Acrobatics
Animal Training
Archery
Artillery
Biotech
Details
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There's a big difference between an inorganic machine and an organic one. You know how to straddle the line between them — how to design, implant, modify and employ cybernetics, cloning, biomechanisms, nanotech, genegineering and floronics. Naturally, these Progenitor mainstays demand other Traits (mostly Sciences; see "New Knowledges") before you can understand them. Still, you've got a leg up on most Technocrats and technicians, who regard the body and the machine as separate entities.
Biotech
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Novice: You've watched biotech being installed and employed, and you understand the theories involved.
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Practiced: You have a bit of hands-on practice with design and installation of basic biotech devices and Procedures.
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Competent: A typical Progenitor, you know the concepts, mechanisms and limits of existing Technocracy biotech.
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Expert: At your level of expertise, new designs and drastic modifications are possible.
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Master: A biotech master, you may design, install, alter or employ almost anything you can imagine (subject to Sphere limits, of course).
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References:
WW4014 Guide to the Technocracy 146
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Blacksmith
Blind Fighting
Blowgun
Boat Handling
Body Crafting
Brewing
Bribery
Brood Kenning
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Brood Kenning is the ability to match mates so as to maximize the chance of a desired offspring, a happy union, or some similar goal. If trying to maximize the chances of a Mokole babe, the matchmaker observes her charges carefully, anywhere from a day to a month or more, and finally makes a Brood Kenning roll (usually paired with Intelligence, Perception, or Wits at the Storyteller's discretion). the difficulty is typically 9, but can be reduced with extra observation. The number of successes is added to the chance for a Mokole offspring; a particularly insightful and ridiculously lucky matchmaker could thus increase the odds of breeding true up to 20%.
This skill can only be used for any given couple, at least when enhancing the odds of breeding true. It can also be used to make matches that will wind up happy, or to recognize the signs of hidden trysting (such as if two Mokole are secretly mating and might produce an Innocent). Brood kenners are compensated and esteemed, whether they are Mokole or Kin. It is a common choice for Gathering.
Brood Kenning
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Novice: You can arrange blind dates that aren't total disasters.
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Practiced: Your clutchmates sneak off to you for romantic advice.
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Competent: You patch up stormy, confused teenage relationships on a regular basis.
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Expert: If you'd been present in Verona, Romeo and Juliet would have lived happily ever after.
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Master: Even the fiercest Crowning bows his head to you and calls you "auntie."
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Possessed by:
Mokole
References:
WW3081 Mokole 52
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Calligraphy
Camouflage
Carpentry
Climbing
Cooking
Dancing
Debate
Demolitions
Disguise
Divination (skill)
Elusion
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A smart beast can use her surroundings to confound her enemies. You are such a beast, naturally — anyone who dares to hunt you will have a hard time of it! On your home turf, you're nearly unbeatable. In strange surroundings, you can get your bearings quickly enough to elude pursuit — or to lead your foes into a trap while you race away, laughing. This Trait may be rolled with Intelligence (to puzzle out new surroundings), Manipulation (to confuse pursuers), Perception (to notice prospective traps and hazards) or Wits (to trick your foes into falling for said traps and hazards). Alternatively, it may be used as part of a resisted roll, pitting your Elusion against your hunter's Hunting or Survival Traits.
Elusion
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Novice: Given a good head start, you can elude casual pursuit.
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Practiced: You can trick most hunters into going the wrong way, or lure neophytes into tight situations.
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Competent: You're clever enough to lead a hunting party into briar patches or deep creeks.
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Master: A wily beast, you can give most pursuers the slip with little difficulty.
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Legend: The greatest hunters alive wish they could catch you!
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Possessed by:
Bygones
References:
WW4802 Bygone Bestiary 102
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Energy Weapons
Details
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A laser is not a normal gun; nor is a particle-beam cannon, an Ectoplasmic Disrupter Cannon or any of the other hypertech energy weapons Union footsoldiers love. Lasers are recoilless, plasma weapons generate a heat wash and fire trail, shockers are short-ranged and particle beams have recoil, but of a different "feel" than a firearm. Most people wouldn't have any idea how to work one of these odd guns, but you do. Given any standard Technocracy-issue energy weapon, you can fire, adjust, load, field-strip and perform minor repairs on it.
Energy Weapons
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Novice: It's a ray gun, Space Cadet.
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Practiced: You've learnd the basics of operation and maintenance.
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Competent: Typical space marine.
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Expert: Elite Op.
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Master: "Phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range..."
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Possessed by:
Technocrats, Sons of Ether (at staff discretion)
References:
WW4014 Guide to the Technocracy 146
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Escapology
Falconry
Fast-talk
Fire Dancing
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You can enter a trance-like state that allows you to leap through flames. This Skill is vital in the Fire Dance and other ritae. Demonstrating this Skill often equates to being a powerful and dominant member of the pack. This Skill does not grant any immunity from the fire, but it does allow the vampire to avoid being burned or succumbing to a frenzy. This Skill cannot be part of a split dice pool: The user must concentrate on Fire Dancing and nothing else. When the vampire tries to Fire Dance, damage should be rolled normally, but for every success with this Skill, reduce the amount of damage done by one health level. Few vampires outside the Sabbat have this Skill.
(Note: Unless the fire is actually a bonfire meant for the ritual dance, you do not suffer Rötschreck any less frequently than any other vampire.)
Fire Dancing
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Novice: You make the necessary leaps to prove that you’re not a coward. You usually wait until the fire has died down quite a bit before you leap though.
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Practiced: You no longer feel that “Oh, shit,” panic when you jump.
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Competent: You are usually the first to jump, for you do not fear the flames. You live by the motto, “Build it higher, jump the fire!”
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Expert: An acrobat in the flames, you command a prowess and fearlessness that serves as inspiration to all who observe you.
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Master: A legend among the Sabbat, your moves are simultaneously unholy and magnificent.
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Possessed by:
Sabbat, Mystics
References:
WW2303 Guide to the Sabbat 89
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First Aid
Fishing
Forgery
Gambling
Game Playing
Gunsmithing
Heavy Weapons
Helmsman
Details
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Mere mortals suffer from vertigo when they look at a starship's controls. Not you. You've studied at the Void Engineers' academies, and know what every switch and viewscreen does (well, most of them, anyway). Because there is order in simplicity, most Void craft have fairly standardized controls; given time, you can pilot anything from a Qui La Machina to a long-distance exploratory vessel. Although certain experimental or top-secret craft may be out of your league, you can still puzzle out most of the vital functions. Just don't screw up when you're in deep space!
(Note: Although it can be considered a retrofitting of Pilot, the two Skills are very different. One applies to aircraft, the other to spacecraft. Hence, it's a pretty rare Skill outside the Void Engineers. While some Iterators and MiBs have been taught the rudiments of starship operation, the Voids like to keep their toys to themselves. Although some Sons of Ether may have a demented variation of this Trait, their inventions tend to be too unique and/ or esoteric to be compatible with Technocracy craft.)
Helmsman
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Novice: You've been trained on basic shuttles.
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Practiced: They let youtake the helm when things are calm.
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Competent: Typical helmsman.
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Expert: The captain wants you on the controls when trouble strikes.
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Master: Han Solo in a jumpsuit.
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References:
WW4014 Guide to the Technocracy 147
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Herbalism
High Ritual
Hunting
Hypertech
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Most Technos simply employ the devices and Procedures they've been given; you actually comprehend the super-advanced theorems that make science into"magic."While many Unionists know the basics, you understand the concepts in great, intuitive detail. (In Massesspeak, this understanding is similar to the difference between knowing how to use a computer and knowing how to build and program one.) In game terms, this Skill allows you to identify the principles of Technocratic devices, modify them or build your own (see p. 46). At Rank 3 and higher, you begin to understand the warped workings of Ether tech and Virtual Adept toys, and you may modify or employ them as you wish (something most Technocrats find difficult to do). Such things are perversions of science, of course, but you detect the rhyme and reason within them that no mundane scientist could possibly understand.
Hypertech
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Novice: You know the basic theories.
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Practiced: Esoterica is just another level of the obvious.
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Competent: You actually understand both Technocratic science and the warped diversions of the Etherites and Virtual Adepts.
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Expert: You're one of the Union's top designers.
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Master: Other Technocrats revere you.
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Possessed by:
Mages (Technocracy, Sons of Ether, Virtual Adepts)
References:
WW4014 Guide to the Technocracy 148
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Hypnotism
Indoctrination
Jetpack
Jeweler
Journalism
Jury-rig
Details
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Science is not without a little slack. With a handful of widgets, a bit of breathing room and a combination of brilliance and bullshit, youcan twist the loose ends of science and fix, alter, build or repair mechanical objects. You must have something to work with, and cannot make something radically different or powerful from a heap of scrap metal. Even so, you do possess a knack for taking bits of junk and cobbling them together into a machine that works fora short period of time.
Obviously, you ought to possess several other Traits in addition to this one: Technology, Computer, Gunsmithing, Hypertech, Security, Energy Weapons and many Sciences are practically prerequisites for most improvised gadgets. Although this Skill can help you with various advanced Procedures (see "Abilities and Magic," in Mage: The Ascension), it is not instantaneous, nor is it "magical" in itself. A clever Technocrat, however, can use his technicalknow-how to pull off normally vulgar Procedures in full view of the Masses... solong asthe stunt isn't totally blatant. (Storyteller's Note:Jury-Rig is a Skill, not a Sphere; a character should not be able to use it to perform some obviously impossible feat of engineering.) Oh, and do be careful. The Union frowns on twisting reality's loose ends too freely.
Jury-rig
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Novice: Basement tinkerer.
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Practiced: Mr. Fixit.
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Competent: Field gadget-master.
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Expert: MacGuyver.
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Master: Tony Stark in mirror shades.
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References:
W4014 Guide to the Technocracy 149
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Klaive Dueling
Larceny
Leatherworking
Lip Reading
Lockpicking
Maieusis
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This rare skill enables a practitioner to bring out memories lost in the recesses of another's soul. Called "the midwife's art," it involves questions, ritual dialogue and the pronunciation of syllables whose meaning is obscure. The player must specify how many levels of Mnesis he wishes to evoke in the subject, or how many memories he wishes the subject, or how many memories he wishes the subject to recall, and the two participants must speak the same language (usually the Dragon's Tongue). The subject must have the Mnesis to do this, or the potential to remember the subjects involved. The practitioner must spend a number of hours equal to the level of Mnesis desired to call out the memory, then make a Manipulation + Maieusis roll. The difficulty is 6 or ordinatry memories, 7 for Mnesis, and 8 for diffcult or obscure subjects. For each success, one memory is recalled.
Maieusis is a daring art. Memories long forgotten can emerge, and a soul be made anew. The Unshading sometimes send lawbreakers to receive the midwife's art rather than die, hoping that their memories will contain enough righteousness to return them to good. It is said that the Fallen have been overcome with grief when subjected to Maieusis, realizing the horrors that they have become, and have died voluntarily in their remorse.
Maieusis
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You can remind your partner of that night in Rio.
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You can bring new insight to people.
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You are known as a lover of wisdom.
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You are revered as a teacher/counselor.
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Watch out for the hemlock...
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Possessed by:
Mokole
References:
WW3081 Mokole 53
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Mechanic
Meditation
Microgravity Operations
Details
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Deep space, damaged ships and ancient Constructs all lack the familiar gravity of Earth. While most people would founder in such conditions, the Union needs explorers in all locations. Training with vacuum suits, underwater tanks and actual spacewalks provides the necessary experience to handle delicate maneuvering in microgravity. Some people mistakenly call this sensation "Zero G" — there's no such thing, of course, since gravity stretches everywhere in the universe, but that technicality is hardly a comfort to someone floating in the dark void.
With Microgravity Operations, you can handle yourself in low- or near-zero-gravity situations. You don't bounce off walls aimlessly, and you can keep your bearings despite the lack of "up" and "down." Against less-skilled opponents, you can even use gravity to your advantage, hopping off walls and vectoring unexpectedly.
When in low gravity, inexperienced characters cannot use more dice from any physical Abilities than their ratings in Microgravity Operations. Thus, if you have 3 in Energy Weapons but only 1 in this Skill, you can only use one die (plus your normal Attribute dice) for the roll. This penalty doesn't affect knowledge, magic, devices or Enlightened Science, of course.
Microgravity Operations
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Don't hyperventilate and don't throw up.
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As long as you're on a tether, you're fine.
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You can spacewalk with some competence.
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Three-dimensional movement is not out of the question.
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You've been in space for so long, you probably don't even remember gravity.
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Possessed by:
Technocrats
References:
WW4014 Guide to the Technocracy 150
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Mining
Misdirection
Mnesis Emulation
Music
Networking
Details
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It's not what you know, it's who you know. And you know how to work those connections for all they're worth. If you're stranded in new circumstances without a network of contacts, you can make one with a little time and effort. It's all in how you play the game....
This Trait allows you to pull together a net of resources: lists, libraries, data banks, receptionists, specialists and informants. These aides won't actually act on your behalf (aside from a dropped word or two), but they're invaluable when you're trying to find something (Perception + Networking), accomplish something (Manipulation + Networking) or win
someone over (Charisma or Appearance + Networking). The more obscure the fact, item, person or feat is, the higher the difficulty of the roll becomes.
Networking takes time and access. You can't just do it from the street unless you've got a cellular phone and a few hours to spend on it. A Background like Contacts, Mentor or Spies would most likely represent an established network.
Specialties:
Networking
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You know how to use a phone book and a library.
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Sweet-talking operators and secretaries is a cinch.
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You know the right people to talk to, and you know how to find them.
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With two hours and a phone, you can work miracles.
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"How'd youget Salman Rushdie's address?"
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References:
WW4014 Guide to the Technocracy 150
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Origami
Parachuting
Photography
Pickpocket
Pilot
Police Procedure
Portents
Details
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Once per story, you may attempt a divination roll. You must have appropriate tools (I Ching, Tarot cards, compass, oracle bones, star charts, even a computer program), and the process takes a minimum of 30 minutes, asyou scan the heavens for omens, toss oracle bones, or shatter ideograph-painted
human skulls. You may either attempt a general reading ("What do the stars hold?") or ask a specific question. The Storyteller assigns a difficulty, basedon the general intent of your question (if any), and then allows you to roll Perception + Portents. Success means that the Storyteller gives you some sort of clue or hint; the greater the success, the more exact the answer, though it is always cryptic.
Thus, if the Storyteller knows that the characters' territory will soon suffer an invasion of Camarilla Kindred led by a crazed (and therefore vulnerable) Malkavian, she might say something like: "White Bone Dragon strikes at the Jade Dragon's flank. Enter the Bone Dragon's maw, and its head will strike its tail in confusion."
Portents
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"The bird flew south? Uhm.. .good luck tomorrow."
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Neighbors ask you to perform I Ching readings.
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Mothers for miles around ask you to interpret their newborns' horoscopes.
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You could have a column in a major newspaper.
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Your predictions make and break banks, stock markets...and military campaigns.
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References:
WW2900 Kindred of the East 84
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Pottery
Psychoanalysis
Repair
Research
Ride
Scuba
Singing
Skiing
Sleight Of Hand
Soulforging
Soulshaping
Speed Reading
Storytelling
Temporal Sense
Torture
Tracking
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