Optional Rule: Regaining the Self

Vampire the Requiem - Ancient Mysteries

The biggest danger with tricking an elder into accepting a new attitude is that he might eventually realize that the new way of looking at things that he’s assimilated is somehow wrong and, more importantly, that his so-called “friends” have coerced him into believing things about himself and others that are not accurate.
Other characters might try to talk some sense into the elder, or the awakened vampire might have an opportunity to break the spell, as it were, perhaps by finding his old memorabilia or meeting someone he knew before he fell into torpor, or he could experience a situation that closely resembles the event that drove him into torpor. Or perhaps he undergoes some sort of trauma: someone he knows gets destroyed, or he gets burned by sunlight or fire, or he goes into a fear frenzy for some reason.

Effects

Dramatic Failure: The target’s new beliefs are only strengthened. Perhaps the target sees his supposed “saviors” as a threat. He might even turn on them: make a roll for anger Frenzy. If the character is trying to snap out of it himself, a dramatic failure subtracts one success from his current total.
Failure: The roll results in no successes being added to the total at this time.
Success: The roll adds successes to the total needed. If the total aimed for is reached, the target comes to himself, but gains a mild derangement.
Exceptional Success: A single roll makes major progress. If the final total of successes turns out to be five or more successes higher than the total desired, the target regains his old self and does not acquire a derangement.

Dice Pool: (characters trying to talk sense into subject) Presence + Persuasion – target’s Wits; (subject trying to snap out of it himself) Wits + Blood Potency
Action: (characters trying to talk to subject) Extended. Each roll represents one night or part of one night with the target. A character trying to regain a subject’s old personality needs a variable number of successes depending on how strongly indoctrinated the victim has been.
(character trying to snap out of it himself) Extended. Each roll represents one event that triggers the character’s fogged memories. These could be weeks, months or even years apart. The Storyteller should keep note of these, adding together any subjects gained with each roll until the character realizes the truth. Any successes the player gains can be added to the total acquired by players of characters trying to talk him out of his new beliefs.
Level of Indoctrination | Successes Needed to Reverse
Level 1 | 5
Level 2 | 10
Level 3 | 15
Level 4 | 20

Suggested Modifiers

Modifier | Situation
+4 | Character has access to target’s Requiem diary
+2 | Target knew character before he fell into torpor
+1 to +3 | Target has access to material proof
-1 | A year has passed since indoctrination
-1 to -3 | Character belongs to faction in opposition to the target’s current allegiances
-2 | A decade has passed since indoctrination
-3 | 50 years have passed since indoctrination