Category:Supernatural Merits

Abomination (4pt. Merit) You radiate palpable, monstrous horror. Mortals with a Willpower rating of 3 or less (i.e. most individuals) who behold you run screaming or curl up and sob in abject terror. In addition, their fragile minds cannot cope with such fear and quickly repress all memories of the encounter. Mortals with Willpower ratings between 3 and 7 can hold their ground and interact with you, but suffer a penalty of one die on all actions. Those rare individuals with a Willpower rating of 8 or more are severely discomforted by your presence, but may act normally. You cannot turn off your aura of fear, and it has no effect on supernatural beings, including ghouls. Lupines and their kin, and mages (although the aura affects the Blessed normally). Only vampires whose bodies are unnaturally twisted as a result of their clan or Flaws may purchase this Merit.

Animal Affinity (2pt. Merit) You feel ties of kinship with a particular animal species. Such creature are not discomforted by your presence and generally like you (-1 difficulty to all pertinent Animal Ken rolls). In addition, Gangrel characters with this Merit only gain animal features associated with their "totem" animal.

Arcane (1 to 5pt. Merit) You are mystically unknowable, shrouded from notice and record by the vagaries of circumstance and disinterest. Those who see you seldom care enough to remember you later. For every point invested in this Merit, subtract one die from any dice pool used to search for you actively (typically Perception and/or Investigation). Being anonymous isn’t the same as being invisible, however, and Arcane does not aid in Stealth rolls or other active attempts to hide. Characters with Influence or Status may not purchase Arcane or vice versa, and Arcane can also prove a detriment to other Backgrounds. Mentors may well lose interest in an Arcane pupil, for example. This Merit is less common among the status-conscience members of the High Clans than among the Low, though a disproportionate number of True Brujah possess it (which leads some to wonder how many Sages truly exist). It is thought that meddling with time can make time itself forget the meddler.

Arcane Resistance (2, 4 or 5pt. Merit) You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of one or more forms of magical rituals and practices, such as those used by the Tremere, Assamite sorcerers, Cappadocians or living wizards. For two points you are resistant to a single form of magical practice (Assamite Sorcery, Koldunic Sorcery, Mortis, Setite Sorcery, Thaumaturgy or any one school of mortal magics). For four points, you are resistant to all magics of either the undying or mortal mages. For five points, you are resistant to them all. In any case, the difficulty of any appropriate magic directed at you, both malicious and beneficient, is two higher. This deals only with magics aimed specifically at you - a Mortis-born corpse-knight can still strike at you at no penalty, for example. Regardless of the nature of the resistance you take, you may never learn any form of magic (be it Thaumaturgy, Mortis or another).

Blazing Demise (1pt. Merit) If you suffer Final Death, your body will instantly erupt into consuming fire. This spontaneous combustion sets flammable objects alight and inflicts three dice of aggravated damage on anything within a foot of your demise. As a result, you leave no evidence for witch hunters and may enact petty vengeance on your murderer from beyond the grave.

Discipline Prodigy (5pt. Merit) You are especially skilled in the use of one of your clan Disciplines. The difficulty to use any level of this Discipline is reduced by 1, although this Merit can never reduce the difficulty of any roll below 4. Characters may purchase this Merit only once and gain no benefit when using Discipline techniques. Prodigies of Koldunic Sorcery or other forms of blood sorcery reduce the difficulty of all paths and rituals. Prodigies of Obtenebration also find Abyss rituals easier.

Gifts of the Beast (Variable Cost Merit) Your Beast has a terrible awareness and power all its own that emerges when its wrath or fear overtakes you. You may select additional Traits that manifest only during frenzy or Rötschreck, as approved by the Storyteller. Such Beast Traits cost two fewer bonus points than normal, to a minimum cost of 1, and must be instinctive or physical in nature. In the case of Disciplines, only physical Disciplines are permitted (Celerity, Fortitude or Potence), even if they are not normally associated with your clan. Beast Traits are cumulative with normal traits, although they cannot exceed generational limits. Additional Beast Traits may not be gained or increased with experience. For example, the Toreador Justinius is normally quiet and reserved. When his slumbering Beast awakens, however, its speed and killing prowess possess him. He gains an additional dot of Celerity and Dexterity and three dots of Brawl. The total cost of the Merit is 10 bonus points (7 – 2 for the Celerity, 5 – 2 for the Dexterity, and 2 – 2, minimum 1 for each dot of Brawl).

Guardian Angel (6pt. Merit) Some supernatural force watches over you and protects you from harm. You have no idea who or what it is or why it watches over you - in fact, you may not even know your guardian exists at all. However, in times of great need, peculiar circumstances defend you from harm. You have no control over this Merit and your protector cannot save you from your own recklessness. The Storyteller should decide why you are being watched and by what, keeping in mind your road and background. An actual angel is unlikely to intervene on behalf of an adherent to the Road of Sin, although a devilish thaumaturge might well have a demon or other malevolent entity looking out for him.

Hidden Amaranth (3pt. Merit) Should you commit the foul sin of Amaranth, your halo will not betray your crime. This Merit cannot shroud a diablerist's aura of unease, nor can it protect against the divinations of blood sorcery. Assamites of the warrior caste cannot take this Merit.

Holy Art Natural (5pt. Merit) - Inquisitor Only One of the paths of the Holy Art comes very easily to you. For some reason, the Lord has blessed you with a particular aptitude, so that you may serve him better. Whatever the cause, the experience cost for your chosen path is (current rating x4). You need not begin with any dots in your chosen art; if you choose not to, the cost to buy the first dot is 8 experience points.

Holy Aura (2pt. Merit) - Inquisitor Only God's touch upon you has an odd effect on the people are you. They sense that there is something different about you. The religious are drawn to you, and the criminal or heretical tend to avoid you instinctively. However, everybody finds it hard to lie to you or hide his true nature from you. All difficulties on rolls to lie to you or conceal something from you are increase by 2.

Inoffensive to Animals (1 or 2pt. Merit) Unlike most Cainites, you do not cause hostile or even unsettled reactions in animals you encounter. Instead, the animals simply treat you like an ordinary human. For one point, you can avoid upsetting a particular species. For two points, you can be inoffensive to all ordinary creatures (though those that are renowned for their affinity to the supernatural, such as black cats or owls, might still react unusually to your presence, at the Storyteller's discretion).

Lucky (3pt. 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.

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

Nine Lives (6pt. 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 Storyteller should keep careful count of how many lives the character has remaining.

Oracular Ability (3pt. 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 Storyteller 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 well the omen is concealed. If successful, you may then roll Intelligence + Occult to interpret what you have seen, the difficulty again relative to the complexity of the omen.

Personal Aura (2pt. Merit) You do not project the aura associated with your road. Instead, your aura reflects some deeper aspect of your Nature or personality. You may choose the aura associated with any road or design your own (subject to Storyteller approval), calculating your aura modifier according to your permanent Willpower.

Promethean Clay (5pt. Merit) Your flesh ripples and molds itself to your preternatural will, almost before you consciously invoke the change. The difficulty to use any Vicissitude power on you is 2 less than normal, and you may activate Vicissitude powers reflexively at your full dice pool while taking other actions. Powers that require multiple turns to activate still require the usual duration — the change simply occurs without conscious direction. As a final benefit, you need no physical sculpting to use the first three levels of Vicissitude on yourself, as your flesh undulates and extrudes to its desired shape. Only characters with at least one dot of Vicissitude may purchase this Merit.

Pure (5pt. Merit) - Inquisitor Only Most inquisitors begin play with an Acolyte level Curse. You, however, do not - either you have atoned for your sins sufficiently to negate the need for divine retribution, or you simply lead such a blameless life that no contrition is necessary. Whatever the case, you begin with an order Endowment but no curse. Obviously, this Merit is not available to characters beginning with their order benefit and drawback in lieu of an Endowment.

Pure Blood (5pt. Merit) The Curse of Caine runs strongly in your veins. You may spend one more blood point per turn than your generation should permit. You look especially pale and drawn under Soulsight and yet oddly flushed with abundant health.

Sanctifying Kiss (2pt. Merit) Your lips have a particular crimson luster like roses or fine wine. Whenever you kiss someone, you leave traces of sweet vitae behind. This secretion is not sufficient to create a ghoul or sire progeny, although you may surreptitiously administer the blood oath if you kiss on the mouth or touch your lips to an open cut. It requires a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) to notice the slight taste of your blood.

Sleep Unseen (2pt. Merit) By spending a blood point, you can unconsciously maintain your Obfuscate Discipline during the day. Observers will ignore your sleeping form according to the power used, making you all but undetectable to mortals and vampires without Auspex. Characters without Obfuscate may purchase this Merit, representing an innate capacity that manifests if they ever learn the Discipline.

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

Sweet Blood (1pt. Merit) Your vitae tastes like the finest wine, sweet and heady without the slightest trace of salt or metallic tang. As such, you may hide your blood in a chalice or feed ghouls without betraying the true nature of their draught.

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

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