General (Cores and Camarilla) - Supernatural Inoffensive to Animals: 1 pt Merit Animals do not fear or distrust you the way they do most of the Kindred. They treat you as they would ‘any mortal and do not shy from your touch. Inoffensive to Animals: 1 pt Merit With rare exceptions, animals usually despise the Kindred. Some flee, others attack, but all dislike being in the presence of a vampire. You have no such problem. Animals may not enjoy being in your company, but they don't actively flee from you. Danger Sense: 2 pt Merit You have a sixth sense that warns you of danger. When you are in danger, the Storyteller should make a secret roll against your Perception + Alertness; the difficulty depends on the remoteness of the danger. If the roll succeeds, the Storyteller tells you that you have a sense of foreboding, Multiple successes may refine the feeling and give an indication of direction, distance or nature. This Merit is more reliable and specific than the Level One Auspex power; the two can be combined to create an even more potent warning system, Faerie Affinity: 2 pt Merit ‘Your presence does not frighten faeries; indeed, it attracts them, and you are naturally attuned to their ways. You are able, unlike most Kindred, to enter Arcadia, the mystical kingdom of the faeries, provided you find an entrance. Ocoutt Library:2 pt Merit You possess a library of occult materials, which may include at least one version of the Book of Nod, You are not necessarily familiar with the contents of these volumes of knowledge ( that is a function of your Abilities), but in time of need your library can be an invaluable source for research. Werewolf Companion: 3 pt Merit You have a friend and ally who just happens to be a werewolf. Though you may call uponthis being in time of need, it also has the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). However, neither your kind nor its appreciate such a relationship, and your respective societies will punish both of you if your friendship is discovered. Arranging for meeting places and methods of communication will be dffioutt The Storyteller will create the werewolf character, but will not reveal to you its full powers and potencies. Destiny: 4 pt Merit You have a great destiny, though you may well not realize it. Your destiny will become more and more apparent as the chronicle continues. Prophecies and dreams guide your way, and grant you clues to your ultimate goal. The sense of direction and security granted by this feeling of destiny helps you ‘overcome fear, depression and discouragement caused by anything not relevant to your destiny. Until your destiny is fulfilled, you may suffer setbacks, but nothing will thwart you permanently. How this is, Played is up to the Storyteller. Guardian Angel: 6 pt Merit ‘Someone or something watches over you and protects you from harm. You have no idea who or what it is, but you have an idea that someone is looking out for you. In times of great need you may be ‘supernaturally protected. However, one can never count upona guardian angel. The Storyteller must decide why you are being watched over, and by what (not necessarily an angel, despite the name). Magic Susceptibility: 2 pt Flaw You are susceptible to the magical rituals of the Tremere, as well as to spells of mages of other creeds and orders. The difficulty to cast a spell upon you is two less, and all spells cast have twice normal effect ‘on you, Medium: 2 pt Merit You possess the natural affinity to sense and hear spirits, ghosts and shades. Though you cannot see them, you feel their presence and are able to speak with them when they are in the vicinity. itis even possible for you to summon them (through pleading and cajoling) to your presence. Spirits will not simply aid you or give you advice gratis - they wil always want something in return.Medium: 2 pt Merit ‘You posses the natural affinity to sense and hear spirits ghosts, and shades. Though 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. Magic Resistance: 2 pt Merit ‘You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of the Tremere and the spells of the mages of other creeds and orders. Although you may never leam the Discipline of Thaumaturgy, the difficulties of all such spells and rituals are two greater when directed at you. Note: this includes all spells, beneficial and malign alike! Magic Resistance: 2 pt Merit ‘You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of the Tremere and the spells of the mages of other creeds and orders. The difficulty ofall such magic, both malicious and beneficent, is two higher when directed at you. You may never lear the Discipline of Thaumaturgy. Oracular Ability: 3 pt Merit You can see and interpret signs and omens. You are able to draw advice from these omens, for they provide hints of the future and warnings of the present, When the ST feels that you are in position to see an omen, you will be required to make a Perception + Occult roll, with the difficulty relative to how welll the omen is concealed. If successful, you may then roll Inteligence + Ocoutt to interpret what you have seen, the difficulty again relative to the complexity of the omen. Spirit Mentor: 3 pt Merit ‘You have a ghostly companion and guide. This spirt is able to employ a number of minor powers when it really struggles to exert itself (see Haunted, below), but for the most part its benefit to you is through the advice it can give. This ghost is the incorporeal spirit of someone who was once living, perhaps even ‘someone particularly famous or wise. The Storyteller will create the ghost character, but will not reveal to ‘you its full powers and potencies. Spirit Mentor: 3 pt Merit You have a ghostly companion and guide. The identity and exact powers of this spirit are up to the ST, but it can be called upon in difficult situations for help and guidance. Unbondable: 3 pt Merit You are immune to being Blood Bound. No matter how much blood you drink from other vampires, you will never be Bound to them. Unbondable: 3 pt Merit You are immune to being blood bound. Luck: 3 pt Merit ‘You were born lucky - or else the Devil looks after his own. Either way, you can repeat three failed rolls per story. Only one repeat attempt may be made on any single roll. Lucky: 3 pt Merit You were born lucky, or else the Devil looks after his own. Either way, you may repeat any three failed rolls per story, including botches, but you may try only once per failed roll. Charmed Existence: 5 pt Merit Your unlife is somehow protected, and you do not face the perils that others must. It could be that you are simply lucky. Whatever the reason, you may ignore a single "one" on every roll you make. Th makes it far less likely that you will ever botch, and grants you more successes than others obtain. Nine Lives:6 pt Merit Fate has granted you the opportunity to come as close to Final Death as anyone can get and still survive. When a roll occurs that would result in your death, the roll is made again. If the next roll succeeds, then you live - and one of your nine lives is used up. If that subsequent roll fails, then another reroll is made, until either a successful roll occurs or your nine lives are used up. The ST should keep careful count of how many lives the character has remaining.‘True Love: 1 pt Merit You have discovered, but may have lost (at least temporarily) a true love. Nonetheless, this love provides joy ina torrid existence usually devoid of such enlightened emotions. 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 allows you to succeed automatically on any Willpower roll, but only when you are actively striving to protect or come closer to your true love. Also, the power of your love may be powerful enough to protect you from other supernatural forces (Storyteller's discretion). However, your true love may also be a hindrance, and require aid (or even rescue) from time to time. Be forewarned: this is a most exacting Merit to play over the course of a chronicle. ‘True Love: 4 pt Merit 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 a world 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 WP rolls, which can be negated only by a botch die. This can be a great gift and dso a hindrance, for your true love may require protection and occasionally rescue. ‘True Faith: 7 pt Merit You have a deep-seated faith in and love for God, or whatever name you choose to call the Almighty. Perhaps your faith came to you before your Embrace, and was strong enough to survive even this test; or, incredibly enough, the adversity you have experienced in your current condition has brought out what is best in you. You begin the game with one point of Faith (a Trait with a range of 1-10). Your Faith provides you with an inner strength and comfort that continues to support you when all else betrays you. Your Faith adds to all Willpower and Virtue rolls. The exact supernatural effects of Faith, i any, are completely up to the Storyteller (though it will typically have the effect of repelling Kindred). It will certainly vary from person to person, and will almost never be obvious - some of the most saintly people have never performed a miracle greater than managing to touch an injured soul. The nature of any miracles you do perform will usually be tied to your own Nature, and you may never realize that you have been aided by a force beyond yourself. You must have a Humanity of 10 in order to choose this Merit, and if it ever drops below nine, you lose all Faith points and may only recover them through extensive penitence and work (and only when your Humanity is again 10). No one may start the game with more than one Faith point. Additional points are only awarded at the Storyteller's discretion ‘True Faith: 7 pt Merit ‘You have a deep-seated faith in and love for God, or whatever name you choose to call the Almighty. You begin the game with one point of True Faith (see pg. 272 ); this Trait adds one die per point to all WP and Virtue rolls. You must have a Humanity of 9 or higher to choose this Merit, and if you lose even a single point, all your Faith points are lost and may be regained only when the lost Humanity is recovered, Individuals with True Faith are capable of performing magical acts akin to miracles, but the exact nature of those acts is up to the ST Taint of Corruption: 1 pt Flaw Plants wither when you approach, and will die if you touch them. tt is rumored that Caine himself possesses this Flaw. ‘Touch of Frost: 1-Pt Flaw Plants wither as you approach and die at your touch. Your touch leeches heat from living beings, as though you are made of ice. Repulsed by Garlic: 1 pt Flaw You cannot abide the smell of garlic, and the smallest taint of its scent will drive you from a room. The {ull force of its pungent odor will bring bloody tears to your face and render you nearly blind, while its touch can cause boils and even open wounds. Repulsed by Garlic: 1-Pt Flaw You cannot abide garlic, and the smallest whiff of it's scent will rive you from a room unless you make a successful Willpower roll (Difficulty based on strength of the odor)Cursed: 1-5 pt Flaw You have been cursed by someone or something with supernatural or magical powers. This curse is specific and detailed, it cannot be dispelled without extreme effort, and it can be life-threatening. Some ‘examples follow: ‘+ Ifyou pass on a secret that was told to you, your betrayal will ater harm you in some way. (1 pt) ‘+ You stutter uncontrollably when you try to describe what you have seen or heard. (2 pt) * Tools often break or maifunction when you attempt to use them. (3 pt) ‘* You are doomed to make enemies of those to whom you become most attached (so whatever you do, don't get too close to the other characters!) (4 pt) ‘+ Every one of your accomplishments or achievements will eventually, inevitably, become soiled and fail in some way. (5 pt) Cursed: 1 to 5-Pt Flaw You are the recipient of a supernatural curse. The strength and pervasiveness of the curse depend on how many points you wish to incur. Examples follow: ‘+ Ifyou pass on a secret you were intrusted with, your betrayal will come back to harm you in some way. (1 pt.) ‘+ You stutter uncontrollably when you try to describe what you have seen or heard. (2 pt.) '* Tools break or malfunction when you try to use them. (3 pt.) + You are doomed to make enemies of those whom you most love to admire. (4 pt.) ‘+ Every one of your accomplishments or triumphs will eventually become soiled or fail in some way (6 pt) Cast No Reflection: 1-Pt Flaw You actually cast no reflection, just like the vampires of legend. This can have a very detrimental effect when trying to pass as a human. Vampires of clan Lasombra automatically have this Flaw (and you may be mistaken for one of them ifyou possess this). Eerie Presence: 2-Pt Flaw Mortals have an unconscious awareness of your undead nature, which makes them anxious and ill at ‘ease in your presence. Because of this, difficulties of all die rolls relating to social interaction with mortalsare increased by 2. Repelled by Crosses: 3 pt Flaw You are repelled by the sight of ordinary crosses (just as if they were holy). Kindred who were of the Church prior to their Embrace are the ones most likely to possess this Flaw; they perceive that their new form is a judgment from God. Repelled by Crosses: 3-Pt Flaw You are repelled by the sight of ordinary crosses, believing them to be symbols of holy might. When confronted by a cross, you must make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 9) or flee from the symbol for the duration of the scene. if you botch the roll, not only must you attempt to flee, but the touch of the cross can cause aggravated damage (One health level per turn that the cross touches your skin). This damage ‘cannot be soaked even if the vampire possesses Fortitude. Can't Cross Running Water: 3 pt Flaw You cannot cross running water unless you are at least 50 feet above it. "Running water" is any body of water more than two feet wide in any direction and not completely stagnant. A Kindred with this Flaw obviously believes too much in old wives' tales. Can't Cross Running Water: (3-Pt Flaw) You believe in the old folk lore, and cannot cross running water unless you are at least 50 feet above it. running water is considered to be any body of water at least two feet wide in any direction and not completely stagnant.Haunted: 3 pt Flaw You are haunted by a ghost that only you (and Mediums) can see and hear. It actively dislikes you and enjoys making your life miserable by insulting, berating and distracting you - especially when you need to keep your cool. It also has a number of minor powers it can use against you (once per story for each power): hide small objects; bring a "chill" over others, making them very ill at ease with you; cause a loud buzzing in your ear or the ears of others; move a small object such as a knife or pen; break a fragile item such as a bottle or mirror; trip you; or make eerie noises such as chains rattling. Yelling at the ghost ‘can sometimes drive it away, but it will confuse those who are around you. The Storyteller will likely personify the ghost in order to make things all the more frustrating for you. Haunted: 3-Pt Flaw You are haunted by an angry and tormented spirit, most likely one of your first victims. This spirit actively attempts to hinder you, especially when feeding, and does it utmost to vent it's anguish upon you and anyone in your presence. The Storyteller determines the exact nature of the spirit, it's powers, and ‘whether or not it can eventually be laid to rest. Grip of the Damned: 4-Pt Flaw ‘There is no ecstasy in your embrace --- only terror and pain. Mortals upon whom you feed struggle and shriek all the while as you attempt to feed, requiring you to grapple with them as long as you wish to take their blood. For vampires with high humanity, this experience may require a Humanity roll, at the discretion of the Storyteller. Dark Fate: 5 pt Flaw ‘You are doomed to experience a most horrible demise or, worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, someday you will be out of the picture. In the end, all your efforts, your struggles, and your ‘dreams will come to naught. Your fate is certain and there is nothing you can do about it: Even more ghastly, you have partial knowledge of this, for you occasionally have visions of your fate - and they are most disturbing. The malaise these visions inspire in you can only be overcome through the use of Willpower, and will return after each vision. At some point in the chronicle, you will indeed face your fate, but when and how is completely up to the Storyteller. Though you can't do anything about your fate, you can stil attempt to reach some goal before it occurs, or at least try to make sure that your friends are not destroyed as well. This is a difficult Flaw to roleplay; though it may seem as if it takes away all free will, we have found that, ironically, it grants freedom, Dark Fate: 5-Pt Flaw You are doomed to experience Final Death, or worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, you ‘cannot avoid this terrible fate. At some point during the chronicle, your dark fate will come upon you. Even more ghastl is the fact you occasionally have visions of this fate, and the malaise these images inspire requires an expenditure of a temporary Willpower point to avoid, or else you lose a die from all your actions for that remainder of the night. It is up to the Storyteller to determine the exact nature of this fate, and when it will occur. This is a difficult Flaw to role-play; ironically though it may seem as though it removes all free will, the knowledge of one's death can be quite liberating, Light-Sensitive: 5 pt Flaw You are even more sensitive to sunlight than other vampires are. Sunlight causes double normal damage, and even moonlight (which is, afterall, the reflected light of the sun) harms you. Indeed, even bright lights can be painful, but that pain can be mitigated by wearing sunglasses. When the moon is shining, the light it casts will cause wounds in the same way sunlight does for normal individuals. However, the wounds caused by the moon are not aggravated, and can be healed normally. Remember, even on nights when the moon is full, it may have already set when you venture outside, or be obscured by the clouds. Light-Sensitive: 5-Pt Flaw ‘You are even more sensitive to the sunlight than other vampires are. Sunlight causes double normal ‘damage, and the light of the moon can cause lethal damage in a manner similar to the sun, though it must shine directly upon you. Even bright lights hurt your eyes, requiring the use of sunglasses. Deceptive Merit: 1 pt Merit Your aura is unnaturally bright and colorful for a vampire. You register as a mortal on all attempts to read your aura.Healing Touch: 1 pt Merit Normally vampires can only seal the wounds they inflict by licking them. With but a touch, you can achieve the same effect. Hidden Diablerie: 3 pt Merit ‘The telrtale black streaks of diablerie do not manifest in your aura. Additional Discipline: 5 pt Merit You can take one additional Discipline (Storyteller discretion) as if it were a clan Discipline. All costs to learn that Discipline are paid out as ifit were native to your clan. A character can not take this merit more than once. Cold Breeze: 1 pt Flaw Achill wind follows you everywhere you go. While it may make for dramatic entrances, this effect also discomfits mortals (+1 difficulty on all appropriate Social ros) and also endangers the Masquerade. Cold winds sweeping through executive offices or crowded nightclubs can raise all sorts of questions. Beacon of the Unholy: 2 pt Flaw You radiate palpable evil. Clergy and devour mortals know instinctively that there is something horribly wrong with you, and react accordingly. Churches and other places of worship are barred to you as well Deathsight: 2 pt Flaw Everything appears rotted and decayed to you. The world appears to you as a corpse; mortals look diseased or skeletal, buildings seem decrepit, and your fellow Kindred seem to be walking, moldering cadavers. You are at -2 difficulty to resist all rolls based on Appearance, but by the same token you are at +2 difficulty on all Perception-based rolls. In addition, you find social interaction difficult and are at +1 difficulty on all Sociakbased rolls. Lord of the Flies: 2 pt Flies Buzzing harbingers of decay swirl around you everywhere. Their constant presence makes it difficult for you to interact socially (+1 difficulty when appropriate) and nearly impossible to sneak up on someone or hide effectively. The buzzing of the fies inevitably gives you away - all Stealth rolls are at +2 difficultyGeneral (Cores and Camarilla) - Physical/Awareness/Aptitudes ‘Acute Hearing: 1 pt Merit Youhave exceptionally sharp hearing, even for a vampire. The difficulties of all dice roll that relate to hearing (e.g. Perception + Alertness to hear a faint noise, or Perception + Linguistics to overhear a ‘conversation in a foreign language) are decreased by two. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level ‘One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman hearing acuity Acute Sense of Smell: 1 pt Merit ‘You have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to smell (e.g., Intelligence + Occult to identify a ritual incense) are reduced by two. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman offactory acuity. Acute Sense of Taste: 1 pt Merit You have an exceptionally keen sense of taste. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to taste (e.9., Perception + Medicine to spot the taint of poison in blood or another substance ) are reduced by two. You are able to make precise distinctions in taste. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One ‘Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman taste acuity. 1 Acute Vision: 1 pt Merit ‘You have exceptionally keen eyesight. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to vision (e.g., a Perception roll to spot a clue, or Perception + Alertness to see the shadow of an approaching attacker) are reduced by one. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman visual acuity ‘Acute Sense: 1 pt Merit ‘One of your senses is exceptionally sharp, be it sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. The difficulties for all tasks involving the use of this particular sense are reduced by two. This Merit can be combined with the Discipline of Auspex to produce superhuman sensory acuity. Color Blindness: 1 pt Flaw You can only see in black and white. Color means nothing to you, though you are sensitive to color density, which you perceive as shades of gray. This makes it impossible to use the Level Two Auspex power of Aura Perception. Note: color blindness actually indicates an inability to distinguish between two colors, but we fudged a bit for the sake of brevity. Hard of Hearing: 1 pt Flaw Your hearing is defective. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to hearing are increased by two. You may not take Acute Hearing if you take this Flaw. Hard of Hearing: 1-Pt Flaw Your hearing is defective. The difficulties of any die rolls involving the use of hearing are increased by two. Bad Sight: 2 pt Flaw Your sight is defective. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to vision are increased by two. This Flaw is neither nearsightedness nor farsightedness; itis a minor form of blindness, and is not correctable. You may not take Acute Vision if you take this Flaw. Bad Sight: 1-or Pt Flaw Your sight is defective. The difficulties of any die rolls involving the use of your eyesight are increased by two. As a one point Flaw, this condition can be corrected with glasses or contacts; as a three point Flaw, the condition is too severe to be corrected. One Eyer 2 pt Flaw You have one eye - choose which, or determine randomly during character creation. You have no peripheral vision on your blind side, and two fewer dice are rolled for any feat requiring depth perception. This includes missile combat.One Eye: 2-Pt Flaw You have only one eye --- which eye is missing is up to you. The difficulties of all Perception rolls, involving eyesight are increased by two, and the difficulties of all die rolls requiring depth perception are increased by one (this includes ranged combat). Deaf: 4 pt Flaw You cannot hear sound, and automatically fail any rolls that require hearing, Deaf: 4-Pt Flaw You cannot hear. While you may ignore some applications of Dominate, you may not listen to electronic, or vocal media, and the difficulties of many Alertness rolls are increased by three. Blind: 6 pt Flaw ‘You automatically fail all dice rolls involving vision. You cannot see-the world of color and light is lost to you. Blind: 6-Pt 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 Dexterity-based rolls are increased by two. Oddly, vampires with level two Auspex (Aura Perception) are still able to use this, ability, thought the information is interpreted via the other senses. Double-Jointed: 1 pt Merit You are unusually supple. Reduce the difficulty of any Dexterity roll involving body flexibility by two. ‘Squeezing through a tiny space is one example of a use for this Merit Baby Face: 2 pt Merit You look more human than other vampires, enabling you to fit in the human world much more easily. Your skin is pink, you never really stopped breathing (even though you don't need to), and even ‘sneezing comes naturally. You can make your heart beat as long as you have at least one Blood Point. This Merit cannot be taken by Nosferatu. Blush of Health: 2 pt Merit ‘You look more hale and healthy in appearance than other vampires, allowing you to blend with human. society much more easily. You still retain the color ofa living mortal, and your skin feels only slightly cool to the touch, Eriendly Face: 1 pt Merit You have a face that reminds everyone of someone, to the point where strangers are inclined to be well inclined toward you because of it. The effect doesn’t fade if you explain the "mistake," leaving you at -1 difficulty on all appropriate Sociatbased rolls (yes for Seduction, no for Intimidation, for example) when a stranger is involved. This Merit only functions on a first meeting, Enchanting Voice: 2 pt Merit ‘There is something about your voice that others cannot ignore. When you command, they are cowed. When you seduce, they swoon. Whether thunderous, gentle, persuading or simply talking, your voice ‘commands attention. The difficulties of all die rolls involving the use of the voice to persuade, charm, or ‘command are reduced by two. Misplaced Heart: 2 pt Merit Your heart has actually moved within your body, though no more than two feet from its original position near the middle of your chest. Those who attempt to stake you find it very difficult to find the right location (which should be your most tightly guarded secret Efficient Digestion: 3 pt Merit You are able to draw more than the usual amount of nourishment from blood. Every two Blood Points ingested increase your Blood Pool by three. Round down so leftover ‘halves’ are ignored. For instance, taking four Blood Points raises the Blood Pool by six, and so does taking five Blood Points.Efficient Digestion: 3 pt Merit You are able to draw more than the usual amount of nourishment from blood. When feeding, you gain an additional point to your blood poo! for every two points of blood you consume. This does not allow you to exceed your blood pool maximum. Selective Digestion: 2 pt Flaw You can digest only certain types of blood. You can choose whether you can drink only cold blood (the blood of a dead person), blood with the taste of fear (found in blood only in moments of terror), or blood with the taste of joy, or perhaps only certain types (A, O, etc.) of blood. This Flaw may not be taken by Ventrue characters, since they already have something like it through their clan weakness Allergic: 1-3 pt Flaw You are allergic to some substance, in a manner not unlike mortal allergies. However, you do not get hives or sneeze, but are actually incapacitated by your reaction. If the substance was in the blood you drank, the reaction will be very strong, though touch alone is enough to disturb you. Ifit was in the blood, you will have five fewer dice on all your Dice Pools for 10 minutes - if you just touched it, the penalty is reduced to two dice. Choose from the list below or make up the substance to which you are allergic. Plastic: 1 pt Alcohol: 2 pt Illegal Drugs: 2 pt Metal: 3 pt Huge Size: (4 pt Merit) You are abnormally large in size, possibly over seven feet tall and 400 pounds in weight. You therefore have one additional Health Level, and are able to suffer more harm before you are incapacitated. Treat this extra Level as an extra Hurt Level, with no penalties to rolls. Huge Size: 4 pt Merit ‘You are abnormally large in size, at least 6'10" and 300 pounds in weight. Aside from making you extremely noticeable in public, this extra mass bestows an additional Bruised health level. Characters with this Merit may also gain bonuses to push objects, open barred doors, avoid being knocked down, etc Short: 1 pt Flaw Youare well below average height, and have trouble seeing over high objects and moving quickly. You suffer a two-dioe penalty to all pursuit rolls, and you and the Storyteller should make sure your height is taken into account in all situations. In some circumstances, this will give you a concealment bonus. Short: 1-Pt Flaw You are well below average height --- four and a half feet tall or less. You have difficulty reaching or manipulating objects designed for normal adutt size, and your running speed is one and a half of that of normally proportioned human. Child: 3 pt Flaw You were a small child at the time of the Embrace. Although time and experience may have changed your outlook, you are stuck with a child's body. You have the Short Flaw (see above), and you find it difficult to be taken seriously by others (two-dice penalty to all relevant rolls). Because you have never before experienced any sort of transformation change (never having undergone the experience of puberty), you are ill suited to withstanding the demands of the Hunger (the difficulties of all such rolls are ‘one greater). Additionally, certain clubs may not admit you, because you are "underage." Child: 3-Pt Flaw You were a small child (between five and 10 years old) at the time of your Embrace, leaving your Physical Attributes underdeveloped and making it difficult to interact with some aspects of mortal society. You may not have more than two dots in Strength or Stamina, except when raising Physical ‘Attributes with blood points, and the dficulties of all the die rolls when attempting to direct or lead mortal adults are increased by two Characters with this Flaw must also purchase the Short Flaw.Bruiser: 1 pt Merit Your appearance is sufficiently thuglike to inspire fear or at least disquiet in those who see you. While you're not necessarily ugly per se, you do radiate a sort of quiet menace, to the point where people cross the street to avoid passing near you. You are at -1 difficulty on all Intimidation rolls against those who have not demonstrated their physical superiority to you. Disfiqured: 2 pt Flaw Ahiideous disfigurement makes you ugly and easy to notice as well as remember. You therefore have a zero Appearance, much like the Nosferatu (who cannot take this Flaw). Disfigured: 2-Pt Flaw Aniideous disfigurement makes your appearance disturbing and memorable. The difficulties of al the rolls relating to social interaction are increased by two. You may not have an Appearance rating greater than 2. Deformity: 3 pt Flaw You have some kind of deformity - a misshapen limb, a hunchback or whatever - which affects your interactions with others and may inconvenience you physically. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to physical appearance are raised by two. Your deformity will also raise the difficulty of some Dexterity rolls, by two, depending on the type of deformity you possess. Deformity: 3-Pt Flaw You have some kind of deformity --- a misshapen limb, hunchback, clubfoot, etc. --- which affects your physical abilities and interactions with others. A hunchback, for instance would lower a character's, Dexterity by two dots and increase the difficulty of die rolls relating to social skills by one. Its the responsibilty of the Storyteller to determine the specific effects of the deformity chosen. Monstrous: 3 pt Flaw There is something wholly monstrous about you, something that makes you even more hideous than a Nosferatu. You scarcely look human, but the manner in which you differ is up to you. Perhaps you have ‘grown scales or warts all over your body, or perhaps the scream you issued when you died has been Permanently frozen on your face. Not only is your Appearance a zero, but you make even the Nosferatu Uneasy. Nosferatu may take this Flaw, but only gain one point for it Monstrous: 3-Pt Flaw ‘Your physical form was twisted during the Embrace, and now reflects the Beast that rages inside of you. Characters with this Flaw appear to be savage monsters and have Appearance ratings of zero. Even Nosferatu have difficulty interacting with such individuals. One Arm: 3 pt Flaw You have only one arm - choose which, or determine randomly at character creation. This happened before the Embrace. It is assumed that you are accustomed to using your remaining hand, so you suffer 1no off-hand penalty. However, you do sutfer a two-dice penalty to any Dice Pool where two hands ‘would normally be needed to perform a task. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Ambidextrous. Lame:3 pt Flaw Your legs are injured or otherwise prevented from working effectively. You suffer a two-dice penalty to all dice rolls related to movement. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Double- Jointed, Lame: 3-Pt 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 have pronounced limp to your stride. Your walking speed is one ‘quarter that of anormal human, and running is impossible. Paraplegic: 6 pt Flaw You can hardly move without assistance, such as a pair of crutches or a wheelchair. Even then it can be painful and cumbersome to do so. The Storyteller and you should take care to roleplay this Flaw correctly, no matter how difficult it makes things. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit of Doubleointed,Permanent Wound: 3 pt Flaw You suffered injuries during the Embrace, which your sire did nothing to repair. You start each night at the Wounded Health Level. This can be healed like normal damage, but each evening, after sleep, your ‘wounds always return. Permanent Wound: 3-Pt Flaw You suffered injuries during your Embrace which your transformation somehow failed to repair. At the beginning of each night, you raise from sleep at the Wounded health level, though this may be healed by spending blood points. Open Wound: 2-4 pt Flaw You have one or more wounds that refuse to heal, and which constantly drip blood. This slow leakage costs you an extra blood point per evening (marked off just before dawn), in addition to drawing attention to you. If the wound is visible, you are at +1 difficulty for all Sociatbased rolls. For two points, the Flaw is simply unsightly and has the basic effect mentioned above; for four points the seeping ‘wound is serious or disfiguring and includes the effects of the Flaw Permanent Wound, ‘Slow healing: 3-Pt Flaw You have difficulty healing wounds. It requires two blood points to heal one health level of normal damage and you heal one level of aggravated damage every five days (plus the usual five blood ponts and Willpower expenditure) Mute: 4 pt Flaw Your vocal apparatus does not function, and you cannot speak at all. You can communicate through other means -typically writing or signing Mute: 4-Pt Flaw You cannot speak. You may communicate with the Staryteller and describe your actions, but 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. Thin-Blooded: 4 pt Flaw You have weak blood, and are unable to use it for anything but sustaining yourself from night to night and healing your wounds. Blood cannot be used to add to your Physical Attributes, to fuel blood Disciplines, or to create a Blood Bond. Moreover, you will not aways be able to create a vampire. Half the time the Embrace will simply not work. Thin Blood: 4-Pt Flaw Your blood is thin, weak and does not sustain you well. All blood point costs are doubled (e.g., using blood related Disciplines or healing damage), and you are unable to create a blood bond. Furthermore, efforts to Sire other vampires succeed only 20% of the time. Ambidextrous: 1 pt Merit You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the ‘wrong’ hand at no penatty. The normal penalty for using both hands at once to perform different tasks (e.9. fighting with a weapon in each hand) is plus one difficulty for the ‘right’ hand and plus three difficulty for the other hand. Ambidextrous: 1 pt Merit You have a high degree of offhand dexterity and can perform tasks whit the ‘wrong" hand at no penalty. ‘You must stil use the rules for taking multiple actions, but will not sutfer a difficulty penalty if, say, you Use two weapons or are forced to use your off hand. Eat Food: 1 pt Merit You have the capacity to eat food and even savor its taste. While you cannot derive any nourishment from eating regular foods, this ability will serve you well in maintaining the Masquerade. Of course, you can't digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you must force yourself to heave it back up.Eat Food: 1 pt Merit You have the capacity to eat food. I's an ability you developed at an early point in your undead existence, or perhaps it has been a latent abilty all along, This is considered disgusting by other Kindred, but can be of great assistance in maintaining the Masquerade. Catlike Balance: 1 pt Merit You possess an innately perfect sense of balance. Characters with this Merit reduce difficulties of all balance-elated rolls (e.g., Dexterity + Athletics to walk along a narrow ledge) by two. Daredevil 3 pt Merit You are good at taking risks, and are even better at surviving them. All difficulties are one less whenever you try something particularly dangerous, and you can ignore one botch result when you roll “ones* on ‘such actions (you can cancel a single "one" that is rolled, as if you had an extra success ) Daredevil 3 pt Merit You are good at taking risks, and even better at surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky actions (Such as leaping from one moving car to another), characters with this Merit add an additional three dice to their rolls, and negate a single botch that may resuit from such a roll. Generally, such actions must be at least difficulty 8 and have the potential to infict at least three health levels of damage if failed, ‘Smellof the Grave: 1-Pt Flaw ‘You exude an odor of dampness and newly tured earth, which no amount of scents of perfumes will ‘cover. Mortals in your immediate presence become uncomfortable, so the difficulties of all social rolls to affect mortals increase by one. ‘14th Generation: 2-Pt Flaw ‘You were created five or fewer years ago by a member of the 13th generation. Though you have 10 blood points in your body, only eight of them may be used to heal wounds, power Disciplines, raise Attributes, etc. Obviously, taking this Flaw precludes you from taking the Generation Background, and you may not start with Status either. You are likely a clanless caitif, for your blood is probably too thin to pass down the distinguishing characteristics of a clan. Most 14th - generation vampires should also take the Thin Blood Flaw. Infectious Bite: 2-Pt Flaw You lack enzymes that allow most Kindred to seal the wounds caused by their feeding. You may not automatically lick the wounds of your feeding closed. In fact, your bites have a one on five chance of becoming infected and causing mortal victims to become seriously il. The precise nature of the infection is determined by the Storyteller. Addiction: 3-Pt Flaw You suffer from an addiction to a substance, which must now be present in he blood your drink. This ‘can be alcohol, nicotine, hard drugs or simply adrenaline. This substance always impairs you in some fashion (see "Poisons and Drugs,” p.231 for particulars). Disease Carrier: 4-Pt Flaw Your blood carries a lethal and highly contagious disease. The disease can be anything from rabies to HIV, and Kindred who drink your blood have a 10% chance of becoming a carrier as well. You must spend an extra blood point each night on awakening, or you will begin manifesting symptoms of the disease (increased chance to frenzy for rabies, reduced soak rolls for HIV, etc.) Flesh of the Corpse: 5-Pt Flaw Your flesh does not fully regenerate tself once it is damaged. While you are able to heal yourself to the point of regaining full functionality, your skin stil retains the cuts, tears, bullet holes, ete., which you have incurred. Depending on the nature of the damage, this flaw will make social dealings exceedingly difficuttDulled Bite: 2 pt Flaw For some reason your fangs never developed fully - they may not have manifested at all. When feeding, you need to find some other method of making the blood flow. Failing that, you must achieve double the normal number of successes in order to make your bite penetrate properiy. A number of Caitiff and high- generation vampires often manifest this Flaw. Permanent Fangs: 3 pt Flaw Your fangs do not retract, making it impossible for you to hide your true nature. While some mortals may think you've had your teeth filed or are wearing prosthetics, sooner or later you're going to run into ‘someone who knows what you truly are. You are a constant threat to the Masquerade, and other indred may take steps to prevent a breach from ever occuring. You are also limited to an Appearance rating of 3 at most. Glowing Eyes: 3 pt Flaw You have the stereotypical glowing eyes of vampire legend, which gives you a-1 difficulty on Intimidation rolls when you're dealing with mortals. However, the tradeofis are many; you are a walking tear in the Masquerade and must constantly disguise your condition (no, contacts don't cut it); the glow impairs your vision and puts you at + 1 difficulty on all sightbased rolls (including the use of ranged weapons); and the radiance emanating from your eye sockets makes it difficult to hide ( + 2 difficulty to Stealth rolls) in the dark.General (Cores and Camarilla) - Mental/Psych/Aptitudes Common Sense: 1 pt Merit You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever you are about to do something contrary to common sense, the Storyteller should alert you to how, your potential action might violate practicality. This is an ideal Merit if you are a novice player because it allows you to receive advice from the Storyteller concerning what you can and cannot do, and (even more importantly) what you should and should not do. Concentration: 1 pt Merit ‘Youhave the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Any penalty toa difficulty or Dice Poo! arising from a distraction or other inauspicious circumstance is limited to two, though no extra benefits are gained if only one penalty die is imposed Confused: 2 pt Flaw You are often confused, and the world seems to be a very distorted and twisted place. Sometimes you are simply unable to make sense of things. You need to roleplay this behavior all the time to a small degree, but your confusion becomes especially strong whenever stimuli surround you (such as when a number of different people talk all at once, or you enter a nightclub with loud pounding music). You may spend Willpower to override the effects of your confusion, but only temporarily. This Flaw may not be taken with the Merit Concentration. Though you do not forget such things as, Knowledges or Skill, you do forget names, addresses, and when you last ate. In order to remember anything more than your own name and the location of your haven, you need to make a Wits roll or, as a last resort, spend a Willpower point. Lightning Calculator: 1 pt Merit You have a natural affinity with numbers and a talent for mental arithmetic, making you a natural when working with computers or betting at the racetracks. The difficulties of all relevant rolls are decreased by two. Another possible use for this ability, assuming you have numbers on which to base your ‘conclusions, is the ability to calculate the difficulty of certain tasks. In appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller the difficulty rating of a task you are about to perform. ‘Time Sense: 1 pt Merit You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using ‘a watch or other mechanical device. You can accomplish this whether you are concentrating or not. You can estimate the time of day to within a minute or two, and the passage of time with the same accuracy. Eidetic Memory: 2 pt Merit ‘You can remember things seen and heard with perfect detall. By gaining at least one success on an Intelligence + Alertness roll, you can recall any desired sight or sound accurately, even if you heard it or glanced at it only once (though the difficulty of such a feat woud be high). Five successes enable you to recall an event perfectly: the Storyteller relates to you exactly what was seen or heard Light Sleeper: 2 pt Merit You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. The rules regarding how Humanity restricts the number of dice usable during the day are waived. Deep Sleeper: 1 pt Flaw When you sleep, itis very difficult for you to awaken. Raise the difficulty by two on any such roll, and roleplay how you never seem to be on time when you have an appointment early in the evening. Calm Heart: 3 pt Merit You are naturally calm and welLcomposed, and do not easily fly off the handle. Lower the difficulties of all your frenzy rolls by two, no matter how the incident is provoked,Iron Will:3 pt Merit When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. You cannot be Dominated, nor can your mind be affected in any way by spells or rituals. However, the Storyteller may require you to spend Willpower points when extremely potent powers are directed at you. Weak-Willed: 2 pt Flaw You are highly susceptible to Dominate and intimidation by others; you are, in fact, unable to use your Willpower freely. You can employ your Willpower only when survival is at stake or itis appropriate to your Nature. Weak-Willed: 3-Pt Flaw You are highly susceptible to Dominate and Intimidation by others; Dominate attempts automatically affect you unless the Discipline wielder is of higher generation, and your difficulties to resist social abilities such as Intimidation, or Leadership, as well as mind-altering spells or magic, are increased by 2. Your Willpower trait may NEVER raise above four. Self-Confident: 5 pt Merit ‘When you spend a point of Willpower to gain an automatic success, your setf-confidence may allow you to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower point. You do not lose the Point when you spend it, unless you end the roll with only one success, i.e. you do not gain any additional successes from the dice you roll. This Merit may only be used when you need confidence in ‘your abilities in order to succeed. This means you can use it only when the difficulty of your roll is six or higher. You may spend Willpower at other times; however, ifthe difficulty is five or less, the Willpower will be spent no matter what you roll Overconfident: 1 pt Flaw You have an exaggerated and unshakable opinion of your own worth and capabilities-you never hesitate to trust your abilties, even in situations where you risk defeat. Because your abilities may not be ‘enough, such overconfidence can be very dangerous. When you do fail, you quickly find someone or ‘something else to blame. if you are convincing enough, you can infect others with your overconfidence. Low Self-Image: 2 pt Flaw You lack seit-confidence and don't believe in yourself You have two fewer dice in situations where you don't expect to succeed (at the Storyteller's discretion, though the penalty might be limited to one die if you help the Storyteller by pointing out times when this Flaw might affect you ). At the Storyteller's ‘option, you may be required to make Willpower rolls to do things that require self confidence, or even to use a Willpower point when others would not be obliged to do so. Code of Honor: 1 pt Merit You have a personal code of ethics to which you strictly adhere. Even when you are in frenzy, you will attempt to obey it (and thus get three extra dice to your Self-Control rolls when in danger of violating your code). You can automatically resist most temptations that would bring you in conflict with your ‘code. When battling supernatural persuasion that would make you violate your code, you either gain three extra dice to resist supernatural persuasions, or the opponent's difficulties are increased by two (Storyteller's choice). You must construct your own personal code of honor in as much detail as you can, outlining the general rules of conduct by which you abide. Code of Honor: 2 pt Merit You have a personal code of ethics to which you adhere. The specifics of this code must be worked out with the ST prior to play, and the character must follow it strictly. Characters with this Merit gain two additional dice to all WP or Virtue rolls when acting in accordance to their code (e.g., defending the helpless) or when attempting to avoid situations that might force them to violate their code. Nightmares: 1 pt Flaw ‘You experience horrendous nightmares (daymares?) every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Sometimes the nightmares are so bad they cause you to lose one die on all your actions for the next night (Storyteller's discretion). Some of the nightmares may be so intense that you mistake them for reality. A crafty Storyteller will be quick to take advantage of this.Nightmares: 1-Pt Flaw You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Upon awakening, you must take 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 you are locked in a nightmare. Phobia (Mild): 1 pt Flaw You have an overpowering fear of something. You instinctively and illogically retreat from and avoid the object of your fear. Common objects of phobias include certain animals, insects, crowds, open spaces, ‘confined spaces and heights. You must make a Courage roll whenever you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of this roll is determined by the Storyteller. If you fail the roll, you must retreat from the object. Phobia: 2-Pt Flaw ‘You have an overpowering fear of something. Spiders, snakes, crowds and heights are examples of ‘common phobias. You must make a Courage roll every time you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of the roll is determined by the Storyteller, and if you fail the roll you must retreat from the object. Phobia (Severe): 3 pt Flaw ‘You have an overpowering fear of something. Common objects of fear include certain animals, insects, ‘crowds, open spaces, confined spaces, heights, and so on. You must make a Courage roll not to enter Rotschreck when faced with the object of your fear. The difficulty depends on the circumstances. if you fail the roll, you must retreat in terror from the object of fear. If you score fewer than three successes, ‘you will not approach it. The Storyteller has final say over which phobias are allowed in a chronicle, Prey Exclusion: 1 pt Flaw You refuse to hunt a certain class of prey. For instance an animal-lover might decide to hunt only humans, or a character might decide to spare a class of person she particularly admires: police, teachers, medical professionals, clergy, peace activists and so on. You are disturbed when others feed from this type of prey, and could possibly enter a frenzy (Storyteller's discretion). if you accidentally feed upon this class of prey yourself, you will automatically frenzy and will need to make a roll for Humanity loss (difficulty 8 or greater). Note: This is not as restrictive as the Ventrue limitation, which limits a vampire to a certain class of prey (therefore Ventrue cannot take this Flaw), Prey Exclusion: 1-Pt Flaw You refuse to hunt a certain class of prey. You must refuse to feed upon Drug Dealers, or police men, or ‘accounts, or rich people--- if you accidentally feed upon such an individual, you automatically frenzy land must make a roll to prevent Humanity loss (Difficulty 7). Witnessing other Kindred feeding on the object of your exclusion might also provoke a frenzy, at the Storytellers discretion. Ventrue, owing to the limitations imposed on their feeding by their clan weakness, may not take this Flaw. Shy: 1 pt Flaw You are distinctly il at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. The difficulties of all rolis concemed with social dealings are increased by one; the difficulties of any rolls made while you are the center of attention are increased by two. Don't expect such a character to make a public speech. Shy: 1-Pt Flaw You are distinctty ill at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. Difficulties for any rolls involving social interaction with strangers are increased by 2. Ifthe character becomes the center of attention in a large group, difficulties are increased by 3. Soft-Hearted: 1 pt Flaw ‘You cannot stand to watch others suffer-not necessarily because you care about what happens to them, but simply because you dislike the intensity of emotion. if you are the direct cause of suffering, and you witness it, you will experience nights of nausea and days of sleepless grief. You avoid situations where ‘you might have to witness suffering and will do anything you can to protect others from it Whenever you must witness suffering, difficulties of all rolls are increased by two for the next hour.Soft-Hearted: 1-Pt Flaw You cannot stand to watch others suffer. You avoid any situation that involves causing someone physical or emotional pain, unless you make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 8). You must have a Humanity Tating of 7 or above to take this Flaw. ‘Speech impediment: 1 pt Flaw You have a stammer or some other speech impediment which hampers verbal communication. The difficulties of al relevant rolls are increased by two. Do not feel obliged to roleplay this impediment all the time, but in times of duress or when dealing with outsiders, you should attempt to simulate it. ‘Speech impediment: 1-Pt Flaw You have a stammer or other speech impediment that hampers verbal communication, The Difficulties of all die ros involving verbal communications are increased by 2. You MUST role-play this Flaw whenever possible. ‘Short Euse: 2 pt Flaw You are easily angered. The difficulties of rolls to avoid frenzy are always two greater, no matter how you were provoked. This is a dangerous Flaw; don't choose it without careful thought. ‘Short Fuse: 2-Pt Flaw You are easily angered. Difficulties to avoid Frenzy are 2 greater. Brujah vampires cannot take this Flaw, as they already suffer from a similar malady. Territorial: 2 pt Flaw ‘You are extremely territorial. You do not lke to leave your territory, nor do you like to have strangers enter it. In fact, you get so nervous and disoriented while outside your territory that the difficulties of all your rolls are increased by one. In addition, you must make a frenzy roll when other vampires enter your territory, unless they obtain your permission to pass through Tertitorial: 2-Pt Flaw You are extremely territorial, staking out a particular area as your hunting ground and reacting aggressively to trespassers. If another vampire enters your territory uninvited, you must make a Frenzy roll. if you fail, you immediately attack the interloper and continue attacking until the intruder is dead or has left your hunting grounds. You are reluctant to leave your territory except in desperate circumstances, Vengeance: 2 pt Flaw You have a score to settle. This score may be from either your mortal or vampiric days. Ether way, you are obsessed with wreaking vengeance on an individual (or perhaps an entire group), and make revenge ‘your first priority in all situations. The need for vengeance can only be overcome by spending Willpower Points, and even then it only temporarily subsides. Someday you may have your revenge, but the ‘Storyteller won't make it easy. Vengeful: 2-Pt Flaw Younave a score to settle, incurred either during your mortal days or after the embrace. You are ‘obsessed with taking your revenge on an individual or group, and it is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter the object of your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower poi Amnesia: 2-Pt Flaw You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself or your family, thought your past may well come back to haunt you. Your origins and the circumstances behind your amnesia are for the Storyteller to determine, and he/she is encouraged to make it as interesting as possible. Lunacy: 2-Pt Flaw You are affected by the phases of the moon, increasing your chances to frenzy. under the crescent moon, difficulties to avoid frenzy increased by 1. Under the half or gibbous moon, difficulties raised by 2. When the moon is full the difficulty is increased by 3.Higher Purpose: 1 pt Merit You have a goal that drives and directs you in everything. You do not concern yourseff with petty matters and casual concems, because your higher purpose is everything Though you may sometimes be driven by this purpose and find yourself forced to behave in ways contrary to the need of personal survival, it can also grant you great persona strength. You gain two extra dice on all rolls that have anything to do with this higher purpose. You need to decide what your higher purpose is. Make sure you talk it over with the Storyteller first. (If you have the Flaw Driving Goal below you cannot take this Merit ) Driving Goal: 3 pt Flaw You have a personal goal, which sometimes compel and directs you in startling ways. The goal is always limitless in depth, and you can never truly achieve it. It could be to eradicate the Sabbat or achieve Golconda... Because you must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), it will get you into trouble and may jeopardize other actions. Choose your driving goal carefully, as it wil direct and focus everything your character does. Berserker: 2 pt Merit ‘The Beast is in you, but you know how to direct and make use of it. You have the capacity to frenzy at will, and are thus able to ignore your wound penalties. However, you must pay the consequences of your actions while in frenzy just as you normally would. Your chance of entering an unwilling frenzy is, also unaffected Dual Nature: 2 pt Merit You have two distinct Natures, both of which have an influence on your personality and behavior. When you pick these Natures, be careful to choose Archetypes that are somewhat compatible. Dual Nature ‘does not mean schizophrenia (that is a Derangement). This Merit allows you to regain Willpower using both Natures. You may still choose a Demeanor, and it can be as different from the character’ Natures as the player desires. Compulsion: 1 pt Flaw You have a psychological compulsion of some sort which can cause you a number of different problems. You compulsion may be for cleanliness, perfection, bragging stealing, gaming, exaggeration or just talking. A compulsion can be temporarily avoided at the cost of a Willpower point,. but is in effect at all other times, Intolerance: 1 pt Flaw You have an unreasoning dislike of a certain thing, This may bean animal, a class of person, a color, a situation, or just about anything at all. The difficulties of all dice roll involving the subject are increased by two. Note that some dislikes may be too trivial to be reflected here-a dislike of White Wolf Magazine or tissue paper, for instance, will have little effect on play in most chronicles. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on what you can pick to dis Hatred: 3 pt Flaw You have an unreasoning hatred of a certain thing. This hate is total and largely uncontrollable. You may hate species of animal, a class of person, a color, a situation anything. You must make a frenzy roll whenever faced with the object of your hatred. You constantly pursue opportunities to harm the hated object or to gain Dower over it. Coldly Logical: 1 pt Merit While some might refer to you as a “cold fish," you have a knack for separating factual reporting from ‘emotional or hysterical coloration. You may or may not be emotional yourself, but you can see clearly when others are clouding the facts with their feelings (-1 difficulty on all Sense Deception and related rolls) Useful Knowledge: 1 pt Merit ‘You have expertise in a specific field that makes your conversation intriguing to an older Kindred. So long as your knowledge holds the other vampire's attention, he has a vested interest in keeping you ‘around. Then again, once he's pumped you for every iota of information you possess, that patronage may suddenly vanish. (Note: This Merit should be played like a 1-dot Mentor with a specific interest. However, unlike a Mentor, Useful Knowledge does not imply a permanent relationship.)Computer Aptitude: 1 pt Merit You have a natural affinity with computers, so the difficulties of all rolls to repair, construct or operate them are two less. Computer Aptitude: 2 pt Merit You are familiar with and talented in the uses of computer equipment. Other Kindred may not understand computers, but to you they are intuitive. All rolls involving computers are at -2 difficulty for you. Fast Leamer. 3 pt Merit 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 (not each game session) Precocious: 3 pt Merit You learn quickly. The time for you to pick up a particular Abilty (or Abilities, at Storyteller discretion) is cut in half, as is the experience cost. Impatient: 1 pt Flaw You have no patience for standing around and waiting. You want to do things now, and the Devil take the hindmost. Every time you are forced to wait around instead of acting, a Self-Control roll is required to see if you go haring off on your own instead, Stereotype: 2 pt Flaw ‘You buy heavily into all of the vampire legendry you've read and heard. You wear a cape, speak with an accent andotherwise act in a cartoonish fashion. Such behavior is embarrassing in the extreme to other Kindred, who are likely to ostracize or mock you (+2 difficulty to Social rolls with other vampires who don't share your habits) . Also, you stand out to hunters, and run the risk of violating the Masquerade every time you take to the streets. Thirst for Innocence: 2 pt Flaw ‘The sight of innocence - of any sort- arouses in you a terrible bloodlust. Roll Self-Control, or else frenzy and attack the source of your hunger. Victim of the Masquerade: 2 pt Flaw ‘The Camarilla's propaganda machine did too good a job on you. Even after your Embrace you refused to believe you were a vampire. You remain convinced that there is some logical explanation for your condition, and spend as much time as you can searching for it. You also have problems feeding, and may insist on trying to eat regular food. None of these habits makes you particularly pleasant company for other Kindred. This Flaw must be roleplayed at all times. Guilt-Wracked: 4 pt Flaw You simply cannot come to grips with the fact that you must drink blood to survive. You suffer horrible guilt over each time you feed (roll Conscience, difficulty 7, or else frenzy every time you feed) and try to avoid doing so as much as possible. This means that you rarely have much blood in your system, leaving you vulnerable to both attacks and hunger-based frenzies. Natural Linguist: 2 pt Merit You have a fiair for languages. This Merit does not allow you to learn more languages than are permitted by your Linguistics score, but you may add three dice to any Dice Pool involving languages, both written and spoken. literate: 1 pt Flaw ‘Through lack of education or as the result of a condition like dyslexia, you are unable to read or write Twitch: 1 pt Flaw You have some sort of repetitive motion that you make in times of stress, and it's a dead giveaway as to your identity. Examples include a nervous cough, constantly wringing your hands, cracking your knuckles and so on. it costs one Willpower to refrain from engaging in your twitch.General (Cores and Camarilla) - Misc Other Aptitudes Crack Driver: 1 pt Merit Youhave a natural affinity with driving motorized wheeled vehicles, such as cars, 18-wheelers and even tractors. The difficulties of all rolls requiring risky or especially difficult driving maneuvers are two less. Mechanical Aptitude: 1 pt Merit You are naturally adept with all kinds of mechanical devices (note that this aptitude does not extend to electronic devices such as computers). The difficulties of all dice rolls to understand, repair or operate any kind of mechanical device are two less. However, this Merit doesn't help you drive any sort of vehicle. vJack-Of-AltTrades: 5 pt Merit You have a large pool of miscellaneous skils and knowledge obtained through your extensive travels, the jobs you've held, or just all-around know-how. You automatically have one dot in all Skill and Knowledge Dice Pools. This is an illusory level, used only to simulate a wide range of abilities. If the character trains or spends experience in the Skill or Knowledge, he must first buy one dot, then two, etc. as if he had no dot in it. Inept: 5 pt Flaw You are not attuned to your natural aptitudes, and therefore have five fewer points to spend on your Talents (s0 the greatest number of points you can spend on your Talents at the beginning of play would be eight, and the fewest would be zero). Of course, you can stil spend freebie points to buy Talents. However, at the beginning of the game, you cannot have more than three dots in any Talent. Uneducated: 5 pt Flaw As Inept, above, but dealing with Knowledge Abilities Unskilled: 5 pt Flaw As Inept, above, but dealing with Skill Abilities.General (Cores and Camarilla) -Social/Kindred/Mortal Society Unconvinced: 1 pt Flaw Youfail to see the need for the Masquerade, and have gone on record as saying so. Taking your stand has made you suspect in the eyes of your elders, and may have attracted the Sabbat's attention as well Prestigious Sire: 1 pt Merit Your Sire had or has great Status in the Camarilla, and this has accorded you a peculiar honor. Most treat you respecttully as a result, while some have only contempt for you, believing you to be nothing ‘compared to them. This prestige could greatly ald you when dealing with elders acquainted with your sire. Indeed, your sire's contacts may actually approach you at some point offering aid. Though your sire may no longer have contact with you, the simple fact of your ancestry has marked you forever. Prestigious Sire: 1 pt Merit Your sire has or had great status in her sect or clan, and this has accorded you with a certain amount of prestige. Though your sire may no longer have any dealings whit you, the simple fact of your ancestry has marked you forever, This prestige might aid you greatly in dealings with your elders or other neonates, or it might engender jealousy or contempt. Natural Leader: 1 pt Merit You are gifted with a certain magnetism to which others naturally defer. You receive two extra dice when making Leadership rolls. you must have a Charisma rating of 8 or greater to purchase this Merit. Pitiable: 1 pt Merit ‘There is something about you that others pity. This causes them to care for you as if you were a Child (see the Archetypes section). Some Natures will not be fected by this Merit (Autocrat, Deviant, Fanatic, ‘Sycophant), and some Demeanors may pretend they are not. You need to decide what it is about you that attracts such pity, and how much (or how little) you like it. Boon: 1-3 pt Merit ‘An elder owes you a favor because of something either you or your sire once did for him. The extent of the boon owed to you depends on how many points you spend. One point would indicate a relatively minor boon, while three points would indicate that the elder probably owes you his unlife, See the rules ‘on Prestation (in Chapter Four) for more information. Boon: 1-6 pt Merit ‘Someone owes you a favor. The vampire in your debt might be the lowliest neonate in the city or might be the prince herself; it all depends on how many points the Merit costs. You only have that single favor ‘owed you (unless you take the Merit multiple times), so using it properly is of paramount importance. Depending on status and other factors, the vampire who owes you a favor may well resent his debt, and ight go out ofhis way to "settle" it early- even going so far as to create situations from which he must “rescue” you and thus clear the slate. Debt of Gratitude: 1-3 pt Merit Anelder owes you gratitude because of something either you or your sire did for her. The depth of gratitude the elder owes depends on how many points the player wishes to spend. One point might mean the elder owes the character a favor’ three points might mean she owes the character her unlife Dark Secret: 1 pt Flaw ‘You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah in the Kindred community. This can be anything from having murdered an elder to having once been a member of the Sabbat. While this secret weighs on you mind at all times, it will only surface in occasional stories Otherwise. it will begin to lose its impact. Dark Seoret: 1-Pt Flaw You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah in the local Kindred community. This could be anything from having murdered an Elder to being a member of the Sabbat.Infamous Sire: 1 pt Flaw Your sire was, and perhaps stil is, distrusted and disliked by many of the Kindred in the city. As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well. This is a heavy load, and one not easily shed. Infamous Sire: 1-Pt Flaw Your Sire, and perhaps stil is, distrusted and disliked by many of the city's Kindred. As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well. Insane Sire: 1 pt Flaw Your sire has completely lost his grip on realty, and has become dangerously insane. Any wrong ‘committed by your sire may affect your standing, and some of your sire's dangerous schemes may ‘somehow involve you. Because their sires are already assumed to be insane, Malkavians cannot take this Flaw. Diabolic Sire: 2 pt Flaw Your sire is engaged in acts that could cause a tremendous uproar in the Camarilla. She could be wantonly breaking the Masquerade, or hunting down the elders of the city and feasting on their blood. Archons are likely to come to you in order to discover your sire's whereabouts, and they may not believe you if you tell them you do not know. ‘Twisted Upbringing: 1 pt Flaw Your sire was quite malevolent and taught you all the wrong things about Kindred society. All your beliefs about how vampires interact are wrong, and your faulty beliefs are likely to get you into a great deal of trouble. Over time, after many hard lessons, you can overcome this bad start (the Storyteller will tell you when). But until then, you will continue to believe what you were first told, no matter how others try to "trick" you into thinking otherwise. Mistaken Identity: 1 pt Flaw You look similar to another Kindred, and are mistaken for her, much to your chagrin. This individual's allies will approach you and tell you things you do not want to hear, her enemies will attempt to do away with you, and others will treat you in odd ways. Ultimately you might be able to sort out things, but it will take tremendous effort. Mistaken Identity: 1-Pt Flaw ‘You look similar to descriptions of another kindred, which cause 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. Site's Resentment: 1 pt Flaw Your sire dislikes you and wishes you il. Given the smallest opportunity, your sire will seek to do you harm, and may even attack you if provoked. Your sire's friends will also work against you, and many elders will thus resent you. Sire's Resentment: 1-Pt Flaw Your sire dislikes you and wishes you il, Given the smallest opportunity he/she will actively seek to do you harm. Your sire's allies also work against you, and many Elder's may resent you Enemy: 1-5 pt Flaw You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. The value of the Flaw determines how powerful these enemies are. The most powerful enemies (Methuselahs or Archmages) ‘would be five-point Flaws, while someone nearer to your own power would be worth only one point. You must decide who your enemy is and how you became enemies in the first place. Enemy: 1 to 5-Pt Flaw ‘You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. The power of the enemy depends upon how many points the player wishes to spend (five points indicate the wrath of a Methuselah, archmage or other potent supernatural foe)Hunted: 4 pt Flaw You are pursued by a fanatical witch-hunter who believes you are a dangerous, vile beast inimical to humanity (perhaps you are). All those with whom you associate may be hunted by the same individual as ‘well. Though this hunter seeks to destroy all vampires, something about you drives the passion of this killer Hunted: 4-Pt 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 Kindred, may be hunted as well Hunted Like a Doo: 3 pt Flaw Another sect or group of vampires -be it an independent clan or the Sabbat as a whole - has decided that you're a target for extermination, and pursues you relentlessly. On the bright side, the enemies of your enemy may well wish to help you out, potentially garnering you allies in this one instance. Probationary Sect Member: 4-Pt Flaw You are a defector. You tured traitor to the Camarilla, Sabbat, Followers of Set or other vampiric order, and you still have much to prove before you are accepted by the Kindred you have defected to. Elders, ancillae and even neonates treat you with distrust and even hostility, and your reputation may even sully those whom you regularly associate with ‘Special Gift: 1-3 pt Merit Your sire gave you a valuable gift after the Embrace. The Storyteller should create something suitable or ‘choose one item from the Mystical Items list to give to you (though you can ‘suggest’ something). The Storyteller will decide how much a particular item is worth. Reputation: 2 pt Merit You have a good reputation among the Kindred of your chosen city. This may be your own reputation, or it may be derived from your sire. Add three dice to all Dice Pools for social dealings with the city's Kindred. A character with this Merit may not take the Flaw of Notoriety. Rep: 1 pt Merit Your fame has exceeded the bounds of your sect. Everyone knows who you are, what you've done and what you're supposed to have done (which might not be the same thing). The publicity can be good or bad; what matters is that everybody knows your name. Whether individuals outside of your immediate ‘social circle know enough to match your face to your name is a different matter. Harmless: 1 pt Merit Everyone in the city knows you, and knows that you're no threat to their plans. While that sort of estimation may seem insulting, it's also what's kept you from being killed. No one considers you worth their time to deal with, and that low opinion keeps you safe. If you start acting in away that demonstrates that you are no longer harmless, others’ reactions to you will likely change as a resutt Clan Friendship: 3 pt Merit For any number of different reasons appearance, bearing, background or demeanor something about you appeals to members of a clan other than your own (your choice ). The difficulties of al rolls related to ‘social dealings with members of this clan are two less. This can be a two-edged sword; you are also marked by others as a sympathizer with that clan, whether you like it (or deny #!) or not. Clan Friendship: 4 pt Merit ‘One particular clan (not your own) has a special liking for you. You might have done the clan as a whole ‘a favor at some point, or pethaps you're just a loud voice in support of their aims. Whatever the case, you're at -2 difficulty on all Social rolls involving members of the clan in question. Of course, the reaction your cozy relationship with another clan is likely to draw from your own clan leaders is an entirely different can of worms. Primogen Friendship: 4 pt Merit The ruling council of the city values you and your opinions. You are called in to consult on decisions, and your recommendations carry great weight. Your position may not be an official one, but i's powerful nonetheless.Clan Enmity: 2 pt Flaw For some reason, something about you inspires contempt or hatred in members of a clan other than ‘your own. There is a two-dice penalty to all rolls for social dealings with members of this other clan. ‘Select the ‘enemy’ clan randomly or choose. Clan Enmity: 4 pt Flaw ‘One clan in particular wants you dead. You have offended the entire clan, from elders to neonates, and as a result every member of that bloodline wants your head on a plate. The effects of the Flaw may manifest as anything from very public snubs and insults to actual attempts on your existence. You are also at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls relating to members of the clan in question. Pawn: 3 pt Merit ‘You can manipulate and have some control over another vampire one of higher generation than you. Your hold was likely formed through Blood Bond, but can also come from a variety of other sources, such as blackmail, bribes or threats you make it up. The pawn does not necessarily know that it is being controlled. Notoriety: 3 pt Flaw You have a bad reputation among the Kindred of your chosen city. This may be your own reputation, or it may be derived from your sire. There is a two-dice penalty to all dice rolls for social dealings with the city's Kindred. A character with this Flaw may not take the Merit of Reputation, Elysium Regular: 1 pt Merit You spend an unusual amount of time at the vatious Elysiums in your city. You see and are seen to such an extent that all of the movers and shakers of Elysium at least know who you are. Extended time spert in Elysium also gives you extended opportunities to interact with the harpies and other Kindred of that stature - and they'll know your name when you approach them, Former Ghoul: 1 pt Merit ‘You were introduced to the Blood long before you were made Kindred. Your long experience as a ghoul gives you insight into and comfort with vampiric society. You are at -1 difficulty on all Social rolls when in the presence of other neonates (particularly those who haven't been educated by their sires), and have a standing -1 difficulty on rolls relating to knowledge of the Kindred Protege: 1 pt Merit Your sire watched you for some time before Embracing you, and spoke glowingly of you to acquaintances. These vampires may be inclined to look favorably on you by dint of your sire's recommendation; you are at-1 difficulty on Social rolls with all those who've heard good things about you. ‘Sabbat Survivor: 1 pt Merit You've lived through at least one Sabbat attack and/or attempted recruitment. Your experience helps ‘you anticipate situations where you might potentially be endangered by the Sabbat once again. You are at -1 difficulty on all Perception rolls when it comes to Sabbat-based matters. This Metit comes into play most frequently as a means of avoiding ambushes and the like. Bullyboy: 2 pt M You're part of the brute squad the local sheriff calls on when he needs some muscle. As a result, you get in on action that others miss entirely, score points with those in power, and occasionally get a chance to act outside of the law. How far outside the law the sheriff is willing to let you go depends on circumstance and how much the sheriff likes you. Old Pal: 2 pt Merit ‘An acquaintance from your breathing days was Embraced at the same time you were. Fortunately, your friendship has endured even death and unlife, and you find a constant source of support and aid in your old friend. She expects the same of you, which isn’t always convenient, but at least you each have ‘someone to hang onto who remembers the good old nights -- and days. Storyteller Note: An Old Pal should be played as a very loyal Ally‘Open Road: 2 pt Merit Unlike many Kindred, you like to travel. You have a solid knowledge of safe travel routes and methodologies, not to mention haven space available in any number of destinations. Unless someone ‘out there knows your exact route and is specifically looking for you, you can move between cities unimpeded by random encounters with Lupines, overzealous state troopers and the lke ‘Scholar of Enemies: 2 pt Merit You have taken the time to learn about and specialize in one particular enemy of the Camarilla. You are aware of at least some of the group's customs, strategies, abilities and long term-goals, and can put that knowledge to good use. This Merit is worth a -2 difficulty forall rolls pertaining subject of your specialization. On the other hand, you are at a +1 difficulty when it comes to dealing with other enemies, ‘simply because you're so thoroughly focused on your field Scholar of Others:2 pt Merit This Merit functions identically to the Scholar of Enemies, except that it applies to a group that is not necessarily inimical to the Camarila Sheriff's Friend: 2 pt Merit For whatever reason (maybe your winning smile or perhaps just your superb groveling technique), the local head lawman likes you. He's inclined to overlook your minor trespasses and let you in on things you're not supposed to know about. He even gives you warnings about occasional crackdowns and times when the prince isn't feeling generous. Of course, abusing this connection might well turn a friendly sheriff into an enemy - and the change might not be apparent until it's too late. Domain: 2-4 pt Merit ‘The prince has given you exclusive rights to a piece of territory. The size and importance of that territory are in direct proportion to the cost of the Merit. A few blocks' worth of row houses might be worth two points, while four square blocks in the city's financial district could be worth four. While the rights to this territory are yours, there are responsibilities that come along with it. f those responsibilities are not met, the prince may well strip you of your holding, Alternate Identity: 3 pt M In addition to your normal identity, you've taken up an alternate role that allows you to run with another {gr0up or sect of vampires. This other self has a believable history and back story that can stand up to at least cursory checks, and he is accepted at face value (more or less) by his associates. However, your re, Allies, Contacts, etc. don't know that you maintain this second identity, and treat this ‘stranger" accordingly. Eriend of the Underground: 3 pt Merit While you're not a Nosferatu, you know your way around the sewers, tunnels, ducts, subway tubes and other subterranean passages of your hometown. The local Nosferatu (and any other creatures dwelling down in the much) may not actually like you, but they're not inclined to kill you on sight when they see you in their territory. You are at -1 difficulty on all Sewer Lore rolls, and any rolls involving the subterranean world (sneaking from place to place underground, finding routes into sub-basements and 30 on). Nosferatu cannot purchase this Meri. Mole: 3 pt Merit ‘You have an informer buried in the Sabbat (or, less likely, one of the independent clans or the Anarch Free States) who funnels you all sorts of information as to what her peers are you to. What you do with the information is up to you, but abusing the knowledge might be a good way to get your informer killed. ‘The other side has spies too, you know. Rising Star: 3 pt Merit You're one of the up and comers in your city, arising star in the Camarila's firmament. Everyone wants to know you and be your friend, even as those in power groom you for positions of higher responsibilty You are at-1 difficulty on all Social rolls against any Camarilla vampires who aren't actively opposing your ascent. Holder of Office: 3-5 pt Merit You currently hold one of the official Camarilla positions in your city. The degree of power you possess depends on the cost of the MeritHarpy: 5 pt Merit You count yourself among the harpies, the vampires who rule the roost in Elysium. Yours is one of the voices that mock, exalt, praise or humble the Kindred of the city. Your opinion is very influential, which means that you're going to face all sorts attempts - from bribes to threats - to change it. You are at -1 difficulty on all Social rolls when acting in your official capacity Primogen: 7 pt Merit You are part of the ruling coterie of vampires in the city in which you reside. Your voice is one of the few to which the prince must listen, and you have tremendous influence in your clan. On the other hand, there are always others plotting to take your place, making your position a precarious one. Botched Presentation: 1 pt Flaw When your sire presented you to the prince of the city, you flubbed it. Now you're convinced His Majesty hates you (whether he does or not). You need to succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) just to stand in front of the prince or one of his duly authorized representatives without running, blubbering or otherwise making a fool of yourself. Expendable: 1 pt Flaw ‘Someone in power doesn't want you around. Maybe she wants territory you possess, or is jealous of the attention you're getting from a prize mortal retainer - the details are irrelevant. What does matter is that she has the power to maneuver you into dangerous situations “for the good of the Camarilla,” and has no compunctions about doing so. Incomplete Understanding: 1 pt Flaw The whole matter has been explained to you, but you're still not quite sure how this whole Camarilla/Masquerade thing works. Your imperfect understanding of the rules and regulations of your new existence means that sooner or later, you're going to make a mistake. It's only a matter of time, New Arrival: 1 pt Flaw You've just arrived in your new city of residence, and have done so without knowing anyone in the place. Existing factions may try to recruit or eliminate you, while the harpies size you up and take your measure. Meanwhile, your ignorance of the city's current events, history and politics (not to mention the personality quirks of the vampires already in place) may cause you to make a serious blunder. New Kid: 1 pt Flaw You're the latest Embrace in the city, and everyone knows it. That automatically puts you at the bottom of the social totem pole. Other neonates take every opportunity to demonstrate your inferiority to you, proving that the dynamics of the schoolyard are alive and well in the Camarilla. Even if someone else is added to the ranks of the unliving, you're still regarded as something as a bit of a geek by your peers -a distinction that can have dangerous consequences if bullets start flying. All Socialrelated rolls are at +1 difficulty when you are dealing with other neonates. Recruitment Target: 1 pt Flaw ‘The Sabbat wants you, and they want you bad. Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or no, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time. ‘Sympathizer: 1 pt Flaw You have publicly expressed sympathy for some of the Sabbat's goals and policies. Your outspoken views on the subject have made you suspect in the eyes of the city's hierarchy, and you may be suspected of (or arrested for) treason. Broken Bond: 4 pt Merit You were once blood bound but have secretly slipped the leash, and you are free to act as you will once more. Your regnant has no idea that you are not in fact bound, and continues to treat you as if you were. At Storyteller discretion, the experience of having been bound once may render you immune to ever being enthralled again. Bound: 2 pt Flaw You are blood bound to another vampire. Your regnant may not necessarily treat you badly, but the fact remains that your willis not entirely your own. The knowledge gnaws at you, even as you find yourself lost in devotion to your vampiric master.Loathsome Regnant: 4 pt Flaw Not only are you blood bound, but you are also in thrall to a vampire who mistreats you hideously. Perhaps you are publicly abused or humiliated; perhaps your master forces you to commit unspeakable acts for him. In any case, existence under the bond is a never-ending nightmare, with your regnant serving to conduct the symphony of malice. Catspaw: 2 pt Flaw You've done dirty work for someone high up in the city's hierarchy in the past the sheriff, the primogen or even the prince. However, instead of granting you favor, your deeds have made you an ‘embarrassment or a lability. For the moment, your former employer's concern is to keep you quiet. In the long term, it's to get rid of you. Rival Sires: 2 pt Flaw Not one, but two vampires wanted to gift you with the Embrace. One succeeded, one failed and she's not happy about that failure. Either you, your actual sire or both of you have become the target of the failed suitor's ire. Regardless, your persecutor is at +2 difficulty to refrain from frenzy in your presence. In addition, she may well he working actively to discredit or destroy you. Escaped Target: 2 pt Flaw The fp side of Rival Sires, Escaped Target means that you had targeted a mortal for the Embrace, but ‘someone else got there first. You cannot stand the humiliation of being cheated of your prize, and fly into a rage (+2 difficulty to avoid frenzy) whenever you see the one who got away. This hatred may lead you into other irrational behaviors, like Embracing enemies of the neonate, creating unauthorized childer or even trying to kill your rival. Furthermore, your petty and irrational behavior is welFknown and quite noticeable, and as a result you are at +1 difficulty on all Charisma rolls until the situation is resolved. Fallure:2 pt Flaw You once held a title in the city, but failed catastrophically in your duties. Now you are branded incompetent, excluded from circles of power and responsibility and generally ostracized by those on their way up. Your exclusion may make you a target for recruitment by the Sabbat (or so the whispers run, making you even more distrusted). Conversely, the consequences of your error -a breach of the Masquerade, an unauthorized Embrace, a lawbreaker allowed to escape might come back to haunt you. Masquerade Breaker:2 pt Flaw In your first nights as a member of the Kindred, you accidentally broke the Masquerade and were spotted doing so. Someone else covered for your mistake, but holds the favor over you. Now you exist in fear that your error will be revealed. In the meantime, your "savior" takes pitiless advantage of you. Old Flame: 2 pt Flaw ‘Someone you once cared deeply for is now with the enemy. He still attempts to play on your sympathies, “for old times’ sake” while working against you. Unless you succeed on a contested Manipulation + Expression roll against your former friend, you do not act against him unless the situation becomes life- threatening, Uppity: 2pt Flaw You are proud of your new status and clan - so proud that you've shot your mouth off to other Kindred ‘and made some enemies. Wiser vampires laugh at you and chalk your rudeness up to youth, but others. regard you as arrogant and insulting. These enemies will take action to embarrass or harm you. Furthermore, you are at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls against any vampires you have alienated through ‘your yammering - and you may not know who they are. ‘At Storyteller disoretion, you may also be required to make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to keep your mouth shut any time the opportunity presents itself for you to brag about your lineage, your clan or your status. Disgrace to the Blood: 3 pt Flaw Your sire regards the fact that he Embraced you to be a titanic mistake, and has let everyone know it. You are mocked in Elysium, taunted by your peers and actively despised by the one who should be giving you guidance. Any request or petition you make is likely to be looked down upon by friends of your sire, and your achievements are likely to be discounted.Former Prince: 3 pt Flaw ‘Once, you held near-absolute power in a city, but those nights are gone now. Perhaps you stepped down, perhaps you were deposed, or pethaps your city fell to the Sabbat; it matters little in your reduced state. What does matter is that the prince in the city where you now dwell is aware of your prior ‘employment, and has concerns that you might be trying to make a comeback. The machinery of the Camarilla in the city where you now make your home is subtly stacked against you, and if the prince ‘sees an opportunity to get rid of you he just might take it. Nare: 3 pt Flaw You are known to be a snitch, an informer firmly planted in the sheriff's pocket. Those on whom you might yet inform loathe you as a result, feeding you misinformation when they can in an attempt to discredit you. Given the opportunity, they might do you mischief. Regardless, your reputation as a full fledged weasel precedes you, putting you at + 1 difficulty on all Social rolls against those who don't agree with your politics. Sleeping with the Enemy:3 pt Flaw You have some sort of intimate connection with a member of an opposing sect or inimical clan. You may have a lover, a childe, a friend or a contact working the other side of the fence, but regardless of politics you retain a friendly (or more than friendly) relationship with your putative foe. Your close ties to ‘someone on the other side would be regarded as treason by your superiors within the Camarilla, and if you are discovered the penalty will surely be death. Overextended: 4 pt Flaw You've got your fingers in too many pies, and people are starting to notice. You have too many ghouls, too many retainers and too many influences, which means that a lot of people have a vested interest in ‘rimming back your operations. These enemies take every opportunity to reduce your power and influence, and if that means lying, cheating or kiling, so be it. Furthermore, your enemies block every attempt you make to move into new areas of control. You're boxed in, and the box is getting smaller. Laughingstock: 5 pt Flaw ‘Somehow you've drawn the scorn of the local harpies, who make you their favorite and reflexive target. You are at a +2 difficulty on all Social rolls in Elysium and a + 1 anywhere else in the city. In addition, you are at +2 difficulty to use Intimidation or any Dominate powers on anyone who has heard the stories mocking you. Blood Hunted: 4-6 pt Flaw You have been made the target of a blood hunt, and fur you to return to your home city is death. For four points, this Flaw means that only your home city is oftlimits to you. For six, it means that the entire Camarilla is howling for your vitae. Red List: 7 pt Flaw You are either being considered for or are already on the dreaded Red List, the registry of those vampires the Camarilla most wants extinguished. Any Camarilla vampire will either attack you on sight or, more likely, callin for a great deal of help. Mansion: 2 pt Merit You own a large mansion - a home with 25 or more rooms - as well as the surrounding estate. The servants, if you have any, are provided for if you choose this Merit, though they cannot be used as Herd or Retainers unless you purchase the appropriate Background. The mansion is assumed to have the most current electronic security available, as well as a fence around the perimeter. While the mansion ‘can be in as poor or as good shape as you wish, the more inhabited it appears to be, the more attention it will garner. A ghost house won't attract IRS audits. Judicial Ties: 2 pt Merit You have both influence over and contacts in the justice system. You know most of the judges as well as the attorneys in the prosecutor's department, and can affect the progress of various cases and trials with limited difficulty. Though it is dificult to intervene in a case, you can influence it in one direction or another. These ties can also make it easy to acquire search warrants,Media Ties: 2 pt Mert You have both infiuence over and contacts in the local media. You can suppress and create news stories (though not always with 100 percent efficiency; journalists are an unruly bunch) and you have access to the files and gossip of the staffs of newspapers and TV stations. Nightclub: 2 pt Merit You own a moderate-sized nightclub, perhaps one of the hottest nightspots in the city. This club brings in enough money to support you in moderate luxury ($1000 a month, but it can grow), but more important than the money is the prestige. You may use the nightclub as your haven, or you may simply hang out there. The name of the nightclub, its style, design, and its regular patrons are all up to you. Variations on this theme could include: a restaurant, theater, comedy club, sports arena or retail store. Church Ties: 8 pt Merit You have influence and contacts in some local churches, and have the means to create protest rallies, and raise money. The more you use your ties, of course, the greater your risk of being found out. Corporate Ties: 3 pt Merit You have both influence over and contacts in the local corporate community. You understand the dynamics of money in the city and have links with all the major players. In times of need, you can cause all sorts of financial mayhem, and can raise considerable amounts of money (in the form of loans) in a very short period of time. Police Ties:3 pt Merit ‘You have both influence over and contacts in the local police department. You can, with a single phone call, cause an APB to be issued. However, the more often you use your ties with the police department, the weaker they become, and the more attention you attract toward yourself. Your influence is not solid (that can be achieved only through game play), and can let you down at times. Political Ties: 3 pt Merit You have both infiuence over and contacts among the politicians and bureaucrats of the city. In times of need, you can shut off the power and water to a building or neighborhood, and can unleash many different means of harassment against your enemies. The more you use your political ties, the weaker they become. Total control can only be achieved through game play. Underworld Ties: 3 pt Merit You have both infiuence over and contacts in the local Mafia and organized street gangs. This provides ‘you with limited access to large numbers of "soldiers," as well as extensive links to the underworld of ‘crime. The more often you use your ties with the criminal element, the weaker they grow. Corporation CEO: 5 pt Merit You have a particular influence and sway over a major corporation and associated companies, just as if you were its chief executive officer. Indeed, you may have owned this company before your Embrace, land retained your control. Through this corporation, you know much that takes place in the corporate ‘community, and have the means to wage economic warfare. This Merit provides you with some informal Contacts and Resources, the exact extent of which are determined by the Storyteller. ‘Anachronism: 2 pt Flaw ‘You have been a vampire for some time, and are unable (or unwilling) to keep up with the changing times. An Intelligence roll is needed whenever you have to deal with something from a later period than your own breathing days. If the rolls failed, total the ret failures and use this total as a negative modifier to your attempts. Example: Osc, a fifth-century Goth by birth, has this Flaw and is attempting to deal with a computer. His Intelligence roll results in two net failures. Osric now has a two-dice penalty when determining the outcome of his attempt to make the infernal machine cooperate. Note that characters with this Flaw will generally have been vampires for longer than the 50 years suggested in Vampire, so Storytellers should decide whether or not to allow this Flaw in their chronicles.Ward: 3 pt Flaw You are devoted to the protection of a mortal. You may describe your ward, though the Storyteller will actually create her. This character may be a friend or relative from your pre-Embrace days, or simply a mortal you admire and consider important. Wards have a way of getting caught up in the action of stories, and are frequent targets of a character's enemies.Assamite Mariiava Contact: 1 pt Merit You have an ally who is a member of the Marijava ghoul family (see Dirty Secrets of the Black Hand), and ‘can be called upon for a favor from time to time. Likewise your Marijava friend may call upon you fro help occasionally. The clan is aware of this relationship and will normally grant you leave t ehip your ally (knowing that you have given your word to do so), provided that the clan's interests are not ‘compromised in the process. The storeyteller creates the ghoul character, but should not reveal Trait scores and other game-sensitive information to you. Unconquered Ally: 2 pt Merit You have a friend and ally among the Unconquered. The Storyteller creates this character, but should ‘not reveal any information to you beyond that warranted by the two characters" acquaintance. Your Unconquered ally may be called upon for assistance and may also enlist your support from ume to time. Naturally, neither of you may do anything which endangers your side of the clan without incurring the considerable wrath of your superiors. Unconquered Enemy: 1 pt Flaw You have an enemy among the Unconquered who will try to thwart your plans and may even try to destroy you if this can be done without being found out. Your enemy has been blackening your name, and as a result you find that all dealings with the Unconquered are at + 1 difficutty Disgraced: 2 pt Flaw You broke the laws of the khabar at some point during your training, and though you have since partially made amends (enough to prevent yourseff from being destroyed on the spot, and to be grudgingly accepted as a rafiq), your name still bears the stain of your misdeed. All dealings with other Assamites are at + 1 difficulty, though the Storyteller has the discretion to vary this penalty for individuals who know ‘you well or whom you have served well or badly in the past. Clearing your name will be a strong motivation for performing wel in all respects while on an assignment. Silsila Enemy: 2 pt Flaw ‘A member of the silsla has taken against you for some reason -- faction enmity, for example -- and will exert influence to thwart your chances of promotion, make sure you get difficult or inglorious jobs, and generally make your existence uncomfortable. The Storyteller should decide whether you know who your enemy is at the start of the game, though you may do what you can to find out. Du'at Enemy: 4 pt Flaw During your apprenticeship at Alamut, you somehow incurred the displeasure of one of the du'at, and your existence will be considerably more difficult as a result. Your enemy is unlikely to be your direct ‘commander (the caliph in the case of warriors), and you may not even know his identity -- though you may certainly try to find out and make your peace somehow. Magical Addict: 3 or 5 pt Physical Flaw Whether through a weak will, a lingering anomaly from your mortal days or overuse of ritual components like kalif, you have become addicted to the alchemical psycoactive drugs that some sorcerers use to focus their blood magic. Going beyond a mere physical or psychological addiction, this dependence ‘goes so far as to affect your very mastery of the powers at your command. Your competence with Assamite Sorcery is dependent on the frequency at which you cater to your addiction. If you take this Flaw at 3 points, suffer a +2 difficulty to all rolls related to blood magic, including (but not limited to) use of path powers and rituals, whenever you are not under the drug of your choice. For 5 points, you are completely unable to focus yourself enough to perform even the simplest blood magic if the drug is not in your system, Only characters with at least one dot in Assamite Sorcery may take this flaw. Non-Assamites may take this flaw if they somehow receive tutelage in the Discipline,UnBroken:3 pt Supernatural Flaw For whatever reason, the Tremere curse was stronger in you than most of your clanmates. This was no great liabilty while all of you were so afflicted. However, when ur-Shulgi cast the Breaking, the great ritual's power did not fully cleanse you. You now shate your caste’s thirst for Cainite blood - but for you, the very substance you crave is stil a poison. ‘The Tremere curse that once affected your clan has been weakened in you, but is not completely gone. When you drink non-Assamite Cainite vitae, each blood point enters your blood pool normally. However, ‘on the way down, it inflicts one automatic, unsoakable level of lethal damage in a combination of unnatural toxic shock and internal acid burns. On the plus side, all your difficulties to resist the warrior's caste's addiction are at-1 difficulty - think of it as aversion therapy. if you area sorcerer or vizier, this Flaw is worth one additional point (for a total of 4), but gain the warrior caste's addiction in addition to your own caste's weakness,Gangrel ‘Superstitious: 2 pt Flaw ‘The character has misconceptions about what he is. In the absence of a sire, he becomes what he believes himself to be. "Hollywoodtis," the belief that one has the powers and limitations of one of the ‘several movie vampires, is the most common form. A more severe manifestation (possibly worth more Points to the Storyteller) is a Gangrel who believes himseff a Lupine. Ruse of the Wolf's Clothing: 2 pt Merit In animal form only, the vampire stil smells alive, ever to the super-sensitive nostri of the Lupines. This is essentially a "Baby Face" merit for altered forms, and may include other lifelike symptoms at the Storyteller's discretion, as well as a defense against the werewolf gift Sense Wyrm. If this is the case, then the Storyteller may well want to increase the cost of this merit. Gift of Proteus: 1, 2 or 4 pt This merit allows the Gangrelto “fine-tune* the shapes achieved by the Protean Discipline. The number of points spent determines the scope of the variation, which must be specific, approved by the Storyteller, and defined when the merit is chosen. Examples: ‘+ For 1 point, the character can vary the special effects. The character may modify the incidental effects of a form. Red Eyes might glow an eerie green instead of red. ‘+ For 2 points, the character may achieve a minor variation on a form. For instance, a player may determine the actual breed of wolf which her character may become. ‘+ For 4 points the character may make a significant variation in one of the Protean shapes, (as long as itis stil a shape traditionally associated with Vampires), such as becoming black cat instead of a wolf. Among the forms traditionally ascribed to Vampires were those of cats, crows, black dogs, wolves, toads and bats, “Merit Note: In the Revised Gangrel Clanbook, any clan member may take forms other than wolt/bat. This merit is therefore essentially useless above 1 pt. *Giovanni ‘Sanguine incongruity: 5 pt Merit Giovanni manifesting this peculiar trait are quite rare-- there are fewer than a dozen reported instances. ‘Those possessing it do not bear the Curse of Lamia; their Kiss causes no more damage than the blood loss itself. However, these vampires acquire a peculiar pallor upon their Embrace -- they look like ‘corpses, and no amount of blood ingestion will flush their features (as other vampires are able to do), Giovanni with this Merit are afforded wide berth, as this Trait is reminiscent of the Cappadocian clan weakness and the Giovanni tend to be quite superstitious about it Inbred: 1-5 pt Flaw ‘common occurrence among the incestuous Giovanni clan, inbreeding can take many forms, and this Flaw is best discussed with the Storyteller before a player takes it for her character. The Inbred Flaw covers all manner of physical, mental and emotional defects. ‘+ A+t-point Inbreeding is something simple and unobtrusive, like eyes too close together or an underbite. ‘+ A3-point Inbreeding is more severe: a congenital heath condition (for mortals) or a crippling physical deformity. ‘+ S:-point Inbreedings are grossly disabling or emotionally crippling -- everything from uselessly atrophied legs to a permanent Derangement, decided on mutually by the player and Storyteller. Inbred conditions may or may not be immediately discernible, though their point costs should be relative to their magnitude. Consanguineous Resistance: (1-pt. Supernatural Merit) Your character cannot be blood bound by anyone who shares his mortal bloodline. That is, if you were born into the Giovanni family, you cannot be bound by anyone else who was born a Giovanni, though you can still be bound by a Pisanob of the Giovanni clan, or by Kindred of any other clan. Similarly, a Dunsirn with Consanguineous Resistance could not be bound by others who were born into the mortal Dunsirn family, but could be bound by a Milner of the Giovanni clan (for instance) Incidentally, the Giovanni are extremely suspicious of anyone known to manifest this quirk. Although this blood-borne abberation hasn't been documented, a few savvy Giovanni have a rough and superstitious idea of what it is and does. t's generally associated with being a rebellious young smartass who needs to be put down (this is not as unfair as it sounds; by the time a bond resistance is really obvious, it's probably because a punishment isn't working). A character who is discovered to have this trait probably earns her sire's hostility at the very least. Proxy Kissed: (4-pt. Supernatural Merit) Before the Embrace, you received the traditional Giovanni Proxy Kiss. This means you have one free dot of Potence, and the other members of your clan tend to be comfortably that you were Embraced in "the proper Giovanni fashion." On the downside, you were partially blood bound to someone -- probably ‘someone other than your sire. Given the way anziani like to balance things out, you may well have been Embraced by someone who dislikes or disagrees with your domitor. You may take this merit a second time (for a total of 8 points) to gain a free dot in Fortitude, indicating a very long service as a ghoul. If you do this, it means that you're: (a) partially bound to three Kindred, (b) ‘one third bound to one and two thirds bound to another, or (c) fully bound to the Kindred who Embraced ‘you, who will probably be in deep shit with the elders-- if she isn't an elder herset.‘Shadow Walker: (6-pt Supernatural Flaw) ‘The Giovanni clan is by its nature inexorably tied to the realm beyond the sudario. Giovanni suffering from this flaw are so tied to the Shadowlands that even in the lands of the living they are forced to interact with the world of the dead on a nightly basis. To shadow walkers, objects in the Underworld are {as real as anything to be found in the physical world. Such vampires find that the ghosts of walls may impede their flight, ghostly objects may strike them, and wraiths' powers work as if the kindred were on the far side of the Shroud. This flaw is similar to the Ash Path power Dead Hand except that Shadow Walker is always on and it in no way allows the character possessing it to perceive beyond the shroud -- see p. 164 of Vampire The Masquerade for det ‘The Storyteller may determine that certain Shadowlands topography interferes with you. Unless you have a Merit or power to do so, you can't see into the Shadowlands, so you have to be careful in feeling ‘your way about - essentially a blind man subject to the Underworld landscape. You may be restricted by immaterial walls or environmental effects at a Storyteller's discretion. More importantly, wraiths can affect you directly --a wraith attacking you inflicts damage without any special means on his part. Conversely, you can affect things in the Shadowlands with your physical body, though chances are that you do so blindly. Your possessions and weapons do not have this special facility, so it's possible for you to swing a sword that posses through a ghostly wall, only to have your hand stopped by the wall, or to have a gun that cant shoot ghosts whereas their relic guns can put holes in you. Obviously, this flaw is appropriate only for a game which interactions with wraiths i fairly common or a Storyteller wants to pay above-average attention to the underworld.Lasombra this talent can actually appear in mirrors, albeit in extremely pale, ghostly guises. Objects moving behind a Lasombra casting a faint reflection will be clearly seen through her form. However, often even a faint reflection is enough to allay the suspicions of kine or Camarila, Strength of Shadows: 4 pt Merit ‘Allows the Lasombra who possesses this Merit to strengthen the shadows he calls so that even daylight will not immediately dispel them. The Strengthened shadows dissipate after four hours in the sun, but it certainly does provide a nasty suprise to enemies when, even after sunrise, shadows hound them. Image Obsession: 1-5 pt Flaw ‘As Lasombra cannot see their apperance, those with this Flaw find themselfs hypnotized by the vagaries of their own apperance. The compulsive behavior may be small at first (1 point), manifesting itself as a repeated questioning of others as to their looks. ("Does my hair look alright? Really?"), to obsessive behaviors such as brushing hair, adjusting clothes and the like. The symptoms occasionally run the ‘gamut to fulHledged mania (5 points), wherein the afflicted Lasombra are constantly attended by ghouls intent on grooming them and can speak of little save their appearance. Enmity of Shadows: 4 pt Flaw Very few unlucky Lasombra are afflicted with this Flaw, in which the shadows that they summon may well tum and attack him without provocation (a Lasombra with this Flaw must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) each time he uses an Obtenebration power of Level 3 or above. a success indicates that the Power functions normlly; with a failure the s ummoned shadows attack their putative master) Weather Sense’ (1-pt Mental Merit) ‘This acumen is very much prized among seafaring Lasombra. A few sires manage to pass on its, intricacies to their childer. You subconsciously sense impending bad weather. The storyteller makes a Perception + Survival roll (difficulty 7) on your behalf to give up to several hours' notice of storms and other weather problems before they manifest. Pelagic Harmony: (3-pt Mental Merit) Being close to the sea calms you and reinforces your selt-control. All willpower rolls made while you're ‘on or within sight of the sea have their difficulties lowered by one. Poseidon's Calk (1-pt Mental Flaw) Your self control varies with the weather. Make rolls to resist frenzy at-1 difficulty in completely calm weather, but +1 difficulty on rough seas, +2 in thunderstorms and +3 in hurricanes. Incontrollable Night Sight: (2-pt Supernatural Flaw) Light and dark are permanently inverted for you. Pitch-black darkness seems bright and uniformly it to ‘you, while any light brighter than a hundred watts creates a zone of pure darkness. The penalties for Partial darkness apply to weak illumination instead. This flaw doesn't allow you to see through Obtenebration-created darkness, which glows with pure white light that obscures all details. Thisis a very difficulty Flaw to handle in a story, both for Storytellers and players. Storytellers, be sure you know what you're getting yourself into if you allow a player to assign this flaw to her character. Pelagic Compulsiort (2-pt Mental Flaw) ‘You become increasingly agitated when on land. Raise the difficulty of all Willpower rolls made when you've been away from the sea for more than 24 hours by one. Death's Reflection: (3-pt Supernatural Flaw) You cast a reflection normally, which would cancel out the clan weakness -- except that your reflection always shows the state you'd be in if you were dead. Any Lasombra more than a few decades old looks in reflection like an ambling skeleton. Younger vampires appear as rotting corpses.Nosferatu Lizard Limbs: tpt Merit When your limbs are restrained or grappled, you may spend a Blood Point and make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) If you succeed, you may ‘shed a limb, leaving it in your opponent's grasp while you ‘escape. The limbs may be regrown normally. If you shed enough limbs, you can escape nearly any bonds, though it is difficult to flee the scene of captivity when one has no legs. Nosferatu with this Merit often use it for practical jokes (Let's shake on it... Long Fingers: 1pt Merit Your fingers are unnaturally long and spidery. You gain one extra die to Dice Pools involving digital coordination or grappling, Oversized Fangs: ‘pt Merit When you grew your fangs, you really grew ‘em. Your fangs are enormous, snagaly things resembling cobra fangs or possibly even tusks. Your bite does one addtional die of damage, and you may add one to your Intimidation Dice Poo}. Oversized Mouth: ‘ppt Merit ‘Your mouth is huge and you are able to open it to prodigious width. You may drink an additional two Blood Points from your victim each turn Gaping Maw: 2 pt Merit You've got a nasty gash where your mouth should be. It can smile, it can frown, and most importantly, it ‘can grin two or three inches wider than any human mouth can. An ordinary vampire can suck up to three blood points in a tum. You can drain up to four points a turn, provided you can latch your tooth+filed orifice around enough skin. Disgusting: 2pt Merit You have the ability to contort your body and face in all sorts of shocking and grotesque ways. You can drool blood, pop your eyes out to double their width, spontaneously grow and burst boils on your flesh, extend your tongue three feet out of your mouth, etc. In addition, you are an accomplished practitioner of the fine art of disgusting others, and take considerable pride in your ability to gross out anyone or anything. By concentrating for a turn and spending a Blood Point, you may will your body to do something vile, making a Wits and Intimidation roll (Difficulty of the opponent's Wits + Self Control). Each ‘success on this roll subtracts one from the opponent's Dice Poo! for any action taken next tur. (The ‘opponent is so repulsed and horrified by your antics that concentration is broken.) Slimy: 2pt Merit Your skin secretes slime like that of a worm or mollusk. Opponents must score two more successes than normal to grapple you, and your difficulty to soak fire damage is reduced by one. ‘Swarm Attractor: 2pt Merit ‘Youmust have at least one dot in Animalism to take this Merit. Your skin exudes a grease that attracts flies, gnats, bees, and other flying insects. While these insects normally buzz passively about you in a thick cloud, you may command them in a limited fashion. The bugs may travel up to 20 feet from you to g and distract your foes. The swarm does no actual damage, but any being caught in the swarm. must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). Ifthe roll fails, the victim loses two dice from her Dice Pool that tum; ifit botches, she may take no action whatsoever. ‘Tough Hide: 2pt Merit Your skin is thick and leathery, resembling that of a pachyderm. You gain one extra die on your soak Dice Pool (though not to soak fire and sunlight) ‘Tough Hide: 2 pt Merit Thick, leathery skin envelops you. Add an extra die when soaking damage (for anything except fire or sunlight)Foul Blood: 3pt Merit Your blood tastes truly awful. Opponents who bite you in combat must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) or spend the next tum retching and gagging; the idiot who actually tries to commit diablerie upon you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) and score three successes to complete the process. Foul Blood: 3 pt Merit ‘The vitae flowing through your veins tastes truy awful. Anyone who bites or feeds from you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) or spend the next turn choking, retching and gagging. Any idiot who actually tries to diablerize you must make three Willpower rolls (dificuity 9) to succeed. ‘This makes blood bonds torturous, the Embrace becomes even more difficult, and ghouling is near impossible. Patagia: 4pt Merit ‘You have grown large flaps of skin under your arms, like those of a pterodactyl or flying squirrel. You may use these patagia to glide for short distances, provided there is an updraft or strong wind, Patagia: 4 pt Merit Leathery wings fold up into your horrid little body. Picture the gliding wings of a pterodactyl or a flying ‘squirrel. Now visualize them hanging off the twisted skeleton of battlike wings. With the aid of an updraft fora strong wind, you can glide for short distances - rather useful for Nosferatu who skulk along rooftops, don't you think? Storytellers should know that a vampire with this Merit can glide at his normal walking speed. Blunt Teeth: tpt Flaw Your teeth are huge and square, not sharp like those of most other Vampires. You must score one extra success to do damage with a bite, and once you have locked your teeth into your prey, you ‘automatically cause the victim one additional Health Level of damage for every two Blood Points taken (you have to chew and chew and chew...) Blunt Fangs: 1 pt Flaw Your teeth are huge and square, not sharp like those of other vampires. To do damage with a bite attack, you must score an additional success (thus, this extra success subtracts from the amount of ‘damage you do) . Once you have sunk you teeth into your prey, you inflict a level of damage for every ‘two blood points you take. Once your fangs are locked in a victim's flesh, you've got to chew and chew and chew. Club Foot: tpt Flaw ‘One of your feet is gnarled and deformed. You move at only half normal speed. Withered Lea: 3 pt Flaw For whatever reason, one of your legs does not work as well as the other. You subtract three dice when attempting any action that involves movement, and you move at hatf normal speed. Nosferatu Caitiff: 1pt Flaw You were Embraced by a Nosferatu, but failed to meet the standards of even that olan, and were subsequently rejected by your sire. As you did not complete the Becoming process, you were not fully transformed, but you still Ook rather odd. You begin the game with an appearance rating of 1, and raising your Appearance costs double the number of experience points. In addition, you present a ‘tempting target for just about any bully - other Caitif may not have much to kiok around, but a "Nosferatu reject" certainly offers possibilities for abuse. Not all Caitiff sired by Nosferatu have this flaw; nobody knows why some do and some don't. Stench: 1pt Flaw Few Nosferatu smell good, but you reach a new nadir of odiferousness. Even other Nosferatu are repulsed by your stink, and your Stealth Dice Pools are reduced by two against any creature that can ‘smell, unless you are upwind.‘Stench: 1 pt Flaw Even other Nosferatu recoil at your horrific odor. Subtract two dice from any Stealth roll when evading any creature that can smell (unless you are upwind), Parasitic Infestation: 2pt Flaw In many ways this Flaw is the negative counterpart to Swarm Attractor (above). Several species of hemovores - ticks, lice, mosquitoes, gnats, chiggers, leeches and the like - find your blood particularly tasty. These creatures crawl and hide among the creases and folds of your skin despite your best efforts to removethem. Particularly persistent are those vermin that drink from you three times and thus become enormous, bloated, Blood Bound ghouls. ‘You may not command the vermin in any fashion; they are too intoxicated on your vitae to be of any use (though they do love you, for what i's worth). The parasites also drink from one to four of your Blood Points each night (roll a die, and divide by three, rounding up.) This forces you to hunt more often. Finally, the constant itching and irritation increase by one the difficulties of all your rolls to avoid frenzy. Parasitic Infestation: 2 pt Flaw Other creatures live on or inside you. Exotic hemovores - chiggers, gnats, ticks, lice, mosquitoes, leeches and unnamable bloodsucking fungal spores consider the creases, folds and scabrous layers of your skin delightful. Your flesh continuously twitches and writhes, and living things burrow inside you, Possibly even nesting in the cavities of your body. Despite all you ringenious methods of discouraging them, this loathsome hosting will not disperse. You cannot command these vermin in any fashion; in fact, the worst of them are very defiant because they have been strengthened and corrupted by your foul vitae. Each day, when you rise, roll one die. Divide the result by three, rounding up. The result is the number of blood points you lose to the blood-intoxicated parasites within and upon you. In addition, the constant itching puts on you edge; increase the difficulty of all Self-Control rolls by one. Putrescent: 3pt Flaw ‘The mystic processes that inhibit the natural decay of the vampiric form were less effective on you. AS a result, you constantly rot, though a day's rest checks and to some degree heals the effects. Your soak Dice Poo! roll is reduced by one, and if you are jarred or hit violently (more than three successes after soak) you must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 6). If you fail, one of your facial features or fingers falls off; if you botch, one of the levels is aggravated and one of your limbs falls off. This will regrow when the aggravated wound is healed. Putrescent: 4 pt Flaw After you received the Embrace, your body continued to decay. The mystic processeS that inhibit a vampire's natural putrefaction has litle effect on you. As a result, you constantly rot. Subtract one die when your character soaks damage. If you are jarred or hit violently, roll Stamina (difficuity 6). If you fail, ‘one of your facial features or limbs falls off. If you botch, you also take a level of aggravated damag ‘once this wound is healed, the missing body parts will regrow. Piscine: 1 pt Merit You are abnormally comfortable underwater and vastly prefer swimming to walking. You get a-1 difficulty on any Physical dice pool related tO underwater movement. Projectile Vomiting: 2 pt Merit This talent is like the Eat Food Merit, but twice as versatile. Food comes in; food goes out very, very fast. ‘A vampire with this ability can ingest, and possibly even taste, food and drink. He cannot pin any nutritional benefit from this ordinarily digestible matter, but he can store it for later use. When this need arises, the Nosferatu can not only disgorge his stored supply of food, but also aim it with a degree of precision. For the record, projectile voriting in the StOryteller system usually requires a Stamina + Athletics rol; the difficulty is 8, and a victim can attempt to dodge this bolus of ejected victuals. ‘Although this attack does not cause damage (save to one's pride), the type of food ejected may temporariiyobscure a victim's vision, cause tim to slip or merely force him to weep with shame at a Camarilla Toreador's grand ball. Pity the poor vomitdrenched Toreador.Sleep Unseen: 2 pt Merit You can use the Obfuscate Discipline to hide while you sleep during the day. Such prolonged use of this ability requires an extra blood point (or Blood Trait) to keep your body hidden for a full day. Of course, ‘you must at least be hidden from sunlight, and vampires using the Auspex Discipline can stil detect you, but mortals will ignore your very presence. This is a useful Merit for Nosferatu emissaries and travelers; many would perish without it. False Reflection: 3 pt Merit When using Mask of a Thousand Faces, a Nosferatu with this Merit can create a false impression of his disguise on recording media. He can have his picture taken, show up on videotape and even record an imitation of the subject's voice. Nosferatu without this Merit cannot disguise themselves to machines using the Obfuscate Discipline. Reptile Buddy: 3 pt Merit Yes, those legends about albino alligators in the sewers really are true. You've been nursing a few of them with your vitae in the local spawning pool for years. Your careful breeding and vigilant training has produced a reptilian slave of exceptional inteligence. Ithas a mind as sharp as that as a five-year-old child and teeth as keen as butcher knives. The beast understands your native language perfectly and can even follow complex directions. Faster and deadlier than any human ghoul, its a highly efficient killing machine fully capable of patrolling your domain with ruthless effi ciency. Reptile buddies also love to play “fetch" with human limbs (whether attached or severed). Ghouled Reptile Buddy: Physical: Strength 6, Dexterity 2, Stamina 6 Social: Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0 Mental: Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3 Disciplines: Fortitude 2, Potence 2 Blood Pool: 5 Willpower: 5 ‘Attacks: Bite (7 dice), Tail Slap (6 dice) Rugged Bad Looks: 5 pt Merit ‘Your face is hideous, but it could almost pass for that of a really ugly human. If you were to cover every other part of your body, you could shamble into mortal society looking only slightly suspicious. While you might have a hunchback, reptilian scales over parts of your flesh or a foul stench that never dissipates, you can actually walk among mortals - with extensive precautions - without automatically breaking the Masquerade. Other vampires give you no end of grief for not looking like a “real” Nosferatu, By the way, this is as ‘attractive" as a Nosferatu ever gets; no Merit will ever increase a Nosferatu's ‘Appearance above zero, Infamous Autarkis: 1 pt Flaw ‘The Camarilla won't accept you as one of its own under any circumstance. The Sabbat wouldn't think of submitting you to Creation Rites - it's just not worth it. Something in your past, your reputation or your sire's background is so abhorrent that both sects reject you utterly. You aren't ust autarkis; your infamy spreads throughout both sects of vampiric society. Although you might find a coterie that's willing to work with you, they would not dare take you to any gathering of Camarilla or Sabbat vampires for fear of damaging their own reputations. The Storyteller may allow you to buy off this Flaw but only after you've ‘completed a story in which you've resolved and overcome this social stigma. ‘Anosmia: 2 pt Flaw You have no sense of smell or taste. The vilest odors and flavors imaginable cannot affect you; in fact, you do not even recognize their presence. You cannot attempt a Perception roll that involves either of these senses. However, any supernatural attack involving horrific odors and tastes does not affect you. Granted, Nosferatu who have surrounded themselves with unseemly funk long enough become immune to just about any foul odor, but you simply do not recognize smells at all.Enemy Brood: 3 pt Flaw A brood of your fellow Nosferatu have an unceasing vendetta against you. You can run from them, but you can't hide. If you stay in the same city, they will pool whatever resources they have to make your existence a living hell. Traveling through the local sewers is a nightmare. If you flee, they will use their influence and contacts to call in favors in the next city you show your ugly mug, The Storyteller may allow you to buy off this Raw, but only after you've completed a story in which you've resolved and ‘overcome this social stigma, Necrophile: 3 pt Flaw No, you don't have sex with the dead, but you certainly enjoy their company. You are obsessed with dead bodies and “invite" them over to your domain. Your haven is distastefully decorated with severed and mutilated body parts of all kinds. You talk to your dead friends, dance with them, make art out of them and entertain frequently. Some vampires of particularly refined temperament may need to overcome a Courage roll (difficulty 4) to enter a room where you've left your guests and their accouterments. Toreador go apeshit; Toreador antitribu applaud. For some reason, this Flaw is very popufar among Leatherfaces, Traitor: 4 pt Flaw ‘Oh, you're a bastard, all right, and if the other Nosferatu find out about this, they'll kill you on sight. You've been leaving information ( through a designated drop point) about your alleged allies. This might involve regular e-mails, messages hidden at the same spot or a package you drop off for a courier. You must betray secrets about your allies, usually the members of your own coterie, every game session. At the end of the session, you must tell the Storyteller what you've done; if you haven't been enough of a bastard, one ofyour secrets winds up on the local information network Contagious: 5 pt Flaw Dead bodies contain all sorts of infectious bacteria, fungi and spores. There's a reason coroners wear gloves when handling corpses. Thanks to a rather virulent version of Nosferatu's curse, a few doomed varieties of Nosferatu retain these infections after their Embrace. Contagious Nosferatu can never interact with mortals without the possibilty of spreading sickness and disease. A mortal who touches a Contagious Nosferatu must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 9) or fall prey to iliness for the next week. At the end of each week, the victim must make another roll; once he succeeds, he recovers from the illness. While this may seem like a rather crippling Flaw, it does force players to think of new ways of interacting with the human world (many of which are detailed in this chapter) . To maintain a sense of game balance, most other supernatural creatures have ways of dealing with the Contagious Sewer Rat's disease: Werewolves regenerate very quickly, mages can mystically remove the infection from themselves or other mages, wraiths just don 't give a damn because they're incorporeal, and so on. Incoherent: 5 pt Flaw You are incapable of human speech. Maybe your jaw has collapsed or you've been abandoned in the ‘sewers for too long. Pointing, grunting, wheezing and wildly gesturing are alll within your repertoire, but actually forming words is not. While a player portraying this character can describe what he is doing, the character can never utter a Word. The only exception to this is communicating with animals; you can express yourself to beasts with nonverballanguage.Ravnos Charmed Samadii: 1-4 pt Merit Your family or sire has gifted you with an item of power. You are expected to carry this powerful draba Unlil you sire your own progeny, then pass the gift to her. Power levels ofsamadii wwy greatly; a sama might reduce target numbers on certain actions (1-2 pt), or even provide the user with effects equivalent to low-level Disciplines, such as Unseen Presence (4 pt). Samadji may be activated in any of a number ‘of ways. Design your samadfi with the Storyteller, who will assign a final value to i Family Allegiance: 2 pt Merit ‘Through your travels, you have gained the favor of a mortal Gypsy family. The family aids you in your exploits whenever possible, providing shelter from enemies or acting as a method of transportation to or from a city. All difficulty numbers involving social interaction with the family in question are reduced by two. So long as you do not abuse your trust (such as using family members as steady Sources of blood ), the family will not turn away trom you. Note: You may not take a Family Allegiance with the Tsurara or Ravnos families, Phralmulo: 3 pt Merit You were Embraced from within the Rom, from one of the families of power (see A World of Darkness: Gypsies). Because of your heritage, you may be able to regain Blood Affinities by feeding on Rom and may begin with Abilities or Backgrounds available only to Gypsy characters. In addition, phralmulo characters need not pick a specific crime as their weakness; the phralmulo, show a general (but compulsive) contempt and disregard for all the laws of the gaje. Note: Without this Merit, a Ravnos player character is assumed to be georgio. Eamily Enmity: 2 pt Flaw By an act of betrayal, or perhaps a simple “misunderstanding, you have gained the scom of one of the families. They wil not offer any assistance to you, and may even alert your enemies to your presence in city. Until you redeem yourself, be it through unrewarded loyalty or perhaps remarkable cunning, they will interfere with your plans and darken your name wherever they travel. Note: You may not take a Family Enmity with the Tsurara or the Ravnos families. Marhime: 3 pt Flaw You have committed some grievous crime against the Rom, and arc now shunned by their families, (including the Ravnos). Though they do not work against you, they avoid contact, as you might contaminate them (difficulties of all Social rolls mwdving other Gypsies increase by two). Cleansing yourseff of your crime is an arduous uphill battle; until you are redeemed by a kris, you are unable to travel inthe company of your people for anything longer than a few nights before they drive you away. Wuzho Enemy:2 pt Flaw ‘You have drawn the attention of one of the Wuzho. This enemy is quite dangerous, as he wishes nothing more than to send you to your end. Though he does not confront you directly, he works to thwart your plans whenever possible -- destroying family ties or angering other mulo against you -- waiting for the night when you are no longer able to defend yourself against him,Setite Drug Resistance: 2 pt Merit You are unusually resistant to drugs. Alcohol, narcotics and similar addictiye substances have little or no effect “upon you. You can drink from winos with impunity, or pretend to be far drunker than you are in order to take advantage of an opponent. Poisonous Bite:2 pt Merit ‘You have developed poison glands in the roof of your mouth. The poison is virulent, although Kindred and other supernatural creatures are unaffected by it. You, of course, are immune. When you bite, you always inject this poison, usually killing your human victims. You must lear to feed in other ways, perhaps drawing the blood you need with a syringe or razor, if you do not wish to kill every time you feed, Your blood is especially delicious to others, Kindred or Kine, containing a substance they find physically addictive. Once they have drunk it, they must drink again, or spent a Willpower point at inconvenient moments to avoid the pangs of craving. Setires with this Merit find it much easier to Blood Bond an ‘opponent, as once they have tasted the tainted vitae, they will do almost anything to drink it again. Scales: 1-3 pt Flaw During your Embrace, a portion of your skin became scales. If only a small area, one easily hidden, such ‘as a patch of skin on your shoulder, this is only a one-point Flaw. Having an entire limb affected, such as an arm, forcing you to wear long gloves at all times, is a two-point Flaw, while having a scaled, lipless face is a three-point Flaw. Forked Tongue: 2 pt Flaw Your tongue is forked and flickering, like that of a snake. You speak with a hiss. Upholding the Masquerade becomes difficult for you. Note that this tongue does not inflict aggravated damage, nor draw blood. Heartless: 4 pt Flaw Having removed your heart via the fifth level of Serpentis, you have lost it. The heart might be in the possession of a foe, or simply missing. If itis possessed by some other Cainire, (perhaps a Setire elder, or your sire) you must obey their every command. If its lost, the anxiety this causes you interferes with your nightly existence. ‘Aura of the Wyrm: 5 pt Flaw ‘You radiate corruption to such a degree that any Garou in the locale are drawn towards you. This is a serious Flaw, as your unlife is constantly threatened by frenzied attacks directed against you by enraged werewolves.Toreador Controllable Thirst: 1 pt Merit Because Toreador spend so much time around mortals, resisting Frenzy caused by the smell, sight or taste of blood is easier for them. Whenever the Kindred makes a Frenzy roll over blood, reduce the difficulty by three. Eye for Beauty: 1 pt Merit The Kindred is a natural critic. Reduce difficulties for Art Appreciation by four. Mortal Double: 2 pt Merit You have the services of someone alive who looks just like you. This person might be your actual twin. (Other explanations are possible: a long-lost brother, a master of disguise, a Progenitor clone, a victim of Vioissitude, etc.) However, unless he is made into a ghoul, he will continue to age normally Eventually, he will no longer be your exact double. The double may move about freely during the day, aiding you in hiding your vampiric nature. The double must be fully aware of your personal life, including all your relationships and activities. He must also be a good actor. Refined: 2 pt Merit ‘You a member of the elite. You are at home in high society and you never feel out of place around the “beautiful people." The difficulty on all Etiquette rolls involving high society is reduced by three. in addition, you are often invited to Toreador socials reserved for those of higher Toreador Prestige (or Camarilla Status) than yourself Blase: 3 pt Merit You are not easily impressed by others. You automatically resist all Presence powers. However, ifthe Kindred using Presence is far more powerful than yourself, the Storyteller might require you to spend a point of Willpower to resist. 'Gifted": 3 pt Merit ‘The difficulty on all Creativity rolls and Artistic Expression rolls are reduced by three. Greater Colors:3 pt Merit ‘The vampire sees colors more distinctly and with greater definition. The world is far more colorful Unfortunately, the vampire is more likely to become enraptured by colorful objects. Despite the drawback, when used in conjunction with Aura Perception, the vampire will discover far more: information about her target. The difficulty for reading a target's aura is reduced to five. The player may ask the Storyteller one question about the target for every success, and the Storyteller must provide accurate information. This may be used only once per story on a particular target. Finally, all Artistic Expression difficulties involving color are reduced by one. ‘Supernatural Spouse: 4 pt Merit You share a relationship equivalent to marriage with a supernatural creature other than another Kindred. Both of you receive the benefits of the True Love Merit for one another. This creature may be a mage, a werewolf, a changeling, a wraith or something even more unusual. Unfortunately, both of your kind ‘would consider you threats if they knew of your relationship. You may declare your love for one another ‘openly, although you risk becoming an outcast or worse. You and your spouse would die or kill for one another. Powerful Ghoul: 5 pt Merit You have a very powerful ghoul Blood Bound to you. The ghoul has six points to put into any Disciplines other than Thaumaturgy, although at least one point must be put into Potence. The ghoul is also very ‘competent, possessing 15 points to distribute among Attributes, 27 points to distribute among Abilities and 5 points to put into Backgrounds. The ghoul has reasonably good Virtues and Willpower ratings and will do anything you say, since it loves you so much. However, the ghoul might also get jealous of any relationships you have with othersVampire Spouse: (5 pt Merit) You hold regnant over another Kindred, though she holds regnant over you as well. The two of you are in love, and you automatically have the benefit of the Merit: True Love. Your vampire spouse is your ‘equal in terms of power and status. However, as a couple, you are very formidable. You allow nothing to get in the way of your love. You and your spouse would dle or kill for one another. Poor Taste: 1 pt Flaw You can never have the Art Appreciation skill. You are forever a Poseur, and you have no ability to judge ‘a masterpiece from trash. In fact, if you had the choice, you would choose the trash. Rival 1 pt Flaw You have an intense rivalry with another Kindred. You are always competing with this individual, either for fun or out of spite. In besting this individual, you go to extremes, and he behaves similarly towards you. Your rival occasionally gets the best of you, but you do the same to him, Tortured Artist:1 pt Flaw ‘You must suffer for your work. Your work is never good enough to suit you. You often suffer ennuifor extended periods of time, preventing you from working steadily. In addition, you constantly find yourself in heartbreaking positions; perhaps you subconsciously lead yourself into those situations to acquire the ‘experience you need for your work Vulgar: 1 pt Flaw You will never fit into high society. You are crude, rude and socially unacceptable, forever a Philistine. You are treated as having one less level of Status when invitations to Toreador socials are prepared. You will never be fully accepted as a Toreador. Many will question your Sire and possibly ridicule him for choosing you. Attistically Inept: 3 pt Flaw ‘You must work harder than most artists to accomplish great work. You are still capable of creating a masterpiece, but itis tougher for you than for someone else of equal training. All difficulties on Creativity rolls and Artistic Expression rolls are increased by two to a maximum of nine. ‘Social Outcast: 3 pt Flaw You have severed your ties to the Artistes and Poseurs. You no longer play their silly games. You will never rise in Clan Prestige, and you are the equivalent of an anarch. However, the anarchs will not accept you due to some past transgressions you have committed against them. You have no place in the world of the Damned,Tzimisce Pain Tolerance: 2 pt Merit Note: you must have a Callousness and Morale rating of 3 or igher to take this Merit Either because of personal proclivity or the rigors of Vicissitude, you have become acclimatized to pain, This affinity enables you to ignore one die of wound penalties. Thus, when you are Hurt or Injured, you suffer no penalties to actions. You suffer only a one-die penalty to actions at the Wounded and Mauled states, and even Crippling injuries subtract four dice rather than five. You are still Incapacitated normally Haven Affinity:2 pt Merit Your territorial rivals that of a Lupine. When acting on "home soil" (your main haven, not auxiliary havens). you gain an additional die to all Dice Pools. You may also home in on your haven by making an unmodified Perception roll (difficulty variable: 6 if across town, 8 if in another state or country, 9 if across the globe) Privacy Obsession: 3 pt Flaw You carry the Tzimisce respect for privacy to extremes. You must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) to enter another being's dwelling without being invited (though you will go to fiendishly clever lengths to {gamer an unwitting invitation). When disturbed in your manse by an uninvited guest, you must make a Self-control or Instincts roll (difficulty 7) to avoid a frenzy.Brujah Compassionate: 4 pt Mental Merit You have the moral character if the Brujah of old, the proud warrior-poets who did what they did because their hearts called to them. if you ever fail a Conscience (but not Conviction) roll, you may spend a point of Willpower and attempt the roll again, at a difficulty of 1 higher than the last. F you ‘succeed on this roll, it counts as if you succeeded on the first. You may do this only once per Conscience roll; you must accept the results of the re-rol. If you botch this second roll, you lose one permanent point of Willpower in addition to any consequences of the failed Conscience roll Dynamic Personality: § pt Social Merit People are drawn to you, due to some characteristic appeal you exude. You may perchase additional Backgrounds using your experience points at the end of each story -- two experience points earn you ‘one Background dot from the following group: Allies, Contacts, Herd, Retainers. Obvious Predator: 2 pt Social Flaw Either your face or your immediate disposition lets people know that you have nothing good in store for them. Mortals react poorly to people who exude such a blatant air of menace, and all your difficulties for Social rolls increase by two (with the exception of Intimidation-related rolls) Uncontrollable: 5 pt Mental Flaw Rage and passion constantly war in the soul of a volatile Brujah. Perhaps you were ill tempered before the Embrace, or perhaps your Brujah lineage awakened some latent fury. In any case, even more so than your clanmates, you are prone to frenzy. Difficulties to resist frenzy are always 10 for this character. Prepare for a short, hellish ride.Malkavian Immaculate Aura: 1 pt Merit Whether because of your iron control or small fluke of chance, your aura does not give away your insanity. The aura doesn't shift or swirl at all, even when you're confused, frenzied or in a psychotic fit. Benevolent Blood: 1 pt Merit Your blood still carries the Curse of Malkav, but its effects have been lessened just a little bit. Any ghouls ‘you create suffer none of the usual derangeing side effects of drinkig Malkavian blood - they can be loaded to the gills with your blood and not come one step nearer to gaining a derangement. (They might be driven insane by life with you, though, depending on how demanding your realty is.) Of course, any childer you Embrace will stil gain a derangement after the Embrace as usual - although your vitae is, easily diluted by mortal blood, the pure stuff carries the Curse as one would expect. Deadened Nerves: 4 pt Merit Whether it was a condition you held in life or an odd side effect of the Embrace, your nervous system is missing a few connections. You have very little tactile sense, whether pleasure or pain. The downside of thie is obvious: One of your sense is greatly impaired, which can keep you from noticing important ‘warnings (a blade at your back, for instance - or in it). You suffer a +3 difficulty to all tactile-related Perceptions rolls, and the Storyteller may call for a roll to notice even the blatantly obvious; you might not even ndtice that you've been shot if the bullet doesnt knock you down outright. However, your deadened nerves also protect you from pain, allowing you to ignore your wounds until ‘your flesh is literally blasted from your bones. All penalties for wound levels are halved, rounding down; in orther words, you suffer no penalties until you reach the Wounded level, where you deduct only one die from your dice pools, and even when Crippled you can still act at a mere two-die penalty. Ifthe Storyteller is wiling, it might be particularly rewarding for the Storyteller to keep track of the character's health levels, and not let the player know exactly how badly his character has been ‘wounded. Even if the Malkavian stops to give herself a quick look-over, the Storyteller puts things in the most general terms (i., "There's a number of holes in your chest, but you have no idea whether the bullets are lodged inside or not," "Your left arm refuses to move, although you're not sure why," and so on). This is a fair amount of extra work on the Storyteller's behaff (particularly i in the interest of secrecy, the Storyteller makes all Malkavian's soak rolls in secret), but can add a lot of tension and verisimilitude to the game, Disembodied Mentor: 5 pt Merit ‘The voices in your head mall tell you things, but by God, they're useful things. You have a personal guide and advisor (bought as usual through the Background: Mentor) who exists largely in your own skull. He may have been a Malkavian who uploaded himself into the Network, or perhaps he's an imaginary construct with access to the shared memories of the clan. Either way, it's exceedingly hard for your enemies to cut you off from your mentor's counsel, and it's usually pretty easy to call on his advice when you need it. Unfortunately, this Merit also has its drawbacks; your mentor can find you wherever he chooses, and can be a real distraction when you're trying to do something he finds irrelevant. You're not freed from the obligations of your relationship, either; you find yourself running errands for your mentor just as often as any other pupil if not more so. ‘Sympathetic Bond: 5 pt Merit For whatever reason, you unconsciously cause a peculiar supernatural form of feedback through the links of the blood bond. Although you're not immune to being blood bound (and cannot take the Merit: Unbondable}, if you do become bound to someone , your regnant also becomes blood bound to you to and equal extent. Even if she was already blood bound to another, she now has the unenviable position of being regnant to two vampires at once. This can obviously lead to some unplanned and quite twisted ‘codependent relationships.Stigmata: 2-4 pt Flaw You constantly seep blood from your phantom wounds; even through your flesh remains unbroken, you bleed. The bleeding is fairly slight, but is incessant, costing you an extra blood point each evening rked off just before dawn). If you bleed from visible locations (such as the palms, a common place for, stigmata0, you are at +1 difficulty to all Socal rolls, although certain vampires will probably take your reputation as a seer more seriously. ‘The 4- point version of this Flaw indicates that you bleed from your eyesockets; this obviously makes it almost impossible to travel within human society unveiled, and very much disturbs other Cainites. (the difficulty of all Social rolls is increased by +2 rather than +1). In addition, the constant bleeding interferes with your vision, adding one to the difficulty of al visual Perception rolls. Infectious: 3 pt Flaw ‘Your bite transmits the madness of your clan. Whenever you feed from a mortal, the power of the Kiss holds them in place as normal. However, your mortal prey gains a temporary derangement for every three blood points you take from them; the madness lasts for a week or so. Malkavians with this Flaw are often the ones you hear about infesting asylums; it's the most low-key place for them to feed.Tremere ‘Attuned Taste: 2 pt Supernatural Merit For whatever reason, your character finds blood magic instinctive- more so than for most Tremere. When your T remere tastes blood, she naturally tastes the subtle currents and occult correspondences in the vitae. To her, it's not even magic; t's just a heightened state of taste stemming from the Embrace and the Tremere clan's long experience with blood. When your character tastes blood, she may automatically glean one fact about the source, as per the Level One Path of Blood power, A Taste for Blood No blood cost or roll is required; the vampire simply ‘gamers information as if with one success. You may still choose to use the Discipline itsetf in order to {gain more specific information, in which case the normal systems apply and the results of the Disci Use supersede this affinity. This affinity is not always beneficial - your character may accidentally taste undercurrents of fear, extraordinary power or poison in vitae, and such tastes can cause nausea or incapacitation at the Storyteller's discretion. This sensitivity cannot be turned off. Embraced Without The Cup: 3 pt Social Merit When your character was Embraced, her sire dispensed with Tremere tradition, or perhaps didn't have the means necessary to finish the job, or just died before it could be done right. Your T remere was drained of blood and then brought across, but never went through the Transubstantiation of Seven. As a result, even if your character took the oath, she didn't undertake any steps toward a blood bond with the Council of Seven. Because your character has no imperative toward the Seven, her loyalty to the T remere clan comes solely from her own conscience. Etfectively, you can do as you damn well please without any unnatural feelings getting in the way. Of course, if any loyal Tremere find out about this oversight, your character will probably wind up hauled in for the Transubstantiation of Seven, as well as some detailed questioning about why she didn't come forward to fix this oversight ofher own volition. This may result in abinding to the council, or a tribunal of ‘some sort, and ignorance may not be a valid excuse. Bound to the Council: 3 pt Social Flaw Whether because of a highly suspicious regent, a faux pas in the past or a missive from on high, your character was bound to the Council of Seven - a condition that he hasn't escaped. This doesn't stop the character from having personal goals and motives, but love of the Tremere clan always comes first. You must spend Willpower just to go against T remere policy; violating the oath, to your character, is literally 3s difficult as a blood bound thrall trying to betray her regnant. When the councilor their duly-appointed representatives (read: anyone with more Tremere rank than your character) says, "Jump," your character jumps, then waits around to find out how high before coming down. Ifyou somehow manage to get out of this problem, say by partaking of a Vaulderie, accepting another blood bond or using the ritual Abandon the Fetters, your character may well find himself marked for destruction should the proper parties find out. If the blood bond wasn't enough to keep him in line, and he was enough of a threat to merit it, then destruction is the only way to be sure that he won't be a problem later. The Storyteller can and should use all Tremere resources available both to check the character's loyalty and to hunt him down like the renegade he is ifhe fails to make the grade. Double Betrayer: 4 pt Social Flaw ‘At some point in the past, your character undertook the Vauldere. She may have legitimately tried to join the Sabbat, or perhaps she didn't know any better or was compelled. Regardless, she now bears the mark of theBetrayer. She has since been redeemed and welcomed back into the clan's ranks, but the mark will haunt her always. ‘As usual with the mark, all Tremere can tell that your character betrayed the clan once. Those who know of your character's past will treat her with contempt; add two to the social difficulties for interacting with other T remere, so long as they're loyal to the clan. Tremere who don't know the circumstances will probably assume that your character is a Sabbat traitor, and might try to capture or destroy her, or at least attempt to inform the pyramid of her whereabouts. Should your character everfailin her reports or relapse in bad behavior, you can expect that she willbe hunted down just like the Tremere do with other threats.‘Thaumaturaically Inept: 5 pt Supernatural Flaw ‘Tremere and the council took decades to develop the principles of Thaumaturgy, so it's not a “natural” Discipline. Over centuries it's spread through the Tremere clan as a habitual practice, but a few unfortunate Tremere never seem to get the hang of it. Your character is one such unfortunate: He effectively adds 4 instead of the normal 3 to his difficulties ( to a maximum of 10) to use paths or rituals. He can still leam Thaumaturgy (higher-ranking Tremere will be happy to share their secrets so long as he ‘earns the favor from ther), Dut it takes real effort. Thaumaturgy stil counts as a clan Discipline for him, though he can begin the story with no more than one dot. ‘Socially, this tends to mark the character as a poor student among other Tremere. He will ikely be passed over for promotions or responsibilities simply because he “just doesn't get it.”Ventrue Paragon: 6 pt Social Merit ‘The Embrace has awakened within you an aspect of personality that others find particularly compelling, You may select any one Background from the following group: Allies, Black Hand Membership, Clan Prestige, Contacts, Fame, Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, Retainers, Sabbat Status or Status. Your maximum Trait score in that Background may exceed your normal generation limit by one. For example, a 10th-generation Kindred may take this Merit and enjoy the benefits of a Contacts Background of 6. ‘You may take this Merit for only one Background, which may drop (and therefore rise again) at the Storyteller’s discretion. Players should choose this Merit only for a Background that makes sense-- a Camarilla archon is unlikely to have a Black Hand Membership Background of 7, for example.