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The Assamites

Sectarian Ally (1pt. merit)
You have a close friend in one of the Kindred sects.
Perhaps you are a warrior who is in touch with one
of the antitribu, a vizier who shares common business
interests with some Camarilla Ventrue, or a sorcerer who
corresponds with one of the rare blood magicians of the
Anarch Movement. Your ally can help you navigate the
currents of their sect, but they might want something in
exchange from time to time.

Thousand Meter Killer (1pt. merit)
You have proven yourself worthy to join the Thousand
Meter Club through your remarkable skill with the sniper
rifle. The difficulty of all rolls associated with sniping is
reduced by -1. You also double the normal range when
using a sniper rifle as a weapon.

Outcast (2pt. flaw)
Your have rejected the ethos of the caste into which you
were Embraced. Perhaps you are one of the few viziers
or sorcerers to support the Web of Knives or pursue the
Path of Blood. Perhaps you are a warrior who has little
stomach for combat, preferring instead to be a diplomat
or a student of the occult. Perhaps you made some kind of
public spectacle that revealed your disdain for your fellow
caste members. Your sire now rejects you, as do the other
members of your caste. The difficulty of all Social rolls
against members of your caste is at +2.

Broken Antitribu (3pt. flaw)
You are one of those most pitiful things — an Assamite
antitribu who still labors under the Tremere Curse. You
have pledged yourself to the Sabbat, but you cannot
perform diablerie and can only partake of Kindred vitae
already transubstantiated through the Vaulderie. As a
result, the difficulty of all Social rolls against other Sabbat
members is at +2.

Multiple Curses (3pt. flaw)
In addition to the normal curse imposed upon you by
your caste or sect, you suffer one additional one associated
with the Assamite Clan. Most likely, you are a rare vizier
or sorcerer within the Sabbat who suffers the Baali Curse
in addition to your normal caste-imposed curse, but at
the Storyteller’s discretion, other combinations may be
possible.

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The Brujah

Fury’s Focus (3pt. merit. Prerequisite:Path of Entelechy)
Brujah who have devoted themselves to mastering their
frenzies through the Path of Entelechy sometimes find
tangible benefits resulting from their efforts. A Brujah
with this merit may briefly delay the full onset of frenzy.
System: The player spends a Willpower point at the
onset of frenzy and then rolls the Brujah’s Entelechy rating.
The difficulty is one higher than the original roll to resist
frenzy. The Brujah still frenzies, but the player controls her
character’s actions for one turn per success. Furthermore,
when the period of partial control ends and the Brujah loses
control, the difficulty of any degeneration rolls triggered
by sins committed during the frenzy are reduced by the
number of successes rolled, to a minimum difficulty of 4.

Dynamic Personality (5pt. merit)
Your natural charisma draws mortals to you like groupies
to a rock star. Consequently, it is easier for you to acquire
certain Backgrounds related to mortals.
System: In addition to any Backgrounds acquired at
character creation or through roleplay, you can purchase
new Backgrounds with experience points at the end of
each story. The available Backgrounds are Allies, Contacts,
Herd, Retainers, and each new dot costs the current rating
in experience points.

Obvious Predator (2pt. flaw)
Your innate Brujah rage always percolates below the
surface no matter how hard you try to project an image
of calm. Mortals find you intrinsically menacing, and
instinctively fear you for the violence you promise to
unleash.
System: The difficulty of all Social rolls made against
mortals other than Intimidation rolls increases by 2.


Caitiff merits/flaws

Personal Masquerade (3pt. merit)
Thorough charm, manipulation, or just plain luck, you
have managed to convince other vampires that you are a
member of one of the Clans. Any social interactions with
vampires ignorant of your true nature ignore your usual
penalty for being Caitiff. However, you must constantly be
vigilant of your ruse. Should anyone come to realize you
have been playing them for fools, their vengeance will be
swift. The higher you climb in Kindred politics, the more
likely this becomes. The Clan Weakness flaw can actually
prove to be a boon in supporting your Masquerade. Others,
however, must be that much more careful.

Clan Weakness (2pt. flaw)
Despite your failure to adopt your original Clan’s other
abilities, you did inherit their weakness. While this can be
deadly to the unprepared vampire, a canny Caitiff might
turn this to their advantage to better blend among the
parent Clan. Some Nosferatu, for example, would likely
never notice, and might even stand up for the Caitiff even
amidst accusations from outsiders.

Fangless (2pt. flaw)
Considered the mark of a true mongrel, you never
developed your fangs, or you lacked teeth before the
Embrace. Either way, you have to use a knife or otherwise
drink from bleeding wounds. You have no natural way
beyond Disciplines to inflict aggravated damage.

Ignorance (2pt. flaw)
Many sires abandon their Caitiff progeny without a
word of instruction or warning about their new nature.
For most Princes, ignorance is no excuse for a breach of
the Masquerade, and Sabbat packs are quick to notice
weakness. The character starts with no knowledge of
the abilities, customs, or politics of the undead, and
must learn from their mistakes or find a mentor. Of
course, any vampire willing to take on a Caitiff will
most likely blood bond the poor wretch, leading to a
completely new set of problems. Ignorance is deadly
for a vampire, and doubly so for the Clanless.

Bulimia (4pt. flaw)
You hunger for blood, and like all vampires, you will
eventually feed, but the thought of it still makes you
sick. Maybe you’re just not cut out for an eternity of
bloodsucking, or you had an eating disorder in life that
has followed you to the other side of mortality. Whatever
the reason, you can’t hold your blood. Whenever you
feed, make a Stamina roll with a difficulty 8. If you fail,
you vomit out the fresh blood before it can be absorbed
into your body, spraying it everywhere (embarrassing at
best, a breach of the Masquerade at worst). Note that
blood taken in frenzy is absorbed normally, though
this carries its own risks.

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The Followers of Set

Drug Resistance (2pt. merit)
The Setite religion is one fraught with vices, both to
compromise enemies and to enlighten initiates. Cultists
tend to build up a tolerance to the substances they take
directly (if human or ghoul) or through the blood of
prey (if Kindred). You are unusually resistant to alcohol,
narcotics, and similar addictive substances. You can pretend
to be far more under the influence than you are in order
to take advantage of an opponent. All rolls to resist the
effects of such substances are at -2 difficulty.

Addictive Blood (3pt. merit)
You don’t just peddle narcotics; through the blessings of the
Dark God, you are the perfect drug. Your blood is especially
delicious to others, Kindred or kine. Whoever tastes your
blood must, during any subsequent scenes that they meet you,
drink again or spend a Willpower point to avoid the pangs
of craving. These cravings add +2 difficulty to any Mental
or Social rolls. Setites with this merit find it much easier
to blood bond an opponent, as once they have tasted the
tainted vitae, they will do almost anything to drink it again.

Setite Initiate (5pt. merit)
You were Embraced into a Clan other than the Followers
of Set. However, you have accepted the Setite religion,
undergone the vetting process and rites, and have been
formally inducted into the cult. You have access to Serpentis
and Setite Blood Sorcery (though you pay out-of-Clan costs
to learn the,). You may even study one of their Paths of
Enlightenment.
It is important to note that “Setites” from other Clans or
bloodlines are not treated as second-class citizens. You are no
longer a dupe they can string along. Once you are in, you are
a sibling of faith, which is a much more important distinction
than blood. An outsider accepting the Dark God is a joyous
event, even to the most conservative elder. There are even
rumors of non-Kindred supernatural beings joining the cult.

Scales (1-3pt. flaw)
Set blessed you upon your Embrace, and you bear his mark.
A portion of your skin is covered in scales. As a one-point flaw,
a small, easily hidden area of skin is covered. As a two-point
flaw, a whole limb is covered, while having a scaled, lipless
face is a three-point flaw. Kine are frightened and disturbed
by the obviously unnatural scales, and Kindred have their
own prejudices against the Setites. All social rolls receive a
+2 difficulty when the scales are visible. This penalty does
not apply to social interactions with other Setites.

Venomous Bite (2pt. flaw)
You have developed venom glands in the roof of
your mouth. The venom is a virulent neurotoxin, fatal
to mortals, although Kindred and other supernatural
creatures are unaffected by it. You, of course, are immune.
The problem is you have no control over your poison
glands. When you bite, you always inject this venom,
usually killing your human victims. You must learn to
feed in other ways, perhaps drawing the blood you need
with a syringe or razor, if you do not wish to kill every
time you feed.

Forked Tongue (2pt. flaw)
Your tongue is forked, flickering, and inhumanly
reptilian. Upholding the Masquerade becomes difficult
for you. Note that this tongue does not inflict aggravated
damage, nor draw blood.

Heartless (4pt. flaw)
You have lost your heart. Either you removed it via The
Heart of Darkness (see V20, p. 210), or an elder did it to
you, but either way you no longer have easy access to it. The
heart might be in the possession of a foe, or simply missing.
If it turns out that a Cainite possesses the heart (say a Setite
elder, or your sire) you must obey their every command.
If it’s merely missing, the anxiety and obsession to find it
interferes with your nightly existence, and may increase the
difficulty of Willpower rolls by +1 at Storyteller discretion.

Aura of the Typhon (5pt. flaw)
Something slithers beneath your skin, coiled in your
very essence — something that causes the Lupines to stalk
you for some dread purpose you do not understand. Their
howls follow in your wake. You catch glimpses of blurred
motion and the gleam of eyes and teeth in the dark. They
get closer every night. What do they want from you?

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The Gangrel

Hive-Minded (1 or 2pt. merit)
Your Animalism works on insects and other
creepy-crawlies in addition to mammalian
animals. If you select the two-point version of
this merit, your Protean forms may take the form of an
insectoid swarm rather than a single creature (though the
swarm must be of a size equivalent to a wolf or a bat, as
appropriate).

Skald (2pt. merit)
Anytime you make an Occult roll to know a fact about
vampiric history, you may add a die to your dice pool.
Further, you have exceptional memory for oral histories,
and you are a quick study when it comes to memorizing
large amounts of rote information. This is not true eidetic
memory, but constitutes the ability to memorize poetic
eddas, codes, or complex messages with only a few hours
of study.

Lesser Mark of the Beast (4pt. merit)
Common to the Gangrel known as the Knights of Avalon,
you are able to control how your Beast manifests more than
others do. Whenever you would gain an animalistic feature
(V20, p. 55), roll your current Willpower (difficulty 12 -
Humanity rating, maximum 9). If successful, you manage
to channel your humanity to avoid gaining an animalistic
feature. However, your Beast is further from you, making
you at +2 difficulty to rolls involving Animalism or Protean
(or combo Disciplines involving those powers) for the rest
of the evening. Vampires on a Path of Enlightenment lose
all access to this merit.

Totemic Change (5pt. merit)
Your Protean forms are flexible; you may choose a
different animal form each time you change shape. The
form you choose each time must follow all the conventions
and rules of standard Protean animal shapes (see p. 91);
you simply may choose to appear as a different animal
each time you take Beast Form.

Member of the Pack (2pt. flaw)
You can only summon, speak to, and command a
specific type of animal — ravens, rats, and so forth — with
Animalism. Your Storyteller is the best adjudicator of
what types of animal are appropriate for this flaw, but
the choice should be fairly limiting. Other animals do not
respond to your uses of Animalism at all.

Rat in a Cage (2pt. flaw)
Anytime you are penned in or physically restrained
(such as by a cage, or with handcuffs), you suffer acute
anxiety. The difficulties of any rolls made under such
circumstances are increased by two.

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The Giovanni

Cannibal (1pt. merit)
Most vampires can’t eat food, and even those who can
force it down, don’t gain sustenance from it. Like them,
you still can’t stomach the crap most mortals eat. Human
meat, on the other hand, brings you great joy. It can be
baked, fried, or even raw, and you can tuck right in, and
even gain sustenance. Even other vampires look askance
at Kindred who devour their prey, though the Dunsirn
applaud your respect for tradition.
In addition to the blood points every human can provide,
you can cannibalize a mortal and gain even more. An
average human can provide up to seven helpings of meat
(one per health level). Each helping provides you with
one blood point.

Consanguineous Resistance (1pt. merit)
Your character cannot be blood bound by anyone who
shares his mortal bloodline. That is, if you were born into
the Giovanni family, you cannot be bound by anyone else
who was born a Giovanni, though you can still be bound
by, say, a Pisanob of the Giovanni Clan, or by Kindred of
any other Clan. Similarly, a Dunsirn with Consanguineous
Resistance could not be bound by others who were born
into the mortal Dunsirn family, but could be bound by
a Milliner of the Giovanni Clan.
The Giovanni are extremely suspicious of anyone
known to manifest this quirk. Although this blood-borne
aberration hasn’t been documented, a few savvy Giovanni
have a rough idea of what it is and does. It’s generally
associated with being a rebellious young smartass who
needs to be put down. This is not as unfair as it sounds;
by the time a bond resistance is really obvious, it’s likely
because a punishment isn’t working. A character who
is discovered to have this trait probably earns her sire’s
hostility at the very least.

Mortuario (2 or 4pt. merit)
You died. Perhaps you were murdered, or simply had
a car accident. Whatever the cause, you were gone. But
your sire found you too useful, or couldn’t let you go. You
were Embraced using the Ferryman’s Recall ritual (see p.
109). The Embrace left you with the scars of your death,
eternal tracework reminders of your trip to the other side.
It also left you with the taut, pallid complexion of the dead.
In addition to the traditional weakness of your Clan, you
also suffer disfigurement from your time as a true corpse.
While you are able to heal yourself just like any other vampire,
the wounds do not heal cleanly. You retain the scars of every
experience. Depending on the nature of the damage, this can
make social dealings exceedingly difficult, and may decrease
your Appearance dots over time (even to 0). However, your
time across the Shroud also gave you a natural feel for
necromantic blood magic. The difficulties of all Necromancy
rolls are reduced by two. This trait costs 4 points for characters
who already have an appearance of 0 (such as Samedi and
the Harbingers of Skulls), or 2 points for any other Kindred.
It is an incredibly rare condition even among the Giovanni,
and essentially unknown outside the Clan.
Giovanni with this merit generally arouse the superstition
of their Clan, and are treated with a definite wariness,
particularly by Anziani. Characters with the Mortuario
merit may not also possess the Sanguine Incongruity
merit or similar flaws such as Monstrous.

Sanguine Incongruity (5pt. merit)
Giovanni with this atavism are few and far between.
Kindred possessing it do not bear the traditional Giovanni
Clan weakness, the so-called Curse of Lamia; their Kiss
causes no more damage than the blood loss itself. These
vampires acquire a peculiar pallor upon their Embrace,
however — they look like corpses, and no amount of blood
ingestion can flush their features (as other vampires are
able to do). Indeed, the bearer of this merit more closely
resembles the Clan’s Cappadocian ancestors, and they
have a slightly unnerving air about them. As a result, all
rolls involving a Social attribute (Charisma, Manipulation,
or Appearance) are at +1 difficulty.
Giovanni with this merit are afforded wide berth, as
the Giovanni tend to be quite superstitious about it.
Characters with the Sanguine Incongruity merit may not
also possess the Mortuario merit.

Inbred (1-5pt. flaw)
Inbreeding, a common occurrence among the incestuous
Giovanni Clan, can take many forms. The Inbred flaw
covers all manner of physical, mental, and emotional
defects. A one-point Inbreeding is something simple
and unobtrusive, such as eyes too close together or an
underbite (+1 difficulty on Appearance rolls). A three-point
Inbreeding is more severe: a congenital health condition
(for mortals) or a crippling physical deformity (+2 difficulty
on appropriate Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina rolls).
Five-point Inbreedings are grossly disabling or emotionally
crippling — everything from uselessly atrophied legs to a
permanent Derangement — decided on mutually by the
player and Storyteller. Inbred conditions may or may not
be immediately discernible, though their point cost should
be relative to their magnitude, as decided by the Storyteller.

Shadow Walker (6pt. flaw)
The Giovanni Clan is by its nature inexorably tied to
the realm beyond the sudario. Giovanni suffering from
this flaw are so tied to the Shadowlands that even in the
lands of the living they must interact with the world of
the dead on a nightly basis. To shadow walkers, objects
in the Underworld are as real as anything found in the
physical world. Such vampires find that the ghosts of
walls may impeded their flight, ghostly objects may strike
them, and wraiths’ powers work as if the Kindred were
on the far side of the Shroud. This flaw is similar to the
Ash Path power Dead Hand (V20, p. 163), except that
Shadow Walker is always on and it in no way allows the
character possessing it to perceive beyond the Shroud.
The Storyteller may determine that certain Shadowlands
topography interferes with you. Unless you have some
ability to do so, you can’t see into the Shadowlands, so you
have to be careful in feeling your way about — essentially,
a blind man subject to the Underworld landscape. At the
Storyteller’s discretion, immaterial walls or environmental
effects may restrict you.

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The Lasombra

Court Favorite (1-5pt. merit)
While the Courts of Blood are usually difficult to sway,
you have become very good at shifting the balance. A
mixture of experience and political empathy allow you
to know just the right way to nudge the decision in your
direction, or perhaps for that of your client. Any roll
made that will affect the decision in a Court of Blood is
granted a bonus or penalty (whichever is in your favor) in
dice equal to the level you have of this merit.

Eyes of Shadow (1-4pt. merit)
There is something about your eyes that makes you
look dark and dangerous. Making eye contact with you
is like staring into the Abyss. It may not be obvious why,
but anyone you talk to gets a chill when they meet your
gaze. The difficulty for any Intimidation roll is reduced by
the number of points in this merit (to a minimum of 2).

Bigger Boys Came (2pt. merit)
When someone uses their contacts to their advantage,
you can try to use yours to overrule them. You might get an
editor to quash a reporter’s story, or get a gang boss to stop
his thugs taking down a rival. To do this you must make
a roll using Manipulation + Contacts (difficulty 8). If you
can get more successes than the Contacts rating of your
opponent, their contacts fail to come through for them.

Call of the Sea (2pt. merit)
There is something about the sea that makes you feel at
home. You are in tune with the tides and rhythm of the
ocean. When on a boat in the ocean or on a river, you
may add a die to all your dice pools except for Disciplines.

Controllable Night Sight (2pt. merit)
Your night vision is extraordinarily good, even for a
vampire. The deepest shadows are like looking into a
well-lit room for you. However, in normal light or bright
conditions, you have to switch back to less-sensitive vision,
or the weakest light quickly blinds you. While your night
sight is active, you suffer no penalties for the dark and can
see perfectly well. Should you use it in well-lit conditions;
you suffer a penalty inversely proportional to the usual
penalties for darkness.

Secret Stash (2-5pt. merit)
You have several resources, sleeper agents, or followers
hidden away for a rainy day. For each level of this merit
you have one unassigned background point “sitting in
storage” (2 gives you one point, 3 gives you two points,
and so on). At any time, you may spend as many of them
as you like to increase your level in Allies, Contacts,
Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, or Retainers. Once
spent, the points remain assigned permanently, but until
then they cannot be affected by anything. This allows the
vampire to create a new resource in an instant, without
requiring the expenditure of experience points or awaiting
a downtime. The vampire is not really gaining new levels,
but revealing levels he has had all along.

Aura of Command (3pt. merit)
Whether you are good at barking orders or simply
have a commanding tone, people tend to do what you
tell them to do. You are not so much a natural leader as
a born commander. When using the Leadership skill to
get others to obey you, the difficulty is reduced by two.

King or Queen of Shadow (4pt. merit)
It is hard to hold onto your Humanity within the Sabbat,
or even simply as a vampire. Your ability to empathize
with the kine makes it more difficult. However, you have
found a way to draw strength from that empathy. Any
degeneration checks you make while on Path of Humanity
reduce their difficulty by two.

Long-Term Planning (4pt. merit)
You never leave anything to chance; every action is a
carefully considered stratagem. Once per session you may
declare an action you are about to take is actually “all part
of your plan” and reduce its difficulty by two points. The
Storyteller may veto the use of this ability on particular
rolls. The player and Storyteller should keep a note of
each of these occasions and decide how they are linking
together into a grand scheme.

Instrument of God (5pt. merit)
Your self-confidence comes not from a belief in your own
abilities, but due to a direct manifesto from the Lord. You
have a divine purpose and He works through you, even
though your goals may seem anything but holy. Whether
it is because of you powerful will or an actual connection
to the divine, you gain three additional dice to resist the
powers of True Faith when they are used against you.

Uncontrollable Night Sight (2pt. flaw)
Your night vision is good, but you can’t turn it off. While
you can see easily into the deepest shadows, any light is
almost blinding to you. You suffer penalties the brighter the
area you are in is lit, inversely proportional to the standard
penalties for darkness. Even just standing in a well-lit room
is uncomfortable to you.

Insubordinate (3pt. flaw)
You like to be in charge so much you have a hard time
following anyone else’s orders. When given a plan or told
to do something, you tend to do the opposite on principle.
Whenever you are ordered to do something, you must make a
Willpower roll with a difficulty depending on the importance
of the superior and the danger of the task (difficulty 7 is
typical for someone directly above the vampire assigning
them a moderately dangerous task). If you fail, you will do
anything except what you’ve been told to do.

Unproven (3pt. flaw)
Somehow, you have failed to prove yourself worthy of
the name Lasombra. Maybe your sire did not test you well
enough, or an opportunity to prove yourself has not come
up. Whatever the reason, you are not truly considered
part of the Clan. All social dealings with other Lasombra
suffer a -3 dice penalty. You may also not be chosen to sit
in judgment in the Courts of Blood.

.
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The Malkavians

Distracting Aura (2pt. merit)
Reading an aura using Auspex requires the viewer to
focus on recurring patterns and colors to detect a target’s
emotional state. Because of the unique state of your psyche,
your aura is even harder to read than most. All uses of
Aura Perception are at a +2 difficulty against you.

Prophetic Dreams (2pt. merit)
You have dreams during your daylight sleep. Dreams
you remember. Sometimes, they even come true. Rather
than regain a point of Willpower when you rest during
the day, you may choose to have the Storyteller give your
character a lucid dream featuring foreshadowing about
upcoming events, characters, and situations.

Cold Read (3pt. merit)
Whenever you meet someone for the first time, you
may spend a number of points of Willpower equal to
your Perception. For each point spent, you may ask
the Storyteller one question about the character. The
Storyteller must either answer truthfully or let you take
the Willpower point back to you to avoid answering the
question.

Paper Trail (2pt. flaw)
You’ve spent some time in state institutions like prisons
or asylums, likely before your Embrace. Most people have
some sort of information that relays date of birth and other
bits of fact. This information is hard to eliminate, and
may endanger the Masquerade. Enemies with the right
influence may be able to track down the information and
use it against you. It may lead to vulnerable targets or clue
hunters to where your haven is located.

Stigmata (2 or 4pt. flaw)
Oracles are often marked as messengers of the gods. Your
markings come in the forms of phantom wounds that seep
blood. The bleeding is slight but incessant, costing you an
extra blood point every day just before you wake at dusk.
The 2-point version of this flaw means wounds that can
be easily hidden from prying eyes, such as on the hands or
the side. You gain a +1 difficulty to all Social rolls when
dealing with someone aware of your condition.
The 4-point version can’t be easily hidden, like bleeding
eyes. The Social penalty increases to +2, and one of your
Attributes also gains a +1 difficulty to all rolls because of
the constant seeping blood.

Infectious (3pt. flaw)
Madness flows within your blood, but your bite carries
a taint as well. Mortals take a temporary derangement
for every three points of blood you take from them. The
derangements stay until the mortal restores the lost blood.

Overstimulated (3pt. flaw)
Malkavians notice things that many others do not. That
means keeping their eyes and ears open far longer than
anyone else does. That makes you easily distracted when
trying to focus. Take a +2 penalty to all rolls involving
Perception.

Dead Inside (4pt. flaw)
You feel nothing but pain and numbness. While others
find ways to make their lives worth living, you sometimes
don’t get that thrill. Once per session, the Storyteller may
cancel any gain of Willpower you made by playing to your
Nature or Demeanor.

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The Nosferatu

Foul Blood (1pt. merit)
Your blood is vile; in fact, it tastes so disgusting it requires
a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) just to avoid gagging and
retching after tasting it. If someone is foolish enough to
attempt diablerie on you, they need to succeed in three
(difficulty 9) Willpower rolls to go through with it. The
blood is so disgusting that no one can keep it down long
enough to use it to become a ghoul, either.

Lizard Limbs (1pt. merit)
Like a lizard, you are able to actually shed parts of your
body. By spending a blood point and a little effort, you
can detach a hand or foot, or even an arm or leg. This
might be to escape bonds or a grapple. Unfortunately, the
appendage will not reattach, and you will have to regrow
that over time (usually a couple of days for a hand or foot,
and a week for a limb). You also suffer a -3 dice pool penalty
to actions that would require the use of more limbs.

Long Fingers (1pt. merit)
You have been blessed with unusually long and graceful
fingers. This means you have an easier time with fine
manipulation as well as grappling tasks, gaining an extra
die when attempting such actions.

Monstrous Maw (1pt. merit)
You have either oversized tusks for fangs, or a huge
mouth full of sharp teeth. Whatever form it takes, your
mouth is that of a monster. When attacking with a bite
you do an additional point of damage. You may also add
a die to your Intimidation dice pool when you smile.

Piscine (1pt. merit)
Water is a far more comfortable environment for you, be
it the sea or sewer effluent. Rolls involving swimming or
underwater movement have their difficulty reduced by 1.

Slimy (1pt. merit)
You secrete an ooze, which is as disgusting as it sounds.
The ooze covers your entire body and soaks into your
clothes. It makes you slippery and difficult to hold,
requiring opponents to gain two more successes to grapple
you. The dampness also makes you a little fire resistant,
reducing your difficulty to soak fire damage by 1.

Spawning Pool (1-3pt. merit)
You have a spawning pool of your own (or possibly
donate heavily to the Clan’s main pool). Creating such a
pool takes time, and requires regular infusions of blood,
at least six blood points a week for a year.
The merit grants its level as a dice pool bonus to the
Nosferatu’s use of Animalism in their home city, but
only with animals considered vermin, such as rats and
cockroaches. Essentially the bonus is only available for
creatures that might conceivably drink regularly from
the tainted blood.
Once established, the spawning pool requires twice its
level in blood points each week to it. Without proper
maintenance, its level will drop by one. It can be rebuilt by
maintaining it at the new level and adding four additional
blood points each week for six months.
The merit cannot be improved above its initial level, as
this also represents the convenience of its location and
the variety of creatures that might find it.

Tunnel Rat (1-5pt. merit)
You are remarkably adept at moving through the
underground tunnels that you call your home. When
attempting to navigate, escape, or track through sewers
and underground places you know, you gain an additional
die for every point you have in this merit.

Sleep Unseen (2pt. merit)
The power of Obfuscate usually requires you to
concentrate at least a little. However, you are able to lock
the power on, allowing you to sleep while remaining
hidden. To do so requires the expenditure of another
blood point, but it will last throughout the day’s rest.
Those with Auspex can still attempt to detect you, but
mortals will be unaware of your sanctuary. This can be a
useful trick for Kindred who like to travel.

Tough Hide (2pt. merit)
Your skin is much tougher than usual, possibly like that
of a rhino or a lizard. This hide protects you against most
normal damage, granting you an extra die when making
a soak roll. However, this bonus does not apply against
fire and sunlight.

False Reflection (3pt. merit)
Even when using their Obfuscate abilities, Nosferatu
still show up in their true form when noticed by machines,
such as cameras or video surveillance. With this ability, the
Nosferatu can extend their power to recorded images and
media. However, as with Mask of the Thousand Faces, the
original image isn’t actually changed; it is just that people
see it the way the Nosferatu wants it seen. Unfortunately,
computers are not so easily fooled: if the image is used for
facial recognition software (for instance), the computer will
see the Nosferatu’s real face and fail to find a match. The
Nosferatu has best take care how this power is used, as it
may wear off in time. Some archived photos have given
librarians a nasty surprise, years after going into storage.

Patagia (4pt. merit)
Your arms and legs have leathery flaps of skin between
them, similar to that of a flying squirrel. While they make
finding clothes a nightmare, they also allow you to glide
for short distances, given enough height and a decent
wind. The Storyteller might require an Athletics roll when
it comes to landing.

Rugged Bad Looks (5pt. merit)
While you are still hideous, you are not quite as
monstrous as most Nosferatu. You still have an appearance
of 0, but you might pass for human in the right light. It
is a still a good idea to cover up and stay in the shadows,
but the sight of you (or even the smell of you) is not an
instant breach of the Masquerade. Having said that, you are
still ugly enough to unnerve the crap out of most people.

Stench (1pt. flaw)
Most Nosferatu pick up a certain odor, but you stink
so bad even your Clan-mates find you hard to be close to.
Your presence is preceded by your stench, removing two
die from all Stealth rolls.

Dangerous Secret (1-5pt. flaw)
You have come to know something you really wish you
hadn’t discovered. Worse yet, the people you have the
dirt on know that you know. It might be that you have
discovered the Prince’s haven, or that there are infernalists
hiding in the diocese. Whatever it is, you are not sure
whom you can tell, and if you do, you will only make the
subjects of the secret more enthusiastic about getting rid
of you. You may even be implicated in the secret and risk
going down with them. The more potent the flaw, the
more powerful the people in question are, and the more
they want it silenced.

Anosmia (2pt. flaw)
Your life in the sewer has removed your sense of smell
and taste. This means you are unperturbed by even the
worst stench or most disgusting flavor. However, it also
means you cannot ever succeed at any Perception rolls that
rely of taste or smell. It also does not make you immune
in any way to gas attacks or poisons; you just won’t be
able to tell they are there.

Parasitic Infestation (2pt. flaw)
Living in the dark has made you a home to all manner
of creepy crawlies and bloodsuckers. Your skin is crawling
with ticks, lice, and leeches of all descriptions. They
constantly bite and burrow, and having fed on your vitae,
they have become very hard to kill. Not only can you not
command them, you have tried everything to get rid of
them and still they persist. Whatever the reason, they find
you so succulent they reduce your blood pool by the result
of one die divided by 3 (round down) each time you rise.
The constant itch also keeps you on edge, increasing the
difficulty of any Self-Control or Instinct rolls by 1.

Bestial (3pt. flaw)
You are closer to animals than humans, and it shows.
In addition to the Nosferatu Clan weakness, you have
an additional weakness: whenever you frenzy, you gain
an animal feature, similar to the Gangrel Clan weakness
(V20, p. 55).
With Storyteller permission, permanently acquired
animal features may be justification to acquire certain
merits after character creation, such as Lizard Limbs (p.
160) or Monstrous Maw (pp. 160-161). If so, the Storyteller
can simply award them, or require an experience point
expenditure (such as two times the merit point value).
Similar flaws can also be taken, but cannot grant additional
freebie or experience points.

Enemy Brood (3pt. flaw)
You have made an enemy of another group of Nosferatu.
Unlike your usual enemies, they know the places you like
to go and aren’t too squeamish about following you there.
They keep you on the move, hunting you from sanctuary
to sanctuary. The sewers themselves might not even be
safe for you anymore. If you move to a new city, they use
their contacts to pass on the word to their allies to keep
hounding you. Sooner or later, you are going to have to
take them down to rid yourself of them.

Putrescent (4pt. flaw)
The supernatural process that usually keeps a vampire’s
form from rotting after death has failed to work on
you. Your body has become putrescent and fragile as it
gradually decays. All soak rolls you make have their dice
pool reduced by 1. You may even lose body parts if you
suffer a solid enough blow. Should this happen, make a
Stamina roll (difficulty 6) and lose a part of your body
(Storyteller’s choice) if you fail. Should you botch, you
also receive a level of aggravated damage. These missing
parts may regrow, but your body continues to rot.

Contagious (5pt. flaw)
Your body has died on the inside, filling you with noxious
bacteria, spores, and even fungi. Mortals that touch you or
on whom you feed must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 9)
not to fall ill. The illness puts them in bed with fever and
sickness, and each week they may attempt the Stamina
roll again. The Storyteller might reduce the difficulty if
the target is receiving proper medical attention. On a
success they recover, but if they fail, they remain feverish.
At the end of each month the victim remains ill, they lose
a point of Stamina; if they are reduced to zero Stamina
they die. If the Nosferatu knows of their contagion and
infects someone maliciously, the Storyteller might call for
a Humanity (or appropriate Path of Morality) degeneration
roll if they die. Supernatural creatures generally have the
ability to heal or cure such sickness in themselves, and
vampires are immune to these germs of the dead.

Incoherent (5pt. flaw)
Human speech is impossible for you. It might be that
your mouth is too misshapen after the Embrace, or that
years of living in the sewers have made you forget how to
communicate. While you can understand what is being
said to you, you cannot respond. Telepathy works on you
as normal, and you have no problem communicating with
animals, but human speech is barred to you.

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The Ravnos

Antitoxin Blood (1pt. merit)
Although vampires are typically immune
to mortal drugs and poisons, there are
supernatural venoms that can affect Kindred
physiology. A Ravnos with this merit is
immune to all forms of drugs and poisons,
including the venoms and toxins of
supernatural creatures or those created by
supernatural powers.

Brahmin (1pt. merit)
As a member of the Brahmin jati, you are a priest, artist,
teacher, or other pillar of society. Perhaps you keep the
lore of the Clan, or perhaps you act as an advisor to other
Ravnos in need of wisdom. Once per session, if you fail an
Academics or Expression roll, you may immediately reroll it.
You do not have to purchase this merit to be a member
of the Brahmin jati, but only members of the Brahmin
jati may have this merit.

Kshatriya (1pt. merit)
You are a member of the Kshatriya jati; perhaps you
are a warrior, a descendant of rulers, or a member of the
military. Your role is to protect the Ravnos in war, and
govern in peace. Once per session, you regain a Willpower
when you successfully use a combat maneuver (see V20,
pp. 274-278).
You do not have to purchase this merit to be a member
of the Kshatriya jati, but only members of the Kshatriya
jati may have this merit.

Legerdemain (1pt. merit)
You’re extremely good at sleight of hand and other
physical tricks. Difficulties when using Subterfuge for
physical trickery, shell games, card tricks, and so forth,
are decreased by two.

Mute Devotion (1pt. merit)
Your Animalism carries an unusual side effect: it lingers
in the minds of the beasts you speak with or control,
lending them a certain resistance to others. When someone
else attempts to command a creature you have previously
controlled with Animalism, their difficulty levels are at +2.

Vaishya (1pt. merit)
The Vaishya jati are tasked with utilizing influence,
maintaining the human herds, and keeping finances. They
are often seen as traders and merchants, but to the Ravnos,
they are also a critical part of maintaining the Masquerade
that hides vampires from mortal hunters. Once per session,
you may call on of your Backgrounds as if you had an extra
dot in that Background (up to the normal maximum of 5).
You do not have to purchase this merit to be a member
of the Vaishya jati, but only members of the Vaishya jati
may have this merit.

Critters (2pt. merit)
You’re excellent with animals — so much so that they
constantly seek to befriend you. Wherever you go, the
animals are happy to see you, and more often than not,
happy to help you when you ask for their aid. You receive
a bonus die on Social rolls to affect small animals. Further,
animal companions who have had continual interaction
with you see you as something of a pet, and occasionally
bring you small useful things. Once per game session,
animals will bring you a useful piece of information or a
small item relevant to events. This item might occasionally
play into the individual Ravnos’ particular vice, as the
animals quickly pick up on what pleases their friend.

Heart of Needles (3pt. merit)
Your natural abilities with illusions have rendered you
particularly jaded and unimpressible. How can anything
be as perfect as your own imagination? Because of this,
your heart is harder than most, and you have a significant
resistance to emotion control. All powers and Social
challenges that attempt to manipulate you emotionally
are made at a +2 difficulty.

Chandala (1pt. flaw)
Being a member of the lowest jati, the Chandala, is a
mixed bag. You are responsible for the disposal of corpses,
as well as many other foul tasks, but at the same time, you
are often ignored. Your Social rolls against other Ravnos
are made at a +2 difficulty.
You do not have to take this flaw to be a member of
the Chandala jati, but only members of the Chandala jati
may have this flaw.

flawed Reality (2pt. flaw)
Your illusions always contain a notable flaw, and as
such, are easier to disbelieve. The difficulties of all rolls
to disbelieve your illusions are reduced by two.

Oathbreaker (2pt. flaw)
Making an oath ties one person’s svadharma to another,
linking the two spirits until the oath can be fulfilled. With
this in mind, a Ravnos never breaks her word once given
in good faith, and so long as it was done with proper
ceremony. If the Ravnos spits into her palm and shakes
on her word, then the oath cannot be broken without
negatively impacting the vampire’s svadharma (or so
Ravnos superstition dictates).
The oathbreaker will lose her way, falling into vice and
worthlessness, until the broken oath can be redeemed.
Anyone who looks at your aura can see a sickly red slash
indicating the broken oath. You may not spend Willpower
to ignore your Ravnos vice, and you do not gain Willpower
from fulfilling your Nature.

Lost Svadharma (3pt. flaw)
You once knew your svadharma, but when the time came
to fulfill it, you failed. Now that destiny has passed you by,
and there may never be another chance to make it right.
Other Ravnos know the tale, and hold your failure against
you. You are scorned, and your confidence has been thrown
into doubt. Your total Willpower score is permanently
reduced by one and you may not spend Willpower when
performing actions where other Ravnos are directly involved.

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The Toreador

Indelible (1 or 2pt. merit)
Whereas other vampires’ bodies return to the state they
were in at the Embrace each evening, any body modifications
you get after the Embrace remain as they are until you
actively spend a Willpower point to return your body to its
tabula rasa state. This merit applies to changes as simple as
dying or cutting your hair to modifications as complicated
as tattoos, piercings, or even small implants.
If the merit only allows for cosmetic alterations, it is worth
1 point. If it allows for more utilitarian alterations, such
as RFID implants that activate certain electronic devices,
then it is worth 2 points.

Impressive Restraint (2pt. merit)
When you haven’t eaten, it can be torturous to be near
mortals. The pounding thrum of blood through their veins
does not leave you nearly as tempted as it might other
Kindred. When opportunity presents itself, the difficulty
of all Self-Control rolls to resist hunger are made against
a -2 difficulty. Characters on Paths of Enlightenment that
require Instinct cannot take this merit.

Master of the Masquerade (2pt. merit)
There are many small tics, nervous habits, and
autonomous bodily functions (like breathing) that Kindred
simply forget to do. They can be unnervingly still or forget
to breathe, particularly when they think they’re alone. You
never let down your guard. The act of breathing remains
unconscious habit to you, and you never lapse into that eerie
statue-like stillness, even when transfixed or concentrating.
Consequently, the difficulties of all Social rolls are lowered
by one when interacting with mortals. This merit does not
allow you to eat food or benefit from the blush of health
(V20, p. 480) — those merits are still required to be a true
master of the Masquerade.

Slowed Degeneration (5pt. merit)
Your Humanity is strong and can more easily withstand
the Beast’s assaults. You gain two additional dice on any
Conscience roll. This degree of moral resilience allows a
well-behaved vampire to lose Humanity at a much slower
rate than would otherwise be possible. Only vampires
following Humanity may take this merit, and the merit is
lost forever in the event that the vampire takes up another
Path of Enlightenment.

Tortured Artist (1pt. flaw)
Nothing is ever good enough for your work. No matter
how much praise is lavished upon you, you can only see
the flaws and mistakes. This leads to long periods of ennui,
which makes your artistic work irregular at best. Further,
you throw yourself into business arrangements and social
situations with intensity, which often leads to heartbreak,
which leads to the pain and passion that fuels your next
work. You are at +1 difficulty on Social rolls in which you
are being praised, complimented, or treated with respect.

Private Life (3pt. flaw)
You have a completely separate life that no other Kindred know
about. It may be your mortal family that you have turned into
ghouls, or a YouTube channel that you use to talk in metaphor
about your frustrations with Kindred society. If discovered,
this could risk other vampires accusing you of breaching the
Masquerade (if Camarilla), consorting with humanity instead
of being a superior vampire (if Sabbat), or just overall paranoia
and suspicion on why you’re keeping such deep secrets.

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The Tremere

Embraced without the Cup (1pt. merit)
For some reason you did not drink the blood of the
elders when you were inducted into Clan Tremere. More
dangerously, it may have had no effect on you. As a result,
you are not bound to the Clan the way most Tremere are.
Should it be discovered, it will usually be corrected, but one
might almost believe there was some purpose to this lapse,
as the Tremere don’t make mistakes. Perhaps the Clan
has a special task in mind for you, one where you might
be forced to act against the Clan to maintain a cover….

Secret Society Member (1pt. merit)
You have found and joined one of the many secret societies
in Clan Tremere. Your character must be suitable to join,
such as having Necromancy to join the Covenant. You
might pick one of the societies listed here or create one of
your own. In most cases, your society membership should
be kept secret, but your allegiance to it is not considered a
crime. While your society expects you to uphold its tenets
and agenda, they can also be counted upon to back you
up and help you increase your power within the pyramid.

Keys to the Library (1-5pt. merit)
You have one of the most sought after positions in the
chantry: a librarian. It is one of your duties to catalogue
and maintain the magical lore kept in your chantry. This
means you have complete access to it, and get to decide
who can see it and who can’t. A vast array of rituals and
Thaumaturgical knowledge resides here, making it simple
to learn many of the secrets of magic. No matter how
restrictive your chantry, you have complete access to the
library for research. The cost of this merit is the same as
the chantry’s Library rating (see pp. 221-222).

Outside Haven (2pt. merit)
You maintain your own private haven outside the
chantry and Tremere control. Most Tremere are expected
to rest in the chantry, where the Clan can keep an eye on
them. However, you have been trusted with a little more
privacy. This might be because you have already proved
your loyalty, or perhaps because they are testing it.

Unmarked Antitribu (2 or 5pt. merit)
While you are part of the Sabbat and a traitor to House
and Clan Tremere, somehow you remain unmarked by
the antitribu curse. You are not easily recognized as a
renegade Tremere, and the magic that burned so many
of your brethren cannot target you. Further, other Sabbat
members cannot judge you at a glance. Those of the
Telyavelic bloodline can purchase this merit at 2 points,
while other Tremere pay 5 points.

Quartermaster (3pt. merit)
You are one of the Kindred responsible for maintaining
and organizing the chantry’s mundane supplies. You may
take anything from the chantry’s stores as defined by the
chantry’s Stores rating. While you will have to return or
replace anything you borrow, you have access the whole
range of equipment appropriate to the size of the chantry.
This might range from assault weapons and explosives to
advanced medical and scientific equipment.

Arcane Curse (1-5pt. flaw)
Because of either your studies or someone else’s, you
suffer from a magical curse. It might be an aversion or
allergy, or even a strange magical effect. The level of the
flaw depends on how debilitating the curse is. Curing
the affliction may be impossible, or require some sort of
quest or advanced research.
flaw Value Example Curse
1 point A minor oddity, such as an animal feature
or strange eye color
2 point A noticeable problem, such as your magic
having a strange taint or pattern that makes
it instantly recognizable, or that plants
wither in your presence.
3 point Something problematic, such as people
sickening in your presence or animals
attacking you.
4 point Concerning handicap, such as developing
another Clan’s weakness.
5 points Potentially deadly, such as moonlight being
as dangerous to you as sunlight.

Cloistered (2pt. flaw)
You have spent almost all of your undead existence in
the halls of the chantry, making Kindred society rather
new and confusing for you. You suffer a -2 dice penalty
to any social interactions with those outside the Tremere.

Betrayer’s Mark (3pt. flaw)
Even though you are loyal to House and Clan Tremere,
for some reason you are branded with the mark of the
antitribu (see the sidebar on p. 216). It might be that you
have returned to the Clan after leaving the Sabbat or that
you unwittingly or as part of an undercover operation took
part in the Vaulderie. Whatever the reason, the mark makes
other Tremere wary of you. You will have to go that extra
mile to prove yourself, and few among the Clan will trust
you with positions of power and responsibility.

Bound to the Clan (3pt. flaw)
You have done more than just drink from the blood
of the elders. Whether as punishment or by choice, you
have become fully blood bound to Clan Tremere. You
cannot act against the Clan, and find everything you do
works in the service of the Tremere. You might not like it,
but you can’t help yourself doing it. Of course, now you
are bound to the Clan, you cannot be bound to another
individual. Many older Tremere have this flaw, as it has
been common in the past to completely blood bind new
Tremere.

Mage Blood (5pt. flaw)
Your blood is so tied to magic that you find you are
unable to use any Discipline apart from Thaumaturgy
(and for Kindred who are not Tremere, it is still paid for
at out-of-Clan rates). While no path or ritual is barred to
you, you may not gain any dots in any other Discipline.

Thaumaturgically Inept (5pt. flaw)
Something about you refuses to respond to Thaumaturgy.
Magic just doesn’t work for you. You cannot take any
ability in the Thaumaturgy Discipline or any of its paths
or rituals. For a Tremere this is doubly difficult, as skill in
Thaumaturgy is often the key to position within the Clan.
While some willingly choose to ignore their thaumatugical
studies and serve in other ways, ineptitude is never excused.
Only Tremere can take this flaw.

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The Tzimisce

Bioluminescence (1pt. merit)
Perhaps through biological expertise, or perhaps by
unlocking something primordial within, you have accessed
the secrets of bioluminescence. Using the Vicissitude, you
may grant yourself (through Malleable Visage) or others
(via Fleshcraft — both as per V20, p. 241) the ability to
emit a soft glow. With muscle control and practice, you
can control the color and pattern of the illumination. This
can light a soft glow in the dark, create beautiful displays,
or even act as a primal form of communication. Some
Fiends grant their ghouls or childer bioluminescence,
developing an eerily nuanced and wordless language with
their thralls and broods. Only characters with at least one
dot of Vicissitude may purchase this merit.

Pain Tolerance (2pt. merit)
Maybe you are a badass or shut off your nerves through
Vicissitude. Maybe your sire put you through so many
intricate hells that it would be tough for anyone else to
compete. Maybe it just turns you on. Regardless, at Hurt
or Injured, you suffer no wound penalties, though you
still suffer full penalties at Wounded and below. You
must have a Conviction or Courage rating of 3 or more
to take this merit.

Dracon’s Temperament (3pt. merit)
You emulate the ideal of Azi Dahaka within and without,
to levels visceral and abstract. Your psyche flows with the
permutable nature of change. Like the protean Dracon,
you are a whirlwind of temperaments. This is not multiple
personalities. You are one identity shown through the
prism of ever-shifting Natures. No anchor fetters your
sense of self. You can be any you.
At the start of each story, you may choose one Personality
Archetype to function as your Nature, spending the rest
of the story perceiving the world through that perspective.
You also regain Willpower according to your new Nature
and may be affected by other effects or Discipline powers
as per your new Nature as well.

Haven Affinity (3pt. merit)
You are the land. The land is you. The home soil calls
to you. You give to it, and it gives to you. Your connection
to the earth of your prime haven grants you an extra die
to all dice pools when operating there. It also acts as a
mystic beacon, allowing you to home in on its location
with a standard Perception + Survival roll (difficulty 6),
+1 difficulty when a state or country separates you; +2 if
you’re halfway across the globe. This applies only to your
primary haven.

Revenant Disciplines (3pt. merit)
The blood of your revenant family runs deep, deeper
than the Embrace. The Disciplines that were innate to
you as a ghoul have remained so as a Cainite. At character
creation, select the ghoul family from which you hail
(V20, pp. 503-506). Instead of the Tzimisce’s standard
complement of Animalism, Auspex, and Vicissitude, you
draw from your three family Disciplines for your starting
allocation (though you may buy other Disciplines with
freebies, as normal). You trade in the entire set of Tzimisce
Clan Disciplines for the set of revenant family Disciplines,
for the purposes of in-Clan Experience cost.

Promethean Clay (5pt. merit)
Your flesh ripples and molds itself to your preternatural
will, almost before you consciously invoke the change. The
difficulty to use any Vicissitude power on yourself is two
less than normal, and you may activate Vicissitude powers
reflexively at your full dice pool while taking other actions.
Powers that require multiple turns to activate still require the
usual duration. The change simply occurs without conscious
direction. As a final benefit, you need no physical sculpting to
use the first three levels of Vicissitude on yourself, as your flesh
undulates and extrudes to its desired shape. Only characters
with at least one dot of Vicissitude may purchase this merit.

Unblinking (1pt. flaw)
Your eyes do not close. Ever. Perhaps you have left your
humanity too far behind to upkeep such habits, or perhaps
you fleshcrafted some form of transparent eye-scale or
nictitating membrane. Your quirk probably makes astute
observers uncomfortable, adding +1 to the difficulty of
friendly social interactions with humans, Kindred on
Humanity, and others with mortal sensibilities.

Ancestral Soil Dependence (2pt. flaw)
Your flesh yearns for a homeland you have never
seen. The voice of Kupala punishes your day sleep if this
yearning is not met. The soil from a place important to
you as a mortal will not suffice; in addition, you require
two handfuls of the tainted Eastern European soil of the
ancestral Tzimisce homeland. This Trait mostly commonly
manifests in the childer of koldun and the branch of the
Clan thought to be descended from Yorak. It can even
manifest in childer sired generations after their ancestors
relocated. Characters Embraced in Eastern Europe can’t
take this flaw (they’re already dependent on the local soil).

Faceless (3pt. flaw)
You have escaped the tyranny of physical self-identity. Call
no face your own. Every sunset, you awaken to a new visage,
an amalgam pieced together from memory and dream. Your
features, ethnicity, even gender become fluid things while you
sleep. While this flaw exemplifies the extreme ideals of Azi
Dahaka (and should impress most Metamorphosists), it can
cause complications for vampire concerned with maintaining
recognition, reputation, or a mortal alias.
Every sundown, the player rolls one die and is subject
to the results on the following table:
Roll Result
1 No change.
2-3 Minor changes, somewhat recognizable.
4-8 Unrecognizable by even those closest to the
character (such as her packmates or sire).
Ethnicity and gender may change.
9-10 Total metamorphosis. Tentacles, bone spikes,
or other inhuman features may appear.
This flaw affects some Backgrounds (V20, p. 110).
Without a stable face, Alternate Identity and Fame
cannot be maintained. Backgrounds like Allies, Contacts,
Influence, and Status might be complicated by the lack
of a solid identity as well. The vampire can use Malleable
Visage and a mirror to reconstruct her true face from
memory, but this requires at least three successes at
difficulty 8 to make her recognizable, and five successes
for a flawless copy.
The Mistaken Identity flaw (V20, p. 450) cannot
be taken. Other merits/flaws may be affected, at the
Storyteller’s discretion. Characters must have at least one
dot of Vicissitude to take this flaw.

Privacy Obsession (3pt. flaw)
Perhaps it is a trait carried in the blood. Perhaps your
strict sire carved this lesson into your mind and flesh.
Either way, you carry the Tzimisce respect for privacy to
extremes. You must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6)
to enter another being’s dwelling without being invited,
though you can go to fiendishly clever lengths to garner
an unwitting invitation. When disturbed in your haven
by an uninvited guest, you must make a Self-Control or
Instincts roll (difficulty 7) to avoid frenzy.

Revenant Weakness (3pt. flaw)
You were once part of a revenant family. Following the
Embrace, you suffered both your Clan’s weakness and
your revenant family’s limitation (V20, pp. 503-506). The
Storyteller might let you manifest a weakness from a lost
or destroyed revenant line. This could add mystery to your
background and allow for a bit of genealogical detective
work, certainly making you a curiosity to the Romanian
Legacy Foundation.

Consumption (5pt. flaw)
There is something hungry inside of you. But what is it?
Portions of the Antediluvian? Your Vicissitude gone horribly
wrong? Whatever it is, it is active, acting like a cancer, devouring
you from the inside out. Your very blood is wrought with
corrosive, flesh-eating bacteria. At the beginning of each
evening, you suffer one health level of lethal damage that
cannot be soaked nor healed with blood. The only way
to counteract the effect is by ingesting one-tenth of your
body-weight in flesh to supplement your depleted carcass.
Whether you kill and devour the skin from humans or raid
the biohazard containers of liposuction clinics for siphoned
fat, you need your ration of human flesh in order to survive.
If you try and ingest this macabre meal before damage is done,
you’ll simply vomit it out like any other food — this does not
impart the benefits of the Eat Food merit.

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The Ventrue

Connoisseur (2pt. merit)
Your study of the Auspex Discipline, combined with
your rarified tastes, allows you powerful insights into the
character of any whose blood you taste.
System: The character tastes another’s blood (potentially
risking blood bond), and player rolls Perception + Empathy
(difficulty 6 for mortals or 8 for Kindred). If the blood
came from a mortal, each success allows him to learn one
of the following: the mortal’s Nature, her Demeanor, any
Derangements she may possess, whether she is blood
bonded, and whether she carries any blood-borne diseases.
If the vitae came from a vampire, he can learn all of the
previous information, plus anything discoverable with
the first level of the Path of Blood (see V20, p. 213). The
Ventrue may taste the blood of a mortal who does not
fit within his feeding restriction long enough to use this
ability, but he must immediately spit it out afterwards.
Vampires that do not have Auspex •• cannot take
this merit.

Blessed by St. Gustav (4pt. merit)
Many Ventrue antitribu replace their traditional affinity
for Presence with an aptitude for Auspex by means of
the ignobilis ritus known as the Prayer to St. Gustav (see
sidebar). For your piety and devotion to the Sabbat cause,
you have been especially blessed and have an affinity for
both Disciplines.
System: This merit is identical to Additional Discipline
merit found on V20, p. 494, except that it can only be
used to add Auspex as a fourth in-Clan discipline. Only
Ventrue antitribu can take this merit.

|Prayer to St. Gustav
|To the Ventrue antitribu, the Presence
|discipline (while useful) is often viewed as
|decadent and unworthy of the martial heritage
|they imagine for themselves. In contrast, the
|Auspex discipline is prized for its power to
|grant insights and to see through deceptions.
|This ignobilis ritus allows a Ventrue antitribu
|to replace Presence with Auspex as a Clan
|Discipline. The ritus requires a group consisting
|solely of Ventrue antitribu to participate in a
|Vaulderie while wearing ceremonial armor and
|singing the praises of St. Gustav Mallenhaus, the
|founder of the Sabbat Inquisition. The player of
|any crusader present who has not yet acquired
|any dots in Presence may roll Intelligence +
|Occult (difficulty 7), and if the roll succeeds,
|she may replace Presence with Auspex as a Clan
|Discipline. With five or more successes, the
|Storyteller may decide to award the Blessed by
|St. Gustav merit. A character who has already
|started learning Presence may attempt this ritus,
|but may not swap out his Presence for Auspex
|— instead his Presence immediately becomes outof-
|Clan, and the player must pay the difference in
|experience points between what the Presence cost
|before and what it costs now.

Uncommon Vitae Preference (2pt. flaw)
Your preferred source for vitae is rarified even by the
standards of your Clan, such as “only Korean War vets,”
“only Federal Court Judges,” or “only virgins over the age
of 40.” The difficulty of all hunting rolls for your character
is increased by +2, to a maximum of 9.