Merits and Flaws are optional Traits that a Storyteller may choose to include, or prohibit, in their chronicle. Properly used, Merits and Flaws help players create and individualize their characters. Merits are special abilities or advantages that are rare or unique in the general Kindred population, while Flaws are liabilities or disadvantages that pose challenges to a character’s nightly existence. These Traits can provide player characters with added depth and personality, but Storytellers should be careful to ensure that any Traits chosen will not adversely influence the course of the chronicle or give one character an unfair advantage over the rest.
Merits and Flaws can be selected only during character creation and are purchased using freebie points (although existing Merits and Flaws can be removed or new ones added by the Storyteller during the course of the chronicle). Each Merit has its own point cost, while each Flaw has a point value which adds to the amount of freebie points a player can spend during the creation process. A character may take as many Merits as the player can afford, but no character may take more than 7 points worth of Flaws (which would give a character a total of 22 freebie points to spend in other areas).
Merits and Flaws are divided into four categories: Physical, Mental, Social, and Supernatural. The Physical category describes Merits or Flaws that deal with a character’s physical makeup or abilities, while the Mental category addresses intellectual abilities or patterns of behavior. The Social category comprises relationships and status in Kindred or mortal society, while Supernatural Merits and Flaws concern the paranormal abilities of vampires and the way they interact with the physical world. Storytellers are encouraged to not only restrict and disallow any Merits and Flaws that don’t fit with their chronicles or for specific characters, but also to create their own to reflect unique elements of their games. Some example restrictions are given in the text of each Merit and Flaw, but Storytellers can allow (or disallow) any combination that don’t make sense for their games.
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 2. This Merit can be combined with the Discipline of Auspex to produce superhuman sensory acuity.
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.
Your stance is naturally stable and balanced, making you difficult to knock over. Any attempt to knock you down is made at +1 Difficulty, and any attempt to keep your footing when attacked is at -1 Difficulty. This does not have an effect on balance rolls — only those made to determine whether or not an outside force sends you sprawling.
Your bones may be especially elastic, you may have had advanced body modifications, or perhaps you are just really lucky. Whatever the reason, you take 1 less die of damage from any fall, from any height.
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.
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 2.
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.
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.
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.
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.
When it comes to staying still and doing nothing for extended periods, you are an expert. Any rolls involving remaining stationary for a long time are at -2 Difficulty.
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.
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 2.
You appear dangerous both in outward demeanor and in physical bearing, and exude a confidence that impresses opponents. Add 1 die to all Social rolls that involve Intimidation.
You are a humanoid sledgehammer — once you start charging, it takes a hell of a lot to stop you. You receive +2 Strength for any physical actions undertaken whilst moving, including any Tackle attacks performed.
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 3 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 3 health levels of damage if failed.
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 2 points of blood you consume. This does not allow you to exceed your blood pool maximum.
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).
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.
While some might refer to you as a “cold fish,” you have a knack for separating factual reporting from emotional or hysterical coloration. You may or may not be emotional yourself, but you can see clearly when others are clouding the facts with their feelings (-1 Difficulty on all related rolls).
You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever you are 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 for beginning players unfamiliar with the game.
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, or hanging upside down).
You drive like you were born behind the wheel. All Difficulties on Drive rolls are reduced by 2.
If you spend a few moments memorizing the state of your haven before you leave (or sleep for the day) you can immediately spot whether something has been changed upon your return or awakening.
This may even extend to feelings such as “The wardrobe isn’t quite right,” even if it’s impossible to see that one of your cufflinks is missing from the drawers inside it. Reclusive elders (especially Tzimisce) tend to acquire this Merit passively.
You have keen insight into the ulterior motives of all your actions. Through this nightly exercise, you also have incredible insight into the underlying motives of others’ actions. Add 2 dice to your Perception dice pool when you must take an action against someone with the same Nature or Demeanor as you.
You are an experienced team player. On any group actions (2 or more additional people) you participate in, you receive an additional die.
You know a language in addition to your native one. You can take this Merit multiple times, each reflecting a different language.
You have a natural affinity with numbers and mental calculations, making you a natural when working with finance, estimating at a glance, computing odds, figuring complex variable equations, and the like. All rolls where mental math comes into play are made with a –2 Difficulty. Another possible use for this Merit is figuring the odds of success or failure of a particular endeavor, assuming you have sufficient data upon which to base your calculations. In appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller for the Difficulty of a task you are about to undertake before committing to the effort.
You are naturally adept with all kinds of mechanical devices (note that this aptitude does not extend to electronic devices, such as computers, or anything that does not work predominantly through moving parts). The Difficulties of all dice rolls to understand, repair, or operate any kind of mechanical device are reduced by 2. However, this Merit does not help you drive any sort of vehicle; once you’re behind the wheel, you’re on your own.
Mind tricks don’t work as well against you, thanks to your near-supernatural stubbornness. Dominate, Presence, and other mental powers are at +1 Difficulty against you. However, you cannot ever change your action mid-round (except to a defensive action).
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.
You have expertise in a specific field that makes your conversation intriguing to an older Kindred. So long as your knowledge holds the other vampire’s attention, xe has a vested interest in keeping you around. Then again, once xe’s pumped you for every iota of information you possess, that patronage may suddenly vanish.
(Note: This Merit should be played like a 1-dot Mentor with a specific interest. However, unlike a Mentor, Useful Knowledge does not imply a permanent relationship.)
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 2 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.
Every so often, someone has to go big, and it’s usually you. Once per story, you may spend 2 points of temporary Willpower at once to gain 2 automatic successes toward a single roll.
You are familiar with and talented in the uses of computer equipment. Other Kindred may not understand computers, but to you they are intuitive. All rolls involving computers are at -2 Difficulty for you.
You remember, with perfect detail, things you see and hear. 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.
You have the grit of a true survivor. In a crisis, your deep reserve of determination gets you through. Reduce the Difficulty of Willpower rolls by 2 if struggling against overwhelming odds.
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 or your morality Path restricts the number of dice available during the day.
You have a flair for languages. You may add 3 dice to any dice pool involving written or spoken languages, and each purchase of the Language Merit gives you 2 languages instead of just 1.
Once per story, you may state that your character brought an object with them “just in case.” This may be silver bullets, a stake, or the strange locket the coterie found in that creepy hotel... Whatever it is, it must be something your character already owns, and that can fit inside a jacket pocket.
Much like the Common Sense Merit, this is a useful Merit for new players.
Whether through necessity or by trading favors with the local Nosferatu, you have learned the layout of the drainage network.
In your city of residence, you will never get lost in the sewer or drainage tunnels — you always know where you are in relation to surface landmarks. Furthermore, whilst aboveground, you always know where the closest sewer access is.
You possess the ability to willingly enter a berserker state for a scene. While berserking, you ignore wound penalties and reduce the Difficulty of all combat rolls except for dodges by -3. You can take no complex actions other than combat, dodging, or running.
You are naturally calm and do not easily fly off the handle. You receive 2 extra dice when attempting to resist a frenzy.
Brujah may not take this Merit.
When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. Characters using Dementation, Dominate, or any other mind-altering magic, spell, or Thaumaturgy Path against your character are at +3 Difficulty.
Elder levels of powers like Dementation and Dominate may overwhelm even this resistance. Against Level 6 powers, the expenditure of a Willpower point through Iron Will only raises the Difficulty of the Discipline roll by 2. Against Level 7 powers, the Difficulty is increased by only 1. Level 8 and higher powers cannot be resisted with Iron Will.
This Merit does not affect Presence or other powers dealing with the emotions. Characters with Willpower scores below 8 cannot take this Merit.
You have a little knowledge about a lot of things. If making a roll on a Skill you do not possess, you do not suffer the usual penalty to the roll’s Difficulty. You may attempt a roll on a Knowledge that you do not possess, although the Difficulty for the roll is raised by 2.
You learn quickly. The time for you to pick up a particular Ability (or Abilities, at the Storyteller’s discretion) is cut in half, as is the experience cost.
You are so sure of your own abilities that when you expend Willpower to gain an automatic success on an endeavor, you have a chance to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower. When you spend Willpower for an automatic success, you do not actually lose it unless the auto-success is the only one garnered in the roll. This Merit may only be used in challenging situations; that is, when the Difficulty of your roll is 6 or higher. You may spend Willpower for an automatic success at other times, but if your Difficulty is 5 or less, the Willpower will be spent regardless of what you roll.
Characters with this Merit are naturally adept at convincing people to spend their money. Your Social rolls to convince people to purchase something are at -2 Difficulty.
You spend an unusual amount of time in Elysium. You see and are seen to such an extent that all of the movers and shakers of Elysium at least know who you are. Extended time spent in Elysium also gives you extended opportunities to interact with the Harpies and other Kindred of that stature — and they’ll know your name when you approach them. This Merit is generally taken by vampires that respect and attend Elysium on a regular basis.
You were introduced to the Blood long before you were made Kindred. Your long experience as a ghoul gives you insight into and comfort with vampiric society. You are at -1 Difficulty on all Social rolls when in the presence of other neonates (particularly those who haven’t been educated by their sires), and have a -1 Difficulty on all rolls relating to vampiric knowledge.
Everyone in the city knows you, and knows that you’re no threat to their plans. While that sort of estimation may seem insulting, it’s also what’s kept you from being killed. No one considers you worth their time to deal with, and that low opinion keeps you safe. If you start acting in a way that demonstrates that you are no longer harmless, others’ reactions to you will likely change as a result.
You are gifted with a certain magnetism to which others naturally defer. You receive 2 extra dice when making Leadership rolls. You must have a Charisma rating of 3 or greater to purchase this Merit.
Your sire has or had great status in xyr sect or clan, and this has accorded you 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 other vampires, or it might engender jealousy or contempt.
Your sire watched you for some time before Embracing you, and spoke glowingly of you to acquaintances. These vampires may be inclined to look favorably on you by dint of your sire’s recommendation; you are at -1 Difficulty on Social rolls with all those who’ve heard good things about you.
Your fame has exceeded the bounds of your sect. Everyone knows who you are, what you’ve done and what you’re supposed to have done (which might not be the same thing). The publicity can be good or bad; what matters is that everybody knows your name. Whether individuals outside of your immediate social circle know enough to match your face to your name is a different matter.
You’ve lived through at least one Sabbat attack or attempted recruitment. Your experience helps you anticipate situations where you might potentially be endangered by the Sabbat once again. You are at -1 Difficulty on all Perception rolls when it comes to Sabbat-based matters. This Merit is generally taken by groups in conflict with the Sabbat, and comes into play most frequently as a means of avoiding ambushes.
Owing to complicated political circumstances, you were given credit for a successful political or military maneuver within your sect, clan, social group, or similar.
Despite the fact that you actually had nothing to do with the event in question, you still get asked about it, and possibly approached to perform similar tasks for your local elders. This may prove a useful stepping stone to greater responsibilities, assuming you can maintain the charade long enough to figure out what you’re supposed to be doing.
For some reason, you embody everything that patriarchal societies fear about powerful women. Whether it is your bearing, stature, or a piercing gaze, something about you frightens men on an almost primal level.
Some men will respond positively to this (most will at least be cowed), but others will see it as a threat to their self-appointed “dominance” and attempt to thwart you to reassert themselves. Most of the time, in social situations involving mortal men, you will have -2 Difficulty to relevant rolls; this may be inverted to +2 Difficulty at times, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Only female characters may take this Merit.
You’re part of the brute squad the local Sheriff or Bishop calls on when they need some muscle. As a result, you get in on action that others miss entirely, score points with those in power, and occasionally get a chance to act outside of the law. How far outside the law you can go depends on circumstance and how much the vampire you report to likes you.
Making money comes naturally to you, and you know what it takes to succeed. All rolls involving acquiring money through business dealings have their Difficulty reduced by 2.
For whatever reason (maybe your winning smile or perhaps just your superb groveling technique), the local Sheriff or Bishop in charge of discipline likes you. Xe’s inclined to overlook your minor trespasses and let you in on things you’re not supposed to know about. Xe even gives you warnings about occasional crack-downs and times when the higher-ups aren’t feeling generous. Of course, abusing this connection might well turn a friendly vampire into an enemy — and the change might not be apparent until it’s too late.
An acquaintance from your breathing days was Embraced at the same time you were. Fortunately, your friendship has endured even death and unlife, and you find a constant source of support and aid in your old friend. They expect the same of you, which isn’t always convenient, but at least you each have someone to hang onto who remembers the good old nights — and days. The Storyteller should play the Old Pal as a very loyal Ally.
Unlike many Kindred, you like to travel. You have a solid knowledge of safe travel routes and methodologies, not to mention haven space available in any number of destinations. Unless someone out there knows your exact route and is specifically looking for you, you can move between cities unimpeded by random encounters with Lupines, overzealous state troopers, and the like.
You have a reputation for having a good head on your shoulders and the honor to keep your word no matter what. As a result, your allies and sectmates ask you to mediate their disputes, even with other sects. This Merit allows your character to use their reputation as leverage to keep the peace during tense situations. Reduce the Difficulty of all Social rolls to keep the peace or to mediate honestly between factions (even other sects) by 2.
You belong to an Anarchs gang with a violent, effective, or otherwise impressive reputation. The history of the gang might extend a hundred years before you were born, but so long as you hold membership and wear the colors of your crew, other Anarchs naturally tend to respect you. Some may even occasionally perform minor tasks for you to try to curry favor with the others. When your membership is known, reduce the Difficulty of all Manipulation rolls with other Anarchs by 2 unless a given Anarchs has a historical animosity with your gang.
This Merit is sometimes called the halo effect; everyone considers you pure and innocent, though not necessarily naïve. You have a saint-like quality that is hard to pinpoint but cannot be denied. You are trusted, even if you are not trustworthy. At the Storyteller’s discretion, you tend to receive lesser punishments for wrongdoing, and you are liked by most.
You have taken the time to learn about and specialize in one particular enemy of your sect. You are aware of at least some of the group’s customs, strategies, abilities, and long-term goals, and can put that knowledge to good use. This Merit is worth a -2 Difficulty for all non-combat rolls pertaining specifically to the subject of your specialization. On the other hand, you are at a +1 Difficulty when it comes to dealing with other enemies, simply because you’re so thoroughly focused on your field.
This Merit functions identically to Scholar of Enemies, except that it applies to a group that is not necessarily inimical to your sect.
You inspire all around you to greater efforts. Whether by speaking, writing, or leading by example, you give anyone who works with you reason to go on and hope of success. You have a –2 Difficulty on Social rolls, and you give any group effort +1 to its total dice pool.
While you’re not a Nosferatu, you know your way around the sewers, tunnels, ducts, subway tubes, and other subterranean passages of your hometown. The local Nosferatu (and any other creatures dwelling down in the muck) may not actually like you, but they’re not inclined to kill you on sight when they see you in their territory. You are at -1 Difficulty on any rolls involving the subterranean world (sneaking from place to place underground, finding routes into sub-basements, and so on).
Nosferatu cannot purchase this Merit.
You have an informer buried in one of your sect’s enemy organizations who funnels you all sorts of information as to what their peers are up to. What you do with the information is up to you, but abusing the knowledge might be a good way to get your informer killed. The other side has spies too...
You’re one of the up-and-comers in the city, a rising star in your sect. Everyone wants to know you and be your friend, even as those in power groom you for positions of greater responsibility. You are at -1 Difficulty on all Social rolls against any vampires in your sect who aren’t actively opposing your ascent.
You have some sort of special forum (a zine, a secure blog, a well-known podcast, or a social media account with a lot of followers) that allows your Anarch to express an opinion and have said opinion spread widely. The Soapbox Merit represents a social delivery mechanism that can influence Kindred outside of your character’s normal social circle or class. Reduce the Difficulty of Expression and Subterfuge rolls by 2 when dealing with vampires who read the Soapbox.
You have a personal relationship with a high-ranking member of a different sect. You may invoke your Sugar Daddy’s name to lower the Difficulty of Manipulation rolls by 2 against members of that sect when attempting to smooth out problems or acquire minor favors. Of course, the Sugar Daddy may expect similar treatment in kind, and is unlikely to look favorably on any behavior that impugns whatever status he may have.
You have a friend or ally who happens to be a werewolf, mage, wraith, faerie, or other non-vampire supernatural creature. Although you may call upon them in time of need, they also have the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). This relationship, however, does not have the sanction of your kind or theirs, and you’ll likely face scandal — or worse — if you are found out. Meeting places and methods of communication are always risky. The Storyteller creates and controls your companion, but does not reveal to you their full powers (or secret motivations).
You were once blood bound but have secretly slipped the leash, and you are free to act as you will once more. Your regnant has no idea that you are not in fact bound, and continues to treat you as if you were. At Storyteller discretion, the experience of having been bound once may render you immune to ever being enthralled again.
Sabbat vampires cannot take this Merit.
One particular clan (not your own) has a special liking for you. You might have done the clan as a whole a favor at some point, or perhaps you’re just a loud voice in support of their aims. Whatever the case, you’re at -2 Difficulty on all friendly Social rolls involving members of the clan in question. Of course, the reaction your cozy relationship with another clan is likely to draw from your own clan leaders is an entirely different can of worms.
The ruling vampires of the city value you and your opinions. You are called in to consult on decisions, and your recommendations carry great weight. Your position may not be an official one, but it’s powerful nonetheless.
Similar to the Clan Friendship merit, Trophy Allegiance opens doors and allows the character to be treated favorably by a specific clan. The character has earned the Trophy from the clan in question for taking down one of the Anathema. Word has spread throughout that clan that members should offer assistance and rewards to the character for their deed.
While the Trophy itself has likely already been covered with specific rewards, this Social Merit reflects more of a general goodwill and offers the character -2 Difficulty on all friendly Social rolls involving members of the Trophy Clan who are familiar with the Alastor’s deeds. Additionally, the character’s reputation may earn them the occasional small favor such as the use of a haven, a loaner car, access to information from Trophy Clan members.
Note: This Merit is only available to Alastor characters who have killed an Anathema and earned a Trophy.
Others find you particularly compelling. Select 1 Background from the following group: Allies, Contacts, Domain, Fame, Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, Retainers, or Status. You receive 1 free dot in that Background, and your maximum Trait score in that Background may exceed normal Generational limits by 1.
Some vampires have a strange ability to slip from notice, which manifests as an aura of forgetfulness. Those trying to remember the vampire experience a sensation of jamais-vu. The ability may be deliberately developed, or the Kindred could simply be too ordinary to pay attention to. Though not similar to Obfuscate, Arcane doesn’t help in combat situations — the vampire can’t literally vanish. However, someone searching for zir may well fail, as no one remembers the vampire or can give a reliable description.
Each point taken subtracts 1 die from any dice pools used to actively locate the vampire or recall zir from memory. Those with this Merit can choose to “turn off” Arcane if they wish. As a passive trait, it doesn’t help on Stealth rolls or other overt attempts to hide. If you have any dots in Status or Fame, Arcane ceases to function while you possess them.
Someone owes you a favor. The vampire in your debt might be the lowliest neonate in the city or might be the Prince xemself; it all depends on how many points the Merit costs. You only have that single favor owed you (unless you take the Merit multiple times), so using it properly is of paramount importance. Depending on status and other factors, the vampire who owes you a favor may well resent their debt, and might go out of their way to “settle” it early — even going so far as to create situations from which they must “rescue” you and thus clear the slate.
You are in tune with a particular species of animal. All Animal Ken and Animalism actions involving animals of the chosen type are at -1 Difficulty, and they do not instinctively fear or attack you.
Your aura is unnaturally bright and colorful for a vampire. You register as a mortal on all attempts to read your aura.
Normally vampires can only seal the wounds they inflict from feeding by licking them. With but a touch, you can achieve the same effect, closing the puncture wounds left by drinking blood.
With rare exceptions, animals usually despise the Kindred. Some flee, others attack, but all dislike being in the presence of a vampire. You have no such problem. Animals may not enjoy being in your company, but they don’t actively flee from you.
You instinctively sense what relation others of your clan are to you. It is only ever a vague sense — they may “feel” like a distant descendant or a venerable ancestor. This may help identify (or at least rule out) the clan of an unfamiliar Kindred.
You may roll Perception + Occult (Difficulty 7) upon “invoking” this ability, with the degree of success determining the precision of your estimate.
Since their inception, Nergali Baali have subverted members of other clans into their own ranks. Known as Apostates, initiates are first drained completely by a Baali nest-master, who then extracts the still-beating heart from a mortal victim, fills it with zir own blood, and buries it in a pool of gore within a Well of Sacrifice. The initiate swims through the dismembered bodies and viscous remains to find and consume the heart. In this way, Nergali do not make a victim of those they Embrace; prospective members must claim it through strength of will.
Apostates replace any 1 in-clan Discipline with Daimoinon, but in turn gain the Baali clan weakness on top of their standard clan weakness. Apostates can still pass with relative ease for members of their former clans, but any childe they Embrace is indistinguishable from a standard Baali. Further, such a childe shares none of the clan Disciplines or weaknesses of their sire’s former clan, save those Disciplines that are innate to the Baali. Apostates do not lose levels in the Discipline they choose to exchange for Daimoinon, but further levels in that Discipline are purchased at out-of-clan costs.
Baali may not take this 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. Also, your Difficulty is reduced by 2 for all Awareness rolls involving the spirits of the dead.
You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of the Tremere and the spells of the mages of other clans. The Difficulty of all such magic, both malicious and beneficent, is 2 higher when directed at you. You may never learn magical Disciplines such as Thaumaturgy and Necromancy.
Your fangs carry a potent tranquilizer, which knocks mortals and animals (but not Kindred or other supernatural creatures) unconscious for roughly an hour with a successful bite attack, unless they succeed on a Stamina roll (Difficulty 7).
Giovanni may not take this Merit.
When in the wilderness, the earth fills in your footprints. You leave no noticeable traces, not even a scent. Normal attempts at tracking automatically fail. Supernatural attempts are done with a +2 Difficulty.
You’ve got a knack for knowing when something bad is about to happen. When you are in danger but not aware of it, the Storyteller should make a secret roll against your Perception + Alertness; the Difficulty corresponds to the immediacy of the danger. If the roll succeeds, you are given a sense of foreboding. Multiple successes may refine the feeling and give an indication of direction, distance, or nature of the threat.
The tell-tale black streaks of diablerie do not manifest in your aura.
You were born lucky — or else the Devil looks after his own. Either way, you may repeat any 3 failed rolls per story, including botches, but you may try only once per failed roll.
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 + Awareness 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 is again relative to the complexity of the omen.
You have a ghostly companion and guide. The identity and exact powers of this spirit are up to the Storyteller, but it can be called upon in difficult situations for help and guidance.
Over the course of history, some of these rituals have been lost, either due to the death of sect members, or because the ritus simply was not as integral to the sect’s survival in the modern world. One of these lost ritae was the Mark of the Father, which offered protection against weapons of faith. As faith has declined in the modern world, the ritus was used less and less, until eventually, priests who know the ritae have become all but extinct.
Some vampires who participated in the lost Mark of Caine ritus were especially blessed, and still bear a faint sign of favor. Such vampires are always old, pre-dating the first Sabbat Civil War, and once had this ritual cast upon them by a powerful practitioner. These vampires have a small, faded mark upon their forehead that re Disciplinesembles the Hebraic letter tav.
System: Those who bear the Mark of Caine gain a twisted form of True Faith. They can use the effects of the first dot of True Faith — they must use symbols of Caine as “holy symbols.” Further, they get +2 dice to resist mortal True Faith. Only vampires on spiritual Paths of Enlightenment can use this Merit — if a Cainite reverts to Humanity or succumbs to wassail, all benefit from this Merit is lost forever.
You have flashes of insight that allow you to see patterns and portents of the Jyhad. Whilst other Kindred live their unlives in ignorant bliss, you feel the full weight of the Ancients bear down on you.
System: You see patterns in the lines of someone’s face, currents of air, or dreams you have during the day. Whilst these patterns are ever present, they are couched in symbolism, and interpreting them requires a Perception + Occult roll. The Difficulty of this roll varies from 6 to 9, depending on the complexity of the pattern. Seeing the immediate future is Difficulty 7, whilst unraveling diffuse manipulations is Difficulty 9. Close familiarity with the people involved, or a recurrence of the same pattern, lowers the Difficulty by 1. If the roll is successful, the player asks the Storyteller a question about the omens observed. More successes yield more information (i.e. “That man is your enemy” versus “That man is your enemy, because he hates your sire”). Failure yields no information, while a botch yields perfectly believable yet false information.
This Merit grants insight into Cainite affairs only, though these are widespread indeed. Your Storyteller is encouraged to use this Merit to foreshadow events, reveal plot threads, or simply reiterate missed clues. Alternatively, you can ask the Storyteller if you see a pattern around a subject.
You must have the Fifteenth Generation, Sixteenth Generation, or Thin Blood Flaw to purchase and retain this Merit.
You have discovered, perhaps too late, a true love. They are mortal, but are 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 1 automatic success on all Willpower rolls, which can be negated only by a botch die. This can be a great gift but also a hindrance, for your true love may require protection and occasionally rescue.
You can take 1 additional Discipline (at the Storyteller’s discretion) as if it were a clan Discipline. All costs to learn that Discipline are paid out as if it were native to your clan. A character cannot take this Merit more than once, and Caitiff vampires cannot take this Merit.
One of the three in-clan Disciplines you inherited during your Embrace comes especially easily to you. You must select one of your clan Disciplines when you purchase this Merit. All Difficulties involving the use of any level of that Discipline are 1 lower than usual. Furthermore, at the Storyteller’s discretion, you may find that you advance more quickly — requiring 1 less experience point to purchase a new level of the chosen Discipline.
Note: If Thaumaturgy or Necromancy are selected, only the character’s primary Path is affected — all other Paths and any rituals are at the normal Difficulty and experience cost.
At the cost of 1 Willpower point, you may feed on the Willpower of your victims from a distance. The consumed Willpower strengthens the potency of your own blood, effectively transforming it into temporary blood that dissipates at the end of the night. These temporary blood points may be spent just like regular blood points, but cannot be lost due to damage or blood drain, do not affect hunger rolls for frenzy, and may not be used to create or sustain blood bonds or ghouls. To activate this ability, the target must have at least 1 of your blood points in xyr system, and must be engaged in eye contact with you.
Source: V20 Elder Discipline Compilation (STV)
You are naturally gifted in the usage of 1 in-clan Discipline. You are able to purchase up to 1 rating higher than normally allowed by your Generation for this Discipline.
You are immune to being blood bound.
Tremere cannot take this 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 that 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.
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 1 point of True Faith; this Trait adds 1 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 are up to the Storyteller.
You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of one or more forms of magical rituals and practices, such as those used by the Tremere, Assamite sorcerers, Giovanni, or living wizards. For 2 points you are resistant to a single form of magical practice (Assamite Sorcery, Koldunic Sorcery, Necromancy, Setite Sorcery, Thaumaturgy or any one school of mortal magics). For 4 points, you are resistant to all magics of either the undying or mortal mages. For 5 points, you are resistant to them all.
In any case, the Difficulty of any appropriate magic directed at you, both malicious and beneficent, is 2 higher. This deals only with magics aimed specifically at you; a spirit directed to attack via Necromancy can still do so without an additional penalty, for example. Regardless of the nature of the resistance you take, you may never learn any form of magic (be it Thaumaturgy, Necromancy, or another).
The term kashaph is of ambiguous meaning, based on a Hebrew root word for “mutter,” and implying spoken sorcery and incantations. The term is used in the Old Testament to condemn the practitioners of witchcraft. True kashaph has long been extinct — save among the Inconnu. Kashaph is an enchanted language, and cannot be “decoded” by modern linguistics or cryptography. The Inconnu use kashaph to communicate secretly, and also as a method of identifying one another.
New members of the Inconnu are not taught kashaph by normal means. It cannot be studied, nor learned like a conventional language. Instead, members are indoctrinated into the society through an elaborate ritual during which the language of kashaph is inscribed upon their soul. Once “learned” in this way, the language may be spoken, not written (there is no written form, and the sounds cannot be accurately captured by phonetic scribblings), and only another individual with this Merit has the capacity to understand the words said in the language of kashaph.
Throughout the years, you’ve managed to amass an exquisite collection of books, both common and rare. Choose 3 Knowledges for every 2 points taken in this Merit, or 10 Knowledges for 7 points. While working in your library, the Difficulty rating for any rolls involving those Knowledges is reduced by 2.
Your hearing is defective. The Difficulties of any rolls involving the use of hearing are increased by 2.
You are well below average height — four and a half feet (1.5 meters) tall or less. You have difficulty reaching or manipulating objects designed for normal adult size, and your running speed is one-half that of an average human.
You exude an odor of dampness and newly turned earth, which no amount of scents or perfumes will cover. Mortals in your immediate presence become uncomfortable, so the Difficulties of all Social rolls to affect mortals increase by 1.
You have some sort of repetitive motion that you make in times of stress, and it’s 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 tic.
You were born with oculocutaneous albinism. Your hair is completely white, your skin is more pink than others of your kind, your skin burns more easily, and your eyes are especially sensitive. You suffer +2 Difficulty to any rolls to hide in a crowd (unless sufficiently disguised), and in addition, you must take the Light-Sensitive Flaw, which does not grant additional freebie points.
You seem to have difficulty maintaining your grip. Climbing, throwing, lifting, and grappling rolls, as well as those made involving melee weapons or firearms are all made at +1 Difficulty.
In addition, any time you pick up an object under stressful circumstances, roll a single die — if the result is 1, 2, or 3, you drop the item at your feet and take an action to pick it up. You can spend a point of temporary Willpower to ignore this condition for a turn.
A hideous disfigurement makes your appearance disturbing and memorable. The Difficulties of all die rolls relating to social interaction are increased by 2. You may not have an Appearance rating greater than 2.
For some reason your fangs never developed fully, or 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.
You were created five or fewer years ago by a member of the Thirteenth Generation. Though you have 10 blood points in your body, only 8 of them may be used to heal wounds, power Disciplines, raise Attributes, etc. You can still use the final 2 blood points for other purposes, though. The blood point costs of nightly rising, creating and sustaining ghouls, and creating blood bonds remains the same as for other vampires. You cannot raise any Discipline above 4 dots.
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 Fourteenth-Generation vampires should also take the Thin Blood Flaw.
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 precise nature of the infection is determined by the Storyteller.
You have only one eye — which eye is missing is up to you. The Difficulties of all Perception rolls involving eyesight are increased by 2, and the Difficulties of all die rolls requiring depth perception are increased by 1 (this includes ranged combat).
To you, silver is as painful and as deadly as the rays of the sun. You suffer Aggravated wounds from any silver weapons (bullets, knives, etc.), and the mere touch of silver objects discomfits you.
You suffer from an addiction to a substance, which must now be present in the blood you drink (or you automatically frenzy, as per the Prey Exclusion Flaw). This can be alcohol, nicotine, hard drugs, or simply adrenaline. This substance always impairs you in some fashion.
You were a small child (between 5 and 10 years old) at the time of your Embrace, leaving your Physical Attributes underdeveloped and making it difficult to interact with some aspects of mortal society. You may not have more than 2 dots in Strength or Stamina at character creation, 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 2. Characters with this Flaw should also take the Short Flaw.
You have some kind of deformity — a misshapen limb, hunchback, or clubfoot, for example — which affects your physical abilities and interactions with others. A hunchback, for instance, would lower a character’s Dexterity by 2 dots and increase the Difficulty of die rolls relating to Social skills by 1. It is the responsibility of the Storyteller to determine the specific effects of the deformity chosen.
You have the stereotypical glowing eyes of vampire legend, which gives you a -1 Difficulty on Intimidation rolls when you’re dealing with mortals. However, the tradeoffs are many; you must constantly disguise your condition (no, contacts don’t cut it); the glow impairs your vision and puts you at +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.
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 you have a pronounced limp to your stride. Your walking speed is one-quarter that of a normal human, and running is impossible.
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, there’s a good chance you didn’t properly prepare. Difficulty rolls for spontaneous Physical actions (including combat, unless it’s part of a planned offensive) increase by 1.
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 0.
Nosferatu and other bloodlines whose weaknesses cause them to start off with Appearance 0 cannot take this Flaw.
You were either born with only one arm or lost your arm through an injury of some sort. You suffer no secondary-hand penalty, since you have adapted to using your one hand for most activities. When you need to use two hands, however, you lose 2 dice from your dice pool.
Your fangs do not retract, making it impossible for you to hide your true nature. While some mortals may think you’ve had your teeth filed or are wearing prosthetics, sooner or later you’re going to run into someone who knows what you truly are. You are also limited to a maximum Appearance rating of 3.
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.
You have difficulty healing wounds. It requires 2 blood points to heal 1 health level of Bashing or Lethal damage, and you heal 1 health level of Aggravated damage every 5 days (plus the usual 5 blood points and Willpower expenditure).
You became a vampire when you were a teenager. You will probably be ignored, patronized, glossed over, or otherwise socially penalized when interacting with adult mortals. You may not have more than 4 dots in Strength or Stamina at character creation, except when raising Physical Attributes with blood points.
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% chance 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.).
You cannot hear. While you may be more resistant to some applications of Dominate, you also may not listen to electronic or vocal media, and the Difficulties of many Perception rolls are increased by 3.
Your vitae is so weak that only 6 of your 10 blood points can be used for Disciplines, healing or raising Attributes. For these functions, you must expend 2 blood points to obtain the effect a normal vampire would achieve with 1. (The cost for nightly rising remains a single blood point.) What’s more, you cannot create or sustain ghouls, create a blood bond, or sire a vampiric childe. You can use the remaining 4 blood points to survive through the day and wake up each night, nothing more.
You cannot raise any Discipline above 3 dots.
The weakening of the Curse of Caine has compensations, though (which distinguish this Flaw from the Thin Blood Flaw itself). Sunlight does Lethal damage to you, instead of Aggravated damage as it does to other vampires. You can hold down mortal food and drink for an hour or so; other vampires vomit immediately if they try (unless they have the Eat Food Merit). Strangest of all, once in a while you might actually have a child the normal, human way... though it will hardly be a normal, human child.
You cannot speak. You may communicate with the Storyteller and describe your actions, but cannot talk to player or Storyteller characters unless everyone concerned purchases a commonly understood sign language (via the Language Merit) or you write down what you wish to say.
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), although you only lose 1 blood upon rising in the evening. Furthermore, you are unable to create a blood bond, and efforts to sire other vampires succeed only 1 in 5 times.
Your flesh does not fully regenerate itself once it is damaged. While you are able to heal yourself to the point of regaining full functionality, your skin still retains the cuts, tears, bullet holes, and other visible damage that you have incurred. Depending on the nature of the damage, this Flaw will make social dealings exceedingly difficult, and may decrease your Appearance dots over time (even to 0).
During your Embrace, something went horribly 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 in blood rituals like Thaumaturgy and the Vaulderie, or for any other vampiric needs like making ghouls.
You were created no more than a year ago. Your vitae is so weak only 4 of your 10 blood points can be used for Disciplines, healing, or raising Attributes. For these functions, you must expend 2 blood points to obtain the effect a normal vampire would achieve with 1. You may use the remaining 6 blood points for other purposes, and rising still costs a single blood point per night. You cannot create a blood bond or Cainite childe, nor can you create or sustain ghouls.
You are Clanless and do not suffer from a clan weakness. You select 3 starting Disciplines freely, but cannot raise any Discipline above 2 dots. You are likely an outcast of Cainite society and cannot start play with the Domain or Status Backgrounds.
Barely a vampire, sunlight only causes Lethal damage to you and you can attempt to soak it with Stamina. Remaining awake during the day still presents the same difficulties as it does to other Cainites. You gain the effects (though not the actual Merits) of Blush of Health and Eat Food. You can conceive a Dhampir child.
You cannot see. Characters can compensate for the loss of vision by becoming more attuned to other sensory input, but visual cues and images are lost to them. Difficulties of all Dexterity-based rolls are increased by 2. Oddly, vampires with Aura Perception (Auspex 2) are still able to use this ability, though the information is interpreted via the other senses. On the other hand, vampires who need to make eye contact to enact powers like Dominate against you are at a penalty to do so.
You cannot perceive colors the way other people do. At 1 point, you cannot distinguish certain colors (most commonly green and/or red). At 2 points, you only see in black and white, and are likely to have other visual impairments as well.
You have an allergy to some substance which has followed you into your unlife. Your skin’s vampiric resistance to impurities provides protection from physical exposure; however, your allergen’s presence in the blood you consume will cause you to immediately vomit up any points of blood ingested from that source.
The 1-point version of this Flaw represents a specific or unusually consumed substance (heroin, laundry detergent). The 3-point version represents something often found in human blood (refined sugar, gluten).
Your sight is defective. The Difficulties of any die rolls involving the use of your eyesight are increased by 2. As a 1 point Flaw, this condition can be corrected with glasses or contacts; as a 3 point Flaw, the condition is too severe to be corrected.
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.
You feel compelled to take certain actions at certain times or under specific circumstances. This psychological quirk sometimes takes a highly ritualized form (constant hand-washing or grooming) or else manifests in trigger situations (compulsive gambling, swearing, talking, stealing). This Flaw not only causes problems for you, but for your companions as well. You may spend a Willpower point to avoid your compulsion temporarily. Check with your Storyteller to find out how long you can resist before you must spend another Willpower point or succumb to your compulsion.
Ravnos may not take this Flaw, as they already suffer from a similar weakness.
When you sleep, it is very difficult for you to awaken. The Difficulty of any roll to awaken during the day is increased by 2.
You have no patience for standing around and waiting. You want to do things now — fuck those slowpokes trying to hold you back. Every time you are forced to wait around instead of acting, a Self-Control roll is required to see if you go tearing off on your own instead.
You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Upon awakening, you must make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 7) or lose a die on all actions for that night. A botched Willpower roll indicates that, even when awake, you still believe that you are locked in a nightmare.
You refuse to hunt a certain class of prey. You might refuse to feed on drug dealers, policemen, accountants, or rich people — if you accidentally feed upon such an individual, you automatically frenzy and must make a roll to prevent Humanity/Path loss (Difficulty 7). Witnessing other Kindred feeding on the object of your exclusion might also provoke a frenzy, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Ventrue, owing to the limitations already imposed on their feeding by their clan weakness, may not take this Flaw.
You are distinctly ill at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. Difficulties for all rolls involving social interaction with strangers are increased by 2. If the character becomes the center of attention in a large group, Difficulties are increased by 3.
You cannot stand to watch others suffer. You avoid any situation that involves causing someone physical or emotional pain, unless you make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 8). You must have a Humanity rating of 7 or above to take this Flaw — vampires on Paths of Enlightenment can only take this Flaw with Storyteller approval.
You have a stammer or other speech impediment that hampers verbal communication. The Difficulties of all die rolls involving verbal communication are increased by 2. This Flaw must be roleplayed whenever possible.
You fail to see the need for the core ideologies of your sect or clan, and have gone on record as saying so. Taking your stand has made you suspect in the eyes of your superiors, and may have attracted the attention of your enemies as well.
You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself, or your family (whether mortal or vampiric), though your past might well come back to haunt you. Your origins and the circumstances behind your amnesia are for the Storyteller to determine, and they are encouraged to make it as interesting as possible.
You find mysteries of any sort irresistible. Whether it’s a closed drawer, a whispered conversation, or a mysterious light just beyond the trees, you have to know what is going on at all times. Anytime you are presented with the unknown, make a Wits roll or else you must go investigate. The Difficulty varies with the roll involved: 5 for simple things (“What is in that storage unit?”) and up to 9 for intense circumstances (“I wonder what those Tzimisce are planning. I’d better go listen in. What could possibly go wrong?”)
You are easily distracted and have a tendency to zone out during conversations, mission briefings, villainous monologues, etc. You cannot have Alertness above 3, and you suffer a -2 penalty to Initiative.
You are affected by the phases of the moon, increasing your chances to frenzy. Under the crescent moon, Difficulties to avoid frenzy increase by 1. Under the half or gibbous moon, Difficulties rise by 2. When the moon is full, Difficulties increase by 3.
You have an overpowering fear of something. Spiders, snakes, crowds, and heights are examples of common phobias. You must make a Courage roll every time you encounter the object of your fear. The Difficulty of the roll is determined by the Storyteller. If you fail the roll, you must retreat from the object.
You are easily angered. Difficulties to avoid frenzy are 2 greater.
Brujah vampires cannot take this Flaw, as they already suffer from a similar weakness.
Even as a vampire, you still don’t buy into all this mystical mumbo-jumbo about magical powers, werewolves, and demons. As far as you’re concerned, if you haven’t seen it, you don’t believe in it.
You cannot begin the game with any dots in Occult or similar Knowledges, and will be intent on finding the least supernatural explanation for any situation. Furthermore, you will have difficulty learning or advancing Disciplines — and some may be impossible for you (such as Obtenebration or Thaumaturgy). This Flaw must be roleplayed.
You buy heavily into all of the vampire stories you’ve read and heard. You wear a cape or body glitter, speak with an accent, and otherwise act in a cartoonish fashion. Such behavior is embarrassing in the extreme to other Kindred, who are likely to ostracize or mock you (+2 Difficulty to Social rolls with other vampires who don’t share your habits). You also stand out to hunters.
You are extremely territorial, staking out a particular area as your hunting ground and reacting aggressively to trespassers. If another vampire enters your territory uninvited, you must make a frenzy roll. If you fail, you immediately attack the interloper and continue attacking until the intruder is dead or has left your hunting grounds. You are reluctant to leave your territory except in desperate circumstances.
The sight of innocence — of any sort — arouses in you a terrible bloodlust. Roll Self-Control/Instinct, or else frenzy and attack the source of your hunger.
You have a score to settle, incurred either during your mortal days or after the Embrace. You are obsessed with taking your revenge on an individual or group, and it is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter the object of your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower point.
The Camarilla’s propaganda machine did too good a job on you. Even after your Embrace you refused to believe you were a vampire. You remain convinced that there is some logical explanation for your condition, and spend as much time as you can searching for it. You also have problems feeding, and may insist on trying to eat regular food. None of these habits makes you particularly pleasant company for other Kindred. This Flaw must be roleplayed at all times, and is generally taken by Camarilla vampires.
You cannot resist the urge to be a dick. Any time you encounter a person in physical or emotional pain, you must succeed on a Self-Control roll (Difficulty 7) to resist the urge to mock, poke, or otherwise torment them.
You forget things: important things like names, phone numbers, and which route to take to Elysium. You often forget tasks you’ve been assigned, what day or time certain happenings are taking place, or even when you last ate. Although you don’t forget Skills, Talents, or Knowledges, in order to remember specific details about anything more significant than your own name, you need to make an Intelligence roll (Difficulty is set by the Storyteller).
You are highly susceptible to Dominate and intimidation by others; Dominate attempts automatically affect you unless the Discipline wielder is of higher Generation, and your Difficulties to resist Social Abilities such as Intimidation or Leadership, as well as mind-altering spells or magic, are increased by 2. Your Willpower Trait may never rise above 4.
You were the sole survivor of a werewolf attack. You probably have PTSD, or at least exhibit similar symptoms, and must roll Courage (Difficulty 7) to enter or remain in areas where you know Garou may be encountered.
If you ever see or hear a werewolf, the Difficulty is increased to 10, and if you fail you will fall into Rötschreck.
It is not enough for you to draw nourishment from the blood of mortals — you believe you must also consume your victim’s heart, liver, and other blood-rich tissue. Of course, this will necessitate the deaths of all of your victims (unless you are extremely creative), which might lead to numerous problems with maintaining Humanity (and a low profile). Characters with this Flaw should additionally purchase the Eat Food Merit.
You simply cannot come to grips with the fact that you must drink blood to survive. You suffer horrible guilt over each time you feed (roll Conscience, Difficulty 7, or else frenzy every time you feed — characters with the Conviction Virtue cannot take this Flaw) and try to avoid doing so as much as possible. This means that you rarely have much blood in your system, leaving you vulnerable to both attacks and hunger-based frenzies.
You managed to make it through the Creation Rites or other similarly traumatic experience, but not wholly intact. The most insignificant thing can throw you into a different mood or state of mind, and as such your behavior is extremely unpredictable. Because of your precarious emotional state, your Willpower fluctuates. At the beginning of each story, make a Willpower roll (you may not spend Willpower for an automatic success). If you succeed, you may participate in the story as normal. If you fail, however, your Willpower score is considered to be 1 for the duration of that session, and you only have 1 Willpower point to spend. You may roll again at the beginning of the next session to see if you regain your Willpower.
When your sire presented you to the Prince of the city, you flubbed it. Now you’re convinced Their Majesty hates you (whether they do or not). You need to succeed on a Willpower roll (Difficulty 7) just to stand in front of the Prince or one of their duly authorized representatives without running, blubbering, or otherwise making a fool of yourself.
This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires.
There is no honor among thieves, nor trust among liars. You are known as someone whose word cannot be trusted. Whether earned or not, you have a reputation for deceit and treachery, and you lose one die from all Social rolls involving any extension of trust, truth, or believing your words.
You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah in the local Kindred community. This could be anything from having murdered an elder to being a member of the Anarchs.
Someone in power doesn’t want you around. Maybe xe wants territory you possess, or is jealous of the attention you’re getting from a prize mortal retainer — the details are irrelevant. What does matter is that xe has the power to maneuver you into dangerous situations “for the good of the sect,” and has no compunctions about doing so.
The whole matter has been explained to you, but you’re still not quite sure how things in your sect work. Your imperfect understanding of the rules and regulations of your new existence means that sooner or later, you’re going to make a mistake. It’s only a matter of time...
Your sire was, and perhaps still is, distrusted and disliked by many of the city’s Kindred. As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well.
You look similar to descriptions of another Kindred, which causes cases of mistaken identity. This can prompt numerous awkward or even dangerous situations, especially if your “twin” has a terrible reputation or is wanted for some crime.
You are hopelessly naïve about the nature of reality and see everything through “rose-colored glasses.” You may have been brought up in wealth and privilege or be a survivor of abuse and trauma that you have repressed. You are hesitant to suspect evil or foul play in others, which can be a serious problem. The Difficulty for any rolls for you to detect another person’s ill intent is raised by 2.
You’ve just arrived in your new city of residence, and don’t know anyone in the place. Existing factions may try to recruit or eliminate you, while vampires in positions of authority size you up and take your measure. Meanwhile, your ignorance of the city’s current events, history, and politics (not to mention the personality quirks of the vampires already in place) may cause you to make a serious blunder.
You’re the latest in the city to be Embraced or have yet to prove yourself to your sect, and everyone knows it. That automatically puts you at the bottom of the social totem pole. Other neonates take every opportunity to demonstrate your inferiority, or rival packs constantly test your worthiness to the Sabbat. Even if someone else is added to the ranks of the unliving, you’re still regarded as something of a geek by your peers — a distinction that can have dangerous consequences if bullets start flying. All Social-related rolls are at +1 Difficulty when you are dealing with other neonates. (Ancillae and elders lump you in with all the other neonates under their general disdain.)
Someone in one of your sect’s enemy organizations wants you, and they want you bad. Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or not, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time.
Your sire dislikes you and wishes you ill. Given the smallest opportunity, xe will actively seek to do you harm. Your sire’s allies also work against you, and many elders may resent you.
Shortly after your Embrace, you volunteered for some task in order to gain respect and approval from the vampires around you. Now, you wish you had never opened your damn mouth! While you are not given any special credit for performing this duty, you would lose a lot of respect if you were to stop. The nature and the details of your duty should be worked out with the Storyteller in advance. Ideas can range from lending money to other Kindred to acting as a messenger or possibly gathering victims for ritae (such as Blood Feasts).
You have publicly expressed sympathy for some of the goals and policies of the enemies of your sect. Your outspoken views on the subject have made you suspect in the eyes of the city’s hierarchy, and you may be suspected of (or arrested for) treason.
Tact is a foreign concept to you, and you’re famous for being abrasive and generally unpleasant. Rolls involving social graces or delicate situations suffer +1 Difficulty.
You are blood bound to another vampire. Your regnant may not necessarily treat you badly, but the fact remains that your will is not entirely your own. The knowledge gnaws at you, even as you find yourself lost in devotion to your vampiric master.
Sabbat vampires cannot take this Flaw.
You’ve done dirty work for someone high up in the city’s hierarchy in the past — the Sheriff, the Bishop, or even someone higher. However, instead of granting you favor, your deeds have made you an embarrassment or a liability. For the moment, your former employer’s concern is to keep you quiet. In the long term, it’s to get rid of you.
You had targeted a mortal for the Embrace, but someone else got there first. You cannot stand the humiliation of being cheated of your prize, and fly into a rage (+2 Difficulty to avoid frenzy) whenever you see the one who got away. This hatred may lead you into other irrational behaviors, like Embracing enemies of the neonate, creating unauthorized childer, or even trying to kill your rival. Furthermore, your petty and irrational behavior is well-known and quite noticeable, and as a result you are at + 1 Difficulty on all Charisma rolls until the situation is resolved.
Your personal motto is simple: I do what I want. This has, as might be expected, caused you trouble more than once. You are wanted in several domains for various minor crimes, such as exsanguinating the Seneschal’s favorite ghoul. You haven’t been blood hunted just yet, but the writing is on the wall. You’ve just about run out of time and no one wants you to take them with you when everything turns sideways. One more mistake and you sign your Final Death warrant. All Social-based rolls to acquire help are at +2 Difficulty, except those involving Intimidation.
You once held a title in the city, but failed catastrophically in your duties. Now you are branded incompetent, excluded from circles of power and responsibility, and generally ostracized by those on their way up. Your exclusion may make you a target for recruitment by the sect’s enemies (or so the whispers run, making you even more distrusted). Conversely, the consequences of your error might come back to haunt you.
Maybe you’re slow on the uptake, or maybe you just never learned to separate truth from fiction. Whatever the cause, you’re particularly susceptible to lies and half-truths. You lose 3 dice from all dice pools relating to guile and subterfuge (not stealth), whether perpetrating your own feeble lies or attempting to penetrate someone else’s words to find the truth.
In your first nights as a vampire, you accidentally broke the Masquerade — and were spotted doing so. Someone else covered for your mistake, but holds the favor over you. Now you exist in fear that your error will be revealed. In the meantime, your “savior” takes pitiless advantage of you.
This Flaw can only be taken by vampires in sects or clans that respect the Masquerade.
You are easily cowed by authority figures, and find resisting their instructions, demands, and criticisms especially difficult. Individuals of greater status or authority than yourself receive a -2 Difficulty modifier when interacting with you socially.
This Flaw is very rare amongst Brujah, and is not available to those with the Rebel, Rogue, or other similarly individualistic Natures.
Someone you once cared deeply for is now with the enemy. They still attempt to play on your sympathies “for old times’ sake” while working against you. Unless you succeed on a contested Manipulation + Expression roll against your former friend, you cannot act against them unless the situation becomes life-threatening.
You don’t like it when others interact with your coterie, packmates, retainers, or prey. If someone you care about, value, or otherwise desire is having a conversation with someone else in your presence, you suffer a +1 Difficulty to all Social and Mental rolls for the duration, as you are unable to focus on anything else.
If the interaction seems successful or intimate enough, you may have to roll Self-Control (Difficulty of at least 6, set by the Storyteller) to not interrupt them in a fit of jealous rage.
The flip side of Escaped Target, two vampires wanted to gift you with the Embrace. One succeeded, one failed — and xe’s not happy about that failure. You, your actual sire, or both of you have become the target of the failed suitor’s ire. Regardless, your persecutor is at +2 Difficulty to refrain from frenzy in your presence. In addition, xe may well be working actively to discredit or destroy you.
You are proud of your new status in the sect — so proud that you’ve shot your mouth off to other Kindred and made some enemies. Wiser vampires laugh at you and chalk your rudeness up to youth, but others find you arrogant and insulting. These enemies will take action to embarrass or harm you. Furthermore, you are at +2 Difficulty on all Social rolls against any vampires you have alienated through your yammering — and you may not know who they are.
At the Storyteller’s discretion, you may also be required to make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 6) to keep your mouth shut any time the opportunity presents itself for you to brag about your pack, your clan, or your status.
Your sire regards the fact that xe Embraced you to be a titanic mistake, and has let everyone know it. You are mocked at gatherings, taunted by your peers, and actively despised by the one who should be giving you guidance. Any request or petition you make is likely to be looked down upon by friends of your sire, and your achievements are likely to be discounted.
Once, you held near-absolute power in a city, but those nights are gone now. Perhaps you stepped down, perhaps you were deposed, or perhaps your city fell to the Sabbat; it matters little in your reduced state. What does matter is that the Prince in the city where you now dwell is aware of your prior employment, and has concerns that you might be trying to make a comeback. The machinery of the Camarilla in the city where you now make your home is subtly stacked against you, and if the Prince sees an opportunity to get rid of you xe just might take it.
This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires.
Another sect or group of vampires has decided that you’re a target for extermination, and pursues you relentlessly. On the bright side, the enemies of your enemy may well wish to help you out, potentially garnering you allies.
You are known to be a snitch, an informer firmly planted in the pocket of the vampires in charge. Those on whom you might yet inform loathe you as a result, feeding you misinformation when they can in an attempt to discredit you. Given the opportunity, they might do you mischief. Regardless, your reputation as a weasel precedes you, putting you at +1 Difficulty on all Social rolls against those who don’t agree with your politics.
You have some sort of intimate connection with a member of an opposing sect or inimical clan. You may have a lover, a childe, a friend, or a contact working the other side of the fence, but regardless of politics you retain a friendly (or more than friendly) relationship with your putative foe. Your close ties to someone on the other side would be regarded as treason by your superiors within the sect, and if you are discovered, the penalty will surely be death.
Regardless of how well you know the arts of subterfuge or how clever you think you are, some unconscious tell-tale sign gives you away when you are lying: a subtle quaver in your voice, a slight facial tic, a darkly gleeful look in your eyes, or something similar. All attempts to lie, regardless of the circumstances, audience, or goal, are made at +2 Difficulty.
One clan in particular wants you dead. You have offended the entire clan, from elders to neonates, and as a result every member of that bloodline wants your head on a plate. The effects of the Flaw may manifest as anything from very public snubs and insults to actual attempts on your unlife. You are also at +2 Difficulty on all Social rolls relating to members of the clan in question.
You are pursued by a fanatical witch-hunter who believes (perhaps correctly) that you are a danger to humanity. All those with whom you associate, be they mortal or Kindred, may be hunted as well.
Not only are you blood bound, but you are also in thrall to a vampire who mistreats you hideously. Perhaps you are publicly abused or humiliated; perhaps your master forces you to commit unspeakable acts for them. In any case, existence under the bond is a neverending nightmare, with your regnant serving to conduct the symphony of malice.
Sabbat vampires cannot take this Flaw.
Once you swore fealty to a lord or organization, or made a binding contract. You’ve broken that promise and everyone knows about it. Now it’s near impossible to earn the trust of others. The Difficulty of Social rolls to convince someone of your trustworthiness is increased by 3, and even members of your coterie may have reservations about you.
You’ve got your fingers in too many pies, and people are starting to notice. You have too many ghouls, too many retainers, or too much influence, which means that a lot of people have a vested interest in trimming back your operations. These enemies take every opportunity to reduce your power and influence, and if that means lying, cheating, or killing, so be it. Furthermore, your enemies block every attempt you make to move into new areas of control. You’re boxed in, and the box is getting smaller.
You are a defector. You turned traitor to the Camarilla, Sabbat, or other sect, and you still have much to prove before you are accepted by the Kindred you have defected to. Other vampires treat you with distrust and even hostility, and your reputation might even sully those whom you regularly associate with.
The character has begun to wear out zir welcome when it comes to making demands on the Trophy Clan. While the clan has promised zir any number of rewards, both monetary and supernatural, the new Alastor has been abusing the Trophy’s Clan hospitality and is taking advantage of them. Making demands of local Kindred resources, throwing the fallen Anathema back in the clan’s face, or being overly arrogant about the fact that the clan owes the character are just some of the ways an Alastor can demonstrate this Flaw.
Note: This Flaw is only available to Alastor characters who have killed an Anathema. It is not available to those named Alastors by Justicars and the Inner Circle.
You belong to a prestigious lineage that is considered to be a paragon of another sect, or at least it did before you joined the Anarch Movement. You have embarrassed your sire, grandsire, and perhaps even farther back up the line; now the time has come to pay. Your erstwhile broodmates want to bring you back into the fold, if only to clean the stain from your reputation, and are unwilling to recognize your independence. Your sire and grandsire spare no effort to make things uncomfortable for you and any Anarchs who shelter you. This Flaw combines the effects of Sire’s Resentment and Hunted Like a Dog, so those Flaws may not be taken in conjunction with Black Sheep.
In addition, many members of the Anarch Movement actively distrust you solely based on your lineage, believing that you are a double-agent. All Social rolls involving your fellow Anarchs incur a +2 Difficulty.
Somehow you’ve drawn the scorn of the local Harpies, who make you their favorite target. You are at a +2 Difficulty on all Social rolls in Elysium and a +1 anywhere else in the city. In addition, you are at +2 Difficulty to use Intimidation or any Dominate powers on anyone who has heard the stories mocking you.
This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires.
You are either being considered for or are already on the dreaded Red List, the registry of those vampires the Camarilla most wants extinguished. Any Camarilla vampire will either attack you on sight or, more likely, call in for a great deal of help.
You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. The power of the enemy depends upon how many points the player wishes to spend (5 points indicate the wrath of a Methuselah or other potent supernatural foe).
You are incapable of deception. Whether due to a sense of honor or fear of reprisal, you will not lie under any circumstances.
At 1 point, you cannot say anything you know to be untrue, though you can still lie by omission. As a 3 point Flaw, you will answer any question to the best of your knowledge. The 4 point version of this Flaw requires you to make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 7) to not correct anyone who lies or omits information in your presence.
All Subterfuge rolls made by an Excessively Honest character fail automatically, regardless of the level purchased.
You have been made the target of a Blood Hunt, and for you to return to your home city is death. For 4 points, this Flaw means that only your home city is off-limits to you. For 6, it means that the entire Camarilla is howling for your vitae.
This Flaw can only be taken by Camarilla vampires.
You actually cast no reflection, just like the vampires of legend. This can have a detrimental effect when trying to pass as a human. Vampires of Clan Lasombra automatically have this Flaw (and you may be mistaken for one of them if you possess this).
A chill wind follows you everywhere you go. While it may make for dramatic entrances, this effect also discomfits mortals (+1 Difficulty on all appropriate Social rolls) and marks you as obviously supernatural. Cold winds sweeping through executive offices or crowded nightclubs can raise all sorts of questions.
You cannot abide garlic, and the smallest whiff of its scent will drive you from a room unless you make a successful Willpower roll (Difficulty based on the strength of the odor).
Plants wither as you approach and die at your touch. Your touch leeches heat from living beings, as though you were made of ice.
You radiate palpable evil. Clergy and devout mortals know instinctively that there is something horribly wrong with you, and react accordingly.
Everything appears rotted and decayed to you. The world appears to you as a corpse; mortals look diseased or skeletal, buildings seem decrepit, and your fellow Kindred seem to be walking, moldering cadavers. You are at -2 Difficulty to resist all rolls based on Appearance, but by the same token you are at +2 Difficulty on all Perception-based rolls. In addition, you find social interaction difficult and are at +1 Difficulty on all Social-based rolls.
Mortals have an unconscious awareness of your undead nature, which makes them anxious and ill at ease in your presence. Because of this, Difficulties of all rolls relating to social interaction with mortals are increased by 2.
Should you drain a mortal vessel of all blood, minutes after xyr heart stops beating, the corpse rises as a zombie (using the statistics for zombies from the Bone Path of Necromancy). These zombies are free-willed, hostile toward you, and cannot be directed without some sorcerous or Necromantic means to command them.
Buzzing harbingers of decay swirl around you everywhere. Their constant presence makes it difficult for you to interact socially (+1 Difficulty when appropriate) and nearly impossible to sneak up on someone or hide effectively. The buzzing of the flies inevitably gives you away — all Stealth rolls are at +2 Difficulty.
You believe in the old folklore, and cannot cross running water unless you are at least 50 feet (15 meters) above it. Running water is considered to be any body of water at least two feet (half a meter) wide in any direction and not completely stagnant.
Whether product of your Embrace or gained through exposure to infernal or other unholy power, you’ve been branded with the “Devil’s Mark,” an anatomical aberration that manifests the taint of the demonic. Possible deformities include, but are not limited to: bestial or inhuman eyes, hooves, horns, unnaturally colored or scaly skin, a birthmark in the form of a sigil, parasitic infestation, claws, misshapen teeth. or ineffectual (perhaps additional) limbs. You may never remove or “improve” these disfigurements, although magic or Disciplines can hide them from plain sight.
A Devil’s Mark confers the following mechanical effects: Lower the maximum rating in 1 Attribute by 1 (if the maximum rating is 5, it becomes 4), while the cost to raise said Attribute increases by 1 [1 + the current rating x 4]. If the Mark becomes visible or is known to a mortal, it confers a -1 Difficulty on Intimidation rolls when dealing with xyr, but in turn increases the Difficulties for all other Social die rolls by 1. Players should work with a Storyteller to determine an appropriate Devil’s Mark, and the Physical Attribute best suited to their Mark.
You are haunted by an angry and tormented spirit, most likely one of your first victims. This spirit actively attempts to hinder you, especially when feeding, and does its utmost to vent its anguish upon you and anyone in your presence. The Storyteller determines the exact nature of the spirit, its powers, and whether or not it can eventually be laid to rest.
You cannot enter a home uninvited. More than a matter of etiquette, you feel physical pain when trespassing.
Every turn you stand inside a private residence which a current resident has not invited you into you suffer a single die of unsoakable Lethal damage. Once you have been invited in, however, you can come and go as you please; you cannot be “uninvited.”
In your presence lights dim, tiny flames extinguish, and shadows cling to you or languidly move about with a surreal unlife, making it impossible to pass as anything other than inhuman. The particular shadow you cast is a malicious entity with a will of its own. It lashes out at friends and enemies alike, tearing at the scenery, and snarling at passers-by. These effects can be suppressed for a scene by spending a point of Willpower.
You are repelled by the sight of ordinary crosses, believing them to be symbols of holy might. When confronted by a cross, you must make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 9) or flee from the symbol for the duration of the scene. If you botch the roll, not only must you attempt to flee, but the touch of the cross can cause Aggravated damage (1 health level of damage per turn that the cross touches your skin). This damage cannot be soaked, even if the vampire possesses Fortitude.
There is no ecstasy in your Embrace — only terror and pain. Mortals upon whom you feed struggle and shriek while you attempt to feed, requiring you to grapple with them for as long as you wish to take their blood. For vampires with high Humanity, this experience may require a Humanity roll, at the discretion of the Storyteller.
Giovanni cannot take this Flaw.
You are doomed to experience Final Death or, worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, you cannot avoid this terrible fate. At some point during the chronicle, your Dark Fate will come upon you. Even more ghastly is the fact that you occasionally have visions of this fate, and the malaise these images inspire requires an expenditure of a temporary Willpower point to avoid, or else you lose a die from all of your actions for the remainder of the night. It is up to the Storyteller to determine the exact nature of this fate, and when it will occur. This is a difficult Flaw to roleplay; ironically, though it may seem as though it removes all free will, the knowledge of one’s death can be quite liberating.
You are even more sensitive to sunlight than other vampires are. Sunlight causes double normal damage, and the light of the moon can cause Lethal damage in a manner similar to the sun, though it must shine directly upon you. Even bright lights hurt your eyes, requiring the use of sunglasses.
Followers of Set and related bloodlines cannot take this Flaw, as they already have a worse version of it.
Through natural predisposition or a curse, you bear a permanent 1 point blood bond to those 1 Generation lower, a 2 point blood bond with those 2 Generations lower, and a 3 point blood bond to those 3 or more Generations lower than you within your own clan. These blood bonds override any other blood bonds you may earn during play. This can be a great risk for Hand members, as the blood forces allegiances to potentially risky vampires, or worse, to heretical ideologies.
Whether from advanced age, your addiction to diablerie, or the degradation of your Humanity, you are no longer capable of drinking mortal blood to sustain yourself and must feed upon the vitae of other vampires, or other supernatural creatures with potent reserves, such as Lupines or fae, to survive. You may attempt to drink the blood of mortals, but it will not nourish you. If you do not feed on sufficiently powerful beings, you will go into torpor.
The Scourge is a vampire-specific plague that infects the Blood. This disease is a mutated strain of leprosy crossed with the bubonic plague which directly attacks the vampire’s vitae. Once infected, the victim must spend more blood each time ze expends vitae. The cost for any vitae expenditure increases by one for each night the victim suffers from The Scourge. In some cases, the victim also suffers from a disfiguring malady that impacts zir appearance but does not threaten zir life.
While The Scourge is curable on a case-by-case basis, the disease itself cannot be exterminated. In extremely rare cases, an afflicted vampire becomes a carrier of the disease and immune to its effects. The carrier then spreads The Scourge to other vampires.
Currently, there is only one known carrier of the disease, the Nosferatu Anathema Rabbat.
You are the recipient of a supernatural curse. The strength and pervasiveness of the curse depend upon how many points you wish to incur. Some example curses are:
You have a close friend in one of the Kindred sects. Perhaps you are a Warrior who is in touch with one of the antitribu, a Vizier who shares common business interests with some Camarilla Ventrue, or a Sorcerer who corresponds with one of the rare blood magicians of the Anarch Movement. Your ally can help you navigate the currents of xyr sect, but xe might want something in exchange from time to time.
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.
You have rejected the ethos of the caste into which you were Embraced. Perhaps you are one of the few Viziers or Sorcerers to support the Web of Knives or pursue the Path of Blood. Perhaps you are a Warrior who has little stomach for combat, preferring instead to be a diplomat or a student of the occult. Perhaps you made some kind of public spectacle that revealed your disdain for your fellow caste members. Your sire now rejects you, as do the other members of your caste. The Difficulty of all Social rolls against members of your caste is at +2.
You are one of those most pitiful things — an Assamite antitribu who still labors under the Tremere Curse. You have pledged yourself to the Sabbat, but you cannot perform diablerie and can only partake of Kindred vitae already transubstantiated through the Vaulderie. As a result, the Difficulty of all Social rolls against other Sabbat members is increased by 2.
In addition to the normal curse imposed upon you by your caste or sect, you suffer one additional curse associated with the Assamite clan. Most likely, you are a rare Vizier or Sorcerer within the Sabbat who suffers the Baali Curse in addition to your normal caste-imposed curse, but at the Storyteller’s discretion, other combinations may be possible.
Brujah who have devoted themselves to mastering their frenzies through the Path of Entelechy sometimes find tangible benefits resulting from their efforts. A Brujah with this Merit may briefly delay the full onset of frenzy.
Prerequisite: Path of Entelechy
System: The player spends a Willpower point at the onset of frenzy and then rolls the Brujah’s Entelechy rating. The Difficulty is 1 higher than the original roll to resist frenzy. The Brujah still frenzies, but the player controls zir character’s actions for 1 turn per success. Furthermore, when the period of partial control ends and the Brujah loses control, the Difficulty of any Degeneration rolls triggered by sins committed during the frenzy are reduced by the number of successes rolled, to a minimum Difficulty of 4.
Your natural charisma draws mortals to you like groupies to a rock star. Consequently, it is easier for you to acquire certain Backgrounds related to mortals.
System: In addition to any Backgrounds acquired at character creation or through roleplay, you can purchase new Backgrounds with experience points at the end of each story. The available Backgrounds are Allies, Contacts, Herd, and Retainers, and each new dot costs the current rating in experience points.
Your innate Brujah rage always percolates below the surface no matter how hard you try to project an image of calm. Mortals find you intrinsically menacing, and instinctively fear you for the violence you promise to unleash. The Difficulty of all non-Intimidation Social rolls made against mortals increases by 2.
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.
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.
You were Embraced into a clan other than the Followers of Set. However, you have accepted the Setite religion, undergone the vetting process and rites, and have been formally inducted into the cult. You have access to Serpentis and Setite Sorcery (though you pay out-of-clan costs to learn it). You may even study one of their Paths of Enlightenment.
It is important to note that “Setites” from other clans or bloodlines are not treated as second-class citizens. You are no longer a dupe they can string along. Once you are in, you are a sibling of faith, which is a much more important distinction than blood. An outsider accepting the Dark God is a joyous event, even to the most conservative elder. There are even rumors of non-Kindred supernatural beings joining the cult.
Set blessed you upon your Embrace, and you bear his mark. A portion of your skin is covered in scales. As a 1-point Flaw, a small, easily hidden area of skin is covered. As a 2-point Flaw, a whole limb is covered, while having a scaled, lipless face is a 3-point Flaw. Kine are frightened and disturbed by the obviously unnatural scales, and Kindred have their own prejudices against the Setites. All Social rolls receive a +2 Difficulty when the scales are visible. This penalty does not apply to social interactions with other Setites.
You have developed venom glands in the roof of your mouth. The venom is a virulent neurotoxin, fatal to mortals, although Kindred and other supernatural creatures are unaffected by it. You, of course, are immune. The problem is you have no control over your poison glands. When you bite, you always inject this venom, usually killing your human victims. You must learn to feed in other ways, perhaps drawing the blood you need with a syringe or razor, if you do not wish to kill every time you feed.
Your tongue is forked, flickering, and inhumanly reptilian. Upholding the Masquerade becomes difficult for you. Note that this tongue does not inflict Aggravated damage, nor draw blood.
You have lost your heart. Either you removed it via The Heart of Darkness, or an elder did it to you, but either way you no longer have easy access to it. The heart might be in the possession of a foe, or simply missing. If it turns out that a Cainite possesses the heart (say a Setite elder, or your sire) you must obey xyr every command. If it’s merely missing, the anxiety and obsession to find it interferes with your nightly existence, and may increase the Difficulty of Willpower rolls by +1 at Storyteller discretion.
Something slithers beneath your skin, coiled in your very essence — something that causes the Lupines to stalk you for some dread purpose you do not understand. Their howls follow in your wake. You catch glimpses of blurred motion and the gleam of eyes and teeth in the dark. They get closer every night. What do they want from you?
Your Animalism works on insects and other creepy-crawlies in addition to mammalian animals. If you select the 2-point version of this Merit, your Protean forms may take the form of an insectoid swarm rather than a single creature (though the swarm must be of a size equivalent to a wolf or a bat, as appropriate).
Anytime you make an Occult roll to know a fact about vampiric history, you may add a die to your dice pool. Further, you have exceptional memory for oral histories, and you are a quick study when it comes to memorizing large amounts of rote information. This is not true eidetic memory, but constitutes the ability to memorize poetic eddas, codes, or complex messages with only a few hours of study.
Common to the Gangrel known as the Knights of Avalon, you are able to control how your Beast manifests more than others do. Whenever you would gain an animalistic feature, roll your current Willpower (Difficulty [12 - Humanity rating], maximum 9). If successful, you manage to channel your humanity to avoid gaining an animalistic feature. However, your Beast is further from you, making you at +2 Difficulty to rolls involving Animalism or Protean (or combo Disciplines involving those powers) for the rest of the evening. Vampires on a Path of Enlightenment lose all access to this Merit.
Your Protean forms are flexible; you may choose a different animal form each time you change shape. The form you choose each time must follow all the conventions and rules of standard Protean animal shapes; you simply may choose to appear as a different animal each time you take the Shape of the Beast.
You can only summon, speak to, and command a specific type of animal — ravens, rats, and so forth — with Animalism. Your Storyteller is the best adjudicator of what types of animal are appropriate for this Flaw, but the choice should be fairly limiting. Other animals do not respond to your uses of Animalism at all.
Anytime you are penned in or physically restrained (such as by a cage, or with handcuffs), you suffer acute anxiety. The Difficulties of any rolls made under such circumstances are increased by 2.
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 7 helpings of meat (1 per health level). Each helping provides you with 1 blood point.
Your character cannot be blood bound by anyone who shares their mortal bloodline. That is, if you were born into the Giovanni family, you cannot be bound by anyone else who was born a Giovanni, though you can still be bound by, say, a Pisanob of the Giovanni clan, or by Kindred of any other clan. Similarly, a Dunsirn with Consanguineous Resistance could not be bound by others who were born into the mortal Dunsirn family, but could be bound by a Milliner of the Giovanni clan.
The Giovanni are extremely suspicious of anyone known to manifest this quirk. Although this blood-borne aberration hasn’t been documented, a few savvy Giovanni have a rough idea of what it is and does. It’s generally associated with being a rebellious young smartass who needs to be put down. This is not as unfair as it sounds; by the time a bond resistance is really obvious, it’s likely because a punishment isn’t working. A character who is discovered to have this trait probably earns zir sire’s hostility at the very least.
You died. Perhaps you were murdered, or simply had a car accident. Whatever the cause, you were gone. But your sire found you too useful, or couldn’t let you go. You were Embraced using the Ferryman’s Recall ritual. The Embrace left you with the scars of your death, eternal tracework reminders of your trip to the other side. It also left you with the taut, pallid complexion of the dead.
In addition to the traditional weakness of your clan, you also suffer disfigurement from your time as a true corpse. While you are able to heal yourself just like any other vampire, the wounds do not heal cleanly. You retain the scars of every experience. Depending on the nature of the damage, this can make social dealings exceedingly difficult, and may decrease your Appearance dots over time (even to 0). However, your time across the Shroud also gave you a natural feel for Necromantic blood magic. The Difficulties of all Necromancy rolls are reduced by 2. This trait costs 4 points for characters who already have an Appearance of 0 (such as Samedi and the Harbingers of Skulls), or 2 points for any other Kindred. It is an incredibly rare condition even among the Giovanni, and essentially unknown outside the clan.
Giovanni with this Merit generally arouse the superstition of their clan, and are treated with a definite wariness, particularly by Anziani. Characters with the Mortuario Merit may not also possess the Sanguine Incongruity Merit or similar flaws such as Monstrous.
Giovanni with this atavism are few and far between. Kindred possessing it do not bear the traditional Giovanni clan weakness, the so-called Curse of Lamia; their Kiss causes no more damage than the blood loss itself. These vampires acquire a peculiar pallor upon their Embrace, however — they look like corpses, and no amount of blood ingestion can flush their features (as other vampires are able to do). Indeed, the bearer of this Merit more closely resembles the clan’s Cappadocian ancestors, and they have a slightly unnerving air about them. As a result, all rolls involving a Social Attribute (Charisma, Manipulation, or Appearance) are at +1 Difficulty.
Giovanni with this Merit are afforded wide berth, as the Giovanni tend to be quite superstitious about it. Characters with the Sanguine Incongruity Merit may not also possess the Mortuario Merit.
Inbreeding, a common occurrence among the incestuous Giovanni clan, can take many forms. The Inbred Flaw covers all manner of physical, mental, and emotional defects. A 1-point Inbreeding is something simple and unobtrusive, such as eyes too close together or an underbite (+1 Difficulty on Appearance rolls). A 3-point Inbreeding is more severe: a congenital health condition (for mortals) or a crippling physical deformity (+2 Difficulty on appropriate Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina rolls). 5-point Inbreedings are grossly disabling or emotionally crippling — everything from uselessly atrophied legs to a permanent Derangement — decided on mutually by the player and Storyteller. Inbred conditions may or may not be immediately discernible, though their point cost should be relative to their magnitude, as decided by the Storyteller.
The Giovanni clan is by its nature inexorably tied to the realm beyond the sudario. Giovanni suffering from this Flaw are so tied to the Shadowlands that even in the lands of the living they must interact with the world of the dead on a nightly basis. To shadow walkers, objects in the Underworld are as real as anything found in the physical world. Such vampires find that the ghosts of walls may impede their flight, ghostly objects may strike them, and wraiths’ powers work as if the Kindred were on the far side of the Shroud. This Flaw is similar to the Ash Path power Dead Hand, except that Shadow Walker is always on and it in no way allows the character possessing it to perceive beyond the Shroud.
The Storyteller may determine that certain Shadowlands topography interferes with you. Unless you have some ability to do so, you can’t see into the Shadowlands, so you have to be careful in feeling your way about — essentially, a blind man subject to the Underworld landscape. At the Storyteller’s discretion, immaterial walls or environmental effects may restrict you.
While the Courts of Blood are usually difficult to sway, you have become very good at shifting the balance. A mixture of experience and political empathy allow you to know just the right way to nudge the decision in your direction, or perhaps for that of your client. Any roll made that will affect the decision in a Court of Blood is granted a bonus or penalty (whichever is in your favor) in dice equal to the level you have of this Merit.
There is something about your eyes that makes you look dark and dangerous. Making eye contact with you is like staring into the Abyss. It may not be obvious why, but anyone you talk to gets a chill when they meet your gaze. The Difficulty for any Intimidation roll is reduced by the number of points in this Merit (to a minimum of 2).
When someone uses their contacts to their advantage, you can try to use yours to overrule them. You might get an editor to quash a reporter’s story, or get a gang boss to stop his thugs taking down a rival. To do this you must make a roll using Manipulation + Contacts (Difficulty 8). If you can get more successes than the Contacts rating of your opponent, their contacts fail to come through for them.
There is something about the sea that makes you feel at home. You are in tune with the tides and rhythm of the ocean. When on a boat in the ocean or on a river, you may add a die to all your dice pools except for Disciplines.
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.
You have several resources, sleeper agents, or followers hidden away for a rainy day. For each level of this Merit you have 1 unassigned background point “sitting in storage” (2 gives you one point, 3 gives you 2 points, and so on). At any time, you may spend as many of them as you like to increase your level in Allies, Contacts, Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, or Retainers. Once spent, the points remain assigned permanently, but until then they cannot be affected by anything. This allows the vampire to create a new resource in an instant, without requiring the expenditure of experience points or awaiting a downtime. The vampire is not really gaining new levels, but revealing levels ze has had all along.
Whether you are good at barking orders or simply have a commanding tone, people tend to do what you tell them to do. You are not so much a natural leader as a born commander. When using the Leadership Talent to get others to obey you, the Difficulty is reduced by 2.
It is hard to hold onto your Humanity within the Sabbat, or even simply as a vampire. Your ability to empathize with the kine makes it more difficult. However, you have found a way to draw strength from that empathy. Any Degeneration checks you make while on the Path of Humanity reduce their Difficulty by 2.
You never leave anything to chance; every action is a carefully considered stratagem. Once per session you may declare an action you are about to take is actually “all part of your plan” and reduce its Difficulty by 2 points. The Storyteller may veto the use of this ability on particular rolls. The player and Storyteller should keep a note of each of these occasions and decide how they are linking together into a grand scheme.
Your self-confidence comes not from a belief in your own abilities, but due to a direct manifesto from the Lord. You have a divine purpose and He works through you, even though your goals may seem anything but holy. Whether it is because of your powerful will or an actual connection to the divine, you gain 3 additional dice to resist the powers of True Faith when they are used against you.
Your night vision is good, but you can’t turn it off. While you can see easily into the deepest shadows, any light is almost blinding to you. You suffer penalties the brighter the area you are in is lit, inversely proportional to the standard penalties for darkness. Even just standing in a well-lit room is uncomfortable to you.
You like to be in charge so much you have a hard time following anyone else’s orders. When given a plan or told to do something, you tend to do the opposite on principle. Whenever you are ordered to do something, you must make a Willpower roll with a Difficulty depending on the importance of the superior and the danger of the task (Difficulty 7 is typical for someone directly above the vampire assigning them a moderately dangerous task). If you fail, you will do anything except what you’ve been told to do.
Somehow, you have failed to prove yourself worthy of the name Lasombra. Maybe your sire did not test you well enough, or an opportunity to prove yourself has not come up. Whatever the reason, you are not truly considered part of the clan. All social dealings with other Lasombra suffer a -3 dice penalty. You may also not be chosen to sit in judgment in the Courts of Blood.
Reading an aura using Auspex requires the viewer to focus on recurring patterns and colors to detect a target’s emotional state. Because of the unique state of your psyche, your aura is even harder to read than most. All uses of Aura Perception are at a +2 Difficulty against you.
You have dreams during your daylight sleep. Dreams you remember. Sometimes, they even come true. Rather than regain a point of Willpower when you rest during the day, you may choose to have the Storyteller give your character a lucid dream featuring foreshadowing about upcoming events, characters, and situations.
Whenever you meet someone for the first time, you may spend a number of points of Willpower equal to your Perception. For each point spent, you may ask the Storyteller 1 question about the character. The Storyteller must either answer truthfully or let you take the Willpower point back to you to avoid answering the question.
You’ve spent some time in state institutions like prisons or asylums, likely before your Embrace. Most people have some sort of information that relays date of birth and other bits of fact. This information is hard to eliminate, and may endanger the Masquerade. Enemies with the right influence may be able to track down the information and use it against you. It may lead to vulnerable targets or clue hunters to where your haven is located.
Oracles are often marked as messengers of the gods. Your markings come in the forms of phantom wounds that seep blood. The bleeding is slight but incessant, costing you an extra blood point every day just before you wake at dusk.
The 2-point version of this Flaw means wounds that can be easily hidden from prying eyes, such as on the hands or the side. You gain a +1 Difficulty to all Social rolls when dealing with someone aware of your condition.
The 4-point version can’t be easily hidden, like bleeding eyes. The Social penalty increases to +2, and 1 of your Attributes also gains a +1 Difficulty to all rolls because of the constant seeping blood.
Madness flows within your blood, but your bite carries a taint as well. Mortals take a temporary Derangement for every 3 points of blood you take from xem. The Derangements stay until the mortal restores the lost blood.
Malkavians notice things that many others do not. That means keeping their eyes and ears open far longer than anyone else does. That makes you easily distracted when trying to focus. Take a +2 penalty to all rolls involving Perception.
You feel nothing but pain and numbness. While others find ways to make their lives worth living, you sometimes don’t get that thrill. Once per session, the Storyteller may cancel any gain of Willpower you made by playing to your Nature or Demeanor.
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, xe needs to succeed in 3 (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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 2 more successes to grapple you. The dampness also makes you a little fire resistant, reducing your Difficulty to soak fire damage by 1.
You have a spawning pool of your own (or possibly donate heavily to the clan’s main pool). Creating such a pool takes time, and requires regular infusions of blood, at least 6 blood points a week for a year.
The Merit grants its level as a dice pool bonus to the Nosferatu’s use of Animalism in their home city, but only with animals considered vermin, such as rats and cockroaches. Essentially the bonus is only available for creatures that might conceivably drink regularly from the tainted blood.
Once established, the spawning pool requires twice its level in blood points each week to it. Without proper maintenance, its level will drop by 1. It can be rebuilt by maintaining it at the new level and adding 4 additional blood points each week for 6 months.
The Merit cannot be improved above its initial level, as this also represents the convenience of its location and the variety of creatures that might find it.
You are remarkably adept at moving through the underground tunnels that you call your home. When attempting to navigate, escape, or track through sewers and underground places you know, you gain an additional die for every point you have in this Merit.
The power of Obfuscate usually requires you to concentrate at least a little. However, you are able to lock the power on, allowing you to sleep while remaining hidden. To do so requires the expenditure of another blood point, but it will last throughout the day’s rest. Those with Auspex can still attempt to detect you (as per Seeing the Unseen), but mortals will be unaware of your sanctuary. This can be a useful trick for Kindred who like to travel.
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.
Even when using their Obfuscate abilities, Nosferatu still show up in their true form when noticed by machines, such as cameras or video surveillance. With this ability, the Nosferatu can extend zir power to recorded images and media. However, as with Mask of a Thousand Faces, the original image isn’t actually changed; it is just that people see it the way the Nosferatu wants it seen. Unfortunately, computers are not so easily fooled: if the image is used for facial recognition software (for instance), the computer will see the Nosferatu’s real face and fail to find a match. The Nosferatu has best take care how this power is used, as it may wear off in time. Some archived photos have given librarians a nasty surprise, years after going into storage.
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.
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 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.
Most Nosferatu pick up a certain odor, but you stink so bad even your clanmates find you hard to be close to. Your presence is preceded by your stench, removing 2 dice from all Stealth rolls.
You have come to know something you really wish you hadn’t discovered. Worse yet, the people you have the dirt on know that you know. It might be that you have discovered the Prince’s haven, or that there are infernalists hiding in the diocese. Whatever it is, you are not sure whom you can tell, and if you do, you will only make the subjects of the secret more enthusiastic about getting rid of you. You may even be implicated in the secret and risk going down with them. The more potent the Flaw, the more powerful the people in question are, and the more they want it silenced.
Your life in the sewer has removed your sense of smell and taste. This means you are unperturbed by even the worst stench or most disgusting flavor. However, it also means you cannot ever succeed at any Perception rolls that rely on taste or smell. It also does not make you immune in any way to gas attacks or poisons; you just won’t be able to tell they are there. There’s a slight benefit, however: at the Storyteller’s discretion, you may be unaffected by the debilitating effects of environmental conditions, Disciplines, and supernatural abilities that rely on odors.
Living in the dark has made you a home to all manner of creepy crawlies and bloodsuckers. Your skin is crawling with ticks, lice, and leeches of all descriptions. They constantly bite and burrow, and having fed on your vitae, they have become very hard to kill. Not only can you not command them, you have tried everything to get rid of them and still they persist. Whatever the reason, they find you so succulent they reduce your blood pool by the result of 1 die divided by 3 (round down) each time you rise. The constant itch also keeps you on edge, increasing the Difficulty of any Self-Control/Instinct rolls by 1.
You are closer to animals than humans, and it shows. In addition to the Nosferatu clan weakness, you have an additional weakness: whenever you frenzy, you gain an animal feature, similar to the Gangrel clan weakness.
With Storyteller permission, permanently acquired animal features may be justification to acquire certain Merits after character creation, such as Lizard Limbs or Monstrous Maw. If so, the Storyteller can simply award them, or require an experience point expenditure (such as two times the Merit point value). Similar Flaws can also be taken, but cannot grant additional freebie or experience points.
You have made an enemy of another group of Nosferatu. Unlike your usual enemies, they know the places you like to go and aren’t too squeamish about following you there. They keep you on the move, hunting you from sanctuary to sanctuary. The sewers themselves might not even be safe for you anymore. If you move to a new city, they use their contacts to pass on the word to their allies to keep hounding you. Sooner or later, you are going to have to take them down to rid yourself of them.
The supernatural process that usually keeps a vampire’s form from rotting after death has failed to work on you. Your body has become putrescent and fragile as it gradually decays. All soak rolls you make have their dice pool reduced by 1. You may even lose body parts if you suffer a solid enough blow. Should this happen, make a Stamina roll (Difficulty 6) and lose a part of your body (Storyteller’s choice) if you fail. Should you botch, you also receive a level of Aggravated damage. These missing parts may regrow, but your body continues to rot.
Your body has died on the inside, filling you with noxious bacteria, spores, and even fungi. Mortals that touch you or on whom you feed must make a Stamina roll (Difficulty 9) not to fall ill. The illness puts them in bed with fever and sickness, and each week they may attempt the Stamina roll again. The Storyteller might reduce the Difficulty if the target is receiving proper medical attention. On a success they recover, but if they fail, they remain feverish. At the end of each month the victim remains ill, they lose a point of Stamina; if they are reduced to 0 Stamina they die. If the Nosferatu knows of zir contagion and infects someone maliciously, the Storyteller might call for a Humanity (or appropriate Path of Enlightenment) Degeneration roll if xe dies. Supernatural creatures generally have the ability to heal or cure such sickness in themselves, and vampires are immune to these germs of the dead.
Human speech is impossible for you. It might be that your mouth is too misshapen after the Embrace, or that years of living in the sewers have made you forget how to communicate. While you can understand what is being said to you, you cannot respond. Telepathy works on you as normal, and you have no problem communicating with animals, but human speech is barred to you.
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.
As a member of the Brahmin jati, you are a priest, artist, teacher, or other pillar of society. Perhaps you keep the lore of the clan, or perhaps you act as an advisor to other Ravnos in need of wisdom. Once per session, if you fail an Academics or Expression roll, you may immediately reroll it.
You do not have to purchase this Merit to be a member of the Brahmin jati, but only members of the Brahmin jati may have this Merit.
You are a member of the Kshatriya jati; perhaps you are a warrior, a descendant of rulers, or a member of the military. Your role is to protect the Ravnos in war, and govern in peace. Once per session, you regain a Willpower when you successfully use a combat maneuver.
You do not have to purchase this Merit to be a member of the Kshatriya jati, but only members of the Kshatriya jati may have this 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 2.
Your Animalism carries an unusual side effect: it lingers in the minds of the beasts you speak with or control, lending them a certain resistance to others. When someone else attempts to command a creature you have previously controlled with Animalism, their Difficulty levels are at +2.
The Vaishya jati are tasked with utilizing influence, maintaining the human herds, and keeping finances. They are often seen as traders and merchants, but to the Ravnos, they are also a critical part of maintaining the Masquerade that hides vampires from mortal hunters. Once per session, you may call one of your Backgrounds as if you had an extra dot in that Background (up to the normal maximum of 5).
You do not have to purchase this Merit to be a member of the Vaishya jati, but only members of the Vaishya jati may have this Merit.
You’re excellent with animals — so much so that they constantly seek to befriend you. Wherever you go, the animals are happy to see you, and more often than not, happy to help you when you ask for their aid. You receive a bonus die on Social rolls to affect small animals. Further, animal companions who have had continual interaction with you see you as something of a pet, and occasionally bring you small useful things. Once per game session, animals will bring you a useful piece of information or a small item relevant to events. This item might occasionally play into the individual Ravnos’ particular vice, as the animals quickly pick up on what pleases their friend.
Your natural abilities with illusions have rendered you particularly jaded and unimpressible. How can anything be as perfect as your own imagination? Because of this, your heart is harder than most, and you have a significant resistance to emotion control. All powers and Social challenges that attempt to manipulate you emotionally are made at a +2 Difficulty.
Being a member of the lowest jati, the Chandala, is a mixed bag. You are responsible for the disposal of corpses, as well as many other foul tasks, but at the same time, you are often ignored. Your Social rolls against other Ravnos are made at a +2 Difficulty.
You do not have to take this Flaw to be a member of the Chandala jati, but only members of the Chandala jati may have this Flaw.
Your illusions always contain a notable flaw, and as such, are easier to disbelieve. The Difficulties of all rolls to disbelieve your illusions are reduced by 2.
Making an oath ties one person’s svadharma to another, linking the two spirits until the oath can be fulfilled. With this in mind, a Ravnos never breaks zir word once given in good faith, and so long as it was done with proper ceremony. If the Ravnos spits into zir palm and shakes on zir word, then the oath cannot be broken without negatively impacting the vampire’s svadharma (or so Ravnos superstition dictates).
The Oathbreaker will lose zir way, falling into vice and worthlessness, until the broken oath can be redeemed. Anyone who looks at your aura can see a sickly red slash indicating the broken oath. You may not spend Willpower to ignore your Ravnos vice, and you do not gain Willpower from fulfilling your Nature.
You once knew your svadharma, but when the time came to fulfill it, you failed. Now that destiny has passed you by, and there may never be another chance to make it right. Other Ravnos know the tale, and hold your failure against you. You are scorned, and your confidence has been thrown into doubt. Your total Willpower score is permanently reduced by 1 and you may not spend Willpower when performing actions where other Ravnos are directly involved.
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.
When you haven’t eaten, it can be torturous to be near mortals. The pounding thrum of blood through their veins does not leave you nearly as tempted as it might other Kindred. When opportunity presents itself, the Difficulty of all Self-Control rolls to resist hunger are made against a -2 Difficulty. Characters on Paths of Enlightenment that require Instinct cannot take this 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 an 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 1 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.
Your Humanity is strong and can more easily withstand the Beast’s assaults. You gain 2 additional dice on any Conscience roll. This degree of moral resilience allows a well-behaved vampire to lose Humanity at a much slower rate than would otherwise be possible. Only vampires following Humanity may take this Merit, and the Merit is lost forever in the event that the vampire takes up another Path of Enlightenment.
Nothing is ever good enough for your work. No matter how much praise is lavished upon you, you can only see the flaws and mistakes. This leads to long periods of ennui, which makes your artistic work irregular at best. Further, you throw yourself into business arrangements and social situations with intensity, which often leads to heartbreak, which leads to the pain and passion that fuels your next work. You are at +1 Difficulty on Social rolls in which you are being praised, complimented, or treated with respect.
You have a completely separate life that no other Kindred know about. It may be your mortal family that you have turned into ghouls, or a YouTube channel that you use to talk in metaphor about your frustrations with Kindred society. If discovered, this could risk other vampires accusing you of breaching the Masquerade (if Camarilla), consorting with humanity instead of being a superior vampire (if Sabbat), or just overall paranoia and suspicion on why you’re keeping such deep secrets.
For some reason you did not drink the blood of the elders when you were inducted into Clan Tremere. More dangerously, it may have had no effect on you. As a result, you are not bound to the clan the way most Tremere are. Should it be discovered, it will usually be corrected, but one might almost believe there was some purpose to this lapse, as the Tremere don’t make mistakes. Perhaps the clan has a special task in mind for you, one where you might be forced to act against the clan to maintain a cover...
You have found and joined one of the many secret societies in Clan Tremere. Your character must be suitable to join, such as having Necromancy to join the Covenant. You might pick one of the societies listed with the clan writeup or create one of your own. In most cases, your society membership should be kept secret, but your allegiance to it is not considered a crime. While your society expects you to uphold its tenets and agenda, they can also be counted upon to back you up and help you increase your power within the pyramid.
You have one of the most sought after positions in the chantry: a librarian. It is one of your duties to catalog and maintain the magical lore kept in your chantry. This means you have complete access to it, and get to decide who can see it and who can’t. A vast array of rituals and Thaumaturgical knowledge resides here, making it simple to learn many of the secrets of magic. No matter how restrictive your chantry, you have complete access to the library for research. The cost of this merit is the same as the chantry’s Library rating.
You maintain your own private haven outside the chantry and Tremere control. Most Tremere are expected to rest in the chantry, where the clan can keep an eye on them. However, you have been trusted with a little more privacy. This might be because you have already proved your loyalty, or perhaps because they are testing it.
While you are part of the Sabbat and a traitor to House and Clan Tremere, somehow you remain unmarked by the antitribu curse. You are not easily recognized as a renegade Tremere, and the magic that burned so many of your brethren cannot target you. Further, other Sabbat members cannot judge you at a glance. Those of the Telyavelic bloodline can purchase this Merit at 2 points, while other Tremere pay 5 points.
You are one of the Kindred responsible for maintaining and organizing the chantry’s mundane supplies. You may take anything from the chantry’s stores as defined by the chantry’s Stores rating. While you will have to return or replace anything you borrow, you have access to the whole range of equipment appropriate to the size of the chantry. This might range from assault weapons and explosives to advanced medical and scientific equipment.
Because of either your studies or someone else’s, you suffer from a magical curse. It might be an aversion or allergy, or even a strange magical effect. The level of the Flaw depends on how debilitating the curse is. Curing the affliction may be impossible, or require some sort of quest or advanced research.
| Flaw Value | Example Curse |
|---|---|
| 1 | A minor oddity, such as an animal feature or strange eye color. |
| 2 | A noticeable problem, such as your magic having a strange taint or pattern that makes it instantly recognizable, or that plants wither in your presence. |
| 3 | Something problematic, such as people sickening in your presence or animals attacking you. |
| 4 | Concerning handicap, such as developing another clan’s weakness. |
| 5 | Potentially deadly, such as moonlight being as dangerous to you as sunlight. |
You have spent almost all of your undead existence in the halls of the chantry, making Kindred society rather new and confusing for you. You suffer a -2 dice penalty to any social interactions with those outside the Tremere.
Even though you are loyal to House and Clan Tremere, for some reason you are branded with the mark of the antitribu. It might be that you have returned to the clan after leaving the Sabbat or that you unwittingly or as part of an undercover operation took part in the Vaulderie. Whatever the reason, the mark makes other Tremere wary of you. You will have to go that extra mile to prove yourself, and few among the clan will trust you with positions of power and responsibility.
You have done more than just drink from the blood of the elders. Whether as punishment or by choice, you have become fully blood bound to Clan Tremere. You cannot act against the clan, and find everything you do works in the service of the Tremere. You might not like it, but you can’t help yourself doing it. Of course, now you are bound to the clan, you cannot be bound to another individual. Many older Tremere have this Flaw, as it has been common in the past to completely blood bind new Tremere.
Your blood is so tied to magic that you find you are unable to use any Discipline apart from Thaumaturgy (and for Kindred who are not Tremere, it is still paid for at out-of-clan rates). While no path or ritual is barred to you, you may not gain any dots in any other Discipline.
Something about you refuses to respond to Thaumaturgy. Magic just doesn’t work for you. You cannot take any ability in the Thaumaturgy Discipline or any of its paths or rituals. For a Tremere this is doubly difficult, as skill in Thaumaturgy is often the key to position within the clan. While some willingly choose to ignore their Thaumaturgical studies and serve in other ways, ineptitude is never excused.
Only Tremere may take this Flaw.
Perhaps through biological expertise, or perhaps by unlocking something primordial within, you have accessed the secrets of bioluminescence. Using 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 1 dot of Vicissitude may purchase this 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.
You emulate the ideal of Azi Dahaka within and without, to levels visceral and abstract. Your psyche flows with the permutable nature of change. Like the protean Dracon, you are a whirlwind of temperaments. This is not multiple personalities. You are one identity shown through the prism of ever-shifting Natures. No anchor fetters your sense of self. You can be any you.
At the start of each story, you may choose one Personality Archetype to function as your Nature, spending the rest of the story perceiving the world through that perspective. You also regain Willpower according to your new Nature and may be affected by other effects or Discipline powers as per your new Nature as well.
You are the land. The land is you. The home soil calls to you. You give to it, and it gives to you. Your connection to the earth of your prime haven grants you an extra die to all dice pools when operating there. It also acts as a mystic beacon, allowing you to home in on its location with a standard Perception + Survival roll (Difficulty 6), +1 Difficulty when a state or country separates you; +2 if you’re halfway across the globe. This applies only to your primary haven.
The blood of your revenant family runs deep, deeper than the Embrace. The Disciplines that were innate to you as a ghoul have remained so as a Cainite. At character creation, select the ghoul family from which you hail. Instead of the Tzimisce’s standard complement of Animalism, Auspex, and Vicissitude, you draw from your 3 family Disciplines for your starting allocation (though you may buy other Disciplines with freebies, as normal). You trade in the entire set of Tzimisce clan Disciplines for the set of revenant family Disciplines, for the purposes of in-clan Experience cost.
Your flesh ripples and molds itself to your preternatural will, almost before you consciously invoke the change. The Difficulty to use any Vicissitude power on yourself is 2 less than normal, and you may activate Vicissitude powers reflexively at your full dice pool while taking other actions. Powers that require multiple turns to activate still require the usual duration, the change simply occurs without conscious direction. As a final benefit, you need no physical sculpting to use the first 3 levels of Vicissitude on yourself, as your flesh undulates and extrudes to its desired shape.
Only characters with at least 1 dot of Vicissitude may purchase this Merit.
Your eyes do not close. Ever. Perhaps you have left your humanity too far behind to upkeep such habits, or perhaps you fleshcrafted some form of transparent eye-scale or nictitating membrane. Your quirk probably makes astute observers uncomfortable, adding +1 to the Difficulty of friendly social interactions with humans, Kindred on Humanity, and others with mortal sensibilities.
Your flesh yearns for a homeland you have never seen. The voice of Kupala punishes your daysleep if this yearning is not met. The soil from a place important to you as a mortal will not suffice; in addition, you require 2 handfuls of the tainted Eastern European soil of the ancestral Tzimisce homeland. This Trait most commonly manifests in the childer of Koldun and the branch of the clan thought to be descended from Yorak. It can even manifest in childer sired generations after their ancestors relocated. Characters Embraced in Eastern Europe can’t take this Flaw (they’re already dependent on the local soil).
You have escaped the tyranny of physical self-identity. Call no face your own. Every sunset, you awaken to a new visage, an amalgam pieced together from memory and dream. Your features, ethnicity, even gender become fluid things while you sleep. While this Flaw exemplifies the extreme ideals of Azi Dahaka (and should impress most Metamorphosists), it can cause complications for vampires concerned with maintaining recognition, reputation, or a mortal alias.
Every sundown, the player rolls 1 die and is subject to the results on the following table:
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | No change. |
| 2-3 | Minor changes, somewhat recognizable. |
| 4-8 | Unrecognizable by even those closest to the character (such as zir packmates or sire). Ethnicity and gender may change. |
| 9-10 | Total metamorphosis. Tentacles, bone spikes, or other inhuman features may appear. |
This Flaw affects some Backgrounds. Without a stable face, Alternate Identity and Fame cannot be maintained. Backgrounds like Allies, Contacts, Influence, and Status might be complicated by the lack of a solid identity as well. The vampire can use Malleable Visage and a mirror to reconstruct zir true face from memory, but this requires at least 3 successes at Difficulty 8 to make zir recognizable, and 5 successes for a flawless copy.
The Mistaken Identity Flaw cannot be taken. Other Merits/Flaws may be affected, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Characters must have at least 1 dot of Vicissitude to take this Flaw.
Perhaps it is a trait carried in the blood. Perhaps your strict sire carved this lesson into your mind and flesh. Either way, you carry the Tzimisce respect for privacy to extremes. You must make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 6) to enter another being’s dwelling without being invited, though you can go to fiendishly clever lengths to garner an unwitting invitation. When disturbed in your haven by an uninvited guest, you must make a Self-Control/Instinct roll (Difficulty 7) to avoid frenzy.
You were once part of a revenant family. Following the Embrace, you suffered both your clan’s weakness and your revenant family’s limitation. The Storyteller might let you manifest a weakness from a lost or destroyed revenant line. This could add mystery to your background and allow for a bit of genealogical detective work, certainly making you a curiosity to the Romanian Legacy Foundation.
There is something hungry inside of you. But what is it? Portions of the Antediluvian? Your Vicissitude gone horribly wrong? Whatever it is, it is active, acting like a cancer, devouring you from the inside out. Your very blood is wrought with corrosive, flesh-eating bacteria. At the beginning of each evening, you suffer 1 health level of Lethal damage that cannot be soaked nor healed with blood. The only way to counteract the effect is by ingesting 1/10th of your body-weight in flesh to supplement your depleted carcass. Whether you kill and devour the skin from humans or raid the biohazard containers of liposuction clinics for siphoned fat, you need your ration of human flesh in order to survive. If you try to ingest this macabre meal before damage is done, you’ll simply vomit it out like any other food — this does not impart the benefits of the Eat Food Merit.
Your study of the Auspex Discipline, combined with your rarified tastes, allows you powerful insights into the character of any whose blood you taste.
System: The character tastes another’s blood (potentially risking a blood bond), and rolls Perception + Empathy (Difficulty 6 for mortals or 8 for Kindred). If the blood came from a mortal, each success allows zir to learn 1 of the following: the mortal’s Nature, xyr Demeanor, any Derangements xe may possess, whether xe is blood bonded, and whether xe carries any blood-borne diseases. If the vitae came from a vampire, ze can learn all of the previous information, plus anything discoverable with the first level of the Path of Blood. The Ventrue may taste the blood of a mortal who does not fit within zir feeding restriction long enough to use this ability, but ze must immediately spit it out afterwards.
Vampires that do not have Auspex 2 cannot take this Merit.
Many Ventrue antitribu replace their traditional affinity for Presence with an aptitude for Auspex by means of the Ignobilis ritus known as the Prayer to St. Gustav. For your piety and devotion to the Sabbat cause, you have been especially blessed and have an affinity for both Disciplines.
System: This Merit is identical to Additional Discipline Merit, except that it can only be used to add Auspex as a fourth in-clan Discipline. Only Ventrue antitribu can take this Merit.
Your preferred source for vitae is rarified even by the standards of your clan, such as “only Korean War vets,” “only Federal Court Judges,” or “only virgins over the age of 40.” The Difficulty of all hunting rolls for your character is increased by +2, to a maximum of 9.
Through charm, manipulation, or just plain luck, you have managed to convince other vampires that you are a member of one of the clans. Any social interactions with vampires ignorant of your true nature ignore your usual penalty for being Caitiff. However, you must constantly be vigilant of your ruse. Should anyone come to realize you have been playing them for fools, their vengeance will be swift. The higher you climb in Kindred politics, the more likely this becomes. The Clan Weakness Flaw can actually prove to be a boon in supporting your Masquerade. Others, however, must be that much more careful.
Despite your failure to adopt your original clan’s other abilities, you did inherit their weakness. While this can be deadly to the unprepared vampire, a canny Caitiff might turn this to their advantage to better blend among the parent clan. Some Nosferatu, for example, would likely never notice, and might even stand up for the Caitiff even amidst accusations from outsiders.
Considered the mark of a true mongrel, you never developed your fangs, or you lacked teeth before the Embrace. Either way, you have to use a knife or otherwise drink from bleeding wounds. You have no natural way beyond Disciplines to inflict Aggravated damage.
The burden of acquiring truth or power always comes at a high price. None know that more than these Baali, who sacrifice a part of their own soul in aspiration of greatness. Your physical body is wracked with weakness and pain, capping any Physical Attributes at 4 dots and costing 1 Willpower point every evening when you rise. In exchange for this tribute, the Baali receives +2 dice to any Discipline-related checks.
The Baali knows zir place within the order of the universe, and where ze stands against other vampires or those of zir own bloodline. Ze also knows the end of the world is coming, sooner rather than later. Ze appears apathetic to the world around zir, but in truth, ze is simply resigned to zir fate and remains unmoved if others try to get zir to stray from zir path. All Social rolls against zir are increased by +2 Difficulty, as the Baali knows the true end of it all.
This affliction represents the Baali’s true connection to the decrepitude zir bloodline commands. Pestilence is attracted to the Baali; flies leave zir delicious carcasses to circle around the vampire, rats crawl along zir limbs and squeak their praises, and vultures can be seen circling zir at almost all times. The degree to which they are afflicted differs from character to character, but there is no getting rid of zir swarm. Swatting zir flies simply calls others to take their place. While quite disgusting to most, these vampires wear such a thing with pride. It does, however, make dealing in non-Baali circles quite difficult.
Even without the use of Auspex, the Baali seems somehow wrong to anyone ze interacts with, emitting a terrifying aura of sickness and power. The character is always at a slight disadvantage when dealing with other vampires or those touched by the divine, as they sense the depravity of the Baali’s soul. Baali with this Flaw suffer a +2 Difficulty to all Social rolls, unless they are using Intimidation. To those who use Auspex to view the Baali’s aura, it appears as a thin, red mist surrounding the character with the occasional watchful eyes appearing within.
No matter what, demons are constantly drawn to the Baali. Once in a while, this can be a benefit (Baali with this Flaw are at -1 Difficulty to summon a particular demon), but most of the time these nefarious spirits are distractions. They scream in the Baali’s ear, tug at zir clothes, or screw with zir possessions... and always at the worst possible moment. The character is at +1 Difficulty for any rolls involving Perception. Further, once per session, the Storyteller can convert 1 of the Baali’s dice rolls into a botch.
The character has learned how to use the Fugue to tune in to her sisters and work together with far more efficiency. For 3 points, this Merit grants the character 2 extra dice to any Melpominee dice pool when using the power with another character with this Merit. For 5 points, the bonus 2 dice can be added for any action being performed by a partner with this Merit, such as making art or even fighting together.
You can hear warnings and gain insight by listening to the Fugue more deeply. You must forego one of your actions to listen properly to the Fugue within. During this time, you may defend yourself but take no active actions. If you do, then you gain an insight for your next action that grants you +2 dice to whatever dice pool you use.
The Fugue is gradually driving you towards madness. If your temporary Willpower ever reaches 0, you automatically gain a Derangement which can never be removed. You may remove other Derangements you gain in other ways as usual. You may gain a maximum of 3 of these permanent Derangements from losing your Willpower before being consumed by it. Should it happen a fourth time, you immediately lose yourself to the Fugue and become a character under the control of the Storyteller, walking in whatever direction the music takes you and killing anything you come across.
Gargoyles often hide themselves as statuary. The Difficulty for any searches to find you are increased by 2 when you stay perfectly still.
One of the effects of becoming a vampire is strange changes happening to your body. The obvious alterations to your hands have made them tougher, harder, and more impervious to pain. All Difficulties for damage rolls using unarmed attacks go down by 1.
The transformation of the Embrace didn’t just affect your appearance. It made it physically difficult for you to speak properly and clearly. It may be because of a clumsy tongue, some nasty looking tusks, or a raptor-type beak. No matter the cause, you suffer a +2 Difficulty to any Social rolls requiring you to speak.
The Gargoyle bloodline began as an experiment in manufacturing a Kindred from diverse bloodlines. The Tremere perfected the alchemical process, but somewhere along the way, a weakness in an ancestor caught hold. It manifested in your Embrace. In addition to the weaknesses you possess, you also possess either the Gangrel or the Tzimisce weakness. For 4 points, choose one of the two weaknesses. For 7 points, you possess both. Warrior Gargoyles with the Gangrel weakness version of Blood Weakness may gain both animal features and stone features from one frenzy.
Additionally, choose one of the four Disciplines available to the Gargoyles. For you, this Discipline is considered out of clan and costs the higher amount of experience points to advance.
You speak for the powers-that-be within your bloodline, and bear the clean, white death mask of a respected Harbinger lost to one of the historic purges suffered by your people. Most Harbingers of Skulls will listen to what you say, and take your words at face value. This Merit adds 2 dice to any Social roll when you invoke the name of Lazarus or Japheth.
You pledged fealty to the Harbingers of Skulls and swore to work against the machinations of Ashur, despite not being Embraced into the bloodline. You were escorted to the Shadowlands, where you were baptized head-first in the churning waters of the Styx. The flesh upon your head sloughed off with contact over the coming month, leaving just rotten patches or bare bone, reducing your Appearance Attribute to 0 permanently. You’re now held in esteem by Lazarenes, gaining any one of the bloodline’s Disciplines as a clan Discipline in place of one of your own.
You’re more than just a vampire; you’re a wraith in vampire form. Your awareness of the realities of death enables you to spend half the regular experience points cost for increasing Necromancy Paths after the first point, and permits you to move between Shadowlands and Skinlands through the expenditure of a Willpower point. You cannot be controlled as a normal spirit through use of Necromancy, but should other vampires discover what you are, you can expect to be hunted mercilessly. You suffer the same weaknesses and have the same strengths as a vampire, but if viewed with a power such as Aura Perception the aura appears as a double-exposure, with a wavering, translucent humanoid shape merging in and out of yours.
Lazarus decreed no Harbingers should Embrace, but your sire failed to listen. You’re hopelessly green and unworthy of the vitae in your veins. Until you perform acts befitting the nobility of your blood, your existence is shunned as a bad omen. Increase Difficulties of all Social actions involving your bloodline by 2.
Since escaping the Shadowlands, you’ve struggled to reacclimatize to the world of the living. You see ravenous Spectres in every shadow. You must roll your Courage (Difficulty 7) or spend a point of Willpower whenever using Necromancy, as you fear the repercussions of touching the Underworld.
Kiasyd have appreciation for compilations of books, records, vintages of blood, and other collectable items among Cainites. You possess a collection that may not be worth much (1 point) or could be worth a lot to the right buyer (2 points). Importantly, it’s a point of interest for any visiting Kiasyd or expert in the field, and they’re likely to treat you well just to get access to it.
You possess beauty unsettling in its perfection. People stand in awe of your flawless form, while inexplicable nausea subconsciously creeps up. The Difficulty of any Appearance roll is reduced by 3. A Stamina roll is required by anyone in your presence for longer than one scene, if this is the first time they’ve encountered you. Failure drives them away from you with a sickness wracking their body.
You’re linked to another weird species of the world, and unconsciously find yourself able to understand their parlance, codes, and rituals. Difficulties to decipher the hidden rites and languages of one society (selected when this Merit is purchased) are reduced by 3.
Through concoctions imbibed or by a fluke of your Embrace, you possess a ceramic-like coating to your skin. In order for this to have any effect beyond looking strange, a Stamina roll is required (Difficulty 8). Success allows you to convert up to 3 points of Aggravated damage from a fire source to Lethal damage before attempts to soak. The hardening dissipates for the remainder of the current story.
You’ve drunk the liquid essence of entities both strange and powerful. Whether the vitae of Methuselahs, the boiling blood of Lupines, or bottled dreams of fae, the volume and combination of the brews you’ve consumed have forever altered you. Each night a Willpower roll is required (Difficulty 7) for you to manifest a single point of Auspex, Chimerstry, or Dementation. This point can be added to an existing rating in the Discipline, but disappears the following night.
Shamefully, you cannot imbibe the blood of any creatures other than mortals, ghouls, and vampires. Whenever you attempt to drink from another entity, you’re forced to purge the contents immediately after and gain no sustenance from it.
Perhaps you communicate best through illustration, dance, or impassioned speech; but you can’t read or write. This is either a temporary Flaw (1 point) that can be rectified with a patient teacher, or permanent (2 points) due to a disability inhibiting your understanding. This Flaw is enough to get you ostracized by others of your bloodline if you do not conceal it.
Many Kiasyd self-impose feeding restrictions: refusing to feed from the poor and diseased, or even those still wearing skin, or over a certain age. This manifests akin to the Ventrue clan weakness, due to conditioning making any blood outside of the Kiasyd’s preference unpalatable. The severity of the Flaw depends on how narrow the restriction is.
You drank something that still lives within you and hates you, exerting alarming control over your thoughts and actions. Each night, the Storyteller may convert a single rolled success into a 1, potentially leading to a botch. At the Storyteller’s discretion, the entity may also whisper advice or insults, which can lead to increased Difficulty during attempts to concentrate.
All Nagaraja already have sharpened fangs for the purposes of cutting into flesh with ease. A character with this Merit, however, has additional rows of fangs, similar to a shark, each one poised to inflict the most pain possible. Instead of dealing 1 unsoakable Lethal damage per bite, ze deals 2 Lethal instead. Some Nagaraja like this gift since it makes their victims stop squirming much quicker. Others fear it creates a connection to the painful bite of the Giovanni, and may see Nagaraja with this Merit almost as outsiders.
The vampire’s jaws have been strengthened to allow for faster devouring of one’s prey. For 2 points, ze can devour 2 blood points worth of flesh per minute, or ze may devour 3 blood points worth for 4 points. A character must have at least Stamina 3 in order to gain this Merit. Otherwise, zir undead form cannot support the influx of blood and viscera at such a fast pace.
Though many do not know this, the dreaded wolverine is one of only a few creatures in the world that can eat their prey entirely, whether larger or smaller. The Nagaraja with this Merit has the ability to eat bone just as easily as flesh, sapping even more spiritual essence from zir victim and converting it to blood points. With one bite, ze can cut through flesh and bone and swallow it all at once with no ill effect. This also means ze may gain up to 5 additional blood points from a body by consuming the bones.
Due to the size of the Nagaraja’s shark-like rows of teeth, ze finds it hard to communicate verbally. Instead, ze speaks through pools of spit and sometimes bites zir own tongue in the process. This makes zir quieter than other Nagaraja, but can also affect situations where clear speech is mandatory, such as when giving speeches or reciting delicate rituals. All Difficulties for rolls where speech is a factor are raised by 2.
Whether the Nagaraja is just too sloppy and prone to overlooking details during zir kills or ze is especially fond of leaving a signature for every kill to send a message to others, others can use this to track zir down. Each time there are items at a scene of a crime that could link directly back the to Nagaraja, causing zir to always look over zir shoulder. The police are always one step away from busting zir, or the Camarilla’s assassins have zir in their sights. In any case, leaving a trail is a terrible thing. For every person ze kills during a single story, the Difficulty to Survival checks for tracking are reduced by 1. This penalty resets at the beginning of a new story... if ze survives to the next story, that is.
“You don’t seem like a soul-sucker...” For whatever reason, your third eye shuts tightly when you choose to hide it, and your blood and aura don’t give away your clan. You might be regarded as a Caitiff, or as a member of another clan. In any case, Tremere or other Salubri hunters are thrown off your trail, unless you do something to reveal yourself again.
Your third eye occasionally experiences visions and pierces illusions. When your eye is open (via use of Auspex or Obeah), you occasionally pierce Obfuscate or Chimerstry. Some past Salubri have seen through faerie miens or glimpsed the dead lands of ghosts. You have no control over what your eye sees, though it’ll sometimes open involuntarily in response to the above phenomena.
Steel sits in the placid heart of the Salubri bloodline, and Adonai’s resurrection has caused your own heart to flutter ever so slightly. Like the Healers of old, you may learn the Valeren powers of the antitribu at a cost of current rating x6; if you know the first 2 dots of Obeah and Valeren, you gain a 2-die bonus to using the first 2 Discipline dots. However, your warrior’s heart suffers from the Precept of Samiel, the well-defined wanderlust that affects many Salubri — for every week you spend in the same location, you lose a point of Willpower, as your soul agitates without action. The antitribu might have a similar Merit allowing them to learn Obeah at the cost of always helping someone in need, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
While most sealed third eyes are visible as a slight scar, yours remains permanently open on your forehead. For 2 points, the eye is merely open, and may be closed for a scene on a successful Willpower roll (Difficulty 6). For 4 points, the eye sheds light, increasing all Stealth Difficulties by 2.
Your sire is one of the Seven, the diablerist Golconda-seekers, trying to ensure the spiritual wealth of salvation would never be lost with their Final Death. Xe sought you as a successor, and proudly prepared you for your sacred duty. You, on the other hand, smiled at xyr lies, listened to xyr bullshit, and ran for the hills the first chance you got. You’re constantly hunted, not only by the Tremere, but by your sire, the other Seven, and their various hangers-on. You must be at least Ninth Generation to take this Flaw.
Thanks to your connection with death, you have a keen insight few other Kindred possess. When in contact with a dead body, you make a Wits + Alertness roll (Difficulty 7). On a success, you intuitively know how the body died. On a failure, you suffer an illusory version of the wound that saps a point of Willpower. On a botch, your body mirrors the wound and hurts itself in the same manner, causing Lethal damage equal to the final blow.
Getting blown apart isn’t a big deal. When parts of your body are cut off or otherwise removed due to damage, you may make a Dexterity + Medicine (Difficulty 7) to sew the part back in place properly. If successful, the cost of healing the wound is reduced by 1 blood point.
Your already disfigured corpse doesn’t handle the physical demands of being a Kindred as well as it should. Your bones break at inopportune times, your skin tears if you move too quickly, and you have to be careful on a nightly basis. The 2-point version of this flaw gives you a +2 Difficulty to all Physical rolls because of the delicate nature of your body. The 4-point version means that you also hang onto physical damage longer than other Kindred. You may still heal health levels as normal, but any dice penalties remain until the next evening when you awaken. This is in addition to the penalty to Physical rolls.
Your body remembers your death. Every night when you awaken, you vividly remember the pain of your death wound. The wound reopens during the night and closes itself shortly before you rise. This traumatic reminder of your mortality starts your night off in a bad way. You lose a point of Willpower each night when you awaken, because of the trauma of dying again.
You have a device (or possibly a few) of an advanced design. While the True Brujah are not especially good at innovation, they are good at making improvements. So this device has no special functions unavailable to its contemporaries, but it does work a lot better. It reduces the chance of a mechanical fault (such as a jam) by half and all uses of the device are made with a -1 to the Difficulty. The Storyteller should decide on the cost of the Merit, depending on how many items the character has, and how powerful they are.
The character’s study of time has led zir to believe that what is done is simply done. Destiny is a fixed path and therefore we are all the slaves of our own futures. As such, nothing can truly be our fault, for nothing is entirely under our control. It therefore becomes a lot easier to excuse zirself from zir worst excesses. The character subtracts 2 from the Difficulty of all Degeneration rolls against losses of Humanity or Path of Enlightenment.
The True Brujah have an odd relationship with Celerity. It often comes easily to them, but a few refuse to learn it, as it has become a symbol of the traitor Brujah. However, many find it a useful skill for masquerading as Brujah within the Camarilla or Sabbat, and so a few True Brujah have developed a slightly different form of the Discipline.
A character with this Merit has the ability to learn True Celerity. While it works exactly the same as Celerity, it feels very different. Instead of the character moving quickly, ze slows time down all around zir. This Merit confers no Discipline points for the character, but does allow it to be bought with experience as if Celerity was a clan Discipline. While this power functions the same as Celerity, it cannot be taught to anyone who does not have any levels of the Temporis Discipline.
The character is a little too aware of time and the possibilities surrounding zir. People often seem to be in slightly different places, and speech frequently echoes in zir ears. Ze sees layers of alternate timelines in too much detail. Any Perception rolls ze makes are at +2 Difficulty, as ze tries to see past the unreal.