Draft expanded renown

Mage

Any Magick User

Awareness Merit Cost Type Source Details Medium 2 Magic Awareness WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage is a natural conduit to the Underworld. Although this Merit does not reduce the difficulty of working Spirit magic, it does mean that your mage can hear ghosts naturally. The mage might not see wraiths without the right magic, but they do tend to hang out, talk, bug the character and ask him to do things. This talent can be helpful in some cases; wraiths are eager to talk to those who can hear them. However, they often make demands, and they can be difficult to banish if the mage doesn't have enough power with Spirit. System: Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Oracular Ability 3 Magic Awareness WW4600 Synopsis: No, your mage is not one of the mystic Master mages living in an ivory tower in the Deep Umbra. Neither is she a software company. What she is, is an ordinary mage with a flair for divination and glimpses into the past, present and future. System: Whenever the Storyteller feels you are in the position to see a sign or portent, you may make a Perception + Awareness roll. With the difficulty relative to how well the omen is concealed. If successful, you may then roll Intelligence + Occult to interpret what you have seen, the difficulty is relative to the complexity of what you have seen. Your difficulty for all divination with magic (generally with Time) reduces by two. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Precognition 4 Supernatural Awareness WW4010 WW2224 Synopsis: You occasionally have glimpses of the future. Although such visions are beyond your control, you may try to "summon" one by entering a trance and attuning yourself to fate. System: When employed with the Divination Path, this Merit lets you add two dice to your pool; otherwise, the Storyteller will determine what (if anything) you see and how accurately it reflects coming events. This Merit should, of course, offer some insight, but as any seer knows, prophecy is an odd and chancy business. Visions often strike without warning and are not always pleasant to receive. Notes: Book Ref: World of Darkness: Sorcerer, page #68 Mummy: The Resurrection (2nd Edition), page #68 Prophetic Ability 4 Magic Awareness WW4010 Synopsis: The Higher Powers speak to you in signs and portents, visions and images. Some may speak of the future, while others offer clues to existing mysteries, or reveal hidden facts. Prophecies come when they will - you cannot control them, and may not even want them when they do occur (the classic prophets were not exactly thrilled with their "gifts"). System: Some messages will be crystal clear while others seem just flat out obscure. Symbolism, foreshadowing, flashbacks - all the tools mentioned in the rulebooks' Storytelling chapters come into play when your Storyteller decides to let prophecy strike. The truth, content and effect of the prophecies remain the Storyteller's prerogative, but should have some significant role in coming events. This Merit is not a quick-fix or an "oracle machine"; it exists to provide dramatic moments and enigmatic clues, not to dole out obvious answers. Notes: Book Ref: World of Darkness: Sorcerer, page #68 Physical Merit Cost Type Source Details Claws/Fangs/Horns/Hooves/Barbed Tail 3+ Magic Physical WW4603 Synopsis: Witches have always been known for their beautiful fingernails and iron teeth, and your character lives up to this reputation, since coming from her, "I'll scratch your eyes out!" is not an idle threat. Or perhaps she has the horns of the devil or the hooves of a centaur, or something more mundane yet cooler - like a surgical steel plate in the skull with bolts to screw spikes on. System: For three points, you may buy one type of attack; for five points two. Seven points allows you to buy three, and nine points allows you to buy four. For even points, you can go for the full devil package and have claws, fangs, horns, hooves, and a barb at the end of your tail (though it costs an additional three points for your tail to be prehensile). Maneuver Difficulty Damage Bite 5 Strength +1 Claw 6 Strength +2 Kick 7 Strength +3 Gore 7 Strength +2 (Strength +4 after a charge of 10 yards or more) Tail Strike 6 Strength +1 xxxxxClaws, fangs, horns, hooves and tail barbs come in varying sizes. the above list assumes you've got the smallest gauge. For an additional point, you can get a somewhat larger size, and another point beyond that gets you el grande, each size larger doing an additional +1 point of damage. However, this is not necessarily a great idea. Wolf claws can be painted and passed off as an expensive manicure, but vulture talons are a bit harder to hide, and a set of giant bear claws are not only incredibly conspicuous but will prevent you from doing things like typing or driving. Likewise a nice pair of goat horns can be hidden under a top hat, but a set of oryx horns will need a sombrero, and there's no hiding a full rack of stag antlers, especially if you've got two points for every year of your age. xxxxxAt Storyteller option, claws and so forth can be made retractable for an additional +1 per unit of size, like vampire fangs can be pulled back in for one point; for two points jumbo fangs (the type that stick down over your lip) can be pulled back into like with regular teeth, and for three points, even boar or walrus tusks can be made to disappear - though there will have to be a good explanation given for why this works. Notes: Book Ref: Guide to the Traditions, page #228 Immortal 5 or 7 Magic Physical WW4010 Synopsis: You have witnessed the passing of ages and survived to tell of it. Through some form of magic, you've got the potential to live hundreds of years. Perhaps, if your Storyteller is kind (and a little crazy herself), you may have already lived for centuries, and boast a truckload of freebie points - not a part of this Merit - to reflect your age. System: As an immortal sorcerer, you get the following benefits: an increased life span, a slight immunity to most fatal diseases (but not necessarily to the pain associated with those diseases), and the potential to live indefinitely. xxxxxThis Merit's stronger version protects you from almost any form of death - save one - that does not destroy your body entirely. If your corpse can rise again, it will; the fatal damage or disease will slowly repair itself at the normal rate of healing. If some disaster annihilates your body, the magic is dissolved (along with your flesh). Otherwise, you can continue on for centuries. xxxxx One given thing can end this immortal dance. The final doom must be selected ahead of time, must be fairly common, and should play some role in the chronicle. Typical dooms include: getting your head chopped off, being stung to death by insects, being frozen to death, being killed by a woman, etc. Naturally you'll probably do anything you can to avoid this fate; just as naturally, your Storyteller will go out of her way to make sure you cant. This potential immortality should not unbalance the game; if your Storyteller considers the idea inappropriate, she may feel free to disallow it. Notes: Book Ref: World of Darkness: Sorcerer, page #68 Immunity Variable Magic Physical WW4603 Synopsis: There is one peril to which your character is completely immune, even to the magical versions. Perhaps like Mithridates, your mage slowly built up an immunity to all poisons, even those concocted by the Euthanatos. Perhaps she had an accident in the lab and now all metal phases harmlessly through his body, even magic swords and comic-book alloys - or it bounces off his chest. Perhaps it still cuts, but the wounds don't bleed and they seal up immediately. System: However, this invulnerability is only to the particular thing, not to any secondary or tertiary effects - Fenris may have blessed your character so that he is unscathed by teeth and claws of wolves, even werewolves, but that does nothing to stop the werewolf's silver sword or even the damage when the werewolf pounds your mage's head into a wall. (Fenris, after all, said you'd be unharmed by wolves, not by architecture.) Likewise, even if metal doesn't exist for your mage, it does for his lab coat, and a bullet's going to pack quite a whollop before it shreds the cloth. And even if the faeries at your christening said that no mortal man could ever harm you, that proviso doesn't apply to vampires, or the magics that mortal man might command, or even - for that matter - to his 1957 Chevy Bel Aire. xxxxxYour mage might be immune to all physical harm, save one thing, like beheading, incineration or being stabbed through the heart with a dagger thrice blessed by three separate Popes; or he might be immune to all things save in one spot, like Achilles' heel or Siegfried's shoulder. However, this will not prevent him from being turned into a rutabaga, having his soul stolen, being sealed in Lucite or sent into orbit, though his body (if not his sanity) will withstand all these things. He'll merely be an invulnerable soulless rutabaga orbiting the earth in a Lucite block while his enemies look for a third Pope to bless a dagger. xxxxxImmunities vary in price, depending on their lethality and their frequency, much as Vulnerabilities do. You must buy each Immunity separately, although the Storyteller may allow a number of similar Immunities (basilisks, snakes, toadstools, iocaine powder) to be packaged as one more common Immunity. Total immunity continues to go up in price price depending on the size of the chink in your armor. xxxxxAlternately, for half the price of any given Immunity, your character may be Resistant to a particular bane - taking only half damage, rounded down, or reducing your soak roll difficulties by 3... your choice. Anything doing only one die of damage, you ignore. 2 points: A minor nuisance (poison oak, common cold) or a very rare threat (basilisks, the Ebola virus) 4 points: A major threat (disease, hunger, supernatural evil gook), or a moderately rare threat (poisons, extreme heat or cold, raw magic Levin bolts, death spells) 6 points: A terminal threat (asphyxiation, drowning) or a common threat (fire, metals) 8points: Invulnerable to all physical threats but with one large weak spot (the head, the neck, the chest) or one common bane (fire, edged weapons, drowning) 10 points: Invulnerable to all physical threats, but with one tiny weak spot (Seigfried's shoulder, Achilles' heel, the spot where the third eye would go) or one rare bane (silver bullets, mistletoe, deadly nightshade); one common bane in one large spot (edged weapons vs the neck, i.e. beheading), or one common bane in a specific circumstance (a gun fired by a woman). Or immune to all physical threats save those which inflict aggravated damage, or immune to all physical threats save oneself - can be strangled with a robe made of own hair, mentally commanded to gnaw own arm off or destroyed with own Phylactery. Alternately, mage is invulnerable until mage is destroyed. 12 points: Invulnerable to all physical threats, but with one very rare bane (the bite of an Egyptian asp, nuclear radiation, a specific ritual cast by a master mage), one rare bane in a tiny spot (a stake of twisted rose briars through the heart), or one rare bane in a very specific set of circumstances (poisoned with belladonna by a beautiful woman) 14 points: Invulnerable to all physical threats, but with the bane being an extreme rarity (a dagger thrice blessed by three Popes, the elixir of eighty evil essences), or one very rare bane in a highly specific set of circumstances (dragged through the streets of Baghdad by wild horses during the month of Ramadan) 16 points: Invulnerable to all physical threats except one unique bane (the Holy Lance of Longinus, the Sword of Roland), or invulnerable until Phylactery destroyed, requiring an equally unique bane. xxxxxThis Merit may also be taken in conjunction with the Vulnerability Flaw, especially if the Vulnerability is something common and not usually deadly, such as water. Thus, it costs only three points total to be the Wicked Witch of the West, Immune to every variety of harm except being doused with a cleaning bucket. ("I'm melting! I'm melting! Oh who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy all my beautiful wickedness!") xxxxxObjects, especially Phylacteries may also have Immunity to physical perils, but Storytellers should impose some limit on size so min-maxers will not use this Merit to create invulnerable dreadnoughts and impenetrable fortresses. The larger the object, the less of it can be invulnerable. You can have an indestructible moped, but your '57 Chevy wont have puncture-proof tires, and your Winnebago of Doom can have the tires blow out and the windows smashed even while the rest of it remains unscathed. Likewise, your cozy witch's cottage will just need to be rethatched after the dragon attack, but your mansion will be gutted with nothing left but smoke blackened walls. However, you can have the last laugh by making your Phylactery your castle and making the only way to defeat your castle's Immunity being your own death. That way, if your enemies ever sneak into your inner sanctum and kill you, they get to deal with the castle collapsing on their heads - a common staple of sorcerous fiction. Need we even mention that this Merit can be phenomenally abusive? Notes: Book Ref: Guide to the Traditions, page #229 Resistant Pattern 7 Magic Physical WW4603 Synopsis: Aggravated damage means nothing to you, at least personally. Enchanted weapons, vampire fangs, deadly spells and toxic waste can still harm you, of course, but this damage is no worse than that dealt out by ordinary weapons, cat claws, car crashes and sports injuries, any of which can still kill you. System: You take only lethal damage from attacks that would normally score aggravated wounds, including the Avatar Storm. Notes: Book Ref: Guide to the Traditions, page #228 Unaging 2 Magic Physical WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage does not age, ever. Perhaps she drank an elixir in the Mythic Ages, or she tasted the Peach of Immortality, or she ate the Apples of Hesperides, or she dined on the forbidden savor of mermaid's flesh. Perhaps she was injected with the perfect Iterator nanotech or Progenitor symbiote. Perhaps her body is composed of timeless stone or metal. Perhaps the cause is a complete mystery. Regardless, she remains unchanged as the years pass by, save for scars and accumulated knowledge. System: Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Psychological Merit Cost Type Source Details Driven 2 Magic Psychological WW4046 Synopsis: The world is falling to Hell, and the Order is crumbling. Few mages have the spiritual resilience to endure the punishment being heaped on the Traditions in these End Times and keep on going. Your mage is one of them. System: Once per game session, when the survival of your character's Tradition is at stake, you gain an additional free point of temporary Willpower to spend on any one roll in defense of your mage's Tradition. Notes: Book Ref: Blood Treachery, page #85 Social Merit Cost Type Source Details Celestial Affinity 3 Magic Social WW4046 Synopsis: Your mage has an exceptional instinct when it comes to dealing with High Umbrood. While certain shamans excel at interactions with their totemic spirits and necromancers find truck with the dead a simple matter, your mage's talents make conversing with the noblest and most refined of ephemeral entities easier. System: You receive a difficulty bonus of two to all rolls to summon, compel, coax, bargain with and otherwise influence such beings. This bonus applies as much to Social rolls as it does to Spheres, since trafficking with High Umbrood is often as much a matter of finesse and force of personality as it is one of sorcerous might. Notes: Book Ref: Blood Treachery, page #85 Spirit Guide 5 Magic Social WW4010 Synopsis: You are aided in your magical journey by a spirit guide, a friendly entity that offers you advice, messages and sometimes aid. The guide's nature depends on your magical society: A Uzoma sorcerer would recognize one of the orishas, while a Hermetic wizard would claim assistance from an angelic entity. System: Spirit guides can help in a variety of ways: Problem solving: Dialogue with your guide could lead you to insight on various problems. This gives the Storyteller a voice within the chronicle. Help: A friendly spirit may grant it's patron a point of Willpower, take some sudden action or restore a Health Level or two to a sorcerer in need. This aid is rare (once per story, if at all), and may require some thanksgiving offering when the crisis ends. Messages: Your guide can deliver a brief message to someone far away. This message must be short and simple, as it comes much more in a hunch than in a definite thought: "I think Timmy is in trouble. Let's go find him," not "Timmy's canine spirit-guide just arrived and told me that Timmy's trapped in a well three miles from here." xxxxxA sorcerer with a spirit guide may use it as part of her magical Rituals - as the "delivery boy" of a curse or blessing, for example - but does not receive any particular bonus for employing the entity in her workings. Some traditions (especially the shamanic ones) stress initiation by spirits, not people. By adding this Merit to the Mentor Background, you may consider the spirit guide your mentor as well. Notes: Book Ref: World of Darkness: Sorcerer, page #69 Supernatural Merit Cost Type Source Details Conditional Magic 1 to 6 Magic Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: There is one thing in the world that is a great boon, or bane, to your character's magic. Perhaps her spells work particularly well against men, or on Tuesdays, or just after a storm, or on people dressed all in black. Maybe she's powerless to affect those who are or who bear that certain thing, such as her magic being unable to affect Christians or those who carry a piece of rowan and red thread. It may be that a certain individual gave her power over them, or perhaps it is utterly proof against her magic due to an oath she swore or spells that were placed on her. xxxxxThe conditions that affect your magic may be common, uncommon or rare, and the value of this Merit or Flaw depends on the rarity of the condition. The base costs listed here assume that you have a difficulty modifier of three on all Arete rolls under the given conditions. You may adjust the difficulty by one for every point more or less you devote to the Trait. Rank Any Combination 1 point Unique: The Sword of Roland, the Matriarch of the MECHA construct, Leap Year 2 points Scarce as hen's teeth: Current or former members of the Council of Nine, your former Mentors, once in a blue moon 3 points Rare, but not unheard of: Toadstones, Swedish royalty, werewolves, rowan and red thread, the holy days of the archangels 4 points Special order: Virgins, middle eastern eye-bead charms, any member of Iteration X, during a thunderstorm 5 points Available without much trouble: Cold iron, silver, Christians, any member of the Traditions, a windy day, holy ground 6 points Common as dirt: Men, anyone who's ever been baptized, the color purple, under cloud cover, Tuesdays System: Notes: This may be used as a Merit or a Flaw. Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #194 Green Thumb 1 Magic Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Flowers spring up in your footsteps and trees burst into bloom at your touch. Your hands are as warm as sunlight or stones from a cheery hearth. A common Merit among Verbena. System: Notes: Remember that being obviously magical in front of Sleepers is generally considered a bad thing. Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #294 Legendary Attribute 5 Magic Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage has a superhuman Attribute, something in which he has the potential to be greater than human. Although this Attribute is not necessarily automatically better, the mage could potentially exceed the bounds of human ability. Such a gift is rare and precious, and many people with this capacity never even manage to fulfill their true potential. System: In your character's legendary Attribute, your character has the potential for a rating of six dots. Thus, your mage might have the Strength of Hercules or the Intelligence of Occam. This Merit does not confer such a rating automatically; it must still be purchased with Attribute points, freebie points, or experience. xxxxxIn addition to the potential for human power, your character has some miraculous capability tied to that Attribute. A mage with legendary Stamina might have the ability to roll a soak against any form of damage, for instance, while a mage with legendary Wits might be able to shift his initiative category by one place in any given turn automatically. This power is generally automatic, and it is subject to the Storyteller's approval. it's potency varies with the character's actual Attribute rating, so a character with a legendary Stamina of 1 has a weak legendary power that might grow with time and experience. xxxxxThis Merit obviously has the potential for abuse, and it is not appropriate for all chronicles or characters. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #294 Natural Channel 3 Magic Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage is a natural weak point in the Gauntlet between worlds. System: The difficulty to use magic to pierce it is one less, and spirits react a bit more favorably to the mage. If your mage finds an especially weak spot in the Gauntlet (with Awareness or Spirit 1), he can step between worlds without magic. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Nephilim 7 Magic Supernatural WW4046 Synopsis: This Merit is exactly what it sounds like. Your mage is the direct progeny of a native of the High Umbra and a human being. Perhaps your character's conception secured a pact, or possibly the reasons were somewhat less pragmatic. In any case, the mage is the intersection of Heaven (or Hell, or the Vulgate, etc.) and Earth. System: Like the Biblical Nephilim, your character's body cannot fully contain the massive spiritual energies coursing through it, so she has one or a small handful of deformities (at least 3 points worth of Physical Flaws, for which you receive no additional points). Also, she tends to embody certain characteristics of her High Umbral parent (almost certainly her father). An angelic parent whose domain is Fury will result in a short temper and a desire to solve problems with one's fists, whereas an incubus' child will have... darker appetites. Reflect this tendency by starting with three dots of Resonance instead of just one. This heritage does, however, bestow certain advantages upon your character. Mind a Spirit Sphere difficulties pertaining directly to the High Umbra decrease by one, and she is capable of entering the High Umbra physically with a conjunctional Spirit 3, Mind 4 Effect. Also, the entities of the High Umbra fear their bastard half-breeds, and so you receive two bonus dice in all rolls to intimidate, command, or make demands of such creatures. (Unless you are very powerful, however, or the creature you are dealing with is very weak, doing so is nigh suicidal.) xxxxxThis Merit cannot be taken with the Celestial Affinity Merit; the Nephilim are neither well loved nor well received by the Angelic Hierarchies and their like. Notes: Book Ref: Blood Treachery, page #85 Nine Lives 6 Magic Supernatural WW4603 Synopsis: Dame Fortune has favored your mage with the ability to come as close as possible to mortal peril and still survive. System: When a roll occurs that would result in your character's death, the roll is made again. If the next roll succeeds, then your mage lives - and one of your nine lives is used up. if that subsequent roll fails, then another re-roll is made until either a successful roll occurs or your nine lives are used up. The Storyteller should keep careful count of how many lives the character has remaining. Notes: Book Ref: Guide to the Traditions, page #229 Parlor Trick 1 Magic Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Your character has a natural ability to perform some small, pretty or useful bit of magic at will. This trick is nothing that can cause much damage, or even serious annoyance; it's just enough to perform some small basic task or give your mage a little flair. Your mage might be adept at the old wizard's trick of conjuring an orb of witchlight to hand or a flame to her finger. She might be a cyborg who had the bright idea of installing a light bulb or pilot light in her head for the same purpose. If your mage uses a magical sense like night-vision often, you might have the added perk that he can make his eyes glow like a vampire's, allowing him to see even in total darkness. If your character is of the scientific bent, he may be able to emit enough x-rays to use with his x-ray vision, or he could have a laser pointer installed in his index finger just for fun. You don't have to roll or spend anything to make this parlor trick work. xxxxxStorytellers should note that this Merit is provided to add color and reason to the game, not to give min-maxers a loophole to create engines of death. With this Merit, mages can light pipes without a lighter, conjure roses or martinis, have mood music play in the background or pop a penknife or a single claw out of a fingertip. Yes, you could put an eye out with one of those things, but the combat difference between a penknife, a single tiger claw, and a press-on fingernail is inconsequential. System: Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #294

Mage

Avatar Merit Cost Type Source Details Avatar Companion 7 Mage Avatar WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage is in a cycle of reincarnation. However, the strange thing about your mage's passages through the life-death-rebirth cycle comes from the fact that his Avatar has another lesser Avatar connected to it. This fragment also enters the reincarnation cycle, follows your mage's Avatar through each incarnation and often retains memories of its previous incarnation. System: In game terms, you have a living companion who has an Avatar linked to your own. You may have little memory of your past lives and your companion may not be Awakened, but she retains much of the knowledge and experience from your previous incarnations. Thus, your mage's companion can remind him of things or teach him about lessons that he's already learned previously. Think Corum and Jhary-a-Conel. xxxxxThe Storyteller creates your companion. Unless you also take the Allies Background, your companion has no special capabilities besides being tied to your character's cycle and remembering the past. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #297 Circumspect Avatar 2 Mage Avatar WW4600 Synopsis: What Avatar? Your mage has never seen her Avatar. In fact, no one's ever seen her Avatar, unless it was her reflection in the mirror, or her shadow, or something that everyone and their dog has. xxxxxYour mage does have an Avatar, but it isn't inclined to put on a show. At most, her Avatar is simply her subconscious, and it's just nudged and pushed her into finding her own Awakening. xxxxxHaving a circumspect Avatar doesn't mean that your mage doesn't have Seekings and Epiphanies. Such events tend to be rooted in reality. The mage may well find that a series of unusual events in the physical world leads her to greater enlightenment, without ever entering a dreamscape. Who needs to go rooting around in dreams and bizarre mindscapes to find out who they are? System: Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #294 Manifest Avatar 3 Mage Avatar WW4600 Synopsis: Most people see their Avatars only during Seekings, if at all. Your mage's drops by every day for tea, if it doesn't hang out 'round the clock. This avatar is completely invisible to everyone but your character (and those who can read her mind), unless you take this Merit in combination with the Allies Background, creating the body of a person or familiar for your Avatar. In this case, your Avatar becomes your bamf!ing buddy, popping in and out of existence when it feels like it. If it's killed, only the mortal shell dies, not your Avatar - unless you also have the Phylactery Flaw, in which case your Avatar's form is immune to all physical harm, but is is manifested permanently. If such is the case, it is able to be kidnapped, transformed and so on. System: Storytellers should note that an Avatar doesn't have to say it's an Avatar, and just because an Avatar is invested into a phylactery doesn't mean that everything that phylactery tells you is a pronouncement from your Avatar. A VA may have his laptop as a phylatery, but unless he's also taken Manifest Avatar as a Merit, his laptop's warnings to update his virus software are nothing more significant than that. Likewise, you may have invested your Avatar into your best friend, but that doesn't mean that everything (or anything) he says are pronouncements from your personal spirit guide. Such only happens to be the case if you take Manifest Avatar. Even then, why should your Avatar tell you he's anyone except your best friend? xxxxxA manifest Avatar can chat with you and other people like the intelligences that show up on the Web to guide Virtual Adepts and converse with their contemporaries. With the right tricks, it can even materialize to harangue you, to fight, to push you around, or just make for a hot date. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Shattered Avatar 5 Mage Avatar WW4600 Synopsis: Although not necessarily weak, your character's Avatar has been broken to pieces. Your mage has one splinter - your Avatar rating, if you have one, purchased at the normal cost for that Background - and the other pieces are scattered elsewhere. However, what has been broken can be put back together, at least in this case. If you can find the other pieces of your mage's Avatar through questing and roleplaying, you may increase your Avatar rating after Character Generation. xxxxxThe other pieces of your character's Avatar may be scattered about the cosmos, secreted in extra-dimensional hidey-holes with sphinxes and other creatures guarding them, or they may be part of a phylactery, of which you have one or more pieces. For instance, perhaps your mage's Avatar is invested in 10 mighty rings, 3 of which she has (and a corresponding Avatar rating of 3), but she must go and retrieve the others from those who have them. Or perhaps there are other mages who share your character's Avatar, and whenever your mage kills one, her Avatar rating grows by their Avatar rating. Unfortunately, the other mages who have this Avatar are out to kill her as well... xxxxxDesign the nature of your shattering with your storyteller and decide beforehand what your character must do to regain a piece of his broken spirit. System: Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #297 Stormwarden 3 or 5 Mage Avatar WW4600 Synopsis: For some reason, the Avatar Storm that rages across the Gauntlet has no effect upon your mage. System: When your mage reaches across the Gauntlet, he never suffers from any injury from the Storm. For five points, your mage also protects everyone that he touches (including through Correspondence touching) and deliberately desires to shield. xxxxxEither version of this Merit is quite rare, and a whole cabal might be built around the power of one individual to travel across the Gauntlet unhindered. There's no apparent pattern to who manifests this boon - some mages who've never studied Spirit magic before suddenly discover this talent when dragged across the Umbra, while other Masters of Spirit still cant simulate it. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Twin Souls 4 Mage Avatar WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage's Avatar has been fragmented, and he has a "soul mate" - equal in power to his own Avatar, and similar in Essence, Nature and Demeanor. A physical twin, a look-alike, another mage or a complete stranger (possibly a Sleeper) might possess this fragment. System: When in physical contact with this soulmate (or spiritual mate, for actions in the Umbra), the two may share Quintessence and cast spells as one. Taking the highest ratings in Arete and Spheres, also gaining an additional measure of Quintessence equal to the strength of the other individual. The parts are greater than the whole. However, this joint pool must be replenished through meditation in a Node, the same as a regular pool of Quintessence. Paradox points gained from joint spells are not split, however, and each twin gains the same amount of Paradox. xxxxxWith only one dot in Correspondence, your character will always know where her soulmate is. With one dot in Life, she'll know his state of health, and with one in Mind, she may share his thoughts. If one soulmate dies, the player of the other must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to avoid psychic shock. She must wait also until her soulmate's reincarnation before the power may again be shared. Soulmates are not just walking Merits, they must be presented and run as characters, preferably by a different player in a group. Also note that a mage does not have to get along with her soulmate... Twin souls are distinct and separate individuals, not just tag-team powerhouses. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #296 Mental Merit Cost Type Source Details Protean Psyche 7 Mage Mental WW4044 Synopsis: Like the stonecutter in the old Chinese folktale, your character has been a deer, a tiger, the rain, the wind, a rock, and a stonecutter. Or at least, if she hasn't been all these things, she can easily imagine being all those things, and imagination is the most important thing. If your mage is ever placed in a different body, the experience is perfectly natural. A man? Fine. A woman? Of course. A stoat? No problem. A 50-headed, 20 horned, million tentacled thingie, like something from Japanese anime as reinterpreted by St John the Baptist? Sure, sounds good. System: if your mage is a shapechanger or body snatcher, or even a Virtual Adept who changes his icons on the Digital Web frequently, this Merit is almost a necessity. The alternative is to be faced with an unfamiliar body each time, or live existence with a limited catalog of familiar forms (see Mage: The Ascension p. 171). As an added benefit, you do not need to make Willpower checks when sighting Progenitor monstrosities, horrors from the Deep Umbra, Crinos form werewolves or Tzimisce Zulo forms because you've been there. Or at least your character's imagination has. Notes: Book Ref: Disciple's Handbook: The Bitter Road, page #117 Social Merit Cost Type Source Details Tradition Herald 2 Mage Social WW4044 Synopsis: Your character has been recognized by the Traditions as a formal herald. He is granted safe passage in all Tradition territory, such as Chantries and Nodes, and he can expect hospitality from Tradition mages. In the modern age, this hospitality may just include crash space on a couch and a meal from McDonald's, but it's enough to survive. System: Your mage may be asked to carry messages physically, since magical methods can be detected and intercepted while he can (theoretically) defend himself. Although you cannot expect to enter the inner Sanctums of most Traditions, he can ask for audience with their heads and expect to be heard (at some point). You can also expect passage into and through territory that's special to a tradition, such as admittance to a historic Akashic monastery where other mages are normally not permitted, for instance. xxxxxFurthermore, any Traditionalist who attacks your character except in self-defense is subject to censure and branding. If your character aggravates the attack (taunting someone until he attacks), he may also be stripped of his position and branded. In general, however, he's safe from direct fighting among the Traditions. A herald can still be challenged to certamen, though. He can speak the truth freely or even insult people in a diplomatic capacity, but he'd better make sure that he's right. Notes: Book Ref: Disciple's Handbook: The Bitter Road, page #117 Faction Founder 4 Mage Social WW4044 Synopsis: Your character has broken with Tradition and founded her own faction. Several acolytes pay heed to her beliefs, she can get recognition as a political force in her Tradition, and she can train Apprentices with her special area of concern. System: In game terms, you get a one-point bonus on Social rolls within your mage's own Tradition. You get respect (and sometimes fear) for paving new ground. When you teach a newly Awakened Initiate, he learns your chosen faction special Sphere in addition to your normal Tradition specialty. xxxxxIn story terms, your character probably has several followers and maybe some Apprentices (take Backgrounds as appropriate). She can start a Chantry and be recognized, and her faction will live on in the annals of Tradition history! Obviously, this Merit is a great hook for political chronicles. Notes: Book Ref: Disciple's Handbook: The Bitter Road, page #117 Supernatural Merit Cost Type Source Details Cyclic Magic 3 Mage Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Your character's magic is tied to some regular and repeating cycle - night and day, the moon, the sun, the tides, the wheel of the year, or even such things as the stock market price of tea in China (very important for a Syndicate commodities broker). As such, your difficulties with magic fluctuate from the standard by a maximum of three, depending on what part of the cycle you set as your personal high point. You may be tied to the dark of the moon, the full moon, the Bull cycle or the Bear cycle. Regardless, while the cyclic nature of your magic is problematic, it is quite useful in some circumstances, allowing your character to schedule rituals for their times of greatest power. System: Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #295 Dual Traditions 7 Mage Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Your mage has been educated by two traditions. Most likely, he was a Hollow One who studied a bit of this and that, and found a couple things that made sense to him. Or, perhaps, he was Awakened by a teacher of one tradition, but then studied under a different Master and experienced a second Epiphany through this new knowledge. System: For purposes of spending experience, the specialty Spheres of both Traditions come with the bonus (cheap) multiplier. Your character is more open minded about foci as well, and he may use those of either Tradition. (The penalties for unique foci still apply). If your mage loses his Hermetic showstone, for example, he has to go either about getting another one or rely solely on the props of his other Tradition. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #298 Sphere Natural 5 Mage Supernatural WW4600 Synopsis: Your character is able to use one of the Spheres of magic with a greater degree of ease than other mages. For whatever reason (inborn talent, powerful heritage, past life, supernatural bargain, etc.), she's got an affinity for a certain kind of magic. She picked it up quickly, and she now progresses through it at an unusual rate. System: During character creation, select one Sphere. From this point on, you pay three-quarters of the normal cost (rounded down) when buying levels, rituals and similar improvements for magic of that Sphere alone. The favored Sphere must be declared at character creation, and it may be purchased only once. Notes: Book Ref: Mage: The Ascension (Revised), page #297 Traditions Akashic Brotherhood Merit Cost Type Source Details Folk Hero 3 Social WW4657 Synopsis: Your people love you. You stood up to a corrupt official, ended a drought, got a new hospital built, or did any number of things that endeared you to the people in your community. When you're there, they'll do almost anything to help you, as long as you maintain your previous upstanding behavior. System: A signature merit for Li-Hai, Folk Hero gives you a blanket -2 difficulty on Social rolls with people from the community you helped. Furthermore, your character can always get basic food and shelter there, and if he's in trouble with the law or just needs a place to hide, they'll find him a garage or back room to lay his head. Just keep two things in mind: First, these are ordinary working class or agrarian people; your character isn't going to be borrowing a jet or a laptop from them (though he might get a bicycle). Second, while they don't expect him to rescue every cat and till every rocky field for his sick neighbor, they do expect him to stand up for his community when times are tough. If he turns his back on them, they'll turn their backs on him. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood (Revised), page #59 Drahma's Voice 4 to 6 Social WW4657 Synopsis: Whether you're a child, a drunk, or a monk, you speak with more wisdom than you possess. Perhaps you are a reincarnated sage, or you simply have an intuitive connection with the Absolute that expresses itself in your voice and actions. System: In game terms, your character is a Mentor for Akashic mages (and, at the Storyteller's discretion, others who might understand her words), despite the fact that she isn't particularly wise herself. The four point version of this Merit turns your character into a one-dot Mentor - you may add more dots at the cost of one point per dot. For six points, your character serves as a three-dot Mentor to other people, even if she lacks the usual knowledge to teach in such fashion. She cant benefit from this herself. She doesn't know why the other Sidai light up with sudden understanding when she tells them a joke or a bar story! Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood (Revised), page #59 Judge's Wisdom 4 Mental WW4657 Synopsis: You aren't swayed by emotion. Ever. perhaps you're a strict Legalist who follows Han Fei Tzu's advice to keep emotion out of the business of living, or your heart has been calmed by years of meditation. In any event, even magical attempts to alter your emotional state almost always fail. System: Your character is immune to all Mind effects that work on the emotions, the power of vampiric Presence and similar effects. He can still be swayed by attempts at direct mind control, such as possession, mental illusions, vampiric Disciplines and the like, and extremely potent powers (with six or more dots) may overwhelm his defenses. Your character can be calm but weak willed, after all. Note that you cannot take this Merit and the Merit Iron Will'. That would result in a quick ticket to Clarity! Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Akashic Brotherhood (Revised), page #59 Celestial Chorus Merit Cost Type Source Details Ecumenist 5 Social WW4665 Synopsis: Though possibly never having worked with mages outside the Tradition, your mage has developed some unique insights into the distinct factions and sects that make up the Chorus. Perhaps his mentor encouraged him to pursue studies with another teacher as well, or he simply developed a new interest or sense of calling and went off on his own. The character with this Merit may purchase both faction's specialty Spheres at the bonus multiplier, effectively having two primary Spheres. The benefit has its downside, as both factions may require certain obligations of him. System: Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Celestial Chorus (Revised), page #62 Techgnosi 2 or 6 Social WW4665 Synopsis: The One is not limited by the changes of history or the challenges of humanity's ever expanding knowledge. Your character has learned to find the One in the contemporary world of technology, even gaining new and sometimes profound insights about the mystical side of scientific knowledge and the rational dimensions of religious faith. After all, the one is no respecter of human boundaries. The most organized group of Techgnostics is the Alexandrian Society, (noted on p. 46 of Tradition Book: Celestial Chorus Revised). System: The two point version of this Merit allows your character to use technological foci that are more commonly associated with the Virtual Adepts or the Sons of Ether as long as there is some mystical or religiously orientated content associated with them. (Your character might use a religious website for a Mind Effect, for example.) xxxxxThe six point version also allows the user to have both Prime (or her faction's primary Sphere) and either Matter or Correspondence as her primary spheres. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Celestial Chorus (Revised), page #62 Cult of Ecstasy Merit Cost Type Source Details Hypersensitivity 3 Physical WW4661 Synopsis: Your mage has very keen senses of touch and taste. Indeed, the Cultist can often sense minute motions, and she absolutely adores the touch of silk or the taste of wine. This Merit is different from just an Acute Sense; it's a qualitative difference. The Cultist derives a greater quality of satisfaction and pleasure from all manner of indulgences and carnal activities. System: The Cultist tastes subtle hints in drinks and can tell the most minute, soft touches. With a Perception + Alertness roll, your Cultist can often perform feats such as telling the exact vintage of a wine by a tiny taste or use a simple swatch of silk or a subtle caress as a suitable focus, instead of indulging in more extreme measures. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Cult of Ecstasy (Revised), page #69 Resonant Passion 3 Supernatural WW4661 Synopsis: One of your mage's areas of Resonance also reflects a strong internal tie to one of the Nine Sacred Passions (p. 39 of Tradition Book: Cult of Ecstasy Revised). C System: Choose one of your character's Resonance Traits. Whenever your mage performs magic that gains a bonus from that Resonance, you gain a two point difficulty break instead of one. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Cult of Ecstasy (Revised), page #69 Euthanatos Merit Cost Type Source Details Mourner's Chant 3 Social WW4663 Synopsis: Your mage has a gift for relieving people of their despair when they are confronted with death. He might be a professional mourner in a traditional society, a grief counselor or even just a compassionate soul willing to listen and reassure anyone affected by death. His skill is such that the presence of ghosts and the walking dead bring no fear to his charges, so long as he can speak to them in a clear, unwavering voice. System: The character gains a -2 difficulty modifier on all Social rolls when trying to comfort someone struck by grief, rage or any other emotion brought on by death. When ghosts and the walking dead approach, he may make a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty 7) to steel his charge against terror. Each success adds one point to the subject's effective Willpower when resisting the horror. This does not cover vampires or the use of fear-causing supernatural powers, only the shroud of fear that surrounds these beings. You may split your dice pool to comfort multiple people. The subject flees or is paralyzed with fear unless he makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 9). Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Euthanatos (Revised), page #69 Deathwalker 4 Supernatural WW4663 Synopsis: Your character has a special tie to the Underworld. System: While most mages must die or undergo the Agama rite to cross into the Shadowlands, you can use the third rank of Spirit to Step Sideways, just as if you were entering the Middle Umbra. Your aura turns pale and you take on the spiritual imprint of one of the dead. You aren't affected by the Avatar Storms when you cross over; they ignore your "dead" soul as it passes by. You are affected by the Avatar Storm when you venture into the Middle and Astral Umbrae, only the lands of the dead are excepted. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Euthanatos (Revised), page #69 Sons of Ether Merit Cost Type Source Details Scientific Mystic 3 Mental WW4658 Synopsis: Some Etherites have a special aptitude for interpreting other magical styles through the lens of their own theories. As a result, they can use mystical methods, even if their own paradigms are devoted to scientific truth. Polymath Adventurers are known for their "secret studies in the East" or esoteric technologies pulled from ancient legends. System: This Merit allows a character to use one other Tradition or Craft's foci for one Sphere that the character knows as long as the player can justify how this knowledge fits into the character's paradigm. For example, a rune-carving Son of Ether isn't using "Norse magic", but the geometric, psychological and psionic insights of a culture whose discoveries were, no doubt, downplayed by the enemies of Science! The character may select a specialty focus, but this choice replaces the normal specialty focus for the Sphere. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Sons of Ether (Revised), page #58 Mad Science 2 Mental Supernatural WW4658 Synopsis: By experimenting with other dimensions, mind-wracking mathematics and Paradoxical technologies, the Sons of Ether risk their mental stability at the price of unique insights. Having touched the infinite, inhuman reaches of Truth, madness takes its toll, but it also brings inspiration. System: Characters with this Merit receive a one-point break on magical difficulties as well as uses of the Awareness, Cosmology, Enigmas, Occult, Science, and Technology Abilities while in the throws of Quiet or an active derangement. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Sons of Ether (Revised), page #58 Verbena Merit Cost Type Source Details Long-Lived 1 Physical WW4659 Synopsis: Whether through heredity, the blessings of the gods or just good, clean living, you are especially long lived. You age, but gracefully, retaining both your vitality and your faculties. You can expect to live to see your first century, and possibly another beyond that. System: Note that adepts of the Life Sphere can achieve this Effect through magic. This Merit grants it naturally (and does not incur the possibility of Paradox). Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Verbena (Revised), page #70 Honored Lineage 2 Social WW4659 Synopsis: System: Your bloodline is descended from one of the oldest and most respected families among the Verbena, and you can trace your ancestry back to the Burning Times, if not further. You are a true scion of the legendary Wyck, the First Ones. Among mages (particularly Verbena) who care about matters of lineage, reduce the difficulty of your Social rolls by two (but not to less than 2). You're also likely to receive a measure of deference and respect from those people, though others will also expect great things from you and could be disappointed if you don't live up to your heritage. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Verbena (Revised), page #70 Cloak of the Seasons 3 Physical WW4659 Synopsis: You are magically protected from the effects of the weather and the natural environment. You are perfectly comfortable in winter's chill or summer's blazing heat, regardless of your clothing (or lack thereof). You do not suffer from sunstroke or exposure. You're not even bitten by insects or other vermin. Your senses are still limited by the elements (including fog, rain and snow), and you're not protected from either hunger or thirst. System: Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Verbena (Revised), page #70 Natural Shapeshifter 3 Aptitude WW4659 Synopsis: You are a natural and talented shapeshifter when using Life magic (not necessarily related to the Fera, though you may also have the Kinfolk Merit). System: You are never in danger of losing yourself to the identity of your beast-form, and any new shape you adopt is as comfortable to you as your own. Moreover, the difficulty of Arete rolls to change your own shape is two less than normal. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Verbena (Revised), page #70 Touch of Life 1 Supernatural WW4659 Synopsis: Your Avatar and your Pattern are filled to overflowing with the energies of life. You are especially vital and vivacious, and others find your presence uplifting and energizing (and possibly annoying, for those who don't care for such things). System: You recover from injury as if your condition was one health level less serious. )A Wounded character recovers as if he is only Injured, taking a week rather than a month.) Reduce the difficulty of your Stamina rolls to fight off diseases and poisons by one. More importantly, your liveliness tends to rub off on others. Plants thrive under your care (much like the Green Thumb Merit). Injured people under your direct care recover as quickly as you do (treating their condition as one health level less serious for purposes of recovery). xxxxxThe downside of this Merit is that your blood is particularly rich in life force, meaning vampires gain twice the normal amount of blood points when drinking from you. This might make you a target of bloodsuckers and similar life draining creatures. Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Verbena (Revised), page #70 Virtual Adepts Merit Cost Type Source Details Well Connected 3 Social WW4660 Synopsis: Your name is well known throughout virtual space, and you can expect some assistance from other people online. This can range from other Awakened mages to simple Sleepers who like the "cool guy" they've been talking to. Help can vary as well, but usually comes in the form of information. System: Notes: Book Ref: Tradition Book: Virtual Adepts (Revised), page #72

Sorcerer
Infernal Merit Cost Type Source Details Demonic Heritage: Laham 7 Sorcerer Infernal WW4806 Synopsis: Some folk are said to be the offspring of demons. Considering the carnal traffic at Sabbats, orgies and midnight visitations, this isn't surprising. Uncannily long-lived, impervious to pain, and often possessed of inhuman powers, a demon-spawn (or laham) is said to be a special servant of Hell. Although warped by strange deformities, she is granted a special place at the tables of Nephandi and other primal diabolists, who can sense her demonic heritage. xxxxxDespite the tables of "demon's blood" and "devil seed", demons are spirit entities and cannot reproduce with mortals. When evil spirits possess a human being (or an animal), however, the host can be tainted by Infernal essence; if a child results, she'll probably have a little bit of Hell inside her. Many sorcerers, both of good and evil intent, are reputed to be demon-spawn: Merlin, Morganna la Fay, Circe and Kullervo (among others) supposedly sprang from such unholy unions. Such people are not known for their generous temperaments, but they are not doomed to be evil - a heroic effort can overcome the worst ancestry. Few lahama aspire to virtue though. Most consider their Infernal heritage a blessing, and pursue the Dark Arts with unnerving enthusiasm. System: In game terms, a laham is a normal person "gifted" by Infernal essence. Like a vampire's ghoul, she has a few extraordinary abilities but does not belong to a new "race" of occult creatures. This Merit grants a few special talents and drawbacks that reflect the character's demonic lineage: Benefits: A laham can have seven points of demonic Investments without making any form of pact. These talents are hers from birth and cannot be rescinded. She ages very slowly and can live roughly 200 years if nothing kills her in the meantime. Infernalists, hell-spawn, and evil spirits can sense a laham for what she is, and will probably offer her some form of respect; in game terms, subtract 3 from the difficult of any Social roll she makes regarding demons and devil-worshipers. Many lahama have a natural affinity for magic too; they Awaken around puberty and often become full-fledged Infernalist magi after they've had some time to learn the Dark Arts. (No, there are no bonuses for this. It's simply a point of origin.) Weaknesses: All lahama are cursed by deformities of body, mind and soul. A laham character must select three points of Flaws, plus four points in the Echoes Flaw (see The Sorcerer's Crusade, page #106, and the sidebar in this book, page #77. These Flaws do not count against the 7 point limit.) Every laham is temperamental, too; although this doesn't come out in game systems, it should make life difficult for the character in question. Finally, people with True Faith or some strong affinity for goodness can sense the demonic inheritance, too; any Social roll aside from Intimidation based ones adds 3 to its difficulty. Even under the best of circumstances, sacred symbols and holy places are hard for a laham to endure. xxxxxNot all lahama are human; disturbing folktales speak of women who gave birth to giant flies or were torn inside out by feral creatures for which no names exist. Some women have been impregnated while possessed, or raped by marauding demon-hosts; thus, a handful of lahama have been raised by the Church (or other religious authorities) to be potential weapons against the Darkness. Such weapons have two edges, however, and no laham can ever be sure where her true loyalties lie... Notes: Book Ref: Infernalism: The Path of Screams, page #79 Demonic Tutor 4 Sorcerer Infernal WW4806 Synopsis: Occasionally, demons will instruct a promising pupil without requiring her servitude in return. An especially ambitious individual might be clever enough to wrangle a deal from an Infernal tutor, while a truly malevolent soul may seem so devoted to corruption that the tutor considers it a privilege (or at least an investment in the future) to teach her "free of charge". (For now...) System: Now this enterprising diabolist has a mentor straight from Hell. He could be a minor devil, a djinn, a malignant ancestor ghost, or even an elemental, but he clearly isn't human. Although the demon wont go to any great trouble or risk on her behalf, he might impart certain secrets that few mortals ever learn. In some cases, he might even seem fond of his "little satan" and make occasional efforts on her behalf. Like a faithful hound, he leads her to hidden, esoteric lore; and like a hound, he expects to be fed once the favor is performed... Notes: Book Ref: Infernalism: The Path of Screams, page #78 Lord of Flies 2 Sorcerer Infernal WW4806 Synopsis: Blessed by Beelzebub, this Infernalist wears an eternal halo of flies. Insects, drawn to his ineffable corruption, flock around him like pilgrims of damnation. Everywhere he goes, carrion bugs of all descriptions surround this foul creature. Naturally, most humans (even Infernalists) find the Lord repulsive, but some appreciate his dark favor and welcome him at sickening feasts. System: Notes: Book Ref: Infernalism: The Path of Screams, page #78 Unholy Aura 7 Sorcerer Infernal WW4806 Synopsis: Like a living cloud of Darkness, an Infernalist with this deadly gift drives all holiness from his presence. Relics and goodly trappings crumble in his grasp, living things whither where he stands, and men and women of Faith hide their faces and flee when he approaches. System: In game terms, this Merit weaves a frightening aura around the corrupt character's soul. To anyone who can see auras, the Infernalist looks like a walking storm cloud (hence the old name for the Nephandi); to anyone with the Awareness Talent, he seems incredibly ancient and malignant. Characters with True Faith (in holy things, not Infernal ones) must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) or run away in abject horror. A botch on that roll indicates the Infernal taint has overpowered the person's Faith; as she cowers in a pitiful heap, stigmata-like wounds erupt across her head, side and arms, or leap like whiplashes across her skin. Even when the Faithful one makes her roll, she finds it physically difficult to remain in the Infernalist's vicinity. He sears her nostrils with brimstone clouds and churns the air itself with his foul presence. Note that this merit is not a power per se, simply a reflection of the tremendous Resonance the Fallen One carries around with him. He has become one with the Void in a very real way. Notes: Book Ref: Infernalism: The Path of Screams, page #79 Unshockable 3 Sorcerer Infernal WW4806 Synopsis: The service of the Pit demands many unconscionable acts: cannibalism, torture, shit eating, demon fucking... Somewhere down the road, the Unshockable character has lost all sense of shame or revulsion. Without a flicker of emotion, he can perform atrocities that would make a Jacquerie blanch. He has a cast iron stomach, too - no substance is too revolting for him to consume. Fellow diabolists look upon such steadfastness with wonder and a touch of fear. After all, if this person can skin a baby so effortlessly, how hard would he find it to do the same to his friends? System: Notes: Book Ref: Infernalism: The Path of Screams, page #78 Mental Merit Cost Type Source Details Detached 4 Sorcerer Mental WW4254 Synopsis: Your psychic has the rare ability to view his psychic abilities as separate from his physical existence and can maintain this distance even under adverse conditions. System: Wound penalties don't affect your use of psychic powers until your character reaches Incapacitated. if he's Incapacitated, then you may spend a Willpower point to use a psychic power at half the normal dice pool (rounded down). This action may be performed only once per scene, after which the character falls unconscious, so choose last-ditch efforts carefully. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #54 Strength of Psyche 2 Sorcerer Mental WW4254 Synopsis: Your character has trained her mind to tap into the deep reserves of mystical energy she possesses. Flooded with increased power of thought or perception, her mental faculties are temporarily increased greatly, and she finds whatever task she undertakes much easier to accomplish. Your sorcerer may channel her mystical energy into mental activities other than magic. System: You may spend Mana points to reduce the difficulty target number of any die pool for a mental action. The difficulty may not be reduced below 2, nor be reduced by more than three points. Depending on the use in question, her psyche empowers her perceptive nature, grants her insight into the strange tongue or plunges toward a solution to her puzzle. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #54 Physical Merit Cost Type Source Details Sterile 1 Sorcerer Physical WW4254 Synopsis: Put simply, your sorcerer cannot have children. For those who practice Tantric rituals or require sex as a focus, but do not desire pregnancy or unwanted children, this is a Merit. For those who belong to cultures, strong families or marriages that expect them to have children, this is a Flaw. System: Notes: This Merit may also be a Flaw. Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #53 The Flow of Ki 3 Sorcerer Physical WW4254 Synopsis: Most advanced practitioners of the martial arts spend a lot of time trying to explain that their prowess is not simply a result of skill. Desperately, they seek to explain that their might comes from an understanding of the energy we all possess, the breath of the inner spirit. You understand that lesson in a way that allows you apply it to physical feats. System: You may spend Mana (chi, ki, whatever your style calls it) points to reduce the difficulty target number of any die pool for a physical action. The difficulty number may not be reduced lower than two, nor may you reduce it by more than three. Obviously you must already have the Mana to spend or this Merit is useless. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #53 Social Merit Cost Type Source Details Faction Favorite 2 Sorcerer Social WW4254 Synopsis: Awakened mages may be the visionaries who help the traditions and Conventions build the future, but it is the linear mages who provide the bedrock foundation upon which new recruits, cultural identity, stable Chantries and hopes for the future are actually built. Whether due to a special distinction for conserving the past glories of a Tradition or a solid reputation as one of the backbones of organizational power, you command respect in your Tradition or Convention. This is important because the worldwide influences of the mighty keystone associations of magicians transcend most of the smaller societies that manage to survive the ages. System: Modify all Social rolls connected to Tradition or Convention Status or decision-making by two points of difficulty in your favor. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #53 Force of Spirit 2 Sorcerer Social WW4254 Synopsis: The raw inner force of your soul grants you a certain character that others may find irresistible. Perhaps you glow with an inner light; maybe your beauty seems virtually divine. System: You may spend Mana points to reduce the difficulty target number of a Social roll. No difficulty may be lower than two, and none may be lowered by more than three. Obviously, you must possess Mana points to be able to spend them. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #54 Ritual Congregation 4 Sorcerer Social WW4254 Synopsis: Some magicians require large numbers of believers to aid them in creating the resonance and trappings necessary to invoke spells or rituals. Most individuals limited in such a way become adept at manipulating or swaying audiences into helping the, unwittingly or not. You have carefully cultivated a group of at least 100 members who are at least familiar enough with the concepts of your magical style to serve as useful aids in the process. Of course, most of them are expecting something in return, whether it be redemption, social interaction, or direct magical benefit. System: Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #53 Supernatural Merit Cost Type Source Details Blood Magic 5 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4254 Synopsis: Perhaps you learned magic from a particularly dark cult. Maybe your spirit needs additional energy, beyond your strength of will, to enact magic. Perhaps you foolishly studied under a vampire or from tomes plundered from vampires. Whatever the reason, your sorcerer's use of magic always requires the sacrifice of his own blood. In some cases, it will simply burn away from inside. In others, the magician must cut himself and include it in the ritual. Each use of magic causes an unsoakable level of bashing damage. Furthermore, the Resonance of your magic is likely to be dark, or at the least, martyred in nature. System: Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #56 Path Natural 5 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4010 WW4254 Synopsis: You're a prodigy, a natural at some mystical Path. For whatever reason (inborn talent, powerful heritage, past life, supernatural bargain, etc), you've got an affinity to one certain kind of magic. You picked it up quickly (with little or no study) and now progress through it at an unusual rate. System: During Character creation, select one magical Path. From this point on, you only pay three-quarters of the normal cost (rounded down) when buying advanced levels or Rituals for that Path only. A natural shapeshifter, for example, would pay only 10 points to raise her Shapeshifting Path from two to three. The "favored" Path must be declared during character creation, and this Merit can be purchased only once. Notes: Book Ref: World of Darkness: Sorcerer, page #69 Sorcerer (Revised), page #56 Psychic Ritual 2 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4254 Synopsis: Your psychic is a true rarity amongst the pure practitioners of the Arts of mental magic. Some realization of the importance of the universe has crept into his subconscious sufficiently that he has even managed to create a ritual that allows him to perform some extended psychic effect. System: You need to create a ritual, approved by your Storyteller, for one of the levels of one of your character's psychic Paths. When your character performs this ritual, you may use the normal rules for rituals and extended magic rules, with minor necessary changes. Obviously, as your psychic does not gain Paradox, the penalty for a botch falls to the Storyteller, greatly increasing the horrific effects of the catastrophic failure. Your roll is limited to no more dice than your psychic's Stamina + Parapsychology. (In this case, you may roll simply your Stamina dice, even if you don't have the Parapsychology Knowledge.) Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #54 Struggling Awake 5 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4254 Synopsis: For most mages, the act of Awakening is a sudden explosion of realization, regardless of how long the study has taken to get her there. For some, however, the trip to understanding afinitive magic is a bout of glimmering sputters, and this traipsing back and forth across the veil may even happen to sorcerers. A subtle understanding of the broad theories that bind together vast forces of the universe can briefly seem crystal clear and quickly dissolve into a vague sense of loss. In the face of the empty feeling of a deeper understanding, the linear mage once again takes up the reins of power that have been so thoroughly ingrained in her nature, until the glibber recurs. System: Whenever the player tries to call upon his Avatar's struggling magic instead of just practicing his normal Paths and rituals, he must first declare what he is trying to do. The Storyteller then rolls a single die. A result of a one is a botch - yes, the Awakening is dangerous - with the most likely result being some episode of Quiet as the sorcerer strives to come to terms with his consciousness. Otherwise, calculate the effects rating in Arete and Spheres. If the single die roll equals or exceeds this total, then the player rolls normally to cast the effect, using the minimum dice possible - that is, trying to affect minor forces (Forces 2) would require at least a four on the initial single die (two for the Forces, two for the Arete) and would allow the player to roll two dice for an effect. If the single die roll falls short, then the magician probably gets some minor effect in the desired direction, but fails to do anything spectacular. All other rules apply as normal to a mage, including suffering the forces of Paradox. Fortunately, specialization also applies: All rolls of 10 garner a free additional roll, and a roll of 10 on the initial single die grants one automatic success to the magical effect itself. xxxxxAs one example, Conrad wants to summon an angel to the aid of his Red Monk sorcerer, but does not have the necessary Paths or rituals. His pedagogue of an Avatar pushes him to try anyway. Jess rolls a die and gets a 10, lucky for Conrad. Merely calling a spirit is a Level Two Spirit effect and therefore Conrad's character gets to roll an Arete of two (the minimum required) for the effect. The ten on the Struggling Awake Merit roll does grant him one automatic success, however. Rolling with an Arete of two, Conrad proves exceptionally lucky scoring a success and a 10, allowing him to roll again, which grants him another success for a total of four. Jess rules that a lesser angel hears and decides to make an appearance. Unfortunately for Conrad, this is definitely vulgar, and there is a sleeper present (surprise), so his Red Monk garners three Paradox points. "The Lord is meant to move in secret," he laments to himself. If the die rolled a mere two, Conrad's sorcerer would have had but one Arete and one level of Spirit available, and he would be potentially granted a vision of the local spirit realms and any angels that might be there. In desperate trouble, he might soon find himself joining them. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #56 Style Sleeper 2 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4254 Synopsis: Magic only works one way, and your character knows it. When other people try to pull stupid tricks, your sorcerer sees them for what they are, or at least tries. System: Any time you witness magic that fits into your character's style, everything is fine; your sorcerer is treated as an Awakened being. Any time she witnesses any magic that falls outside of her style, she counts as a Sleeper. Because this specifically targets your character's enemies while allowing you to merrily continue with your magic as normal, this disbelief in other magic is considered a Merit. There may be times it harms your character, such as when another mage is trying to heal her and she just thinks he cannot do so. More often, however, her incredulity serves as a partial defense against the Arts of others. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #55 Twin Link 4 or 6 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4254 Synopsis: Akin to the Mage Merit: Twin Souls, the psychic shares a constant psychic bond with another person. System: This gives them the benefit of the Level Two Synergy effect. Additionally, the psychics joined by a Twin Link get +2 to their Empathy score, but only with regards to what their twin is feeling. As a 6 point Merit, the members of the Twin Link can purchase the power Synergy, in addition to other psychic powers they may have, at a cost of 7 freebie points per dot and 3 experience points per dot to raise. This Synergy power works only on the other member of the Twin Link. Notes: Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #55 Wild Talent 4 Sorcerer Supernatural WW4254 Synopsis: Though many psychics lack formal training of their gifts, some lack even the most basic control of their powers. These "wild" psychics tend to have powerful gifts, though the lack of control makes up for the extra power they might have. System: To determine the level of the Flaw, use the following table. The total Merit or Flaw cannot exceed 4 points. Points Effect +1 For every extra die the character has when using the power -1 The character must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to use the power. -2 The character can only consciously use the power defensively. (i.e., A precognitive character can activate her Danger Sense, or a telekinetic can use the power to deflect attacks.) -3 The character has no conscious control of the power, but it works more often to the character's benefit than not. (A clairvoyant who has useful clairvoyant dreams.) -4 The character's power activates randomly (at least once per game session) and often at inopportune or embarrassing moments. (The channeler contacts the spirit of an ancient warrior during a fancy dinner party.) Notes: This Merit may also be a Flaw. Book Ref: Sorcerer (Revised), page #54