Editing LeviathanTempest:ChapterFive (section)

=====Going mad and getting better again=====

An Ahab’s madness gives them strength but it is also a terrible curse. An Ahab suffers from the following compulsions and drawbacks.

*An Ahab’s madness is frequently visible in their face, body language and often in their words. When talking to other humans Ahab’s suffer a -3 penalty to social rolls, this does not apply to other Ahabs and at the storytellers discretion Allies or other long term close friendships may be exempt. This penalty dose not apply to Intimidation.

*Every scene when the Ahab is not working towards the destruction of a Leviathan they must roll Resolve + Composure - 2. On a failure they are overcome by their madness and will obsessively peruse their hunt. This rises to - 4 if they are chasing the Leviathan who made them an Ahab.

*When it comes to selecting a target an Ahab always goes for the Leviathan that created it, they will chase it across oceans if they must. Should their creator be dead then an Ahab may choose their target freely and may change targets at any time. If an Ahab's creator is dead and it gets into a fight with a Leviathan where neither die, once the fight is over roll the number of lethal/aggravated wounds taken. On a success treat that Leviathan as the Ahab's creator.

*An Ahab cannot simply keep planning forever, after a while they simply must attack; with allies or alone, with a plan or with a weapon and a prayer. An Ahab can spend up to Resolve days planning and preparing. After that upon waking up each day roll Resolve with a calculative -1 penalty per day. If they fail, ready or not today they'll make their move.

*After an Ahab successfully kills a Leviathan and if they cannot sense any Leviathans in the area an Ahab's madness may go into temporary remission: Roll the Ahab’s Resolve + Composure.<br>
**Failure or Dramatic Failure: The Ahab immediately returns to the hunt, they may scour the internet for information or just start walking until they sense something.<br>
**Success: for one week per dot of Resolve the Ahab’s madness goes into remission: The compulsion to hunt fades but the social penalty remains, this is usually enough to prevent an Ahab from creating any stability but for a brief while they can rest, earn some money and build themselves up for the next hunt. This rest period ends immediately if the Ahab senses a Leviathan.<br>
**Exceptional Success: The rest period lasts indefinitely unless the Ahab’s Leviathan sense is triggered or they make a conscious decision to return to the hunt.<br>

====== Sidebar: This seems Familiar ======
Serial murderers given supernatural powers by their obsession with killing, are Ahab's Slashers? By a purist's  definition of Slashers they are not. A Slasher might start with a dedicated goal such as protecting mankind from the depredations of the Tribe but it's in their nature that their targets gradually expand until they kill for it's own sake as much as for any higher purpose. Ahabs retain their focus on hunting the Tribe.

A more pragmatic view is to say it doesn't really matter. Whether or not they are Slashers has no effect on the story. 

But then there's the cosmological view, how do Ahabs fit into the World of Darkness? Well their power comes from madness and an obsessive need to kill so to start with we can say they're a form of Slasher. Next we have to ask what keeps them focused on the Tribe rather than murder for its own sake, looking at the origins presented for Ahabs above it's clear they're trapped by the Wake like a Beloved. So Ahabs are a combination of Slasher and Beloved. This raises some obvious questions: Could some of the other Undertakings become ensnared by the Wake and focus their perversions entirely on the tribe? Could the Ahab Undertaking appear independently of the Tribe to create unshakable trackers that follow human targets around the globe? We leave this question to you. 

Finally if you really see a need to make Ahabs fit the Slasher template note for note here are some guidelines: Rippers get the extra benefits from Resolve, including the final strike, and the compulsion to hunt. Scourges get the ability to sense Leviathans and the social penalty, in addition to the Ripper benefits. Immunity to the Wake and other Psychic abilities come from the Beloved side of the equation. Ahab Undertaking Skills (if you don't have Slasher: You choose two undertaking skills, they must have two dots and at least one speciality. There are no other effects.) are: Investigation, Occult, Drive (Drive is included on this list for sailors.), Firearms, Stealth, Survival, Weaponry, Streetwise. Scourges may also choose  Animal Ken or Crafts.