Merits and flaws

All Merit Information is brought to you by the White Wolf Wiki. Note: A point (described via Dots in the actual system) translate one-for-one, expect is some cases. So, feel free to take any of the merits described here. But, if there are any cases, go ahead and PM me.

If any of these merits effect you in game, you must make sure you mention it OOC INSIDE of the post. For example: If you have Unseen Sense, and you make use of it IC, you MUST mention that you're using it OOC.

Mental Merits

● One-Dot Merits

Emotional Detachment (Mental/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisite: Resolve ●●
The character can distance himself from his emotions, becoming cold and emotionless, but also less prone to stress and pressure.

Language (Mental/Background)
Grants the ability to be fluent in a second language.
Note: Although the original book states that this trait requires three dots to achieve full fluency, a later errata corrects this, and bilinguality can be achieved with only one dot. This correction allows for the Multilingual Merit to exist.

Meditative Mind (Mental/Expanded Trait)
Meditation comes quite easily to your character, to the point that outside influences no longer matter.

Trained Memory (Mental/Expanded Trait)
Prerequsites: Composure ●●, Investigation ●
The character can perfectly remember the events in a scene or a day's worth of study if he takes a turn (post/substantial period of time) to memorize the information.

●● Two-Dot Merits

Area of Expertise (Mental/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Resolve ●●, have a Specialty in a Mental Skill
Advanced training on a certain topic has made you even more of an expert, doubling the Specialty bonus for a certain Mental Skill.

Combat Awareness (Mental/Background)
Prerequisites: Military background and/or backstory
Your character has years of experience in battle, giving them a greater than average awareness of the intricacies of combat.

Danger Sense (Mental/Expanded Trait)
You gain a +2 modifier on reflexive Wits + Composure rolls for detecting an ambush or other such surprises that generally result in a less than healthy end.

Good Time Management (Mental/Background)
Prerequisite: Academics, Medicine, or Science ●●
Proper managing of time makes Extended (multiple posts/longer periods of time) actions into easier tasks, reducing the amount of time needed to take them by a significant fraction.

Eidetic Memoryº (Mental/Expanded Trait)
Your Character has a form of 'perfect memory' whether its photographic, analytical, or some other form. He does not need to roll to remember obscure facts he has learned and has a much better chance to remember things whilst under duress. Available only at character creation.


●●● Three-Dot Merits

Holistic Awareness (Mental/Specialized)
You have quite a vast knowledge of remedies and home cures, to the point that you can deliver hospital quality care at home. Your character may make an attempt to treat someones injury once per day which represents an hour of home care for an injured or sick character, success means their healing rate is much, much faster.

Hypnosis (Mental/Specialized)
Prequisite: Medicine ● or Occult ●
You can put another character into a hypnotic trance, making him or her more open to questions and suggestions. This Merit also gives you the Deep Hypnosis Specialty for Medicine or Occult.

Unseen Sense (Mental/Background)
Prerequisite: Mortal, Wits ●●
Whenever a supernatural phenomenon or creature happens across the character they get a tel-tale sign, whether its the hairs on the back of their neck standing up, or a chill down their spine, or something more obvious.

●●●● Four-Dot Merits

Common Senseº (Mental/Background)
Your character has an abundance of common sense and is generally noted as making level-headed decisions. Once per chapter the storyteller may intervene if your character is about to do something disastrous or is stumped at a particular point. Available at character creation only.

Encyclopedic Knowledgeº (Mental/Specialized)
You can make an intelligence + wits roll in order to recall some sort of trivia or other factoid relevant to the situation. Available only at character creation.


●●●●● Five-Dot Merits


Physical Merits


Armored Fighting (●● or ●●●●, Physical/Background)
Prerequisites: Strength ●●●, Stamina ●●●
Your character is proficient in the use of heavy armor, decreasing the penalties suffered in battle.

Demolisher (● to ●●, Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Strength or Intelligence ●●●
A keen understanding of where an object can take the most damage, making destroying inanimate objects much easier.

Fast Reflexes (● or ●●, Physical/Expanded Trait)

Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●
Makes your character much more prone to acting first under duress.

Fleet of Foot (● to ●●●, Physical/Background)

Prerequisites: Strength ●●
Your character has improved physical abilities, giving them a heightened Speed.

Iron Stamina (● to ●●●, Physical/Expanded Trait)

Prerequisites: Stamina ●●● or Resolve ●●●
Allows fatigue and wound penalties to be ignored, with the benefits increasing for each dot obtained.

● One-Dot Merits

Athletics Dodge (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Strength ●●, Athletics ●
On Dodge actions, you can add the Athletics skill instead of doubling defense.

Direction Sense (Physical/Background)
Upon entering a new location, it is always possible to get around and return without any chance of getting lost.

Natural Immunity (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Stamina ●●
Your character is much less prone to getting infections or poisoned.

Quick Draw (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●
Can pull out a firearm or other weapon without penalty at the beginning of combat.

Strong Back (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Strength ●●
Gives a bonus to lifting, and increases character's carrying capacity.

Tolerance for Biology (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Resolve, Stamina, or Composure ●●
Disgusting medical procedures and other such events fail to disturb your character, and bloody battles are easier to stomach.

Weaponry Dodge (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Strength ●●, Weaponry ●
On Dodge actions, you can add the Weaponry skill instead of doubling defense.

●● Two-Dot Merits

Disarm (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●, Weaponry ●●
On an attack, you may use the successes to disarm the opponent instead of dealing damage.

Fighting Finesse (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●, Weaponry ●●
Allows Dexterity to be used in place of Strength when making rolls with a selected weapon.

Iron Stomach (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Stamina ●●
Almost anything can possibly be eaten, and it becomes nearly impossible to starve to death.

Toxin Resistance (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Stamina ●●●
Gives a bonus to resisting the effects of poisons or other toxins, including common drugs.

●●● Three-Dot Merits

Ambidextrousº (Physical/Background)
No penalties are suffered for using an off hand to perform actions.

Gunslinger (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●, Firearms ●●●
Allows for two pistols to be fired in the same turn; requires the Ambidextrous Merit to be used to full effect.

Strong Lungs (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Athletics ●●●
Holding breath becomes significantly easier, allowing the character to stay underwater for long periods of time.

Stunt Driver (Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●
Allows the holder of the Merit to both drive and perform some other action at the same time.

●●●● Four-Dot Merits

Giantº (Physical/Background)
Your character is so large as to have a larger Size, with all of the statistical changes that results in.

Quick Healer (Physical/Expanded Trait)
Prerequisites: Stamina ●●●●
Gives the character remarkable healing abilities, halving the time needed to recover.

●●●●● Five-Dot Merits




Fighting Style: Archery (● to ●●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Str 2, Dex 2, Ath 2]

Fighting Style: Boxing (● to ●●●●●, Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Strength ●●●, Stamina ●●, Brawl ●●
Special combat maneuvers that serve as extensions to the Brawl skill.

Fighting Style: Chain Weapons (● to ●●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Str 2, Dex 3, Wpn 3]

Fighting Style: Combat Marksmanship (● to ●●●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Str 2, Dex 2, Com 3 Frm 2]

Fighting Style: Fencing/Japanese Fencing (● to ●●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Dex 3, Wpn 3]

Fighting Style: Improvised Weaponry (● to ●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Wits 3, Wpn 1]

Fighting Style: Kung Fu (● to ●●●●●, Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Strength ●●, Dexterity ●●, Stamina ●●, Brawl ●●
Your character has training in the classical defensive art of Kung Fu.

Fighting Style: Police Tactics (● to ●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Str 2, Dex 2, Sta 2, Bwl 2, Wpn 1]

Fighting Style: Sniping (● to ●●●●●, Physical/Specialized) [Dex 3, Res 3, Frm 3, Ste 2]

Fighting Style: Two Weapons (● to ●●●●, Physical/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Dexterity ●●●, Weaponry ●●●
Your character has learned both to attack with and respond to fighting with two weapons. Requires the Ambidextrous Merit to be used to full effect.



Social Merits

Allies (● to ●●●●●, Social/Background)
Allies perform favors for your character on occasion; this Merit can take many forms, such as Police, or Criminals.

Anonymity (●● to ●●●●, Social/Background)
Prerequisites: Resolve ●●, Larceny or Subterfuge ●●
Your character has taken considerable steps to ensure that very little information exists to trace them, making attempts at Investigation against them harder.

Contacts (● to ●●●●●, Social/Background)
Provide information on a certain topic, often information that would not be available to the public. Each dot reflects a different area of influence.

Fame (● to ●●●, Social/Background)
Your character has some notable recognition, which makes socialization much easier.

Friend (● to ●●●●● {Power, Trust}, Social/Background)

Mentor (● to ●●●●●, Social/Background)
Provides a teacher to the character who can provide them with advice and offer solutions in tough situations. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p115)

Resources (● to ●●●●●, Social/Background)
Represents income in addition to what is considered standard for a character, allowing for extra purchases above basic wants and needs.

Retainer (● to ●●●●●, Social/Background)
Provides a second, minor character who fairly consistently supports the owner of the Merit; as a general rule of thumb, the trait maximum for a Retainer is equal to the number of dots taken.

Status (● to ●●●●●, Social/Background)
Prerequisites: Varies
Provides a certain amount of standing in a large group; upon taking the Merit, that group must be specified, such as Police, or a certain company. The exact benefits vary significantly based on which group is chosen.
Supernatural groups may take this Merit for organizations such as Covenants, Tribes, and Orders.

Striking Looks (●● or ●●●●, Social/Expanded Trait)
Your character looks better than the average person, and receives a bonus on Social rolls where her looks are a factor.

● One-Dot Merits

Barfly (Social/Background)
Your character can enter exclusive bars and restaurants with little to no difficulty.

●● Two-Dot Merits

Bureaucratic Navigator (Social/Expanded Trait)
Whenever a character with this Merit attempts to deal with a bureaucracy, they find it somewhat simpler than the average person would.

●●●● Four-Dot Merits

Inspiring (Social/Specialized)
Prerequisites: Presence ●●●●
Allows your character to inspire others into reclaiming a small amount of lost Willpower.


Supernatural Merits

Unseen Sense (Spirits) (• to ••••, Supernatural/Specialized)
An expansion of the three-dot Mental Merit from the Core Rulebook, this spirit-based version is considerably more detailed, and gives a number of specified benefits: (WOD: Book of Spirits, p111)
• A roll may be made to seek out loci and other spiritual confluences.
•• A character may sense when spirits in the area activate certain powers.
••• It becomes possible to sense some spirits, even if they are hidden in Twilight.
•••• Humans or creatures that are being possessed by spirits can be easily detected.

Mental Flaws

Addiction
Your character is addicted to some substance, and may even suffer from symptoms of withdrawal.

Amnesia
Large sections of your previous life are missing, which could hurt when forgotten parts of your life return to haunt you. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p218)

Coward
Fear and hesitation cloud your judgment in a stressful situation. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Forgetful
It becomes difficult to remember small details about a situation, which may require constant reminders from allies. Opposite to the Mental Merit Eidetic Memory. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Impossible Standard
Perfectionism is a very difficult standard, considering that nothing can ever be perfect, especially in the World of Darkness. Characters with this Flaw berate themselves for falling short of the standard they set for themselves. When applied to others, it becomes the Social Flaw Expectations. (VTR: Ventrue: Lords Over the Damned, p107)

Physical Flaws

Crippled
Your character is confined to a wheelchair or other mobility-enhancing device, making movement severely limited. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)
Dwarf
A smaller than standard size, causing a number of problems, not the least of which being reduced stats from a lowered Size. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)
Hard of Hearing
It becomes difficult to understand information relayed through vocal communication. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Lame
A less severe version of Crippled that gives an impediment to movement, making it take a fair bit longer to move around. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Mute
Speech is not an option, making communication that much more difficult. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

One Arm
With only one arm left, even simple day-to-day tasks can be a little more complicated than one might expect. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

One Eye
The absence of a second eye takes with it the ability to perceive depth, causing penalties to just about anything done at range. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Poor Sight
The sight version of Hard of Hearing makes perceiving details through sight very difficult. Does not count if the character wears glasses, unless of course they lose them. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Social Flaws

Aloof
Although the term is often used in a positive way in real life, abstaining from Social situations has obvious consequences for the party of an Aloof individual. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)
Behavior Blind
Some people just cannot seem to understand both the meanings of other people's behaviors, or the ramifications of how they choose to carry themselves in conversation. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Deformity
An obvious oddity about the way a character looks, making it difficult for them to make a good first impression. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Dishonorably Discharged
The character was once part of the military, but is no longer, and under unsavory circumstances. Can be used to explain why a character has Mental or Physical traits of military origin, but they will generally be shunned by current service members on a Social level. (WOD: Dogs of War, p40)

Embarrassing Secret
Something that a character must work very hard to hide, or else they will suffer a terrible consequence, even if they alone believe the secret to be embarrassing. May change into a different flaw once the secret is out. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Expectations
A high-strung and stuck-up attitude, in which the character clings irrationally to their understanding of how things should be, rather than how they are. Causes a number of social problems, especially when they try to forcibly correct whatever it is they feel is wrong with society. (VTR: Ventrue: Lords Over the Damned, p107)

Notoriety
Not all fame is good fame, and with this Flaw, the character's ugly reputation has a way of preceding them. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Racist/Sexist
A prejudice held towards members of some group or culture, whether that group be mortal or supernatural. Note that, where this Flaw is involved, it is very important to remember that character and player are two separate entities. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Speech Impediment
The character has some form of strange manner of speaking or accent, which can result in comic or tragic misunderstandings. (WOD: Core Rulebook, p219)

Supernatural Flaws

Essence Vessel
Spirits are drawn to your character, but not in a good way; they see the character as a buffet of Essence, and would rather like to kill that character and take the Essence by force. (WOD: Book of Spirits, p111)

Shadow Addiction
An Addiction (As the Mental Flaw, Addiction) requires the character to deal with the Shadow Realm almost constantly, in order to get their fix of spirits, Essence, or whatever else it is they are addicted to. (WOD: Book of Spirits, p111)