Mental Merits

The Muses
work their will through you, or so it appears. Whenever you employ your
artistic talent, reduce the difficulty of those rolls by -2. As with other
Merits of this kind, this Merit does not reduce the difficulty of
magick-casting rolls, but may reduce the difficulty of Attribute + Ability
rolls that are involved with magickal acts.

**2 pt.**
Merit

You have
uncanny control over your inner anger, and can use your Rage as most Garou
cannot. You can enter a berserk frenzy at will, ignoring your wound penalties.

You still
suffer the consequences of any actions committed in the throes of frenzy. When
circumstances might cause you to frenzy, you must make a standard roll to see if
you do so or not.

**Vampire:**

**3pt. Merit**

You possess the ability to willingly enter a berserker state
for a scene. While berserking, you ignore wound penalties and reduce the
difficulty of all combat rolls except for dodges by -3.

You also
can take no complex actions other than combat, dodging, or running.

### Call of the Sea

**2pt.**
Merit

There is
something about the sea that makes you feel at home. You are in tune with the
tides and rhythm of the ocean. When on a boat in the ocean or on a river, you
may add a die to all your dice pools except for Disciplines.

### Calm Heart

**3pt.**
Merit

You are
naturally calm and do not easily fly off the handle. You receive two extra dice
when attempting to resist a frenzy.

**Vampire**: Brujah may not take this Merit.

### Code of Honor

**2pt.**
Merit

You have a
personal code of ethics to which you adhere. The specifics of this code must be
worked out with the Storyteller prior to play, and the character must follow it
strictly.

**Vampire**: Characters with this Merit gain
two additional dice to all Willpower or Virtue rolls when acting in accordance
with their code (e.g., defending the helpless) or when attempting to avoid
situations that might force them to violate their code.

**Werewolf**: Characters with this Merit gain
two additional dice to all Willpower rolls when acting in accordance with their
code (e.g., defending the helpless) or when attempting to avoid violating their
code. You may choose something already established (the Litany is a common Code
of Honor amongst Garou) or create your own list of moral and ethical

### Coldly Logical

**1pt.**
Merit

While some
might refer to you as a “cold fish,” you have a knack for separating factual reporting
from emotional or hysterical coloration. You may or may not be emotional
yourself, but you can see clearly when others are clouding the facts with their
feelings (-1 difficulty on all related rolls).

### Common Sense

**1pt.**
Merit

You have a
significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever you are about to act
in a way contrary to common sense, the Storyteller can make suggestions or
warnings about the implications of said action.

This is a
very useful Merit for beginning players unfamiliar with the game.

### Computer Aptitude

**Mage:**

**1pt.**
Merit

A true
child of the twenty-first century, you’re especially adept with computerized
infotech.

Reduce all
difficulties involving computer-based rolls by -2, up to the usual modifier
limit. This last caveat is especially important when dealing with
computer-based magickal Effects, whose difficulties cannot be reduced by this
Merit beyond the usual magick-roll modifier of -3, or below the minimum
difficulty for magick-casting rolls. Even so, this Merit provides an edge for
mages whose Arts include the guiding technology of our age.

**Vampire:**

**2pt.**
Merit

You are
familiar with and talented in the uses of computer equipment. Other Kindred may
not understand computers, but to you they are intuitive. All rolls involving
computers are at -2 difficulty for you.

### Concentration

**1pt.**
Merit

You have
the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances.
Characters with this Merit are unaffected by any penalties stemming from distracting
circumstances (e.g., loud noises, strobe lights, or hanging upside down).

### Eidetic Memory

**2pt.**
Merit

You
remember, with perfect detail, things you see and hear. Documents, photographs,
conversations, etc., can be committed to memory with only minor concentration.
Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions, you must make a
Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6) to summon enough concentration to absorb
what your senses detect.

### Expert Driver

**1 pt.**
Merit

You drive
like you were born behind the wheel. All difficulties on driving rolls are
reduced by two.

### Hyperfocus

**3 pt. Merit**

Given time
and a lack of distractions, you can focus your mind to an uncanny extent. For
every hour spent focusing without distractions on a mundane task (not on a
magick-casting roll), you may add one die to your dice pool for each roll made
during an extended action.

This bonus
has a limit of three dice, total. So if, for example, Nix has Hyperfocus and
spends two hours on a task, Zir’s player adds two extra dice to Nix’s dice
pool; three hours’ focus provide three dice, but four hours of focus keeps
those three dice. All two or three dice, however, get used every time Nix’s
player makes a roll to complete that extended action.

As noted
above, this Merit does not assist magickal cast­ing rolls. Due to the time
required to focus – and the lack of distractions involved – Hyperfocus doesn’t
help in combat situations either, although a strategy-minded character could
hyperfocus on planning for a battle, but not on fighting it once the combat
began. On a similar note, a mage could use Hyperfocus to aid in the mundane
elements of a ritual.

Extreme
hyperfocus is often (though not exclusively) as­sociated with people on the
autistic spectrum, although some authorities claim that perseveration (see the
Flaw: Mental Lock) is more a more accurate way of looking at that intense form
of focus. With or without autism, this Merit comes in handy for Hermetics,
technomancers, shamans, and other mages whose practices depend upon extreme
dedication to certain tasks.

### Impressive Restraint

**2pt.**
Merit

When you
haven’t eaten, it can be torturous to be near mortals. The pounding thrum of
blood through their veins does not leave you nearly as tempted as it might
other Kindred. When opportunity presents itself, the difficulty of all
Self-Control rolls to resist hunger are made against a -2 difficulty.

Characters
on Paths of Enlightenment that require Instinct cannot take this Merit.

### Inner Strength

**2 pt.**
Merit

You have
the grit of a true survivor. In a crisis, your deep reserve of determination
gets you through. Reduce the difficulty of Willpower rolls by two if struggling
against overwhelming odds.

### Introspection

**1pt. Merit**

You have
keen insight into the ulterior motives of all your actions. Through this
nightly exercise, you also have incredible insight into the underlying motives
of others’ actions.
Add two dice to your Perception dice pool when you must take an action against
someone with the same Nature or Demeanor as you.

### Iron Will

**3pt.**
Merit

When you
are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals.

**Vampire**: Characters using Dementation,
Dominate, or any other mind-altering magic, spell, or Thaumaturgy path against your
character are at +3 difficulty.

Elder
levels of powers like Dementation and Dominate may overwhelm even this
resistance. Against Level Six powers, the expenditure of a Willpower point
through Iron Will only raises the difficulty of the Discipline roll by two.
Against Level Seven powers, the difficulty is increased by only one. Level
Eight and higher powers cannot be resisted with Iron Will.

This Merit
does not affect Presence or other powers dealing with the emotions.

Characters
will Willpower scores below 8 cannot take this Merit.

**Werewolf**: You receive three extra dice to
resist attempts to manipulate your mind, and may spend a Willpower point to
shake off the direct mental control of a vampire. This Merit works only against
direct mental control, not emotional manipulation; Gifts that induce frenzy
still have the usual chance to succeed, for instance.

### Jack-Of-All-Trades

**3 pt.**
Merit

You have a
little knowledge about a lot of things. If making a roll on a Skill you do not
possess, you do not suffer the usual penalty to the roll’s difficulty. You may
attempt a roll on a Knowledge that you do not possess, although the difficulty
for the roll is raised by 2.

Only homid
or metis characters may take this Merit.

### Judge’s Wisdom

**4 pt. Merit**

Through
firm self-discipline, you have mastered your emotions to Vulcan perfection. No
passion-based assault can rattle your judgment, and the base attacks of
heart-twisting fiends have little hold on you.

Rules-wise,
you remain immune to Mind- or Life-based Effects that influence emotions, and
can shrug off the vampiric Discipline of Presence unless that bloodsucker has
at least six dots in that Discipline.

Emotion-based
powers from werecreatures, faeries, and other such creatures cannot affect you,
although you can still be possessed, mind-controlled, enchanted, and otherwise
bent or broken so long as the assault is not based on wrangling an emotional
response from your perfect serene command.

### King or Queen of Shadow

**4pt. Merit**

It is hard
to hold onto your Humanity within the Sabbat, or even simply as a vampire. Your
ability to empathize with the kine makes it more difficult. However, you have
found a way to draw strength from that empathy. Any degeneration checks you
make while on Path of Humanity reduce their difficulty by two.

### Kshatriya

**1pt.**
Merit

You are a
member of the Kshatriya jati; perhaps you are a warrior, a descendant of
rulers, or a member of the military. Your role is to protect the Ravnos in war,
and govern in peace. Once per session, you regain a Willpower when you
successfully use a combat maneuver.

You do not
have to purchase this Merit to be a member of the Kshatriya jati, but only
members of the Kshatriya jati may have this Merit.

### Language

**1pt. Merit**

You know a
language in addition to your native one. You can take this Merit multiple
times, each reflecting a different language.

**Werewolf**: Spirit Speech is a Gift and cannot
be learned using this Merit. Garou are not required to use this Merit to
purchase Garou Tongue or lupine communication; those are considered to come as
naturally to them along with their native homid language.

**Mage**: If you possess five Language
Merits or more, then you’ve begun to understand the principles of language
itself and can try to unravel languages you don’t already know (Intelligence +
Enigmas, difficulty 7 or higher).

### Light Sleeper

**2pt.**
Merit

You can
awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any
sleepiness or hesitation. You may ignore rules regarding how Humanity or your
morality Path restricts the number of dice available during the day.

### Lightning Calculator

**1 pt.**
Merit

You have a
natural affinity with numbers and mental calculations, making you a natural
when working with finance, estimating at a glance, computing odds, figuring complex
variable equations, and the like. All rolls where mental math comes into play
are made with a –2 difficulty.

Another
possible use for this Merit is figuring the odds of success or failure of a
particular endeavor, assuming you have sufficient data upon which to base your
calculations.

In
appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller for the difficulty of a
task you are about to undertake before committing to the effort.

### Long-Term Planning

**4pt.**
Merit

You never
leave anything to chance; every action is a carefully considered stratagem.
Once per session you may declare an action you are about to take is actually
“all part of your plan” and reduce its difficulty by two points.

The
Storyteller may veto the use of this ability on particular rolls. The player
and Storyteller should keep a note of each of these occasions and decide how
they are linking together into a grand scheme.

### Mechanical Aptitude

**1 pt.**
Merit

You are
naturally adept with all kinds of mechanical devices (note that this aptitude
does not extend to electronic devices, such as computers, or anything that does
not work predominantly through moving parts). The difficulties of all dice
rolls to understand, repair, or operate any kind of mechanical device are reduced
by 2.

However,
this Merit does not help you drive any sort of vehicle; once you’re behind the
wheel, you’re on your own.

### Natural Linguist

**2pt.**
Merit

You have a
flair for languages. You may add three dice to any dice pool involving written
or spoken languages, and each purchase of the Language Merit gives you two
languages instead of just one.

### Precocious

**3pt.**
Merit

You learn
quickly. The time for you to pick up a particular Ability (or Abilities, at
Storyteller discretion) is cut in half, as is the experience cost.

### Scientific Mystic /Techgnosi

**3 pt. Merit**

Certain
unorthodox technomancers understand that “mysticism” is just another form of
science whose principles may be understood by a properly Enlightened mind. Although
you pursue a technological practice and employ tech-based instruments, you can
employ instruments that are traditionally considered to be “magic” once you’ve
had an opportunity to study them and fit those tools into your scientific
paradigm.

The
Scientific Mystic Merit lets a dedicated technomancer – that is, a member of
the Society of Ether, the Virtual Adepts, a tech-based “orphan,” or perhaps
even a rogue Technocrat like the Disparates of Navalon – study metaphysical
princi­ples from mystic-paradigm mages for no extra point-cost if that
technomancer has the focus practice Weird Science. That technomancer can also
choose tradi­tionally “mystic” tools as up to half of her required instruments,
and can discard those instruments as a mystic instead of as a technomancer. Essentially,
this means that your approach to Enlightened science is flexible enough to
embrace bizarre approaches to your metaphysical pursuits. Other scientists
might consider such things impos­sible, but you realize that “possibility” is
what you make of it.

On the other
side of that metaphysical coin, the Techgnosi Merit allows a dedicated mystic
to do the exact same things, but with technological instruments and no extra
cost involved in studying magick from technomancer peers, regardless of your
practices.

Yes, your soul
belongs to the Mysteries, but you’ve recognized that technology has a place in
those Mysteries as well.

### Seldom Sleeps

**2 pt.**
Merit

Whether due
to a strong constitution, a frenetic nature, or even a hint of ancestral magic
in your blood, you require significantly less sleep than the average Garou. While
rest is still required after exertion, sleep is seldom necessary.

One hour a
night is fine, and even an hour every three days won’t make you more than a
little blearyeyed. You are not immune to sleep-causing supernatural effects,
and you must still rest (no combat and no efforts requiring rolls) after using
taxing rituals or Gifts.

You are not
always perky, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, but you suffer no penalties or ill
effects from remaining awake for extended periods.

### Self-Confident

**5 pt.**
Merit

You are so
sure of your own abilities that when you expend Willpower to gain an automatic
success on an endeavor, you have a chance to gain the benefit of that expenditure
without actually losing the Willpower. When you spend Willpower for an
automatic success, you do not actually lose it unless the auto-success is the
only one garnered in the roll.

This Merit
may only be used in challenging situations, that is, when the difficulty of your
roll is six or higher. You may spend Willpower for an automatic success at
other times, but if your difficulty is five or less, the Willpower will be
spent regardless of what you roll.

### Skald

**2pt.**
Merit

Anytime you
make an Occult roll to know a fact about vampiric history, you may add a die to
your dice pool. Further, you have exceptional memory for oral histories, and
you are a quick study when it comes to memorizing large amounts of rote
information. This is not true eidetic memory, but constitutes the ability to
memorize poetic eddas, codes, or complex messages with only a few hours of
study.

### Stress Atavism

**4 pt.**
merit or Flaw

Folks don’t
like you when you’re angry. In combat, you become a veritable monster,
destroying everything and everyone in sight. In certain ways, this is a
blessing, in others, a curse – for although your dedication to slaughter has
undeniable benefits, it’s also a distinct liability… especially if you belong
to a group that prizes discipline rather than brutality.

As both a Merit
and a Flaw, this Trait has the same effects: under intense stress (combat,
injury, disgrace, the death or crippling of a comrade, and so forth), the red
haze kicks in.

A failed
Willpower roll (difficulty 8) leads to a berserk rampage. Your character gains
three temporary Bruised health levels, ignores wound penalties, and adds two
dice to her Strength and one die to her Stamina until every enemy within easy
reach or sight is dead or incapacitated.

That’s the
good part; the bad part is that everyone becomes your enemy. Allies, enemies,
and bystanders alike all look like targets until the blood-trance fades. Magick
and strategic thinking become impossible, and your character uses every weapon
in her hands for maximum carnage. Unless someone knocks her unconscious,
incapacitates or kills her, or simply leaves her alone for several minutes
(during which time she destroys everything within reach), she remains stuck in
kill mode.

Is this a
Merit or a Flaw? That depends. If your character belongs to a group that prizes
bloodlust and has the luxury of mass murder in the modern world (that is, she’s
a shock-troop “cleaner” or an elite warrior for a wetwork organization), then it’s
a Merit; if she belongs to a group that demands subtlety, control, and
restraint, then it’s a definite Flaw. Either way, your character is the loosest
of cannons – aimed in a convenient direction and then left alone to burn out or
explode.

### Time Sense

**1pt.**
Merit

You have an
innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately
without using a watch or other mechanical device.

**Werewolf**: This allows you to know (among
other things) what phase the moon is in.

**Mage:** This Merit does not grant bonuses
or decrease difficulties for Time Sphere-based magick-casting rolls. It does,
however, give one of the benefits of basic Time Sphere perceptions to
characters who do not employ the Time Sphere.

### Tunnel Rat

**1-5pt. Merit**

You are
remarkably adept at moving through the underground tunnels that you call your
home. When attempting to navigate, escape, or track through sewers and
underground places you know, you gain an additional die for every point you
have in this Merit.

### Untamable

**5 pt.**
Merit

You are a
wild soul who has never bent to the leash. You are immune to vampiric
Domination (but not emotional manipulations via Presence) and these Gifts will not
work on you: Roll Over, Obedience, and Mastery.

### Useful Knowledge

**1pt.**
Merit

You have
expertise in a specific field that makes your conversation intriguing to an
older Kindred. So long as your knowledge holds the other vampire’s attention,
he has a vested interest in keeping you around. Then again, once he’s pumped
you for every iota of information you possess, that patronage may suddenly
vanish.

Note: This
Merit should be played like a 1-dot Mentor with a specific interest. However,
unlike a Mentor, Useful Knowledge does not imply a permanent relationship.