Ability Aptitude (1pt. Merit)
You are particularly gifted with one Ability. Perhaps you are a poet of great renown or a master fleshcrafter. Within your specific Aptitude, reduce all difficulties by 2. Characters may purchase this Merit more than once, but Storytellers should feel free to veto any Ability selections that seem too powerful or unbalanced, especially for combat Abilities.

 

Artful Visionary (2pt. Merit)
You are a consummate artist at heart. You reduce the difficulty of any roll to create something new by 1. This can be actual Expression or Crafts rolls, or even the development of a new tactic or torture method… Conversely, you add +1 to the difficulty of any repetitive or menial task. You are ill suited to such labor - surely everyone should see that you are more important than mere drudgery.

 

Common Sense (1pt. Merit)
You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever the charatcer is about to act in a way contrary to a common sense, the Storyteller can make suggestions or warnings about the implications of said action. This is a very useful Merit to give to beginning players who are unfamiliar with theg ame.

 

Concentration (1pt. Merit)
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 (e.g. loud noises, hanging upside down).

 

Eidetic Memory (2pt. Merit)
You remember what you see and hear with perfect detail. Documents, events and conversations, 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 detected.

Light Sleeper (2pt. Merit)
You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and you can do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. You may ignore rules regarding how Road rating restricts the number of dice available during the day.

 

 

Well-Educated (3pt. Merit)
Either through monastic training or determined royal tutors, you are one of the lucky few to receive superlative tutelage in classics, natural sciences and theology… Whenever you attempt a task involving a Knowledge you do not possess, your player may still roll at +1 difficulty as if the required Ability was a Skill. Characters must have at least three dots of Academics to purchase this Merit.​

 

 

Ambidextrous (1pt. Merit)
You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity, and you can perform tasks with the "wrong" hand at no penalty. You must use the rules for taking multiple actions, but you do not suffer a difficulty penalty if, say, you use two weapons or are forced to use your off hand.

 

Enchanting Gaze (2pt Merit)
You've got the most fascinating eyes. People find it hard to avoid them. Even if your gaze is sort of… unearthly… it's most seductive. There isn't anything actually magickal about your gaze, but others cannot help finding it intriguing, whether you want them to or not. Perhaps your eyes are unusually vivid, or uncannily colored, or incredibly trusting and inviting… they're distinct, regardless, so you might as well make use of'em. In game terms, this Merit subtracts two from the difficulty of any Social roll that involves sustained eye contact, or from an influence spell that includes eye contact as a focus. It also makes you stand out in a crowd; long after you're gone, people will still talk about those marvelous eyes.

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Enchanting Voice (2pt Merit)
There is something about your voice cannot ignore. When you command, they are cowed. When you seduce they swoon. Whether thunderous, gentle, pausing or simply talking, your voice commands attention. The difficulties of all die rolls involving the use of the voice to pursued, charm or command are reduced by two.

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Without a Trace (2pt Merit)
The wilderness is your friend, working to hide your passage. You leave no trail to follow as the earth swallows your footprints, and the trees and grasses cover your scent. Even magical means of tracking you are inhibited. You pass through places like the wind, leaving nothing behind but a whisper. Even Lupines have trouble following you. Normal means of tracking you (with Survival, the use of dogs etc) fail automatically. Supernatural methods of tracking you, such as with Auspex, have a chance, but with greater difficulty (+2 diff).

 

Medium (2pt. Merit)
You possess the natural affinity to sense and hear spirits, ghosts and shades. Although you cannot see them, you can sense them, speak to them and, through pleading or cajoling, draw them to your presence. You may call upon them for aid or advice, but there will always be a price.

 

Spirit Mentor (3pt. Merit)
You have a ghostly companion and guide. The identity and exact powers of this spirit are up to the Storyteller, but it can be called upon in difficult situations for help and guidance.

 

True Love (4pt. Merit)
Like a character from a troubadour's song, you have discovered, perhaps too late, a true love. He or she is mortal, but is the center of your existence and inspires you to keep going in an age of darkness and despair. Whenever you suffer, the thought of your true love gives you the strength to persevere. This Merit grants you one automatic success on all Willpower rolls, which can be negated only by a botch die. This can be a great gift and also a hindrance, for your true love may require protection and occasionally rescue.

 

Unbondable (3pt. Merit)
You are immune to the blood oath. Dominate, Presence and other forms of influence affect you just like any other vampire, however. Tremere may not take this Merit.

 

Silence (1 pt Merit)

You have an unusual ability to move quietly that goes far beyond the norm.
Reduce the difficulty on any Stealth roll involving moving quietly by two.
you are even able to move quietly over dry leaves.
Should the wind blow while you're moving, there's no way to hear you.

Unshockable (3pt Merit)

The world is packed with many unconscionable acts: cannibalism, torture,
shit-eating, rape, murder… Somewhere down the road, the Unshockable character
has lost all sense of shame or revulsion. Without a flicker of emotion, he can
perform atrocities that would make a Jacquerie blanch. He has a
cast-iron stomach,
too - no substance is too revolting for him to consume. Even infernalists look
upon such steadfastness with wonder and a touch of fear. After all, if
this person
can skin a baby so effortlessly, how hard would he find it to do the
same to his friends?

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Untamable 5pt merit

You are a wild creature at heart. You are immune to effects
which directly take control of your mind, emotions or actions.
Your emotions can be manipulated (by seduction etc) but you
cannot be supernaturally forced to act against your own wishes.
Some of the most powerful affects may require a Will roll to resist.

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Amnesia (2pt. Flaw)
You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself or your family, though your past might well come back to haunt you. Your origins and the circumstances behind your amnesia are for the Storyteller to determine, and she is encouraged to make it as interesting as possible.

 

Darksight (2pt. Merit or Flaw)

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At will, you may invert the meaning of light and dark to your eyes. This requires a turn of concentration and a successful Perception +
Alertness roll (difficulty 7). With Darksight active, you may view pitch-black darkness as though it were brightly and uniformly lit, while torches cast a radiance that obscures perception in the manner that darkness interferes with normal senses. The significance of colors likewise inverts, lending a surreal hue to the world without interfering with your ability to separate hues. All penalties for partial darkness instead apply to weak illumination, and the absolute emptiness of sunlight and similarly bright radiance blinds you (and burns you, in the case of sunlight). The Merit does not allow you to see through mystical shadows, such as those produced by Obtenebration. As a Flaw, your Darksight is
permanent; you will never again view the universe through any semblance of human vision.

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Nightmares (1pt. Flaw)
you experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Upon awakening, you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or lose a die on all actions for that night. A botched Willpower roll indicates that, even when awake, you still believe that you are locked in a nightmare.

 

Addiction (3pt. Flaw)
You suffer from an addiction to a substance, which must now be present in the blood you drink. It can be alcohol, a plant extract or simply adrenaline. This substance always impairs you in some fashion (see "Drugs and Poisons" in the side bar for particulars).

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Blind (6pt. Flaw)
You cannot see. Characters can compensate for the loss of vision by becoming more sensitive to other sensory input, but visual cues and images are lost to them. Actions involving hand-eye coordination are very difficult to perform, especially under stressful conditions. Difficulties of all the Dexterity-based rolls increase by two. Vampiress with Auspex 2 (Soulsight) are still able to use this ability, though the information is interpreted via other senses.

 

 

Deaf (4pt. Flaw)
You cannot hear. While you may ignore some applications of Dominate, you may not hear warnings, and you have great difficulty in normal communication. The difficulties of any Alertness rolls that involve hearing increase by three.

 

 

Lame (3pt. Flaw)
Your legs are damaged, which prevents you from running or walking easily. You are forced to walk with a cane or possibly leg braces, and you have a pronounced limp to your stride. Your walking speed is one-quarter that of a normal human, and running is impossible.

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Mute (4pt. Flaw)
You cannot speak. You may communicate with the Storyteller and describe your actions, but you cannot talk to player or Storyteller characters unless everyone concerned uses Linguistics dots to purchase a commonly understood sign language or you write down what you wish to say.

 

Plague Bearer (3pt. Flaw)
Your blood is infected with plague or some equally virulent disease. You might not show symptoms or suffer its ravages, but you can transmit it to all your victims. Even worse, you cannot rid yourself of the disease by purging your blood. Alchemy or thaumaturgy may offer a curse, as may the healing arts of the vanishing Salubri. If your condition is known, you might be forbidden access to many cities or restricted to feeding from lepers and other diseased wretches. Cainites who drink your blood must check for infection normally, although they may cure themselves by purging.

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Short (1pt. Flaw)
You are well below average height - four feet tall or less. You have difficulty reaching or manipulating objects designed for normal adult size, and your running speed is one-half that of a normally proportioned human.

 

 

Hunted (4pt. Flaw)
You are pursued by a fanatical witch-hunter who believes (perhaps correctly) that you are a danger to humanity. All those with whom you associate, be they mortal or Cainite, may be hunted as well. The hunter may or may not be a part of the Shadow Inquisition.

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Mistaken Identity (1pt. Flaw)
You look similar to descriptions of another vampire, which causes cases of mistaken identity. This can prompt numerous awkward or even dangerous situations, especially if your "twin" has a terrible reputation or is wanted for some crime.

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Outspoken Pagan Heretic (4pt. Flaw)
You are either not a Christian at all, or you are a follower of one of the heresies declared anathema by the Church, such as the Cathars or Bogomils. Although Jews, Muslims and pagans are no strangers to Europe, they are subject to various forms of oppression and social stigma in a culture that is unabashedly Christian. Many non-Christians carry on (and even thrive) by doing their very best not to antagonize the Christian community in any way. They practice their rites in private, find economic and social niches where they are tolerated or appreciated, and they watch for signs of bubbling hate or resentment. Not so, you. Either because of past "offenses" or current behavior, you are permanently branded a heathen - somewhere between unsavoury and evil in the eyes of the Christian majority. You regularly face discrimination, accusations and even outright persecution. Even among the undying, you carry a black mark, especially among Christian followers of the Road of Heaven.

 

Village Idiot (3pt. Flaw)
You were regarded as a fool in life or have acquired that unfortunate reputation in unlife. Either way, no one takes you seriously. At the very least, you suffer a +2 difficulty on most Expression and Leadership rolls, and this penalty may apply to other Social rolls as decided by the Storyteller. It is possible to lose this Flaw in play, but it isn't easy. Even if you come up with a brilliant plan, most people dismiss it - and you - on general principle, or assume that you stole the idea from someone else.

 

 

Cursed (1 to 5pt. Flaw)
You are the recipient of a supernatural curse. The strength and pervasiveness of the curse depends upon how many points you wish to incur. Examples follow:

If you pass on a secret you were entrusted with, your betrayal will come back to harm you in some way. (1pt.)
You stutter uncontrollably when you try to describe what you have seen or heard. (2pts.)
You are doomed to make enemies of those whom you most love or admire. (4pts.)
Every one of your accomplishments or triumphs will eventually become soiled or fail in some way. (5pts.)
Any other supernatural Flaw (and many of the others) can be used as a curse as well. The manner in which you can lift the curse are up to the storyteller, but they generally involve making amends to the one you have offended.

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Haunted (3pt. Flaw)
You are haunted by an angry and tormented spirit, most likely the ghost of one of your first victims. This spirit actively attempts to hinder you, especially when feeding, and it does its utmost to vent its anguish upon you and anyone in your presence. The Storyteller determines the exact nature of the spirit, its powers and whether or not it can eventually be laid to rest.

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