Merits: Physical

Merits and Flaws can be selected only during character creation and are purchased using freebie points (although existing Merits and Flaws can be removed or new ones added by the Storyteller during the course of the chronicle). Each Merit has its own point cost, while each Flaw has a point value which adds to the amount of freebie points a player can spend during the creation process. A character may take as many Merits as the player can afford, but no character may have more than seven points' worth of Flaws. The seven possible freebie points earned through taking Flaws (when combined with the 15 freebie points from character creation) can give a character a total of up to 22 freebie points to spend in other areas.

#### [ 1 ] Acute Sense

* Prerequisite: Acute Sense cannot be purchased for any sense if it is missing or hampered via a Flaw (i.e., Blind, Bad Sight, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Anosmia, etc.).

One of your senses is exceptionally sharp (even for a Garou). Choose sight, hearing, smell, touch, or taste. The difficulty for all tasks involving use of this particular sense is reduced by two. This Merit can be bought more than once for different senses, but only one time for each particular sense. The difficulty reduction for a given sensory roll is accumulative with other difficulty reductions (due to Gifts, etc.), but only a single reduction for Acute Sense is applicable in any given roll.

#### [ 1 ] Alcohol Tolerance

With a successful Stamina roll (difficulty 7), you can shake off the effects of intoxication, suffering no coordination penalties that might normally affect a drunken fighter. This Merit works against all natural intoxicants, even if processed (such as cocaine), though not against poisons or entirely man-made chemical drugs (such as meth).

#### [ 1 ] Ambidextrous

You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with your "wrong" hand at no penalty. The rules for taking multiple actions still apply, but you do not suffer a difficulty penalty if you use two weapons or are forced to use your off hand to complete a task.

#### [ 1 ] Direction Sense   *( Tribebook: White Howlers 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 69 )*

* **Prerequisite:** White Howler

Your sense of direction is infallible. Even underground, you are always aware of which direction is north, and you are at -1 to all difficulties to navigate or find your way. This Merit stacks with other Merits, such as Subterranean Affinity and Barrow Sense.

#### [ 1 ] Double-Jointed

You possess uncanny suppleness, making all dice rolls that require flexibility (such as wriggling free from an opponent's grasp) at -2 difficulty. You can contort yourself into odd positions or squeeze into small spaces.

#### [ 1 ] Impervious To Weather   *( Tribebook: White Howlers 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 69 )*

* **Prerequisite:** White Howler

You've grown up in the harshest of environments,and you've learned to ignore everything that the cruel gods of weather might throw at you. All environmental penalties you would normally receive related to weather are reduced by half (round down).

#### [ 1 ] Perfect Balance

You have an uncanny knack for staying on your feet (two or four, depending on your form) either from natural talent or from long hours of training. Any rolls you make to attempt balance-related physical activities (e.g., Dexterity + Athletics for tightrope walking, maneuvering across ice, mountain climbing, or rock scaling) are at -2 difficulty.

#### [ 1 ] Wolf Sight

In all your forms, you see colors and intensities of light as a wolf does. Your color vision is slightly less distinct than that of humans, though you embrace the full spectrum of colors. Your night vision, however, far surpasses human nocturnal vision. You also notice movement more readily. You gain an extra die to all visually-based Perception rolls that involve movement or take place at night.

#### [ 1 OR 5 ] Mixed-Morph

You find the art of partial transformation relatively easy, and make the required Dexterity + Primal Urge roll at difficulty 6 rather than difficulty 9. The five-point version of this Merit eliminates the need for a Willpower point; you can achieve partial transformation almost at will.

#### [ 2 ] Bad Taste

You are gamey to the palate and revolting to the taste buds; plainly put, you taste nasty. Anyone who bites you (vampires, Garou, fomori, Wyrm monsters) is immediately nauseated. The biter must spend a Willpower point or retch uncontrollably for a scene. There is a drawback, however: Lupus Garou and wolves are unlikely to lick or groom you, and even affectionate nibbles are affected by your foul flavor.

#### [ 2 ] Fair Glabro

You have a Glabro form that can pass for human, though it's still larger than normal people. You have no penalties to Social Attributes in Glabro form.

#### [ 2 ] Lack Of Scent

You either have no scent at all or only a very faint odor. Any humans, animals, or Garou who attempt to track you by scent have a +2 difficulty to do so. You may find it difficult to deal with lupus Garou or wolves, as they tend to mistrust your lack of a "natural" scent.

#### [ 2 ] Physically Impressive

You appear dangerous both in outward demeanor and in physical bearing, and exude a confidence that impresses opponents. Add one die to all Social rolls that involve intimidation.

#### [ 3 ] Daredevil

You excel at taking risks and have a talent for surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky non-combat actions (such as leaping from rooftop to rooftop thirty stories above the ground), you may add three additional dice to your rolls. In addition, you may negate a single botch die on those rolls. Generally, an action must be at least difficulty 8, and with the potential to inflict at least three health levels of damage if failed, to qualify for this bonus.

#### [ 3 ] Long-Distance Runner

* Prerequisite: Stamina 4+

Through practice and/or innate skill, you have developed your ability to run very fast for a very long time. You can run at double your normal running speed for one hour per dot you possess in Stamina. This Merit is very popular with Silent Striders.

#### [ 3 ] Subterranean Affinity   *( Tribebook: White Howlers 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 70 )*

* **Prerequisite:** White Howler

One of the Howlers' sacred duties is to hunt minions of the Wyrm that burrow beneath the surface of the earth. You are particularly well suited to this task and gain three additional dice to any rolls for actions, including combat, that take place beneath ground level. At the Storyteller's discretion, this may apply to cave environments such as within mountain ranges, as well.

#### [ 3 OR 4 ] Natural Weapons

This Merit costs 3 points for lupus or metis characters, and 4 points for homid Garou. You are greatly in tune with your wolf physique. Your balance and physical acuity in Lupus form are greater than in Homid form. Subtract one from the difficulty of any attack roll with an innate natural weapon (e.g., claw, bite, kick, etc.) when in Lupus form. However, add one to the difficulty of any such attacks made while in Homid form. There is no change to your attack rolls in other forms.

#### [ 4 ] Huge Size

You stand close to 7' tall and may weigh as much as 400 pounds in your Homid form; your other forms are also proportionately huge. This Merit gives you an extra health level, which acts as an additional Bruised health level for purposes of calculating damage and wound penalties. Of course, with your immense size comes other problems (blending into a crowd, finding clothes that fit, fitting into an airplane seat, etc.).

#### [ 7 ] Metamorph

Shapechanging for you is as easy as breathing. You do not need to roll to change forms, nor is it necessary to spend a Rage point for an instantaneous shift. You make your changes as if you scored five successes on your roll to shift forms. If you lose consciousness from wounds or for some other reason, you may roll Wits + Primal Urge (difficulty 8) to choose which form you assume rather than reverting to breed form.