Starting Merits

You have a knack for one selected Ability. Difficulty of rolls with this Ability are reduced by 2. Cannot be applied to Combat abilities. Does not stack with Ability Mastery

Between Balance, Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste and Touch, one of your senses is incredibly powerful. The difficulties for all tasks involving use of this particular sense are -2.

You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the “wrong” hand with no penalties. You must still split your dice pool when performing multiple actions, but suffer no Difficulty penalties.

This Merit may be purchased for 3 XP.

You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever the character is about to act in a way contrary to common sense, the referee can make suggestions or warnings about the implications of said action.

This is a very useful merit to give to beginning players unfamiliar with the game.

You are unusually flexible. Reduce the difficulty of any Dexterity roll involving body flexibility by 2. Squeezing through a tiny space or slipping your thumb through handcuffs are examples of a use for this Merit.

You have a goal that drives and directs you in everything. You gain +2 dice on all rolls related to this higher purpose. You need to decide what your higher purpose is. Make sure you talk it over with a storyteller first. How you came into this goal should be part of your background.

This Merit cannot be taken with Driving Goal.

You have a natural affinity for numbers, and all relevant rolls are at -2 difficulty

You can always recognize every tone in any chord. You can accurately hit any note (for example C sharp) without any instrument or anything to take reference from.

If you have heard the song before, you always know when someone has shifted the song they are playing/singing from the original key. You can memorize complex songs from hearing them only once or imitate telephone tones with ease.

Music related rolls are reduced by 3, however, this only reflects your accuracy in hitting notes and none of the “soul” that goes into performance.

You must have at least 2 ranks in Performance or music-related secondary skills to take this Merit.

You learn very well when being taught by another. Difficulty of checks to learn from a Mentor or instructor are reduced by 2.

You learn very well under self instruction. Difficulty checks to learn from a Library are reduced by 2.

You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Characters with this merit are unaffected by any penalties stemming from distracting circumstances.

When using Study Point Generators (Laboratory, Library, or Mentor) difficulty of rolls is reduced by 1.

You have a personal code of ethics to which you adhere. The specifics of this code must be worked out with the Storyteller prior to play, and the character must follow it strictly.

Characters with this merit gain +2 dice to all Willpower or Virtue rolls when acting in accordance with their code or when attempting to avoid situations that might force them to violate their code.

You have two distinct Natures, both of which have an influence on your personality and behavior. This allows you to generate more Willpower.

When you pick these Natures, be sure they are somewhat compatible; Dual Nature does not mean schizophrenia. You may still choose a demeanor.

There is something about your voice that others cannot ignore. When you command, they obey. When you seduce, they are lured.

Add 2 dice to all rolls involving the use of your voice to persuade, charm, or command.

You are dedicated to pushing forward scientific knowledge at the cost of any ethics, barriers or reproducibility. Difficulty of checks to learn from a Laboratory are reduced by 2.

You have an Eidetic memory. You remember, with perfect detail, things seen and heard. Documents, photographs, conversations, and so forth can be committed to memory with only minor concentration.

Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions, you must make a Perception + Alertness roll (Difficulty 6) to summon enough concentration to absorb what your senses detect.

You are difficult to kill. You have an extra “Incapacitated” health level. This health level is treated as per normal in all other fashions.

You begin with a Morality path other than Humanity. The ethics of this path must be fully detailed and approved at character creation. Your starting Morality is calculated as normal.

You do not roll for Study Points. Instead, the number of Study Points you receive is equal to:

(Number of Dice) * (10 – Difficulty) / 10.

This method is used regardless of the source of the Study Points (a Background such as Mentor, Library, or Laboratory, instruction by another character, etc.).

The result is rounded down. Thus, a character with Difficulty 7 receives 0.3 Study Points per die, while a character with Difficulty 5 receives 0.5 Study Points per die.

This Merit may be purchased for 9 XP

You are good at taking risks, and even better at surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky actions, add an additional three dice to the roll, and ignore a single “1” that may
result from such a roll.

Generally, such actions must be at least difficulty 8 and have the potential to inflict at least three health levels of damage if failed.

You have a large pool of miscellaneous knowledge. You automatically have one rank in all Knowledges. This is an illusory level, used only to simulate a wide range of knowledge. You must still purchase the initial first level in order to buy the second.

You are unusually lucky. Three times per session you can reroll a roll. You may not have any of the following traits: Charmed Existence, Dark Fate, or Murphy’s Law.

You are unnaturally resilient and hardy. You have an extra “Bruised” health level. This health level is treated as normal in all other fashions.

You have discovered true love. Whenever you are suffering, in danger, or dejected, the thought of your true love is enough to give you the strength to persevere.

In game terms, this love gives you 1 automatic success on any Willpower roll made under the above conditions. However, your true love may also require aid from time to time or be a weak spot for you.

Your true love may or may not be alive. Regardless you should integrate this into your character’s backstory.

You do not seem to suffer the misfortunes others are plagued with. You may ignore a single “1” every time you roll.

You may not have any of the following traits: Dark Fate, Luck or Murphy’s Law.

You learn very quickly, and pick up on new things faster than most do. You gain one extra experience point at the conclusion of each story. You may not take Peter-pan Syndrome.

When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. Any attempt to control your thoughts is rolled at +3 Difficulty, and even if you are affected, you may
spend a Willpower point to cancel the effect.

You have a large pool of miscellaneous skills. You automatically have one rank in all Talents and Skills. This is an illusory level, used only to simulate a wide range of abilities. You must still purchase the initial first level in order to buy the second.

When confronted by the horrors of the world you are decidedly not impressed. You never have the emotional outbursts common to others. Any attempt to sway your emotions is +3 Difficulty, and even if you are affected, you may spend a Willpower point to cancel the effect.

When you spend a point of Willpower to gain an automatic success, your self confidence may allow you to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower point. This is roleplay and skill dependent, and must be justified in play.

You do not lose the point when you spend it unless you end the roll with only one success. You can use it only when the Difficulty of your roll is 6 or higher

You are not fooled by illusions, and you get a Perception + Alertness roll to see through supernatural illusions. The difficulty of this roll is equal to the opposing power’s level +3.

You are immune to any effect that Binds or Suppresses your Loyalty.