Darkshadows allow a mix of 7 flaws and merits but they must be balanced. Any mini-maxed sheets will be reworked.

Physical

Bruiser (1pt Merit)

Your appearance is sufficiently thug like to inspire fear or at least disquiet in those who see you. While you're not necessarily ugly per se, you do radiate a sort of quiet menace, to the point where people cross the street to avoid passing near you. You are at -1 difficulty on all

Intimidation rolls against those who have not demonstrated their physical superiority to you.

Friendly Face (1pt Merit)

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 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.

Lazy (3pt Flaw)

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 prepare properly. Difficulty rolls for spontaneous Physical actions (including combat, unless it is part of a planned offensive) increase by 1.

Infertile Vitae (5pt Flaw)

During your Embrace, something went terribly 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 for other vampiric needs, including making ghouls.

Twitch (1pt Flaw)

You have a 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 twitch.

Dulled Bite (2pt Flaw)

For some reason your fangs never fully developed- 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

Open Wound (2-4pt Flaw)

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 (Vampire, page 297).

Permanent Fangs (3pt Flaw)

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 a constant threat to the Masquerade, and other Kindred may take steps to prevent a breach from ever occurring. You

are also limited to an Appearance rating of 3 at most.

Glowing Eyes (3pt Flaw)

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're a walking tear in the Masquerade and must constantly disguise your condition (no, contacts don’t cut it); the glow impairs your vision and puts you at a +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.

Coldly Logical (1pt Merit)

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 Sense Deception and related rolls).

Impatient (1pt Flaw)

You have no patience for standing around and waiting. You want to do things NOW and the Devil take the hindmost. Every time you are forced to wait around instead of acting, a Self- Control roll is required to see if you go haring off on your own instead.

Unconvinced (1pt Flaw)

You fail to see the need for the Masquerade and have gone on record as saying so. Taking your stand has made you suspect in the eyes of your elders, and may have attracted the Sabbat's attention as well.

Stereotype (2pt Flaw)

You buy heavily into all the vampire legendry you've read and heard. You wear a cape, 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). Also, you stand out to hunters, and run the risk of violating the Masquerade every time you take to the streets.

Thirst for Innocence (2pt Flaw)

The sight of innocence- of any sort- arouses in you a terrible bloodlust. Roll Self-Control, or else frenzy and attack the source of your hunger.

Rep (1 to 5pt Merit)

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 may not be the same thing). The publicity can be good or bad; what matters is that everyone knows your name. Whether individuals outside of your immediate social circle know enough to match your face to your name is a different matter.

Boon (1-6pt Merit)

Someone owes you a favor. The vampire in your debt might be the lowliest neonate in a city or might be a Prince; it all depends on how many points the Merit costs. You have only 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 his debt, and might go out of his way to 'settle' it early- even going so far as to create situations from which he must 'rescue' you and thus clear the slate.

Open Road (2pt Merit)

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.

Scholar of Enemies (2pt Merit)

You have taken the time to learn about and specialize in one particular enemy of the Camarilla. 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 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.

Scholar of Others (2pt Merit)

This Merit functions identically to Scholar of Enemies, except that it applies to a group that is not necessarily inimical to the Camarilla.

Mole (3pt Merit)

You have an informer buried in the Sabbat (or, less likely, one of the Anarch Free States) who funnels you information as to what her 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 know...

Clan Friendship (4pt 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 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 entirely a different can of worms.

Broken Bond (4pt Merit)

You were once blood bound but have secretly slipped the leash, and 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.

Expendable (1pt Flaw)

Someone is power doesn’t want you around. Maybe she wants territory you possess, or is jealous of the attention you are getting from a prize mortal retainer- the details are irrelevant. What does matter is that she has the power to maneuver you into dangerous situations 'for the good of the Camarilla', and has no compunctions about doing so.

Incomplete Understanding (1pt Flaw)

The whole matter has been explained to you, but you're still not quite sure how this Camarilla/Masquerade thing works. 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...

Recruitment Target (1pt Flaw)

The Sabbat wants you, and they want you bad. Every effort is being made to recruit you, willing or no, and the press gangs usually show up at the worst possible time.

Bound (2pt Flaw)

You are blood bound to another vampire. Your regnant may not necessarily treat you badly, but the fact remains that your will is not your entirely your own. The knowledge gnaws at you, even as you find yourself lost in devotion to your vampiric master.

Failure (2pt Flaw)

You once held a title in a 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 Sabbat (or so the whispers run, making you even more distrusted). Conversely, the consequences of your error- a breach of the Masquerade, an unauthorized Embrace, a lawbreaker allowed to escape- might come back to haunt you.

Rival Sires (2pt Flaw)

Not one, but two vampires wanted to gift you with the Embrace. One succeded, one failed- and she's not happy about that failure. Either you, your 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, she may well be working actively to discredit or destroy you.

Uppity (2pt Flaw)

You are proud of your new status and Clan- 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 regard you as arrogant and insulting. These enemies will take action to embarrass or harm you. Further more, 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 Storyteller 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 lineage, your Clan or your Status.

Disgrace to the Blood (3pt Flaw)

Your sire regards the fact that he Embraced you to be a titanic mistake, and has let everyone know it. You are mocked in Elysium, 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.

Former Prince (3pt Flaw)

Once, you held near absolute power in a city, but those nights are gone now. Perhaps you stepped down, perhaps you were disposed, 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 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 he just might take it.

Hunted Like a Dog (3pt Flaw)

Another group of vampires- be it an independent clan or the Sabbat as a whole- has decided that you're a target for extermination, and peruses you relentlessly. On the bright side, the enemies of your enemy may well wish to help you out, potentially garnering you allies in this one instance.

Sleeping With the Enemy (3pt Flaw)

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 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 with in the Camarilla, and if you are discovered, the penalty will surely be death.

Clan Enmity (4pt Flaw)

One Clan in particular wants you dead. You have offended the entire Clan, from neonates to elders, and as a result every member of that bloodline wants your head on a plate. The effects of this Flaw may manifest as anything from very public snubs and insults to actual attempts on your existence. You are also at +2 difficulty on all Social rolls relating to member of the Clan in question.

Loathsome Regnant (4pt Flaw)

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 him. In any case, existence under the bond is a never-ending nightmare, with your regnant serving to conduct a symphony of malice.

Blood Hunted (4-6pt Flaw)

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 only that your home city is off-limits to you. For 6, it means that the entire Camarilla is howling for your vitae.

Red List (7pt Flaw)

Supernatural

Deceptive Aura (1pt Merit)

Your aura is unnaturally bright and colorful for a vampire. You register s a mortal on all attempts to read your aura.

Healing Touch (1pt Merit)

Normally vampires can only seal the wounds they inflict by licking them. With but a touch, you can achieve the same effect.

Additional Discipline (5pt Merit)

You can take 1 additional Discipline (Storyteller 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 can not take this Merit more than once.

Cold Breeze (1pt Flaw)

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 also endangers the Masquerade. Cold winds sweeping through executive offices or crowded nightclubs can raise all sorts of questions.

Beacon of the Unholy (2pt Flaw)

You radiate palpable evil. Clergy and devout mortals know instinctively that there is something horribly wrong with you, and react accordingly. Churches and other places of worship are barred to you as well.

Deathsight (2pt Flaw)

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 +2 difficulty on all Perception-based rolls. In addition, you find social interaction difficult and are at +1 difficulty on all Social-based rolls.

Elder Merits and Flaws

Merits and Flaws provide personality and story hooks which Storyteller and players alike may use to give characters and chronicles greater depth. Players may use freebie points to purchase Merits, while taking on Flaws gives additional freebie points. The number of freebie points gained or

spent are equal to the value of the particular Merit or Flaw, and may not

Chylde, Loyal (3 pt Merit)

Your childe's loyalty goes beyond any Blood Bond, being bom of true affection and admiration. She would do almost anything to aid you, and you trust her as you do no other among the Kindred. You would be grief-stricken should anything happen to her.

Enlightened (1-7 pt Merit)

You have taken at least the first few steps on the steep and complex road to Golconda. Although you have by no means achieved this exalted state of being, you are more aware of the proper approach than the vast majority of your kind will ever be. Much of your time is spent in the quest for further information on Golconda and on attempting to progress towards this distant goal.

Holdings (1-5 pt Merit)

You own a number of properties that have been in your possession for years. These have all been modified to provide you with protection, numerous places to rest and emergency escape routes. Although such holdings are often ancient castles, museums and the like, they can also be specially prepared apartment complexes, mountain lodges, old churches, etc. For every point taken in this Merit you have two such holdings, which can be almost anywhere in the world.

Mummy Companion (5 pt Merit)

You have one of the world's few mummies as a companion or close associate. Your relationship is one of relative equality, with neither of you able to dominate the other, and you find this most refreshing. Although it would not be condemned by the Kindred, you both take pains to keep the association secret. Other powerful elders might wish to take advantage of your companion and the benefits he occasionally provides you. Other Kindred

may even attempt to destroy the mummy or turn him against you rather than allow you access to his great stores of information and abilities.

(Storyteller discretion check with St before taking)

paramour (3-5 pt Merit)

You have had a long-term (minimum of 75 years) relationship with a fellow Kindred. Although you may have had your disagreements over the many years, you are generally loyal to each other. You know most, if not all, of your paramour's secrets, and your paramour knows as much about you. You have both come to each other's aid several times over the years, and you would be aggrieved were anything to happen to your love. The cost of this Merit

depends on the relative power and position of your paramour in Kindred society (3 for an ancilla, 4 for another elder of equal power, 5 for a more powerful elder).

Paranoia, Limited (2 pt Merit)

You know that there are many vampires, hunters, Garou and the like who would love to destroy you. You go out of your way to prepare contingency plans, vary your movement patterns and habits, and otherwise make yourself a difficult target. As a result, you are less likely to be attacked unawares (-1 difficulty to spotting ambushes and the like).

Patience (3 pt Merit)

You have learned the wisdom of patience in all things. Passions may bum brightly; but as they say, revenge is served best cold. Often, with enough patience, new avenues of endeavor open, enemies grow careless and favors shift. Those who wait and watch are in a position to take full advantage of the vagaries of time. Due to your mastery of patience all Frenzy rolls are made with a -1 difficulty modifier.

Powerful Childe (1-5 pt Merit)

You have a childe in a position of power within vampiric society This childe is loyal, and often serves as both an information font and protection. Although she sometimes asks favors of you, you are most defiantly in control of the relationship, as it is right for a sire to be. The cost of this Merit depends upon the power and position of the childe (1 for leading anarch, 2 for Archon, 3 for a primogen, etc., determined in conjunction with the Storyteller). This Merit must be taken separately for each such childe. Having this childe Blood Bound to you costs an extra two points.

Prestation Gifts: (2-6 pt Merit)

One or more Kindred currently owe a boon to you. You may have gifted them with favors or material items sometime in the distant past, or just last week, but they now owe you a debt. This grants you an advantage in your dealings with these Kindred (-1 to the difficulty level of any checks to influence them). Although you would not give up your current position lightly, you may also call in this debt (or should you require aid. Such aid must be commensurate with the initial value of your gift of Prestation.

The number of points in Prestation Gift must be determined by both the player and Storyteller, based on the number and magnitude of the debts owed you, and the importance of the Kindred who owe them. The exact nature of this Merit should be worked into the elder character's journal or memoirs.

Bastard Childer (2pt Flaw)

You have sired one or more childer without the permission of the local prince or Justicar. Under Kindred law, both you and your childer may be subject to a Blood Hunt should other vampires discover your secret. This Flaw is cumulative, and must be taken once per bastard sired.

Chide, Vengeful (2 pt Flaw)

You have sired a childe who has grown to loathe you. Not only does your childe not aid you in your dealings with other Kindred, he actively works toward your detriment. At times you feel your childe would commit diablerie upon you if given half a chance, and you could be right.

Death Wish (1-5 pt Flaw)

You have an unconscious wish to die the True Death. The search for blood, the politics and pain, the constant knowledge of all eternity looming ahead of you, and perhaps your own cowardice, all have their effect on you. Although you never deliberately do anything to harm yourself, you do tend to hinder yourself at awkward times. At any time during a story, the

Storyteller may ask you to re-roll a successful Skill check. The least successful of the two rolls is the actual result of your action. The Storyteller may do this a number of times per story equal to the number of points taken in this Flaw.

Diabolist, Known (5 pt Flaw)

You have committed diablerie at least once to achieve your current position of power. Although not all members of elder Kindred society know of your terrible flaw, at least some elders of import are aware of it. You are certain word of your proscribed behavior is slowly making its way through society. Other elders could easily discover this at any time and, at the very least, most of society knows that you are to be shunned. Adding to the danger, there is always the possibility of a Blood Hunt despite your elder status. If they haven't already, certain elders can be expected to use their information to force you to back their causes. You receive a +3 difficulty modifier on any Social roll involving elder Kindred who know your secret.

Diabolist, Secret (2 pt Flaw)

You have committed diablerie at least once to achieve current position of power, but no one yet knows your .~ver be revealed, other elders may well refuse you aid, shun you or, even worse, turn against you, perhaps even calling a Blood Hunt. It is imperative you keep this information hidden. Should your secret ever be revealed you will receive a +3 difficulty

modifier to any Social roll involving elder Kindred.

Emotional Isolation (2 pt Flaw)

You have seen too many friends and family, Kindred and kine alike, swept away on the river of time and cast into oblivion. The pain of seeing so many die while you continued to exist was horrible to bear, so horrible that you have now isolated yourself emotionally from all others. You often come across as cold and utterly without feeling, but what is that to you?

You are now safe from pain. Due to your total emotional isolation, you receive a + 1 difficulty modifier to any Social roll involving emotions and cannot spend experience points on the Empathy Talent.

Ennui (2 pt Flaw)

You are world-weary. You have seen enough to know that nothing is ever truly new: the same events and so-called passions are merely replayed again and again, with only the faces and names shifting as the many, many years go by. You rarely pay attention to those around you, assuming you know all there is to know of them once you have determined what part they play on the world stage (+ 1 difficulty to Perception rolls involving people you know). Due to your belief in the predictability of others, you also receive + 1 to the difficulty level of the first action taken following a surprise (such as an ambush).

Matricide/Patricide (4 pt Flaw)

You have committed diablerie upon your own sire. If this information becomes known among other elder vampires you will be shunned, or perhaps even put to the sun. You are most certainly an easy target for blackmail, and you must always be alert to the signs of other Kindred searching for information about your sire and his untimely demise (or "disappearance").

Paramour, Jilted (1-3 pt Flaw)

You had a long-term relationship (minimum 50 years) with a fellow Kindred. Although the relationship proved useful and pleasant while it lasted, you grew weary of your former paramour and ended the long-term tryst. Unfortunately, your former paramour did not take the ending of the affair well, and has apparently developed a strong antipathy for you. You both know many of each other's secrets and this has caused a stalemate thus far, but you are concerned that your ex-paramour may interfere in your affairs at some time in the future. The cost of this Flaw depends on the relative power and position of your ex-paramour in Kindred society (1 for an ancilla, 2 for another elder, 3 for a more powerful elder).

Paranoia, Extreme (3 pt Flaw)

You are certain that the world is full of creatures and people who wish to see you destroyed. However, you do not worry overmuch about those individuals who loathe you from a distance. It is the ones you let get near you, the ones who profess some caring towards you, who are the real danger. Of course, not all your associates and so-called friends are actually your enemies (at least they probably all aren't). However, you know that no one ever does anything they don't believe to be for their own benefit. You are constantly alert for signs that one or more of your acquaintances are actually seeking to commit diablerie upon you, stake you, or worse. Whenever someone you know performs an act that appears selfless, you must make a successful Self-Control roll to resist branding them a traitorous, implacable enemy bent on your destruction (and taking appropriate actions against such a monster!). The Storyteller may also decide that your companions' actions are suspiciously altruistic and necessitate such a roll.

Poverty (1 pt Flaw)

You are very poor for an elder vampire. Either you never bothered to save anything over the years, or yotl throw away any accumulated wealth for your own, obscure reasons. You may not take any Resources.

Prestation Debt (1-5 pt Flaw)

You currently owe a boon to one or more other Kindred. This debt could have been incurred far in the past or only last week, but the Kindred to whom you owe the debt is still extant. As such, she has gained some Status over you, and you are at a slight disadvantage in any dealings you have with her. It is also conceivable that your debt could be called in, and that you could be asked to perform some service or favor for any such vampire to whom you are indebted.

The number of points in Prestation Debt must be determined by both the player and Storyteller. The number and magnitude of such debts and to whom they are owed determine the rating of the Flaw. You also receive a + 1 to the difficulty level of any checks made when attempting to influence such Kindred. The exact nature of this Flaw should be worked into the elder character's memoirs.

Recently Arisen (3 pt Flaw)

You have been lying in a state of torpor until very recently. The years have left you in their wake and the world has been remade in your absence. The culture shock is very jarring, and you still find it difficult to make your way in this strange new environment. Only the general flow of Kindred politics and society remains reasonably familiar; the rest of the world is

gibberish. You receive a + 2 to the difficulty level of rolls involving technology and to social interactions with everyone save other elder Kindred.

Routine (2 pt Flaw)

Through the ages you have settled into somewhat of a routine. You tend to go to the same places at the same time of year, and to proceed from haven to haven in a regular order. If others studied your behavior closely, they might be able to take advantage of it to do you harm. The Storyteller may lower the difficulty level for anyone attempting to surprise the character from 1-3 points depending on the specific nature of the situation.

Vainglorious (1-3 pt Flaw)

You are boastful and know that you deserve any praise you receive. You are particularly fond of Kindred who realize their lesser standing in the face of your obvious superiority, although you tend to views any who speak well of you as more intelligent and deserving than most. Due to your arrogance and love of sycophants, you receive an increase of one to three points on

Merits and Flaws: Supernatural

These Merits and Flaws are different kinds of supernatural benefits or detriments. They are highly abnormal, and not at all common. Because of the potential of these particular Traits, and the liberal way in which they deal with the "laws of reality," the Storyteller may not allow you to choose from this category - ask before you choose one. Furthermore, you should not select

such Traits unless they firmly fit your character concept, and you can explain why your character possesses them. In general, we do not recommend that anyone have more than one or two supernatural Merits or Flaws - they will be strictly controlled by the Storyteller.

Inoffensive to Animals: (1 pt Merit)

Animals do not fear or distrust you the way they do most of the Kindred. They treat you as they would any mortal and do not shy from your touch.

True Love: (1 pt Merit)

You have discovered, but may have lost (at least temporarily) a true love. Nonetheless, this love provides joy in a torrid existence usually devoid of such enlightened emotions. Whenever you are suffering, in danger or dejected, the thought of your true love is enough to give you the strength to persevere. In game terms, this love allows you to succeed automatically on any Willpower roll, but only when you are actively striving to protect or come closer to your true love. Also, the power of your love may be powerful enough to protect you from other supernatural forces (Storyteller's discretion). However, your true love may also be a hindrance, and require aid (or even rescue) from time to time. Be forewarned: this is a most exacting Merit to play over the course of a chronicle.

Medium: (2 pt Merit)

You possess the natural affinity to sense and hear spirits, ghosts and shades. Though you cannot see them, you feel their presence and are able to speak with them when they are in the vicinity. It is even possible for you to summon them (through pleading and cajoling) to your presence. Spirits will not simply aid you or give you advice gratis - they will always want something in return.

Danger Sense: (2 pt Merit)

You have a sixth sense that warns you of danger. When you are in danger, the Storyteller should make a secret roll against your Perception + Alertness; the difficulty depends on the remoteness of the danger. If the roll succeeds, the Storyteller tells you that you have a sense of foreboding. Multiple successes may refine the feeling and give an indication of direction, distance or nature. This Merit is more reliable and specific than the Level One Auspex power; the two can be combined to create an even more potent warning system.

Faerie Affinity: (2 pt Merit)

Your presence does not frighten faeries; indeed, it attracts them, and you are naturally attuned to their ways. You are able, unlike most Kindred, to enter Arcadia, the mystical kingdom of the faeries, provided you find an entrance.

Magic Resistance: (2 pt Merit)

You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of the Tremere and the spells of the mages of other creeds and orders. Although you may never learn the Discipline of Thaumaturgy, the difficulties of all such spells and rituals are two greater when directed at you. Note: this includes all spells, beneficial and malign alike!

Occult Library: (2 pt Merit)

You possess a library of occult materials, which may include at least one version of the Book of Nod. You are not necessarily familiar with the contents of these volumes of knowledge (that is a function of your Abilities), but in time of need your library can be an invaluable source for research.

Spirit Mentor: (3 pt Merit)

You have a ghostly companion and guide. This spirit is able to employ a number of minor powers when it really struggles to exert itself (see Haunted, below), but for the most part its benefit to you is through the advice it can give. This ghost is the incorporeal spirit of someone who was once living, perhaps even someone particularly famous or wise. The Storyteller will create the ghost character, but will not reveal to you its full powers and potencies.

Unbondable: (3 pt Merit)

You are immune to being Blood Bound. No matter how much blood you drink from other vampires, you will never be Bound to them.

Werewolf Companion: (3 pt Merit)

You have a friend and ally who just happens to be a werewolf. Though you may call upon this being in time of need, it also has the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). However, neither your kind nor it’s appreciate such a relationship, and your respective societies will punish both of you if your friendship is discovered. Arranging for meeting places and methods of communication will be difficult. The Storyteller will create the werewolf character, but will not reveal to you its full powers and potencies.

Destiny: (4 pt Merit)

You have a great destiny, though you may well not realize it. Your destiny will become more and more apparent as the chronicle continues. Prophecies and dreams guide your way, and grant you clues to your ultimate goal. The sense of direction and security granted by this feeling of destiny helps you overcome fear, depression and discouragement caused by anything not relevant to your destiny. Until your destiny is fulfilled, you may suffer setbacks, but nothing will thwart you permanently. How this is played is up to the Storyteller.

Guardian Angel: (6 pt Merit)

Someone or something watches over you and protects you from harm. You have no idea who or what it is, but you have an idea that someone is looking out for you. In times of great need you may be supernaturally protected. However, one can never count upon a guardian angel. The Storyteller must decide why you are being watched over, and by what (not necessarily an angel, despite the name).

True Faith: (7 pt Merit)

You have a deep-seated faith in and love for God, or whatever name you choose to call the Almighty. Perhaps your faith came to you before your Embrace, and was strong enough to survive even this test; or, incredibly enough, the adversity you have experienced in your current condition has brought out what is best in you. You begin the game with one point of Faith (a Trait with a range of 1-10). Your Faith provides you with an inner strength and comfort that continues to support you when all else betrays you. Your Faith adds to all Willpower and Virtue rolls. The exact supernatural effects of Faith, if any, are completely up to the Storyteller (though it will typically have the effect of repelling Kindred). It will certainly vary from person to person, and will almost never be obvious - some of the most saintly people have never performed a miracle greater than managing to touch an injured soul. The nature of any miracles you do perform will usually be tied to your own Nature, and you may never realize that you have been aided by a force beyond yourself. You must have a Humanity of 10 in order to choose this Merit, and if it ever drops below nine, you lose all Faith points and may only recover them through extensive penitence and work (and only when your Humanity is again 10). No one may start the game with more than one Faith point. Additional points are only awarded at the Storyteller's discretion.

Cursed: (1-5 pt Flaw)

You have been cursed by someone or something with supernatural or magical powers. This curse is specific and detailed, it cannot be dispelled without extreme effort, and it can be life-threatening. Some examples follow: If you pass on a secret that was told to you, your betrayal will later harm you in some way. (1 pt)

You stutter uncontrollably when you try to describe what you have seen or heard. (2 pt)

Tools often break or malfunction when you attempt to use them. (3 pt)

You are doomed to make enemies of those to whom you become most attached (so whatever you do, don't get too close to the other characters!). (4 pt)

Every one of your accomplishments or achievements will eventually, inevitably, become soiled and fail in some way. (5 pt)

Taint of Corruption: (1 pt Flaw)

Plants wither when you approach, and will die if you touch them. It is rumored that Caine himself possesses this Flaw.

Repulsed by Garlic: (1 pt Flaw)

You cannot abide the smell of garlic, and the smallest taint of its scent will drive you from a room. The full force of its pungent odor will bring bloody tears to your face and render you nearly blind, while its touch can cause boils and even open wounds.

Magic Susceptibility: (2 pt Flaw)

You are susceptible to the magical rituals of the Tremere, as well as to spells of mages of other creeds and orders. The difficulty to cast a spell upon you is two less, and all spells cast have twice normal effect on you.

Repelled by Crosses: (3 pt Flaw)

You are repelled by the sight of ordinary crosses (just as if they were holy). Kindred who were of the Church prior to their Embrace are the ones most likely to possess this Flaw; they perceive that their new form is a judgment from God.

Can't Cross Running Water: (3 pt Flaw)

You cannot cross running water unless you are at least 50 feet above it. "Running water" is any body of water more than two feet wide in any direction and not completely stagnant. A Kindred with this Flaw obviously believes too much in old wives' tales.

Haunted: (3 pt Flaw)

You are haunted by a ghost that only you (and Mediums) can see and hear. It actively dislikes you and enjoys making your life miserable by insulting, berating and distracting you - especially when you need to keep your cool. It also has a number of minor powers it can use against you (once per story for each power): hide small objects; bring a "chill" over others, making them very ill at ease with you; cause a loud buzzing in your ear or the ears of others; move a small object such as a knife or pen; break a fragile item such as a bottle or mirror; trip you; or make eerie noises such as chains rattling. Yelling at the ghost can sometimes drive it away, but it will confuse those who are around you. The Storyteller will likely personify the ghost in order to make things all the more frustrating for you.

Dark Fate: (5 pt Flaw)

You are doomed to experience a most horrible demise or, worse, suffer eternal agony. No matter what you do, someday you will be out of the picture. In the end, all your efforts, your struggles, and your dreams will come to naught. Your fate is certain and there is nothing you can do about it. Even more ghastly, you have partial knowledge of this, for you occasionally have visions of your fate - and they are most disturbing. The malaise these visions inspire in you can only be overcome through the use of Willpower, and will return after each vision. At some point in the chronicle, you will indeed face your fate, but when and how is completely up to the Storyteller. Though you can't do anything about your fate, you can still attempt to reach some goal before it occurs, or at least try to make sure that your friends are not destroyed as well. This is a difficult Flaw to role-play; though it may seem as if it takes away all free will, we have found that, ironically, it grants freedom.

Light-Sensitive: (5 pt Flaw)

You are even more sensitive to sunlight than other vampires are. Sunlight causes double normal damage, and even moonlight (which is, after all, the reflected light of the sun) harms you. Indeed, even bright lights can be painful, but that pain can be mitigated by wearing sunglasses. When the moon is shining, the light it casts will cause wounds in the same way sunlight does for normal individuals. However, the wounds caused by the moon are not aggravated, and can be healed normally. Remember, even on nights when the moon is full, it may have already set when you venture outside, or be obscured by the clouds.

Merits and Flaws: Physical

These Merits and Flaws deal with your health and physical makeup.

Double-Jointed: (1 pt Merit)

You are unusually supple. Reduce the difficulty of any Dexterity roll involving body flexibility by two. Squeezing through a tiny space is one example of a use for this Merit.

Baby Face: (2 pt Merit)

You look more human than other vampires, enabling you to fit in the human world much more easily. Your skin is pink, you never really stopped breathing (even though you don't need to), and even sneezing comes naturally. You can make your heart beat as long as you have at least one Blood Point. This Merit cannot be taken by Nosferatu.

Misplaced Heart: (2 pt Merit)

Your heart has actually moved within your body, though no more than two feet from its original position near the middle of your chest. Those who attempt to stake you find it very difficult to find the right location (which should be your most tightly guarded secret).

Efficient Digestion: (3 pt Merit)

You are able to draw more than the usual amount of nourishment from blood. Every two Blood Points ingested increase your Blood Pool by three. Round down so leftover 'halves' are ignored. For instance, taking four Blood Points raises the Blood Pool by six, and so does taking five Blood Points.

Huge Size: (4 pt Merit)

You are abnormally large in size, possibly over seven feet tall and 400 pounds in weight. You therefore have one additional Health Level, and are able to suffer more harm before you are incapacitated. Treat this extra Level as an extra Hurt Level, with no penalties to rolls.

Allergic: (1-3 pt Flaw)

You are allergic to some substance, in a manner not unlike mortal allergies. However, you do not get hives or sneeze, but are actually incapacitated by your reaction. If the substance was in the blood you drank, the reaction will be very strong, though touch alone is enough to disturb you. If it was in the blood, you will have five fewer dice on all your Dice Pools for 10 minutes - if you just touched it, the penalty is reduced to two dice. Choose from the list below or make up the substance to which you are allergic.

Plastic: 1 pt

Alcohol: 2 pt

Illegal Drugs: 2 pt

Metal: 3 pt

Short: (1 pt Flaw)

You are well below average height, and have trouble seeing over high objects and moving quickly. You suffer a two-dice penalty to all pursuit rolls, and you and the Storyteller should make sure your height is taken into account in all situations. In some circumstances, this will give you a concealment bonus.

Disfigured: (2 pt Flaw)

A hideous disfigurement makes you ugly and easy to notice as well as remember. You therefore have a zero Appearance, much like the Nosferatu (who cannot take this Flaw).

Selective Digestion: (2 pt Flaw)

You can digest only certain types of blood. You can choose whether you can drink only cold blood (the blood of a dead person), blood with the taste of fear (found in blood only in moments of terror), or blood with the taste of joy, or perhaps only certain types (A, O, etc.) of blood. This Flaw may not be taken by Ventrue characters, since they already have something like it through their clan weakness

Child: (3 pt Flaw)

You were a small child at the time of the Embrace. Although time and experience may have changed your outlook, you are stuck with a child's body. You have the Short Flaw (see above), and you find it difficult to be taken seriously by others (two-dice penalty to all relevant rolls). Because you have never before experienced any sort of transformation change (never having undergone the experience of puberty), you are ill suited to withstanding the demands of the Hunger (the difficulties of all such rolls are one greater). Additionally, certain clubs may not admit you, because you are "underage."

Deformity: (3 pt Flaw)

You have some kind of deformity - a misshapen limb, a hunchback or whatever - which affects your interactions with others and may inconvenience you physically. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to physical appearance are raised by two. Your deformity will also raise the difficulty of some Dexterity rolls by two, depending on the type of deformity you possess.

Lame: (3 pt Flaw)

Your legs are injured or otherwise prevented from working effectively. You suffer a two-dice penalty to all dice rolls related to movement. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Double-Jointed.

Monstrous: (3 pt Flaw)

There is something wholly monstrous about you, something that makes you even more hideous than a Nosferatu. You scarcely look human, but the manner in which you differ is up to you. Perhaps you have grown scales or warts all over your body, or perhaps the scream you issued when you died has been permanently frozen on your face. Not only is your Appearance a zero, but you make even the Nosferatu uneasy. Nosferatu may take this Flaw, but only gain one point for it.

One Arm: (3 pt Flaw)

You have only one arm - choose which, or determine randomly at character creation. This happened before the Embrace. It is assumed that you are accustomed to using your remaining hand, so you suffer no off-hand penalty. However, you do suffer a two-dice penalty to any Dice Pool where two hands would normally be needed to perform a task. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit Ambidextrous.

Permanent Wound: (3 pt Flaw)

You suffered injuries during the Embrace, which your sire did nothing to repair. You start each night at the Wounded Health Level. This can be healed like normal damage, but each evening, after sleep, your wounds always return.

Mute: (4 pt Flaw)

Your vocal apparatus does not function, and you cannot speak at all. You can communicate through other means -typically writing or signing.

Thin-Blooded: (4 pt Flaw)

You have weak blood, and are unable to use it for anything but sustaining yourself from night to night and healing your wounds. Blood cannot be used to add to your Physical Attributes, to fuel blood Disciplines, or to create a Blood Bond. Moreover, you will not always be able to create a vampire. Half the time the Embrace will simply not work.

Paraplegic: (6 pt Flaw)

You can hardly move without assistance, such as a pair of crutches or a wheelchair. Even then it can be painful and cumbersome to do so. The Storyteller and you should take care to role-play this Flaw correctly, no matter how difficult it makes things. A character may not take this Flaw along with the Merit of Double-Jointed.

Merits and Flaws: Mortal Society

These Merits and Flaws deal with the influence, power and station of a character within mortal society. Some of them correspond very closely to certain Background Traits (such as Resources, Contacts, and Influence), while others simply elaborate and expand upon them. The Backgrounds give you more creative freedom, while the Merits provide you with exact details of what you possess.

Judicial Ties: (2 pt Merit)

You have both influence over and contacts in the justice system. You know most of the judges as well as the attorneys in the prosecutor's department, and can affect the progress of various cases and trials with limited difficulty. Though it is difficult to intervene in a case, you can influence it in one direction or another. These ties can also make it easy to acquire search warrants.

Mansion: (2 pt Merit)

You own a large mansion ó a home with 25 or more rooms ó as well as the surrounding estate. The servants, if you have any, are provided for if you choose this Merit, though they cannot be used as Herd or Retainers unless you purchase the appropriate Background. The mansion is assumed to have the most current electronic security available, as well as a fence around the perimeter. While the mansion can be in as poor or as good shape as you wish, the more inhabited it appears to be, the more attention it will garner. A ghost house won't attract IRS audits.

Media Ties: (2 pt Merit)

You have both influence over and contacts in the local media. You can suppress and create news stories (though not always with 100 percent efficiency; journalists are an unruly bunch) and you have access to the files and gossip of the staffs of newspapers and TV stations.

Nightclub: (2 pt Merit)

You own a moderate-sized nightclub, perhaps one of the hottest nightspots in the city. This club brings in enough money to support you in moderate luxury ($1000 a month, but it can grow), but more important than the money is the prestige. You may use the nightclub as your haven, or you may simply hang out there. The name of the nightclub, its style, design, and its regular patrons are all up to you. Variations on this theme could include: a restaurant, theater, comedy club, and sports arena or retail store.

Church Ties: (3 pt Merit)

You have influence and contacts in some local churches, and have the means to create protest rallies and raise money. The more you use your ties, of course, the greater your risk of being found out.

Corporate Ties: (3 pt Merit)

You have both influence over and contacts in the local corporate community. You understand the dynamics of money in the city and have links with all the major players. In times of need, you can cause all sorts of financial mayhem, and can raise considerable amounts of money (in the form of loans) in a very short period of time.

Police Ties: (3 pt Merit)

You have both influence over and contacts in the local police department. You can, with a single phone call, cause an APB to be issued. However, the more often you use your ties with the police department, the weaker they become, and the more attention you attract toward yourself. Your influence is not solid (that can be achieved only through game play), and can let you down at times.

Political Ties: (3 pt Merit)

You have both influence over and contacts among the politicians and bureaucrats of the city. In times of need, you can shut off the power and water to a building or neighborhood, and can unleash many different means of harassment against your enemies. The more you use your political ties, the weaker they become. Total control can only be achieved through game play.

Underworld Ties: (3 pt Merit)

You have both influence over and contacts in the local Mafia and organized street gangs. This provides you with limited access to large numbers of "soldiers," as well as extensive links to the underworld of crime. The more often you use your ties with the criminal element, the weaker they grow.

Corporation CEO: (5 pt Merit)

You have a particular influence and sway over a major corporation and associated companies, just as if you were its chief executive officer. Indeed, you may have owned this company before your Embrace, and retained your control. Through this corporation, you know much that takes place in the corporate community, and have the means to wage economic warfare. This Merit provides you with some informal Contacts and Resources, the exact extent of which are determined by the Storyteller.

Anachronism: (2 pt Flaw)

You have been a vampire for some time, and are unable (or unwilling) to keep up with the changing times. An Intelligence roll is needed whenever you have to deal with something from a later period than your own breathing days. If the roll is failed, total the net failures and use this total as a negative modifier to your attempts. Example: Osric, a fifth-century Goth by birth, has this Flaw and is attempting to deal with a computer. His Intelligence roll results in two net failures. Osric now has a two-dice penalty when determining the outcome of his attempt to make the infernal machine cooperate. Note that characters with this Flaw will generally have been vampires for longer than the 50 years suggested in Vampire, so Storytellers should decide whether or not to allow this Flaw in their chronicles.

Ward: (3 pt Flaw)

You are devoted to the protection of a mortal. You may describe your ward, though the Storyteller will actually create her. This character may be a friend or relative from your pre-Embrace days or simply a mortal you admire and consider important. Wards have a way of getting caught up in the action of stories, and are frequent targets of a character's enemies.

Hunted: (4 pt Flaw)

Merits and Flaws: Mental

These Merits and Flaws deal with the mind: its strengths weaknesses and special

capacities.

Common Sense: (1 pt Merit)

You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever you are about to do something contrary to common sense, the Storyteller should alert you to how, and your potential action might violate practicality. This is an ideal Merit if you are a novice player because it allows you to receive advice from the Storyteller concerning what you can and cannot do, and (even more importantly) what you should and should not do.

Concentration: (1 pt Merit)

You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Any penalty to a difficulty or Dice Pool arising from a distraction or other inauspicious circumstance is limited to two, though no extra benefits are gained if only one penalty die is imposed.

Lightning Calculator: (1 pt Merit)

You have a natural affinity with numbers and a talent for mental arithmetic, making you a natural when working with computers or betting at the racetracks. The difficulties of all relevant rolls are decreased by two. Another possible use for this ability, assuming you have numbers on which to base your conclusions, is the ability to calculate the difficulty of certain tasks. In appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller the difficulty rating of a task you are about to perform.

Time Sense: (1 pt Merit)

You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using a watch or other mechanical device. You can accomplish this whether you are concentrating or not. You can estimate the time of day to within a minute or two, and the passage of time with the same accuracy.

Eidetic Memory: (2 pt Merit)

You can remember things seen and heard with perfect detail. By gaining at least one success on an Intelligence + Alertness roll, you can recall any desired sight or sound accurately, even if you heard it or glanced at it only once (though the difficulty of such a feat would be high). Five successes enable you to recall an event perfectly: the Storyteller relates to you exactly what was seen or heard.

Light Sleeper: (2 pt Merit)

You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. The rules regarding how Humanity restricts the number of dice usable during the day are waived.

Calm Heart: (3 pt Merit)

You are naturally calm and well-composed, and do not easily fly off the handle. Raise the difficulties of all your frenzy rolls by two, no matter how the incident is provoked.

Iron Will: (3 pt Merit)

When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. You cannot be Dominated, nor can your mind be affected in any way by spells or rituals. However, the Storyteller may require you to spend Willpower points when extremely potent powers are directed at you. (this merit is not given easily by Story Tellers/Reps)

Self-Confident: (5 pt Merit)

When you spend a point of Willpower to gain an automatic success, your self-confidence may allow you to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower point. You do not lose the point when you spend it, unless you end the roll with only one success, i.e. you do not gain any additional successes from the dice you roll. This Merit may only be used when you need confidence in your abilities in order to succeed. This means you can use it only when the difficulty of your roll is six or higher. You may spend Willpower at other times; however, if the difficulty is five or less, the Willpower will be spent no matter what you roll.

Deep Sleeper: (1 pt Flaw)

When you sleep, it is very difficult for you to awaken. Raise the difficulty by two on any such roll, and role-play how you never seem to be on time when you have an appointment early in the evening.

Amnesia: (2 pt Flaw)

You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself or your family. Your life is a blank slate. However, your past may someday come back to haunt you. (You can, if you wish, take up to five points of other Flaws without specifying what they are, and leave it to the Storyteller to detail them. Over the course of the chronicle, you and your character will slowly discover them.)

Confused: (2 pt Flaw)

You are often confused, and the world seems to be a very distorted and twisted place. Sometimes you are simply unable to make sense of things. You need to role-play this behavior all the time to a small degree, but your confusion becomes especially strong whenever stimuli surround you (such as when a number of different people talk all at once, or you enter a nightclub with loud pounding music). You may spend Willpower to override the effects of your confusion, but only temporarily.

Weak-Willed: (2 pt Flaw)

You are highly susceptible to Dominate and intimidation by others; you are, in fact, unable to use your Willpower freely. You can employ your Willpower only when survival is at stake or it is appropriate to your Nature.

Absent-Minded: (3 pt Flaw)

Merits and Flaws: Kindred Ties

These Merits and Flaws deal with the place, position and status of a character

within vampiric society.

Boon: (1-3 pt Merit)

An elder owes you a favor because of something either you or your sire once did for him. The extent of the boon owed to you depends on how many points you spend. One point would indicate a relatively minor boon, while three points would indicate that the elder probably owes you his unlife. See the rules on Prestation (in Chapter Four) for more information.

Prestigious Sire: (1 pt Merit)

Your Sire had or has great Status in the Camarilla, and this has accorded you a peculiar honor. Most treat you respectfully as a result, while some have only contempt for you, believing you to be nothing compared to them. This prestige could greatly aid you when dealing with elders acquainted with your sire. Indeed, your sire's contacts may actually approach you at some point offering aid. Though your sire may no longer have contact with you, the simple fact of your ancestry has marked you forever.

Special Gift: (1-3 pt Merit)

Your sire gave you a valuable gift after the Embrace. The Storyteller should create something suitable or choose one item from the Mystical Items list to give to you (though you can 'suggest' something). The Storyteller will decide how much a particular item is worth.

Reputation: (2 pt Merit)

You have a good reputation among the Kindred of your chosen city. This may be your own reputation, or it may be derived from your sire. Add three dice to all Dice Pools for social dealings with the city's Kindred. A character with this Merit may not take the Flaw of Notoriety.

Clan Friendship: (3 pt Merit)

For any number of different reasons ó appearance, bearing, background or demeanor ó something about you appeals to members of a clan other than your own (your choice). The difficulties of all rolls related to social dealings with members of this clan are two less. This can be a two-edged sword; you are also marked by others as a sympathizer with that clan, whether you like it (or deny it!) or not.

Pawn: (3 pt Merit)

You can manipulate and have some control over another vampire ó one of higher generation than you. Your hold was likely formed through Blood Bond, but can also come from a variety of other sources, such as blackmail, bribes or threats ó you make it up. The pawn does not necessarily know that it is being controlled.

Enemy: (1-5 pt Flaw)

You have an enemy, or perhaps a group of enemies, who seek to harm you. The value of the Flaw determines how powerful these enemies are. The most powerful enemies (Methuselahs or Archmages) would be five-point Flaws, while someone nearer to your own power would be worth only one point. You must decide who your enemy is and how you became enemies in the first place.

Infamous Sire: (1 pt Flaw)

Your sire was, and perhaps still is, distrusted and disliked by many of the Kindred in the city. As a result, you are distrusted and disliked as well. This is a heavy load, and one not easily shed.

Insane Sire: (1 pt Flaw)

Your sire has completely lost his grip on reality, and has become dangerously insane. Any wrong committed by your sire may affect your standing, and some of your sire's dangerous schemes may somehow involve you. Because their sires are already assumed to be insane, Malkavians cannot take this Flaw.

Mistaken Identity: (1 pt Flaw)

You look similar to another Kindred, and are mistaken for her, much to your chagrin. This individual's allies will approach you and tell you things you do not want to hear, her enemies will attempt to do away with you, and others will treat you in odd ways. Ultimately you might be able to sort out things, but it will take tremendous effort.

Sire's Resentment: (1 pt Flaw)

Your sire dislikes you and wishes you ill. Given the smallest opportunity, your sire will seek to do you harm, and may even attack you if provoked. Your sire's friends will also work against you, and many elders will thus resent you.

Twisted Upbringing: (1 pt Flaw)

Your sire was quite malevolent and taught you all the wrong things about Kindred society. All your beliefs about how vampires interact are wrong, and your faulty

beliefs are likely to get you into a great deal of trouble. Over time, after any hard lessons, you can overcome this bad start (the Storyteller will tell you when). But until then, you will continue to believe what you were first told, no matter how others try to "trick" you into thinking otherwise.

Clan Enmity: (2 pt Flaw)

For some reason, something about you inspires contempt or hatred in members of a clan other than your own. There is a two-dice penalty to all rolls for social dealings with members of this other clan. Select the 'enemy' clan randomly or choose.

Diabolic Sire: (2 pt Flaw)

Your sire is engaged in acts that could cause a tremendous uproar in the Camarilla. She could be wantonly breaking the Masquerade, or hunting down the elders of the city and feasting on their blood. Archons are likely to come to you in order to discover your sire's whereabouts, and they may not believe you if you tell them you do not know.

Notoriety: (3 pt Flaw)

You have a bad reputation among the Kindred of your chosen city. This may be your own reputation, or it may be derived from your sire. There is a two-dice penalty to all dice rolls for social dealings with the city's Kindred. A character with this Flaw may not take the Merit of Reputation. come from a variety of other sources, such as blackmail, bribes or threats ó you make it up. The pawn does not necessarily know that it is being controlled.

Merits and Flaws: Awareness

These Merits and Flaws involve perception, or the lack thereof.

Acute Hearing: (1 pt Merit)

You have exceptionally sharp hearing, even for a vampire. The difficulties of all dice roll that relate to hearing (e.g. Perception + Alertness to hear a faint noise, or Perception + Linguistics to overhear a conversation in a foreign language) are decreased by two. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman hearing acuity.

Acute Sense of Smell: (1 pt Merit)

You have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to smell (e.g., Intelligence + Occult to identify a ritual incense) are reduced by two. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman olfactory acuity.

Acute Sense of Taste: (1 pt Merit)

You have an exceptionally keen sense of taste. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to taste (e.g., Perception + Medicine to spot the taint of poison in blood or another substance) are reduced by two. You are able to make precise distinctions in taste. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman taste acuity.

Acute Vision: (1 pt Merit)

You have exceptionally keen eyesight. The difficulties of all dice rolls that relate to vision (e.g., a Perception roll to spot a clue, or Perception + Alertness to see the shadow of an approaching attacker) are reduced by one. Combined with Heightened Senses (Level One Auspex), this Merit can provide superhuman visual acuity.

Color Blindness: (1 pt Flaw)

You can only see in black and white. Color means nothing to you, though you are sensitive to color density, which you perceive as shades of gray. This makes it impossible to use the Level Two Auspex power of Aura Perception. Note: color blindness actually indicates an inability to distinguish between two colors, but we fudged a bit for the sake of brevity.

Hard of Hearing: (1 pt Flaw)

Your hearing is defective. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to hearing are increased by two. You may not take Acute Hearing if you take this Flaw.

Bad Sight: (2 pt Flaw)

Your sight is defective. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to vision are increased by two. This Flaw is neither nearsightedness nor farsightedness; it is a minor form of blindness, and is not correctable. You may not take Acute Vision if you take this Flaw.

One Eye: (2 pt Flaw)

You have one eye - choose which, or determine randomly during character creation. You have no peripheral vision on your blind side, and two fewer dice are rolled for any feat requiring depth perception. This includes missile combat.

Deaf: (4 pt Flaw)

You cannot hear sound, and automatically fail any rolls that require hearing.

Blind: (6 pt Flaw)

You automatically fail all dice rolls involving vision. You cannot see-the world of color and light is lost to you.

Merits and Flaws: Aptitudes

These Merits and Flaws establish special capacities and abilities for your character, or modify the effects and powers of your character's other Traits.

Ambidextrous: (1 pt Merit)

You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with the 'wrong' hand at no penalty. The normal penalty for using both hands at once to perform different tasks (e.g. fighting with a weapon in each hand) is plus one difficulty for the 'right' hand and plus three difficulty for the other hand.

Computer Aptitude: (1 pt Merit)

You have a natural affinity with computers, so the difficulties of all rolls to repair, construct or operate them are two less.

Crack Driver: (1 pt Merit)

You have a natural affinity with driving motorized wheeled vehicles, such as cars, 18-wheelers and even tractors. The difficulties of all rolls requiring risky or especially difficult driving maneuvers are two less.

Eat Food: (1 pt Merit)

You have the capacity to eat food. It's an ability you developed at an early point in your undead existence, or perhaps it has been a latent ability all along. This is considered disgusting by other Kindred, but can be of great assistance in maintaining the Masquerade.

Mechanical Aptitude: (1 pt Merit)

You are naturally adept with all kinds of mechanical devices (note that this aptitude does not extend to electronic devices such as computers). The difficulties of all dice rolls to understand, repair or operate any kind of mechanical device are two less. However, this Merit doesn't help you drive any sort of vehicle.

Pitiable: (1 pt Merit)

There is something about you that others pity. This causes them to care for you as if you were a Child (see the Archetypes section). Some Natures will not be affected by this Merit (Autocrat, Deviant, Fanatic, Sycophant), and some Demeanors may pretend they are not. You need to decide what it is about you that attracts such pity, and how much (or how little) you like it.

Natural Linguist: (2 pt Merit)

You have a flair for languages. This Merit does not allow you to learn more languages than are permitted by your Linguistics score, but you may add three dice to any Dice Pool involving languages, both written and spoken.

Daredevil: (3 pt Merit)

You are good at taking risks, and are even better at surviving them. All difficulties are one less whenever you try something particularly dangerous, and you can ignore one botch result when you roll "ones" on such actions (you can cancel a single "one" that is rolled, as if you had an extra success).

Fast Learner: (3 pt Merit)

You learn very quickly, and pick up on new things faster than most do. You gain one extra experience point at the conclusion of each story (not each game session).

Illiterate: (1 pt Flaw)

Through lack of education or as the result of a condition like dyslexia, you are unable to read or write.

Inept: (5 pt Flaw)

You are not attuned to your natural aptitudes, and therefore have five fewer points to spend on your Talents (so the greatest number of points you can spend on your Talents at the beginning of play would be eight, and the fewest would be zero). Of course, you can still spend freebie points to buy Talents. However, at the beginning of the game, you cannot have more than three dots in any Talent.

Uneducated: (5 pt Flaw)

As Inept, above, but dealing with Knowledge Abilities.

Unskilled: (5 pt Flaw)

As Inept, above, but dealing with Skill Abilities.

Merits & Flaws: Psychological

These Merits and Flaws deal with the psychological makeup of your character, and may describe ideals, motivations or pathologies. Some psychological Flaws can be temporarily ignored by spending a Willpower point, and are so noted. If you possess such a Flaw and do not role-play it when the Storyteller thinks you should, then she may tell you that you have spent a point of Willpower for the effort. Flaws cannot be conveniently ignored.

Code of Honor: (1 pt Merit)

You have a personal code of ethics to which you strictly adhere. Even when you are in frenzy, you will attempt to obey it (and thus get three extra dice to your Self-Control rolls when in danger of violating your code). You can automatically resist most temptations that would bring you in conflict with your code. When battling supernatural persuasion that would make you violate your code, you either gain three extra dice to resist supernatural persuasions, or the opponent's difficulties are increased by two (Storyteller's choice). You must construct your own personal code of honor in as much detail as you can, outlining the general rules of conduct by which you abide.

Higher Purpose: (1 pt Merit)

You have a goal that drives and directs you in every thing. You do not concern yourself with petty matters and casual concerns, because your higher purpose is everything Though you may sometimes be driven by this purpose and find yourself forced to behave in ways contrary to the need of personal survival, it can also grant you great persona strength. You gain two extra dice on all rolls that have anything to do with this higher purpose. You need to decide what your higher purpose is. Make sure you talk it over with the Storyteller first. (If you have the Flaw Driving Goal below you cannot take this Merit)

Berserker: (2 pt Merit)

The Beast is in you, but you know how to direct and make use of it. You have the capacity to frenzy at will, and are thus able to ignore your wound penalties. However, you must pay the consequences of your actions while in frenzy just as you normally would. Your chance of entering an unwilling frenzy is also unaffected.

Dual Nature: (2 pt Merit)

You have two distinct Natures, both of which have an influence on your personality and behavior. When you pick these Natures, be careful to choose Archetypes that are somewhat compatible. Dual Nature does not mean schizophrenia (that is a Derangement). This Merit allows you to regain Willpower using both Natures. You may still choose a Demeanor, and it can be as different from the character' Natures as the player desires.

Compulsion: (1 pt Flaw)

You have a psychological compulsion of some sort which can cause you a number of different problems. You compulsion may be for cleanliness, perfection, bragging stealing, gaming, exaggeration or just talking. A compulsion can be temporarily avoided at the cost of a Willpower point. but is in effect at all other times.

Dark Secret: (1 pt Flaw)

You have some sort of secret that, if uncovered, would be of immense embarrassment to you and would make you a pariah in the Kindred community. This can be anything from having murdered an elder to having once been a member of the Sabbat. While this secret weighs on you mind at all times, it will only surface in occasional stories Otherwise. it will begin to lose its impact.

Intolerance: (1 pt Flaw)

You have an unreasoning dislike of a certain thing. This may be an animal, a class of person, a color, a situation, or just about anything at all. The difficulties of all dice roll involving the subject are increased by two. Note that some dislikes may be too trivial to be reflected here-a dislike of White Wolf Magazine or tissue paper, for instance, will have little effect on play in most chronicles. The Storyteller is the final arbiter on what you can pick to dislike.

Nightmares: (1 pt Flaw)

You experience horrendous nightmares (day mares?) every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Sometimes the nightmares are so bad they cause you to lose one die on all your actions for the next night (Storyteller's discretion). Some of the nightmares may be so intense that you mistake them for reality. A crafty Storyteller will be quick to take advantage of this.

Phobia (Mild): (1 pt Flaw)

You have an overpowering fear of something. You instinctively and illogically retreat from and avoid the object of your fear. Common objects of phobias include certain animals, insects, crowds, open spaces, confined spaces and heights. You must make a Courage roll whenever you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of this roll is determined by the Storyteller. If you fail the roll, you must retreat from the object.

Prey Exclusion: (1 pt Flaw)

You refuse to hunt a certain class of prey. For instance an animal-lover might decide to hunt only humans, or a character might decide to spare a class of person she particularly admires: police, teachers, medical professionals, clergy, peace activists and so on. You are disturbed when others feed from this type of prey, and could possibly enter a frenzy (Storyteller's discretion). If you accidentally feed upon this class of prey yourself, you will automatically frenzy and will need to make a roll for Humanity loss (difficulty 8 or greater). Note: This is not as restrictive as the Ventrue limitation, which limits a vampire to a certain class of prey (therefore Ventrue cannot take this Flaw).

Overconfident: (1 pt Flaw)

You have an exaggerated and unshakable opinion of your own worth and capabilities-you never hesitate to trust your abilities, even in situations where you risk defeat. Because your abilities may not be enough, such overconfidence can be very dangerous. When you do fail, you quickly find someone or something else to blame. If you are convincing enough, you can infect others

with your overconfidence.

Shy: (1 pt Flaw)

You are distinctly ill at ease when dealing with people and try to avoid social situations whenever possible. The difficulties of all rolls concerned with social dealings are increased by one; the difficulties of any rolls made while you are the center of attention are increased by two. Don't expect such a character to make a public speech.

Soft-Hearted: (1 pt Flaw)

You cannot stand to watch others suffer-not necessarily because you care about what happens to them, but simply because you dislike the intensity of emotion. If you are the direct cause of suffering, and you witness it, you will experience nights of nausea and days of sleepless grief. You avoid situations where you might have to witness suffering and will do anything you can to

protect others from it Whenever you must witness suffering, difficulties of all rolls are increased by two for the next hour.

Speech Impediment: (1 pt Flaw)

You have a stammer or some other speech impediment which hampers verbal communication. The difficulties of all relevant rolls are increased by two. Do not feel obliged to role-play this impediment all the time, but in times of duress or when dealing with outsiders, you should attempt to simulate it.

Low Self-image: (2 pt Flaw)

You lack self-confidence and don't believe in yourself You have two fewer dice in situations where you don't expect to succeed (at the Storyteller's discretion, though the penalty might be limited to one die if you help the Storyteller by pointing out times when this Flaw might affect you ). At the Storyteller's option, you may be required to make Willpower rolls to do things that require self confidence, or even to use a Willpower point when others would not be obliged to do so.

Short Fuse: (2 pt Flaw)

You are easily angered. The difficulties of rolls to avoid frenzy are always two less, no matter how you were provoked. This is a dangerous Flaw; don't choose it without careful thought.

Territorial: (2 pt Flaw)

You are extremely territorial. You do not like to leave your territory, nor do you like to have strangers enter it. In fact, you get so nervous and disoriented while outside your territory that the difficulties of all your rolls are increased by one. In addition, you must make a frenzy roll when other vampires enter your territory, unless they obtain your permission to pass through.

Vengeance: (2 pt Flaw)

You have a score to settle. This score may be from either your mortal or vampiric days. Either way, you are obsessed with wreaking vengeance on an individual (or perhaps an entire group), and make revenge your first priority in all situations. The need for vengeance can only be overcome by spending Willpower points, and even then it only temporarily subsides. Someday you may have your revenge, but the Storyteller won't make it easy.

Driving Goal: (3 pt Flaw)

You have a personal goal, which sometimes compel and directs you in startling ways. The goal is always limitless in depth, and you can never truly achieve it. It could be to eradicate the Sabbat or achieve Golconda... Because you must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), it will get you into trouble and may jeopardize other actions. Choose your driving goal carefully, as it will direct and focus everything your character does.

Hatred: (3 pt Flaw)

You have an unreasoning hatred of a certain thing. This hate is total and largely uncontrollable. You may hate species of animal, a class of person, a color, a situation- anything. You must make a frenzy roll whenever faced with the object of your hatred. You constantly pursue opportunities to harm the hated object or to gain Dower over it.

Phobia (Severe): (3 pt Flaw)

Toreador Merits and Flaws

Controllable Thirst: (1 pt Merit)

Because Toreador spend so much time around mortals, resisting Frenzy caused by the smell, sight or taste of blood is easier for them. Whenever the Kindred makes a Frenzy roll over blood, reduce the difficulty by three.

Eye for Beauty: (1 pt Merit)

The Kindred is a natural critic. Reduce difficulties for Art Appreciation by four.

Mortal Double: (2 pt Merit)

You have the services of someone alive who looks just like you. This person might be your actual twin. (Other explanations are possible: a long-lost brother, a master of disguise, a Progenitor clone, a victim of Vicissitude, etc.) However, unless he is made into a ghoul, he will continue to age normally. Eventually, he will no longer be your exact double. The double may move about freely during the day, aiding you in hiding your vampiric nature. The double must be fully aware of your personal life, including all your relationships and activities. He must also be a good actor.

Refined: (2 pt Merit)

You a member of the elite. You are at home in high society and you never feel out of place around the "beautiful people." The difficulty on all Etiquette rolls involving high society is reduced by three. In addition, you are often invited to Toreador socials reserved for those of higher Toreador Prestige (or Camarilla Status) than yourself.

Blasé (3 pt Merit)

You are not easily impressed by others. You automatically resist all Presence powers. However, if the Kindred using Presence is far more powerful than yourself, the Storyteller might require you to spend a point of Willpower to resist.

"Gifted": (3 pt Merit)

The difficulty on all Creativity rolls and Artistic Expression rolls are reduced by three.

Greater Colors: (3 pt Merit)

The vampire sees colors more distinctly and with greater definition. The world is far more colorful. Unfortunately, the vampire is more likely to become enraptured by colorful objects. Despite the drawback, when used in conjunction with Aura Perception, the vampire will discover far more information about her target. The difficulty for reading a target's aura is reduced to five. The player may ask the Storyteller one question about the target for every success, and the Storyteller must provide accurate information. This may be used only once per story on a particular target. Finally, all Artistic Expression

difficulties involving color are reduced by one.

Supernatural Spouse: (4 pt Merit)

You share a relationship equivalent to marriage with a supernatural creature other than another Kindred. Both of you receive the benefits of the True Love Merit for one another. This creature may be a mage, a werewolf, a changeling, a wraith or something even more unusual. Unfortunately, both of your kind would consider you threats if they knew of your relationship. You may declare your love for one another openly, although you risk becoming an outcast or worse. You and your spouse would die or kill for one another.

Powerful Ghoul: (5 pt Merit)

You have a very powerful ghoul Blood Bound to you. The ghoul has six points to put into any Disciplines other than Thaumaturgy, although at least one point must be put into Potence. The ghoul is also very competent, possessing 15 points to distribute among Attributes, 27 points to distribute among Abilities and 5 points to put into Backgrounds. The ghoul has reasonably good Virtues and Willpower ratings and will do anything you say, since it loves you so much. However, the ghoul might also get jealous of any relationships you have with others.

Vampire Spouse: (5 pt Merit)

You hold regnant over another Kindred, though she holds regnant over you as well. The two of you are in love, and you automatically have the benefit of the Merit: True Love. Your vampire spouse is your equal in terms of power and status. However, as a couple, you are very formidable. You allow nothing to get in the way of your love. You and your spouse would die or kill for one another.

Poor Taste: (1 pt Flaw)

You can never have the Art Appreciation skill. You are forever a Poseur, and you have no ability to judge a masterpiece from trash. In fact, if you had the choice, you would choose the trash.

Rival: (1 pt Flaw)

You have an intense rivalry with another Kindred. You are always competing with this individual, either for fun or out of spite. In besting this individual, you go to extremes, and he behaves similarly towards you. Your rival occasionally gets the best of you, but you do the same to him.

Torlured Artist: (1 pt Flaw)

You must suffer for your work. Your work is never good enough to suit you. You often suffer ennui for extended periods of time, preventing you from working steadily. In addition, you constantly find yourself in heartbreaking positions; perhaps you subconsciously lead yourself into those situations to acquire the experience you need for your work.

Vulgar: (1 pt Flaw)

You will never fit into high society. You are crude, rude and socially unacceptable, forever a Philistine. You are treated as having one less level of Status when invitations to Toreador socials are prepared. You will never be fully accepted as a Toreador. Many will question your Sire and possibly ridicule him for choosing you.

Artistically Inept: (3 pt Flaw)

You must work harder than most artists to accomplish great work. You are still capable of creating a masterpiece, but it is tougher for you than for someone else of equal training. All difficulties on Creativity rolls and Artistic Expression rolls are increased by two to a maximum of nine.

Social Outcast: (3 pt Flaw)

You have severed your ties to the Artistes and Poseurs. You no longer play their silly games. You will never rise in Clan Prestige, and you are the equivalent of an anarch. However, the anarchs will not accept you due to some past transgressions you have committed against them. You have no place in the world of the Damned.

Setite Merits and Flaws

These Merits and Flaws are available only to Setite Characters.

Drug Resistance (2 pt Merit)

You are unusually resistant to drugs. Alcohol, narcotics and similar addictive substances have little or no effect "upon you. You can drink from winos with impunity, or pretend to be far drunker than you are in order to take advantage of an opponent.

Poisonous Bite (2 pt Merit)

You have developed poison glands in the roof of your mouth. The poison is virulent, although Kindred and other supernatural creatures are unaffected by it. You, of course, are immune. When you bite, you always inject this poison, 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.

Addictive Blood (3 pt Merit)

Your blood is especially delicious to others, Kindred or Kine, containing a substance they find physically addictive. Once they have drunk it, they must drink again, or spent a Willpower point at inconvenient moments to avoid the pangs of craving. 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.(Storyteller discretion if non setties can take this flaw/rare)

Scales (1-3 pt Flaw)

During your Embrace, a portion of your skin became scales. If only a small area, one easily hidden, such as a patch of skin on your shoulder, this is only a one-point Flaw. Having an entire limb affected, such as an arm, forcing you to wear long gloves at all times is a two-point Flaw, while having a scaled, lipless face is a three-point Flaw.

Forked Tongue (2 pt Flaw)

Your tongue is forked and flickering, like that of a snake. You speak with a hiss. Upholding the Masquerade becomes difficult for you. Note that this tongue does not inflict aggravated damage, nor draw blood.

Heartless (4 pt Flaw)

Having removed your heart via the fifth level of Serpentis, you have lost it. The heart might be in the possession of a foe, or simply missing. If it is possessed by some other Cainire, (perhaps a Setite elder, or your sire) you must obey their every command. If it is lost, the anxiety this causes you interferes with your nightly existence.

Aura of the Wyrm (5 pt Flaw)