Acting
You’re practiced at feigning emotions, beliefs, or frames of mind. Even if you have never been on stage before, you could do an adequate job if you were ever thrust upon it. However, simply because you have this Ability doesn’t mean you use it unethically. Many honorable politicians have used it to lend power and depth to their speeches (notably, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt). You’re able to feign tears, anger, friendliness, and virtue.

?    Novice: A rank amateur, you can feign sickness.
??    Practiced: You’ve developed a wide range of acting ability.
???    Competent: You’re capable of playing almost any role.
????    Expert: You’re certainly a professional, or have that potential.
?????    Master: You could win, or have won, an Academy Award.
Possessed by: Actors, Amateurs, Children, Con Artists, Evangelists, RolePlayers. 
Specialties: Inspirational, Feigning Emotions, Pretend, Religious Awe, RolePlaying, Stage Acting.

 

Artistic Expression
You have the talent to produce works of art in various media. You can produce salable works of two- or three-dimensional art, and understand something of the technical aspects of paintings and sketches. You’re able to sketch a reasonably accurate rendition of a place or person.

?    Novice: Your work is simple, seen as charmingly naïve by some and as amateurish by others.
??    Practiced: Your work could win prizes at local art society shows.
???    Competent: You could get a showing in a minor gallery.
????    Expert: Your work is widely admired, and galleries contact you about exhibitions. You’re invited to teach at local art colleges.
?????    Master: You’re acknowledged as a driving force in contemporary art. Your work commands enormous prices, and is found in art museums as well as commercial galleries and private collections.
Possessed by: Artists, Commercial Illustrators, Cartoonists, Forgers, Model Makers, Movie Set Builders, Police Artists, Special Effects Techs, Theater Set Builders, Woodworkers. 
Specialties: Abstract, Caricature, Charcoal, Classical, Decoration, Folk Art, Impressionist, Kinetic, Lighting, Metals, Miniatures, Mixed Media, Models, Oils, Photo-Realism, Resin, Set Design, Sketching, Stone, Watercolors, Wood.

 

Carousing
This is the ability to have a good time at a party or other social occasion while making sure others around you also have a good time. It involves a mixture of eating, good cheer, and drinking without make a fool out of yourself. On a successful roll of Manipulation + Carousing, the character can make a lasting good impression on everyone around him; this can be helpful if the character is trying to make friends, garner information, or distract the attendees while his party rifles the coat room. The difficulty of this roll depends on the social event: Three or less for a house party with a buffet, seven or more for a sit-down dinner.

?    Novice: Good ol' Uncle Bill.
??    Practiced: Jake the Frat Rat.
???    Competent: James Bond.
????    Expert: The Three Muskateers.
?????    Master: Bluto in Animal House.
Possessed by: Actors, Dilettantes, College Students. 
Specialties: Anecdotes, Bon Mots, Drinking, Exaggeration, Lewd Jokes, Sexual Innuendo.

 

Diplomacy
You have the ability to deal with people of all types and creeds. Even when handling touchy subjects, you’re able to get results without ruffling too many feathers. You’re skilled at delicate negotiations and mediating disputes, skills often invaluable to the civic-minded. In short, you can get along with others without resorting to overt manipulation and without letting your own goals fall by the wayside. This Ability involves a knowledge of the formal rules of give and take, as well as the official rules of cultural conduct and politeness.

?    Novice: You can iron out school yard disputes.
??    Practiced: Friends ask you to deal with things for them.
???    Competent: You could shine in management or personnel.
????    Expert: You could be a professional diplomat or ombudsman.
?????    Master: You could negotiate high tea with the Shadow Court.
Possessed by: Diplomats, Smooth Talkers, Teachers. 
Specialties: Industry, Inter-Court Relations, Mediation, Negotiation, Personal Relations, Tact.

Fortune Telling
You may or may not have the gift to tell accurate fortunes, but you can make people believe you do. This Ability may prove useful as a plot device, a means for the character to earn money or may be used as a Bunk for casting a Soothsay cantrip. While this Talent confers no magic in and of itself, it may add to your successes; for each two successes, reduce the difficulty of a Soothsay cantrip by 1.

?    Novice: You’re able to use one method of divination adequately and treat this Ability as a pastime.
??    Practiced: You can use one method of fortune-telling well, and can tell someone general information that’ll apply to her.
???    Competent: You know a lot about certain methods of fortune telling, and can tell anyone detailed information that’ll be applicable.
????    Expert: You’re able to use multiple methods well, and have a keen understanding of what people want to hear.
?????    Master: Gypsies take lessons from you.
Possessed by: Gypsies, New-Agers, Professional Fortune Tellers, Psychics. 
Specialties: Auguries, Bone Casting, Goat Entrails, I Ching, Palmistry, Prophecy, Scrying, Tarot Cards.

 

Instruction
You have a talent for passing on information and skills to others. You might have worked as a teacher, or fostered many childlings. Either way, you can explain things and demonstrate techniques in such a way that anyone who listens to you can learn easily. You can teach any of your Skills or Knowledges to another character, but you can never raise a student’s score above your own. For example, if you have three dots in Occult, you can’t teach someone enough to raise her Occult Knowledge to four dots. For the time it takes to raise a student’s Skill, roll your Manipulation + Instruction against a difficulty of ((11 minus the student’s Intelligence). One roll may be made per month of teaching. The number of successes is the number of Experience Points the student can apply toward that skill.

Example: Mavis is attempting to teach her oathmate Leanne some rudiments of First Aid so someone else can help with patching up the injured. Leanne has an Intelligence of 3, so the difficulty for Mavis’ roll is 8 (11 - 3 = 8). A student may become too discouraged or distracted with other things to pay attention to his teacher. Therefore, the student may have to spend a Willpower Point (at the Storyteller’s discretion) to keep at his studies. Frequent interruptions can cost a student a number of Willpower Points, or maybe they’ll just prevent him from learning anything (in which case, the teacher might withdraw her services).

With the Storyteller’s approval, a person can teach some Talents, such as Brawl. In these cases, it’s good to roleplay some of the training sessions. Get a few good licks in on the student and see if he learns anything from it. Talents such as Empathy or Alertness can’t be taught – they must be learned the hard way.

?    Novice: You can take simple concepts (e.g., basic arithmetic) and present them in an interesting and digestible manner.
??    Practiced: You can teach moderately complex subjects (such as algebra) and make your lessons straightforward and interesting.
???    Competent: You can teach any subject of which you have Knowledge, up to high school level subjects. You can make differential calculus sound like the simplest thing in the world.
????    Expert: Learning from you is scarcely an effort. You could teach irrational number theory or Sumerian cuneiform to almost anyone.
?????    Master: You’re an inspiring teacher who bestows a touch of greatness on anyone who studies with you.
Possessed by: Mentors, Professors, Sensei, Teachers. 
Specialties: Customs And Laws, Knowledges, Metaphysics, Skills, University.

 

Interrogation
You're able to extract information from people by fair or foul means. Using a mixture of threats, trickery, and persistent questioning, you ultimately unearth the truth.

?    Novice: Nosy neighbor.
??    Practiced: Movie cop.
???    Competent: Talk show host.
????    Expert: Investigative journalist.
?????    Master: Spymaster.
Possessed by: Cops, Inquisitors, Journalists, Secret Service Personnel. 
Specialties: Good Cop/Bad Cop, Moral Blackmail, Threats, Trickery.

 

Intrigue
You know the finer points of plotting and deal-making in the halls of power. You understand the practical use of power (in sometimes threatening, but always non-confrontational ways) to achieve your own ends. This Talent also allows you to glean important facts about others in your social circle, and to separate truth from endless amounts of false and useless gossip.

?    Novice: Wiseguy.
??    Practiced: Confidant.
???    Competent: PAC lobbyist.
????    Expert: Vampire or sidhe noble.
?????    Master: High Court player.
Possessed by: Chancellors, Diplomats. 
Specialties: Alliances, Betrayals, Feigning Ignorance, Gossiping, Plotting, Rumor Mill, Threats.

 

Intuition
You can think beyond the bounds of logic. From the mere trace of evidence and innuendo you can intuit the truth. This isn’t mere problem solving. Often you can see the pattern of cause and effect (or just effect) that lay hidden behind perception.

?    Novice: Your guesses are often correct.
??    Practiced: You now trust your hunches.
???    Competent: Others trust your instincts.
????    Expert: Your intuition is famous in your circle.
?????    Master: Your insight is legendary.
Possessed by: Artists, Diviners, Entrepreneurs, Feng Shui, Investigators, Logicians, Scientists, System Analysts. 
Specialties: Discernment, Dumb Luck, Insight, Inspiration.

 

Mimicry
You have a versatile voice and can imitate accents, voices, and some other sounds. You can use this talent to entertain and deceive. With enough talent, almost any sort of sound can be created – the larynx is an amazingly flexible organ. This can be very useful when dealing with voice-keyed security systems or computers, but only if the practitioner is extremely skillful.

?    Novice: You can manage a few accents and do impressions of a couple of well-known personalities.
??    Practiced: You can do a range of accents well enough to fool anyone but a native speaker, and imitate a range of celebrities. You can do basic bird calls and some predatory animal sounds.
???    Competent: You could do celebrity impersonations on stage. You can pick up someone’s vocal mannerisms by studying her for a couple of hours and imitate her well enough to fool anyone but a close friend. You can produce many mammal and bird sounds.
????    Expert: You can imitate a specific person well enough to fool someone on the phone, and pass as a native speaker in an accent close to your own. You can do a wide range of animal and technological noises.
?????    Master: You can imitate almost any accent, person, animal, or noise.
Possessed by: Comedians, Hunters, Pranksters. 
Specialties: Accents, Birds And Animals, Celebrities, Mechanical Sounds, Vocal Impersonation.

 

Scan
You’re practiced at noticing small details and changes in the environment when you purposefully look at or listen to what’s going on around you. This Ability can only be used when you specifically say you’re attempting to notice if anything is amiss. If you aren’t concentrating, this Ability will do you no good.

?    Novice: If anyone notices police sirens, it’s you.
??    Practiced: The police should use your detective abilities.
???    Competent: The slightest motion draws your attention
????    Expert: Nothing escapes your glance.
?????    Master: You can count the grains of salt on a pretzel – by taste.
Possessed by: Bodyguards, Detectives, FBI Agents, GIs, Hunters, Night Watchmen. 
Specialties: Assassins, Keeping Watch, Listening, Quick Scan, Smelling.

 

Scrounge
This Talent allows you to procure items through wits, connections, and a little ingenuity. Sometimes the items aren’t brand new or exactly right, and they may take time to acquire. Still, such a skill can be invaluable when the petty cash runs short and theft would involve unpleasant run-ins with mortal and fae law enforcement.

?    Novice: You know where the dump is and do the occasional garage sale.
??    Practiced: You’re a seasoned flea market and auction veteran.
???    Competent: You have connections to acquire lower-end items, such as small caliber weapons and minor chimerical artifacts.
????    Expert: You can acquire larger items, ranging from chimerical beasts to art to weapons.
?????    Master: Given time, you could acquire anything from Queen Mary Elizabeth’s petticoat to heavy weaponry to an original Picasso.
Possessed by: Criminals, Entrepreneurs, Intelligence Operatives, Travelers. 
Specialties: Art, Illegal Goods, Services, Technical Equipment, Vehicles.

 

Search
You know how to best go about looking for someone or something in a small area where you can concentrate your perceptions. You can search for anything from a lost ring in your bedroom to the assassin who might be hiding in your garden.

?    Novice: You’re good at finding lost items.
??    Practiced: Tell-tale signs (e.g., broken plants, footprints) are apparent to you.
???    Competent: You know where to look.
????    Expert: Trained professionals defer to your expertise.
?????    Master: Sherlock Holmes was an amateur compared to you.
Possessed by: Detectives, Ingenious Servants, Policemen, Prison Guards. 
Specialties: Concealed Doors, People, Small Objects, Sounds, Woodwork.

 

Seduction
You know how to lure, attract, and command the attention of others in a sexual manner. By the way you hold yourself, how you look at someone, and even by the tone of your voice, you’re able to arouse and excite those upon whom you practice your wiles. Once you’ve fully seduced someone, he’ll be willing to do nearly anything for you.

?    Novice: Teenager.
??    Practiced: The “older woman.”
???    Competent: Heartthrob
????    Expert: Movie star.
?????    Master: The envy of vampires everywhere.
Possessed by: Escorts, Gigolos, Strippers, Thespians. 
Specialties: Alluring Looks, Innuendo, Opening Lines, Witty Conversation.

 

Sense Deception
You’ve developed the ability to instinctively know when people aren’t telling you the truth or aren’t telling you the whole truth. There’s a way they look, a tone of voice, a movement of the eyes – you can’t analyze it, but it’s always there, and your instincts rarely let you down.

?    Novice: Sometimes you can tell, but you still get suckered – though more rarely than the average person does.
??    Practiced: It takes a bit of skill to pull the wool over your eyes.
???    Competent: Anyone who can slip one past you is a highly skilled con artist.
????    Expert: You could make a living screening people for security.
?????    Master: People whisper behind your back, and many are nervous talking to you. Your ability is almost supernatural.
Possessed by: Bodyguards, Detectives, Interrogators, Judges, Mothers, Reporters, Security Personnel. 
Specialties: Courtroom, Interviews, Investigative, Technical (Polygraphs).

 

Style
You may not have been born good-looking or possessed of a natural charm, but you know how to dress and make the most of your appearance. Even if you aren’t physically attractive, heads turn because of your dress sense and style. Note that this Talent only applies to people’s reactions to your appearance; once you get closer, it’s up to you.

?    Novice: Good taste.
??    Practiced: Socialite.
???    Competent: Celebrity.
????    Expert: Celebrity advisor.
?????    Master: International model.
Possessed by: Celebrities, Fashion Professionals, Gifted Few, Socialites. 
Specialties: Classic, Ethnic, High Fashion, Retro, Street Fashion.

 

Ventriloquism
You have the ability to throw your voice, making it appear to come from somewhere else. This Talent can be used for deception as well as entertainment.

?    Novice: You could do a ventriloquist act at a children's party.
??    Practiced: You could get a gig at a local amateur vaudeville club. You can make it seem like someone standing next to you spoke.
???    Competent: You could almost make a living from your talent, with occasional TV variety shows breaking up the round of cheap clubs and theaters. You can make it seem like someone (or something) within five yards of you spoke.
????    Expert: You could take your act to Vegas and headline TV specials of your own. You can make your voice seem to come from any spot within 30 feet of you.
?????    Master: Young hopefuls bombard you with questions, and Variety calls you the savior of a lost vaudeville art. You can make your voice seem to come from anywhere within earshot.
Possessed by: Con Artists, Entertainers, Mediums, Pranksters. 
Specialties: Clarity, Distance, Dummy, Inanimate Object.