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Merits and Flaws
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Here are some Merits and Flaws for hunter, more applicable than those in the Players Guide. I think they went a little overboard in that book... These came from www.nocturnis.net which is a site worth seeing. Merits Acute Sense (1): One of your character's senses is especially sharp. Choose one of smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch. All Perception-based rolls using that specific sense are at a -2 difficulty. This Merit may be purchased once for each sense, but each sense beyond the first costs more (two points for the second, three for the third, etc.). Ambidextrous (2): Your character is equally good at using both hands. She suffers no additional die penalties for using her off hand, making it easier to perform multiple or awkward actions. Average Joe (2): Your character's appearance is not distinctive, and she do not stand out in a crowd. People find it difficult to identify her. All Perception dice pools lose one die from their maximum when being used to pick her out in a crowd or large group. In addition, Intelligence/Wits rolls to remember her appearance are at an increased difficulty (1 to 3). The character must have an Appearance of either 2 or 3 to have this Merit and cannot have or later acquire the Fame background (she will lose Average Joe wherever Fame applies). Black Market Ties (3): The character has connections to underground trade. She knows how to get illegal items for personal use. For this Merit, she must have at least 2 dots in Streetwise. In addition, Streetwise roll difficulties are also reduced by 1 in her neighborhood. Code of Honor (2): This character has a personal code of ethics to which she strictly adheres. Add one die to any Willpower rolls. Difficulties for mental or emotional control against her are increased by 2 whenever the controller attempts to make her violate the code. Common Sense (2): Your character is logical and forthright in the actions he/she takes during the Hunt and can think clearly in even the most desperate of situations. Reduce the difficulty of any Wits-related rolls by -1 as her thoughts flow more smoothly than most. Concentration (1): This character is more focused than most on specific tasks and does not easily give up. If she fails in a task and tries again, she will suffer no extra difficulty penalties to take another shot at it. In addition, she may reduce difficulty penalties by -1 when acting in distracting circumstances. Corporate Ties (3): Your character works for or has connections in a large corporation and thus has access to some of its resources. This includes supplies, such as computer access, paper, software, telephones, photocopiers, cameras, or anything else that particular company can get its hands on. However, having access does not mean she can always get it for free; she may have to take certain steps to convince her contacts to help her. In addition, the corporation may provide legal, or bureaucratic assistance depending upon her relationship with the company. If the character is not direct part of the company she will also need to put a purchase at least two points in Contacts. Double Life (2): This character lived two different lifestyles, even before the Hunt. For instance, by day she could be a Construction worker, and by night a DJ at a local dance club. This can make it easier for her to avoid the police, as people who know one personal are usually unfamiliar with the other. Eidetic Memory (2): Your character's memory is especially sharp and she forgets little can be forgotten once she has seen it. Reduce the difficulty of any Mental roll related to direct fact recall by 2. Favor (varies): This character did something for someone in the past and is owed a favor in return. She may call upon this person to repay the debt at any time. Afterward, the debt is paid in full and this merit is lost. The character must have a point in Allies, Contacts, or Bystanders for this Merit. Chose one that owes her the favor. The cost depends upon the nature of what she initially did for the contact. Judicial Ties (3): The character has contacts within the Judicial system and thus is at an advantage when trying to use the system to her benefit. Any actions using Bureaucracy or Law are at -1 difficulty, as she knows more about the judicial system than most. In addition, her contacts could provide legal assistance if needs be. Define the character's specific contacts on creation. Huge Size (4): Your character is 7+ feet tall and physically intimidating. She gains an additional die when attempting to use Intimidation on anyone. Any action involving lifting gains an additional die. This does not apply to Brawling or Melee damage. Finally the character gets an additional Health Level of bruised. However, Large Size can be limiting at times and may causes the character to stand out in crowds or on the street. A character with Large Size cannot purchase the Average Joe merit and is at +1 difficulty on Hide rolls, if applicable. Light Sleeper (2): This character is naturally energetic and does not need as much sleep as most people. A hunter with this Merit only needs 4 hours of sleep to receive the benefits of a normal 8-hour rest period (including healing). In addition, she is more alert than most when sleeping and can easily wake up at a moments notice if the need calls for it. Lucky (2): For some reason, bad things do not happen to your character very often. Once per gaming session, you may ignore any botches rolled for a single action or event. This may be declared after the roll. Botches are instead counted as normal failures, and the roll cannot be botched overall. Mechanical Aptitude (2): Your character is a Mr. or Mrs. Fix-it and is naturally good with machines. Chose a specific type of machine (household appliances, cars, etc.) she is a natural with. All actions involving the use, modification, or repair of a machine of this type are made at -2 difficulty. Natural Leader (2): The character's leadership skills are better than most, and she is naturally good at coordinating people. Make any Leadership-based rolls at -2 difficulty. Natural Linguist (2): This character is naturally adept at pronunciation and can speak different languages easily. When speaking any language beyond her first, reduce the difficulty by 1. In addition, when learning a new language, the experience cost is the character's current level of Languages, instead of current level x2. Past Life (3): Flashes assail the Hunter of past lives of heroism -- the images are likely indistinct and carry an ephemeral, dream-like quality to them, but can allow for brief moments of inspiration and ability. Essentially, for the Imbued this translates into occasional preternatural assistance -- once per game session, the character may gain a number of dice as per the highest rating in her primary Virtue. These dice may go toward any Edge-based roll. Poison Resistance (3): Your character has a natural resistance to poisons and toxins. Roll Stamina (difficulty depending upon the poison) to ignore the effects of a poison for that scene. More powerful poisons may not be ignored, and any poison causing permanent damage continues to work its course until the character has been properly treated. Research Grant (2): The character is a prominent member of a scientific field who receives money to assist you in her research. Roll Wits + Research when writing a grant to request funds for a particular investigation. The difficulty is determined by the amount of money requested and the availability of money in that particular field. Note that the application must specify a duration for the experiment, and that there are usually serious consequences for not producing results. Unstoppable (4): Some of the imbued have a corporal dedication to the Hunt that goes beyond what others are capable of. Hunters with this merit can choose not to eat for up to two days, not sleep for up to three days, and can ignore the Hurt and Injured penalties on the damage chart. Note that penalties beyond Injured affect the character normally. Flaws Absent-minded (2): This character easily forget facts after you have learned them, often needing to be reminded of things. All Wits rolls relating to memory are at a +2 difficulty. Addiction (1-3): Your character is addicted to some kind of drug, either legal or illegal, and she must gorge herself on it on a regular basis. A 1-point flaw could be something as minor as a caffeine addiction, a 2-point flaw would be a hard drug such as alcohol. A 3-point flaw is always an illegal drug such as cocaine or heroin. The character gains the regular benefits or failings from using the drug. Failure to indulge in her addiction will lead to withdrawal symptoms such as a temporary Derangement, penalties on dice rolls, or other problems. She may spend a Willpower point to resist the effects of withdrawal for one scene. Addictions can be cured, but only by long-term treatment to be determined by the Storyteller. Once every three months, make a Willpower roll to determine the progression of the character's addiction. Failure means that the character must increase the frequency of "hits," and treatment becomes more difficult. Aged (1-4): The character was imbued at an old age and thus is not as energetic as some people. She suffers increased difficulties on Physical rolls, depending upon how aged the character is. A woman in her 50's would suffer a -1 die penalty to Stamina rolls, but a 70 year old might suffer a -2 or -3 Stamina, Strength and Dexterity penalty. The cost is variable, depending upon the age of the character. Allergy (1-2): This character has an allergy to something which can be quite annoying and in some cases potentially fatal. 1-point allergies include pollens and hay-fever, while a 2-point allergy would be something potentially fatal such as a bad reaction to wasp stings. Some allergies can be overcome temporarily with medication. Otherwise, they need to be dealt with. The effects vary depending on the individual. Asthma (1-3): Your character suffers from serious asthma. Unless she is properly medicated for the illness, she suffers penalties on all Stamina rolls (+1 to +3 depending upon the value of the Flaw). Bad Sight (1): The character's vision is poor, and unless she wears contacts or glasses, you will suffer a +2 penalty on all Perception-based rolls using her eyes. Discern may temporarily correct this, but it reverts once the power deactivates. Child (3): This character was imbrued as a child (between 8 and 14) and is not fully developed, physically or mentally. Her Strength and Stamina may be at most 2, Dexterity is limited to a maximum of 3, and she many not have an Intelligence rating above 3. In addition, the character must take the Short flaw. Some abilities such as Drive obviously cannot be taken. Color-blind (1): Your character is unable to see certain colors such as red or green. Hunters with Discern cannot take this flaw, as this Edge corrects the eyesight. Certain Perception scores are made at an added difficulty of 1. Dark Secret (2-4): The character has a dark secret in her past which is potentially very embarrassing. A 2-point secret could be a minor police record, while a 4-point secret is something as serious a murder. Multiple instances of his Flaw may be purchased up to 6 points. Debts (1-3): Someone did this character a favor in the past and could call upon her at any time to pay the piper. This could be something as minor as doing some errands (1 point) to carrying large gambling debts to gangsters who want their money back (3 points). This flaw is usually temporary, as after the debts are paid the flaw is gone. However, some creditors may feel that they can call upon the character repeatedly, especially those involved in crime. Deep Sleeper (2): Your character is a very deep sleeper and has trouble getting up at a moment's notice. She is groggy and disoriented if she does not get 8 hours of sleep, suffering a -1 penalty on all rolls until she has the rest she needs. She has trouble waking up fully, requiring a successful Willpower roll to act in the first turn after rising. Disfigured (4): The character was horribly disfigured in some event in the past, making you ugly to look at. She may have been severely burned in a fire or scared badly by a car accident. She has an appearance rating of 0 which cannot be raised by freebies or experience points. However, costly plastic surgery may be an option. Any Appearance-based social rolls automatically fail and Social rolls (other than Intimidation) also fail as people find it difficult to associate with her. Hatred (3): This character has a burning hatred for some form of monster. She will be hard-pressed to control herself if she finds herself confronted with this type of creature. Note that she may not automatically realize that she is dealing with her particular monster peeve. Once she has made this discovery, the character must make a successful Willpower roll, difficulty based upon the danger of the situation, or attack the creature immediately. Language Barrier (3): The hunter "code," exclusive to the imbued, is naturally and instinctively translated within their brains. It provides a common link between them, giving them a specific language with which to enhance their activities. A few hunters, however, have what appears to be a mental block on translating the code. Upon seeing the symbol for "safety," for instance, the unfortunate Hunter may receive a burst of white noise in her ears or a jumble of unrelated words. She finds herself simply unable to understand the language. Storytellers may decide that this can be overcome with the expenditure of single (temporary) Willpower point per symbol. Messenger Hyper-sensitivity (2): It seems as if these characters' antennae into the world of the Heralds are somehow hyper-attuned. Voices and warnings whisper in their minds more often than most, sometimes continuously, but the messages simply aren't clear. Snippets of visual or auditory disturbances occur, and while the missives may truly be supernatural in origin, they're useless to the hunter and may give her borderline schizophrenic tendencies. This leads to a +1 difficulty on actions relating to concentration or perception. Poor Self-image (1): Your character has a poor opinion of herself. She suffers a +1 penalty on all Appearance-based checks and loses an extra die from rolls involving a type of action at which she has failed previously during that scene. Phobia (1-3): A mild phobia is something that makes this character shudder and look away. A severe phobia causes her to freeze until the feared situation has been resolved or object removed. The character must succeed in a Willpower check or be unable to approach the object or deal with the situation. Conviction may not be used to resist the effects of a phobia. Short (2): The character is short. Because of this, certain feats are more difficult, as determined by the Storyteller. Running speed is reduced by one half. Short Fuse (2): Your character has a hot temper. All self-control rolls relating to Willpower are at a +2 difficulty as snaps easily under pressure. Shy (1): Shy characters have trouble associating themselves with people. They must pass a Willpower check or avoid conversation with people they do not know well or at all. Shy characters also have trouble making new friends. Softhearted (2): This character cannot stand to see any creature suffer. If a softhearted person sees someone or something suffering (not including supernaturals), she must pass a Willpower check or be forced to assist it. Speech Impediment (2): The character has an unusual voice or style of speech which is hard to understand and at times annoying. All Social-based rolls involving speech are at a +2 difficulty. When the character is agitated, whoever she is speaking to must make a Wits roll to understand her. Territorial (2): Your character's home is her castle, and she doesn't like uninvited guests. If an unwelcome person enters her "territory" (home, neighborhood, place of work, etc.), she must pass a Willpower check or confront the intruder in an enraged state. In addition, the character does not like being away from her home for long and you must make a Willpower check for every day she wishes to stay away, or be forced to return. |