might barely qualify with a –3 penalty. The cultish and/or tribal groups of other supernatural beings may qualify, depending on how tightly knit and controlling they are. In general, such organizations are esoteric enough to impose a penalty (– 2 to –3) to Discipline rolls.
When Institutionalize works, its effects tend to be pervasive. Many of its powers are able to affect multiple targets without penalty. Applications also combine power with subtly. Most targets are never aware that they’ve been affected by a mystical phenomenon. Those with knowledge of psychology, brain washing or group politics may recognize that some kind of manipulation is at work, but probably have no reason to suspect that it’s “magical” in nature. Short of using Auspex on an Abbot while he uses Institutionalize, there is very little that can be done to prove the mystical nature of Discipline effects. They’re simply an exaggeration of phenomena already at work.
The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to any roll made as part of activating or using Institutionalize powers.
Institutionalize is a limited Discipline in some ways; it works under only specific conditions and on specific targets. No Institutionalize power can affect someone who is not part of a confined, defined and regimented social group. Thus, the Discipline cannot be used on a random mortal on the street. Exactly what makes a group vulnerable to Institutionalize is subject to Storyteller interpretation, but there are some general guidelines.
- Being bound to a specific and fairly small geographical area with a central meeting/housing location, with ongoing attendance mandated by walls, the will of a leader or by a personal fear.
- Being dependent on other group members in a cyclical love-hate relationship in which certain figures are supposed to act in fairly specific ways (each is assigned a role or duty as in a religious institution, for example).
- Being bound such that a major part of group membership does not have legal control of some major aspect of their own lives. Examples include prison inmates or the mentally ill who are fed, bathed and put to bed on a schedule over which they have no control.
Storytellers are encouraged to apply circumstance modifiers to represent how formally institutionalized a group is. An asylum filled with lifelong inmates that’s presided over by an abusive staff may grant as much as a +3 bonus to uses of Institutionalize. A college fraternity with a campus house and a tradition of hazing might barely qualify with a –3 penalty. The cultish and/or tribal groups of other supernatural beings may qualify, depending on how tightly knit and controlling they are. In general, such organizations are esoteric enough to impose a penalty (– 2 to –3) to Discipline rolls.
When Institutionalize works, its effects tend to be pervasive. Many of its powers are able to affect multiple targets without penalty. Applications also combine power with subtly. Most targets are never aware that they’ve been affected by a mystical phenomenon. Those with knowledge of psychology, brain washing or group politics may recognize that some kind of manipulation is at work, but probably have no reason to suspect that it’s “magical” in nature. Short of using Auspex on an Abbot while he uses Institutionalize, there is very little that can be done to prove the mystical nature of Discipline effects. They’re simply an exaggeration of phenomena already at work.
The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to any roll made as part of activating or using Institutionalize powers.
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