Light Sleeper: (2-4) You need less sleep than average. For 2 points, you need only 4 hours sleep per night. For 3, you need only 2 hours. For 4 points, you are truly sleepless: Come up with a reason why!
Pain Tolerance: (2-6) You can function under intense pain. 2 points reduces Wound Penalties by 1, with every additional point reducing them further (up to 5 at 6 points).
Acute Sense: (1) One of your senses is exceptionally sharp. The difficulties for all tasks involving the use of this particular sense are reduced by 2.
Ability Aptitude: (1) You have a knack for one selected Ability. Difficulty of rolls with this Ability are reduced by 2. Cannot be applied to Combat abilities. Does not stack with Ability Mastery.
Ambidextrous: (1) You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the "wrong" hand with no penalties. You must still split your dice pool when performing multiple actions, but suffer no difficulty penalties.
Common Sense: (1) You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever the character is about to act in a way contrary to common sense, the referee can make suggestions or warnings about the implications of said action. This is a very useful merit to give to beginning players unfamiliar with the game.
Double-Jointed: (1) You are unusually supple. Reduce the difficulty of any Dexterity roll involving body flexibility by 2. Squeezing through a tiny space is one example of a use for this Merit.
Higher Purpose: (1) You have a goal that drives and directs you in everything. You gain +2 dice on all rolls related to this higher purpose. You need to decide what your higher purpose is. Make sure you talk it over with the referee first. (This Merit cannot be taken with Driving Goal.)
Lightning Calculator (1): You have a natural affinity for numbers, and all relevant rolls are at -2 difficulty.
Perfect Pitch (1): You must have at least 2 dots in Expression, Performance or music related secondary skills. You can always recognize every tone in any chord. You can accurately hit any note (for example C sharp) without any instrument or anything to take reference from. If you have heard the song before, you always know when someone has shifted the song they are playing/singing from the original key. You can memorize complex songs from hearing them only once or imitate telephone tones with ease. Music related rolls are reduced by 3, however, this only reflects your accuracy in hitting notes and none of the "soul" that goes into performance.
Apt Pupil: (2) Difficulty of checks to learn from a Mentor or instructor are reduced by 2.
Book Learner: (2) Difficulty of checks to learn from a Library are reduced by 2.
Concentration: (2) 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.
Code of Honor: (2) You have a personal code of ethics to which you adhere. The specifics of this code must be worked out with the referee prior to play, and the character must follow it strictly. Characters with this merit gain +2 dice to all Willpower or Virtue rolls when acting in accordance with their code or when attempting to avoid situations that might force them to violate their code.
Dual Nature: (2) You have two distinct natures, both of which have an influence on your personality and behavior. When you pick these natures, be careful to choose archetypes that are somewhat compatible. Dual Nature does not mean Schizophrenia. You may still choose a demeanor.
Eidetic Memory: (2) You remember, with perfect detail, things seen and heard. Documents, photographs, conversations, and so forth 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.
Enchanting Voice: (2) There is something about your voice that others cannot ignore. When you command, they are cowed. When you seduce, they swoon. Add two dice to all rolls involving the use of your voice to persuade, charm, or command.
Mad Scientist: (2) Difficulty of checks to learn from a Laboratory are reduced by 2.
Morality Shift: (3) You begin play with a different Morality/Enlightenment path than Humanity. The ethics of this path must be fully detailed & approved at character creation. Your initial rating in unchanged (Conviction + Self-Control).
Steady Learner: (3) You do not roll for Study Points. Instead, the number of Study Points you receive is equal to: (Number of Dice) * (10 - Difficulty) / 10. This method is used regardless of the source of the Study Points (a Background such as Mentor, Library, or Laboratory, instruction by another character, etc.). The result is rounded down. Thus, a character with Difficulty 7 receives 0.3 Study Points per die, while a character with Difficulty 5 receives 0.5 Study Points per die.
Daredevil: (4) You are good at taking risks, and even better at surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky actions, 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.
Tough as Nails: (4) You are unnaturally resilient and hardy. You have an extra “Bruised” Health Level. This health level is treated as per normal in all other fashions.
Luck: (4) You have the Luck of the Devil. Three times per session, you can “re-roll” a roll. After your three tries, you strike out for the rest of the session.
True Love: (4) You have discovered, but may have lost, a true love. Whenever you are suffering, in danger, or dejected, the thought of your true love is enough to give you the strength to persevere. In game terms, this love allows you an automatic success on any Willpower roll made under the above conditions. However, your true love may also be a hindrance, and require aid from time to time.
Charmed Existence: (5) You do not seem to suffer the misfortunes others are plagued with. You may ignore a single “1” every time you roll.
Fast Learner: (5) You learn very quickly, and pick up on new things faster than most do. You gain one extra experience point at the conclusion of each story.
Jack-Of-All-Trades: (5) You have a large pool of miscellaneous skills and knowledge. You automatically have one dot in all skill and knowledge dice pools. This is an illusionary level, used only to simulate a wide range of abilities. If the character trains or spends experience in the skill or knowledge, he must first buy one dot, then two.
Jaded: (5) You are decidedly not impressed. You never have the emotional outbursts common to others. Any attempt to sway your emotions is +3 Difficulty, and even if you are affected, you may spend a Willpower point to cancel the effect.
Iron Will: (5) When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. Any attempt to control your thoughts is rolled at +3 Difficulty, and even if you are affected, you may spend a Willpower point to cancel the effect.
Self-Confident: (5) When you spend a point of Willpower to gain an automatic success, your self-confidence may allow you to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower point. You do not lose the point when you spend it unless you end the roll with only one success. You can use it only when the difficulty of your roll is six of higher.
Ageless: (5 or 10) You are not immortal by any means, but you simply don't age like other mortals. You are no more hearty than other humans and are still susceptible to disease and injury, however, the passage of time doesn't take the same toll on you. Likewise effects that would result in aging you (like the touch of a wight) will have to work equally harder to age you. At 5 points you age only 1 year for every two years and have a life expectancy of 150 years. At 10 points you age 1 year for every 4 years and have a life expectancy of 300 years. Come up with an explanation for why you are this way.
Clear Sighted (6): You are not fooled by illusions, and you get a Perception + Alertness roll (of a Difficulty equal to the opposing power's level +3) to see through supernatural illusions, such as those created by Obfuscation, Chimerstry, Chicanery, Gifts, etc.
Unbondable: (6) You are immune to any effect that Binds or Suppresses your Loyalty (Blood Bond, Magical Oaths, Fascination, Incubi/Succubi, etc.).
Restricted Merits
Grim Resolve: You have the ability to spend a permanent point of any Pool (including Willpower) to refresh that pool. Veterans only.
Imbued: You have been Imbued. You learn more rapidly than normal in the month following a Game (known as Downtime), and much more rapidly if you win. (If you win a Game, you receive 10 XP; if you lose, you receive 5 XP.) However, you do not learn at all from other experiences; you gain no XP from Side Games. Imbuing can be revoked, but it if is, then you can never be Imbued again.
Phylactery: It is not possible to begin with this Merit; it must be received as a Gift. If you are a Sorcerer, your cost for Sorcery Paths becomes Current Rating x6 instead of Current Rating x7. If you are a Mythos caster, your Difficulty in contested Willpower checks against your target is reduced by 1. If you are a Legacy caster, the number of points of your personal reserve that you can spend each turn is doubled. However, you are linked to a place, object, living being, concept, secret, or true name. If a place, object, or being, you must be in contact with it to perform magic. If a secret or true name, anyone who learns it can gain power over you or destroy your ability to perform magic.
Veteran Nerves: -2 difficulty to all Virtue rolls. Veterans only.
