Ryecatcher15:WoD:House Rules:Merits

MORTAL MERITS

Mortal Merits are typically available to all characters, regardless of type. There are some exceptions. Prometheans, for example, are forbidden the Fame Merit for reasons relating to their natures.

Mental Merits

A Little Knowledge (•)

Effect: Your character has either had a brush with the supernatural or been in a field that has regular casual contact with the supernatural (such as medicine or law enforcement) to know that something else is out there. While he doesn't know anything specific (i.e., this Merit doesn't give any bonus to Occult rolls or offer any frame of reference), your character doesn't suffer negative penalties when trying to identify or diagnosis conditions for which there is no easy medical antecedent.

For instance, a doctor with this Merit sees a patient in the ER with long, vicious bite marks. The doctor knows that no animal short of a bear could have made those wounds, and he knows that there are no bears native to the area. Normally, this would negatively affect his treatment — he might waste valuable time trying to shoehorn the evidence into his own experience. With this Merit, though, he takes it as read that something made these bites and treats them.

This Merit also offers a +1 bonus to any roll made to recognize a strange or otherworldly situation. If the character ever becomes a supernatural being, including a ghoul or a Sleepwalker, or is Ensorcelled he loses this Merit.

Area of Expertise (•)*

Prerequisites: Resolve •• and one Skill Specialty

Effect: Your character is uncommonly specialized in one area. Choose a Specialty to assign to this Merit. Forgo the +1bonus afforded by a Specialty in exchange for a +2.

Armory (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Resources •••

Effect: Your character can draw upon an array of weapons and armor. This Merit could represent a large gun collection, the ability to call in favors for arms or ownership of a firearms or martial arts supply store. When you select this Merit, give it a descriptor such as "dojo weapons" or "hunting club." This will guide your use of the Merit.

Each dot provides five "points" of weapons and armor. The pool of dots provides a vaguely defined assortment of available arms. You may use weapons and armor equal to your pool total at any given time.

The base pool cost for a weapon is equal to its Damage rating. Add 1 to the cost if the weapon is a firearm. Armor has a pool cost equal to its Defense bonus. Add 1 to the cost of any weapon or piece of armor if it's illegal or highly restricted.

The maximum Damage or Defense rating possible for any Armory equipment is equal to the Merit's dots +1. Firearms come with a full load or magazine. One Armory point adds an additional load or magazine. You don't need to account for every single knife and gun, and in fact, there are more parts and arms than the pool would allow — the equivalent of the classic briefcase or rack full of guns. Your total represents arms in good enough repair to actually use. You may change weapon selections freely as long as the choices could plausibly fit under the general descriptor. Similar to the Sanctum or Library Merits, it's possible to purchase this Merit collectively, dividing its benefits among the entire group.

Drawback: Unlike arms and armor purchased with standard Resources, Armory gear is gray market at best. It includes a selection of stolen, illegally modified or improperly registered weapons. If the authorities discover your Armory, you might incur a fine or imprisonment.

Combat Awareness( •• )

Prerequisites: Military training or combat background.

Effect: Your character understands how to survive on a battlefield as a result of either intense military training or personal experience. This includes knowledge of how to use terrain to your advantage and a general state of mental alertness sustainable even under heavy enemy fire. As a result of this aptitude, your character gains a +2 dice bonus to any situational awareness roll.

Common Sense (•••)*

Effect: Your character has an exceptionally sound and rational mind. With a moment's thought, she can weigh potential courses of action and outcomes. Once per chapter as an instant action, you may ask the Storyteller one of the following questions about a task at hand or course of action. Roll Wits + Composure. If you succeed, the Storyteller must answer to the best of her ability. If you fail, you get no answer. With an exceptional success, you can ask an additional question.

• What is the worst choice?

• What do I stand to lose here?

• What's the safest choice?

• Am I chasing a worthless lead?

Crafter's Sense (•••)

Prerequisites: Craft ••• and a Specialty

Effect: Your character has an intuitive sense of her craft, born of experience. Good decision-making is habitual for her when it comes to her work. This Merit grants all the benefits of the Common Sense Merit (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 108) but only regarding actions dealing with the character's Craft Specialty. The dice pool for the reflexive action to check the character's "common sense" is Wits + Crafts (instead of Composure). At the Storyteller's discretion, this "gut check" roll can be used to gauge the target number of successes on an extended action using the subject Specialty, in addition to all the normal uses of the Common Sense Merit. If a character has both this Merit and the Common Sense Merit, each may be used once per chapter.

Danger Sense (••)

Effect: Your character's reflexes are honed to the point where nothing's shocking. You gain a +2 modifier on reflexive Wits + Composure rolls for your character to detect an impending ambush.

Direction Sense (•)*

Effect: Your character has an innate sense of direction and is always aware of her location in space. She always knows which direction she faces and never suffers penalties to navigate or find her way.

Eidetic Memory (••)*

Effect: Your character recalls events and details with pinpoint accuracy. You do not have to make rolls for your character to remember past experiences. When making Intelligence + Composure (or relevant Skill) rolls to recall minute facts from swaths of information, take a +2 bonus.

Emotional Detachment (•)

Prerequisites: Resolve ••

Effect: Your character can distance himself from the pain, grief and suffering of his fellow human beings long enough to help them. This might make him seem somewhat aloof, but it also means that he doesn't second-guess himself when performing delicate surgery. The character ignores penalties stemming from stress equal to his Resolve rating. For instance, if an EMT is trying to perform an emergency tracheostomy while in a moving car with a werewolf on the roof, the EMT might normally suffer a –2 penalty from sheer emotional pressure. If he had this Merit and his Resolve were 2 or higher, he would take no penalty at all.

Encyclopedic Knowledge (••)*

Effect: Choose a Skill. Due to an immersion in academia, pop culture, or obsession with a hobby, your character has collected limitless factoids about the topic, even if she has no dots in the Skill.

You can make an Intelligence + Wits roll at any time your character is dealing with her area of interest. On a successful roll, the Storyteller must give a relevant fact or detail about the issue at hand. Your character knows this fact, but you must explain within the scope of your character's background why she knows it. For example, for Encyclopedic Knowledge: Medicine: "Do you remember that time on that show, when the doctor said it doesn't manifest before puberty?"

EOD (••••)

Prerequisites: Wits ••• or Dexterity •••, Crafts •••, Demolitions Specialty in Crafts

Effect: Your character is well versed in handling all types of explosives. She is familiar with all kinds of techniques used in bomb making, from creating her own explosives to identifying and arming manufactured ones. She has also been trained in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and is comfortable disarming unfamiliar devices. Your character does not suffer the –2 penalty for disarming an explosive she did not build (see Armory, p. 114).

Entheogenic Synesthesia (•)

Effect: While under the effects of a psychoactive drug, the character experiences synesthesia, where her senses blur together (she can "taste" music, perhaps, or "hear" colors). This grants her an added level of awareness, as her perceptions are bolstered by more than one sense. While on the drug, she not only experiences no dice penalties to her Perception rolls, but also gains +1 to any Perception rolls.

Eye for the Strange (••)

Prerequisites: Resolve ••, Occult •

Effect: While your character does not necessarily possess a breadth of knowledge about the supernatural, she knows the otherworldly when she sees it. By perusing evidence she can determine whether something comes from natural or supernatural origin. Roll Intelligence + Composure. With a success, the Storyteller must tell you if the scene has a supernatural cause and provide one piece of found information that confirms the answer. With an exceptional success, she must give you a bit of supernatural folklore that suggests what type of creature caused the problem. If the problem was mundane, an exceptional success gives an ongoing +2 to all rolls to investigate the event, due to her redoubled certainty in its natural causation.

Fast Reflexes (• to •••)*

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••

Effect: +1 Initiative per dot. Your character's mix of sharp reflexes and steady nerves helps him get the drop on adversaries.

Fence (• or •••)

Prerequisites: Streetwise •••

Effect: No matter your character's location, she can almost always find a way to buy and sell stolen goods within the local criminal community or online. No dice roll is required. She avoids common law enforcement tactics designed to catch fences, but her clients might not be as clever.

The one-dot version of this Merit applies to typical stolen goods: items that would require Resources •• or less to purchase. More expensive or exotic goods such as sports cars, fine art or assault weapons require the three-dot version of the Merit.

Good Time Management (•)

Prerequisites: Academics •• or Science ••

Effect: Your character has vast experience managing complex tasks, keeping schedules, and meeting deadlines. When taking an extended action, halve the time required between rolls.

Higher Calling (••)

Prerequisites: Resolve •••

Effect: Your character is especially devoted to a particular cause or purpose, gaining +1 die for Resolve rolls to resist coercion that runs counter to his calling. This only affects Resolve rolls, not Willpower or other Traits, and does not affect coercion that doesn't involve the character's Higher Calling.

Drawbacks: If your character ever acts in a way contrary to his calling or abandons his dedication to it, the Storyteller may even remove this Merit.

Holistic Awareness (•)*

Effect: Your character is skilled at non-traditional healing methods. While scientific minds might scoff, she can provide basic medical care with natural means. She knows what herbs can stem an infection and what minerals will stave off a minor sickness. Unless your patient suffers wound penalties from lethal or aggravated wounds, you do not need traditional medical equipment to stabilize and treat injuries. With access to woodlands, a greenhouse, or other source of diverse flora, a Wits + Survival roll allows your character to gather all necessary supplies.

Indomitable (••)

Prerequisites: Resolve •••

Effect: Your character possesses an iron will. The powers of the supernatural have little bearing on her behavior. She can stand up to a vampire's mind control, a witch's charms, or a ghost's gifts of fright. Any time a supernatural creature uses a power to influence your character's thoughts or emotions add two dice to the dice pool to contest it. If the roll is resisted instead subtract two dice from the monster's dice pool. Note that this only affects mental influence and manipulation from a supernatural origin. A vampire with a remarkable Manipulation + Persuasion score is just as likely to convince your character to do something using mundane tricks.

Informative (•• or ••••)

Prerequisites: Wits •• and •• in the appropriate Skill

Effect: Your character may not be much of a writer or public speaker, but get him talking about his work and he becomes downright erudite. Your character can use the dots in one of his Mental Skills, up to a maximum of the dots in this Merit, in place of Expression to lecture, write papers or otherwise inform an audience. Your character's performance may be dry or routine, but it will at least be clear and absorbing.

You must specify the Mental Skill to which this Merit applies when you purchase it. You can purchase this Merit multiple times, selecting a different Mental Skill each time.

Interdisciplinary Specialty (•)

Prerequisites: Skill at ••• or higher with a Specialty

Effect: Choose a Specialty that your character possesses when you purchase this Merit. You can apply the +1 from that Specialty on any Skill with at least one dot, provided it's justifiable within the scope of the fiction. For example, a doctor with a Medicine Specialty in Anatomy may be able to use it when targeting a specific body part with Weaponry, but could not with a general strike.

Language (•)*

Effect: Your character is skilled with an additional language beyond her native tongue. Choose a language each time you buy this Merit. Your character can speak, read, and write in that language.

Library (• to •••)*

Effect: Your character has access to a plethora of information about a given topic. When purchasing this Merit, choose a Mental Skill. The Library covers that purview. On any extended roll involving the Skill in question, add the dots in this Merit.

This Merit can be purchased multiple times to reflect different Skills. Its benefits can be shared by various characters with permission.

Lucid Dreaming (••)

Prerequisites: Resolve ••• or higher.

Effect: Your character has the ability to control his own dreams, subtly shaping them according to his wishes. The character may also make Wits + Empathy rolls while he sleeps to determine if an outside force is acting upon his dreams.

Furthermore, a character with this Merit may engage in dream combat with individuals who invade his dreams. Typically, such combat cannot do physical damage to the character in question, but can cause Willpower damage as well as negating the benefits of a good night's sleep.

Make Do (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Wits ••• and • in the appropriate Skill

Effect: Your character has some experience working under sub-optimal conditions. With poor tools or the wrong tools, she can change a tire, repair a roof or perform an emergency tracheotomy. When you purchase this Merit, assign it to a particular Skill (e.g., Make Do: Crafts). Reduce all penalties stemming from poor or inappropriate tools by the number of dots you have in this Merit. You still must need and have some kind of tools to attempt the action (you can't patch a tire or perform a tracheotomy with your bare hands), but you can scrape by with poor substitutes using this Merit. Note that this Merit does not add dice to your pool; this Merit negates penalties.

This Merit can be purchased multiple times to apply to multiple Skills.

Meditative Mind (•, ••, or ••••)*

Effect: Your character's meditation is far more fulfilling than for other characters. With the one-dot version of this Merit, the character does not suffer environment penalties to mediation (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 51), even from wound penalties.

With the two-dot version, when the character has successfully meditated, she gains a +3 bonus on any Resolve + Composure rolls during the same day as she's steeled herself against the things of the world that would shake her foundation.

At the four-dot level, she only needs a single success to gain the benefits of meditation for the day, instead of the normal four.

Multilingual (•)*

Effect: Your character has a strong affinity for language acquisition. Each time you purchase this Merit, choose two languages. Your character can speak conversationally in those languages. With an Intelligence + Academics roll, she may also read enough of the language to understand context.

If you purchase the Language Merit for either of these languages, replace the Multilingual language. For example, if you have Multilingual (French, Italian), and purchase Language: Italian, you may choose to take Multilingual (French, Portuguese).

Outdoorsman (••)

Prerequisites: Survival 3

Effect: The character is a natural at making her way in the wilderness, and she has a knack for surviving situations that would prove deadly to most. She can find food and shelter where others see only the possibility of hunger and exposure to the harshness of the elements, and she knows the signs and subtle tells of the outdoors as though they were her native tongue. Characters with this Merit may ignore up to three points of penalties from environmental sources applied to any roll involving the Survival Skill. If a Survival roll is not penalized, then the character instead receives a +1 modifier to her dice pool.

Patient (•)*

Effect: Your character knows how to pace herself and take the time to do the job right the first time. When taking an extended action, you may make two additional rolls above what your Attribute + Skill would allow.

Professional Training (• to •••••)

Effect: Your character has extensive training in a particular profession, which offers distinct advantages in a handful of fields. When choosing this Merit, choose or create a Profession for your character (see the sidebar). Mark the two Asset Skills on your character sheet. The advantages of Professional Training relate directly to those Asset Skills.

• Networking: At the first level of Professional Training, your character builds connections within her chosen field. Take two dots of Contacts relating to that field.

•• Continuing Education: With repeated efforts in her field of choice, your character tends toward greater successes. When making a roll with her Asset Skills, she benefits from the 9-again quality.

••• Breadth of Knowledge: Due to advancement in her field, she's picked up a number of particular bits of information and skill unique to her work. Choose a third Asset Skill and take two Specialties in your character's Asset Skills.

•••• On the Job Training: With the resources at her disposal, your character has access to extensive educational tools and mentorship available. Take a Skill dot in an Asset Skill. Whenever you purchase a new Asset Skill dot, take a Beat.

••••• The Routine: With such extensive experience in her field, her Asset Skills have been honed to a fine edge and she's almost guaranteed at least a marginal success. Before rolling, spend a Willpower point to apply the rote action quality to an Asset Skill. This allows you to reroll all the failed dice on the first roll.

Rational Explanation (••••)

Prerequisites: Resolve •• and Science or Academics ••••

Effect: Your character relies on rational thought, reason and his education to make sense of a frightening and irrational world. When required to make a Resolve + Composure roll to resist fear, panic or some other mental breakdown in the face of the supernatural, the character may gain an edge from the reliability of reason. When spending a Willpower point to augment such a Resolve + Composure roll, the character may substitute his Science or Academics dots for the +3 dice bonus he would typically gain. If the Willpower point is spent to increase Resolve or Composure for the purpose of subtracting from an aggressor's dice pool, this Merit increases the +2 dice bonus to +3 for a •••• Skill or +4 for a ••••• Skill. Specialties do not alter these effects.

This Merit can only be purchased once for any character. It must be linked to one Skill — either Science or Academics — when it is purchased and cannot be changed thereafter.

Scientist's Sense (•••)

Prerequisites: Science ••• and a Specialty

Effect: Your character has an intuitive sense of her scientific discipline, born of experience. Good decision-making is habitual for her when it comes to her work.

This Merit grants all the benefits of the Common Sense Merit (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 108) but only regarding actions dealing with the character's Science Specialty. The dice pool for the reflexive action to check the character's "common sense" is Wits + Science (instead of Composure). At the Storyteller's discretion, this "gut check" roll can be used to gauge the target number of successes on an extended action using the subject Specialty, in addition to all the normal uses of the Common Sense Merit. If a character has both this Merit and the Common Sense Merit, each may be used once per chapter.

Spirit Tongue (•••)

Effect: No human can speak the language of the spirits (called "Babel" by some, or the "First Tongue" by others) perfectly. A human's mouth and tongue are literally incapable of capturing the nuances of this otherworldly language.

This Merit, however, at least allows a human to make a go at it. The character with this Merit can express very simple ideas (one to three-word phrases) without any roll. More complex communication requires a Manipulation + Expression roll. This roll may suffer negative dice modifiers (maximum of –5 dice) if the circumstances are tense or if the ideas communicated are based solely in human experience (i.e., spirits would have a difficult time comprehending the idea much less the language involved).

A human with this merit understands the language of the spirits well, although he may need to make Wits + Occult rolls to understand exceptionally complex or confusing messages.

Technophile (• to ••)

Effect: Through professional experience or a hobbyist's fanaticism, your character is exceptionally knowledgeable with regard to one specific type of equipment, chosen upon purchase of this Merit. With one point in this Merit, its focus is relatively narrow: Edged Weapons, Handguns, Consumer Vehicles, 20th-Century French Military Equipment and so forth. With two points, the Merit's focus may be broader: for example, Melee Weapons, Firearms, Vehicles, 20th-Century Military Equipment.

With regard to items that fall within the chosen focus only, this Merit functions as the Encyclopedic Knowledge Merit (see p. 109, the World of Darkness Rulebook). With a successful roll, your character is fully versed in the performance, history and trivia of any specific item he encounters. In addition to identifying an item, he can recite the likely metallic composition of an ancient sword, the ballistic characteristics of an enemy's sidearm, the top speed of a sports car or the explosive yield of a nuclear warhead. This Merit confers no actual bonuses or abilities when the character attempts to use an item that falls within his field of study. Unlike Encyclopedic Knowledge, this Merit is available after character creation, though the character's actions and interests over an extended period of time should justify the purchase.

Tolerance for Biology (•)

Prerequisites: Resolve, Stamina or Composure ••

Effect: Some people see blood and pass out. Some people hear another person throwing up and get queasy. Your character can watch medicinal maggots being massaged into open, blackened wounds and feel nothing except a bit of curiosity. He never feels nauseated due to unpleasant things he sees in a medical setting, and receives a +2 bonus to any roll to keep composed when offered scenes of violence or carnage, or when exposed to horrific smells.

Trained Observer (• or •••)*

Prerequisites: Wits ••• or Composure •••

Effect: Your character has spent years in the field, catch-ing tiny details and digging for secrets. She might not have a better chance of finding things, but she has a better chance of finding important things. Any time you make a Perception roll (usually Wits + Composure), you benefit from the 9-again quality. With the three-dot version, you get 8-again.

Trained Memory (•)

Prerequisites: Composure ••, Investigation •

Effect: Your character can remember the events of a single scene or a day's worth of study perfectly as long as she has a turn to concentrate. During this turn (in which she cannot engage in combat or other stressful situations), the character uses a special technique to commit what she has learned to memory. (You should write a brief note about this on the character sheet.) After that, during peaceful times, you no longer need to make dice rolls to remember details about that event or piece of knowledge, and you can ask the Storyteller to fill in details that you might have forgotten.

Drawback: Just as for any other character, you must make an Intelligence + Composure roll for the character to remember any additional details about a subject during stressful situations (such as combat). You gain no bonus to this roll; your enhanced memory is a matter of training and organized thinking, not off-the-cuff recall.

Tunnel Rat (• to •••)

Effect: The Homeless and criminals who have spend all or most of their lives in the city may have gained some knowledge of the vast and complicated system of connected el tunnels, abandoned freight tunnels, deep tunnels, sewers and commuter train tunnels that riddle the land beneath. This Merit indicates how well the character knows this interconnecting suite of tunnels. Characters may add their dots in this Merit to Survival dice pools made within the Undercity, in addition to the effects described below.

• The character has ventured into the tunnels of one city (be it Chicago, New York, Detroit, or another city with an extensive underground) once or twice. He's safe so long as he stays on the biggest passageways. Getting from one place to another strictly through the tunnels may take up to twice as long as it would on the surface. Penalties to dice pools for navigation and survival in the Undercity are reduced by one (e.g., from –3 to –2).

•• The character has a solid, but imperfect, understanding of one city's tunnels. He may specialize in one kind of tunnel (el tunnels or freight tunnels, for example), or he may stick to primary and secondary tunnels. Traveling from one place to another through the Undercity is no more time-consuming than surface travel. Penalties to dice pools for navigation and survival in the Undercity are reduced by two (e.g., from –3 to –1).

••• The character knows the Undercity in an up-close and personal way. She has personally explored dozens of tunnels down to the smallest service conduit and probably spends most of her active time down in the Undercity. She can tell her location in the tunnels by one or two subtle landmarks and knows the fastest routes to get anywhere. A character with this level of knowledge need never fear getting lost in the Undercity and cuts travel time by 25% when traveling between any two points in the city via the tunnels. Penalties to dice pools for navigation and survival in the Undercity are reduced by three (e.g., from –3 to 0).

Unseen Sense (•••)

Prerequisites: Mortal (non-supernatural); Wits ••

Effect: Your character has a "sixth sense" when it comes to the supernatural. Perhaps his hair stands on end, goose bumps race along his arms, or a shiver runs up his spine. Regardless of the manner, his body reacts to the presence of unseen forces. He can't see or hear anything, and in fact he might not know at first what causes this reaction. It might be a response to a specific type of supernatural phenomenon such as ghosts or vampires, or it might be a general sense that something isn't right. Over time and with a little trial and error, he might be able to qualify what his body tries to tell him.

The specific type of supernatural phenomenon to which your character is sensitive must be determined when this Merit is purchased. It can be something as vague as a creepy feeling when in the presence of ghosts, or something as specific as a sudden chill when a vampire is nearby. The Storyteller has final say on the exact nature and trigger of your character's sixth sense, and can keep its nature secret if desired, leaving you to figure it out during play. Only mortal, mundane characters can possess this Merit. The pivotal moment of becoming or being changed into a being with supernatural capabilities eliminates it.

Vision (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Intelligence, Wits, Resolve or Composure ••••

Effect: Your character has vision. He is capable of visualizing his wants with great clarity and knows how to use that vision to guide his work. A character with two or three dots in this Merit has vision on a smaller scale — he sees his sculptures, inventions or performances with unusual clarity. A character with four or five dots in this Merit has a uniquely vivid vision of whole worlds. Whether he uses his vision to paint, to govern or to achieve some other aim is up to him.

The character's vision helps him accomplish his goals. Essentially, this Merit gives a skilled character a chance to gain more than the usual +3 dice when he spends Willpower. By spending a Willpower point, your character can reflexively rely on his vision to "assist himself" on any extended action he performs, whether it's drawing the plans for a building, sculpting a statue or speaking in front of an audience (see "Teamwork," p. 134 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). The character rolls Vision + an appropriate Skill, and each success is added as bonus dice to the next roll on the extended action.

Your character may substitute his dots in Vision for either an Attribute or a Skill when rolling to assist another character on an extended action. The Storyteller has final say on whether a given trait can be replaced, however. Vision may be no substitute for Strength when lifting a boulder. Willpower points spent to activate this Merit don't grant any of the usual effects of Willpower points; they simply allow the character to use the Merit. This Merit does not enable a character to spend more than one Willpower point per turn.

Though a character may be said to have gained this Merit through supernatural means, Vision is not in itself a supernatural power. A character's vision for the future may be the result of some supernatural experience or may simply the product of a profound imagination.

Physical Merits

Ambidextrous (•••)

Effect: Your character does not suffer the -2 penalty for using his off-hand in combat or to perform other actions. Available at character creation only.

Armored Fighting (•• or ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Stamina •••

Effect: Langschwert groups that emphasize historical techniques learn to fight in full armor. They know how to move and conserve energy in heavy chain mail or even full plate. These skills aren't exclusive to European martial artists. They're also found in Japanese koryu and modern military combatives. Your character knows how to fight in heavy armor. Every two dots in this Merit (at •• or ••••) reduce her Brawl, Melee Defense and Speed penalties for heavy armor by 1.

Athletics Dodge (•)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •• and Athletics •

Effect: Whenever your character performs a dodge (see "Dodge", the World of Darkness Rulebook, page 156) you can add his Athletics Skill dots to his Defense instead of doubling his Defense. He essentially draws on his knowledge of how his body moves to parry and evade attacks rather than rely on his raw ability alone.

Athletics Dodge applies against incoming Brawl- and Weaponry-based attacks, against thrown-weapon attacks, and against firearms attacks made within close-combat range. Your character can move up to his Speed and perform an Athletics Dodge maneuver in a turn.

A character can possess this Merit and also the Brawling Dodge and Weaponry Dodge Merits, but only one can be used per turn.

Brawling Dodge (•)

Prerequisites: Strength •• and Brawl •

Effect: Whenever your character performs a dodge (see "Dodge" in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 156), you can choose to add his Brawl Skill dots to his Defense instead of doubling his Defense. He essentially draws on his training in blocking and evading attacks rather than relying on his raw ability alone. While this might provide little benefit to a brawling novice, it can give the advanced fighter an edge.

Brawling Dodge applies against incoming Brawl- and Weaponry-based attacks, against thrown-weapon attacks, and against Firearms attacks made within close-combat range. Your character can move up to his Speed and perform a Brawling Dodge maneuver in a turn. A character can possess both the Brawling Dodge and Weaponry Dodge Merits, but only one can be used per turn.

Crack Driver (•• or •••)*

Prerequisites: Drive •••

Effect: Your character's an ace at the wheel and nothing shakes her concentration. So long as she's not taking any actions other than driving (and keeping the car safe), add her Composure to any rolls to drive. Any rolls to disable her vehicle suffer a penalty equal to her Composure as well. With the three-dot version, she may take a Drive action reflexively once per turn.

Demolisher (• to •••)*

Prerequisites: Strength ••• or Intelligence •••

Effect: Your character has an innate feel for the weak points in objects. When damaging an object, she ignores one point of the object's Durability per dot in this Merit.

Disarm (••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• and Weaponry ••

Effect: Your character has refined his Weaponry Skill to the extent that he can use a weapon to disarm opponents in close combat. When making a normal attack, compare your successes to the opponent's Dexterity. If you get a number of successes equal to or greater than the opponent's Dexterity, you can choose to have your character disarm him instead of doing damage. A weapon lands a number of yards away from the opponent equal to your successes rolled.

Disarming is a different activity than specifically attacking or breaking weapons or items carried by opponents. See "Equipment" (p. 139) for rules on doing that.

Double Jointed (••)*

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••

Effect: Your character might have been a contortionist or spent time practicing yoga. She can dislodge joints when need be. She automatically escapes from any mundane bonds without a roll. When grappled, subtract her Dexterity from any rolls to overpower her as long as she's not taking any aggressive actions.

Driving Style: High Performance Driving (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Resolve ••, Drive ••

Effect: Your character is trained in advanced driving techniques. Maybe he's a cop or a federal agent. Maybe he's a stuntman for film and TV or the wheelman in a heist gang.

Dots purchases in this Merit allow access to special driving maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Your character cannot possess "Smuggler's Turn" until he has "Speed Demon." Maneuvers and effects are described below.

Speed Demon (•): For this character, a vehicle's Maximum Speed is now the same as the vehicle's Safe Speed. The character is very comfortable with driving fast, and thus does not suffer penalties for driving in excess of a vehicle's Safe Speed (see p.143, the World of Darkness Rulebook).

Smuggler's Turn (••): Also known as a J-Turn or a Bootlegger's Reverse, this is essentially a radical U-turn used at high speed: the driver puts the car into a controlled skid, the car turns around, and as it's turning, he puts it into gear and keeps driving — except now, in the other direction. Used by bootleggers during Prohibition, it's a great way to escape a pursuing vehicle, if it works. The character must succeed on a Dexterity + Drive + Handling roll to make this turn. In doing so, any pursuing vehicles lose the Handling bonus when trying to follow, unless the pursuing driver also possesses this Merit.

Safe Passage (•••): Driving through strange or unsafe conditions — icy road, debris-littered highway, grid-locked highway — invokes penalties for most drivers, but not this character. He's able to zip past wreckage and control his car even when in a fishtailing hydroplane. Doing so still requires a Dexterity + Drive + Handling roll, but the character can ignore up to three dice of penalty caused by bad or unsafe conditions.

Offensive Driving (••••): When locked in vehicle pursuit (see pp. 69–71, the World of Darkness Rulebook), it's good to drive in a way that distracts and disrupts the other driver. Whether the character is the pursuer or the pursued, he can perform a number of distracting and disrupting techniques to hamper the other car. The quarry might drive over the median, clip trashcans with his bumper to knock them over or even careen through a busy intersection. The pursuer can perform maneuvers such as bumping the back end of the fleeing car or distracting the fleeing driver by weaving in and out of traffic behind him (even disappearing momentarily behind, say, an 18-wheeler) in an effort to draw the driver's attention away from what he should be paying attention to: the road. The effect is the same for whether the character is the pursuer or the pursued: the tricky driving hampers an opponent's driving. The opponent's Acceleration and Handling scores are halved (round up) as he is distracted. Drawback: The character must expend a Willpower point at the beginning of vehicle pursuit to achieve this effect. Moreover, by the end of it, the vehicle the character was driving assumes an automatic loss of two Structure from the highly offensive driving.

Entering Strike (••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••, Brawl •••

Effect: Your character knows how to strike an opponent to upset his balance, making it easy for you to take him down. If you inflict damage with a Brawl-based strike, you gain a dice bonus equal to the damage you inflicted to a subsequent grappling hold (or shihonage, if you know the Aikido Fighting Style) attempt. This must be your next attack. Drawback: Your Defense does not apply during the turn in which you attempt an entering strike.

Equipped Grappling (••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Brawl ••, Weaponry ••

Effect: Your character knows how to use a blunt weapon to enhance her holds and locks. She presses the weapon against joints and muscle groups, or forces compliance with a few short blows. If she has a blunt weapon in hand, add the weapon's Size to her Strength + Brawl pool whenever she attempts overpowering maneuvers. Drawbacks: This benefit doesn't apply to initial attempts to establish a grapple. It only works with weapons that have a maximum Size of 3.

Fighting Finesse (••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• and Weaponry ••

Effect: Your character prefers to fight with a chosen weapon in a manner that favors agility over power. With that one weapon (a rapier or katana, for example), you may substitute your character's Dexterity for Strength when making attack rolls. This Merit may be purchased multiple times to gain agility with more weapons, one for each purchase.

Fighting Style: Aggressive Light Sword (Fencing; • to ••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is trained in a general art of fighting with a lighter sword: one that can be held one-handed, even if it is possible (and preferred, in the case of a katana) to use two. The methods used for each sword may be widely dissimilar, but the important consideration is the mechanical effect – the rationale comes afterward. That's why World of Darkness: Armory uses the same rules for kendo as Western fencing. The maneuvers may have different names, but behave in the same way across many styles.

Use the Aggressive Light Sword Fighting Style to represent special training in the Chinese jian (or "tai chi sword"), the saber, cutlass or scimitar, and the shorter medieval arming sword – any Size 2 blade. (Size 3 weapons are the province of the Heavy Sword Fighting Style).

This Fighting Style also applies to any stick that's three to four feet long. It can be used in conjunction with a cane (for singlestick or French la canne fighting), Trinidadian stick fighting or Irish shillelagh.

Drawback: Even though this Fighting Style's rules apply to many different weapons, the varied methods mean that you are at a disadvantage when applying it to a sword (or long stick) that isn't used in your particular school of fighting. A fencing master won't be able to easily use his version of the Fighting Style with a katana. If your character uses a maneuver in conjunction with an unfamiliar weapon, you suffer a –2 penalty to your character's Weaponry dice pool. This does not apply when your character's just trying to hit an enemy – just when he's trying to use a specific maneuver. This makes the Thrust (•) maneuver useless with unfamiliar weapons

Assume that each school can apply this Fighting Style to up to three weapons. For example a kendo player could apply this to the katana, wooden bokken (club) and bamboo shinai, while a classical kenjutsu stylist might be able to use the katana, bokken and wakizashi. To broaden your character's ability with this Fighting Style, select the Student of the Blade Merit.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Thrust (•): The thrust is a simple yet powerful attack. A fencer's stance (one leg anchoring your character's position and the other leg lunging him forward) gives this attack extra force. When your character makes a thrust attack, plunging the blade toward an opponent, he does so with a +1 bonus.

Feint (••): Your character knows how to make a fake attack intended to throw off an opponent. Make a "normal" attack roll (Strength + Weaponry), and this roll is penalized by the opponent's Defense, par usual. This attack is fake; it does not strike the foe or do any damage. If your character achieves even a single success, however, the opponent is momentarily confused and off-balance, and may not apply her Defense against the next attack she suffers (which may be from your character the following turn or may be from some other source beforehand).

Riposte (•••): A Riposte requires an attack to be made against your character. He steps out of the way of the attack using his Dodge (i.e., her Defense, doubled). While his opponent is open, he can then make a sudden and quick attack, which is performed at a –1 penalty. However, the opponent's Defense does not further penalize the attack roll. Drawback: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack. If your opponent suffers any further attacks on a turn where she has used Riposte, she cannot apply her Defense against them.

Moulinet (••••): If your character makes a successful hit on an adversary with his sword, he may then rotate his wrist and perform a quick spiral cut with the tip of the weapon. This additional cut requires no additional roll; the cut does lethal damage to the opponent equal to your character's Dexterity. Drawback: To perform this maneuver, the character must spend a Willpower point before he makes her initial attack roll. The Willpower does not grant him the additional +3 to attack. If the initial attack roll fails, the Willpower point is wasted and the Moulinet may not be added.

Fighting Style: Aggressive Striking (Boxing; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Stamina •• and Brawl ••

Effect: You character is trained in any one of a number of aggressive unarmed martial arts styles. This unarmed striking sub-style concentrates on offense and raw toughness. Practitioners develop the conditioning to absorb blows and the specific strength needed to dish out serious damage. The core rulebook's Boxing style is a specialized version of this Merit.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Body Blow (•):Your character can deliver powerful blows that leave opponents reeling and gasping for air. If successes inflicted in a single Brawl attack equal or exceed a target's Size, the victim loses his next action.

Iron Skin (••): as the Kung Fu •• maneuver.

Combination Blows (•••): Your character's training and experience allow him to devastate opponents with a flurry of rapid blows. He can make two Brawl attacks against the same target in a single action. The second attack suffers a -1 penalty. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver in the turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Haymaker (••••): Your character can deliver powerful, accurate blows capable of knocking an opponent unconscious with a single punch. A single Brawl attack that equals or exceeds the target's Size or Stamina in damage might knock him unconscious. A Stamina roll is made for the victim. If it succeeds, he is conscious but he still loses his next action due to the Body Blow (see above). If it fails, he is unconscious for a number of turns equal to the damage done. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver in the turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Lethal Strike (•••••): Your character's accuracy and power are such that his fists are lethal weapons, able to injure or kill opponents. A brutal blow inflicts lethal instead of bashing damage. Drawback: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack.

Muay Thai Substitution

Muay Thai employs the following alternate Fighting Style maneuvers. The •• and ••• and ••••• dot maneuvers remain unchanged.

Cut Kick (•): Your character knows how to deliver powerful round kicks to her opponent's legs. When you choose this option your character inflicts one less point of damage than usual, counted after rolling to see if the attack succeeds. (For example, an attack that scores one success would still be a successful cut kick, but inflicts no Health damage). However, each kick reduces the opponent's Speed by one, down to a minimum of one. If you roll as many successes as the opponent's Size, he falls prone because he's been swept by her kick or can't use his leg out of sheer pain. Her opponent can get back up whenever she has the chance, but her Speed only recovers at the end of the combat scene.

Thai Clinch (••••): Your character grabs an enemy around the head and pulls him into a vicious elbow or knee strike. If you establishing a grappling hold as the first part of using the Combination Blows maneuver and inflict damage as the second move, add your Dexterity to your dice pool to attack. Drawback: The usual –1 penalty for Combination Blows applies to the first grappling attempt, not the following attack. This benefit does not apply if your character has already established a hold or in future attempts to damage an opponent from the same hold, but she can always abandon her current hold and try a new grapple to use the Thai Clinch.

Fighting Style: Brute Force (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Brawl •••

Effect: This fighting style isn't a trained style. Characters do not learn the Brute Force Merit so much as embrace it, and use pent-up rage to unleash brutal, powerful attacks.

Dots purchased in this Merit allow characters access to specific combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the subsequent maneuver. So, your character cannot possess "Crush and Bite" before he has "Falling Pillar." The Merit's maneuvers and their effects are described below. All Maneuvers are based on the Brawl Skill.

Falling Pillar (•): With this move, the character holds both hands together in a single fist, and drops both arms upon his victim — the motion is like a stone pillar crashing down. The attack, made with a Strength + Brawl roll, gains the 9 again bonus. Drawback: Spend one Willpower point to activate this attack. This point does not confer three additional dice to the attack. Also, both hands must be free for the attack to be successful.

Crush and Bite (••): This maneuver is used only during a successfully maintained grapple. If the character succeeds on a grapple with his opponent, any Strength + Brawl rolls made in an effort to do damage to the subdued opponent inflicts lethal damage, not bashing. (The character needn't truly "crush and bite," and may instead choke, head-butt or even smother. The damage is still lethal.)

Juggernaut (•••): The character uses his entire body as a weapon. He barrels forward, smashing his head into his opponent and throwing the rest of his weight into the attack. This is an "all-out attack" per p. 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook. The character foregoes his Defense, but gains a +4 bonus to the roll as opposed to the normal +2 bonus. Normal all-out attack rules apply. Drawback: If the attack fails, the user loses a single point of Willpower as their desperate effort is brushed off. Vampires risk going into Frenzy. Werewolves risk falling into Kuruth instead. Prometheans risk entering Torment instead.

Bone Cracker (••••): The character grabs a foe's limb with both hands, twisting as if wringing water from a dish rag. This is a targeted attack, and is made at –2 dice (due to targeting an arm or leg). If the attack does damage equal to or exceeding the target's Stamina, however, the bone breaks and the damage becomes lethal. A broken bone also forces the target to lose a dot of Dexterity until those lethal levels heal. Lowered Dexterity also takes away from the target's Initiative modifier, Speed, and possibly Defense. Drawback: Both hands must be free for this attack to succeed. Also, the attacker loses his Defense for the remainder of the turn.

Fighting Style: Controls (Qinna; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• and Brawl ••

Effect: Your character is skilled in a Chinese martial arts style that emphasizes qinna, or another martial art that specializes in standing joint locks, holds and chokes.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Qinna maneuvers are based on the Brawl Skill and work in conjunction with unarmed combat.

Qinna maneuvers are designed to exploit weaknesses in the human anatomy. Targets who do not feel pain, possess the need to breathe or have skeletons will not be affected by certain maneuvers. Of the commonly played supernatural beings, this renders vampires immune to the effects of Sealing the Breath or Disrupting the Veins.

Standing Control (•): Your character gains an additional overpowering maneuver, called Standing Control. If she overpowers her opponent she may force him to accompany him wherever he goes. Drawback: The character can only move himself and his opponent half as far as his Speed would normally allow. The character cannot have moved earlier in the turn, and cannot automatically dump his enemy over a cliff or into a fire or other dangerous environment without performing a separate attack.

Misplacing the Bones (••): The character's holds can snap bones and tear connective tissue. If his player inflicts more damage in an overpowering maneuver than the victim's Size, he breaks a limb unless the defender opts to immediately fall prone. The fracture (or tissue separation) inflicts a point of lethal damage instead of the standard bashing damage, and renders the limb useless. It does not recover until the victim heals that damage. If the limb is an arm, reduce the defender's Defense by 1 and note that he's dropped anything held in it. If it's a leg, the defender cannot walk upright. Drawback: Unless the character opts for a specified target (see World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 165), the defender's player (or Storyteller) chooses which limb's been damaged.

Grabbing the Muscles (•••): Your character's grappling holds twist muscles out of place or puts the defender in a position where she can't use strength to force her way out of the attack. Treat the defender as if her Strength was two dots lower for the purpose of resisting overpower maneuvers.

Sealing the Breath (••••): Your character can use chokeholds and strikes to pressure points around the lungs to interfere with a target's breathing. If he succeeds with a Brawl-based strike or damaging overpower rolled at a voluntary –1 die penalty, he inflicts a –1 die penalty to the opponent's actions in addition to inflicting standard damage. This penalty is cumulative throughout the combat scene, but vanishes afterwards.

Disrupting the Veins (•••••): Your character's grappling maneuvers expertly attack anatomical weaknesses. When he damages a victim with an overpower maneuver you can choose to inflict lethal damage, and when he uses any other maneuver he can choose to inflict a point of lethal damage in addition to other effects. Drawback: Spend a point of Willpower per attack. This does not add three dice to your roll.

Police and Military Tactics Subtitution (••,••••)

Many police forces, both civilian and military, are taught the basics of Controls Fighting Styles. They do not, however, typically learn short-term control solutions, opting instead to learn quick-cuff techniques espoused by many police self-defense theorists. Furthermore, they train explicitly in martial arts techniques that minimize the advantage of overwhelming numbers.

Speed Cuff (••): If you have a pair of handcuffs or equivalent restraints drawn while grappling, you may choose "cuff" as an overpowering maneuver. With success, you get the cuffs on one of your opponent's wrists. With exceptional success, you cuff both wrists.

Bullring (••••): The character is trained in fighting off multiple opponents simultaneously. His Defense is applied in full to each and every simultaneous hand-to-hand attack in a single turn.

Fighting Style: Defensive Armed Striking (Iaido; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Composure •••, Weaponry •••, Quick Draw

Effect: Your character has studied the art of iaido, focusing her awareness of her surroundings and her ability to respond to a threat to the razor's edge. She has learned to draw a blade at a moment's notice, and has internalized kata focused on swiping the blade across her opponent's vitals.

Practitioners of iaido often cultivate the Wits Attribute, as speed of thought and awareness of one's surroundings are valued by adherents of the style.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Iaido maneuvers are based on the Weaponry Skill and are used with a curved sword, most commonly the katana.

Tsuki Kage ("Draw and Cut;" •): The character sharpens his already capable ability to quickly enter combat. If the character begins combat with his weapon sheathed, he adds his rating in the Weaponry Skill to his Initiative modifier. If the Storyteller utilizes the optional initiative rule from page 151 of the World of Darkness Rulebook, this bonus applies on any turn in which the character's weapon begins the turn sheathed. Drawback: The character must commit to an attack against an opponent during the first turn of combat to gain the advantage of this maneuver.

Zanshin ("Awareness;" ••): While honing the speed of one's reactions can save one's life, better still to be constantly vigilant. The character strives to remain ever aware of his surroundings, that he may never be taken by surprise. The character gains a bonus of two dice to all rolls to avoid an impending ambush. This Merit duplicates the effect of the Danger Sense Merit, and a character with both Merits gains a total +4 on rolls to avoid being surprised. Such characters are paragons of self-awareness.

Tachi-Sabaki ("Movement of the Sword;" •••): The character has mastered defensive kata designed to intercept incoming attacks and deflect them with the blade of the weapon. The character relies as much on the quality of his sword as he does his own speed of thought and motion. The character adds his weapon bonus (the weapon's damage rating) to his Dodge value when taking a fully defensive action. A character may benefit from this Merit while utilizing the Weaponry Dodge Merit (though not the Brawling Dodge Merit). Drawback: The character only benefits from this Merit when taking a full Dodge action.

Kan Ken No Metsuke ("Seeing with Eyes and Mind;" ••••): The character's speed gives him a small but potentially important edge over other combatants. If the character's initiative roll results in a tie with another character involved in combat, the character automatically acts before his opponents and allies. Initiative Modifiers are not compared and initiative is never determined by a roll-off (though if multiple characters aside from the iaido practitioner rolled the same initiative, their initiative ratings are resolved as normal). If two characters possess this maneuver, they act at the same time, each resolving their action as if the other had not yet acted. This can result in two characters killing each other in the same heated moment.

Uke Nagashi ("Catch and Slide Off;" •••••): The character's ability to move defensively and counter an attack with one of his own has been perfected. If the character's weapon is sheathed, he can declare a Dodge action at any point during a turn, assuming she has not yet acted. His Defense is doubled as usual, though he may not utilize Weaponry Dodge or Tachi-Sabaki against attacks. However, the character can choose any opponent who is making an attack against him to perform a counter attack against. In a single swift motion, the character draws his blade, parries his enemy's blow, and attacks his opponent. The character's Weaponry Dodge (if he possesses it) and Tachi-Sabaki maneuver apply against the opponent's attack (and only against this opponent). The character makes an immediate reflexive attack against the opponent at a one die penalty. After making his counter-attack, the character's Defense applies as normal to further attacks made against him during the turn (i.e., his Defense is not doubled). Defense penalties for being attacked multiple times during a single turn are not affected by this maneuver in any way. Drawback: The character spends one Willpower point per turn using this maneuver.

Honmon Enshin Ryu's Iai Kenpo Substitution (••••)

A modern school of iaido, Enshin Ryu teaches jujutsu and suemonogiri (the practice of cutting), but possesses a strong focus on being attacked from behind. Students of this style may purchase the following specialized maneuver instead of Kan Ken No Metsuke, above.

Muso-Ken ("No-thought Sword;" ••••): The character draws, turns, and thrusts his blade at a potential enemy in a single motion. A character with this Merit may make a reflexive counter-attack when successfully attacked at point-blank range by an opponent by surprise. Drawback: This maneuver requires the user to expend a Willpower point. It constitutes the character's action for the turn, though if used before initiative is rolled, the character may act on his initiative as usual.

Fighting Style: Defensive Striking (Krav Maga; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Wits •••, Brawl •••, Brawling Dodge

Effect: Your character practices Krav Maga, and has become competent in an unarmed variant of Defensive Striking. Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Krav Maga maneuvers are based on the Brawl Skill unless otherwise noted and are used unarmed.

Immediate Defense (•): The character has learned to act quickly to neutralize a threat and make a fast escape. She gains a bonus equal to her Initiative equal to her Brawl Skill when fighting armed opponents.

Disarming Defense (••): The character twists her torso out of danger while grabbing her opponent's wrist and pulling him forward, using her own torso for leverage as she tears his weapon from his hand. This acts as the Disarm Merit save that it utilizes the Brawl Skill. Rather than knocking the weapon away, the character takes the weapon from her opponent, and may use it the following turn.

Impenetrable Defense (•••): The character knows that offense and defense are one in the same. The character may add his rating in his Brawl Skill to his Defense or Dodge against a single incoming attack. The bonus from this maneuver combines with that from Brawling Dodge. Drawback: The character must expend a Willpower point to perform this maneuver. This maneuver is reflexive, and a character may use it and perform an instant action (such as attacking) so long as she did not use the Dodge action.

The First Moment (••••): The character has trained her reaction time to a tenth of a second, acting more by instinct than thought. If the character's initiative roll results in a tie with another character involved in combat, the character automatically acts before his opponents and allies. Initiative Modifiers are not compared and initiative is never determined by a roll-off (though if multiple characters aside from the Krav Maga practitioner rolled the same initiative, their initiative ratings are resolved as normal). If two characters possess this maneuver, they act at the same time, each resolving their action as if the other had not yet acted. This can result in two characters killing each other in the same heated moment.

Finishing the Fight (•••••): The character moves defensively, but knows when to lash out at an enemy to bring him crashing to the ground. The character declares and benefits from a Dodge action (including Brawling Dodge, if she possesses it). She may abort that action to make an immediate, reflexive counter-attack against an opponent whose attack fails to overcome her Dodge trait. Drawback: This maneuver costs the character one Willpower point to enact. After making her counter-attack, the character loses her Defense for the remainder of the turn.

Fighting Style: Evasive Striking (Kung Fu; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity ••, Stamina •• and Brawl ••

Effect: You character is trained in any one of a number of evasive unarmed martial arts styles. This general unarmed striking style emphasizes speed, agility and defense. Practitioners block, bob, weave and pick their shots whenever they see their opponent's defense falter. The core rulebook's Kung Fu style is a specialized version of this Merit.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Focused Attack (•): Physical conditioning and accuracy allow your character to deliver blows at vulnerable spots on targets. Penalties to hit specific targets are reduced by one. See "Specified Targets" in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 165. Even when a specific part of an opponent is not targeted, armor penalties to your character's Brawl attacks are reduced by one.

Duck and Weave (••): Your character is trained to instinctively duck and evade an opponent's blows. Use the higher of your character's Dexterity or Wits to determine his Defense when dealing with Brawl-based attacks only (not against Weaponry attacks). If a combination of Brawl- and Weaponry-based attacks is focused on your character in the same turn, use his normal Defense against both.

Defensive Attack (•••): Your character has mastered the ability to fight defensively. When using this maneuver, your character gains +2 to his Defense for the turn, but any attack he makes suffers a -2 penalty. He can move no more than his Speed while performing a Defense Attack maneuver in a turn.

Whirlwind Strike (••••): Your character can unleash a storm of blows against an opponent. He can make a number of extra Brawl attacks for each point of Dexterity that he has above 2 in a single action. Each extra attack is made at a cumulative -1 modifier. Thus, he can perform a total of two attacks at Dexterity 3 (the second of which is at -1), three attacks at Dexterity 4 (the third of which is at -2), and four at Dexterity 5 (the fourth of which is at -3). All attacks must be on the same target. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Destroy Defense (•••••): Your character uses clever combinations, feints, sidesteps and perhaps furtive grabbing (called "sticking" or "trapping" in some martial arts) to progressively destroy your opponent's ability to defend himself. Whenever he successfully hits an unarmed target with a Brawl attack, he reduces her Defense by 1 against his next attack. This is cumulative across multiple, successive attacks, up to a maximum Defense penalty equal to the lower of the attacker's Wits or Dexterity. After that, the target recovers her full Defense, and the character must try to impose this penalty once again.

Your character can use Destroy Defense across multiple rounds as long as he does nothing except deliver successful Brawl attacks. If he misses or performs any other action, the running penalty imposed by the Merit automatically "resets" to 0.

The target retains her full Defense against other attackers; she's only extraordinarily vulnerable to the maneuver user's Brawl attacks. This maneuver does combine with Combination Blows or Whirlwind Strike. Destroy Defense's penalty is cumulative with the normal Defense penalty against multiple attacks, if it applies.

Fighting Style: Flexible Weapons (Chain Weapons; • to ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Weaponry •••

Effect: You character is trained in the use of an array of flexible weapons, including the nunchaku, chain whip, rope dark, three section staff – even a length of rope. Your character's choice of weapon does restrict the use of certain maneuvers, however:

• If your character's weapon uses rope instead of chain, an opponent with a sharp, sturdy blade (a combat knife or better) nullifies the benefits of Impenetrable Defense – she can cut right through it. At the Storyteller's discretion, this doesn't apply to flexible weapons with very short rope lengths, like the nunchaku.

• To use the Outside Choke maneuver your character needs a weapon with at least six inches of loose chain or rope between its segments.

• To use Whirl and Thrust, your character's weapon needs to have a weighted striking surface like a wooden segment or iron ball.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.Impenetrable Defense (•): Your character may choose not to attack in a given turn, and instead whirl the chain in the direction of her opponent (or opponents). During the entire turn, regardless of Initiative, you may add +2 to your character's Defense to deflect incoming blows. Your character also takes no penalty for defending against multiple opponents until she faces three attacks. The first and second attacks made against her cause no negative modifiers to her Defense.

Hand Bind (••): This defensive maneuver is made against an incoming attack (Brawl or Weaponry-based). When a foe attacks with a weapon or with his body, your character wraps the attacking limb with the chain, grappling it with a Strength + Weaponry attack. The foe's Defense is not subtracted from this roll, but his successes on the attack roll are. If your character is successful, the limb is bound with the chain, and the opponent can attempt to escape this next turn with a Strength + Brawl roll. If the foe achieved more successes on his attack, his attack is still diminished by whatever successes you rolled on the Hand Bind roll. This maneuver must be done on the attacker's Initiative turn, and performing this action means your character cannot make an attack this turn.

Outside Choke (•••): Your character attempts to wrap the chain around her opponent's neck. Roll Strength + Weaponry. The victim may attempt to free himself on his next action with a Strength + Brawl roll, which is reduced by your character's Strength +1. This maneuver is not to cause damage or kill the opponent — this maneuver is to render him unconscious by pressing the chain against the arteries of his neck, thus halting blood flow to his brain. If your character is successful on the grapple, she can begin to choke the victim on the following turn. For every turn that the choke hold is not broken, the victim suffers an additional –1 on all rolls to resist. When your character has accumulated a number of uninterrupted turns equal to the victim's Stamina, he falls unconscious. This maneuver, when complete, causes a single point of bashing damage to the victim. This combat maneuver is ineffective against characters who need not breathe.

Whirl and Thrust (••••): Your character at this level is highly adept at using chains, and can make focused attacks with any part of the weapon. By whirling the chain a few times, she can build momentum on a single attack, which can be made with startling accuracy. On a targeted attack, you can ignore up to –2 of penalties associated with directed attacks. In other words, attacks to an opponent's torso or limbs are done at no penalty, attacks the head would be at –1, to the hand –2 and to the eye –3. Drawback: Your character negates her Defense for the rest of the turn. If your character has applied her Defense against any incoming attack before her turn, she may not perform this maneuver.

Fighting Style: Grappling (Grappling • to ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Stamina ••• and Brawl ••

Effect: Your character has trained to grapple using old school, no holds barred catch wrestling (Olympic style wrestlers learn the first two maneuvers), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Russian sombo. He uses leverage and positioning to outgrapple opponents.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. The maneuvers are based on the Brawl Skill, with emphasis on performing grapples.

Sprawl (•): Your character knows how to "sprawl" and sink his weight to avoid being overpowered in a grapple. Subtract the higher of Strength +1 or Dexterity +1 from dice pools to overpower him in a grapple. This doesn't apply to the initial hold, but subsequent attacks from the grip.

Takedown/Throw (••): Your character knows how to rapidly close with your enemy and take him to the ground. In lieu of securing a grappling hold, he can immediately render the opponent prone (see The World of Darkness, p. 157 and 164). Furthermore, if he takes an opponent down this way, he can choose whether or not to go prone with the target. Mixed martial arts fighters take a crouching (but still standing) position from her and deliver vicious beatings with their hands – a technique called "ground and pound."

Chokehold (•••): Your character can efficiently choke enemies by cutting off blood flow to their brains. If he overpowers an opponent in a grapple, he can start the choke. The choke inflicts a cumulative –1 die penalty to the opponent's actions for each turn it's maintained. The victim falls unconscious if he endures a choking attack for a number of consecutive turns equal to his Stamina. Your character can continue choking an unconscious victim. This inflicts lethal damage equal to the attacker's Strength + Brawl successes every turn.

Chokeholds don't work on opponents who don't need to breathe.

Submission Hold (••••): Opponents caught in your joint locks can't escape without injuring themselves.

If your character scores more successes than his opponent's Size in an immobilization attempt, the victim can't attempt any physical action – including breaking free – without suffering a point of lethal damage. This penalty lasts from the moment of immobilization to end of the next turn.

Furthermore, your character can always choose to inflict one point of lethal damage whenever he damages an opponent with an overpowering roll. The character's first Strength + Brawl success inflicts a point of lethal damage; subsequent successes inflict bashing damage.

Submission holds don't work on creatures that don't have bones.

Fighting Style: Heavy Sword (Langschwert; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••• and Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is skilled in the German twohanded long sword style, or another martial art that specializes in using a long two-handed sword or stick. Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Langschwert maneuvers are based on the Weaponry Skill and work in conjunction with a Size 3 or 4 blade or staff.

Wards (•): Your character knows how to use his weapon to deflect and threaten away attacks. Add 1 to his Defense when he wields a weapon compatible with this Fighting Style.

Fool's Guard (••): Your character knows how to hold his weapon low to seemingly invite attack, but when the opponent strikes, he can quickly raise it to counter. Instead of offering a normal Defense, roll Strength + Weaponry + 1 die against the opponent's attack. This is an instant action. Each success reduces the attack's damage by 1, and if the characters successes exceed the attacker's, the difference is inflicted upon the attacker as damage from the character's weapon Drawback: The character cannot employ his Defense in any turn where he uses the Fool's Guard.

Half Sword (•••): Your character grabs the midpoint of his weapon to rain more powerful thrusts and blows at a shorter range, almost as if he was using the blade as a small spear. If his attack succeeds, add 2 to the weapon's damage (do not add this as the weapon's equipment bonus, but after rolling). Drawback: The weapon's reduced range nullifies the Wards maneuver, so the character loses its Defense bonus. It also reduces the character's Weaponry-based dice pool by one.

Doubling Cut (••••): Your character strikes the enemy with two quick cuts. He can make two Weaponry attacks against an opponent in the same turn. Drawback: Your character cannot employ his Defense or the Fool's Guard in the same turn as he uses this maneuver.

Wrathful Cut (•••••): Your character steps in with a powerful blow, capable of overwhelming his enemy's defenses. When he makes an All-Out Attack (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 157), add his Weaponry dots instead of the normal +2 bonus. Drawback: Your character cannot employ his Defense or the Fool's Guard in the same turn as he uses this maneuver.

Fighting Style: Improvised Weaponry (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Wits •••, Weaponry •

During the course of their journeys upon the Road, wanderers find themselves in bad circumstances with nothing even remotely resembling a respectable weapon at hand. Perhaps the first, best rule of the nomadic life, however, is to make do with what you've got. Thus, certain improvisational fighting strategies have become time-honored traditions for people who get knocked on their asses and have to reach for the nearest solid object to avoid a serious beating, or worse. Note that, unlike most other Fighting Style Merits, Improvised Weaponry isn't formally taught. Characters invariably pick up this brutal, sloppy style of combat at the school of hard knocks.

Always Armed (•): The character has an instinct for grabbing something dangerous in almost any situation and maximizing its lethality once in hand. On her character's initiative in any given turn, the player may make a reflexive Wits + Weaponry roll to have the character pick up an object suitable for use as a weapon in any save the most barren environment. (The player is encouraged to work with the Storyteller to determine an appropriate item — a large, jagged rock outdoors, for example, or a heavy glass ashtray with one sharp, broken edge in a dive bar.) Regardless of what it is, this object is treated as a Size 1, one lethal weapon with a Durability of 2. On an exceptional success, provided that her surroundings allow for it, the character may instead grab a Size 2, two lethal improvised weapon with a Durability of 2.

In Harm's Way (••): By interposing her weapon (no matter how small or inappropriate for parrying it might be) in the path of an oncoming Brawl or Weaponry attack, the character learns to increase her chances of walking away from a given attack unscathed. While wielding an improvised weapon acquired with the first technique of this Fighting Style, the character may, at the beginning of a turn, treat the Structure of her weapon as armor, but any damage inflicted upon her also inflicts an equal amount of damage to the improvised weapon, bypassing its Durability.

Breaking Point (•••): One sure way to win a fight is to hit the other guy so hard that he doesn't get back up, even if that means losing a weapon in the process. When the character uses the all-out-attack option in a fight while wielding an improvised weapon acquired with the first technique of this Fighting Style, her player may exchange points of the weapon's Structure, down to a minimum of zero, for added equipment bonus for the duration of a single strike. The player must declare the use of this option before the attack is made, and the weapon still takes the damage even if the attack is unsuccessful (perhaps striking a brick wall, a parked car or some other heavy object.) If the weapon is reduced to zero Structure, the weapon is automatically destroyed after the attack is resolved, though the target is still damaged as normal if successfully struck. Note that the character may use this technique in conjunction with the previous one, allowing her to parry an attack made on a higher Initiative than her own and then go on the offensive with her improvised weapon, provided that it didn't sustain enough damage to destroy it.

Fighting Style: Knife (Spetsnaz Knife Fighting; • to ••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Weaponry ••

Effect: Your character is trained to fight effectively with a knife. This particular form of martial knife training is based upon original Spetsnaz Russian Forces training. This training is now standard among many of the world's Special Forces. It involves holding a single-edged knife in a downward (or "reverse") grip. Maneuvers involve a lot of quick, fluid movements complemented by a mixture of slashing and stabbing toward vital areas. Dots purchased with this Merit allow access to unique combat maneuvers with a knife. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the subsequent maneuver. Your character cannot have "Advantageous Angle" until he has "Anticipate Attack." These maneuvers and their effects are described below. All maneuvers are based on the Weaponry Skill.

Anticipate Attack (•): Those trained in Special Forces knife fighting know to move fast before incoming attacks and in response to them. To do this requires a level of anticipation and strategy even before a combat begins. At this level, your character may substitute his Weaponry score for his Composure when determining his Initiative modifier. This is only during combat situations in which your character is using an edged or pointed weapon of Size 2 or under.

Advantageous Angle (••): Your knife-wielder knows how to make a feinted attack from the side or rear in a way that grants him advantage. While normally such attacks confer no bonuses, the character is aware how to deceive an opponent into mounting a Defense against an attack that isn't coming — and then stage an attack from a different angle. The foe's Defense is at –1 during such an attack. Drawback: This maneuver can only be made every other turn.

Vital Attack (•••): Your character knows how to target his attacks to vital organs and other vulnerabilities. Attacks made with a knife have Armor Piercing 1, and penalties to hit specific targets or body parts (see "Specified Targets," p.165 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) are reduced by one.

Slash and Stab (••••): Your character's deftness with a knife allows him to make two attacks against one target in a single action. The first attack is a slash, the second a thrusting stab. The first attack is made as normal, but the second suffers a –1 penalty. Drawback: This quick maneuver leaves the character somewhat more vulnerable against the next attack coming toward him. His Defense is counted as being one less against the next attack.

Fighting Style: Shields (Sword and Shield; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Dexterity ••, Stamina ••, Weaponry ••

Effect: Your character has trained extensively with a weapon in her primary hand and a shield in her off-hand. She has learned to utilize the shield's strengths, redirecting it towards incoming threats while overcoming some of the clumsiness involved in making attacks from behind a shield's protective cover.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Sword and Shield maneuvers are based on the Weaponry Skill and function only when a character possesses a shield.

Cloak and Dagger (•): Your character's extensive training with shields allows her to utilize improvised shields more effectively. This maneuver is named for the practice of using one's cloak to buffet incoming attacks away. A character with this maneuver doubles the effective Structure of an improvised shield (usually an improvised shield can only deflect a number of attacks equal to its structure before being destroyed) and suffers a –2 penalty to attack rather than the standard –3. This penalty can be further decreased by the maneuver The Shielded Strike below, but improvised shields cannot be used to perform the Shield Bash, Shield Charge, or Stand Strong maneuvers.

Shield Bash (••): Your character has learned how to use the shield defensively and offensively. Attempts to strike another combatant with the character's shield still suffer a –1 penalty, but gain a Weapon bonus equal to the shield's Defense rating. Damage remains bashing. Drawback: A character using a shield to knock an enemy back is not using it for defense. A character does not benefit from a shield's Defense rating on a turn in which she uses this maneuver. If she has already used the full Defense rating against an incoming attack during the turn, she may not use the maneuver.

The Shielded Strike (•••): The character's use of her shield integrates seamlessly with that of her weapon. She may rest the blade across the top or side of a rectangular shield, pushing the weapon forward as if playing billiards. Perhaps she has developed a careful rhythm in which she lowers the shield for the bare instant necessary to deliver a fatal attack. Either way, when the character uses this maneuver to make an attack, she no longer suffers a penalty for using a weapon while benefiting from her shield, and her shield adds +1 to its Defense rating against the target of the attack. Drawback: The character's concentration on coordinating her shield and weapon leaves her open to attacks from the flanks and rear. She loses her Defense against attacks made by any opponent save the one she is attacking. If she has already used her Defense against an incoming attack from another opponent during the turn, she may not use the maneuver.

Shield Charge (••••): The character charges forward, shield lowered before her, and crashes into the enemy line. The character makes a shield bash attack (see above) at a –2. The attack inflicts bashing damage, but if even a single success is scored on the attack, the character may send her enemy flying. An opponent who suffers the effects of this attack makes a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll; if he rolls fewer successes than the shield-user, he suffers knockdown (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 168). At Storyteller's discretion, this maneuver may be used against multiple opponents, provided that they are standing close enough together. Each additional opponent targeted levies an additional –1 to the attack roll, and the damage rolled is distributed evenly among those hit. Those who suffer no damage do not check for knockdown, even if their companions do. Drawback: Use of this maneuver necessitates a charge action (World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 164), which means, among other things, she loses her Defense. If she has already used her Defense against an incoming attack from another opponent during the turn, she may not use the maneuver.

Stand Strong (•••••): The character digs in her feet, raises her shield, and stands as a human wall against an onslaught of attacks. She benefits from her full Dodge trait and shield defense bonus against attacks made from a single direction (Weaponry Dodge can be applied). Additionally, attacks from that direction do not decrease her Defense against later attacks in the round. For the purpose of this maneuver, a direction is approximately one third of the circumference of a circle drawn about the character (typically claiming defense against attacks from the left, front, or right is sufficient). Attacks made against the character from other directions suffer a penalty equal to Defense only, which suffers penalties from multiple attacks as usual. Note that while a single enemy might be able to move around the character's defenses, no more than three characters can assault the character from a direction that she can't fully defend against through this maneuver. Drawback: Using this maneuver requires an incredible exercise of will. A character must spend one Willpower point to gain the benefits of this Merit for one turn.

Fighting Style: Spear and Bayonet Fighting (Sojutsu/Jukendo; • to ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Dexterity •• and Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character knows how to use a spear in close combat. Sojutsu (often incorrectly called yarijutsu) is the Japanese form of the style. These skills also apply to using a rifle with a fixed bayonet (called jukendo in Japan). Thus, characters might learn it in a modern military force or a martial arts school. Martial artists often learn this fighting style alongside Fighting Style: Staff Fighting (see World of Darkness: Armory, pp. 213–214).

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. A character using this fighting style must use his weapon with both hands to take advantage of its maneuvers.

Warding Stance (•): The basic advantage of a spear or fixed bayonet is its length. Trained fighters learn to keep the tip of the weapon pointed forward, constantly threatening incoming attackers. Thus, this maneuver lets a practitioner attack first whenever an opponent using a smaller-Size melee weapon attacks from the front.

Thrust (••): The character knows how to deliver precise, powerful thrusting blows. His spear or bayonet gains the 9 again quality. If the spear or fixed bayonet already has this quality, he gains no further benefit.

Block and Strike (•••): Your character can deflect incoming attacks with the haft or stock of his weapon and swiftly strike back. When using this maneuver, your character gains +2 to his Defense for the turn, but any attack he makes suffers a –2 penalty. Unlike similar maneuvers (such as Two-Weapon Fighting's Deflect and Thrust maneuver), the character can move freely while using the technique.

Great Thrust (••••): The character lunges forward, putting his entire body behind a powerful thrust. If he employs an All Out Attack (see The World of Darkness, p. 157), he adds a number of dice equal to his lower of his Strength or Weaponry skill instead of the standard 2 dice. Drawback: If the attack inflicts at least as much lethal damage as the opponent's Size, the character lodges the weapon deep in his target's body. Dislodging it requires an additional Strength + Weaponry roll, but automatically inflicts a point of lethal damage.

To make the best use of a spear's length, a practitioner should also learn Fighting Style: Staff Fighting. Aside from the spear, this Fighting Style applies to glaives, halberds and poleaxes. Specific styles may have specialized maneuvers to represent everything from Chinese arts that bounce the spear off the ground to the formation fighting skills of ancient phalanxes or Swiss pikemen.

Fighting Style: Staff Fighting, (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Dexterity ••, Weaponry ••

Effect: Your character has learned to wield a quarterstaff, bo staff or jo staff effectively in combat. This is likely something she has learned from a martial practitioner. This style is sometimes called bojutsu. Dots purchased with this Merit allow access to unique combat maneuvers with polearms. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the subsequent maneuver. Your character cannot have "Temple Strike" until she has "Trip." These maneuvers and their effects are described below. All maneuvers are based upon the Weaponry Skill. Note that while a quarter-, bo or jo staff are the norm for this fighting style, the maneuvers are not limited to these weapons. A character can use any polearm for these maneuvers, but using other polearms with an item that isn't one of the aforementioned three staff types requires an additional point of Weaponry (Weaponry •••). A character can also utilize improvised polearms (including post-hole diggers, scythes or other objects at least five feet in length) with this maneuvers. In such cases, the Weaponry ••• is still required, and all attack rolls are made with the appropriate improvised weapon penalties in place. Remember as well that utilizing a polearm in combat grants the wielder a +1 Defense.

Trip (•): Your character can use her polearm to trip a single opponent, hopefully sending him to the ground. It is a contested roll pitting the character's normal attack roll against the opponent's Dexterity + Athletics. The character's attack is penalized by the foe's Defense, as usual. If the opponent falls, assume Knockdown rules (per p. 168, the World of Darkness Rulebook). In this case, however, the fall to the ground incurs a single point of bashing damage to the opponent.

Temple Strike (••): Your character brings her staff against the side of her adversary's head. The normal –3 penalty to hit the head still applies, but if the damage meets or exceeds the target's Size, the target falls unconscious for a number of turns equal to the damage done. This damage is usually bashing, as it is meant to be performed with a blunt staff. The damage can be performed with a bladed weapon such as the naginata, however. The effect is the same, but the damage is now lethal instead of bashing.

Dangerous Radius (•••): With this technique, your character can swing her weapon in a wide arc, hitting anyone within three yards. Make a normal attack roll for the character (Strength + Weaponry + weapon bonuses). This roll receives a dice penalty equal to the number of opponents hit with this strike (to a maximum of –5 dice). Successes achieved on this roll are done as damage to all within the three-yard radius. If the weapon is a normal blunt polearm (i.e., a staff), it does bashing. If bladed, the weapon causes lethal damage. Drawback: This attack cannot distinguish between friend or foe. Any allies within the three-yard radius are hit along with enemies. The technique cannot be pulled to exclude friends from the damage.

Fighting Style: Stick Fighting (Filipino Martial Arts; • to ••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character is trained in a fighting style involving the use of short sticks, typically about six to fourteen inches long. Note that to perform these maneuvers, a character must have at least one blunt weapon in hand. This weapon is potentially one escrima stick (or a pair), but it can be any blunt object shorter than two feet in length. If the character wields two weapons, he still assumes the –2 penalty for off-hand attacks.

Practitioners of the common Filipino escrima style typically learn many of these same maneuvers, but practice them both with and without the escrima sticks.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Lock and Block (•): With this move, your character uses an adversary's momentum against her. If you succeed on a Strength + Weaponry roll, your character captures an opponent's attacking arm in his own and gains a grapple over her (for grappling rules, see p. 157, the World of Darkness Rulebook). You may add your character's Defense to the Strength + Weaponry roll, as he is technically making a defensive maneuver. However, if you choose to add his Defense to this attack, you may not apply his Defense against any incoming attacks that turn. If he has already applied his Defense, he may still utilize this maneuver, but he does not get to add his Defense to the roll.

Disarm (••): This allows your character to capture an incoming attack and bring his own weapon down upon a foe's forearm, potentially forcing the enemy to drop her weapon. (Note that this is different than the Disarm Merit.) To enact this maneuver, make a normal attack roll (Dexterity + Weaponry). Compare the successes on this roll against the opponent's Stamina. If the successes are equal to or exceed her Stamina score, she drops the weapon. This attack does cause damage to the opponent, as well. Take the successes gained on the attack roll and halve them (round up). The opponent takes this damage, bashing.

Off-Balancing Attack (•••): With this attack, your character uses his weapon to set a foe off-balance. This attack can take any form: thrusting a baton into a solar plexus, hitting a foe's temple or the bridge of her nose or using a stick's momentum to push her into an awkward position. The attack is made at a –2 penalty. If successful, the attack does full damage and the opponent's next attack is made at a –3 penalty.

Many-Handed Defense (••••): Escrima practitioners know how to move and flow with the combat in ways often unparalleled in other weapon-style systems. In this case, you may apply your character's full Defense (or Dodge) to all attacks against him in a single turn. They are not diminished at all by attacks made after the first.

Fighting Style: Throwing (Aikido; • to •••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••, Wits •• and Brawl ••

Effect: Your character is a skilled practitioner of aikido, or another martial art that emphasizes throwing the opponent. She knows how to blend with the force of an attack and amplify it to send her enemy sprawling.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Aikido maneuvers are based on the Brawl Skill and work in conjunction with unarmed combat. (Some aspects of traditional aikido involve a weapon, but they are beyond the specific purview of this Merit).

Ukemi ("Receiving;" •): Your character knows how to fall properly and get up quickly. He may stand up from a prone position after falling or being rendered prone (but not both) once per turn as a reflexive action, and is considered to have one point of armor against bashing damage caused by falls – but not other sources.

Aiki ("Harmonious Energy;" ••): Your character is skilled enough to defend with a throw by avoiding the attack and seizing his opponent's balance. If he forgoes his standard Defense, roll Dexterity + Brawl; if the result exceeds the opponent's damage roll the character suffers no damage and immediately applies a grappling hold or (once he attains the third maneuver) shihonage. He may employ this maneuver against Brawl, Weaponry or close-range Firearms attacks. Drawback: This maneuver constitutes your character's action for the turn.

Shihonage ("Four Directions Throw;" •••): The character can throw an opponent quickly and forcefully, without getting tangled up in a clinch. Treat a shihonage throw like a standard Brawl strike attack, except that it also knocks the opponent prone up to as many feet away as your Size + Brawl successes in any direction the character prefers.

Renzoku-waza ("Combination Techniques;" ••••): The character can attempt multiple grappling or shihonage attacks per turn, or he can defend with multiple throws using the Aiki maneuver. He may make one additional grapple or shihonage for each point of Dexterity that he has above 2. Each extra action is rolled at a cumulative –1 modifier. Thus, he can attempt two grapples or shihonage at Dexterity 3 (with the second at a –1 modifier), three at Dexterity 4 (at a 0, –1 then –2 modifier to dice rolls) and four at Dexterity 5 (at 0, –1, –2 and –3 to each dice roll, in turn). Drawback: If the character's first action is anything but a grapple or shihonage attempt he cannot use this benefit.

Kokyu-ho ("Breath Power;" •••••): Your character's throws are so strong that he can either throw someone double the usual distance with his shihonage, or inflict lethal damage with it. Drawback: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack.

Judo Substitution (••,•••, and •••••)

Judo employs the following alternate Fighting Style maneuvers. The • and •••• dot maneuvers remain unchanged.

Nage-waza ("Throwing Techniques;" ••): Your character may use a grappling overpower to render an opponent prone without falling prone herself – but if she chooses to fall prone, she may simultaneously damage her opponent while rendering her prone. Furthermore, she excels at gripping clothing. If the opponent wears anything heavier than a t-shirt on his upper body she gains a +1 equipment bonus to perform each of the above maneuvers. If the opponent wears a gi (a karate or judo-style uniform), this increases to +2.

Sutemi-waza ("Sacrifice Techniques;" •••): Your character uses her own bodyweight to drive her opponent to the ground, falling prone along with him. If she uses an all-out attack (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 157) you may add her Athletics skill to a roll instead of the usual +2 to render her opponent prone while using the nage-waza option that allows her to simultaneously damage an opponent and render her prone, while falling prone herself.

Tokui-waza ("Favorite Technique;" •••••): Through constant practice and competition, your character had made one throw into a specialty. It's not easy to apply it every time, but when the opportunity appears, few people can resist her technique. If her opponent scores zero successes to establish a hold, escape one or use an overpowering maneuver and the character secures a hold herself, she creates an opening for the technique. If you score even one success on one of the nage-waza based overpowering actions (render an opponent prone while standing, or render both combatants prone while inflicting damage), add the character's Athletics Skill as extra successes.

Hard Style Aikido

Aikidoka who practice Yoshinkan or other older "hard" aiki styles put a greater emphasis on striking the opponent to create an opening with which to throw him. This strategy is common in numerous martial arts and is represented by the Entering Strike Merit

Fighting Style: Thrown Blade and Dart (Shurikenjutsu; • to ••••)

The Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu's curriculum includes shurikenjutsu. Despite the "ninja throwing star" stereotype, most shuriken were actually spikes (bo shuriken), not stars (hira shuriken or shaken), and were mostly used by samurai who trained in one of the dozens of koryu that taught their use. Drop the idea that they would have been thought of as "dishonorable" weapons – it's false.

This is the core Fighting Style for thrown edged weapons. We've included them under the TSKSR because traditional shurikenjutsu is almost never taught outside of a larger curriculum. Dedicated interest in the art is growing, however; there are a few small schools, new and old, that do teach it exclusively.

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• Athletics ••

Effect: Your character knows how to throw edged weapons with particular skill. Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Your character may use Fighting Style: Shurikenjutsu with any edged weapon that's been designed for throwing. She may also use it with any other Size 1 object as if she had one dot less in this Merit, or any Size 2 weapon as if she had 2 dots less (Size 3 or greater weapons are not compatible with the Merit).

The advantages of this Merit apply to the character's attempts to throw a qualified weapon, not use it in close range combat.

Ma-ai ("Distance;" •): Your character learns to properly gauge a target's distance and modify her technique to match it. Double her short, medium and long range throwing ranges.

Kakushi Buki ("Hidden Weapons;" ••): The character knows how to rapidly retrieve a throwing weapon from a sleeve, holster or other prepared spot on her body. She never needs to use an action to draw a throwing weapon from a prepared spot.

Choku Da-Ho ("Direct Hit Method;" •••): Your character can throw using the power of her entire body. Add her Strength dots to the dice pool for throwing the weapon. Drawback: The character is considered a still target and may not employ her Defense during the turn in which she uses this maneuver. She may not use this maneuver in conjunction with Ikki Gokken.

Ikki Gokken ("Five Blades in One Breath;" ••••): Your character can throw multiple weapons in rapid succession during a single turn, provided she either holds them in one hand or can draw them instantly using Kakushi Buki. She may make a one additional throw for each point of Dexterity that she has above 2. Each extra action is rolled at a cumulative –1 modifier. Thus, she can throw twice at Dexterity 3 (with the second at a –1 modifier), three times at Dexterity 4 (at a 0, –1 then –2 modifier to dice rolls) and four time at Dexterity 5 (at 0, –1, –2 and –3 to each dice roll, in turn). Drawback: The character is considered a still target and may not employ her Defense during the turn in which she uses this maneuver. She may not use this maneuver in conjunction with Choku-Do-Ho.

Fighting Style: Two Weapons (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• and Weaponry •••

Effect: Your character has trained to fight with a weapon in both hands, allowing him to attack and dodge or make two attacks in the same turn. Your character still suffers the -2 offhand penalty when attacking with a weapon in his secondary hand (unless you have also purchased the Ambidextrous Merit).

Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can't have "Deflect and Thrust" until he has "Whirling Blades." The maneuvers and their effects are detailed below, all of which are based on the Weaponry Skill.

Whirling Blades (•): Your character's Dodge trait (Defense doubled; see the World of Darkness Rulebook p. 156) is not penalized by multiple attacks staged against him in a turn until the number of attacks exceeds his Weaponry dots, at which point each attack thereafter reduces his Dodge by -1. So, if your character (with 2 Defense and 3 Weaponry) dodges attacks in a turn, the first three incoming attacks suffer his full Dodge trait as a penalty (-4). The fourth suffers a -3 penalty, the fifth suffers a -2 penalty, and so on. Basically, your character's weapons move so quickly all about him that opponents in close combat have trouble reaching or assaulting him.

The Brawling Dodge Merit (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 110) cannot replace normal Dodge (Defense doubled) when this maneuver is performed.

Deflect and Thrust (••): Your character can avoid attacks and strike back in the same motion. When using this maneuver, your character gains +2 to his Defense for the turn, but any attack he makes suffers a -2 penalty. He can move no more than his Speed while performing a Deflect and Thrust maneuver in a turn.

Focused Attack (•••): Your character can attack a single target twice in one turn. The second attack suffers a -1 penalty. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Fluid Attack (••••): Your character can make a single attack on two different targets in one turn. The targets cannot be a distance apart in excess of your character's Speed trait. The second attack suffers a -1 penalty. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Firearms Retention (•)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••, Wits ••, Brawl ••, Firearms ••

Effect: Your character knows how to keep a hold of his gun when someone tries to take it, even while it's holstered. If an opponent attempts to disarm her with an overpower maneuver, an attempt to target her holster with a grab (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 138) or use a similar tactic learned from a Fighting Style, he must subtract your character's Brawl dots from his dice pool. This benefit also applies to attempts to steal the weapon from your character's holster. Drawback: This benefit doesn't apply against attempts to take a weapon by stealth.

Fleet of Foot (• to •••)*

Prerequisites: Athletics ••

Effect: Your character is remarkably quick and runs far faster than her frame suggests. She gains +1 Speed per dot; anyone pursuing her suffers a –1 per dot to any foot chase rolls.

Fresh Start (•)

Prerequisites: Fast Reflexes ••

Effect: Your character dedicates an action to altering his standing in the Initiative order in the following turn and for all subsequent turns, choosing to insert himself at a new point in the roster, even if it means going first when he went last before. For example, if your Initiative roll (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 151) resulted in a 9, but a rival whom your character wanted to waylay got a 12, your character can forfeit an action in turn one to get a fresh start and then act before that rival at 13 in turn two and afterward. Drawback: A character must take an action to change his Initiative ranking in subsequent turns. He can do nothing else in that action except move up to his Speed.

Giant (•••)*

Effect: Your character is massive. She's well over six feet tall and crowds part when she approaches. She's Size 6 and gains +1 Health. Available only at character creation.

Drawback: Buying clothing is a nightmare. Fitting in small spaces is difficult at best.

Ground and Pound (••)

Prerequisites: Combination Blows Fighting Style Maneuver (Boxing or Aggressive Striking •••), Takedown/ Throw Fighting Style Maneuver (Grappling ••)

Effect: Your character may use Combination Blows (World of Darkness core, pp. 110–111) to perform Takedown/Throw Maneuver followed by an unarmed strike. If she succeeds with the first maneuver, her dice pool doesn't suffer the usual –1 penalty for the second attack in the Combination Blows series. Instead, the character gains a +2 bonus to strike her prone opponent.

Gunslinger (•••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ••• and Firearms •••

Effect: Your character's capability and experience with firearms is such that he can accurately fire two pistols at the same time. Your character still suffers the -2 offhand penalty for shooting with his secondary hand (unless he also possesses the Ambidextrous Merit, above), but he can shoot both pistols as a single action during a turn. The second attack is also at a -1 penalty. Your character may shoot at two different targets if he wishes, but the amount of concentration required negates his Defense for the turn. The Merit can be used with pistols only. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this Merit on two separate targets in the same turn. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before he can perform this maneuver, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.

Hardy (• to •••)*

Prerequisites: Stamina •••

Effect: Your character's body goes further than it right-fully should. Add the dots in this Merit to any rolls to resist disease, poison, deprivation, unconsciousness, or suffocation.

Heavy Hands (•••)

Prerequisites: Strength •••, Brawl ••

Effect: Your character has a strong upper body, tough knuckles and enough raw aggression to punch harder than most people. Her strikes inflict +1 damage. This even applies when she's wearing knuckledusters or other blunt fist loads. Drawback: The benefit does not apply to biting, grappling attacks or sharp weapons (including blades or spiked fist loads) – just standard unarmed strikes.

Iron Stamina (• to •••)*

Prerequisites: Stamina ••• or Resolve •••

Effect: Each dot eliminates a negative modifier (on a one- for-one basis) when resisting the effects of fatigue or injury. For example: a character with Iron Stamina •• is able to ignore up to a –2 modifier brought on by fatigue. The Merit also counteracts the effects of wound penalties. So, if all of your character's Health boxes are filled (which normally imposes a –3 penalty to his actions) and he has Iron Stamina •, those penalties are reduced to –2. This Merit cannot be used to gain positive modifiers for actions, only to cancel out negative ones.

Iron Stomach (••)

Prerequisites: Stamina ••

Effect: Your character can eat almost anything, under almost any conditions. Greasy bacon and runny eggs on a raging hangover? No problem. The green meat in the fridge? No problem. Milk two weeks past its expiration date? No problem. He could be dropped in the middle of the forest and could live off bugs and roots as long as necessary in order to survive — and with no ill effects. Add two dice to appropriate Survival rolls. Add three to Stamina to resist deprivation (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 175).

Natural Immunity (•)

Prerequisites: Stamina ••

Effect: Your character gains a +2 modifier on Stamina rolls to resist infection, sickness and disease. His immune system is exceptionally effective at resisting infections, viruses and bacteria. Your character can probably count on one hand the number of times he's been seriously ill.

Parkour (• to •••••, Style)*

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Athletics ••

Your character is a trained and proficient free-runner. Free-running is the art of moving fluidly through urban environments with complex leaps, bounds, running tricks, and vaulting. This is the type of sport popularized in modern action films, where characters are unhindered by fences, walls, construction equipment, cars, or anything else the city puts in their ways.

Flow (•): Your character reacts instinctively to any obstacles with leaps, jumps, and scaling techniques. When in a foot chase, subtract your Parkour from the successes needed to pursue or evade. Ignore environmental penalties to Athletics rolls equal to your Parkour rating.

Cat Leap (••): Your character falls with outstanding grace. When using a Dexterity + Athletics roll to mitigate damage from falling (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 179), your character gains one automatic success. Additionally, add your Parkour rating to the threshold of damage that can be removed through this roll. Parkour will not mitigate damage from a terminal velocity fall.

Wall Run (•••): When climbing, your character can run upward for some distance before having to traditionally climb. Without rolling, your character scaled 10 feet + five feet per dot of Athletics as an instant action, rather than the normal 10 feet.

Expert Traceur (••••): Parkour has become second nature for your character. By spending a Willpower point, you may designate one Athletics roll to run, jump, or climb as a rote action (reroll all failed dice once). On any turn you use this ability, you may not apply your character's Defense to oncoming attacks.

Freeflow (•••••): Your character's Parkour is now muscle memory. She can move without thinking in a zen-like state. The character must successfully meditate (see p. 51 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) in order to establish Freeflow. Once established, your character is capable of taking Athletics actions reflexively once per turn. By spending a point of Willpower on an Athletics roll in a foot chase, gain three successes instead of three dice.

Quick Draw (•)*

Prerequisites: Wits •••, a Specialty in the weapon or fighting style chosen

Effect: Choose a Specialty in Weaponry or Firearms when you purchase this Merit. Your character has trained enough in that weapon or style that pulling the weapon is her first reflex. Drawing or holstering that weapon is considered a reflexive action, and can be done any time her Defense applies.

Quick Healer (••••)

Prerequisites: Stamina ••••

Effect: Your character's healing abilities are remarkable, allowing him to bounce back quickly from injuries that would leave most people bedridden for months. Your character recovers from injuries in half the time that others do. One point of bashing damage is healed in eight minutes. One point of lethal damage is healed in one day. One point of aggravated damage is healed in four days.

Sleight of Hand (••)*

Prerequisites: Larceny •••

Effect: Your character can pick locks and pockets without even thinking about it. She can take one Larceny-based instant action reflexively in a given turn. As well, her Larceny actions go unnoticed unless someone is trying specifically to catch her.

Shooting Style: Archery (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity ••, Athletics ••

Effect: Your character has devoted years of practice to the bow. She may be a competitive archer, a low-tech hunter or a medieval history enthusiast.

A character may use either athletics or firearms to fire a bow, but without at least one dot of the "Fighting Style: Archery" Merit, suffers a -2 penalty to the attack roll.

Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can't have "Rapid Nock" until she has "Draw and Loose." The maneuvers and their effects are described below. All of the following maneuvers work only with bows.

Draw and Loose (•): Your character's arm muscles are well-toned for the demanding task of repeatedly drawing a heavy bow. She gains +1 Strength for the purposes of a bow's minimum Strength, Damage and Range.

Rapid Nock (••): Your character can maintain a withering rate of fire. Once per turn, she may "reload" a bow as a reflexive action.

Arcing Fire (•••): Arrows, like all other projectiles, travel in ballistic arcs. Your character is a master of estimating range, wind and other factors to arc shots much farther than they would travel if fired directly. Double the Ranges of any bow your character uses.

Plunging Fire (••••): Your character can eschew direct attacks in favor of launching arrows high into the air to plummet straight down on hapless victims. Your character's bow attacks suffer no penalties for target concealment behind solid objects, so long as the target lacks overhead protection and your character can see any part of the target by which to gauge her location. For example, a target hiding behind a log with her foot sticking out applies no penalty, but a character in a fetal curl on a van's floorboards receives normal protection. Drawback: Your character may use this maneuver only outdoors or in enclosed spaces large enough to provide for several hundred feet of vertical flight (e.g., football stadiums).

Shooting Style: Combat Marksmanship (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity ••, Composure •••, and Firearms ••

Effect: Your character is not only proficient with firearms, but has trained extensively to maintain her accuracy in the stress of combat (see "Marksmanship in Combat," Armory, p. 51, for a discussion of these challenges). She most likely has experience in law enforcement or the military, though she may simply be a self-defense advocate or a dedicated hobbyist with uncommon self-possession. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can't have "Tactical Reload" until she has "Shoot First." The maneuvers and their effects are described below, most of which are based on the Firearms Skill.

Shoot First (•): Your character's trained reflexes give her a split-second edge in a gunfight. Whenever she begins a combat with a firearm already in her hand, she gains a bonus to her Initiative roll equal to her Firearms Skill. If she also has the Quick Draw Merit for firearms (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 113) and draws a firearm during the first turn of combat, this bonus is added retroactively, starting at the beginning of the second turn of combat.

Tactical Reload (••): Your character's muscle memory enables her to reload without conscious thought. Once per turn, she may reload a firearm that feeds from a detachable magazine or use a speedloader to reload a revolver, as a reflexive action.

Double Tap (•••): When using a lever-action, pump-action or semi-automatic firearm, your character may make short or medium burst attacks as if her gun were capable of autofire.

Bayonet Range (••••): Your character can maintain accuracy and control even when facing an opponent at arm's length. The target's Defense does not apply to firearm attacks your character makes within close-combat range (see p. 155, the World of Darkness Rulebook).

Rapid Fire (•••••): Your character's concentration is such that she can unleash a hail of bullets. In a single action, she may make one extra Firearms attack for each point by which her Composure exceeds 2. Each extra attack is made at a cumulative –1 modifier. Thus, she can perform a total of two attacks at Composure 3 (the second of which is at –1), three attacks at Composure 4 (the third of which is at –2) and four at Composure 5 (the fourth of which is at –3). She must declare the targets of all attacks before rolling the first one. Each attack not directed against her initial target suffers an additional –1 penalty. All attacks made with this maneuver must be single shots. Drawback: Your character cannot use her Defense against any attack in the same turn in which she intends to use this maneuver. If she uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster, before she can perform this maneuver, she cannot use Rapid Fire this turn. In addition, your character may not use this maneuver with bolt-action or break-action firearms.

Shooting Style: Sniping (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Resolve •••, Firearms •••, and Stealth ••

Effect: A sniper is the antithesis of a gunfighter, patient and serene rather than swift and ruthless. Your character, through life-long experience or intensive military training, is patient and skilled enough to spend hours staring through a rifle scope before taking one perfect shot that decides the fate of a hostage or a nation. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can't have "Battlesight Zero" until she has "On Scope." The maneuvers and their effects are described below, most of which are based on the Firearms Skill. All of the following maneuvers work only with rifles (including assault rifles).

On Scope (•): Your character has an intuitive understanding of long-range ballistics and has spent countless hours straining to pick out tiny details through a telescopic sight. The maximum bonus she may receive from aiming (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 162) is increased to her Composure +1 for semi automatic and automatic rifles and her Composure +2 for break-action, bolt-action and lever-action rifles. In addition, when using a scope or other long-range optic device (e.g., binoculars), she receives a +2 bonus to all perception rolls (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 45).

Battlesight Zero (••): Once your character is familiar with the capabilities of a rifle, she can wring unparalleled performance from it. Whenever your character sights in a rifle (see "Sighting Tools," Armory, p. 164), she doubles the number of attacks that receive the bonus from this process. In addition, whenever she makes an attack with a rifle that receives this bonus, the weapon's short range is increased by five yards times her Wits, medium range by twice this amount and long range by three times this amount.

Focused Shot (•••): Your character can lurk motionless in ambush for days, ignoring sleep deprivation, temperature extremes and even life-threatening injuries in the name of putting lead on target. When making an aimed shot, she may ignore an amount of penalties for wounds, drugs, disease, pain, fatigue, environmental conditions and similar factors equal to her Resolve. For example, if your character has Resolve 4, has two points of Health remaining (–2), has gone without sleep for 36 hours (–2) and has ingested strong hallucinogens (–3), her aimed shots suffer only a –3 penalty instead of the –7 that affects all her other dice pools.

Tactical Intervention (••••): Split-second timing and nerves of steel enable your character to take advantage of the smallest opportunities for accurate shot placement. When making an aimed shot, all penalties for shooting into close combat and for concealment are halved, rounding down.

One Shot, One Kill (•••••): When your character picks up her rifle, people fall down. It's just that simple. When making an aimed shot, do not add the rifle's Damage rating to the attack dice pool (though "9 again" or "8 again" still applies if it would normally). Instead, if the attack succeeds, add the rifle's Damage rating as extra successes. Drawback: Spend one Willpower per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack.

Small-Framed (••)*

Effect: Your character is diminutive. She's not even five feet tall and it's easy to walk into her without noticing. She's Size 4 and thus has one fewer Health box. She gains +2 to any rolls to hide or go unnoticed. This bonus might apply any time being smaller would be an advantage, such as crawling through smaller spaces. Available only at character creation.

Drawback: In addition to the lower Health, your character might be overlooked or not taken seriously by some people.

Steady Driver (•)

Prerequisites: Drive ••

Effect: Sometimes, effective driving is about achieving calmness, about driving with your head more than your hands. A character who possesses this Merit does just that: when driving, the character always makes Resolve + Drive rolls instead of using Dexterity, whether or not it's a high-traffic scenario.

Strong Back (•)

Prerequisites: Strength ••

Effect: Your character gains a +1 modifier to actions involving lifting or carrying heavy weights. She can lift and carry much more weight than her build and body type suggests.

Strong Lungs (•••)

Prerequisites: Athletics •••

Effect: Your character is practiced at holding his breath for long periods of time. He might be a pearl diver or escape artist, capable of staying underwater without aid for longer than most people believe is possible. When determining how long your character can hold his breath, add two to Stamina when referencing the Holding Breath chart in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 49. For example, if your character's Stamina is 2, he can hold his breath for four minutes before you need to make a roll.

Student of the Blade (•)

Prerequisites: Fighting Style: Fencing (Aggressive Light Sword) or Iaido (Defensive Light Sword) •

Effect: Your character trains with a wide variety of light swords and sticks, allowing her to flow from one method to the next. She never suffers a penalty for being unfamiliar with a weapon outside her original Fighting Style.

Stunt Driver (•••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••

Effect: Your character can drive a vehicle and perform an unrelated action (e.g., fire a gun, punch another passenger) in the same turn. Drive rolls may still be necessary for dangerous maneuvers or situations. See "Vehicles" in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 141.

Supplemental Style: Berserker (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Resolve •••, Stamina •••, and Supplemented Skill or Style •

Effect: The character supplements his chosen style or Skill with his own maddened fury. Berserk characters work themselves into a violent rage, sometimes aided through the use of drugs, which have the usual effect on their physiology (see p. 176, World of Darkness Rulebook). Working oneself into this fury requires an intense exercise of will, costing the character one Willpower point and an instant action. Once the character has entered the berserkergang, she may use any of the maneuvers listed below.

These benefits can be combined with one another or with an associated Fighting Style Merit during the same turn, so long as the drawbacks or necessary expenditures do not contradict (for example, a character cannot benefit from Strength in the Fury when using a Fighting Style maneuver that otherwise costs the character her Defense).

A character in a berserker haze occasionally has difficulty telling friend from foe, and must make a reflexive Resolve + Composure roll to avoid assaulting allies during any turn in which those allies present a more tempting target than an enemy. Characters who are already prone to a form of supernatural rage (such as vampires and werewolves) must roll Resolve + Composure during every turn in which they take advantage of this style. If they fail, they fall into their maddened state (frenzy, Kuruth, etc.) and lose the benefits of being berserk.

The character remains in a berserk state until she either spends a second Willpower to calm herself, she is rendered unconscious, or the combat comes to an end.

Characters who fight in a berserk haze often purchase Iron Stamina to represent their ability to ignore pain. The Brawl and Weaponry Skills are equally appropriate for use with this style, as are the Two-Weapon (usually axes), Shield, Knife, Stick and Staff Fighting Styles. Styles that require careful precision such as Evasive Striking or Light Sword are not appropriate. Defensive styles are explicitly incompatible with the aggressiveness required of berserkers.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Strength in the Fury (•): A berserker goes all-out, all the time, and her body rewards her heedless actions with increased power and speed. The berserker gains an additional die (for a total of three) when taking all-out attacks (page 157, World of Darkness Rulebook).

Adrenaline Rush (••): The berserker ignores pain and her foes' attacks only drive her madness, pushing her to brutally defeat them. The character gains a point of armor against bashing and lethal attacks as she casually shrugs off weak attacks.

Inhuman Alacrity (•••): A berserker's opponents are shocked and frightened by the speed and ferocity that manifests in her actions, making her far more difficult to hit. The character gains an additional 2 dice (for a total of four dice) when using Willpower to avoid suffering an attack.

Ignorant in the Face of Death (••••): The berserker's rage overrides her physical limitations, pushing her to greater feats even when others would fall in pain. In a mad, violently fit, the character can ignore some or all wound penalties for a turn. Drawback: The character sacrifices part of her Defense in any turn during which she ignores wound penalties on a one-for-one basis (for example, by ignoring two dice of wound penalties, she suffers a –2 to her Defense trait). If she has already applied her full Defense against an incoming attack during the turn, she may not use this maneuver. The character may still use Willpower to enhance her attack or Defense, if she so chooses, but may not utilize any other maneuver or supernatural ability that necessitates the loss of Defense (such as an all-out attack).

Bloody-Handed Bastard (•••••): The berserker gouges at eyes, bites at ears, and tears at genitals. Her behavior is so violent that she inflicts lasting damage on her foes, regardless of weapon. The character's attacks inflict lethal damage. Drawback: The character sacrifices her Defense during a turn in which she uses this maneuver. If she has already applied her Defense against an incoming attack during the turn, she may not use this maneuver.

Supplemental Style: Combat Art (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Stamina ••, Composure ••, Supplemented Skill or Style •

Effect: The character supplements her chosen style or Skill with a carefully-trained showmanship.

Her movements are graceful yet expedient, her blades or fists flashing through the air as she steps lightly upon the balls of her feet. Combat artists often learn their skills in professions that are not traditionally associated with violence, namely the theatre and film, but many also train to showcase their own skills during martial arts demos or non-combative martial arts competitions. These maneuvers represent those who value style over substance.

As such, this supplemental style may be purchased for the Expression Skill, representing those whose combat training is wholly theatrical. If used to supplement Expression, the style cannot be used effectively in combat, and the fourth tier of the Merit cannot be purchased.

Disarm, Fast Reflexes, Fighting Finesse, Quick Draw and Student of the Blade are all popular Merits for those whose primary combat training is primarily for show. Those combat artists who reside in Hollywood often possess the Stunt Driver Merit, as well. Trick shooters and show marksmen often possess Gunslinger. The Expression and Weaponry Skills are equally appropriate for use with this style, though Athletics, Brawl and Firearms versions are widely learned, as well. Fighting Styles typically supplemented by Combat Art include Aggressive and Evasive Striking, Control, Knives, Light Sword, Throwing and Two- Weapon, while Combat Marksmanship, Sniping and even Archery find occasional crossover with this style. The combination of Combat Art with the Flexible Weapons Fighting Style can be stunning in martial arts competitions.

Combat Art is rarely combined with the teaching of those schools that teachings are overwhelmingly pragmatic, such as Krav Maga. Exceptions do exist, however; Krav Maga's popularity in entertainment demands stunt persons capable of convincingly performing the vicious style, for example. Particularly traditional schools may frown upon Combat Art, as well, though many perform careful rituals and katas that can be considered powerful performance in its own right.

Dots purchased in this Merit provide access to special combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next.

Flourish (•): The character performs an example of her style in order to threaten rather than entertain (though audiences often experience a thrill when witnessing such a feat) as an instant action. She gains a bonus to Intimidation rolls equal to her rating in the supplemented Skill or Fighting Style. This bonus lasts until the end of the scene or the character suffers a successful attack from an opponent (whichever comes first). Characters who enter the scene after the flourish is performed are not affected by it. Drawback: The flourishing character's bonus is penalized by others who know her supplemented Skill or Fighting Style, as they might see through the emptiness of her action. For each dot the target of the character's intimidation possesses in the same Skill or Fighting Style as that being supplemented, subtract one die from the flourishing character's roll. Against sufficiently skilled opponents, this can completely cancel the bonus granted by the maneuver and even remove dice from the base Intimidation pool. A master sees through such petty posturing and thinks less of the student as a result.

Staged Combat (••): The character has trained to make perfectly safe and choreographed combat seem exceedingly real. The character gains a bonus to Expression or Subterfuge rolls to falsify combat equal to her rating in the supplemented Skill or Fighting Style. Drawback: This maneuver can only be used with another individual who is working to fake the fight (and typically functions as a teamwork action).

Dancing for Mars (•••): The character gains a bonus equal to her rating in her supplemented Skill or Fighting Style to Expression rolls when utilizing her combat prowess as a performance piece (those using Combat Art to supplement Expression may double their Expression rating). This may be used to win competitions, secure a job teaching martial arts, or even intimidate one's enemies. The bonus does not, however, ever apply to attacks made with the Skill, and use of this maneuver usually constitutes an extended action.

Function Follows Form (••••): The character has learned how to marry life and art, and her extensive training allows her to utilize the grace she exemplifies on the stage or gym mat to out-maneuver her enemies on the mean streets of the World of Darkness. The character gains one half of her rating in the supplemented Skill or Fighting Style, rounded up, as bonus dice to her attack roll and as a bonus to her Defense (which is not doubled in the case of a Dodge maneuver). Drawback: The character must spend one Willpower point during any turn in which she benefits from this maneuver.

Toxin Resistance (••)

Prerequisites: Stamina •••

Effect: Your character gains a +2 modifier to Stamina rolls to resist the effects of drugs, poisons and toxins. His body is capable of withstanding high levels of chemicals without suffering any ill effects. He's probably never had a case of food poisoning, much less a hangover. Drawbacks: Your character's body can't tell the difference between recreational toxins and intentional ones. It's very difficult for him to become intoxicated, whether from alcohol, nicotine or other drugs. Also, painkillers and anesthetics are only half as effective as normal.

The Weapon at Hand (••)

Prerequisites: Fighting Style: Krav Maga (Defensive Striking) ••

Effect: Krav Maga teaches its adherents that efficacy trumps style in every case. Exposed to purposefully harsh conditions, mentors train their pupils to quickly recognize and obtain the most useful improvised implement of destruction in her immediate surroundings, whether it be a bottle of gin, a pool cue or even a stapler. The results can be brutal.

A character with this Merit may roll Wits + Weaponry as a reflexive action to ascertain what nearby object is both useful and available for use as a deadly weapon. On a success, the Storyteller relates to her the nearest and most efficacious improvised weapon, which she may then take up as an instant action (or as a reflexive action if she possesses the appropriate Quick Draw Merit). On a dramatic success, the character finds a weapon so perfect that it does not suffer the usual –1 penalty for being improvised.

Storytellers are encouraged to be creative with this Merit. Rarely does a character find herself in a situation in which absolutely nothing can be used as a weapon.

Weapons to Empty Hands (••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Brawl •••, Weaponry •••, Fighting Style Merit •••• (and see below)

Effect: Your character trains in a martial art that teaches common principles for weapons and unarmed combat. Her skills transfer from one to the other. This gives her the ability to use certain armed Fighting Styles without a weapon. She may use Two Weapons, Filipino Martial Arts (Stick Fighting) or Spetsnaz (and other forms of) Knife Fighting.

You must purchase this maneuver separately for each Fighting Style. Your character uses Brawl instead of Weaponry for all maneuver-related attacks and dice pools, and inflicts damage as an unarmed combatant.

Weaponry Dodge (•)

Prerequisites: Strength •• and Weaponry •

Effect: Whenever your character performs a dodge (see "Dodge" in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 156), you can choose to add his Weaponry Skill dots to his Defense instead of doubling his Defense. He essentially draws on his training in parrying and evading attacks rather than relying on his raw ability alone. While this might provide little benefit to a fencing novice, it can give the advanced fighter an edge.

Weaponry Dodge applies against incoming Brawl- and Weaponry-based attacks, against thrown-weapon attacks, and against Firearms attacks made within close-combat range. Your character can move up to his Speed and perform a Weaponry Dodge maneuver in a turn.

A character can possess both the Brawling Dodge and Weaponry Dodge Merits, but only one can be used per turn.

Wheelman (••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity 2, Drive 2

Effect: Some people were born to sit behind the wheel of a car (truck, van, etc.). Likewise, there are those for whom steering a motorcycle is as natural as moving their own limbs by will alone. Such individuals often take to the nomad lifestyle with the eagerness of a natural wanderer. Characters with this Merit receive the benefit of the 9-again rule with respect to all rolls involving the Drive Skill.

Social Merits

Allies(• to •••••)*

Effect: Allies help your character. They might be friends, employees, associates, or people your character has black-mailed. Each instance of this Merit represents one type of ally. This could be in an organization, a society, a clique, or an individual. Examples include the police, a secret society, crime, unions, local politics, and the academic community. Each purchase has its own rating. Your character might have Allies (Masons) ••, Allies (Carter Crime Family) •••, and Allies (Catholic Church) •.

Each dot represents a layer of influence in the group. One dot would constitute small favors and passing influence. Three could offer considerable influence, such as the overlooking of a misdemeanor charge by the police. Five dots stretch the limits of the organization's influence, as its leaders put their own influence on the line for the character. This could include things such as massive insider training or fouling up a felony investigation. No matter the request, it has to be something that organization could accomplish.

The Storyteller assigns a rating between one and five to any favor asked. A character can ask for favors that add up to her Allies rating without penalty in one chapter. If she extends her influence beyond that, her player must roll Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies, with a penalty equal to the favor's rating. If the roll is successful, the group does as requested. Failed or successful, the character loses a dot of Allies. This dot may return at the end of the chapter (see Sanctity of Merits, on p. 158.) On a dramatic failure, the organization resents her and seeks retribution. On an exceptional success, she doesn't lose the dot.

One additional favor a character can ask of her Allies is to block another character's Allies, Contacts, Mentor, Retainer, or Status (if she knows the character possesses the relevant Merit). The rating is equal to the Merit dots blocked. As before, no roll is necessary unless the target's Merit exceeds the character's Allies. If the block succeeds, the character cannot use the Merit during the same chapter.

Alternate Identity (•,••, or •••)*

Effect: Your character has established an alternate identity.

The level of this Merit determines the amount of scrutiny it can withstand. At one dot, the identity is superficial and unofficial. For example, your character uses an alias with a simple costume and adopts an accent. She hasn't established the necessary paperwork to even approach a bureaucratic background check, let alone pass. At two dots, she's supported her identity with paperwork and identification. It's not liable to stand up to extensive research, but it'll turn away private investigators and internet hobbyists. At three dots, the identity can pass thorough inspection. The identity has been deeply entrenched in relevant databases, with subtle flourishes and details to make it seem real even to trained professionals.

The Merit also reflects time the character has spent honing the persona. At one or two dots, she gains a +1 to all Subterfuge rolls to defend the identity. At three dots, she gains +2.

This Merit can be purchased multiple times, each time representing an additional identity.

Animal Affinity (• to •••)

One particular animal species never seems to mind your character's presence and reacts with remarkable favor when he tries to interact with them. Cats are always friendly, or wolves accept him as one of the pack.

Effect: Each dot in this Merit adds a +1 modifier to all Social rolls made to influence or understand the chosen species of animal. Characters may purchase this Merit multiple times to affect multiple species.

Anonymity (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Cannot have Fame.

Effect: Your character lives off the grid. This means purchases must be made with cash or falsified credit cards. She eschews identification. She avoids any official authoritative

influence in her affairs. Any attempts to find her by paper trail suffer a –1 penalty per dot purchased in this Merit.

Drawback: Your character cannot purchase the Fame Merit. This also may limit Status purchases, if the character cannot provide sufficient identification for the roles she wishes to take.

Barfly (••)*

Prerequisites: Socialize ••

Effect: Your character is a natural in the bar environment and can procure an open invitation wherever she wishes. Whereas most characters would require rolls to blend into social functions they don't belong in, she doesn't; she belongs. Rolls to identify her as an outsider suffer her Socialize as a penalty.

Bureaucratic Navigator (••)

Effect: Bureaucracy has a pattern, and your character has learned to recognize it. Within any given bureaucratic system, be it a hospital, a government agency or a corporation, he has learned whom to talk to get results, which rules he absolutely must follow and which ones he can ignore because no one pays attention. You receive a +2 bonus to all Social and Mental rolls made to navigate, manipulate or work within a bureaucratic system. Note that this Merit doesn't accomplish the impossible. Your character isn't going to get a permit for a heavy assault rifle if such weapons are illegal in his city, no matter how much he flirts with the ladies at the country courthouse.

Contacts (• to •••••)*

Effect: Contacts provide your character with information. Each dot in this Merit represents a sphere or organization with which the character can garner information. For example, a character with Contacts ••• might have Bloggers, Drug Dealers, and Financial Speculators for connections. Contacts do not provide services, only information. This may be face-to-face, email, by telephone, or even by séance in some strange instances.

Garnering information via Contacts requires a Manipulation + Social Skill roll, depending on the method the character uses. This Merit can either be used generally, in which case only the field is necessary, or it can be personalized by identifying an individual within the field whom the character can call. If using the latter method, the Storyteller should give a bonus or penalty, dependent on how relevant the information is to that particular Contact, whether accessing the information is dangerous, and if the character has maintained good relations or done favors for the Contact. These modifiers should range from –3 to +3 in most cases. If successful, the Contact provides the information.

One use of a Contact is to dig dirt on another character. A Contact can find another character's Social Merits and any relevant Conditions (Embarrassing Secret is a prime example.)

A character can have more than five Contacts, but the Merit's rating is limited to five, for the purposes of Allies blocking.

Decorated (• to •••••)

Effect: Your character has received an award for meritorious conduct of some sort. Characters gain a bonus on all Social rolls relating to one's Allies, Contacts or Status in the military, regardless of whether the character is currently serving or not.

The three-dot, four-dot and five-dot Merits indicate an exceptional award: the Silver Star for the three-dot Merit; the Distinguished Service Medal or Distinguished ervice Cross for the four-dot Merit; and the Medal of Honor for the five-dot Merit.

Those who have earned the Medal of Honor are entitled to a salute regardless of rank or whether they are now civilians. Servicemen and servicewomen who have received lethal injuries as a result of combat during a military action are automatically awarded the Purple Heart, a two-dot Merit.

Drawback: This Merit rides on the world's perception of the character's honor and Morality. The character must be seen to retain honor and dignity in his actions. Should the character commit sins rated 5 or lower on the Morality chart, and should those sins become public knowledge, the Merit may be revoked, earning him the Notoriety Flaw (see "Character Flaws", the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 217).

Esoteric Armory (• to •••••)*

Effect: Your character is the go-to guy when one needs a knife carved from the bone of a martyred saint, a hawthorn stake, rock salt shotgun shells, the powdered remains of cremated suicides or any number of other things. No matter how strange the need, you've got it covered. After successfully researching an ephemeral entity's Bane, compare your dots in this Merit to the entity's Rank. If the merit is equal to or greater than Rank, you've got what you need in your Armory. You should decide along with your Storyteller where the Armory is, though; a one-dot Esoteric Armory can fit in a large bag, but a four- or five-dot one will fill a house.

Fame (• to •••)

Effect: Your character is recognized within a certain sphere for a certain skill, or because of some past action, or just a stroke of luck. This can mean favors and attention, but it can also mean negative attention and scrutiny. When choosing the Merit, define what your character is known for. As a rule of thumb, one dot means local recognition or reputation within a confined subculture. Two dots means regional recognition by a wide swath of people. Three dots means worldwide recognition to anyone who might have been exposed to the source of the fame. Each dot adds a die to any Social rolls among those who are impressed by your character's celebrity.

Drawback: Any rolls to find or identify the character enjoy a +1 bonus per dot of the Merit. If the character has Alternate Identity, she can mitigate this drawback. A character with Fame cannot have the Anonymity Merit.

Fast-Talking (• to •••••, Style)*

Prerequisites: Manipulation •••, Subterfuge ••

Your character talks circles around listeners. She speaks a mile a minute and often leaves her targets reeling, but nodding in agreement.

Always Be Closing (•): With the right leading phrases, your character can direct a mark to say what she wants, when she wants. This trips the mark into vulnerable positions. When a mark contests or resists your character's Social interactions, apply a –1 to their Resolve or Composure.

Jargon (••): Your character confuses her mark using complex terminology. You may apply one relevant Specialty to any Social roll you make, even if the Specialty isn't tied to the Skill in use.

Devil's Advocacy (•••): Your character often poses arguments she doesn't agree with in order to challenge a mark's position and keep him from advancing discussion. You can reroll one failed Subterfuge roll per scene.

Salting (••••): Your character can position herself so a mark pursues a non-issue or something unimportant to her. When your character opens a Door using conversation (Persuasion, Subterfuge, Empathy, etc.) you may spend a Willpower point to immediately open another Door.

The Nigerian Scam (•••••): Your character can take advantage of her mark's greed and zeal. When the mark does particularly well, it's because your character was there to set him up and to subsequently tear him down. If a target regains Willpower from his Vice while your character is present, you may immediately roll Manipulation + Subterfuge to open a Door, regardless of the interval or impression level.

Fixer (••)*

Prerequisites: Contacts ••, Wits •••

Effect: Your character is somebody that knows people. She can not only get in touch with the right people to do a job, but she can get them at the best possible prices. When hiring a service (see p.234), reduce the Availability score of the service by one dot.

Hobbyist Clique (••)*

Prerequisites: Membership in a clique. All members must possess this Merit and the chosen Skill at ••+

Effect: Your character is part of a group of hobbyists that specialize in one area, as represented by a Skill. It may be a book club, a coven, a political party, or any other interest. When the group's support is available, you benefit from the 9-again quality on rolls involving the group's chosen Skill. As well, the clique offers two additional dice on any extended actions involving that Skill.

Drawback: This Merit requires upkeep. You must attend at least monthly, informal meetings to maintain the benefits of Hobbyist Clique.

Ingratiating Wanderer (••)

Prerequisites: Manipulation 3

Upon first rolling into town, making contact with the powers-that-be usually proves to be a notion as difficult to follow through with as it is wise. Some individuals, however, possess an almost uncanny sense for the best places to look for the people in charge and how best to approach them. Such people are prized by many of those who take to the road, as a little insight into the local power structure — not to mention the chance to earn a bit of favor — can go a long way, indeed. Certain of these individuals are like charming snake oil salesmen, while others are just approachable and assertive, but all have a knack for getting a foot in the door.

The character receives a +2 bonus to all rolls made to track down a local authority figure of her supernatural "type" (Kindred, Forsaken, Lost, etc.), provided that such exists. Further, this bonus applies to all mundane social rolls made to establish a positive first impression with said authority figure. The character may ruin the good graces she's established through her subsequent actions, but the initial reaction that she receives is likely to be a good one. Note that this Merit's effects may come into play again in the same city if the local power structure undergoes a significant shake-up while the nomads are away, or if the characters look different, disguise themselves or have simply been forgotten by the time they return.

Inspiring (•••)*

Prerequisites: Presence •••

Effect: Your character's passion inspires those around her to greatness. With a few words, she can redouble a group's confidence or move them to action.

Make a Presence + Expression roll. A small clique of listeners levies a –1 penalty, a small crowd a –2, and a large crowd a –3. Listeners gain the Inspired Condition. The character may not use this Merit on herself.

Iron Will (••)*

Prerequisites: Resolve ••••

Effect: Your character's resolve is unwavering. When spending Willpower to contest or resist in a Social interaction, you may substitute your character's Resolve for the usual Willpower bonus. If the roll is contested, roll with 8-again.

Mentor (• to •••••)

Effect: This Merit gives your character a teacher that provides advice and guidance. He acts on your character's behalf, often in the background and sometimes without your character's knowledge. While Mentors can be highly competent, they almost always want something in return for their services. The dot rating determines the Mentor's capabilities, and to what extent he'll aid your character.

When establishing a Mentor, determine what the Mentor wants from your character. This should be personally important to him and it should reflect on the dot rating chosen. A one-dot Mentor might be incapable of dealing with modern society and want to live vicariously through your character. This might mean coming to him and telling stories of her exploits. A five-dot Mentor would want something astronomical, such as an oath to procure an ancient, cursed artifact that may or may not exist, in order to prevent a prophesized death.

Choose three Skills the Mentor possesses. You can substitute Resources for one of these Skills. Once per session, the character may ask her Mentor for a favor. The favor must involve one of those Skills or be within the scope of his Resources. The Mentor commits to the favor (often asking for a commensurate favor in return); and if a roll is required, the Mentor is automatically considered to have successes equal to his dot rating. Alternately, the player may ask the Storyteller to have the Mentor act on her character's behalf, without her character knowing or initiating the request.

Mystery Cult Initiation (• to •••••)*

Prerequisites: You must be playing in a God Machine Chronicle.

Cults are far more common than the people of the World of Darkness would like to admit. Mystery cult is the catch-all term for a phenomenon ranging from secret societies couched in fraternity houses and scholarly cabals studying the magic of classical symbolism to mystical suicide cults to the God Machine.

Mystery Cult Initiation reflects membership in one of these esoteric groups. The dot rating dictates standing. One dot is an initiate, two a respected member, three a priest or organizer, four a decision-making leader, five is a high priest or founder. If you wish your character to begin play in a cult, work with your Storyteller to develop the details.

Designing a Mystery Cult requires three things, at bare minimum. First is a Purpose. This is the defining reason the cult exists. Usually, it's tied in with the cult's history and recent background. Second is a Relic. This is an item that grounds members' faith. For example, a piece of the God-Machine, an ancient text bound in human flesh, or the mummified flesh of a saint. The last is a Doctrine. Every cult is defined by its rules and traditions.

In addition to standing, a Mystery Cult Initiation Merit offers benefits at each level of influence. Develop these as well. The following are guidelines; use them to craft your own cults:

• A Skill Specialty or one-dot Merit pertaining to the lessons taught to initiates.

•• A one-dot Merit.

••• A Skill dot or a two-dot Merit (often a super-natural Merit).

•••• A three-dot Merit, often supernatural in origin.

••••• A three-dot Merit or a major advantage not reflected in game traits.

Predator's Bearing (••)

Something about your character reminds people and animals of the predators that hunt them. A human feels a base fear in his reptilian brain that catches his breath or causes hairs to stand up on the back of his head. Animals stand stock still, watching the character out of the corner of an eye, ready to run should she step close.

Effect: This Merit adds +1 die to any Social roll that would benefit from such unease. Intimidation benefits most directly from this Merit, but some forms of Expression (reciting black, actually frightening poetry or appearing to be a "dangerous" rock star), Persuasion (fear can make for an exciting seduction) and Socialize (the cool kid who gathers the crowd can be disturbingly scary at times) are all viable Skills. The bonus from Predator's Bearing can apply to animals, if appropriate.

Drawback: This isn't something that a character can just turn on or off. Many other Social rolls suffer a penalty because of the character's nerve-wracking habits. Any Social action that such a demeanor would make more difficult suffers a –1 penalty. The character's efforts to sing a sweet song or act the waif must first overcome her natural "hungry" tendencies. People are often reluctant to deal with someone who frightens them (not everybody's turned on by the thrill of dangerous partners). And creepy people receive more scrutiny, which they can ill afford when trying to lie.

Special: Creatures that are already top predators in their regions (such as lions on the savannah) are unafraid of other predators. Character with this Merit cannot apply it against such creatures. This includes supernaturally-enhanced predators, such as vampires or werewolves.

Pusher (•)*

Prerequisites: Persuasion ••

Effect: Your character tempts and bribes as second nature. Any time a mark in a Social interaction accepts her soft leverage (see p. 193), open a Door as if you'd satisfied his Vice as well as moving the impression up on the chart.

Resources (• to •••••)*

Effect: This Merit reflects your character's disposable income. She might live in an upscale condo, but if her income is tied up in the mortgage and child support payments, she might have little money to throw around. Characters are as-sumed to have basic necessities without Resources.

The dot rating determines the relative amount of disposable funding the character has available, depending on your particular chronicle's setting. The same amount of money means completely different things in a game set in Silicon Valley compared to one set in the Detroit slums. One dot is a little spending money here and there. Two is a comfortable, middle class wage. Three is a nicer, upper middle class life. Four is moderately wealthy. Five is filthy rich.

Every item has an Availability rating. Once per chapter, your character can procure an item at her Resources level or lower without issue. An item one Availability level above her Resources reduces her effective Resources by one dot for a full month, since she has to rapidly liquidate funds. She can procure items two Avail- ability level below her Resources without limit (within reason). For example, a character with Resources •••• can procure as many Availability •• disposable cellphones as she needs.

Retainer (• to •••••)*

Effect: Your character has an assistant, sycophant, servant, or follower on whom she can rely. Establish who this companion is and how he was acquired. It may be as simple as a paycheck. He might owe your character his life. However it happened, your character has a hold on him.

A Retainer is more reliable than a Mentor and more loyal than an Ally. On the other hand, a Retainer is a lone person, less capable and influential than the broader Merits.

The Merit's dot rating determines the relative competency of the Retainer. A one-dot Retainer is barely able to do anything of use, such as a pet that knows one useful trick or a homeless old man that does minor errands for food. A three-dot Retainer is a professional in their field, someone capable in his line of work. A five-dot is one of the best in her class. If a Retainer needs to make a roll, if it's within her field, double the dot rating and use it as a dice pool. For anything else, use the dot rating as a dice pool.

This Merit can be purchased multiple times to represent multiple Retainers.

Safe Place (• to •••••)*

Effect: Your character has somewhere she can go where she can feel secure. While she may have enemies that could attack her there, she's prepared and has the upper hand. The dot rating reflects the security of the place. The actual location, the luxury, and the size are represented by equipment (see Housing, p. 241.) A one-dot Safe Place might be equipped with basic security systems or a booby trap at the windows and door. A five-dot could have a security crew, infrared scanners at every entrance, or trained dogs. Each place could be an apartment, a mansion or a hidey-hole.

Unlike most Merits, multiple characters can contribute dots to a single Safe Place, combining their points into something greater. A Safe Place gives an Initiative bonus equal to the Merit dots. This only applies to a character with dots invested in the Safe Place.

Any efforts to breach the Safe Place suffer a penalty equal to the Merit dots invested. If the character desires, the Safe Place can include traps that cause intruders lethal damage equal to a maximum of the Merit rating (player's choice as to how much damage a given trap inflicts). This requires that the character has at least a dot in Crafts. The traps may be avoided with a Dexterity + Larceny roll, penalized by the Safe Place dots.

Small Unit Tactics (••)*

Prerequisites: Presence •••

Effect: Your character is a proficient leader on the field. She can organize efforts and bark orders to remarkable effect. Once per scene, when making a coordinated action that was planned in advance, spend a point of Willpower and an instant action. A number of characters equal to your character's Presence can benefit from the +3 bonus from the Willpower expenditure.

Social Edge: Subtlety (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: Presence •••, Manipulation •••, one Social Skill at ••••

Effect: Your character is trained in the art of social manipulations and able to twist a victim around his thumb for purposes of getting what he wants. This might be something the character develops naturally, but it can be taught. Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special "social combat" maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. Your character can't have "Stick and Move" until he has "Sugar Lips, Honey Tongue." The "maneuvers" and their effects are described below.

Note that the positive effects of each "maneuver" may end upon one dramatic failure by the character or several consecutive Social failures.

Sugar Lips, Honey Tongue (•): Your character's first interaction with a target is a mind-blowing yet convincing compliment — the goal being to knock them off balance a bit before going in for the "kill." Using this "move" necessitates first keeping a close eye on the target for at least 20 minutes, reading body language, determining vulnerabilities: what parts confirm her self-esteem, or what is it about her self-image that needs boosting? Upon delivering the compliment — and it must be the first thing your character says to the target — you roll your character's Manipulation + Socialize versus the target's Presence + Composure. Your roll gains a bonus equal to half of your Empathy score, however, rounded up. Success on the roll means the target suffers –3 dice to any further Social Resistance traits or rolls.

Stick and Move (••): Being too aggressive in some social situations can be the deathblow to one's manipulations; hence, it is often necessary to retreat from the conversation, to feign disinterest or distraction. This forces the victim to be the aggressor (though, admittedly, the false aggressor), thus investing the victim in your character's well-being. Roll Presence + Subterfuge versus target's Wits + Empathy. Success indicates that you can use the victim's own interests and desires against her: for the remainder of the scene, you gain a bonus to all Social rolls equal to half the victim's Presence score (round up). Drawback: this necessitates the expenditure of a single point of Willpower to engage.

New Approach (•••): Any time it looks like your character has lost a Social contest, you may spend a Willpower point to force that contest to be re-rolled, gaining a "second chance," of sorts.

Chip Away (••••): Your character can continue to put the target off balance through denials, assertions, compliments, insults — whatever tools he has in his arsenal. Once per turn, your character may make any Social roll and spend a Willpower point. In doing so, you do not gain +3 to that roll, but instead force a –1 Social penalty upon the target by continuing to unbalance the conversation. This penalty is cumulative, and can build to a maximum of –3 dice. Drawback: if you fail a Social roll after successfully engaging this tactic, the target gains the upper hand again and the Social penalty disappears. You may not try this move again on that target during this game session.

Socially Small (••)

Whether natural or carefully cultivated, your character is easy to overlook. Socially, he's ignorable or of negligible importance. He's not necessarily forgettable. People are as apt to remember him as they are anyone else, if they even notice him in the first place. Even when they do look at him, he usually weighs in as "unthreatening."

Effect: The character gains a +1 modifier to Subterfuge and Stealth rolls, since people are paying less attention to him, and thus his lies and his attempts to go unnoticed. Some other Skills may also benefit from this Merit, at the Storyteller's discretion. There are times when being small could benefit a player in Politics or someone using Streetwise.

More generally, people with this Merit register as someone whom people don't need to pay attention to. The character gets chosen last for kickball, but the police don't pick him up while looking for the usual suspects. Shopkeepers who are strict about loiterers consider him a non-issue. People and creatures who get nervous around others feel a little less so when it's just him. Even prey animals react a little less to his presence. This amounts to a –1 penalty to the Wits + Composure rolls to notice this character as a detail.

Drawback: Even when the character wants to be noticed, he's still overlookable or unimportant. Waiting with others to get customer service's attention, everyone else successfully shouts over him. No one really takes his threats seriously, even when he means them. This applies a –1 penalty to Expression, Intimidation and Socialize rolls, as well as any other actions the Storyteller deems appropriate.

Staff (• to •••••)*

Effect: Your character has a crew of workers or assistants at her disposal. They may be housekeepers, designers, research assistants, animators, cheap thugs, or whatever else makes sense. For every dot in this Merit, choose one type of assis-tant, and one Skill. At any reasonable time, her staff can take actions using that Skill. These actions automatically garner a single success. While not useful in contested actions, this guarantees success on minor, mundane activities. Note that you may have employees without requiring the Staff Merit. Staff simply adds a mechanical advantage for those groups.

Status (• to •••••)

Effect: Your character has standing, membership, authority, control over, or respect from a group or organization. This may reflect official standing or informal respect. No matter the source, your character enjoys certain privileges within that structure.

Each instance of this Merit reflects standing in a different group or organization. Your character may have Status (The Luck Gang) •••, Status (Drag Racing Circuit) ••, and Status (Police) •. Each affords its own unique benefits. As you increase dot ratings, your character rises in prominence in the relevant group.

Status only allows advantages within the confines of the group reflected in the Merit. Status (Organized Crime) won't help if your character wants an official concealed carry firearms permit, for example.

Status provides a number of advantages. First, your character can apply her Status to any Social roll with those over which she has authority or sway.

Second, she has access to group facilities, resources, and funding. Dependent on the group, this could be limited by red tape and requisitioning processes. It's also dependent on the resources the particular group has available.

Third, she has pull. If your character knows another character's Mentor, Resources, Retainer, Contacts, or Allies, she can block their usage. Once per chapter, she can stop a single Merit from being used if it's of a lower dot rating than her Status and if it makes sense for her organization to obstruct that type of person's behavior. In our Organized Crime example, if your character knows that the chief of police has Contacts (Criminal Informant), you may opt to block usage by threatening the informant into silence.

Drawback: Status requires upkeep and often regular duties. If these duties are not upheld, Status may be lost. The dots will not be accessible until the character re-establishes her standing. In our Organized Crime example, your character may be expected to pay protection money, offer tribute to a higher authority, or undertake felonious activities.

Example Status Merits

While Status can apply in a nigh infinite number of organizations, here is a list of some common Status Merits, and suggested dot ratings to give a jumping off point. These examples are still abstractions; a character may be a dot level lower or higher and still hold the suggested positions. For example, a police detective may have two, three, or four dots of Police Status: the dot rating just shows her relative influence and respect within the precinct.

Status: Police

• Paid informant

•• Beat cop

••• Detective

•••• Sergeant

••••• Chief of Police

Status: Gang

• New blood

•• Rank and file

••• Local gang leader

•••• Regional enforcer

••••• Cartel leader

Status: Medical

• Regular candy striper

•• Nurse

••• Resident doctor

•••• Chief physician

••••• Hospital president

Status: Hellfire Club

• Pledge

•• Initiate

••• Counselor

•••• Master

••••• Grandmaster

Status: Military

• Private

•• Corporal

••• Sergeant

•••• Colonel

••••• General

Status: Corporate

• Contractor, new hire

•• Company man

••• Middle manager

•••• Board member

••••• CEO

Striking Looks (• or ••)*

Effect: Your character is stunning, alarming, commanding, repulsing, threatening, charming, or otherwise worthy of attention. Determine how your character looks and how people react to that. For one dot, your character gets a +1 bonus on any Social rolls that would be influenced by her looks. For two dots, the benefit increases to +2. Depending on the particulars, this might influence Expression, Intimidation, Persuasion, Subterfuge, or other rolls.

Drawback: Attention is a double-edged sword. Any rolls to spot, notice, or remember your character gain the same die bonus. Sometimes, your character will draw unwanted attention in social situations. This could cause further complications.

Sworn Officer (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: The character must meet the basic requirements to be an officer in the department she selects. See Tales From the 13th Precinct, p. 36 for the minimum requirements for an MPD officer. Each jurisdiction, of course, has its own requirements.

Effect: You character is a sworn law enforcement officer, with all the rights and duties thereof. She is empowered within her jurisdiction to make arrests, use department equipment and resources, view confidential information, request assistance from other agencies and use force during the course of her duties. She may legally carry a concealed deadly weapon anywhere in the United States not prohibited by federal law, even when off duty. When in another agency's jurisdiction, she also can expect professional courtesy, subject to local customs and policies.

This Merit differs from Status (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 116) in that Status represents a character's standing within an organization, while Sworn Officer indicates that the character actually is a duly empowered law enforcement officer. The civilian director of the Midway Forensic Science Center may be an MPD employee with Status (MPD) ••••, but he's still a civilian, not a sworn officer.

The number of dots purchased in this Merit determines the extent of the jurisdiction of the agency for which your character works. One dot indicates a small to mid-sized town or a rural county. Two dots indicate a major city (such as Midway) or a densely populated county. Three dots indicate a statewide agency. Four dots indicate a federal agency with national jurisdiction.

Note: For a police-centered story in which most or all of the characters are officers, the Storyteller is strongly encouraged to provide this Merit free. In such a case, being a cop is an intrinsic part of the story and players should not be charged points for playing characters that fit the game's concept. However, an individual player who wants to play a cop character in a non-police-focused chronicle must still purchase this Merit.

Sympathetic (••)*

Effect: Your character is very good at letting others get close. This gives him an edge in getting what he wants. At the beginning of a Social maneuvering attempt, you may choose to accept a Condition such as Leveraged, Swooning or Vulnerable in order to immediately eliminate two of the subject's Doors.

Taste (•)*

Prerequisites: Crafts 2 and a Specialty in Crafts or Expression

Effect: Your character has refined tastes and can identify minor details in fashion, food, architecture, and other forms of artistry and craftsmanship. Not only does this give an eye for detail, it makes her a center of attention in critical circles. She can appraise items within her area of expertise. With a Wits + Skill roll, depending on the creation in question (Expression for poetry, Crafts for architecture, for example), your character can pick out obscure details about the item that other, less discerning minds would not. For each success, ask one of the following questions, or take a +1 bonus to any Social rolls pertaining to groups interested in the art assessed for the remainder of the scene.

• What is the hidden meaning in this?

• What was the creator feeling during its creation?

• What's its weakest point?

• What other witness is most moved by this piece?

• How should one best appreciate this piece?

Trip Sitter (•••)

Prerequisites: Composure •••

Effect: Your character has some skill when it comes to guiding others through intense psychoactive head trips. Perhaps it's a soothing voice or calming presence, or maybe you've just been through enough entheogenic experiences to know what effects are going to hit the user, and when. In your presence, a user can ignore up to two dice of penalties while undergoing her trip. If you're present at the end of the experience, as well, the user gains +3 dice to the Resolve + Composure roll made to resist Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.

True Friend (•••)*

Effect: Your character has a true friend. While that friend may have specific functions covered by other Merits (Allies, Contacts, Retainer, Mentor, et cetera), True Friend represents a deeper, truly trusting relationship that cannot be breached. Unless your character does something egregious to cause it, her True Friend will not betray her. The Storyteller cannot kill a True Friend as part of a plot without your express permission. Any rolls to influence a True Friend against your character suffer a five-die penalty. In addition, once per story your character can regain one spent Willpower by having a meaningful interaction with her True Friend.

Well-Traveled (•)

Effect: The character has either made a study of customs and practices in cultures other than his own or, as the name suggests, traveled extensively enough to know such customs. The character receives the 9-again benefit on any Social roll involving dealing with a foreign culture, or Mental roll for remembering the practices and mores of such a culture. This knowledge is purely practical; the character might remember that it's rude to show one's bare head in a given country, but not why.

Fan Material

Well-liked Fan Material goes here.

Fighting Style: Savate (• to ••••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••, Dexterity •••, Brawl ••, and Brawling Dodge

Effect: Literally meaning "old shoe," savate originated from brawls of drunken sailors and was refined on the brutal streets of 18th century France. This martial art incorporates powerful kicks and street fighting maneuvers to decimate its opponents. The kicks were first used because the sailors needed their hands to stay balanced on the ships, and were kept because of superior striking strength of the legs allow for fearsome attacks that would be hard to replicate with fists (not to mention the fact that, at the time, fists were legally defined as deadly weapons while legs were not).

Characters with this Merit are savateurs (or savateuses if female), practitioners of savate. They may have received formalized training in the sport style of savate or picked it up in Parisian back alleys. Most savateurs wear

Chassé [sha-SEY] (•): Meaning "to chase away" in French, a chassé is a pushing kick performed by chambering the leg up to the shoulder, then forcing it out towards the opponent in such a way that the sole of the foot strikes and drives the opponent out of reach. After successfully striking a target with a kick, you may choose to reduce the damage inflicted to a minimum of one. For each level of damage you choose not to inflict, the opponent is knocked back one yard.

Fouétté [fwey-TEY] (••): From the French word for "whip'" a fouétté is a direct charging kick performed by chambering the leg, then snapping the foot out towards the opponent in such a way that the toe is driven into the targeted body part. Whenever you perform such a kick, you receive a +1 bonus, provided you began the maneuver at least 1 yard away from an opponent.

Parade [pah-RUD] (•••): Techniques for savate self-defense date back to the days when savate was little more than street fighting. Practitioners are often taught how to avoid and block attacks coming from brawlers, wrestlers, other savateurs, and even armed assailants. The savateur gains a +1 bonus to defense, applicable against all melee attack forms, armed or otherwise.

Coup de Pied Bas [koo duh pyey BA] (••••): A sliding kick usually aimed at an opponent's leg, this maneuver is possibly the most dangerous attack a savateur or savateuse possesses both for the victim and the practitioners. The strike is so painful and debilitating that it hinders the target's ability to move. Your character must declare that she is using this maneuver before attacking. If the attack succeeds, the opponent takes a penalty to her defense and speed equal to your character's Strength, for a number of turns equal to your character's Brawl. This ability utilizes pain, and thus does not function against opponents who do not experience sensations of pain. Furthermore, characters capable of resisting wound penalties through the use of supernatural abilities may, likewise, ignore these penalties to an analogous degree. Drawback: Your character cannot benefit from her defense in the same turn that she uses this maneuver. If she has already benefited from her defense earlier in the turn, she may not perform a coup de pied bas.

Obsolete Merits

These merits have been superseded, typically by improved versions provided in The God-Machine Chronicle, though in some cases (Language, for example) they had previously already been errata'd to their new form.

Altruist (••••)

Prerequisites: Morality 8 or higher

Effect: Select a second Virtue. Your character is treated, for all purposes, as though this was also his Virtue, and thus recovers Willpower when he acts in accordance with either Virtue.

Drawback: For purposes of all effects regarding a character's Virtue, the character is treated as though each Virtue were his single, personal Virtue. If he were, for instance, the victim of a Goetic Inversion spell (see Intruders: Encounters with the Abyss, p.108), he would be forced to act directly contrary to both Virtues throughout the course of the spell. Moreover, for effects that benefit from knowing the character's Virtue, knowledge of either Virtue imparts the benefit.

Area of Expertise (••)

Prerequisites: Resolve •• and a Specialty in the appropriate Mental Skill

Effect: Your character is uncommonly focused on a particular area of expertise. By purchasing this Merit, your character essentially doubles his Specialty in a particular Mental Skill, so that he gains a +2 dice bonus from that Specialty rather than the usual +1. This Merit can only be applied to one of the character's existing Specialties. This Merit can only be purchased once per character.

Drawback: A character with this Merit cannot have any other Specialties in the same Skill as Area of Expertise. Thus, if this Merit is purchased for the Automobiles Specialty of Craft, the character can never have any other Specialties in that same Skill.

Common Sense (••••)

Effect: Your character is exceptionally grounded and pragmatic, and can usually be depended upon to make sound, straightforward decisions after a few moments' thought.

The Storyteller can make a reflexive Wits + Composure roll once per chapter for your character if he is about to embark on a disastrous course of action, or if you find yourself at a point in the story where you're completely stumped for ideas. If the roll succeeds, the Storyteller may point out the risks of a particular course, or suggest possible actions that your character can take that might get events back on track. Note: While you're free to ask the Storyteller for a Common Sense roll when you're out of ideas, he is under no obligation to comply. It's an aid, not a crutch. Available at character creation only.

Direction Sense (•)

Effect: Your character has an innate sense of direction that instinctively allows him to remain oriented. He can enter unfamiliar territory and always retrace his steps back to his starting point, and can orient himself to any of the compass points (i.e., face north, face south) without references.

Eidetic Memory (••)

Effect: Your character has a near-photographic memory, being able to recall vast amounts of observed detail with astonishing accuracy. You do not normally need to make a roll for your character to remember an obscure fact or past experience, unless he is under stress (such as in combat). Under stress, there is a +2 modifier on any Intelligence + Composure or other Skill-based roll (say, Academics, to remember a fact) for memory recall. Available at character creation only.

Encyclopedic Knowledge (••••)

Effect: Your character is a veritable font of useful (and sometimes useless) information on a wide variety of topics. Chances are he can come up with an anecdote pertaining to any situation based on something he's read, witnessed or seen on TV. You can make an Intelligence + Wits roll any time your character is confronted with a situation or phenomenon outside his normal realm of experience. If the roll is successful, he may recall a "factoid" that he's heard at some point that may shed light on matters. Available at character creation only. Your character has either been soaking up trivia all his life or he hasn't.

Dramatic Failure: Your character "remembers" something about the situation that is completely inaccurate. "Wait! Wait! I saw something like this in a movie once!" The Storyteller might make Intelligence + Wits rolls on your behalf when a dramatic failure is possible.

Failure: Your character wracks his brain but comes up empty.

Success: Your character remembers a detail or fact that sheds some light on the situation. "You said there was an almond odor? Seems to me I read somewhere that's a sign of cyanide poisoning."

Exceptional Success: Your character recalls a number of useful details that provide extensive insight. "Hey, cool — a little candy skull. They make these in Mexico for the Day of the Dead. It's an offering for a loved one who's died. And they say you can't learn anything on TV."

Good Time Management (••)

Prerequisites: Academics, Medicine or Science ••

Effect: Years of working with demanding corporations have served your character well. She can make effective use of her time, provided that she's not relying on anyone else who might slow her down. Each roll in an extended action has the time requirement reduced by one quarter. For instance, if the character is translating a text and each roll would normally require one hour, a character with this Merit only requires 45 minutes for each roll. Characters using Teamwork (see p. 134 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) cannot benefit from this Merit, or characters relying on machines (such as lab equipment).

Good Time Management applies only to mundane actions. It does not apply to magical rituals of any kind, though it does apply to researching such rituals.

Hedonist (••••)

Prerequisites: Morality 6 or less

Effect: Select a second Vice. Your character is treated, for all purposes, as though this was also his Vice, and thus recovers Willpower when he indulges either Vice.

Drawback: For purposes of all effects regarding a character's Vice, the character is treated as though each Vice were his single, personal Vice. For instance, a Daeva whose Vice is Sloth who takes the hedonist merit choosing the Lust Vice would recover a point of Willpower each time he indulged either Vice, but would also lose two points of Willpower each time he chose not to indulge either Vice as per the Daeva clan weakness (see Vampire: the Requiem, p. 105). Moreover, for effects that benefit from knowing the character's Vice, knowledge of either Vice imparts the benefit.

Holistic Awareness (•••)

Effect: Your character is skilled in the arts of whole-body healing, promoting health and recovery by keeping a person's entire physiology balanced and strong. The result is that he is able to treat sickness and some injuries (those not requiring surgery, and ones suffered to bashing or lethal damage but not aggravated) with a collection of natural remedies rather than resorting to a doctor or hospital. Make an Intelligence + Medicine roll once per day when your character spends an hour treating a patient. If the roll is successful, the patient's healing times that day are halved. The worst of a patient's injuries must be treated first. So, if he has suffered a lethal wound and a successful roll is made, the wound heals that day rather than in two days. If the patient has suffered nothing but bashing damage, all wounds are healed in mere minutes (about eight each). See the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 175, for healing times.

Dramatic Failure: Your character misdiagnoses or mistreats the problem, making it worse. The patient does not heal more quickly (he maintains normal healing times). He does, however, suffer an additional point of bashing damage. Your character cannot try to heal the patient again for his current injuries.

Failure: The treatment has no effect and normal healing times apply to any bashing wounds or to a single lethal wound. If the Storyteller allows, your character can make a successive attempt to try again that day (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 132). If still no successes are gained to heal a single lethal wound or one or more bashing wounds, those must be allowed to heal naturally before another effort can be made. Thus, if no successes are rolled to heal one of a patient's lethal wounds, that wound must heal naturally over two days before your character can try to heal another lethal wound.

Success: Your character's treatment is rewarding and the patient's healing time that day is halved.

Exceptional Success: The patient responds remarkably well to treatment. You can skip tomorrow's roll altogether. It's automatically assumed to succeed. In that case, two lethal wounds can be healed in two days.

Suggested Equipment: Holistic medicines (+1), healing-touch manuals (+1), body-purifying foods and liquids (+1)

Possible Penalties: Lack of remedies (-1 to -4), noisy environment (-1), imminent danger (-3), improvised facilities (-1)

Interdisciplinary Specialty (•)

Prerequisites: ••• in two Skills and a Specialty

Effect: Your character makes sense of the world through interdisciplinary thought. She sees metaphorical connections between different fields of study and, through those connections, achieves greater comfort and success more easily in both.

This Merit lets a character duplicate her Specialty in one Skill with another Skill. For example, a Medicine Specialty in Anatomy could be duplicated under Weaponry to describe a character's deadly precision. Or a Craft Specialty in Motorcycles could be duplicated under Drive to reflect a character's honed experience. The character must have three dots in both Skills used by this Merit.

Note: Because the Storyteller judges access to any Merit on a case-by-case basis, the application of this Merit is left deliberately vague — it essentially saves a player an experience point in exchange for adding cohesion to her Specialties. Individual Storytellers must decide what Skills are suitable to be paired through this Merit based on the background and nature of the character involved. Some combinations (Anatomy as a Specialty for Weaponry, for example) will seem appropriate in some cases and inappropriate in others.

Language (•)

Effect: Your character knows an additional language besides his own, one that he can read, write and speak with fluency. If he wishes to convince others that he is a native speaker, however, the Storyteller might call for an Intelligence + Expression roll, contested with a reflexive Intelligence + Academics roll by anyone who is suspicious.

You must specify which language your character is familiar with when purchasing this Merit. You may take this Merit multiple times, with a different language for each.

Meditative Mind (•)

Effect: Your character can effortlessly enter a meditative state when she chooses, and can remain in it for as long as she wishes. All environmental penalties imposed to Wits + Composure rolls to meditate are ignored. Not even wound penalties apply to your character's efforts to focus. See the Meditation Attribute task in the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 51.

Multi-Lingual (• to •••••)

Effect: The character either has knack for languages or grew up in a culture that teaches several different tongues. In addition to the character's native language, the player may choose two languages for every dot in this Merit that the character speaks conversationally.

Note that the character cannot speak effortlessly in these languages. Communicating quickly or over the telephone requires an Intelligence + Wits roll, and talking about anything esoteric (including humor, politics and certainly occult matters) imposes a penalty of –1 to –3 dice. Reading the language requires an Intelligence + Academics or Wits roll (depending on how the character learned the language; study or immersion, respectively), and writing something coherent in the language requires a roll of Wits + Academics or Intelligence (again, study or immersion). Even if these rolls succeed, the character's utterances or writings obviously come from a non-native, unless the player rolls an exceptional success, in which case the character manages to sound like a native-born speaker of the language for a few moments.

The player can spend one experience point for the character to become fluent in one of languages covered by this Merit.

Tolerance for Biology (•)*

Prerequisites: Resolve •••

Effect: Most people turn away at the sight of blood, other bodily fluids, or exotic biology. Your character has seen enough that nothing turns her stomach. When other characters must resist shock or physical repulsion from the disgusting and morbid, your character stands her ground. You do not need to make Composure, Stamina, or Resolve rolls to withstand the biologically strange. This doesn't mean she's immune to fear; she's just used to nature in all its nasty forms.

Trained Observer (• or •••)

Prerequisites: Wits ••• or Composure •••

Effect: A Trained Observer can spot the smallest anomaly. No detail escapes his notice. With the one-dot version, the TO ignores penalties of up to -3 on Perception rolls. The three dot version gives Perception rolls the Rote Action quality (see "Rote Actions", the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 134).

Fleet of Foot (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Strength ••

Effect: +1 Speed per dot

egardless of your character's physical build, he can run quickly when he chooses to.

Giant (••••)

Effect: Your character is seven or more feet tall and over 250 pounds. He is +1 Size (and thus +1 Health). Available at character creation only. Drawback: Your character needs to shop in big-and tall clothing stores or gets clothes custom tailored. He might also be required to purchase two seats for air travel, depending on the airline.

Iron Stamina (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Stamina ••• or Resolve •••

Effect: Each dot eliminates a negative modifier (on a one-for-one basis) when resisting the effects of fatigue or injury. For example: A character with Iron Stamina •• is able to ignore up to a -2 modifier brought on by fatigue. See "Fatigue" in the World of Darkness Rulebook p. 179. The Merit also counteracts the effects of wound penalties. So, if all of your character's Health boxes are filled (which normally imposes a -3 penalty to his actions) and he has Iron Stamina •, those penalties are reduced to -2. This Merit cannot be used to gain positive modifiers for actions, only to cancel out negative ones.

Your character can push his body well past the limits of physical endurance when he has to, pressing on in the face of mounting exhaustion or pain. Perhaps he trained himself to go without sleep for days at a time in order to get through college, or a lifetime of sports has taught your character how to play through the pain no matter how bad it gets. Drawback: When your character does finally rest, he sleeps like the dead. After staying awake for an extended period, your character is extremely difficult to wake until he's slept for a minimum of 12 hours, regardless of the situation.

Movement Style: Parkour (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Athletics ••

Effect: The sport of parkour began in France, and has quickly spread to other parts of the world. Parkour demands a level of athleticism from its practitioners that few other sports do. The purpose of parkour, which is also called "free running" or "urban running," is to move as quickly as possible through an environment with a variety of obstacles, sprinting through the terrain and using a variety of climbing techniques, leaps, rolls and other athletic movements to navigate. Watching an expert traceur (one of the terms for someone who practices parkour, feminine rendered as "traceuse") at work is awe-inspiring, like something out of an action film.

Though the technique comes from well-disciplined training, imbedding a certain body of movements and techniques into the parkour's instinctive reactions, the goal is a flawless, seamless flow of movement from one obstacle to the next, with hardly any pause in speed or movement. This "flow" is the goal of traceurs — it is the highest achievement of a practitioner of parkour to achieve a Zen-like state of lack of thought, where purest instinct and reaction drives the movement.

Skilled traceurs speak of sometimes being aware that they've accomplished a tremendously difficult feat heartbeats after they've accomplished it. Through intensive training to drive home certain actions when confronted with certain obstacles, the traceur can depend on his instincts, rather than his thoughts — which are vulnerable to fears and doubts — when moving through the urban environment.

Traceurs gather in clubs. Though the sport has begun to catch on, and some of these clubs are receiving corporate sponsorship, the clubs tend to be quite informal, with members gathering in a given place on a given day of the week to work on their techniques.

Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special athletic maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for the next. So, your character can't have "Cat Leap" until he has "Flow." The maneuvers and their effects are described below, most of which are based on the Athletics Skill.

Flow (•): Your character has some basic training in the techniques of parkour, allowing him to act instinctively to obstacles and jumps. When using running or using the Foot Chase rules (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 65), your character may negate hazardous terrain penalties equal to his Rating in the Parkour Merit. Additionally, the roll to gauge a jump distance (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 67) is a reflexive action.

Cat Leap (••): Your character has mastered some of the twisting leaps, landing rolls and wall taps used by traceurs. When using a Dexterity + Athletics roll to mitigate damage from falling (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 179), your character gains one automatic success. Additionally, add one per dot in this Merit to the threshold of damage that can be removed through this roll. Thus, if the Storyteller decrees that only three successes may be garnered to reduce falling damage, the traceur with three dots in this Merit may actually use six successes (assuming the player accumulates that many, including his automatic success).

Wall Run (•••): Your character has mastered the quick wall-run and leaping climb techniques of parkour. When using Athletics to climb (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 64), your character is capable of scaling heights of 10 feet + 5 feet per dot in Athletics as an instant action (rather than the normal 10 feet), though every full 10 feet beyond the first imposes a –1 die penalty.

Expert Traceur (••••): Your character has trained so extensively in this athletic discipline that its maneuvers are normal and instinctive for him. Your character may designate any Athletics roll that involves running, jumping and climbing as being a Rote Action (see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p. 134). However, when doing so, he is less able to react to events that don't have to do with navigating the environment, causing him to lose his Defense for that turn.

Freeflow (•••••): Your character has achieved the freeflow that is the holy grail of traceurs everywhere — he acts without thinking, his movements flowing, graceful and quick when he enters "the zone." He can perform any Athletics action that involves running, jumping or climbing as a reflexive action, rather than an instant action. Doing so requires that the character has been running for at least a full minute previously; any use of this ability before that minute mark requires the expenditure of one point of Willpower, however.

Quick Draw (•)

Prerequisites: Dexterity •••

Effect: Your character can draw a pistol and fire or pull a melee weapon and attack without penalty as a single action in a turn. If a weapon is hidden on your character's person (under a coat or in a purse), it can be drawn and used in the same turn without the normal loss of Defense. A separate Quick Draw Merit must be acquired for use with firearms and melee weapons.

Allies (• to •••••)

Effect: Allies are people who are willing to help your character from time to time. They may be associates, friends of convenience or people who owe your character a favor. Each acquisition of this Merit is dedicated to one type of ally, whether in an organization, society or circle. Examples include the police, City Hall, criminals, unions, banks, university faculty and hospital staff. In order to have alliances in more than one venue, you need to purchase this Merit multiple times, each trait with its own dots. Thus, your character might have Allies (Police) ••, Allies (Criminals) ••• and Allies (City Hall) •, each acquired separately at character creation or during play.

Each dot that your character has indicates how deep his influence runs in that group. One dot might mean he can ask for minor favors, such as being spared a parking ticket if alliance is among police, or being allowed to see an article before it goes to press if alliance is among reporters. Three dots garner considerable favors, such as a building permit "going missing" at City Hall, or a strike resolution being wrapped up early among union leaders. Five dots allow for dangerous and even overtly criminal favors, such as a stock being sabotaged on Wall Street or the answers to an exam being shared by a university professor. The kinds of requests made of people in an organization typically have to relate to their sphere of influence. Asking a criminal to slow down the bureaucratic process at City Hall makes no sense, but asking him to pass along word of a drug buy does. Favors might be minor and within the bounds of a person's job or role, such as processing some paperwork more quickly than usual, or could be significant or dangerous and outside what's allowed or even legal, such as allowing a civilian access to the police evidence locker.

The Storyteller has final say over what is an acceptable request and what is not. If there's any doubt, the Storyteller could call for a Manipulation + Persuasion roll, with a bonus equal to your character's Allies dots. Penalties might also apply based on the importance or danger of the request. Asking someone to do something already in the bounds of their role imposes no modifier, while asking them to do something that could get them suspended imposes a -3 penalty, and asking for something that could get them jailed or killed is -5. Frequent favors asked of the same group also imposes a penalty as group members grow tired of being called upon. Similarly, a roll of Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies dots could determine how many police answer your character's call for help, or how many longshoremen turn up when your character needs a show of force (one per success rolled).

Allies doesn't have to be defined in terms of specific individuals over whom your character has sway. He could simply know a variety of people among city reporters and he can call upon them in general from time to time. You should, however, explain why your character has influence in a particular body. Maybe he worked there himself at one time and still has friends in the organization. Or he has done a group a favor and its members still owe him.

Drawback: Allies are not automatons, waiting for your character to ask for help. They have their own lives and needs. An alliance is a two-way relationship. Calling for favors makes your character indebted to his friends, and they are sure to call such favors in when they need help. The Storyteller can use such debts as inspiration for future stories.

Anonymity (•• to ••••)

It is becoming harder and harder to be anonymous in today's world as our personal information swells government and business databases. Many people become increasingly worried about Big Brother always looking over their shoulders and prying into their business. Some even go so far as to disconnect themselves from many of society's conveniences in an attempt to shut out its prying camera eye. This Merit reflects the special abilities and knowledge it takes to do so.

Prerequisites: Resolve •• and Larceny •• or Subterfuge ••

Effect: Your character manages to stay off the radar of most government and financial databases via an assortment of methods. At two dots, it is assumed that the character uses nearly every legal means at his disposal: dealing in cash, not having credit cards, not having a driver's license, de-listing phone numbers, not having a phone, having no permanent address (other than possibly a PO box) and so on. At higher levels, he must employ some illegal methods to keep himself secret: creating false identities, stealing others' identities, seeking to actively destroy data gathered by others and so on.

Each dot subtracts one from Investigation rolls made to discover information about the character.

Drawbacks: A character with Anonymity may not purchase Fame. Furthermore, he should have trouble spending Resources more than once a month since it is assumed that he does not have ready access to electronic banking, credit cards and so on. Anonymity may also influence the types of Status allowed by a Storyteller, because many organizations are not going to allow persons who cannot prove their identities to join their ranks. It is possible to lose the effects of the Anonymity Merit if the character is arrested, although the character can manage to regain the effects by having his criminal record erased one way or another.

Anonymity (•• to ••••)

It is becoming harder and harder to be anonymous in today's world as our personal information swells government and business databases. Many people become increasingly worried about Big Brother always looking over their shoulders and prying into their business. Some even go so far as to disconnect themselves from many of society's conveniences in an attempt to shut out its prying camera eye. This Merit reflects the special abilities and knowledge it takes to do so.

Prerequisites: Resolve •• and Larceny •• or Subterfuge ••

Effect: Your character manages to stay off the radar of most government and financial databases via an assortment of methods. At two dots, it is assumed that the character uses nearly every legal means at his disposal: dealing in cash, not having credit cards, not having a driver's license, de-listing phone numbers, not having a phone, having no permanent address (other than possibly a PO box) and so on. At higher levels, he must employ some illegal methods to keep himself secret: creating false identities, stealing others' identities, seeking to actively destroy data gathered by others and so on.

Each dot subtracts one from Investigation rolls made to discover information about the character.

Drawbacks: A character with Anonymity may not purchase Fame. Furthermore, he should have trouble spending Resources more than once a month since it is assumed that he does not have ready access to electronic banking, credit cards and so on. Anonymity may also influence the types of Status allowed by a Storyteller, because many organizations are not going to allow persons who cannot prove their identities to join their ranks. It is possible to lose the effects of the Anonymity Merit if the character is arrested, although the character can manage to regain the effects by having his criminal record erased one way or another.

Barfly (•)

Effect: No matter what town or city your character is in, he can find his way into the best nightspots with a few quick words and a timely bribe. There isn't a velvet rope made that can keep him out of a restaurant or club.

Contacts (• to •••••)

Effect: Contacts provide your character information in a particular area of awareness. Each dot in this Merit represents one arena or circle in which your character has a web of connections and from which he may draw information. If he has Contacts •••, his dots might be assigned to computer hackers, couriers and big business, respectively. Contacts can include individuals whom you or the Storyteller defines, but more likely they comprise an array of people from whom your character can draw information with a phone call, email or face-to-face query. Contacts is strictly information-gathering. Contacts do not come perform services for your character or rush to his aid. Those actions are the purview of other Merits such as Allies and Retainer.

Gaining information from contacts requires a successful Manipulation + Persuasion or Socialize roll, depending on the relationship between your character and the people in question. Penalties might apply if the information sought is little known (-1 to -3), confidential (-3), or if sharing it could get people in trouble or harmed (-3 to - 5). Success doesn't guarantee exactly the information for which your character looks. Contacts aren't all-knowing, and the Storyteller is perfectly justified in saying that a particular contact simply doesn't know something.

Dramatic Failure: The contact doesn't tell your character the full extent of what he knows, or provides misleading information. Perhaps he's holding out for money or favors, or simply makes an honest mistake.

Failure: The contact doesn't have the information your character needs.

Success: The contact is able to provide some information that's helpful to your character.

Exceptional Success: The contact is able to provide a wealth of information to your character, providing answers to questions that aren't even asked.

Suggested Equipment: Gift (+1), small bribe (+1), large bribe (+2), an outstanding favor (+1 to +3)

Possible Penalties: Lack of bribe (-1), frequent and recent requests (-1 to -2), information confidential (-1 to -3), information scarce (-2), information obscure (-3)

Fame (• to •••)

Effect: Your character has a measure of recognition in today's media-saturated society, possibly as a performer, athlete, politician or other sort of public personality. He's frequently identified and can often get star treatment. On the other hand, it's difficult for your character to go places without being recognized, and the media watches him carefully. Each dot adds a +1 modifier to your character's Socialize (or Persuasion, where applicable) rolls among those who are impressed by his celebrity status.

Drawback: The more famous your character is, the more easily he is recognized by the public. The Storyteller should apply the same +1 modifier per dot to a general Wits + Composure roll to see if he is recognized by anyone on the street. An exceptional success indicates that one or more people are loyal fans who approach him for autographs, pictures and long conversations.

Inspiring (••••)

Prerequisites: Presence ••••

Effect: Your character is able to rally others in times of great distress, renewing their courage and determination in the face of adversity.

Once per game session, your character can exhort those around him to redouble their efforts in the face of great stress or danger. Make a Presence + Persuasion roll. If the roll succeeds, any individuals who actively assist your character and who are within earshot regain one spent Willpower point (not to exceed their Willpower dots). The character may not use this Merit on himself, and may not use it on the same subjects more than once a day.

Mentor (• to •••••)

Effect: This Merit gives your character a friend and teacher who provides her with advice and guidance. Your character's mentor acts on her behalf, although the Storyteller determines exactly how. A mentor usually offers advice, allowing the Storyteller to use him to help guide your character through tough situations. A mentor may also use his influence or abilities to help your character out, although he probably wants to see his charge do things for herself. A mentor is likely to give up in disgust on a pupil who constantly asks for aid. Mentors may also ask for something in return for their assistance, which can lead your character into some interesting situations.

The number of dots purchased in this Merit determines the relative power, knowledge and experience of your character's teacher. One dot indicates a mentor with one or more specialized Skills and a small amount of experience in your character's field of interest. Two dots indicate a mentor with a wide range of capability and experience in your character's field of interest. Three dots indicate a mentor possessing a broad range of Skills, years of experience and significant influence in your character's field of interest. Four dots indicate a mentor who not only possesses a broad range of Skills and decades (or in some cases, centuries) of experience, he is also a preeminent figure with major influence in your character's field of interest. Five dots indicate a mentor with towering influence and power in your character's field of interest. A five-dot patron watches over your character and influences her life in ways both obvious and subtle, and likely has an agenda in which your character is pivotal.

New Identity (•, ••, or ••••)

Effect: Your character has access to documents supporting a new identity. The number of dots spent on this Merit determines how convincing and in depth the documentation surrounding the new life is. New Identity (•) represents an identity that passes casual inspection, but not much else. The character can go shopping and get around in most daily situations, but any kind of trained scrutiny such as from an officer or bureaucrat immediately identifies her identity as a fake. New Identity (••) imparts an identity that will pass most from of relatively cursory professional inspection, but cannot stand up to a sustained investigation. A police office who pulls the character over, for instance, will see nothing immediately suspicious should he run the character's plates and license. Should the character be arrested or fall prey to a full-scale investigation, however, the identity will quickly unravel.

New Identity (••••) represents an identity that is, essentially, as real as an identity can be. It is backed by mountains of legitimate paperwork, identification, and notarized documents authenticating the character's identity. A character with New Identity (••••) can produce any piece of paperwork necessary to support their new identity. This is usually the genuine identity of someone who is not actively using theirs (an individual who is dead or missing, for instance) rather than a fabricated identity, as modern life has made it nearly impossible to fabricate an identity without the direct assistance of many different officials. A truly dedicated or talented investigator could, theoretically, penetrate even the best supported false identity, but it could take years of effort, especially if the individual being investigated was aware of such investigation and, thus, actively resisting efforts to penetrate his ruse.

Resources (• to •••••)

Effect: This Merit measures your character's material resources, both possessions and wealth. All characters are assumed to have a job or a source of income (trust fund, parents) that is sufficient to cover their basic needs: food, shelter and transportation. Dots in this Merit represent disposable income — wealth and assets that can be liquidated for more money in case of emergency.

The number of dots indicates your character's general level of wealth. One dot suggests low disposable income: $500 a month and approximately $1,000 worth of assets. Two dots suggest moderate disposable income: $1,000 a month and approximately $5000 worth of assets. Three dots suggest significant disposable income: $2000 a month and maybe $10,000 worth of assets. Four dots suggest substantial disposable income: $10,000 a month and $500,000 worth of assets. Five dots suggest significant wealth: $50,000 a month and as much as $5,000,000 worth of assets. Resources can be used to determine if your character can reasonably afford a purchase or expenditure. Equipment, weapons and items throughout these rules are assigned costs in dots. The Storyteller can assign cost dots to other items during play based on what's here. If your character has the same or more dots in Resources, he can afford the item on his disposable income. That doesn't mean he has a blank check with which to buy everything he sees. He might be able to afford one or two items with a cost equal to his Resources dots in a single month. Items with lower costs can be acquired more often. The Storyteller has final say on what's too much or what's too often. Your character's Resources dots aren't spent and don't go away. They represent available cash at any given moment. The only means by which your character's Resource dots might decrease is if story events conspire against them. Perhaps your character's fortune is wiped out, he loses his job or his company is subjected to a hostile takeover. The Storyteller therefore influences how your character's dots might decrease, and whether they can be salvaged.

Retainer (• to •••••)

Effect: Your character has an assistant, aide, indentured servant or fanatical follower on whom she can rely. You need to establish how this trusty companion was acquired. He may be paid exorbitant amounts of money that buy his unwavering loyalty. He might owe his life to your character (or to your character's predecessors). Your character might blackmail this person or threaten his family with harm if services are not rendered. Or your character might have a supernatural hold over this poor person. Regardless of the circumstances, this person is constantly loyal and follows almost any order without question. A retainer can be called upon to perform many duties without fail. A bodyguard might be willing to hurt other people on a mere command. A dedicated street kid might hang on your character's every word and get her information or contacts without being asked. Unless your character has direct control over a retainer's mind, however, this person can't be made to perform any task. He might not risk his own life unduly or perform a task that violates his own morals. You or the Storyteller should detail your retainer with an identity, background and character sheet of his own. The Storyteller usually plays your character's retainer.

Each acquisition of this Merit grants your character one follower. Dots spent in the trait indicate the training, capability or flexibility of the aide. One dot suggests a child, an automaton or a madman with limited capabilities and freedom of thought. Two dots indicate an ordinary person over whom your character has sway. The servant is completely mundane and has no particular training above the human norm (he has two dots in all of his Attributes and Skills). Three dots represent a capable employee with a range of training at his disposal (three or four of his traits have three dots). Four dots represent a valued and irreplaceable assistant (someone with a handful of traits with four dots each). Five dots indicate an extraordinary follower. He is exceptional in many ways (five dots in a couple traits, and four in many others) or he may be capable of supernatural feats. Retainer is different from Allies in that no roll is ever made to get results from an aide. He performs the task requested, unless subjected to repeated abuse or an utterly intolerable assignment (as decided by the Storyteller based on the assistant's personality).

Drawback: If your retainer is ever hurt he may be incapable of service while recovering. If he is killed, he's lost forever unless supernatural in origin. A retainer who possesses his own will and who is forced to perform a duty that offends his sensibilities or defies his morals may abandon your character, temporarily or permanently. Points spent to acquire a retainer who is killed or driven off are lost.

Small Unit Tactics (•••)

Prerequisites: Manipulation ••• and Persuasion ••• with a Leadership Specialty

Effect: The character is familiar with the tactical application of force by a small unit: no unit larger than a platoon. The character must be in charge of the unit in question for it to benefit from his tactical leadership.

When conducting a tactical maneuver such as a flanking attack, covering fire or when in a CQB (Close Quarters battle) or FIBUA (Fighting In Built Up Areas, aka Urban Warfare) situation, in any turn, the leader may spend 1 Willpower and roll Manipulation + Persuasion reflexively to issue a command to his unit. The Willpower bonus of +3, or +2 to a defensive dice pool, applies to all the men in the unit in that turn, including the leader. Any individual member may also stack their own Willpower expenditure and bonus on top of the leadership bonus conferred by the leader.

Drawback: The Willpower bonus only applies in a situation in which the leader and his men are already well trained, using tactics familiar to all men in the unit. In game terms, all members of the team, including the leader, must have gained 1 experience point at some prior stage whilst under the guidance of the leader. If a situation arises for which there is no SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), the leadership bonus does not apply unless it is applied to a defensive dice pool.

Status (• to •••••)

Prerequisites: Varies (see below)

Effect: Your character has standing, credentials, authority or respect within an organization, group, company or social body. He might have an official position or title, or might simply be revered and honored within the group and therefore accorded a degree of authority. Your character might be a company Vice president, a police sergeant or lieutenant, an army corporal or a nurse at a hospital. Or he could be a lowly member of the group whom everyone likes or who has won some acclaim and is allowed more standing than he is officially entitled.

Each acquisition of this Merit is dedicated to one type of authority, whether in an organization, society or circle. Examples include police, City Hall, criminals, unions, banks, a university faculty and hospital staff. In order to have authority in more than one venue, you need to purchase this Merit multiple times, each trait with its own dots. Thus, your character might have Status (Police) ••, Status (Criminals) ••• and Status (City Hall) •, each acquired separately at character creation or during play. You would need to explain how he reconciles all this authority in the setting. The aforementioned character might be a dirty police sergeant who has paid his dues in civil elections and gained some recognition among city officials. Status represents the privileges and liberties that your character is authorized to take within the confines and definitions of his group. Increasing dots reflect increasing clout. A cop with Status 1 can enter the suspect lockup and interrogation rooms, while a cop with Status 4 can enter the evidence locker without supervision or get involved in a crime scene investigation without specifically being called in. The phrase "within the confines and definitions of his group" is emphasized above because Status operates exclusively through official channels. A surgeon might have one patient seen or operated on before another, because that's within the official confines of his authority. Exceeding the confines of authority or proper channels transcends the limits of the Status Merit. Going above and beyond — to ask for favors rather than give orders or to requisition an official request— enters the realm of the Allies Merit. So, a police detective who gets a lower-ranking officer to investigate a case may do so with Status. That request is conducted through proper channels. Meanwhile, a police detective who asks another officer to overlook some evidence or to delay an investigation does so with Allies. The favor is asked outside official channels.

While Status might allow your character to give orders to underlings, the Merit doesn't automatically get results. Subordinates or co-workers might resent their assignments, dislike your character or have personal agendas that interfere with your character's needs. Efforts to get things done through official channels still call for Manipulation + Intimidation, Persuasion or Socialize rolls, whichever Skill is appropriate to the request, circumstances and your character's standing within the organization. Bonus dice equal your character's Status dots. Penalties might apply if your character browbeats someone (-1), uses threats (-2), skirts the limits of his authority (-2) or exceeds his authority (-3 to -5). Some sample organizations and the basic benefits, perks and privileges of standing in them are listed below.

City Police: A patrol officer has legal powers of search, seizure and arrest, is permitted to carry a firearm at all times and has access to a wide range of local databases. High-ranking officers (•••+) can initiate investigations, coordinate with neighboring county or state police, and call in urban-assault teams.

Clerical Standing: Your character is a licensed minister, gaining access to people and places such as accused criminals, hospital patients, crime and accident scenes, and restricted areas in religious institutions. Prerequisites: Academics Skill Specialty: Religion.

Corporate Executive: A low-level corporate executive has access to much of the company's resources, including corporate credit cards, vehicles, cell phones and computer equipment. Depending on the company, he can also access sources of information and influence not available to the general public. Executives (•••+) have larger salaries, expense accounts, and hiring and firing powers, not to mention social perks and access to connected political figures and/or celebrities.

Diplomat: Your character is a registered diplomat for a sovereign country. If he works in a foreign country he has free lodging, access to his country's embassy and immunity from foreign criminal prosecution. Prerequisites: Politics •• and Persuasion ••.

Licensed Professional: Your character is licensed in a recognized profession that affords him privileges unavailable to most civilians. He might be a private investigator and authorized to carry a concealed weapon and to have access to restricted databases and government files, or he could be a building contractor and be authorized to own and use explosives for professional applications.

Prerequisites: Academics Skill Specialty: Law (private investigator), Science Skill Specialty: Demolitions (building contractor).

Medical: Your character is licensed to practice medicine. He can write prescriptions, access medical records and gain access to restricted areas such as crime and accident

scenes. Prerequisites: Medicine ••.

Military: An enlisted soldier has a monthly stipend, is permitted to possess military-grade firearms and has access to restricted sources of information and equipment. If he is an active-duty soldier he receives free room and board and medical care. High-ranking soldiers (•••+) are officers who can command units, requisition military equipment and perhaps even initiate foreign insurgencies.

Rotary Club: A basic member in good standing has access to the local meeting hall and a network of members who can provide club-related information or perform club-related duties. A basic member can also benefit from the organization's emergency fund in times of need. High ranking members (•••+) have access to other clubs around the country, and have sway over connected civic groups and political figures.

Drawback: Your character's standing in a given organization is dependent on the fulfillment of his duties and on abiding by the regulations required of members.

Striking Looks (•• or ••••)

Effect: Your character is exceptionally attractive by modern standards; heads turn and conversations stop when she enters a room.

For two dots, your character gets a +1 modifier to all Presence or Manipulation rolls when she attempts to use her looks to entertain, persuade, distract or deceive others. For four dots, your character's looks are angelic; she gets a +2 modifier.

Drawback: The more attractive your character is, the harder it is for her to avoid notice in public. Witnesses to any criminal acts are much more likely to remember your character's appearance, and easily recognize her in a lineup. Your character is also likely to receive a great degree of unwanted attention in social situations.