Physical Mertis

Acute Sense
'''1pt. 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.

Vampire: This Merit can be combined with the Discipline of Auspex to produce superhuman sensory acuity.

Werewolf: 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. 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.).

Mage: 1 or 2 pt merit. At the 1-point level, a single sense (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell) is more acute than usual; at the 3-point level, all five physical senses are equally sharp.

Addictive Blood
'''3pt. Merit'''

You don’t just peddle narcotics; through the blessings of the Dark God, you are the perfect drug. Your blood is especially delicious to others, Kindred or kine. Whoever tastes your blood must, during any subsequent scenes that they meet you, drink again or spend a Willpower point to avoid the pangs of craving.

These cravings add +2 difficulty to any Mental or Social rolls. Setites with this Merit find it much easier to blood bond an opponent, as once they have tasted the tainted vitae, they will do almost anything to drink it again.

Alcohol Tolerance/Drug Resistance
1 pt. Merit

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).

Vampire: 2pt. Merit. The Setite religion is one fraught with vices, both to compromise enemies and to enlighten initiates. Cultists tend to build up a tolerance to the substances they take directly (if human or ghoul) or through the blood of prey (if Kindred).

You are unusually resistant to alcohol, narcotics, and similar addictive substances. You can pretend to be far more under the influence than you are in order to take advantage of an opponent. All rolls to resist the effects of such substances are at -2 difficulty.

Ambidextrous
1pt. Merit

You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the “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.

Antitoxin Blood
1pt. Merit

Although vampires are typically immune to mortal drugs and poisons, there are supernatural venoms that can affect Kindred physiology.

A Ravnos with this Merit is immune to all forms of drugs and poisons, including the venoms and toxins of supernatural creatures or those created by supernatural powers.

Bad Taste
2 pt. Merit

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.

Bioluminescence
'''1pt. Merit'''

Perhaps through biological expertise, or perhaps by unlocking something primordial within, you have accessed the secrets of bioluminescence. Using the Vicissitude, you may grant yourself (through Malleable Visage) or others (via Fleshcraft) the ability to emit a soft glow. With muscle control and practice, you can control the color and pattern of the illumination.

This can light a soft glow in the dark, create beautiful displays, or even act as a primal form of communication. Some Fiends grant their ghouls or childer bioluminescence, developing an eerily nuanced and wordless language with their thralls and broods.

Only characters with at least one dot of Vicissitude may purchase this Merit.

Blush of Health
2pt. 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.

Bruiser
1pt. Merit

Your appearance is sufficiently thug-like to inspire fear (or at least disquiet) in those who see you. While you’re not necessarily ugly, you do radiate a quiet menace, to the point where people cross the street to avoid passing near you. All Intimidation rolls against those who have not demonstrated their physical superiority to you are at -1 difficulty.

Cannibal
1pt. Merit

Most vampires can’t eat food, and even those who can force it down, don’t gain sustenance from it. Like them, you still can’t stomach the crap most mortals eat. Human meat, on the other hand, brings you great joy. It can be baked, fried, or even raw, and you can tuck right in, and even gain sustenance. Even other vampires look askance at Kindred who devour their prey, though the Dunsirn applaud your respect for tradition.

In addition to the blood points every human can provide, you can cannibalize a mortal and gain even more. An average human can provide up to seven helpings of meat (one per health level). Each helping provides you with one blood point.

Cast-Iron Stomach
1 pt. Merit 

You can eat more or less anything without gagging. Squirming bugs, synthetic goop, a freshly-gutted carcass with the innards still hanging out… hey, it’s all food, so chow down! Anything you can physically devour and digest is yours for the eating.

This Merit does not in any way protect you from the effects of said substances (rotted meat can still poison you), but you can keep down a meal that would make the average person puke from its mere proximity… an especially useful gift if you have the supernatural Flaw: Bizarre Hunger 

Catlike/Perfect Balance
1pt. Merit

Vampire: 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.

Werewolf: 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.

Controllable Night Sight
2pt. Merit

Your night vision is extraordinarily good, even for a vampire. The deepest shadows are like looking into a well-lit room for you. However, in normal light or bright conditions, you have to switch back to less-sensitive vision, or the weakest light quickly blinds you. While your night sight is active, you suffer no penalties for the dark and can see perfectly well.

Should you use it in well-lit conditions; you suffer a penalty inversely proportional to the usual penalties for darkness.

Daredevil
3pt. Meri

You are good at taking risks, and even better at surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky non-combat 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.

Discerning Palate
4pt. Merit

Your naturally selective palate allows you to discern specific traits inherent to a sample of blood. With but a taste, you can determine potency, freshness, species, or whether a blood sample is contaminated, as well as attempt to identify the Generation, age, and even Clan of other vampires. If you sample even a single drop of blood, roll Perception + Awareness (difficulty 8). success allows you to identify the relative po-tency and freshness of the blood, a species whose blood you have previously tasted and know to be of a specific kind, the Generation of another vampire within two steps of your own, if the blood is either under one hundred or over one hundred years old, and if it is of your same Clan. successes identifies whether the blood is con-taminated by disease or poison, the Generations of vampires within four steps of your own, the approximate age within fifty years (if less than three hundred years old), and any Clan whose blood you’ve previously tasted. three or more successes, you identify specific contaminates you’ve sampled before, Generations within six steps of your own, the vintage of blood within twenty-five years (if less than six hundred years old), and any Clan as well as family of vampires whose blood you’ve tasted previously.
 * One
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Double-Jointed/Hyperflexible
1 pt. Merit

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.

Early Riser
1pt. Merit

No one can explain it, but you seem to have the ability to work on less rest than your fellow vampires. You always seem to be the first to rise and the last to go to bed even if you’re been out until dawn. Your Humanity or Path score is considered to be 10 for purposes of deciding when you rise each evening. Vampires with this Merit cannot take the Deep Sleeper Flaw.

Eat Food
1pt. Merit

Despite being a vampire, 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 pretending to be human. Of course, you can’t digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you have to heave it back up.

Efficient Digestion
3pt. 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.

Enchanting Feature
2 pt. Merit

Blessed with magnificent eyes, sleek hair, mighty biceps, preternatural grace, ripped abs, a dazzling smile, or some other standout physical feature, you can enchant people with the raw perfection of that feature. The feature in question doesn’t need to be visually obvious, either; maybe you smell good, possess a seductive voice, move with animalistic allure, or enjoy some likewise wondrous physical asset. (Please be tasteful here, folks.)

This Merit takes the place of related Physical Merits such as Enchanting Gaze, Soothing Voice, Graceful, and other potentially similar attributes. Story-wise, this Enchanting Fea­ture becomes a standout part of your character’s description. System-wise, you reduce the difficulty by -2 when your character deploys the feature in question as part of some social feat.

If your mage employs his Enchanting Feature Merit as part of his magickal focus (see the Instruments entries for Eye Con­tact, Dance and Movement, Ordeals and Exertions, Sex and Sensuality, Social Domination, and Voice and Vocalizations in Mage 20, Chapter Ten), then you could count this Merit as a personalized unique /specialized instrument. On the plus side, this allows you to reduce certain casting difficulties by -2 when the feature in question is specifically employed in the casting of an Effect. On the not-so-good side, this might get your mage’s eyes gouged out, his face marred, his vocal cords cut, or… well, you get the picture… if a particularly ruthless enemy considers that feature to be “the focus of his power.”

Enchanting Voice
2pt. Merit

There is something about your voice that others cannot ignore. When you command, they are cowed. When you seduce, they swoon. Whether thundering, soothing, persuading, or simply talking, your voice commands attention. The difficulties of all rolls involving the use of the voice to persuade, charm, or command are reduced by two.

Fair Glabro
2 pt. Merit

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.

Foul Blood
1pt. Merit

Your blood is vile; in fact, it tastes so disgusting it requires a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) just to avoid gagging and retching after tasting it. If someone is foolish enough to attempt diablerie on you, they need to succeed in three (difficulty 9) Willpower rolls to go through with it.

The blood is so disgusting that no one can keep it down long enough to use it to become a ghoul, either.

Friendly Face
1pt. 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 doesn’t fade even 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.

Huge Size
4pt. Merit

Vampire: You are abnormally large in size, at least 6’10” and 300 pounds in weight (well over two meters tall and over 130 kgs). 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.

Werewolf: 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.).

Hypersensitivity
3 pt. Merit

Extraordinarily open to physical sensations, you possess a depth of sensitivity most folks cannot conceive of having. A mere sip of wine can reveal its vintage to you; a whiff of smoke betrays the quality (or lack thereof) and origins of its burnt tobacco; a faint touch can conjure up orgasmic ecstasies.

Story-wise, you can easily “fall into” an enjoyable sen­sation, relishing it to a degree far beyond typical human sensitivity. System-wise, you reduce the difficulty by -2 if you’re trying to use a Perception + Alertness roll to identify details about a sensation. Assuming that you employ instruments like Bodywork, Drugs, Energy, Eye Contact, Food and Drink, or Sex and Sensuality (and you probably use most or all of them), you can get more “bang for your buck” from such sen­sations, which allows you to employ those instruments faster, and perhaps (Storyteller’s option) gives you a -2 reduction to the difficulty of associated Ability rolls. The normal modifier limits still apply.

On the flipside, however, painful sensations and over­stimulation can trigger paralyzing agonies and intense panic. Whenever you experience a painful sensation without your consent (that is, being flogged against your will, subjected to loud music that you didn’t wish to hear, or injured by something you didn’t want to be hurt by), you must make a Willpower roll to avoid being “dragged under” and stunned by the pain for a turn or two. That roll’s difficulty depends upon the intensity of the pain – from difficulty 4 for a minor annoyance, to difficulty 10 for screaming agony.

As any Cultist can tell you, ecstasy is indeed a two-way street!

Although this Merit goes well with Acute Senses, it cannot be taken by a character who’s also Insensate to Pain.

Indelible
1 or 2pt. Merit

Whereas other vampires’ bodies return to the state they were in at the Embrace each evening, any body modifications you get after the Embrace remain as they are until you actively spend a Willpower point to return your body to its tabula rasa state.

This Merit applies to changes as simple as dying or cutting your hair to modifications as complicated as tattoos, piercings, or even small implants. If the Merit only allows for cosmetic alterations, it is worth 1 point.

If it allows for more utilitarian alterations, such as RFID implants that activate certain electronic devices, then it is worth 2 points.

Insensate to Pain
5 pt. Merit

Nothing hurts until it kills you. Okay, it probably does hurt, but not enough to slow you down. Wound penalties do not affect your character at all; until she dies, she usually functions with her full dice pools intact. This Merit does not in any way change the way in which she takes damage, but it radically changes the way said damage affects her ability to get things done.

There is, of course, a downside to all this: Pain tells us that we’re not functioning properly and should probably stop while we’re ahead. And so, you’ll also do stuff like burn yourself by accident, try to walk on broken legs, and notice cuts only when the blood is seeping through your shirt. Although pain won’t slow you down, shattered bones and organs will.

Injuries that inflict significant physical im­pairment (crushed legs, broken skull, gouged-out eyes, etc.) supersede your usual immunity to dice-pool penalties due to wounds, and you might inflict further lethal injury upon yourself (Storyteller’s option) if you keep going after your body tries to tell you to stop.

Lack of Scent
2 pt. Merit

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.

Legerdemain
1pt. Merit

You’re extremely good at sleight of hand and other physical tricks. Difficulties when using Subterfuge for physical trickery, shell games, card tricks, and so forth, are decreased by two.

Light Sleeper
1 pt. Merit 

Four hours of sleep a night works just fine for you. And unlike most folks, you can wake up out of an apparently dead slumber more or less ready for action. You can, of course, enjoy longer periods of sleep too. But when dead­lines, intruders, and end-of-the-world emergencies shake you out of bed, you get by with cat-naps and the occasional light snooze.

Lizard Limbs
1pt. Merit

Like a lizard, you are able to actually shed parts of your body. By spending a blood point and a little effort, you can detach a hand or foot, or even an arm or leg. This might be to escape bonds or a grapple. Unfortunately, the appendage will not reattach, and you will have to regrow that over time (usually a couple of days for a hand or foot, and a week for a limb). You also suffer a -3 dice pool penalty to actions that would require the use of more limbs.

Long Fingers
1pt. Merit

You have been blessed with unusually long and graceful fingers. This means you have an easier time with fine manipulation as well as grappling tasks, gaining an extra die when attempting such actions.

Long-Distance Runner
3 pt. Merit

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.

You must have at least four dots in Stamina to purchase this Merit.

Master of the Masquerade
2pt. Merit

There are many small tics, nervous habits, and autonomous bodily functions (like breathing) that Kindred simply forget to do. They can be unnervingly still or forget to breathe, particularly when they think they’re alone. You never let down your guard. The act of breathing remains unconscious habit to you, and you never lapse into that eerie statue-like stillness, even when transfixed or concentrating.

Consequently, the difficulties of all Social rolls are lowered by one when interacting with mortals. This Merit does not allow you to eat food or benefit from the blush of health - those Merits are still required to be a true master of the Masquerade.

Metamorph
7 pt. Merit

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.

Mixed-morph
1 pt. or 5 pt. Merit

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.

Monstrous Maw
'''1pt. Merit'''

You have either oversized tusks for fangs, or a huge mouth full of sharp teeth. Whatever form it takes, your mouth is that of a monster. When attacking with a bite you do an additional point of damage. You may also add a die to your Intimidation dice pool when you smile.

Natural Weapons
3 or 4 pt. Merit

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.

This Merit costs 3 points for lupus or metis characters, and 4 points for homid Garou.

Nightsight
3 pt. Merit

Unlike most people, you can see in near-total darkness. Only the complete absence of visible light will negate this ability. In even the dimmest light, your visual abilities remain essentially unimpaired.

This Merit does not increase your character’s visual capac­ity – for that gift, see Acute Senses; it does, however, mean that low light does not impose any sort of penalty on her visual perception rolls.

Other visual impediments, like smoke or fog, block her sight as usual, and magickally-imposed darkness negates this Merit if and when it involves the dispersal of light itself.

Noble Blood
1 pt. Merit

Although the modern world resists the old traditions of lineage as a mark of quality, your features link you to a power­ful family; you’re a Kennedy, a Windsor, a Saud, a Rothschild – someone whose pedigree is obvious in your physical form and presence.

In story terms, this Merit grants you the obvious physical features of a well-known “royal” family: the Kennedy smile, the Windsor ears, and so forth. The family in question doesn’t have to belong to a formal aristocracy, either; you might be a Kardashian, a Murdoch, or a Clinton, and may the gods have mercy on your soul. On the flipside, your distinct features might not be especially attractive (royal families are notoriously inbred), and will mark you out for enemies of the clan in question.

In social situations, this Merit might be worth a -2 reduc­tion for the difficulty of social rolls that involve people who care about things like aristocracy, but would also increase your difficulty by +2 if you’re dealing with folks who hate that noble family’s guts! In all cases, this Merit reflects an actual genetic connection, not simply a cosmetic resemblance… which could provide all kinds of complications when magick and its secret histories are involved.

While it might be worth some social currency, this Merit does not in any way provide material wealth or other perks.

Pain Tolerance
2pt. Merit

Maybe you are a badass or shut off your nerves through Vicissitude. Maybe your sire put you through so many intricate hells that it would be tough for anyone else to compete. Maybe it just turns you on. Regardless, at Hurt or Injured, you suffer no wound penalties, though you still suffer full penalties at Wounded and below.

You must have a Conviction or Courage rating of 3 or more to take this Merit.

Patagia
4pt. Merit

Your arms and legs have leathery flaps of skin between them, similar to that of a flying squirrel. While they make finding clothes a nightmare, they also allow you to glide for short distances, given enough height and a decent wind.

The Storyteller might require an Athletics roll when it comes to landing.

Physically Impressive
2 pt. Merit 

You are one imposing sumbitch, not so much large as apparently dangerous no matter what mood you might be in at the time. This could be as obvious as scarring or an intimi­dating build, or as intangible as the proverbial “air of menace.” System-wise, the Merit adds two dice to all Social-Trait rolls that involve intimidating someone; story-wise, people find you unnerving – and quite possibly attractive in a dangerous way – even when you’re not trying to be impressive.

Add one die to all Social rolls that involve intimidation. 

Piscine
1pt. Merit

Water is a far more comfortable environment for you, be it the sea or sewer effluent. Rolls involving swimming or underwater movement have their difficulty reduced by 1.

Poison Resistance
2 pt. Merit 

Toxins may sicken you, but probably won’t kill you. Although magickal poisons may be the exception to this rule, your body shakes off the worst effects of natural and synthesized poisons.

When attacked by such substances, add two dice to your character’s Stamina roll when resisting their effects; a successful roll reduces the intensity of powerful toxins, and eliminates the deadlier effects of lesser ones altogether. Sure, she might feel a little woozy and could get seriously ill, but even if you fail that roll your character probably won’t die.

Although it works against toxic bacteria, this Merit does not protect against diseases spread from viruses, genetic conditions, and so forth.

And because intoxicants are toxins too, this Merit helps you survive overdoses of booze or drugs – see Alcohol /Drug Tolerance, above.

Poker Face
2 pt. Merit

Nothing rattles you. Nothing. The emergence of a titanic elder thing from the depths of space might warrant a concerned twitch of your mouth, but that’s really about it. Oh, this doesn’t mean you don’t feel anything – that’s the Mental Flaw: Icy, below. Your deadpan expression, blank eyes, and flat tone of voice, however, reveal nothing about your thoughts or intentions… which, for folks on the receiving end of you, can be quite disconcerting.

Reduce the difficulty of intimidation, subterfuge, and resistance-to-in­timidation rolls by -2, while adding +2 to the difficulties of anyone who tries to rattle your cage or get under your skin, including attempts to read, seduce, torture, or otherwise get past that poker face.

Rugged Bad Looks
5pt. Merit

While you are still hideous, you are not quite as monstrous as most Nosferatu. You still have an appearance of 0, but you might pass for human in the right light. It is a still a good idea to cover up and stay in the shadows, but the sight of you (or even the smell of you) is not an instant breach of the Masquerade.

Having said that, you are still ugly enough to unnerve the crap out of most people.

Slimy
1pt. Merit

You secrete an ooze, which is as disgusting as it sounds. The ooze covers your entire body and soaks into your clothes. It makes you slippery and difficult to hold, requiring opponents to gain two more successes to grapple you.

The dampness also makes you a little fire resistant, reducing your difficulty to soak fire damage by 1.

Stench
1pt. Flaw

Most Nosferatu pick up a certain odor, but you stink so bad even your Clan-mates find you hard to be close to. Your presence is preceded by your stench, removing two die from all Stealth rolls.

Sterile
1 pt. Merit or Flaw

For some physical reason, you’re unable to sire or con­ceive children. Whether this is a Merit or a Flaw depends upon whether or not you want to sire or conceive children.

Generally, this sort of condition can be easily cured with a little Life-Sphere magick; in your case, though, it can’t be rectified until and unless you, the player, discard the Merit or pay off this Flaw.

Thousand Meter Killer
1pt. Merit

You have proven yourself worthy to join the Thousand Meter Club through your remarkable skill with the sniper rifle. The difficulty of all rolls associated with sniping is reduced by -1. You also double the normal range when using a sniper rifle as a weapon.

Tough Hide
2pt. Merit

Your skin is much tougher than usual, possibly like that of a rhino or a lizard. This hide protects you against most normal damage, granting you an extra die when making a soak roll. However, this bonus does not apply against fire and sunlight.

Wolf Sight
1 pt. Merit

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.