Mental Merits

Derangement

A derangement has a description (O.C.D, schizophrenia, hebephrenia) from the DSM-IV and is roleplayed however the player wishes. Its game effect is that the character has two minus one penalties to all challenges involving two virtues chosen at the time the derangement is added to the sheet. These penalties can be applied to the same virtue giving a grand total of -2 to all virtue challenges involving that virtue. The penalties from multiple derangements stack. The player gets 2 freebies to spend if they take a derangement at character creation but only for the first derangement. The character also cannot take the meditation action.

Amnesia

The past is a blank slate. You know nothing of your history, family, friends or foes. Staff makes your sheet.

One Trait Merits

Deep Sleeper

You are even more sluggish than the normal vampire during the day. You have great difficulty awakening and staying awake, even at signs of danger. During the day you lose ties on all challenges including those to awaken. You regain two willpower each night as you slumber. See Virtues for the effects of acting during the day.

Prey Exclusion

For some reason, you refuse to hunt a certain class of prey, such as children, clergy or police. Blood from this class of people will not nourish you. This group must be at least 10% of the total population of the area in which you reside for this to be a flaw. You are two social traits up when dealing with this group.

Ventrue cannot take this Merit, due to their more restrictive clan diet.

Concentration

You can shut out distractions and annoyances that would hinder others. Whenever trait penalties are assigned by an ST for some outside phenomenon or circumstance due to the environment or setting, the penalty is reduced by 1. For example, this does not apply to Blindness from Oblvion 2, but would apply to the room being dark.

Time Sense

You can estimate time accurately to the nearest one or two minutes without the use of a watch or clock. This Merit is obviously very useful in getting back to safety before sunrise.

Thirst for Innocence

The sight of innocence of any sort arouses a terrible hunger within you. You must pass a 3 trait self-control Test or else frenzy and attack the source of your hunger. n.b. the sight of the aura of anyone with innocence of child's heart provokes this challenge. You're up 2 socials when dealing with demons and anything that serves the wyrm.

Eidetic Memory

Your memory is nearly perfect, and you recall almost everything you experience with incredible clarity. A single turn of attention is sufficient to commit a page, picture or short conversation to memory. The staff is never responsible for playing your memory however you may out of character carry a recorder or notepad, camera or what have you that is not an in character artifact.

Natural Linguist

You have a remarkable grasp with any languages that you speak or write (as per your Academics Ability). You gain three Bonus Traits on all challenges related to understanding language. You also gain three more spoken languages

Hyper Focus

Choose a single Lore, Academics, or Science. You gain 3 additional traits when making knowledge checks concerning that ability and gain 5 specialties in said ability. However, You may not take a specialty (besides languages for academics) for any other Lore, Academics, or Science.

Soft Hearted

You cannot abide suffering, because of the emotional disturbance or pain that it causes you. You must avoid causing pain or suffering to anyone; only by spending a Willpower Trait can you overcome this limitation for a scene (one hour), this includes combat. You are deeply empathetic and gain 2 traits on all empathy tests.

Nightmares

Hideous nightmares (daymares?) flit through your mind whenever you slumber. You cannot regain Willpower from sleep. However, the fear is always with you and has made even your beast numb to it. You get a free willpower retest to resist fear frenzy.

Conspicuous Consumption

The organs and blood-bearing tissue of your victims are staples of your diet. You must consume the liver, kidneys, heart and other pieces in order to sustain yourself. You can only absorb Blood Traits by eating these organs; blood drunk from other sources is vomited back up. This hunger will necessitate the deaths of your victims, and it could lead to interesting problems with the Masquerade and maintaining sanity. You must consume 5% of the person's body mass for each trait of blood to be gained. For each 5% eaten you gain 1 blood point, meaning that people possess 20 blood points for you instead of the normal ten.

Two Trait Merits

Territorial

You stake out a particular area and claim it as your hunting grounds. You do not tolerate trespassers, especially other predators (vampires and Lupines). If you catch another vampire entering your turf uninvited, you must make a 3 trait conscience Virtue Test as if provoked, or fly into a frenzy and attack. You cannot regain willpower outside your territory. It takes one full month for a new area claimed to become your territory or for an area no longer claimed to cease to be your territory. You are three traits up against intruders within your haven

Well Equipped

As per ambidextrous but applies to mental trait items

Phobia

Some object, creature or circumstance fills you with dread. This fear goes far beyond the normal level of phobias: Your vampiric Beast instinctively flees the thing, treating it as a dire threat. When confronted by the object of your fear, you must make a Courage Virtue Test with a difficulty of at least three Traits (more if the Narrator decides that the circumstances are particularly severe). Should you fail, you suffer the usual penalties of failed Courage and Rotschreck. All phobias are subject to staff approval. Encountering your phobia and surviving allows you to regain willpower as if you had fulfilled your nature once per night.

Light Sleeper

While most vampires sleep soundly during the day, you are still sensitive to your surroundings. You wake easily and instantly at any sign of disturbance. You make investigate or awareness challenges without sleepiness penalties when asleep.

Three Trait Merits

Iron Will

When your mind is set, your will is not broken easily. If you are affected with the Dominate Discipline and related mental mind effects, you may expend a Willpower Trait to retest the effect. If you win, the effect is negated and you receive a five-minute immunity to Dominate. Note: this does not work on social Disciplines only mental mind effect challenges. This merit has no effect on powers over level 5.

Blasé

When your mind is set, your will is not broken easily. If you are affected with the Presence Discipline and related social mind effects, you may expend a Willpower Trait to retest the effect. If you win, the effect is negated and you receive a five-minute immunity to Presence. Note: this does not work on mental Disciplines only social mind effect challenges. This merit has no effect on powers over level 5.

Four Trait Merits

Coldly Logical

You are up 2 traits defending against social and mental challenges.

Calm Heart

Though the Beast moves in you, it is more subdued than in other vampires. You control your passions better than most, or you are just naturally more temperate. You are one Trait Up on resolution of Self- Control and Courage Virtue Tests.

Blood Chef

This merit allows you to prepare food with blood(Your own, others, animal, or whatever) such that it doesn't taste like ash to vampires. Such food can be digested by kindred into vitae and can restore 1 vitae per night to a kindred that sits for 10 minutes to eat. Preparing a meal for 2+ people this way takes an action but otherwise has no upper limit on the number of kindred it can feed, but you need herd 3 to feed more than 5 people and is a diff 3 static (expression or craft) check, otherwise the chef can prepare 1 meal for 1 person/night.