Supernatural Merits

Effect: The hunter is highly resistant to the
intoxicating effects of vampire blood. Vampires require twice the necessary
dosages (six instead of three) when attempting to bind this hunter to its will
or improve her disposition toward it through blood. Available at character
creation only

A character with the Kin Merit was born
carrying the legacy of lycanthropy in his blood, even though that legacy never
came to fruition. Because of this legacy, werewolves respond slightly more
favorably to the character than they do to regular humans and the character
shares some of this empathy. The character gains a +2 bonus to all Social rolls
in his dealings with werewolves, gains the benefit of the Unseen Sense Merit
applying specifically to werewolves and receives a +3 bonus to resist the
effects of Lunacy.

Drawback: Mortals with this Merit are typically
viewed as potential breeding stock by werewolves and will have to deal with
potential suitors at some point. Depending on the werewolf involved, the suit
may be presented to the character as a practical arrangement, take the shape of
a brief love affair or – and this happens with an alarming regularity – the
character may simply be dragged off in the middle of the night to fulfill his
“duties.” Even if the werewolves aren’t interested in propagating the species,
they still might hang around just to see if the curse ever fully kicks in. This
possibility could haunt the hunter. Might he become what he hunts? If other
hunters become aware of the character’s background they might be leery of him
as well.

The sense manifests differently for everyone. A
character’s hair stands on end, she becomes physically ill, or perhaps she has
a cold chill. Regardless, she knows that something isn’t right when she is in
the immediate proximity of the appropriate supernatural being.

Once per chapter, the player can accept the
Spooked Condition (p. 183) in exchange for which the character can pinpoint
where the feeling is coming from. If the target is using a power that
specifically cloaks its supernatural nature, however, this does not work
(though the Condition remains until resolved as usual).

Effect: You’ve heard the voices ever since you
were a kid. You remember the first time you really tuned in on them was during
a long, boring car trip. The whispers told you horrible secrets and later that
night came the nightmares. Crying and terrified, you told your parents about
the things you heard and they took you to see a doctor. Years of pills and
psychological treatment didn’t make the voices go away, but you learned to
pretend they did, just like you learned to stifle your screams and hide your
tears after another nightmare.

Spirits are kept locked away from the material
realm in the spirit world. From that strange and unruly place they exert their
will, influencing mortals to act in ways similar to the nature of the spirit.
Every now and then a human is born that shines out through the thin membrane
that separates the worlds, drawing the attention of the spirits. People born
with this gift (or curse) are sometimes called shamans or witch doctors. Many
modern spiritualists prefer the term medium.

 Eager to
more directly influence the realms of flesh, the spirits congregate around
these people and speak to them through the barrier. The more attention the
medium pays to the spirits, the more excited the spirits become and the more
they communicate and work to exert their influence over her.

A character with this Merit instinctively
understands the language used by spirits and, by concentrating and spending a
point of Willpower, can project her thoughts into the spirit world to commune
with its denizens. The character also receives the Unseen Sense Merit applying specifically
to spirits and is immune to possession by spirits (though the medium may
voluntarily allow herself to be possessed).

Exactly how one becomes a medium is something
of a mystery. Each medium has a different theory or story that could possibly
explain their gift. Some mediums were born with a caul over their face, some
developed their ability after serious head trauma, and a few mediums have
cancerous growths in their brains. Whatever the cause, the end result is the
same.

Drawback: Each time the medium uses her ability
to speak with spirits, she excites the spirits that respond. Until the next
sunrise, the spirits direct their influence at the medium, attempting to
overload her senses and possess her. The character can attempt to resist these
influences by rolling Resolve + Composure – the Resistance of the most potent
spirit with whom she has recently communicated.

If the roll succeeds, the character experiences
uncomfortable lurches of sensation and emotion until the next sunrise, but
otherwise suffers no ill effects. If the roll is failed, the character is
subjected to the Mental Flaw: Nightmares (see sidebar) the next time she sleeps
and is considered to have automatically failed the roll to resist.