Attributes
Appearance
Appearance is how attractive you appear. If you’re an actor, model, or public figure, Appearance is vital. Sad to say, but beautiful people are treated better and are fawned on by those around them.
| · | Children point at you and adults refuse to make eye contact. You are ugly enough to stand out in a crowd. |
| ·· | No one really notices you. That can be a good thing. |
| ··· | People turn to watch you walk by, and they should. |
| ···· | You are a sexy beast and everyone knows it. |
| ····· | You have to be careful where you walk, so as not to cause car accidents. |
Manipulation
Manipulation is what you use to get what you want without force. Sleazy lawyers who twist the truth, conmen who grift honest people, and mob bosses who terrify with a raised eyebrow are all master manipulators. Manipulation is also a reflection of how well your character can manipulate energy and supernatural forces, as such, it is the basis of many Power rolls.
| · | You couldn’t lie to a corpse and get away with it. |
| ·· | You can usually convince your buddy to share his beer. |
| ··· | You are a feared man in the courtroom. |
| ···· | You’ve convinced cold hearted thugs to give you their money and feel guilty they didn’t have more. |
| ····· | You get what you want. Period. |
Abilities
The social Abilities were removed entirely (unless your cell is using dice for social interactions) but the rest are all available as secondary abilities in the new system.
Intimidation
You know that guy at the laundry mat with the evil grin? Yeah, he’s got Intimidation down to a science. Intimidation is the art of cowing others to do your bidding, breaking the morale of the enemy, or getting the angry mob to run away screaming. If you’re a bookie's collector, a cop, or a torturer, you very likely have ranks in Intimidation.
0-You scare the hell out of squirrels.
1-You were the terror of the 3rd grade lunch line.
2-Locals cross the street to avoid passing by your house.
3-You’re a freelance witness tamperer.
4-Special Forces operatives shudder at the sight of you.
5-You send crowds into fits of terror with a whispered word.
Intuition
Intuition is that itch on the back of your neck and the twist in your guts that lets you know something is wrong. Interrogators, phony psychics, and jealous girlfriends all have high Intuition. In addition, many true psychic powers use Intuition as their default roll.
Intuition is most often paired with Perception.
0-You get the feeling that the half starved cannibal isn’t as harmless as he claims.
1-You're never taken in by phony e-mails.
2-You’re the king of the Saturday night poker game.
3-You could consult with law enforcement as an interview specialist.
4-When you get a bad feeling, everyone runs.
5-You guessed the ending of every M. Knight Shyamalan movie before the opening credits rolled.
Persuasion
You want to make a friend? How about seducing that waitress? Persuasion is the art of being likable and gently bringing people around to your way of thinking. Any character who talks for a living lives and breaths Persuasion. Politicians, social workers, and Army recruiters all rely heavily on Persuasion.
Persuasion is usually paired with Charisma.
0-You can get a few people to come to your birthday party.
1- When you walk into the bar everybody’s day gets better.
2-Singles crowd your table when you're a wedding guest.
3-The surliest hobos and most cold-hearted killers can’t help but like you.
4-Run for office, it’s yours for the taking.
5-That psychotic woman who blames you for the death of her child is three sentences away from sleeping with you. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Subterfuge
Subterfuge is the dark twin of Persuasion. Where Persuasion is about making friends, Subterfuge is about using misinformation, lies, and half-truths to get what you want. A sleazeball lawyer who turns a victim’s testimony on its head, a reporter who “spins” the truth, and a criminal that blames a patsy for his crime are all examples of Subterfuge.
Subterfuge is also used to tell when someone is lying or trying to mislead you.
Subterfuge is most often paired with Manipulation or Perception.
0-No one believes your fishing stories.
1-You’ve scammed old folks for their savings.
2-You should have been a used car salesman.
3-Why aren’t you a televangelist?
4-You've scammed CFOs for their corporation's savings.
5- You could sell the Statue of Liberty for scrap parts to MENSA.
Engineering
With Engineering you understand machines, architecture, and how natural forces interact. If you need to design a bridge that’ll survive a monsoon or know where to put the charges to bring down a skyscraper, Engineering is what you use. Demolitions experts, architects, and, of course, engineers have Engineering as their primary skill.
Note: The primary difference between Crafts and Engineering is the difference between doing and understanding. For example, a Crafts user can swap broken car parts with store-bought new ones, while an Engineering user understands the machine and can design custom parts for the car – but may not be able to actually build or install them. Most characters who fiddle with things have ranks in both Crafts and Engineering.
Engineering covers the design and understanding of electronic and mechanical devices. It can be used to circumvent electronic locks and security systems, but not to hack into a computer. Engineers understand how things operate and are masters of practical application, but they don't understand the theory behind it unless they also have Science.
Engineering is most often paired with Intelligence.
0-You could probably replace a fuse if you knew what one was.
1-Your first memory is being spanked for taking apart dad’s electric shaver.
2-You were the only guy in your high school to put Nitro in a Ford Fiesta.
3-You’re making a name for yourself in the world of architecture.
4-You’ve managed to design an engine that runs off salt water.
5-You could change the world with two paperclips and a rubberband.
You have a number of fields equal to your ranks in Engineering.
Culture
Knowledge of other cultures and their workings, including both foreign cultures and subcultures such as street cultures. Also includes etiquette as well as a certain amount of area knowledge.
Anthropologists, world travelers, and foreign correspondents all need Culture to help navigate the customs and etiquette of other lands. If you need to know how to find the market, if it’s legal to chew gum, or whether it’s polite to tip the bellhop, you need Culture. Culture gives you an understanding of a number of foreign societies. Be sure to check with your GM to determine if your choice is appropriate, too general, or too specific.
Your ranks in Culture determine the number of cultures with which you are familiar, in addition to your native culture.
Management
General management and leadership ability. Includes general knowledge of government and business bureaucracies, knowledge of finance, and political skill and knowledge.
Management is a reflection of how much you know about the inner workings of business, bureaucracy, politics, and formal events. Maitre d's, business tycoons, politicians, and IRS agents all have some familiarity with Management.
0-You wore tie-dye to a funeral.
1-You do your own taxes and usually get a refund.
2-It’s a struggle, but you can keep your small business afloat.
3-You have Amnesty International on speed dial.
4-You could be an infomercial millionaire.
5-You could run any government and maintain a balanced budget.
You have a number of fields equal to your ranks in Management.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the human mind and its inner workings. It can be used to calm the hysterical, gauge a person’s mental health, or help your favorite combat specialist cure his phobia of children. Psychologists obviously have this Ability, but so do high school counselors, sexual assault counselors, and FBI agents, among a great many more.
0-There’s something about that blood-spattered homeless guy that worries you. Hmmm…
1-Your summer volunteering with the Girl Scouts has given you deep insight into the human mind.
2-Your summer volunteering with the local asylum has given you deep insight into the warped human mind.
3-You’re probably a practicing professional.
4-You’ve presented ground-breaking and controversial theories about behavior and human will.
5-Froyd and Jung were nothing compared to you.
Ability Specialization
Once you have reached 4 in an Ability, you may specialize in a certain field. Write this down next to the Ability in question. When rolling in your specialty field, you may reroll 10's. Ones rolled on these rerolls are not subtracted from the number of successes.
Choosing a specialty is free and can be done as soon as you achieve four ranks in an Ability; however, it cannot be changed. As always, choose wisely.
Additionally, High Rollers may receive Ability Mastery in a specific ability, to further enhance their expertise.
Merits
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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. This Merit may be purchased for 9 XP.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flaws
Brittle bones (1-4): Your body just isn't capable of deal with impacts effectively. Bashing damage is +flaw rating to soak
Tainted: (1-6) You are tainted (or damned) in the eyes of creatures who can detect such things including those wielding true faith and similar powers. You start with between 1-5 points of permanent taint, and if 5 points are taken, the flaw is worth one extra freebie point. This includes susceptibility to further taint, as is usual for tainted beings, and is nearly impossible to remove. Few creatures can survive with a permanent taint greater than their enlightenment. It is best if your particular taint is of a unique nature and cleared with the GM first.
Shy: (1) You are distinctly ill at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. Difficulties for all rolls involving social interactions with strangers are increased by +2. If the character becomes the center of attention in a large group, difficulties are increased by +3.
Twisted Upbringing: (1) Maybe your parents were cruel, or you spent a good deal of time in prison. Regardless, you are callous to the suffering of others. At character creation, you use Self-Control only to determine Morality; do not add Conviction.
Anosmia (2): You possess no sense of smell.
Territorial: (2) You are extremely territorial, staking out a particular area as your home and react aggressively to trespassers. If another person enters your territory uninvited, you must make a self-control roll or immediately attack the interloper and continue attacking until the intruder is dead or has left your land. You are reluctant to leave your territory except in desperate circumstances.
Driving Goal: (3) You have an obsessive, driving goal which takes precedence over everything else in your life.
