Acrobatics [ Guide To The Camarilla -- Page 69 ]

You can use your body to perform feats of flexibility that are beyond most individuals' capabilities. You can tumble, swing, flip, balance and otherwise use your body to your best advantage. You may not be the most flexible Kindred in the world, but you use your body's capabilities to their utmost.

Possessed by: Athletes, Contortionists, Spies, Trapeze Artists.
Specialties: Circus Maneuvers, Combat Acrobatics, Contortions, Ducking and Covering, Tightrope Walking.

Dots - Description
1 - You can do a somersault without hurting yourself or others.
2 - Flips, rolls and other basic maneuvers are within your range.
3 - You are good enough to amaze crowds or confound foes with your antics.
4 - You are capable of performing gymnastic maneuvers on any surface with whatever equipment is at hand.
5 - You are an Olympic-caliber gymnast.




Archery [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 22 ]

Although bows have long since been supplanted by firearms in the modern world, there are still enough hobbyists and hunters to keep them around. Many Kindred elders, too, remember the nights before gunpowder and still stay in practice. Archery encompasses the use of both regular bows and crossbows as well as their construction and the creation of new arrows.

Possessed by: Competitors, Elder Kindred, Hobby Enthusiasts, Hunters, Traditionalists.
Specialties: Competition, Forests, Hunting, Indirect Fire, Precision Shots.

Dots - Description
1 - You remember hunting as a mortal archer.
2 - If you were still inclined toward eating venison, you could get your own with ease.
3 - You may have been a medieval woodsman.
4 - Your prowess is nigh legendary.
5 - Robin Hood or William Tell.




Camouflage [ Guide To The Camarilla -- Page 70 ]

You can hide anything through proper application of this skill. You are an expert at disguising things through available (in other words, non-supernatural) means so that they are undetectable by normal methods. Whatever materials are at hand can be put to use hiding whatever you wish to conceal. Camouflage can be used in any locale; the effectiveness of the skill depends on what you wish to hide and what you have to work with.

Possessed by: Army Rangers, Fences, Freedom Fighters,Nosferatu, Smugglers, Terrorists.
Specialties: Hiding in Plain Sight, Military Hardware, Urban Camouflage, Vehicles.

Dots - Description
1 - You can hide candy well enough to smuggle it out of convenience stores.
2 - You can use camouflage netting and other tools of the trade.
3 - You can hide a vehicle quickly and well with whatever is at hand.
4 - You can conceal anything from microfiche to military equipment.
5 - With a little preparation and the proper tools, you could hide the Great Wall.




Demolitions [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 22 ]

Demolitions encompasses both the use of explosives and the knowledge of how to keep them from blowing up at inconvenient times . Characters with this Skill know the proper methods for storing, transporting and using various explosive and incendiary compounds (actually making explosives falls under the Chemistry specialty of Science). Proper Demolitions training is extremely hard to come by, and Storytellers should feel no qualms whatsoever about denying characters any rating over 1 in this Skill. Low levels in this Skill are generally the most dangerous , as actual learning experiences involve live explosives and failing a lesson can be fatal.

Possessed by: Combat Engineers, Militia Members and Wannabes, Miners, Police Bomb Squads, Special Forces Personnel, Terrorists.
Specialties: Blast Analysis, Bomb Detection, Booby Traps, Disarming, Imploding Buildings, Vehicles.

Dots - Description
1 - You've read The Anarchist's Cookbook and maybe a couple of military handbooks. You can manage pipe bombs or small black powder charges. You are as much of a danger to yourself as to anyone else.
2 - You have gone through some basic military training -- more of what to not do than what to do. You can place premade charges (e.g. satchel charges) if told what to do by a more experienced combat engineer or ordnance technician.
3 - You may have been a combat engineer or an ordnance technician. Defusing simple devices is within your capability. You know enough to figure the best way to set a simple shaped charge against an ordinary target. This is the minimum rating necessary to set your own charges from raw materials.
4 - If you sought gainful employment, you could easily be hired as an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) technician, or perhaps made the head of a bomb squad. You can figure out complex, booby-trapped triggering mechanisms, and you know how to position charges to bring down an entire structure.
5 - Law enforcement agencies across the globe call you to consult in crises -- or to help figure out what happened in the wake of a blast.




Disguise [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 23 ]

Disguise allows you to alter your own appearance and those of others with the proper application of makeup, clothing and props, and, at higher levels, prosthetics. All of these tasks are extremely difficult without access to the proper materials.

Possessed by: Con Artists, Entertainers, F/X Technicians, Spies.
Specialties: Concealing Identity, False Wounds and Disfigurements, Impersonating Others, Theater and Television.

Dots - Description
1 - You've taken a basic class in stage makeup. You can do some very basic and subtle effects, but impersonating someone else is beyond you.
2 - You can fool someone who knows neither you nor the person you're impersonating. You could put together horror-type makeup for a haunted house.
3 - You can effect substantial changes in your appearance and Appearance. You can pass casual glances from casual acquaintances.
4 - You could find employment as a cinematic makeup technician, and can create a hundred different faces for yourself or your subjects. Gender-switching is not out of the question if your subject can do the voice and body language.
5 - A Nosferatu-to-Toreador makeover artist, you can accomplish transformations that most people would think impossible.




Fire Dancing [ Guide To The Sabbat -- Page 89 ]

You can enter a trance-like state that allows you to leap through flames. This Skill is vital in the Fire Dance and other ritae. Demonstrating this Skill often equates to being a powerful and dominant member of the pack. This Skill does not grant any immunity from the fire, but it does allow the vampire to avoid being burned or succumbing to a frenzy. This Skill cannot be part of a split dice pool: The user must concentrate on Fire Dancing and nothing else. When the vampire tries to Fire Dance, damage should be rolled normally, but for every success with this Skill, reduce the amount of damage done by one health level. Few vampires outside the Sabbat have this Skill.

(Note: Unless the fire is actually a bonfire meant for the ritual dance, you do not suffer Rötschreck any less frequently than any other vampire.)

Possessed by: Mystics, Performers, Primitive Tribesmen, Sabbat.
Specialties: Acrobatics, Distance, Leaping, Looking Tough.

Dots - Description
1 - You make the necessary leaps to prove that you're not a coward. You usually wait until the fire has died down quite a bit before you leap though.
2 - You no longer feel that "Oh, shit," panic when you jump.
3 - You are usually the first to jump, for you do not fear the flames. You live by the motto, "Build it higher, jump the fire!"
4 - Expert: An acrobat in the flames, you command a prowess and fearlessness that serves as inspiration to all who observe you.
5 - A legend among the Sabbat, your moves are simultaneously unholy and magnificent.




Herbalism [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 24 ]

You have a knowledge of herbs and other natural substances and their properties for both medicinal and other applications. You know where such ingredients are likely to be found, and you can gather and preserve them.

Possessed by: Alchemists, Holistic Healers, Medicine Men, Wiccans and Wannabes.
Specialties: Charms, Cooking, Medicine, Narcotics and Hallucinogens, Toxins.

Dots - Description
1 - You read a book on herb lore once.
2 - You learned everything your grandmother had to teach you.
3 - You are well-versed in the uses of even rare plants.
4 - You are well known in regional and nature-lover circles as a source of wisdom.
5 - In the nights of old, you could have been a wealthy apothecary.




Hunting [ Guide To The Camarilla -- Page 70 ]

Hunting is the ability to find and bring down a target of any sort, on any terrain, for any purpose. With a proper application of Hunting, you can do anything from running down deer in the wild to picking a mortal out of the herd for purposes of feeding. This skill also includes man-hunting, and can apply to the search for other Kindred.

Possessed by: Alastors, Federal Agents, Gangrel, Hunters, Scourges, Survivalists.
Specialties: Animals, Cat and Mouse, The Chase, Manhunting, Human Prey.

Dots - Description
1 - You don't need to club your prey over the head first.
2 - You can find dinner with reasonable ease .
3 - Humans are easy to isolate and feed on.
4 - Once you decide on a target, it's only a matter of time.
5 - Human, animal or Kindred -- none can escape you.




Lip Reading [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 24 ]

You are able to understand speech without hearing the actual words, as long as you can see the subject's mouth moving. Although you can rarely get the entire sentence, you can usually figure out what's being said from context.

Possessed by: Detectives, Hearing-Impaired Individuals, Spies.
Specialties: Accents, Covert Observation, Drunks, Fast Talkers, Poor Lighting.

Dots - Description
1 - If someone talks slowly and enunciates with exaggerated movements, you can get most of it.
2 - You can understand if someone talks fairly slowly and you concentrate.
3 - You can usually comprehend normal conversation.
4 - Even under poor lighting and distance, you can usually make out most of a sentence.
5 - Smoke, night and ventriloquism are no barriers to you. You can even make out foreign languages if you speak them fluently.




Meditation [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page xxx ]

You are able to enter a state of trance and relaxation in order to focus your mind inward. This can be used to deal with mental and physical problems, to find calm again, or to put together pieces of a puzzle that your conscious mind refuses to grasp. A successful Intelligence + Meditation roll (difficulty 7) is necessary to enter this trance state. Once in trance, each hour can be used to attempt one of the following tasks:

* To regain Willpower, roll Intelligence + Meditation (difficulty 9); each success restores one temporary Willpower point.

* If attempting to solve a riddle or to unite disparate clues, roll Perception + Meditation (difficulty 9); each success lowers the difficulty of your next Investigation or Enigmas roll by one.

* To overcome wound penalties, roll Stamina + Meditation (difficulty of the number of health levels of damage your character has suffered + 2); the number of successes you score is the maximum amount of wound penalty dice you may ignore for the rest of the nigh t. For example, if Hiro's player scores three successes, all dice pool penalties due to injuries are reduced by three, so any penalty up to -3 would be ignored entirely, and a four-die wound penalty would be treated as a one-die penalty. Incapacitated characters are still incapable of action, regardless of how many wound penalty dice they would be able to ignore for lesser levels of injury. This roll can be made only once per night.

* To steel your character against his Beast, roll Wits + Meditation (difficulty of 10 - Self-Control rating); each success is an extra die you may use in your next roll for your character to resist frenzy. This roll can be made only once per night, and all benefits are lost when your character sleeps at the end of the night.

If the trance is interrupted enough to break it before the hour is up (brief conversation will not interfere but any physical interference will break the trance), all benefits are lost. Meditation also requires a focus -- yogic positions, chanting, etc. -- to be effective, otherwise no benefits are conferred.

Possessed by: Martial Artists, Mystics, New Agers, Philosophers, Vampires Seeking Golconda.
Specialties: Adverse Conditions, Calm and Centering, Problem Analysis, Transcendence.

Dots - Description
1 - You read up on trance states once.
2 - You are serious about your self-contemplation and have attained a respectable amount of focus.
3 - You have studied under a master.
4 - You can find peace even when everything is going to Hell.
5 - Yes.




Pilot [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 25 ]

You can operate air or sea vehicles. Pilot must be bought separately for each vehicle type listed below; a Navy fighter pilot may not know the first thing about how to operate a ferry hovercraft on the English Channel. At the Storyteller's discretion, related Pilot sub-skills may overlap as if they were two dots lower: A military transport pilot with Pilot Transport/Passenger Aircraft 4 would be able to operate a small business jet as if she had Pilot Business/Commuter Aircraft 2, although using Pilot Cabin Cruiser would be right out of the question. Storytellers should remember, however, that most vehicles covered by this Skill are vastly more complex than a car, and instrument and control arrangements are more different than similar; just because a Ventrue knows how to sail her privateer, she won't necessarily even know where the helm is on a supertanker.

Possessed by: Enthusiasts, Police and Military Personnel, Professionals.
Specialties: Combat Maneuvers, Instrument-Only (Blind) Operations, Racing, Rough Weather, Specific Model of Vehicle, Takeoff/Landing/Docking, Tight Quarters/Low Altitude.

Dots - Description
1 - You can handle the most basic of maneuvers with an instructor at your shoulder.
2 - You can perform solo operations on a few models.
3 - You are a professional, and can manage smooth, routine trips.
4 - A trained combat pilot, exceptional maneuvers are within your grasp.
5 - Han Solo, Maverick or Blackbeard.




Ride [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 26 ]

Whether you come from a time before gasoline engines (or a modern place without them), or you keep in practice as a hobby, you know how to ride an animal without being thrown or falling off. This Skill also reflects your knowledge of such animals and the equipment necessary to ride and your ability to break and train a new mount.
If fighting while mounted, you cannot use more dots in your combat Abilities than you have dots in Ride. For example, if Leah has Melee 2, Ride 3 and Firearms 4 and is caught by her pursuers, she can sword-fight from horseback with her full Melee, but may only shoot from the saddle as if she had Firearms 3.

Possessed by: Cowboys, Elder Kindred, Enthusiasts, People Who Live in Rural Settings, Stunt Riders.
Specialties: Bareback, Breaking and Training, Camels, Combat, Elephants, Horses, Mules, Racing, Tricks.

Dots - Description
1 - You can stay in the saddle at low speeds.
2 - You can manage a gallop and maybe a few fancy-looking tricks at low speeds.
3 - You indulge in fox hunting or polo on the weekends.
4 - You are a show-jumping champion or professional jockey.
5 - You are as comfortable in the saddle as on your own two feet, and can accomplish just about anything with a well-trained mount.




Sleight Of Hand [ Vampire Storytellers Companion -- Page 27 ]

The speed and deftness of your hands can deceive the eyes of others. You can perform magic tricks, cheat at cards, or pilfer the pockets of unsuspecting bystanders.

Possessed by: Aspiring Casanovas, Stage Magicians, Thieves.
Specialties: Cards, "Conjuration," Entertainment, Pickpocket, Shoplifting

Dots - Description
1 - Card tricks at cast parties.
2 - Children's birthday parties.
3 - Stage magician.
4 - TV magician or professional pickpocket.
5 - Prince of Thieves.




Steward [ Ghouls: Fatal Addiction -- Page 82 ]

Prerequisite: Ghoul

You have studied the art of managing a household and mastered the various intricacies of such a task. You make a serviceable butler, valet, seneschal or major-domo for your domitor. What's more, you keep up with her affairs among the local Kindred, the better to serve her. You can run every aspect of your master's haven if need be, and might be targeted by enemies who would appreciate your knowledge. Of course, should you ever defect, your master will almost certainly make your death or recapture top priority.

Dots - Description
1 - You can keep an apartment in order.
2 - You're considered reliable if not sparkling.
3 - Practically one of the family.
4 - You keep the manor running smoothly and remind the master of his appointments with the prince.
5 - Alfred Pennyworth.




Vamp [ Guide To The Sabbat -- Page 88 ]

You can use your seductive means to get any information from anyone. Whether you're acting out the role of the empathetic girlfriend, the barroom floozy, the loving wife or the adventurous mistress, you know how to please. You can be subtle or overt, coy or wanton, depending on what promises the best results, and you can interpret your subject's turn-ons to better accomplish your seduction. If the vampire practicing this Skill actually goes through with the acts he suggests, he may need to spend blood points to function properly.
(Note: This Skill relates only to using sex to achieve an end. Being charming, alluring or desirable is an application of Empathy, Expression, Performance or Subterfuge, likely coupled with Appearance or Charisma. Only the dullest of victims may fail to realize the carnal pleasures proposed by a user of this Skill, and many vampires consider its use distasteful or vulgar, as they no longer concern themselves with such base mortal acts, especially among the Sabbat.)

Possessed by: Bored Housewives, Hookers, Lasombra, Spies
Specialties: Bondage, D&S, Lingerie Modeling, Role-playing, S&M

Dots - Description
1 - You know how to gain a partner's interest and extract information without being blatantly obvious.
2 - You perceive the subtle innuendos in determining what a partner likes, and you use this insight to extract information.
3 - From talking to someone for a few minutes, you can determine his fantasies. You enact them with skill often withdrawing vital information easily and within the context of your roleplaying games.
4 - You can discern your mark's ultimate fantasies, enacting dialog and mannerisms perfectly. Your partner usually becomes obsessed with you, and the sap may tell you anything.
5 - Some wonder if you are too good to be true; a veritable succubus or incubus.