Physical  Back to Top
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.

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 use your off hand.

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.

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 can’t digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you must force yourself to heave it back up.

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 6’ 10” 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.

Mental  Back to Top
Common Sense (1-pt Merit)
You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever the character is about to act in a way contrary to common sense, the Storyteller 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.

Concentration (1-pt Merit)
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 (e.g., loud noises, strobe lights, hanging upside down).

Time Sense (1-pt Merit)
You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using a watch or other mechanical device.

Code of Honor (2-pt Merit)
You have a personal code of ethics to which you adhere. The specifics of this code must be worked out with the Storyteller prior to play, and the character must follow it strictly. Characters with this Merit gain two additional dice to all Willpower or Virtue rolls when acting in accordance with their code (e.g., defending the helpless) or when attempting to avoid situations that might force them to violate their code.

Eidetic Memory (2-pt Merit)
You remember, with perfect detail, things seen and heard. Documents, photographs, conversations, etc., 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.

Light Sleeper (2-pt Merit)
You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. You may ignore rules regarding how Humanity/Path restricts the number of dice available during the day.

Natural Linguist (2-pt Merit)
You have a flair for languages. You may add three dice to any dice pool involving written or spoken languages.

Calm Heart (3-pt Merit)
You are naturally calm and do not easily fly off the handle. You receive two extra dice when attempting to resist a frenzy. Brujah may not take this Trait.

Iron Will (3-pt Merit)
When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. When you are affected by a Dominate power, you may spend a point of Willpower to shake off the effects. In addition, you receive three extra dice to resist the effects of any mind-altering magic, spell or Thaumaturgy path. This Merit does not affect Presence or other powers dealing with the emotions.



Social  Back to Top
Prestigious Sire (1-pt Merit)
Your sire has or had great status in her sect or clan, and this has accorded you with a certain amount of prestige. Though your sire may no longer have any dealings with you, the simple fact of your ancestry has marked you forever. This prestige might aid you greatly in dealings with your elders or other neonates, or it might engender jealousy or contempt.

Natural Leader (1-pt Merit)
You are gifted with a certain magnetism to which others naturally defer. You receive two extra dice when making Leadership rolls. You must have a Charisma rating of 3 or greater to purchase this Merit.

Debt of Gratitude (1- to 3-pt Merit)
An elder owes you gratitude because of something either you or your sire did for her. The depth of gratitude the elder owes depends on how many points the player wishes to spend. One point might mean the elder owes the character a favor; three points might mean that she owes the character her unlife.



Supernatural  Back to Top
Magic Resistance (2-pt Merit)
You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of the Tremere and the spells of the mages of other creeds and orders. The difficulty of all such magic, both malicious and beneficent, is two higher when directed at you. You may never learn the Discipline of Thaumaturgy.

Medium (2-pt Merit)
You possess the natural affinity to sense and hear spirits, ghosts, and shades. Though you cannot see them, you can sense them, speak to them and, through pleading or cajoling, draw them to your presence. You may call upon them for aid or advice, but there will always be a price.

Oracular Ability (3-pt Merit)
You can see and interpret signs and omens. You are able to draw advice from these omens, for they provide hints of the future and warnings of the present. When the Storyteller feels that you are in position to see an omen, you will be required to make a Perception + Occult roll, with the difficulty relative to how well the omen is concealed. If successful, you may then roll Intelligence + Occult to interpret what you have seen, the difficulty again relative to the complexity of the omen.

Spirit Mentor (3-pt Merit)
You have a ghostly companion and guide. The identity and exact power of this spirit are up to the Storyteller, but it can be called upon in difficult situations for help and guidance.

Unbondable (3-pt Merit)
You are immune to being blood bound.

Lucky (3-pt Merit)
You were born lucky – or else the Devil looks after his own. Either way, you may repeat any three failed rolls per story, including botches, but you may try only once per failed roll.

True Love (4-pt Merit)
You have discovered, perhaps too late, a true love. He or she is mortal, but is the center of your existence, and inspires you to keep going in a world of darkness and despair. Whenever you suffer, the thought of your true love gives you the strength to persevere. This Merit grants you one automatic success on all Willpower rolls, which can be negated only by a botch die. This can be a great gift and also a hindrance, for your true love may require protection and occasionally rescue.

Nine Lives (6-pt Merit)
Fate has granted you the opportunity to come as close to Final Death as anyone can get and still survive. When a roll occurs that would result in your death, the roll is made again. If the next roll succeeds, then you live – and one of your nine lives is used up. If the subsequent roll fails, then another reroll is made, until either a successful roll occurs or your nine lives are used up. The Storyteller should keep careful count of how many lives the character has remaining.

True Faith (7-pt Merit)
You have a deep-seated faith in and love for God, or whatever name you choose to call the Almighty. You begin the game with one point of True Faith; this Trait adds one die per point to all Willpower and Virtue rolls. You must have a Humanity of 9 or higher to choose this Merit, and if you lose even a single point, all your Faith points are lost and may be regained only when the lost Humanity is recovered. Individuals with True Faith are capable of performing magical acts akin to miracles, but the exact nature of those acts is up to the Storyteller.