Mortal Merits/Flaws

Perfect Balance (1 pt Merit)
Your sense of balance is superb. The narrowest of ledges holds little fear for you, because you have such a good command of your physical equilibrium. Youre probably a good dancer, as well. This Merit allows you to reduce the difficulty of all balance-related rolls by two.

Robust Health (1 pt Merit)
You have the constitution of an ox. You rarely get ill, if ever, and food poisoning is a stranger to you. You dont even get hangovers, you bastard. Reduce the difficulty of any roll to resist illness or poisoning – including alcohol poisoning – by two.

Sea Legs (1 pt Merit)
No landlubber, youre a salty sea dog at heart. Youre at home on a boat, even when traveling rough seas. You suffer no penalty incurred due to rough seas or unpredictable ship motion on any actions performed while on board.

Bundle of Energy (2 pt Merit)
You are full of energy. You subsist on five or six hours sleep at night, you find yourself unable to stay in bed any longer. Your days are full of physical activity, nad you can work long into the night without penalty.

Cat Napper (2 pt Merit)
Although you need six to eight hours sleep per night, you dont need it all at once. You catch your Zs as and when you can. As long as your naps total six to eight hours in a 24 hour period – and they usually do unless youre forcibly denied naps – you can function as normal.

Forgettable (2 pt Merit)
Its not that youre ugly. Its just that, well, peoples eyes tend to slide over you. Youre of average height and build, unremarkable looks and run-of-the-mill dress. People have problems remembering your appearance after they meet you, unless you have talked with them for a long time. Certainly people wont be able to give a useful description of you if they only see you briefly. You must have an appearance of 2 or 3 and a Charisma no higher than 3 to take this Merit. If either of those Attributes moves outside its assigned range through play, you lose this Merit. This merit applies solely to your physical appearance. You might have a dreadful credit rating, a police file as thick as a phone book and a sexual history that would make a porn star blush, but people on the street just dont remember you.

Good Night Vision (2 pt Merit)
Maybe you spent a lot of time camping. Maybe youre just a fisherman whos used to getting up before dawn. For whatever reason, your night vision is excellent. The difficulty of Perception rolls at night is decreased by two.

Sexy (2 pt Merit)
You are one sexy mutha. You might not necessarily be that good looking, but theres something about the way you move and act that exudes sexuality. As a result, you draw attention from members of the opposite sex, or your own sex, with raw animal magnetism. You may lower the difficulty of any Social roll by two when dealing with someone who is attracted to you. If you actively attempt to direct your charms at a person, you may lower the difficulty by three.

Hollow Leg (1 pt Merit)
You can drink like a fish. The amount of alcohol you can put away during a binge is truly phenomenal. Whats more aggravating to your buddies is how little you suffer for this. An one who gets into a drinking competition with you quickly regrets it. Halve any penalties you suffer for consuming alcohol.

Natural Runner (1 pt Merit)
Youve enjoyed running ever since you were a kid. Whereas most people wheeze and complain about exercising, running has always been an absolute pleasure for you. As a result, you can run like the wind when the situation demands this. Your Dexterity counts as one point higher than it actually is for purposes of determining Movement rates.


Acute Sense (1-PT. Merit)
One of your senses is exceptionally sharp, be it sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste. The difficulties for all tasks involving the use of this particular sense are reduced by two. This Merit can be combined with the Discipline Auspex to produce superhuman sensory acuity.

*Acute Hearing (1-PT Merit)
You have exceptionally sharp hearing, even for a vampire. The difficulties of all dice roll that relate to hearing (e.g. Perception + Alertness to hear a faint noise, or Perception + Linguistics to overhear a conversation in a foreign language) are decreased by two. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman hearing acuity.

* Acute Sense of Smell (1-PT Merit)
You have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to smell (e.g., Intelligence + Occult to identify a ritual incense) are reduced by two. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman olfactory acuity.

* Acute Sense of Taste (1-PT Merit)
You have an exceptionally keen sense of taste. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to taste (e.g., Perception + Medicine to spot the taint of poison in blood or another substance) are reduced by two. You are able to make precise distinctions in taste. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman taste acuity.

* Acute Vision (1-PT Merit)
You have exceptionally keen eyesight. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to vision (e.g., a Perception roll to spot a clue, or Perception + Alertness to see the shadow of an approaching attacker) are reduced by one. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman visual acuity.

Ambidextrous (1-PT. Merit)
You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the "wrong" hand at no penalty. You must still use the rules for taking multiple actions, but will not suffer a difficulty penalty if, say, you use two weapons or are forced to uose your off hand.

Eat Food (1-PT. Merit)
You have the capacity to eat food and even savor its taste. While you cannot derive any nourishment from eating regular foods, this ability will serve you well in maintaining the Masquerade. Of course, you cant digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you must force yourself to heave it back up.

Catlike Balance (1-PT. Merit)
You possess an innately perfect sense of balance. Characters with this Merit reduce difficulties of all balance-related rolls (e.g., Dexterity + Athletics to walk along a narrow ledge) by two.

Blush of Health (2-PT. Merit)
You look more hale and healthy in appearance than other vampires, allowing you to blend with human society much more easily. You still retain the color of a living mortal, and your skin feels only slightly cool to the touch.

Enchanting Voice (2-PT. Merit)
There is something about your voice that others cannot ignore. When you command, they are cowed. When you seduce, they swoon. Whether thunderous, gentle, persuading or simply talking, your voice commands attention. The difficulties of all die rolls involving the use of the voice to persuade, charm or command are reduced by two.

Daredevil (3-PT. Merit)
You are good at taking risks, and even better at surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky actions (such as leaping from one moving car to another), characters with this Merit add an additional three dice to their rolls, and negate a single botch die that may result from such a roll. Generally, such actions must be at least difficulty 8 and have the potential to inflict at least three health levels of damage if failed.

Efficient Digestion (3-PT. Merit)
You are able to draw more than the usual amount of nourishment from blood. When feeding, you gain an additional point to your blood pool for every two points of blood you consume. This does not allow you to exceed your blood pool maximum.

Huge Size (4-PT. Merit)
You are abnormally large in size, at least 610" and 300 pounds in weight. Aside from making you extremely noticeable in public, this extra mass bestows an additional Bruised health level. Characters with this Merit may also gain bonuses to push objects, open barred doors, avoid being knocked down, etc.

Bruiser (1-PT. Merit)
Your appearance is sufficiently thug like to inspire fear or at least disquiet in those who see you. While youre not necessarily ugly per se, you do radiate a sort of quiet menace, to the point where people cross the street to avoid passing near you. You are at -1 difficulty on all Intimidation rolls against those who have not demonstrated their physical superiority to you.

Friendly Face (1-PT. Merit)
You have a face that reminds everyone of someone, to the point where strangers are inclined to be well inclined toward you because of it. The effect doesnt fade if you explain the mistake, leaving you at -1 difficulty on all appropriate Social-based rolls (yes for Seduction, no for Intimidation, for example) when a stranger is involved. This Merit only functions on a first meeting.

Double-Jointed (1 pt Merit)
You are unusually supple. Reduce the difficulty of any Dexterity roll involving body flexibility by two. Squeezing through a tiny space is one example of a use for this Merit.

Misplaced Heart (2 pt Merit)
Your heart has actually moved within your body, though no more than two feet from its original position near the middle of your chest. Those who attempt to stake you find it very difficult to find the right location (which should be your most tightly guarded secret).

Allergic (1-3 pt Flaw)
You are allergic to some substance, in a manner not unlike mortal allergies. However, you do not get hives or sneeze, but are actually incapacitated by your reaction. If the substance was in the blood you drank, the reaction will be very strong, though touch alone is enough to disturb you. If it was in the blood, you will have five fewer dice on all your Dice Pools for 10 minutes - if you just touched it, the penalty is reduced to two dice. Choose from the list below or make up the substance to which you are allergic.

*Plastic: 1 PT
*Alcohol: 2 PT
*Illegal Drugs: 2 PT
*Metal: 3 PT

Selective Digestion (2 pt Flaw)
You can digest only certain types of blood. You can choose whether you can drink only cold blood (the blood of a dead person), blood with the taste of fear (found in blood only in moments of terror), or blood with the taste of joy, or perhaps only certain types (A, O, etc.) of blood. This Flaw may not be taken by Ventrue characters, since they already have something like it through their clan weakness.

One Arm (3 pt Flaw)
You have only one arm - choose which, or determine randomly at character creation. This happened before the Embrace. It is assumed that you are accustomed to using your remaining hand, so you suffer no off-hand penalty. However, you do suffer a two-dice penalty to any Dice Pool where two hands would normally be needed to perform a task. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Ambidextrous.

Short (1-PT. Flaw)
You are well below average height - four and a half feet tall or less. You have difficulty in reaching or manipulating objects designed for normal adult size, and your running speed is one-half that of a normally proportioned human.

Hard of Hearing (1-PT. Flaw)
Your hearing is defective. The difficulties of any die rolls involving the use of hearing are increased by two.

14th Generation (2-PT. Flaw)
You were created five or fewer years ago by a member of the 13th generation. Though you have 10 blood points in your body, only eight of them may be used to heal wounds, power Disciplines, raise Attributes, etc. Obviously, taking this Flaw precludes you from taking the Generation Background, and you may not start with Status, either. You are likely a clanless Caitiff, for your blood is probably too thin to pass down the distinguishing characteristics of a clan. Most 14th-generation vampires should also take the Thin Blood Flaw.

Infectious Bite (2-PT. Flaw)
You lack the ensymes that allow most Kindred to seal the wounds caused by their feeding. You may not automatically lick the wounds of your feeding closed. In fact, your bites have a one in five chance of becoming infected and causing mortal victims to become seriously ill. The precide nature of the infection is determined by the Storyteller.

Bad Sight (1- or 3-PT. Flaw)
Your sight is defective. The difficulties of any die rolls involving the use of your eyesight are increased by two. As a one-point Flaw, this condition can be corrected with glasses or contacts; as a three-point Flaw, the condition is too severe to be corrected.

One Eye (2-PT. Flaw)
You have only one eye - which eye is missing is up to you. The difficulties of all Perception rolls involving eyesight are increased by two, and the difficulties of all die rolls requiring depth perception are increased by one (this includes ranged combat).

Disfigured (2-PT. Flaw)
A hideous disfigurement makes your appearance disturbing and memorable. The difficulties of all die rolls relating to social interaction are increased by two. You may not have an Appearance rating greater than 2.

Child (3-PT. Flaw)
You were a small child (between five and 10 years old) at the time of your Embrace, leaving your Physicall Attributes underdeveloped and making it difficult to interact with some aspects of mortal society. You may not have more than two dots in Strength or Stamina, except when raising Physical Attributes with blood points, and the difficulties of all die rolls when attempting to direct or lead mortal adults are increased by two. Characters with this Flaw must also purchase the Short Flaw.

Deformity (3-PT. Flaw)
You have some kind of deformity - a misshapen limb, hunchback, clubfoot, etc, - which affects your physical abilities and interactions with others. A hunchback, for instance, would lower a characters Dexterity by two dots and increase the difficulty of die rolls relating to social skills by one. It is the responsibility of the Storyteller to determine the specific effects of the deformity chosen.

Lame (3-PT. Flaw)
Your legs are damaged, which prevents you from running or walking easily. You are forced to walk with a cane or possibly leg braces, and have a pronounced limp to your stride. Your walking speed is one-quarter that of a normal human, and running is impossible.

Monstrous (3-PT. Flaw)
Your physical form was twisted during the Embrace, and now reflects the Beast that rages inside you. Characters with this Flaw appear to be savage monsters and have Appearance ratings of zero. Even Nosferatu have difficulty interacting with such individuals.

Permanent Wound (3-PT. Flaw)
You suffered injuries during your Embrace which your transformation somehow failed to repair. At the beginning of each night, you rise from sleep at the Wounded health level. though this may be healed by spending blood points.

Slow Healing (3-PT. Flaw)
You have difficulty healing wounds. It requires two blood points to heal one health level of normal damage, and you heal one health level of aggravated damage every five days (plus the usual five blood points and Willpower expenditure).

Addiction (3-PT. Flaw)
You suffer from an addiction to a substance, which must now be present in the blood you drink. This can be alcohol, nicotine, hard drugs or simply adrenaline. This substance always impairs you in some fashion (see "Poisons and Drugs," for particulars)

Mute (4-PT. Flaw)
You cannot speak. You may communicate with the Storyteller and describe your actions, but cannot talk to player or Storyteller characters unless everyone concerned uses Linguistics dots to purchase a commonly understood sing language or you write down what you wish to say.

Thin Blood (4-PT. Flaw)
Your blood is thin, weak and does not sustain you well. All blood point costs are doubled (e.g., using blood-related Disciplines or healing damage), and you are unable to create a blood bond. Furthermore, effots to sire other vampires succeed only 20% of the time.

Disease Carrier (4-PT. Flaw)
Your blood carries a lethal and highly contagious disease. The disease can be anything from rabies to HIV, and Kindred who drink your blood have a 10 percent chnace of becoming a carrier as well. You must spend an extra blood point each night on awakening, or you will begin manifesting symptoms of the disease (increased chance to frenzy for rabies, reduced soak rolls for HIV, etc).

Deaf (4-PT Flaw)
You cannot hear. While you may ignore some applications of Dominate, you may not listen to electronic or vocal media, and the difficulties of many Alertness rolls are increased by three.

Flesh of the Corpse (5-PT Flaw)
Your flesh does not fully regenerate itself once it is damaged. While you are able to heal yourself to the point of regaining fully fuctionality, your skin still retains the cuts, tears, bullet holes, etc., which you have incurred. Depending on the nature of the damage, this Flaw will make social dealings exceedingly difficult.

Blind (6-PT Flaw)
You cannot see. Characters can compensate for the loss of vision by becoming more sensitive to other sensory input, but visual cue and images are lost to them. Actions involving hand-eye coordination are very difficult to perform, especially under stressful conditions. Difficulties of all Dexterity-based rolls are increased by two. Oddly, vampires with Level Two Auspex (Aura Perception) are still able to use this ability, thought the information is interpretted via the other senses.

Twitch (1-PT. Flaw)
You have a repetitive motion that you make in times of stress, and its a dead giveaway as to your identity. Examples include a nervous cough, constantly wringing your hands, cracking your knuckles and so on. It costs 1 Willpower to refrain from engaging in your twitch.

Dulled Bite (2-PT. Flaw)
For some reason your fangs never fully developed - they may not have manifested at all. When feeding, you need to find some other method of making the blood flow. Failing that, you must achieve double the normal number of successes in order to make your bite penetrate properly. A number of Caitiff and high generation vampires often manifest this Flaw.

Open Wound (2-4-PT. Flaw)
You have one or more wounds that refuse to heal, and which constantly drip blood. This slow leakage costs you an extra blood point per evening (marked off just before dawn), in addition to drawing attention to you. If the wound is visible, you are at +1 difficulty for all Social-based rolls. For 2 points, the Flaw is simply unsightly and has the basic effect mentioned above; for 4 points the seeping wound is serious or disfiguring and includes the effects of the Flaw Permanent Wound (Vampire, page 297).

Glowing Eyes (3-PT. Flaw)
You have the stereotypical glowing eyes of vampire legend, which gives you a -1 difficulty on Intimidation rolls when youre dealing with mortals. However, the tradeoffs are many; youre a walking tear in the Masquerade and must constantly disguise your condition (no, contacts dont cut it); the glow impairs your vision and puts you at a +1 difficulty on all sight-based rolls (including the use of ranged weapons); and the radiance emanating from your eye sockets makes it difficult to hide (+2 difficulty to Stealth rolls) in the dark.

Lazy (3-PT. Flaw)
You are simply lazy, avoiding anything that requires effort on your part. Preferring to let others do the hard work, you lounge around. For any action that requires preparation, theres a good chance you didnt prepare properly. Difficulty rolls for spontaneous Physical actions (including combat, unless it is part of a planned offensive) increase by 1.

Permanent Fangs (3-PT. Flaw)
Your fangs do not retract, making it impossible for you to hide your true nature. While some mortals may think youve had your teeth filed or are wearing prosthetics, sooner or later youre going to run into someone who knows what you truly are. You are a constant threat to the Masquerade, and other Kindred may take steps to prevent a breach from ever occurring. You are also limited to an Appearance rating of 3 at most.

Infertile Vitae (5-PT. Flaw)
During your Embrace, something went terribly wrong causing your blood to mutate under the stress of dying and rising again. All those you try to Embrace die. No matter what you do, you may not create any Childer. However, your blood can still be used for other vampiric needs, including making ghouls.

Color Blindness (1 pt Flaw)
You can only see in black and white. Color means nothing to you, though you are sensitive to color density, which you perceive as shades of gray. This makes it impossible to use the Level Two Auspex power of Aura Perception. Note: color blindness actually indicates an inability to distinguish between two colors, but we fudged a bit for the sake of brevity.