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MTH:Merits

2011-07-08T03:29:30Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****) */

=NEW MERITS=

New Merits for superhuman and heroic characters. These are purchased in the same manner as normal Merits, though they usually have higher prerequisites than the Merits in the corebook.

A number of these Merits refer to "effective" Attributes, usually as prerequisites; this refers to an Attribute's rating after all permanent modificatioins have been factored in, such as a Mega-Attribute. For example, a character with Dexterity 3 and Mega-Dexterity 1 would have an effective Dexterity score of 5.

Some Merits created for other supernatural creatures might be appropriate for superhuman or heroic characters; perhaps a character's advanced technology could be represented by the "Imbued Item" or "Enhanced Item" Merits from ''Mage: the Awakening,'' or a superhuman who enjoys a good reputation among the heroic community could benefit from the "Repute" Merit from ''Promethean: The Created.'' Characters who wish to take Merits from other supernatural games are encouraged to speak with their ST in order to decide whether or not such a purchase would be appropriate.

==GENERAL MERITS==

===BASE(* to *****; special)===

EFFECT: A Base is a safe, secure location in which a character can train, plan his actions, recuperate from injuries, or simply rest while he's not saving the world. Perhaps there is a cave beneath his house in which he's set up a lair, or he has access to a special penthouse in a skyscraper.

All Bases are not created equal. A warehouse might have sufficient space, but might not have sufficient security to drive away intruders. A hidden basement in the character's house might be hard for others to breach, but might offer barely enough space to hold the character's specialized equipment. Great time and effort is spent in finding appropriate Bases, and their value is represented by two factors: Size and Security. See the "Sanctum" Merit from ''Mage: The Awakening'' or the "Haven" Merit from ''Vampire: The Requiem'' for rules to apply to Bases.

===EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: The character has a substantiated theme running through their gear, and this theme either reinforces their resolve such that it actually manifests in better performance, or the character just knows how to make/choose quality stuff. Most likely they have a Code Name and powers related to the theme, and will almost always have their costume patterned toward their theme (armor ratings are not enhanced by this merit, but other special traits of a costume might be, at ST discression).

Effectively, the equipment has an enhanced equipment bonus when used for its intended purpose by the character with this merit. This bonus is equal to the rating in this merit minus one.
The equipment must have the character’s ‘signature look’. A signature look might include painting the equipment in the colors of the character’s costume and placing their personal insignia on it (batarang, bat-shield, bat-underwear, ect), or almost any other set of descriptors the player can devise (with ST approval). In general, theme equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field.
Individuals may share a theme.

===WALKING ARMORY (* to *****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: Usually a character is limited in what gear they can carry by the common sense limitations for physical space. With dots in this merit, the character has learned to alter their gear and/or create hyper-efficient ways of carrying it on their person, so as to circumvent these limitations.

At one dot, no form of ammunition or fuel the character carries ever seems to run out without a specific reason. The player simply never needs to keep track of how may bullets, throwing knives, packets of web-fluid or etc the character has used. The ST may make exceptions to this for rare or particularly hard to carry objects.

Players should outline who this carrying capacity is created, as it is vulnerable to tampering. For instance, the character never runs out of her special smoke bombs, unless someone swipes her utility belt.

At two or more dots the player divides the amount of space the character has used up by there number of dots in this merit. Essentially, when judging how much a character can carry, use each dot in this merit beyond the first as if it was an additional person. With three dots, for instance, STs should look at the character's gear and ask themselves, 'Could three people carry this?' If the answer is yes, a character with three levels in this merit can carry it.

This merit doesn't represent the physical means of carrying so much as a knack for figuring out how to pack a personal armory. If the character's gear is permanently stolen, they only loose the benifit of this merit until they can re-stock. Likewise, the thief only benefits from the theft until they eventuall empty out the cache. This should last them no more than one day of constant use per level of the merit.

While there is no precisely defined limit to how much a character can carry in terms of gear, the ST can use the rating in this merit to help act as a guideline.

==MENTAL MERITS==

===BODY CONTROL (**)===
PREREQUISITES: None

EFFECT: This Merit duplicates the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Life 2 spell "Body Control" (M:tA, p. 182). This Merit is always active, use the character's Power Level as successes to determine the exact effect; see the spell description for further details.

===MULTI-TASKING (* or **)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligenge 5+ & Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character can can compartmentalize her mind so that she can hold more than one distinct train of thought in her mind simultaneously. For one dot, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Mind 1 spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts" (M:tA, p. 206)and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mind 3 spell "Multi-Tasking" (M:tA, pp. 211-212). This spell does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action. Botth versions of this Merit are always in effect and require no effort from the character to use.

===OMNIVISION (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: Whether by incredibly sharp senses, a sixth sense, or a literal 360 degree field of vision, the character is keenly aware of her surroundings at all times. She suffers no ill effects from being surrounded in combat, and it is impossible to sneak up on her under normal circumstances (though extraordinary circumstances, such as poor lighting or invisibility, may allow the character to be snuck upon as normal). The character must still roll to avoid surprise in the case of ambush or similar situations; this Merit allows the character to perceive normally in every direction at once, but does not grant any special form of perception or precognition.

==PHYSICAL MERITS==

===AQUATIC ADAPTATIONS (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted for life in the water. Both versions of this Merit allow the character to safely drink salt water and to swim at her normal Speed without effort. However, she cannot do the equivilent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivilent of the Strong Lungs Merit (nWoD p. 113), except that this Merit adds +3 to the character's Stamina for purposes of holding her breath. Also, even when in combat, the character can hold her breath for one minute per dot of Stamina (with the +3 bonus included).

For three dots, the character can instead breathe both air and water with equal ease.

===LIGHTNING DODGE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ or effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character's reaction time is so quick that he can literally dodge bullets, or (when combined with Weaponry Dodge or Brawling Dodge) deflect them with a melee weapon or even snatch them out of the air with his bare hands. This character may apply his Defense to firearms attacks. At the Storyteller's discretion, this character's Defense may also apply in other situations where Defense doesn't normally apply.

===NIGHT VISION (*)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has the night vision of a cat or someone wearing light-intensifier googles. As long as there is some light, such as starlight under and open sky or the light coming through the crack under a door, the character can see normally and suffers no penalties for poor vision. In totally lightless conditions, such as being locked in a safe with no light, the character cannot see.

===PERFECT BALANCE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+

EFFECT: The character has absolutely flawless balance; she is able to stand atop flagpoles, sprint along tightropes, and even traverse crowds quickly by running on peoples' heads. The Storyteller should only make this character roll Dexterity + Athletics to keep her balance in the most extreme situations, EG running along a tightrope on a moonless night while carrying someone and being shot at; it can be assumed that the character automatically succeeds at any such rolls under less trying circumstances.

===REFLECT SHOT (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Lightning Dodge, Weaponry Dodge

EFFECT: The character has honed her defensive skill and reaction time to such a degree that she is able to reflect projectiles back at their attacker. In order to use this Merit, the character has to be holding an appropriate melee weapon and has to dedicate her action to dodging. If an opponent makes a ranged attack against this character and scores no successes on the attack roll, the character may make an immediate attack roll against the opponent; the basic dice pool is the character's Dexterity + Weaponry, and she counts as having the same weapon as her attacker, as it is actually this weapon which is rebounding at the attacker.

Insubstantial attacks cannot be redirected in this manor.

===SHOCKWAVE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to ''everything'' within a one-yard radius of the impact point (except the character using Shockwave himself), including other characters, objects, and the ground being struck (which may be a problem if the character is standing on a bridge or riding in a vehicle when he uses this ability). Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the impact point. In addition, any character who takes damage from the shockwave must roll her Strength and score at least as many successes as she took levels of damage, or else she will fall prone. Only characters and objects standing on the ground can be affected in this way; airborne characters and objects are immune to the effects of a shockwave.

===SPECTRUM VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character can see into both the ultra-violet and visual and thermal-infrared spectrums. As a result, even in the total absence of light, the character can still clearly see anything that has a different temperature from its environment, which includes all animals larger than small insects. Outdoors, the character can see as well at night as during the day, and because of the advantages of having a far wider spectrum of vision, the character also gains +1 to all rolls for visual perception.

===TELESCOPIC VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has distance vision equivilent to someone using a moderately good pair of binoculars (x 25 magnification). The character eliminates most penalties for observing events at a distance, and can easily read text on a computer monitor from a distance of up to 100 feet. In addition, when using ranged weapons, the character eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2. This Merit also in no ways impairs the character's close-up or normal vision.

===THUNDERCLAP (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a shockwave of destructive force. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll her Strength as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to all other characters and objects within a one-yard radius of the character. Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the character using Thunderclap.

===UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+ or effective Resolve 4+

EFFECT: The character's pain tolerance is so incredibly high that he can continue to fight after taking injuries that would have dropped lesser creatures. A character who has the three-dot version of this Merit does not have to roll to remain conscious if all his health levels are filled with bashing damage. However, he will still lose consciousness and begin to bleed to death if all his health levels are filled with lethal damage. A character with the five-dot version of Unstoppable does not lose consciousness even when all of his health levels are filled with lethal damage, though he will begin to bleed to death as normal; such a character only stops moving when he dies (IE all his health levels are filled with Aggravated damage).

===WALLCRAWLER (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with the two-dot version of this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds, but she cannot move along such a surface any faster than a slow crawl. A character with the three-dot version of this Merit can move along such surfaces at her normal Speed (including the ability to run along walls and ceilings), whether or not the surface has handholds or would normally be climbable. At the Storyteller's discretion, particularly slippery surfaces or adverse conditions might require the character to make a Strength or Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain her hold.

==SOCIAL MERITS==

===CIPHER (* to *****)===
EFFECT: The character has made some effort to hide details of his life from public scrutiny; the exact details of this process are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide, but possibilities include tampering with government documents, entering the Witness Protection Program, or simply putting on a mask and costume before heading off on an adventure. Each dot in this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on any attempts to learn personal information the character has worked to keep hidden. It is up to the Storyteller to decide whether the penalty from Cipher should apply in a given situation.

Keep in mind, the existence of this merit doesn't mean that every character who wears a mask or uses other methods of identity-protection '''must''' take this merit. It's simply that having the merit identifies that your defenses are at least somewhat mechanically effective, giving you the benefit listed above. Players are always free to use whatever secrecy measures they can devise, with attempts to breach those measures handled on a case-by-case basis.

===ENLIVENING PATHOS (****)===

Prerequisite: Fame 3, may not be taken at character creation

EFFECT: Some heroes, they say, can never die, and some villains, they say, can't ever be killed. The Enlivening Pathos represents this. If a enough hearts and minds are bent upon the identity a given person represents, death itself may be rescinded. This effect represents not so much a power as an unusual status within the human group-consciousness. Technically, one does not have to be superhuman to possess this merit, but it is supernatural in nature.

In order to possess this power the character's exploits themselves must have made them famous (or infamous). This merit will not function if their fame comes from anything that was handed to them or which they gained from association with other sources of fame. Likewise, the fame must be associated with something primal, something which speaks very closely to the fundamental nature of humanity. This is a vague qualification, but it is necessarily so: Anything which gives the character a permanent place in the psyche and culture of most of humanity will qualify.

When the character would normally die, or would seem to have died, they loose this merit instead (but may repurchase it). Fate, luck, destiny or what-have-you 'corrects' the event. It wasn't really the character, or the character had planned to fake their death all along, or any other contrived scenario which ends up with the character alive ends up being the truth. The storyteller ends up the arbiter of what ultimately happens.

Storytellers should be very stringent about what it takes to qualify for this merit, and it is not appropriate for all games. Sts are within their rights to not allow it into their games and players should not assume it is available without consulting with their Storyteller.

===UNLIMITED RESOURCES (*****)===
PREREQUISITES: Resources 5

EFFECT: The character has access to vast wealth: at least $1,000,000 a month in disposable income and millions, billions, or even trillions of dollars in assets. The character might be the beneficiary of a huge trust fund, the heir to a massive hereditary fortune, the owner of a multinational corporation, or some combination of these. For this character, it's not a question of whether or not she can afford any given item, it's a question of how soon she can get it.

Generally, it isn't necessary to quantify exactly how much the character is worth unless the player or Storyteller desires to; in game terms, the character is able to make an effectively unlimited number of Resources 5 purchases per month, and is probably capable of affording purchases beyond the grasp of even a Resources 5 character, such as private spacestations or bleeding-edge energy weapon and powered armor technology.

Note, however, that being richer than God does not equate to being God; even a character with this level of wealth can be held accountable for her actions, and a character who uses her fortune to cause trouble will almost certainly attract the attention of other powerful characters. Furthermore, the Storyteller should reserve the right to restrict the character's use of Unlimited Resources, or even remove the Merit altogether, if the character foolishly squanders her fortune.

=='''SIDE KICK (** to *****)'''==

EFFECT: Your character has a loyal companion in their adventures. Treat this as the Retainer merit, with the following addition; You may add one or more dots to the merits rating, for each dot added the Side Kick may have up to 30 experience points which can be spent on powers and/or merits from these rules. Side Kicks without any particular powers should use the normal rules for Retainers.

Keep in mind Side Kicks don’t have to be human, and can be pets, sentient machines, or whatever else the ST feels is appropriate.

=NEW FLAWS=

For all their powers and abilities, superhumans often possess great foibles and weaknesses that serve to temper their strength. The flaws listed below function in the same way as the flaws listed in the World of Darkness core rulebook; IE, any time the flaw comes up during gameplay and significantly hinders the flawed character, that character gains an additional experience point.

Note: A weakness will usually count as a flaw if it does not provide a rank decrease because the power already has one. Thus if the weakness significantly hinders the character, it is worth an additional experience point just like any other flaw.

Optional rule: No Wimping Out. If the character has taken no flaws or weaknesses on their own, the storyteller gets to pick either one weakness (that is worth a one point rank decrease on a power, and refund the experience), inflict one flaw that is thematically appropriate on the player, or do one of each. But if they do this, then they must do the same with their villains (which any good storyteller will do anyway).

==MENTAL FLAWS==

As with standard World of Darkness characters, characters in More Than Human may take permanent derangements as Flaws. Common derangements for heroic characters include narcissism and fixation, while villainous characters might have megalomania, paranoia, or schizophrenia.

==PHYSICAL FLAWS==

===ALLERGY===
The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and takes physical damage if exposed to this allergen. The Storyteller determines what level of damage is taken and how often, based on the character's proximity to the allergen and the purity or intensity of the allergen in question. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it beyond the additional damage taken; for example, a hero weakened from allergen exposure might be unable to pursue a fleeing villain, who later returns to abduct the hero's love interest

==SOCIAL FLAWS==

'''Inhuman'''

The character either has some physical abnormality which makes them appear less then human, and/or they actually are something non-human (alien, robot, ect) but are close enough to both be a viable character and use the same rules. This flaw applies only if the character's nature is in some fashion repugnant to most of humanity, causing them to have to deal with social stigma or outright hatred. Note that many other merits and flaws can be coupled with this one to represent the nature of the character.
*[[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Powers I-P

2011-06-24T04:28:09Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* POWER VAMPIRE */

==IMMOBILIZE==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Athletics) + Immobilize - target's Defense + Power Level

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Immobilize) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: See below

Effect: The character is able to hinder his opponents' movement with layers of ice, quick-drying glue, zero-point energy fields or some other means. This power has two main uses: restricting another character's body movements and reducing her ability to perform physical tasks, or anchoring another character to a solid object and stopping her from moving around.

If used to impede physical performance, the target takes a penalty to all rolls involving physical action (including attack rolls and most superpower activation rolls) equal to the number of successes gained on the character's Immobilize activation roll; if used to anchor the target, a successful activation roll reduces the target's Speed to 0, effectively pinning her in place (note that there must be a solid object present to anchor the target to, or else this technique cannot be used).

In either case, the target's Defense is reduced by one for every success gained on the activation roll. If the activation roll is an exceptional success, the target suffers ''both'' effects: her Speed is reduced to 0, and she takes the penalty to physical actions (as well as to Defense). In order for the target character to escape from an Immobilize power, she must succeed on a Strength + Stamina roll, with a negative modifier equal to the number of successes gained on the activation roll; if Immobilize was used to impede the character's physical actions, that penalty does not stack with the penalty to escape the Immobilize power.

Another character may attempt to aid the Immobilized character's escape, using the rules for Teamwork as described in the World of Darkness core rulebook (with the Immobilized character as the primary actor). The immobilizing agent may also be damaged to reduce its effectiveness, either by the immobilized character (if possible) or by an ally. The immobilizing agent has an effective Durability equal to the activating character's dots in Immobilize, and each level of damage dealt to it reduces the penalty to physical actions, the penalty to Defense, and the penalty to the escape roll by one; if the penalty is reduced below zero, the target is able to escape without making a roll.

Extras: Ephemeral - (The immobilizing agent cannot be attacked to reduce its effectiveness).

==IMMOLATION==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is capable of causing damage to anything that touches her. The source of damage dealt (fire, electricity, angry ghosts etc.) must be chosen when this power is first purchased. When the character activates this power, anything that contacts the character's body (her own gear and clothing excepted) takes an amount of lethal damage equal to the character's dots in Immolation or an amount of bashing damage equal to the character's Immolation dots + 2, as appropriate; if this contact is maintained for more than one turn, this damage is dealt each turn.

Note that this damage is dealt to ''everything'' the character touches or that touches the character, including unarmed attacks or weapons that strike the character (in this case, the damage is dealt ''after'' the attack in question lands), other characters struck by the character's unarmed attacks, and even the ground under the character's feet. Once the character has paid the Verve cost for this power, she may switch it on and off at will for the duration of the scene; deactivating this power is a reflexive action, while reactivating it is an instant action, and the character may not do both in the same turn.

Extras: Variable - (The character's immolation may be either of two damage sources; the character may alternate between these sources up to once per turn as a reflexive action).

==INVISIBILITY==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Stealth) + Invisibility

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to turn himself, his clothing, and his personal possessions invisible. If the character succeeds on the activation roll, characters who are not actively searching for him become unable to see him at all, and characters who are actively searching for the invisible character must roll Wits + Composure and score more successes than the Invisible character scored on his activation roll, plus the Invisible character's Power Level. If this Wits + Composure roll is successful, the opposing characters are able to discern the invisible character's location in some manner and may attack him, with a -2 penalty due to his concealment; otherwise, the opposing characters are unable to locate the invisible character and must use the rules for Fighting Blind if they wish to attack him. Note that Invisibility only renders the character imperceptible to standard vision; other methods of detection (hearing, smell, infrared vision, telepathic scanning) will detect the character as normal.

Extras: Enhanced Effect - (The character may render himself undetectable to senses other than standard vision at a cost of one additional Verve per sense, up to a maximum number of senses equal to the character's dots in Invisibility).

==INVULNERABILITY==
Rank: 2

Cost: N/A

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character is highly resistant to one source of damage or form of attack, chosen when this power is purchased. A character's Invulnerability must be fairly specific: "hard radiation," "fire," and "mind control" are all viable Invulnerabilities, but "energy attacks," "physical attacks, "mental attacks," and "superpowers" are not. Each dot in Invulnerability negates one ''success'' from any appropriate attack or damage rolls that affect the character, or one level of damage if the source deals automatic damage without rolling. The effects of Invulnerability stack with (and are applied after) any penalties for armor, Defense, and powers such as Force Field.

A character cannot have more dots in an Invulnerability than their Power Level.

Extras: Broad category - (The character may elect to be invulnerable to "physical attacks," "mental attacks," or "energy attacks," but not "superpowers" or "damage").

Weaknessess: Specific weakness - (The character may choose another area which does double damage to them per attack.)

==LUCK==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: Fortune smiles upon this character. Each dot in Luck allows the character to add their Power Level in dice to a roll they make or which is made in their vicinity. The same kind of roll (meaning the same die pool) may not be thus blessed in the same scene again.

Players should keep in mind that it is the player, and not the character, who chooses which pools receive the luck. It may benefit ends the player wants but which the character doesn't.

Extras: None

==MATTER CONTROL==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to transmute and alter inorganic and nonliving organic matter. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Matter Control she possesses; she may attempt to use a technique that she does not specifically know (with the exception of Matter Creation), but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll. In addition, any character with at least one dot in Matter Control may, as an instant action, learn the physical and chemical composition and properties of an object within (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards.

Extras: None.

===ANIMATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Crafts) + Matter Control

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Concentration

Effect: The character is able to animate inanimate objects around her, forcing them to do her bidding. The character is able to animate one object of Size 5 or less for each success she scores on the activation roll; she may animate larger objects at a cost of one additional success for every 5 points of Size (for example, a Size 9 car would require two successes to activate, and a Size 20 dump truck would require four). Alternatively, the character may animate ''all'' the objects of Size 1 or less within a radius equal to the character's dots in Matter Control multiplied by the number of successes scored on the activation roll. Animated objects are able to walk, roll, hop or otherwise ambulate at a Speed equal to the character's default Speed; at the cost of one additional Verve, the objects' Speed may be increased to twice the character's default Speed. Animated objects can be made to attack an enemy with a dice pool equal to the character's Manipulation + the damage bonus of the object (or an appropriate damage bonus for a swarm of smaller objects), including any improvised weapon penalties.

===DESTRUCTION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Crafts) + Matter Control - object's Durability

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to undo the molecular bonds holding objects together, causing them to disintegrate. Each success on the activation roll deals one level of aggravated damage to an object. The normal rules for targeting an object apply, and as with all Matter Control techniques, this technique may not be used on living creatures. Sentient undead (such as vampires and revenants) are also immune to this technique; the magic empowering them is too strong to be overcome by the Matter Control power.

===MATTER ALTERATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Crafts) + Matter Control - object's Durability

Action: Extended

Range: (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to change the size, shape, density, and even molecular makeup of an object; using this technique, the character is able to turn lead to gold, or water into wine, or to transform a length of rebar into a fully-functional machine gun. Successes gained on the activation roll for this technique can be put towards the following alterations:

* Phase Change: The character may spend a single success to shift a material's physical state by one phase. For example, a chunk of ice could be changed into a puddle of water, which could then be changed into a cloud of steam.

* Size: The character may increase or decrease the object's Size by one point per success, to a minimum of Size 0 (small enough to be concealed in the palm of one hand). The character may only do this if the object had a Size characteristic to begin with; thus, it cannot be performed on a volume of gas unless that gas is first transformed to another phase (see above).

* Durability: The character may increase or decrease the object's Durability by one point per success, to a minimum of Durability 0 (about the consistency of balsa wood or paper). The character may only do this if the object had a Durability characteristic to begin with; thus, it cannot be performed on a volume of liquid or gas unless that substance is first transfromed to a solid (see above).

* Shape: The character may spend a success to alter the shape of the object, without significantly altering the size. For example, a two foot long iron bar could be reshaped into a short sword, or a hole could be formed in a locked door.

* Complexity: The character may spend a success add mechanical or electronic components to an object, or increase or decrease the complexity of components already in place. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of how many successes are needed to reach a certain level of complexity; for example, it may take one success to transform a length of lead pipe into a single-shot rifle, and another success to turn it into a machine gun.

* Quality: The character may increase or decrease the damage bonus of a weapon at a cost of one point of damage per success. This ability can also be used to negate the damage penalty of an improvised weapon.

* Range: The character may spend a success to double or halve the short range of a ranged weapon, or to make an unaerodynamic throwing weapon aerodynamic (or vice-versa).

* Hazardous Material: The character may spend two successes to render a substance radioactive or corrosive, such that contact with the substance deals a level of lethal damage each turn. The character may also increase or decrease the lethality of an already hazardous substance at the rate of one level of lethal damage per success, and may also increase or decrease the distance at which the substance is harmful by one yard per success.

* Toxicity: The character may increase or decrease the Toxicity of a substance at a rate of one point of Toxicity per success.

* Composition: Many of the above alterations involve altering the composition of an object; for example, an increase in Durability could represent a transformation from wood to stone, while an increase in weapon damage could represent lead bullets changing into depleted uranium rounds. However, the character may also spend a single success to simply change the composition of a substance without changing any of the above characteristics, such as turning lead into gold or water into wine. The player and Storyteller should work together to determine what these changes signify, if anything.

===MATTER CREATION===
Cost: N/A

Dice Pool: See below

Action: See below

Range: See below

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: Such is the character's skill with Matter Control that she can create matter from nothingness. A character who possesses this technique is able to use the Matter Alteration technique without first having a source of raw materials to work with; in this case, a single success on the activation roll provides the character with a solid chunk of Size 1, Durability 1 material to work with, or a Size 2 volume of water or other harmless liquid, or enough gas to fill about ten cubic feet of space.

==MEGA-ATTRIBUTE==
Rank: 3

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: There are nine Mega-Attributes, one for each standard Attribute. Each dot in a Mega-Attribute increases its base Attribute by 2 dots for the purposes of rolling dice and meeting prerequisites. Alternatively, character may reduce a penalty on a roll by three per mega dot instead of adding two dice. This may be done whole or in part, as the player wishes.

A character may have no more dots in a Mega-Attribute than he does in its base Attribute.

Mega-Attributes do not stack with Mega-Skills or Mega-Specialties unless the Mega Skill or Specialty has the Stacking extra.

Extras: None.

==MEGA-SKILL==

Rank: 2

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: There are twenty-four Mega-Skills, one for each standard Skill. Each dot in a Mega-Skill increases its base Skill by 2 dots for the purposes of rolling dice and meeting prerequisites. Alternatively, character may reduce a penalty on a roll by three per mega dot instead of adding two dice. This may be done whole or in part, as the player wishes.

A character may have no more dots in a Mega-Skill than he does in its base Skill.

Mega-Attributes do not stack with Mega-Skills or Mega-Specialties unless the Mega Skill or Specialty has the Stacking extra.

Extras: Stacking.

==MEGA-SPECIALTY==

Rank: 1

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: Mega-Specialties are defined with the same breadth as normal specialties. Each dot in a Mega-Specialty increases its base Skill by 2 dots for the purposes of rolling dice when that specialty applies. Alternatively, character may reduce a penalty on a roll by three per dot instead of adding two dice. This may be done whole or in part, as the player wishes.

A character may have no more dots in a Mega-Specialty than he does in its base Skill or Power Level, whichever is lower. Likewise, a character must have a matching normal specialty to have a Mega-Specialty.

Mega-Attributes do not stack with Mega-Skills or Mega-Specialties unless the Mega Skill or Specialty has the Stacking extra.

Extras: Stacking.

==MENTAL BLAST==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Expression) + Mental Blast – target’s Resolve + Power Level

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Mental Blast) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character blasts his opponent’s mind with a wave of mental energy, causing psychosomatic injury and pain. Each success on the activation roll deals one level of bashing damage to the target. This power only functions on targets with a functioning central nervous system (IE people and most animals, but not plants, inanimate objects, ghosts, or nonsentient zombies).

Extras: None.

==MIMIC==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Touch

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to copy the abilities and powers of another character.

In order to use this power, the character must touch her intended target; touching an unwilling target requires a Dexterity + Brawl roll, and the target’s Defense applies.

Once she has successfully touched the target, the character may spend one Verve to copy one of the target’s Attributes, Skills, Merits, or superpowers for each dot in Mimic she has. In the case of Attributes, Skills, or superpowers, the character’s rating in the ability increases to either the target’s rating in the ability or the character’s own Power Level, whichever is lower.

In the case of Merits, the character may only copy Merits worth a number of dots equal to or less than her own Mimic rating; the character need not necessarily meet the prerequisites a copied Merit, but the Storyteller is the final arbiter of which Merits can be copied (as a general rule, “internal” Merits like Gunslinger or Eidectic Memory can be copied, while “external” merits like Resources or Allies cannot). A character may only copy a total number of abilities up to her dots in Mimic at a time. Abilities gained using Mimic disappear at the end of the scene unless the character spends another point of Verve at the start of the next scene to maintain them.

Extras: Copycat - (The character need only see her target use an ability to copy it and need not touch the target).

==NATURE MASTERY==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to communicate with and influence plants and animals. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Nature Mastery he possesses; he may attempt to use a technique that he does not specifically know, but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll.

Extras: None.

===ANIMAL COMMUNICATION===
Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: N/A, or Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery [vs. target's Resolve]

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character is able to understand and communicate with any animal. He gains the inherent ability to understand any form of communication used by animals (IE a dog's barking, a cricket's chirping, the blinking pattern of a firefly's light) and, assuming he is physically capable of doing so, can also communicate with the animal in question in that language. Failing that, the character may attempt to establish a telepathic link with any animal he can see and communicate directly through this link; this functions identically to the Telepathy power's Communicate technique, except that the dice pool for the activation roll is Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery. Note that this power only allows communication with animals, and does not compel obedience or friendship; that is the purview of the Animal Control and Animal Companion techniques. The character may certainly attempt to befriend or command an animal, but he will have to rely on his own force of personality (Presence or Manipulation + Animal Ken) to do so.

===ANIMAL COMPANION===
Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery vs. target's Composure

Action: Extended and contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: See below

Duration: See below

Effect: The character attempts to establish a bond with an animal through a combination of personal interaction and vigorous application of the Nature Mastery power. Use of this power is an extended and contested action; each roll costs one Verve, and represents one hour of interaction with the animal (playing a game, sharing food, handling the animal, etc.). Both the character and the target animal have a target number equal to the opposing party's Willpower. If the animal reaches its target number first, the attempt to use Animal Companion fails and the character may not make another attempt on this same animal for a number of days equal to the animal's Composure. If the character reaches his target number first, the power takes effect and the animal regards the character as its friend and boon companion. So long as the character does not abuse, attack, or otherwise act in a manner against the animal that would break the bonds of friendship, the animal will remain loyal to the character and obey his instructions, as well as coming to his aid in times of need (up to and including fighting alongside the character against his enemies). Note, however, that an animal under the effects of this technique is still an animal, not an automaton; it still has its normal instincts and intelligence, and will continue to behave in an appropriate manner unless specifically ordered not to by the character (and even then, an animal companion will not act in an obviously suicidal or self-destructive manner, and ordering the target animal to do so will cancel the effects of the power). Unless cancelled prematurely by unfriendly action on the part of the character, the effects of Animal Companion last until the character voluntarily releases the target animal from his service. A character may only have one animal companion at a time.

===ANIMAL CONTROL===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery vs. target's Resolve

Action: Contested, resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 5 yards

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to impose his will on animals, forcing them to perform actions they otherwise might not. This technique functions identically to the "Domination" power, except that it only works on animals (and the Storyteller has the final say on what constitutes an "animal" or not, if there is room for debate), and the dice pool for the activation roll is Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery.

===PLANT ANIMATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Survival) + Nature Mastery

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 5 yards

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to animate the plant life of an area to attack, constrict, or otherwise hinder an opponent. This power functions identically to the Animation technique of the Matter Control power, except that the activation dice pool is the character's Manipulation + (Survival) + Nature Mastery, and the power only works on plant life (or, at the Storyteller's discretion, on sufficiently advanced fungi or protists such as mushrooms, algae, moss, or kelp). Note that plants will not uproot themselves under the influence of this power, and so cannot be given a Speed value.

===PLANT COMMUNICATION===
Cost: None

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 5 yards

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to communicate with plants. The character may use this power on any form of plant life (and, at the Storyteller's discretion, on sufficiently advanced fungi or protists such as mushrooms, algae, moss, or kelp) within range. Note that the "thought processes" of plants, if they can be referred to as such, are unlikely to be anything like those of a person; thus, while the character ''can'' communicate with any given plant, there is no guarantee that the plant will have anything useful (or coherent) to say.

===SUMMON ANIMALS===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Presence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery - targets' average Composure

Action: Instant

Range: Varies

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character issues a telepathic summons (possibly in conjunction with a bird call or a wolf's howl), compelling nearby animals to converge on his current position. The character may elect which kind of animals the summons affects, such as "all predators," "only deer," or "my pet dog." One success on the activation roll is enough to call most of the viable animals within a radius equal to the character's (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 100 yards (a handful of individual animals with particularly high Composure might resist the summons, but the vast majority will be affected); each additional success doubles this distance. Affected animals move towards the character's current location as fast as reasonably possible, though they will stop to eat and sleep if necessary. Once the summoned animals reach their destination, they will revert to their normal behavior unless the character uses other Nature Mastery techniques on them.

==PHASING==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Stamina + (Survival) + Phasing

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One turn

Effect: The character is able to "phase" through matter like a ghost, passing through solids and liquids as easily as through air. Essentially a highly specialized form of Density Control (decrease), a successful activation roll allows the character to become insubstantial and pass through any solid objects she encounters and to move through water and difficult terrain at full speed for a single turn. As with Density Control (decrease), a character using the Phasing power is normally unable to breathe while her head and chest are inside a solid object or a liquid, and the character may risk drowning if she is forced to spend multiple turns inside such an object. This power may also be activated as a Dodge action to defend against physical attacks; in this case, each success on the activation roll imposes a -1 penalty to any physical attack roll made against the character that turn.

Characters who run out of Verve or simply refuse to spend it while inside an object will be forcefully ejected if the power is allowed to lapse while inside a solid substance. Assume a character will be thrown through a material in the shortest direction possible when ejected, and will take damage as if they had fallen a similar distance. Note that effects which negate falling damage do not negate this damage. Also, there is no guarantee that conditions where the character is ejected will be favorable or even safe.

Extras: None.

==PLASTICITY==
Rank: 1

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to stretch and contort as though she were made of rubber. When this power is active, the character is able to stretch her arms, legs, torso, and neck a maximum of three yards for every dot in Power Level she possesses, and may add her Plasticity rating to all rolls made to grapple another character or to escape from a grapple. She is also able to squeeze her entire body through any opening that would allow a being to pass through which was size [her size - Plasticity rating]. Thus a normal size person (size 5) with Plasticity 3 could fit through a size 2 opening.

Extras: None.

==PLURIPOTENCE (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma)==

Rank: 2 (Alpha), 3 (Beta), or 4 (Gamma)

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Power Level + Pluripotence

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies (Never Permanent)

Effect: Pluripotence is an incredibly flexible power, and may be used to represent super-science, sorcery, breaking the fourth wall or other extremely versatile power sets. To represent this, it is bought as 1-3 separate powers, with some unique rules. Alpha, Beta and Gamma versions are effectively separate powers, which do not have one another as prerequisites.
Each level of Pluripotence allows the character to mimic all of the other powers from the rank below it, with the following changes;

1) Pluripotence costs twice the typical amount of experience points at all levels.

2) The character rolls their Power Level + Pluripotence for any applicable rolls.

3) The cost to activate is as per the power mimicked, plus the rank of the power.

4) If multiple techniques exist for the power, the activation roll for each technique has a -2 penalty.

5) Each Rank of this power (Alpha, Beta or Gamma) requires the player to select two generic weaknesses (other than Single Technique) from the list given on this site. Alternatively, the ST can allow other weaknesses at her option. Whenever activating the power, the player must choose one of the two weaknesses to apply for the appropriate level. If there is no logical way to apply either weakness (Storyteller call), then the power cannot be mimicked. The player may choose the same weaknesses for each level of the power that they wish.

Pluripotence cannot duplicate Powers with a Permanent Duration.

Extras: None.

==POWER VAMPIRE==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Stamina + Power Level + Power Vampire – target’s Stamina + Power Level

Action: Reflexive

Range: Touch

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to steal the abilities and powers of another character or to simply drain the life out of them (which ability the character has access to is chosen when the power is purchased).

If the character is stealing an ability (an Attribute, Skill, Merit, or superpower) from the target, his target loses one dot in the chosen ability and he gains one dot in the ability for every success on the activation roll. The target character cannot have an ability reduced below zero by this power.

If the character is trying to steal a multiple-dot Merit from his target, this power only works if the character gains enough successes on the activation roll to steal every dot of the Merit.

As with Mimic, the Storyteller is the final arbiter of which Merits may be stolen, and as a general rule, "internal" Merits like Fighting Styles and Gunfighter are fair game while "external" Merits like Allies, Contacts or Resources are not.

If the character is stealing health from the target, his target takes one point of lethal damage and the character gains one temporary health level for every success on the activation roll, to a maximum of the Power Vampire's Power Level.

Stolen powers are returned and temporary health levels are lost at the end of the scene; however, if the target took damage from Power Vampire, this damage heals at the normal rate.

Extras: Versatile - (The character is able to use both the ability-stealing and life-draining versions of this power, though not at the same time, and may switch between them at will).

==PREMONITION==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + Composure + Premonition

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to sense impending danger or threats to his person. To use this power, the character simply pays the appropriate Verve cost; no activation roll is required. For the rest of the scene, any time something threatens the character—someone points a gun at her, or she is about to trip a trap—she may make a reflexive Wits + Composure + Premonition roll to attempt to detect the danger. On a success, the character learns that she is in danger and has a general idea of from what location or direction the threat originates (IE “There is a threat to you on the other side of this door”); on an exceptional success, the character also learns the exact nature of the threat (IE “There is a man with a crowbar on the other side of the door, waiting to ambush you”). If the character has the Danger Sense merit, the bonus given by that feat applies to Premonition rolls as well.

Extras: My Brother's Keeper - (The character’s Premonition can detect dangers to anyone within [Power Level + Premonition] yards of the character).

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Powers Q-Z

2011-06-24T04:25:13Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* SHROUD */

==RAPIDITY==

Rank: 3

Cost: 1 Verve per action

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant
A component of Superspeed (see also Hypermovement and Alacrity), Rapidity allows a character to take multiple actions in a turn. The player may take up to one full additional action without penalty for each dot in Rapidity each time the power is activated. These actions may not be full movement actions (for that kind of speed, see Hypermovement).

For purposes of strategy, players should note that the activation cost for this power is ''per action'', meaning that a character can burn through their Verve very quickly with this power.

==REGENERATION==

Rank: 2

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character heals much faster than ordinary humans. The character automatically heals one level of bashing damage per dot in Regeneration every turn at the start of his action, regardless of whether he is conscious or not, and he heals one level of lethal damage every fifteen minutes. Aggravated damage heals at the ordinary rate.

Extras: Accelerated Regeneration (the character automatically heals one level of either bashing or lethal damage per dot in Regeneration every turn at the start of his action, whether he is conscious or not [starting with bashing damage first]; the character also heals one level of Aggravated damage every 15 minutes).

==RESURRECTION==

Rank: 4

Cost: Special

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: No matter the hardship, no matter how many pieces he may have been blown into, a character with this power always stands a chance of coming back.

Activating this power costs a permanent dot of Power Level, and if the character does not have a dot to sacrifice, they are truly dead. Should the last dot be sacrificed, the character will still resurrect, but only as a normal person, without this or any other powers or merits not available to superhuman characters.

The exact rational for this power will vary between characters, but their Resurrection will always depend on one of two factors; Either the body may reconstitute itself or it must be reformed at another, specific location. The player must choose which of these is the case with their character.

If the body must be reconstituted then the character's body must be removed from harm's way before the process can begin. Enemies may seek to keep this from coming to pass.

If the body is reformed somewhere then this location of facility must be in working order and is vulnerable to attack. The ST should work with the player to determine the specifics this entails.

Levels in this power effect the process in two ways. First, they allow for a faster resurrection, with the listed value being the time it will take the character to resurrect once they are in a position to do so. The second benefit is that the rating allows more time to pass before resurrection is no longer an option. That second option means that, should conditions not allow the character to resurrect, their allies have more time to change the situation.

Resurrection Level Minimum Time Maximum Time
1 1 month 1 turn
2 1 week 1 day
3 1 day 1 month
4 1 hour 1 year
5 1 minute 1 decade

==SCAN==
Rank: 1

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Investigation) + Scan - target's Resolve

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Scan) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to discern the powers and capabilities of a target. Each success on the activation roll allows the character to learn her target's rating in any one Attribute, Skill, or superpower. Depending on how this power functions, the Storyteller may elect to describe this rating in qualitative ("He is extremely skilled with all melee weaponry and is a master of swords" = Weaponry [Swords] 4) or quantitative ("His augmented strength is 120% of the human maximum" = Strength [including Mega Strength] 6) terms.

Extras: Multiple targets (the character may elect to allocate her successes amongst all the possible targets in range, rather than choosing only one).

==SHAPESHIFT (Alpha, Beta, or Gamma)==

Rank: 1 (Alpha), 2 (Beta), or 3 (Gamma)

Cost: 1 Verve, see below

Dice Pool: Stamina + (Survival) + Shapeshift

Action: Instant or Extended

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to alter her physical form. There are three versions of this power, with each of the later versions including the earlier. Thus if you have Shapeshifting Gamma you also possess Shapeshifting Beta and Alpha.

Using Shapeshift is either an instant or an extended action. The character may pay the cost once and shift for the scene, or they may pay the cost, look at the result, and choose to continue shifting next turn. Additional turns of shifting cost only time, not Verve, and the character may roll a number of times up to his effective Stamina. Each roll takes one turn.

Once a character has shapeshifted, the changes persist for one scene; the character may shapeshift again before the end of the scene, but doing so requires another activation roll and the expenditure of another Verve. If the character wishes to stay in their assumed shape after one scene, they may continue to do so for one verve. This allows them to hold the form for the rest of the scene without a roll. Additional scenes cost one verve per.

The character may cancel their shift, reverting back to their normal form, at any time as a reflexive action. This is an all-or-nothing reversion. If the player only wants to revert part of their form, they must activate the power again.

'''Alpha Version'''

The simplest use of this power is simply to look like another person, without making any more significant physical changes. If the character succeeds on the activation roll, she is able to shift her appearance to that of a generic human or humanoid of any gender, making it impossible to recognize her through cursory visual examination. The character will still smell the same, however, and may still be recognizable through distinctive birthmarks, scars or other esoteric means of identification.

Shapeshift can also be used in conjunction with more mundane disguise methods to emulate the appearance of a specific person; if used in this matter, each success on the activation roll adds a +1 modifier to the character's contested disguise roll.

Extras: The character may also shift there scent, as well as all other means of identification that does not rely on the character's mental state (such as telepathy) or spiritual state (such as a character identifying another the soul through magic).

'''Beta Version'''

The most complex (and most flamboyant) use of Shapeshift is to alter the character's body size and shape, increasing or redistributing muscle mass and growing claws or armor. The new form must still be very vaguely humanoid. A character using Shapeshift in this manner is able to make one of the following changes for every success she gains on the activation roll, plus one for every dot in Shapeshift she possesses:

* Increase or decrease her Size or species Speed factor by one, to a minimum of zero.

* Increase or decrease a Physical Attribute by one.

* Shift any one dot in Physical Attributes around; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner.

* Trade up to two dots between her Physical Attributes and her Speed's species factor; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner, and her Speed's species factor may not be reduced below zero.

The character may choose to take an obvious identifying feature as a weakness for this power. Such a feature might be the inability to change the character's distinctive coloration (think Beast Boy or Plastic Man), or having a distinctive odor.

'''Gamma Version'''

Using this power, a character can turn into an animal, a creature out of myth, or a hellish monstrosity. A character using Shapeshift in this manner is able to make one of the following changes for every success she gains on the activation roll, plus one for every dot in Shapeshift she possesses:

* Take one dot in a purely physical Rank 1 or Rank 2 superpower. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what powers can be emulated with Shapeshift; things like Claws, Armor, and Physical Mega-Attributes are appropriate, while powers such as Mental Blast, Force Field, and Teleport generally aren't. These powers must be activated as normal (paying any necessary costs), but if an action is required to activate them, they may be activated in the same turn as the Shapeshift action is taken.

* Trade any three dots in Physical Attributes for dots in Rank 1 or Rank 2 physical superpowers; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner. Again, superpowers acquired in this manner must be activated as normal, though they can be activated simultaneously to the Shapeshiftpower.

The distinctive feature option for the Beta version of this power is a requirement for the Gamma version.

Extras: None.

==SHROUD==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Stealth) + Shroud

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Stealth) x 5 yards

Area: (Power Level + Stealth) yards

Duration: Concentration

Effect: The character creates a field of dark shadow, cloaking mist, nebulous energy or some other vision-obscuring medium. For each success the character gains on the activation roll, any chararacters (friend or foe) within the area of the shroud, or trying to see through it, receive a –1 penalty to all sight-based perception rolls. On an exceptional success, the shroud is so thick as to be effectively opaque; it is impossible to see through the area covered by the shroud at all, and characters caught within the area of effect are blinded. Normally Shroud only affects normal vision, but for one additional Verve the activating character may also have it obscure other types of vision (such as infrared or ultraviolet).

Extras: Semisolid (each yard moved within the area of the shroud counts as two yards, and the shroud may be formed into a wall providing +1/+1 armor per dot of Shroud to anyone attacked through it), Sensory Deprivation Field (the shroud may block other senses or forms of detection, at a cost of one Verve per additional sense, up to a maximum of the user’s dots in Shroud; examples include smell, hearing, psychic detection, or motion tracking).

==SKINCHANGER==

Rank: 1

Cost: 0 Verve, unless extending duration (as per Shapeshifter)

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Survival) + Skinchanger

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

This power, except for the changes noted here, operates exactly like Shapeshift Beta.

The character may only take on the shapes which currently exist in their "Library", and start with only their natural shape in their library. To add a shape the character must kill the current 'owner' of the shape in some specific and gruesome fashion taking no less then fifteen minutes to complete. They must then assimilate the new shape in a process also taking no less then fifteen minutes.

The exact way in which this happens is left for the ST and player to determine. The character may skin the person alive and crawl into the resulting skin-suit, beat them to a pulp and absorb the victim through the skin, cut their head open and study their brain, or just chop them up and dine upon a chili made from their flesh and seasoned with their tears.

Whatever the case the victim must die, must suffer, and must be a sapient organic being. Modifications made to the character's stats by this power must be associated with the taken form.

Players should keep in mind that this power in no way offers any exemption from the morality rolls it will inevitably cause. Standard use of this power requires torture, though Compassionate Monster (below) may allow this to be upgraded to 'mere' premeditated murder. It is the Storytellers call weather use of this power under the Heart's Blooded extra qualifies as being a lesser sin then general torture.

Extras: Compassionate Monster - The victim need not die suffering, Heart's Blooded - Less then sapient creatures are now valid targets.

==TELEKINESIS==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Athletics) + Telekinesis

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Telekinesis) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character may telekinetically lift, move, or hurl objects through the air. The character may move objects of a Size up to her Telekinesis without difficulty; to move objects larger than this, the character must make an activation roll, with each success allowing her to move an object one Size larger. A character may move any object she can lift up to ten yards per dot in Telekinesis, and may move objects outside the original range of the power if so desired. A character may also use Telekinesis to hurl an object she is capable of lifting; the range of such a projectile is (character’s Dexterity + Athletics + Telekinesis – object’s Size) yards, doubled for aerodynamic projectiles as normal. Telekinesis may also be used to attack or grapple a target directly; in such a situation, the activation roll counts as the character’s attack roll, and the target’s Defense and armor apply. Attacks made in this manner do bashing damage. Telekinesis does not grant a character the ability to fly, though a character’s telekinetic abilities may serve as justification for her purchase of the Flight power.

Extras: Size Matters Not (all objects count as Size 0 for the purposes of lifting or determining range).

==TELEPATHY==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to project her consciousness into the minds of others. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Telepathy she possesses; she may attempt to use a technique that she does not specifically know, but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll (if any).

Extras: None.

===COMMUNICATE===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Expression) + Telepathy [vs. target's Resolve + Power Level]

Action: Instant or contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to communicate telepathically. On a successful activation roll, the character establishes a mental link with her target through which the two characters can communicate, whether or not they share a common language. The target character is aware of the link being established, and if he chooses, he may attempt to contest the Telepathy activation roll with a reflexive Resolve + Power Level roll; if the target wins this roll, the telepathic link is not established. Once the link has been created, it remains in place for one scene, unless one of the characters decides to sever it; the activating character may sever a telepathic link automatically as a reflexive action, while the target character must roll his Resolve + Power Level in a contested action against the original activation roll in order to sever the link.

===MENTAL BLOODHOUND===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Investigation) + Telepathy

Action: Instant

Range: Varies

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to track a target from a great distance by focusing on his mental activity. In order to locate a target with this power, the activating character must be familiar with that target, either through previous telepathic contact or through some other means of interaction. A single success on the activation roll allows the character to detect her target if he is anywhere within (Power Level + Telepathy) miles; each additional success on the activation roll doubles this range. If the target character is in range and his brain is functional, the activating character is immediately aware of his exact location in relation to her. If the target is not in range, or if his brain is no longer functioning, this power fails.

===MEMORY ALTERATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Expression) + Telepathy vs. target's Resolve + Power Level

Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: An extension of the Mind Probe technique, this power allows the character to alter the memories of another. In order to use this technique, the character must first find and learn the information she wishes to change using the Mind Probe technique; once this is done, the character may make a contested activation roll to alter the memory. If the character wins the activation roll with an ordinary success, she is able to alter any single memory or piece of information in the target's mind; however, any related thoughts or memories (such as mnemonic devices for remembering passwords) will be left intact, which may end up confusing the target or alerting him to the memory alteration. If the character wins with an exceptional success, not only is the chosen memory or piece of information altered, but any related memories will also shift and alter to accomodate the changed information, rendering the target unable to detect the memory alteration without outside help. The memory changes caused by use of this technique are permanent, although the target may eventually realize that his memories are incorrect through interaction with other characters.

===MIND PROBE===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Investigation) + Telepathy (vs. target's Resolve + Power Level)

Action: Extended, or extended and contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to read the thoughts and memories of her target. In order to use this power, the character must make an extended activation roll and score a number of successes based on the target's Resolve and the nature of the thoughts or memories being sought. Accessing a target's surface thoughts or short-term memory requires only a number of successes equal to the target's Resolve. Accessing non-confidential information stored in the character's long-term memory (such as family birthdays or basic job information) requires a number of successes equal to the target's (Resolve x 3). Intimate or personal thoughts, or confidential memories (blackmail information, criminal activities, security codes) require a number of successes equal to the target's (Resolve x 5) to uncover, and learning the deepest-hidden thoughts and most-repressed memories require a number of successes equal to the target's (Resolve x 7). It's also possible to learn a target's basic personality traits (in game terms, his Virtue and Vice) in this manner; the Storyteller should determine how many successes are necessary to learn this information based on the above guidelines and how honest or dissembling the target is. The character using the Mind Probe technique may make a maximum number of rolls equal to the character's Resolve, and each roll takes one turn. A character targeted by Mind Probe may make a reflexive (Wits + Composure - activating character's Telepathy rating) roll to become aware of the psychic intrusion, and if successful, may contest the activation roll with a reflexive Resolve + Power Level roll each turn; if the target wins, the activating character does not gain any successes towards learning the desired information that turn.

===THOUGHT DETECTION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Investigation) + Telepathy

Action: Instant

Range: Varies

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to expand her awareness and detect nearby mental activity. A single success on the activation roll makes the character aware of every entity with at least the intelligence of an insect within (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards of her. Each additional success on the activation roll doubles this distance. The character is aware of both the location and the nature of each detected intelligence; for example, she would be able to recognize that the primitive minds in the floorboards belong to cockroaches and that the more advanced, familiar intelligences on the other side of the wall are humans. When faced with an unfamiliar intelligence, such as an A.I. or an extradimensional being, the character will learn the qualities of the intelligence ("highly advanced and extremely logical," or "similar in strength to a human but completely unfamiliar") but will not recognize the manner of entity to which they belong.

==TELEPORT==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Investigation) + Teleport

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to travel instantly from one point to another, without passing through the intervening space. In order to use this power, the character must first select a target destination and determine how far away it is. One success on the activation roll allows the character to accurately teleport a distance of up to 10 yards; each additional success multiplies this distance by a factor of ten (so, three successes on the activation roll would allow the character to accurately teleport up to 1,000 yards). If the character does not roll enough successes to reach his destination, he ends up in a location (d10 + number of additional successes needed to reach target) x 10 yards away from his intended direction, in a location determined by the Storyteller. If the character can see his location, or has seen it before in person, he may elect to count his dots in Teleportation as automatic successes, rather than adding them to the activation pool; however, if he has never personally seen his target location, he is “teleporting blind” and suffers a –1 penalty to the activation roll for every full 100 yards he tries to teleport. On a dramatic failure, the character not only counts as having failed his activation roll for the purposes of determining where he ends up, he also teleports into a dangerous situation—inside a solid object, for example, or several hundred feet above the ground or underwater. Teleportation into the air or underwater is covered by the rules for falling and drowning, respectively; if the character teleports into a solid object, the character takes one level of lethal damage for every point of Durability the object has, and the object takes one level of damage for every point of Stamina the character has. The character is then ejected from the object by the shortest route possible.

Extras: Combat Teleport (teleportation is a reflexive action, rather than an instant action), Mass Teleport (the character may teleport up to one additional character for every dot in Teleport he possesses), Safe Blind Teleport (the penalty for teleporting blind is halved, rounding in favor of the character).

==TEMPORAL MANIPULATION==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to manipulate the flow of time. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Temporal Manipulation she possesses; she may attempt to use a technique that she does not specifically know, but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll (if any). In addition to any other techniques she may have, any character with dots in Temporal Manipulation possesses an extremely accurate internal clock; she always knows exactly what time it is, and is able to mentally time events with the accuracy of a stopwatch.

Extras: None.

===AGE ALTERATION===
Cost: 2 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Medicine) + Temporal Manipulation – target’s Stamina

Action: Extended

Range: Touch

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: Each success on the activation roll increases or decreases the target’s physical age by one year; the Storyteller is the final arbiter of what effects, if any, this has on the target. Note that only the target’s physical body is changed, while his mental maturity, his knowledge level, and his superpowers remain intact; however, the immature brain of a child or the aged brain of a geriatric may not function as effectively as that of an adult, meaning the target may not be able to use that knowledge or those skills to full effect. Using Age Alteration is an extended action, and the character may roll and gain successes a number of times per scene up to her Stamina (including any bonus for Mega-Stamina). Each roll takes one turn.

===ACCELERATE TIME===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Science) + Temporal Manipulation

Action: Varies

Range: (Power Level + Temporal Manipulation) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: One turn

Effect: The character accelerates the passage of time for herself or for someone else, allowing the affected character to perform long and complex tasks in the blink of an eye or unleash a flurry of blows on a hapless opponent. A character under the effects of Accelerate Time counts as having a number of dots in the Hypermovement ability equal to the number of successes on the activation roll, up to a maximum of the original character’s dots in Temporal Manipulation. The affected character also counts as having the Hyperspeed Attack extra, but the bonus to attack rolls is halved (rounding up). Activating this power is a reflexive action if the character uses it on herself; if used on another character, activating the power counts as an instant action.

===DILATE TIME===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Science) + Temporal Manipulation

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Temporal Manipulation) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: One turn

Effect: The character slows the passage of time around the target, reducing their ability to act and to respond to the world around them. Each success on the activation roll reduces the target’s Initiative and Defense by 1, to a minimum of 0 each; a character reduced to 0 Initiative may not act in combat at all this turn, as he is simply unable to keep up with the speed of events happening around him. Dilate Time can also inflict penalties to actions involving reaction time or quick action, both inside and outside of combat; the Storyteller is the final arbiter of how such penalties are applied.

===STOP TIME===
Cost: 1 Verve, 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Science) + Temporal Manipulation vs. target’s

Resolve + Power Level

Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Temporal Manipulation) yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Varies

Effect: A more potent version of Dilate Time, Stop Time does just that—stops the passage of time around a target. Each success on the activation roll freezes a target in time for one turn; on an exceptional success, the target is frozen for an entire scene. While frozen in time, the target cannot act or be acted upon in any way; he may not use any powers or abilities, and he is unaffected by and unaware of outside phenomena (attacks, superpowers, etc.). An unwilling target may attempt to resist this power with a reflexive Resolve + Power Level roll; if the target wins the contested roll, he counts as being under the effects of Dilate Time rather than Stop Time.

==VERVE RECOVERY==
Rank: 2

Cost: N/A

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character recovers his energy extremely quickly. Every time this character recovers Verve, he gains an additional number of Verve equal to his Verve Recovery rating.

Extras: None.

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Powers Q-Z

2011-06-24T04:06:51Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* SHAPESHIFT (Alpha, Beta, or Gamma) */

==RAPIDITY==

Rank: 3

Cost: 1 Verve per action

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant
A component of Superspeed (see also Hypermovement and Alacrity), Rapidity allows a character to take multiple actions in a turn. The player may take up to one full additional action without penalty for each dot in Rapidity each time the power is activated. These actions may not be full movement actions (for that kind of speed, see Hypermovement).

For purposes of strategy, players should note that the activation cost for this power is ''per action'', meaning that a character can burn through their Verve very quickly with this power.

==REGENERATION==

Rank: 2

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character heals much faster than ordinary humans. The character automatically heals one level of bashing damage per dot in Regeneration every turn at the start of his action, regardless of whether he is conscious or not, and he heals one level of lethal damage every fifteen minutes. Aggravated damage heals at the ordinary rate.

Extras: Accelerated Regeneration (the character automatically heals one level of either bashing or lethal damage per dot in Regeneration every turn at the start of his action, whether he is conscious or not [starting with bashing damage first]; the character also heals one level of Aggravated damage every 15 minutes).

==RESURRECTION==

Rank: 4

Cost: Special

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: No matter the hardship, no matter how many pieces he may have been blown into, a character with this power always stands a chance of coming back.

Activating this power costs a permanent dot of Power Level, and if the character does not have a dot to sacrifice, they are truly dead. Should the last dot be sacrificed, the character will still resurrect, but only as a normal person, without this or any other powers or merits not available to superhuman characters.

The exact rational for this power will vary between characters, but their Resurrection will always depend on one of two factors; Either the body may reconstitute itself or it must be reformed at another, specific location. The player must choose which of these is the case with their character.

If the body must be reconstituted then the character's body must be removed from harm's way before the process can begin. Enemies may seek to keep this from coming to pass.

If the body is reformed somewhere then this location of facility must be in working order and is vulnerable to attack. The ST should work with the player to determine the specifics this entails.

Levels in this power effect the process in two ways. First, they allow for a faster resurrection, with the listed value being the time it will take the character to resurrect once they are in a position to do so. The second benefit is that the rating allows more time to pass before resurrection is no longer an option. That second option means that, should conditions not allow the character to resurrect, their allies have more time to change the situation.

Resurrection Level Minimum Time Maximum Time
1 1 month 1 turn
2 1 week 1 day
3 1 day 1 month
4 1 hour 1 year
5 1 minute 1 decade

==SCAN==
Rank: 1

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Investigation) + Scan - target's Resolve

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Scan) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to discern the powers and capabilities of a target. Each success on the activation roll allows the character to learn her target's rating in any one Attribute, Skill, or superpower. Depending on how this power functions, the Storyteller may elect to describe this rating in qualitative ("He is extremely skilled with all melee weaponry and is a master of swords" = Weaponry [Swords] 4) or quantitative ("His augmented strength is 120% of the human maximum" = Strength [including Mega Strength] 6) terms.

Extras: Multiple targets (the character may elect to allocate her successes amongst all the possible targets in range, rather than choosing only one).

==SHAPESHIFT (Alpha, Beta, or Gamma)==

Rank: 1 (Alpha), 2 (Beta), or 3 (Gamma)

Cost: 1 Verve, see below

Dice Pool: Stamina + (Survival) + Shapeshift

Action: Instant or Extended

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to alter her physical form. There are three versions of this power, with each of the later versions including the earlier. Thus if you have Shapeshifting Gamma you also possess Shapeshifting Beta and Alpha.

Using Shapeshift is either an instant or an extended action. The character may pay the cost once and shift for the scene, or they may pay the cost, look at the result, and choose to continue shifting next turn. Additional turns of shifting cost only time, not Verve, and the character may roll a number of times up to his effective Stamina. Each roll takes one turn.

Once a character has shapeshifted, the changes persist for one scene; the character may shapeshift again before the end of the scene, but doing so requires another activation roll and the expenditure of another Verve. If the character wishes to stay in their assumed shape after one scene, they may continue to do so for one verve. This allows them to hold the form for the rest of the scene without a roll. Additional scenes cost one verve per.

The character may cancel their shift, reverting back to their normal form, at any time as a reflexive action. This is an all-or-nothing reversion. If the player only wants to revert part of their form, they must activate the power again.

'''Alpha Version'''

The simplest use of this power is simply to look like another person, without making any more significant physical changes. If the character succeeds on the activation roll, she is able to shift her appearance to that of a generic human or humanoid of any gender, making it impossible to recognize her through cursory visual examination. The character will still smell the same, however, and may still be recognizable through distinctive birthmarks, scars or other esoteric means of identification.

Shapeshift can also be used in conjunction with more mundane disguise methods to emulate the appearance of a specific person; if used in this matter, each success on the activation roll adds a +1 modifier to the character's contested disguise roll.

Extras: The character may also shift there scent, as well as all other means of identification that does not rely on the character's mental state (such as telepathy) or spiritual state (such as a character identifying another the soul through magic).

'''Beta Version'''

The most complex (and most flamboyant) use of Shapeshift is to alter the character's body size and shape, increasing or redistributing muscle mass and growing claws or armor. The new form must still be very vaguely humanoid. A character using Shapeshift in this manner is able to make one of the following changes for every success she gains on the activation roll, plus one for every dot in Shapeshift she possesses:

* Increase or decrease her Size or species Speed factor by one, to a minimum of zero.

* Increase or decrease a Physical Attribute by one.

* Shift any one dot in Physical Attributes around; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner.

* Trade up to two dots between her Physical Attributes and her Speed's species factor; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner, and her Speed's species factor may not be reduced below zero.

The character may choose to take an obvious identifying feature as a weakness for this power. Such a feature might be the inability to change the character's distinctive coloration (think Beast Boy or Plastic Man), or having a distinctive odor.

'''Gamma Version'''

Using this power, a character can turn into an animal, a creature out of myth, or a hellish monstrosity. A character using Shapeshift in this manner is able to make one of the following changes for every success she gains on the activation roll, plus one for every dot in Shapeshift she possesses:

* Take one dot in a purely physical Rank 1 or Rank 2 superpower. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what powers can be emulated with Shapeshift; things like Claws, Armor, and Physical Mega-Attributes are appropriate, while powers such as Mental Blast, Force Field, and Teleport generally aren't. These powers must be activated as normal (paying any necessary costs), but if an action is required to activate them, they may be activated in the same turn as the Shapeshift action is taken.

* Trade any three dots in Physical Attributes for dots in Rank 1 or Rank 2 physical superpowers; no Attribute may be reduced below one in this manner. Again, superpowers acquired in this manner must be activated as normal, though they can be activated simultaneously to the Shapeshiftpower.

The distinctive feature option for the Beta version of this power is a requirement for the Gamma version.

Extras: None.

==SHROUD==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Stealth) + Shroud

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Stealth) x 5 yards

Area: (Power Level + Stealth) yards

Duration: Concentration

Effect: The character creates a field of dark shadow, cloaking mist, nebulous energy or some other vision-obscuring medium. For each success the character gains on the activation roll, any chararacters (friend or foe) within the area of the shroud, or trying to see through it, receive a –1 penalty to all sight-based perception rolls. On an exceptional success, the shroud is so thick as to be effectively opaque; it is impossible to see through the area covered by the shroud at all, and characters caught within the area of effect are blinded. Normally Shroud only affects normal vision, but for one additional Verve the activating character may also have it obscure other types of vision (such as infrared or ultraviolet).

Extras: Semisolid (each yard moved within the area of the shroud counts as two yards, and the shroud may be formed into a wall providing +1/+1 armor per dot of Shroud to anyone attacked through it), Sensory Deprivation Field (the shroud may block other senses or forms of detection, at a cost of one Verve per additional sense, up to a maximum of the user’s dots in Shroud; examples include smell, hearing, psychic detection, or motion tracking).

==TELEKINESIS==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Athletics) + Telekinesis

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Telekinesis) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character may telekinetically lift, move, or hurl objects through the air. The character may move objects of a Size up to her Telekinesis without difficulty; to move objects larger than this, the character must make an activation roll, with each success allowing her to move an object one Size larger. A character may move any object she can lift up to ten yards per dot in Telekinesis, and may move objects outside the original range of the power if so desired. A character may also use Telekinesis to hurl an object she is capable of lifting; the range of such a projectile is (character’s Dexterity + Athletics + Telekinesis – object’s Size) yards, doubled for aerodynamic projectiles as normal. Telekinesis may also be used to attack or grapple a target directly; in such a situation, the activation roll counts as the character’s attack roll, and the target’s Defense and armor apply. Attacks made in this manner do bashing damage. Telekinesis does not grant a character the ability to fly, though a character’s telekinetic abilities may serve as justification for her purchase of the Flight power.

Extras: Size Matters Not (all objects count as Size 0 for the purposes of lifting or determining range).

==TELEPATHY==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to project her consciousness into the minds of others. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Telepathy she possesses; she may attempt to use a technique that she does not specifically know, but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll (if any).

Extras: None.

===COMMUNICATE===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Expression) + Telepathy [vs. target's Resolve + Power Level]

Action: Instant or contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to communicate telepathically. On a successful activation roll, the character establishes a mental link with her target through which the two characters can communicate, whether or not they share a common language. The target character is aware of the link being established, and if he chooses, he may attempt to contest the Telepathy activation roll with a reflexive Resolve + Power Level roll; if the target wins this roll, the telepathic link is not established. Once the link has been created, it remains in place for one scene, unless one of the characters decides to sever it; the activating character may sever a telepathic link automatically as a reflexive action, while the target character must roll his Resolve + Power Level in a contested action against the original activation roll in order to sever the link.

===MENTAL BLOODHOUND===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Investigation) + Telepathy

Action: Instant

Range: Varies

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to track a target from a great distance by focusing on his mental activity. In order to locate a target with this power, the activating character must be familiar with that target, either through previous telepathic contact or through some other means of interaction. A single success on the activation roll allows the character to detect her target if he is anywhere within (Power Level + Telepathy) miles; each additional success on the activation roll doubles this range. If the target character is in range and his brain is functional, the activating character is immediately aware of his exact location in relation to her. If the target is not in range, or if his brain is no longer functioning, this power fails.

===MEMORY ALTERATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Expression) + Telepathy vs. target's Resolve + Power Level

Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: An extension of the Mind Probe technique, this power allows the character to alter the memories of another. In order to use this technique, the character must first find and learn the information she wishes to change using the Mind Probe technique; once this is done, the character may make a contested activation roll to alter the memory. If the character wins the activation roll with an ordinary success, she is able to alter any single memory or piece of information in the target's mind; however, any related thoughts or memories (such as mnemonic devices for remembering passwords) will be left intact, which may end up confusing the target or alerting him to the memory alteration. If the character wins with an exceptional success, not only is the chosen memory or piece of information altered, but any related memories will also shift and alter to accomodate the changed information, rendering the target unable to detect the memory alteration without outside help. The memory changes caused by use of this technique are permanent, although the target may eventually realize that his memories are incorrect through interaction with other characters.

===MIND PROBE===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Investigation) + Telepathy (vs. target's Resolve + Power Level)

Action: Extended, or extended and contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to read the thoughts and memories of her target. In order to use this power, the character must make an extended activation roll and score a number of successes based on the target's Resolve and the nature of the thoughts or memories being sought. Accessing a target's surface thoughts or short-term memory requires only a number of successes equal to the target's Resolve. Accessing non-confidential information stored in the character's long-term memory (such as family birthdays or basic job information) requires a number of successes equal to the target's (Resolve x 3). Intimate or personal thoughts, or confidential memories (blackmail information, criminal activities, security codes) require a number of successes equal to the target's (Resolve x 5) to uncover, and learning the deepest-hidden thoughts and most-repressed memories require a number of successes equal to the target's (Resolve x 7). It's also possible to learn a target's basic personality traits (in game terms, his Virtue and Vice) in this manner; the Storyteller should determine how many successes are necessary to learn this information based on the above guidelines and how honest or dissembling the target is. The character using the Mind Probe technique may make a maximum number of rolls equal to the character's Resolve, and each roll takes one turn. A character targeted by Mind Probe may make a reflexive (Wits + Composure - activating character's Telepathy rating) roll to become aware of the psychic intrusion, and if successful, may contest the activation roll with a reflexive Resolve + Power Level roll each turn; if the target wins, the activating character does not gain any successes towards learning the desired information that turn.

===THOUGHT DETECTION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Investigation) + Telepathy

Action: Instant

Range: Varies

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to expand her awareness and detect nearby mental activity. A single success on the activation roll makes the character aware of every entity with at least the intelligence of an insect within (Power Level + Telepathy) x 5 yards of her. Each additional success on the activation roll doubles this distance. The character is aware of both the location and the nature of each detected intelligence; for example, she would be able to recognize that the primitive minds in the floorboards belong to cockroaches and that the more advanced, familiar intelligences on the other side of the wall are humans. When faced with an unfamiliar intelligence, such as an A.I. or an extradimensional being, the character will learn the qualities of the intelligence ("highly advanced and extremely logical," or "similar in strength to a human but completely unfamiliar") but will not recognize the manner of entity to which they belong.

==TELEPORT==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Investigation) + Teleport

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to travel instantly from one point to another, without passing through the intervening space. In order to use this power, the character must first select a target destination and determine how far away it is. One success on the activation roll allows the character to accurately teleport a distance of up to 10 yards; each additional success multiplies this distance by a factor of ten (so, three successes on the activation roll would allow the character to accurately teleport up to 1,000 yards). If the character does not roll enough successes to reach his destination, he ends up in a location (d10 + number of additional successes needed to reach target) x 10 yards away from his intended direction, in a location determined by the Storyteller. If the character can see his location, or has seen it before in person, he may elect to count his dots in Teleportation as automatic successes, rather than adding them to the activation pool; however, if he has never personally seen his target location, he is “teleporting blind” and suffers a –1 penalty to the activation roll for every full 100 yards he tries to teleport. On a dramatic failure, the character not only counts as having failed his activation roll for the purposes of determining where he ends up, he also teleports into a dangerous situation—inside a solid object, for example, or several hundred feet above the ground or underwater. Teleportation into the air or underwater is covered by the rules for falling and drowning, respectively; if the character teleports into a solid object, the character takes one level of lethal damage for every point of Durability the object has, and the object takes one level of damage for every point of Stamina the character has. The character is then ejected from the object by the shortest route possible.

Extras: Combat Teleport (teleportation is a reflexive action, rather than an instant action), Mass Teleport (the character may teleport up to one additional character for every dot in Teleport he possesses), Safe Blind Teleport (the penalty for teleporting blind is halved, rounding in favor of the character).

==TEMPORAL MANIPULATION==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to manipulate the flow of time. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Temporal Manipulation she possesses; she may attempt to use a technique that she does not specifically know, but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll (if any). In addition to any other techniques she may have, any character with dots in Temporal Manipulation possesses an extremely accurate internal clock; she always knows exactly what time it is, and is able to mentally time events with the accuracy of a stopwatch.

Extras: None.

===AGE ALTERATION===
Cost: 2 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Medicine) + Temporal Manipulation – target’s Stamina

Action: Extended

Range: Touch

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: Each success on the activation roll increases or decreases the target’s physical age by one year; the Storyteller is the final arbiter of what effects, if any, this has on the target. Note that only the target’s physical body is changed, while his mental maturity, his knowledge level, and his superpowers remain intact; however, the immature brain of a child or the aged brain of a geriatric may not function as effectively as that of an adult, meaning the target may not be able to use that knowledge or those skills to full effect. Using Age Alteration is an extended action, and the character may roll and gain successes a number of times per scene up to her Stamina (including any bonus for Mega-Stamina). Each roll takes one turn.

===ACCELERATE TIME===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Science) + Temporal Manipulation

Action: Varies

Range: (Power Level + Temporal Manipulation) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: One turn

Effect: The character accelerates the passage of time for herself or for someone else, allowing the affected character to perform long and complex tasks in the blink of an eye or unleash a flurry of blows on a hapless opponent. A character under the effects of Accelerate Time counts as having a number of dots in the Hypermovement ability equal to the number of successes on the activation roll, up to a maximum of the original character’s dots in Temporal Manipulation. The affected character also counts as having the Hyperspeed Attack extra, but the bonus to attack rolls is halved (rounding up). Activating this power is a reflexive action if the character uses it on herself; if used on another character, activating the power counts as an instant action.

===DILATE TIME===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Science) + Temporal Manipulation

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Temporal Manipulation) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: One turn

Effect: The character slows the passage of time around the target, reducing their ability to act and to respond to the world around them. Each success on the activation roll reduces the target’s Initiative and Defense by 1, to a minimum of 0 each; a character reduced to 0 Initiative may not act in combat at all this turn, as he is simply unable to keep up with the speed of events happening around him. Dilate Time can also inflict penalties to actions involving reaction time or quick action, both inside and outside of combat; the Storyteller is the final arbiter of how such penalties are applied.

===STOP TIME===
Cost: 1 Verve, 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Science) + Temporal Manipulation vs. target’s

Resolve + Power Level

Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Temporal Manipulation) yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Varies

Effect: A more potent version of Dilate Time, Stop Time does just that—stops the passage of time around a target. Each success on the activation roll freezes a target in time for one turn; on an exceptional success, the target is frozen for an entire scene. While frozen in time, the target cannot act or be acted upon in any way; he may not use any powers or abilities, and he is unaffected by and unaware of outside phenomena (attacks, superpowers, etc.). An unwilling target may attempt to resist this power with a reflexive Resolve + Power Level roll; if the target wins the contested roll, he counts as being under the effects of Dilate Time rather than Stop Time.

==VERVE RECOVERY==
Rank: 2

Cost: N/A

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character recovers his energy extremely quickly. Every time this character recovers Verve, he gains an additional number of Verve equal to his Verve Recovery rating.

Extras: None.

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Weaknesses

2011-06-15T22:29:13Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* OBJECT FOCUS */

=WEAKNESSES=
Not all superpowers function as effectively as they could; some of them rely on devices that a character could be parted from, others will not function (or only function) under certain conditions, and others simply have a shorter range or less kick than other powers of that type. A power can have any number of weaknesses or limitations attached to it; doing so reduces the power's Rank by one, no matter how many weaknesses are attached to the power.

The following is a list of general weaknesses that a power might have. This list is by no means comprehensive; players and Storytellers are encouraged to make up other weaknesses to add to it. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether any given drawback is significant enough to reduce a power's Rank.

==ANIMA FLARE==
The character manifests an anima whenever she uses this power. The anima takes on an appearance appropriate to the character's power, such as a blazing aura of light or a roaring bonfire that surrounds the character's body, or angelic wings that erupt from her back. While impressive, the character's anima makes her extremely conspicuous, and any attempts to hide her presence or act with stealth fail automatically while her anima is flaring. A character's anima cannot benefit that character mechanically, EG dealing damage or providing a bonus to Intimidation rolls; such benefits are the purview of actual superpowers.

==COSTS HEALTH==

The power's activation cost is paid in health levels rather then Verve. This is advised only if the power has a one or two Verve activation cost or if it has a scene long duration. If neither is the case, then the cost is paid in health only the first time in a scene, after which the cost is paid normally.

==DEBILITATING==

When the power is activated, it causes some kind of drain or loss of control. While the power is active, the character has three fewer attribute dots in one attribute. This can lower that attribute to zero for the purposes of rolls and resistance to rolls. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by two dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by one dot.

For a rank three power, the player can choose to take 'Highly Debilitating' as two weaknesses, lowing the power to rank one (an exception to the usual rule which only allows one weakness to reduce the rank of a power one step). This version of the weakness means the character looses 6 dots from no more then two attributes. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by four dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by three dots.

In both cases the weakness cannot be applied to attributes which would be rendered less then zero.

==DECREASED DAMAGE==
The wounds dealt by this power are not as grievous as they could be. This weakness may only be given to powers that deal lethal or aggravated damage. If the power previously dealt aggravated damage, it now deals lethal; if the power previously dealt lethal damage, it now deals bashing.

==INCREASED VERVE COST==
It takes more than the usual amount of effort for the character to use her powers. The cost of using a power with this Weakness increases by 1 Verve. This may apply to powers which have no Verve cost to begin with.

==INHIBITOR==
The presence of a given substance, or certain local conditions, will prevent the character from using this power. For example, Telepathy or Telekinesis may be blocked by a lead shield, or a strong electromagnetic pulse may prevent a character from using flight. The player and Storyteller should discuss ahead of time how exactly this weakness manifests: how close the substance or condition has to be to nullify the power, or whether the power simply doesn't work on objects made of a certain substance.

==LOUD==

Activating the power generates a spectacular sound, as loud as a gun shot. The exact nature and sound are up to the player, and should match the effect. Whatever the specifics, it usually isn't a sound that can be covered up.

==LOW VELOCITY==
The character's power manifests as a ball of energy, a shockwave in the air, or some other physical representation--a physical representation that's easy to see and doesn't move particularly fast. Whenever the character attempts to use this power on a target, the target's Defense applies as a penalty to the character's activation roll (or applies twice if it already applied).

==OBJECT FOCUS==
The character's power is tied to an item of some sort: a technological device, a mystical artifact, or perhaps some worthless fetish that holds significance only in the character's mind. If the character is separated from the object that provides this power, that power will not function. Furthermore, if another character gains access to the object focus, ''that'' character may be able to use the associated superpower; the player and Storyteller should decide ahead of time whether the object focus can transfer its power in this manner. Should it be able to do so the object will only function for the new individual with the addition of another weakness in addition to Object Focus.

==PERMANENT==
The character is unable to "turn off" the power when he wishes. Perhaps he steals health from everybody he ever touches, or permanently looks like a hulking pile of rock. The character's Verve pool is permanently reduced by the amount of Verve required to activate this power. The weakness also applies a penalty to the character's presence rolls equal to the number of dots in the power, either because of the strange appearance caused by this weakness or because he is unable to interact fully with others. This Weakness is not suitable for all powers - the player should decide with the Storyteller whether the Power may be made Permanent as a Weakness.

==SINGLE TECHNIQUE==
The character's powers are less versatile than normal. This weakness may only be applied to powers that have multiple techniques available to them, such as Entropy Control or Cyberkinesis. The character has access to only one of the listed techniques for the power; he may not learn or use any other listed technique.

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Weaknesses

2011-06-15T22:22:36Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* INCREASED VERVE COST */

=WEAKNESSES=
Not all superpowers function as effectively as they could; some of them rely on devices that a character could be parted from, others will not function (or only function) under certain conditions, and others simply have a shorter range or less kick than other powers of that type. A power can have any number of weaknesses or limitations attached to it; doing so reduces the power's Rank by one, no matter how many weaknesses are attached to the power.

The following is a list of general weaknesses that a power might have. This list is by no means comprehensive; players and Storytellers are encouraged to make up other weaknesses to add to it. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether any given drawback is significant enough to reduce a power's Rank.

==ANIMA FLARE==
The character manifests an anima whenever she uses this power. The anima takes on an appearance appropriate to the character's power, such as a blazing aura of light or a roaring bonfire that surrounds the character's body, or angelic wings that erupt from her back. While impressive, the character's anima makes her extremely conspicuous, and any attempts to hide her presence or act with stealth fail automatically while her anima is flaring. A character's anima cannot benefit that character mechanically, EG dealing damage or providing a bonus to Intimidation rolls; such benefits are the purview of actual superpowers.

==COSTS HEALTH==

The power's activation cost is paid in health levels rather then Verve. This is advised only if the power has a one or two Verve activation cost or if it has a scene long duration. If neither is the case, then the cost is paid in health only the first time in a scene, after which the cost is paid normally.

==DEBILITATING==

When the power is activated, it causes some kind of drain or loss of control. While the power is active, the character has three fewer attribute dots in one attribute. This can lower that attribute to zero for the purposes of rolls and resistance to rolls. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by two dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by one dot.

For a rank three power, the player can choose to take 'Highly Debilitating' as two weaknesses, lowing the power to rank one (an exception to the usual rule which only allows one weakness to reduce the rank of a power one step). This version of the weakness means the character looses 6 dots from no more then two attributes. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by four dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by three dots.

In both cases the weakness cannot be applied to attributes which would be rendered less then zero.

==DECREASED DAMAGE==
The wounds dealt by this power are not as grievous as they could be. This weakness may only be given to powers that deal lethal or aggravated damage. If the power previously dealt aggravated damage, it now deals lethal; if the power previously dealt lethal damage, it now deals bashing.

==INCREASED VERVE COST==
It takes more than the usual amount of effort for the character to use her powers. The cost of using a power with this Weakness increases by 1 Verve. This may apply to powers which have no Verve cost to begin with.

==INHIBITOR==
The presence of a given substance, or certain local conditions, will prevent the character from using this power. For example, Telepathy or Telekinesis may be blocked by a lead shield, or a strong electromagnetic pulse may prevent a character from using flight. The player and Storyteller should discuss ahead of time how exactly this weakness manifests: how close the substance or condition has to be to nullify the power, or whether the power simply doesn't work on objects made of a certain substance.

==LOUD==

Activating the power generates a spectacular sound, as loud as a gun shot. The exact nature and sound are up to the player, and should match the effect. Whatever the specifics, it usually isn't a sound that can be covered up.

==LOW VELOCITY==
The character's power manifests as a ball of energy, a shockwave in the air, or some other physical representation--a physical representation that's easy to see and doesn't move particularly fast. Whenever the character attempts to use this power on a target, the target's Defense applies as a penalty to the character's activation roll (or applies twice if it already applied).

==OBJECT FOCUS==
The character's power is tied to an item of some sort: a technological device, a mystical artifact, or perhaps some worthless fetish that holds significance only in the character's mind. If the character is separated from the object that provides this power, that power will not function. Furthermore, if another character gains access to the object focus, ''that'' character may be able to use the associated superpower; the player and Storyteller should decide ahead of time whether the object focus can transfer its power in this manner.

==PERMANENT==
The character is unable to "turn off" the power when he wishes. Perhaps he steals health from everybody he ever touches, or permanently looks like a hulking pile of rock. The character's Verve pool is permanently reduced by the amount of Verve required to activate this power. The weakness also applies a penalty to the character's presence rolls equal to the number of dots in the power, either because of the strange appearance caused by this weakness or because he is unable to interact fully with others. This Weakness is not suitable for all powers - the player should decide with the Storyteller whether the Power may be made Permanent as a Weakness.

==SINGLE TECHNIQUE==
The character's powers are less versatile than normal. This weakness may only be applied to powers that have multiple techniques available to them, such as Entropy Control or Cyberkinesis. The character has access to only one of the listed techniques for the power; he may not learn or use any other listed technique.

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Weaknesses

2011-06-15T22:19:44Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* INHIBITOR */

=WEAKNESSES=
Not all superpowers function as effectively as they could; some of them rely on devices that a character could be parted from, others will not function (or only function) under certain conditions, and others simply have a shorter range or less kick than other powers of that type. A power can have any number of weaknesses or limitations attached to it; doing so reduces the power's Rank by one, no matter how many weaknesses are attached to the power.

The following is a list of general weaknesses that a power might have. This list is by no means comprehensive; players and Storytellers are encouraged to make up other weaknesses to add to it. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether any given drawback is significant enough to reduce a power's Rank.

==ANIMA FLARE==
The character manifests an anima whenever she uses this power. The anima takes on an appearance appropriate to the character's power, such as a blazing aura of light or a roaring bonfire that surrounds the character's body, or angelic wings that erupt from her back. While impressive, the character's anima makes her extremely conspicuous, and any attempts to hide her presence or act with stealth fail automatically while her anima is flaring. A character's anima cannot benefit that character mechanically, EG dealing damage or providing a bonus to Intimidation rolls; such benefits are the purview of actual superpowers.

==COSTS HEALTH==

The power's activation cost is paid in health levels rather then Verve. This is advised only if the power has a one or two Verve activation cost or if it has a scene long duration. If neither is the case, then the cost is paid in health only the first time in a scene, after which the cost is paid normally.

==DEBILITATING==

When the power is activated, it causes some kind of drain or loss of control. While the power is active, the character has three fewer attribute dots in one attribute. This can lower that attribute to zero for the purposes of rolls and resistance to rolls. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by two dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by one dot.

For a rank three power, the player can choose to take 'Highly Debilitating' as two weaknesses, lowing the power to rank one (an exception to the usual rule which only allows one weakness to reduce the rank of a power one step). This version of the weakness means the character looses 6 dots from no more then two attributes. If this lowers Resolve or Composure (and thus Willpower), it will only reduce that score by four dots. If this lowers Stamina (and thus Health), it will only reduce the score by three dots.

In both cases the weakness cannot be applied to attributes which would be rendered less then zero.

==DECREASED DAMAGE==
The wounds dealt by this power are not as grievous as they could be. This weakness may only be given to powers that deal lethal or aggravated damage. If the power previously dealt aggravated damage, it now deals lethal; if the power previously dealt lethal damage, it now deals bashing.

==INCREASED VERVE COST==
It takes more than the usual amount of effort for the character to use her powers. The cost of using a power with this Weakness increases by 1 Verve.

==INHIBITOR==
The presence of a given substance, or certain local conditions, will prevent the character from using this power. For example, Telepathy or Telekinesis may be blocked by a lead shield, or a strong electromagnetic pulse may prevent a character from using flight. The player and Storyteller should discuss ahead of time how exactly this weakness manifests: how close the substance or condition has to be to nullify the power, or whether the power simply doesn't work on objects made of a certain substance.

==LOUD==

Activating the power generates a spectacular sound, as loud as a gun shot. The exact nature and sound are up to the player, and should match the effect. Whatever the specifics, it usually isn't a sound that can be covered up.

==LOW VELOCITY==
The character's power manifests as a ball of energy, a shockwave in the air, or some other physical representation--a physical representation that's easy to see and doesn't move particularly fast. Whenever the character attempts to use this power on a target, the target's Defense applies as a penalty to the character's activation roll (or applies twice if it already applied).

==OBJECT FOCUS==
The character's power is tied to an item of some sort: a technological device, a mystical artifact, or perhaps some worthless fetish that holds significance only in the character's mind. If the character is separated from the object that provides this power, that power will not function. Furthermore, if another character gains access to the object focus, ''that'' character may be able to use the associated superpower; the player and Storyteller should decide ahead of time whether the object focus can transfer its power in this manner.

==PERMANENT==
The character is unable to "turn off" the power when he wishes. Perhaps he steals health from everybody he ever touches, or permanently looks like a hulking pile of rock. The character's Verve pool is permanently reduced by the amount of Verve required to activate this power. The weakness also applies a penalty to the character's presence rolls equal to the number of dots in the power, either because of the strange appearance caused by this weakness or because he is unable to interact fully with others. This Weakness is not suitable for all powers - the player should decide with the Storyteller whether the Power may be made Permanent as a Weakness.

==SINGLE TECHNIQUE==
The character's powers are less versatile than normal. This weakness may only be applied to powers that have multiple techniques available to them, such as Entropy Control or Cyberkinesis. The character has access to only one of the listed techniques for the power; he may not learn or use any other listed technique.

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Powers I-P

2011-06-15T22:15:12Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* PLURIPOTENCE (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma) */

==IMMOBILIZE==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Athletics) + Immobilize - target's Defense + Power Level

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Immobilize) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: See below

Effect: The character is able to hinder his opponents' movement with layers of ice, quick-drying glue, zero-point energy fields or some other means. This power has two main uses: restricting another character's body movements and reducing her ability to perform physical tasks, or anchoring another character to a solid object and stopping her from moving around.

If used to impede physical performance, the target takes a penalty to all rolls involving physical action (including attack rolls and most superpower activation rolls) equal to the number of successes gained on the character's Immobilize activation roll; if used to anchor the target, a successful activation roll reduces the target's Speed to 0, effectively pinning her in place (note that there must be a solid object present to anchor the target to, or else this technique cannot be used).

In either case, the target's Defense is reduced by one for every success gained on the activation roll. If the activation roll is an exceptional success, the target suffers ''both'' effects: her Speed is reduced to 0, and she takes the penalty to physical actions (as well as to Defense). In order for the target character to escape from an Immobilize power, she must succeed on a Strength + Stamina roll, with a negative modifier equal to the number of successes gained on the activation roll; if Immobilize was used to impede the character's physical actions, that penalty does not stack with the penalty to escape the Immobilize power.

Another character may attempt to aid the Immobilized character's escape, using the rules for Teamwork as described in the World of Darkness core rulebook (with the Immobilized character as the primary actor). The immobilizing agent may also be damaged to reduce its effectiveness, either by the immobilized character (if possible) or by an ally. The immobilizing agent has an effective Durability equal to the activating character's dots in Immobilize, and each level of damage dealt to it reduces the penalty to physical actions, the penalty to Defense, and the penalty to the escape roll by one; if the penalty is reduced below zero, the target is able to escape without making a roll.

Extras: Ephemeral - (The immobilizing agent cannot be attacked to reduce its effectiveness).

==IMMOLATION==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is capable of causing damage to anything that touches her. The source of damage dealt (fire, electricity, angry ghosts etc.) must be chosen when this power is first purchased. When the character activates this power, anything that contacts the character's body (her own gear and clothing excepted) takes an amount of lethal damage equal to the character's dots in Immolation or an amount of bashing damage equal to the character's Immolation dots + 2, as appropriate; if this contact is maintained for more than one turn, this damage is dealt each turn.

Note that this damage is dealt to ''everything'' the character touches or that touches the character, including unarmed attacks or weapons that strike the character (in this case, the damage is dealt ''after'' the attack in question lands), other characters struck by the character's unarmed attacks, and even the ground under the character's feet. Once the character has paid the Verve cost for this power, she may switch it on and off at will for the duration of the scene; deactivating this power is a reflexive action, while reactivating it is an instant action, and the character may not do both in the same turn.

Extras: Variable - (The character's immolation may be either of two damage sources; the character may alternate between these sources up to once per turn as a reflexive action).

==INVISIBILITY==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + (Stealth) + Invisibility

Action: Instant

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to turn himself, his clothing, and his personal possessions invisible. If the character succeeds on the activation roll, characters who are not actively searching for him become unable to see him at all, and characters who are actively searching for the invisible character must roll Wits + Composure and score more successes than the Invisible character scored on his activation roll, plus the Invisible character's Power Level. If this Wits + Composure roll is successful, the opposing characters are able to discern the invisible character's location in some manner and may attack him, with a -2 penalty due to his concealment; otherwise, the opposing characters are unable to locate the invisible character and must use the rules for Fighting Blind if they wish to attack him. Note that Invisibility only renders the character imperceptible to standard vision; other methods of detection (hearing, smell, infrared vision, telepathic scanning) will detect the character as normal.

Extras: Enhanced Effect - (The character may render himself undetectable to senses other than standard vision at a cost of one additional Verve per sense, up to a maximum number of senses equal to the character's dots in Invisibility).

==INVULNERABILITY==
Rank: 2

Cost: N/A

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character is highly resistant to one source of damage or form of attack, chosen when this power is purchased. A character's Invulnerability must be fairly specific: "hard radiation," "fire," and "mind control" are all viable Invulnerabilities, but "energy attacks," "physical attacks, "mental attacks," and "superpowers" are not. Each dot in Invulnerability negates one ''success'' from any appropriate attack or damage rolls that affect the character, or one level of damage if the source deals automatic damage without rolling. The effects of Invulnerability stack with (and are applied after) any penalties for armor, Defense, and powers such as Force Field.

A character cannot have more dots in an Invulnerability than their Power Level.

Extras: Broad category - (The character may elect to be invulnerable to "physical attacks," "mental attacks," or "energy attacks," but not "superpowers" or "damage").

Weaknessess: Specific weakness - (The character may choose another area which does double damage to them per attack.)

==LUCK==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: Fortune smiles upon this character. Each dot in Luck allows the character to add their Power Level in dice to a roll they make or which is made in their vicinity. The same kind of roll (meaning the same die pool) may not be thus blessed in the same scene again.

Players should keep in mind that it is the player, and not the character, who chooses which pools receive the luck. It may benefit ends the player wants but which the character doesn't.

Extras: None

==MATTER CONTROL==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to transmute and alter inorganic and nonliving organic matter. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Matter Control she possesses; she may attempt to use a technique that she does not specifically know (with the exception of Matter Creation), but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll. In addition, any character with at least one dot in Matter Control may, as an instant action, learn the physical and chemical composition and properties of an object within (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards.

Extras: None.

===ANIMATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Crafts) + Matter Control

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Concentration

Effect: The character is able to animate inanimate objects around her, forcing them to do her bidding. The character is able to animate one object of Size 5 or less for each success she scores on the activation roll; she may animate larger objects at a cost of one additional success for every 5 points of Size (for example, a Size 9 car would require two successes to activate, and a Size 20 dump truck would require four). Alternatively, the character may animate ''all'' the objects of Size 1 or less within a radius equal to the character's dots in Matter Control multiplied by the number of successes scored on the activation roll. Animated objects are able to walk, roll, hop or otherwise ambulate at a Speed equal to the character's default Speed; at the cost of one additional Verve, the objects' Speed may be increased to twice the character's default Speed. Animated objects can be made to attack an enemy with a dice pool equal to the character's Manipulation + the damage bonus of the object (or an appropriate damage bonus for a swarm of smaller objects), including any improvised weapon penalties.

===DESTRUCTION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Dexterity + (Crafts) + Matter Control - object's Durability

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to undo the molecular bonds holding objects together, causing them to disintegrate. Each success on the activation roll deals one level of aggravated damage to an object. The normal rules for targeting an object apply, and as with all Matter Control techniques, this technique may not be used on living creatures. Sentient undead (such as vampires and revenants) are also immune to this technique; the magic empowering them is too strong to be overcome by the Matter Control power.

===MATTER ALTERATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Crafts) + Matter Control - object's Durability

Action: Extended

Range: (Power Level + Matter Control) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to change the size, shape, density, and even molecular makeup of an object; using this technique, the character is able to turn lead to gold, or water into wine, or to transform a length of rebar into a fully-functional machine gun. Successes gained on the activation roll for this technique can be put towards the following alterations:

* Phase Change: The character may spend a single success to shift a material's physical state by one phase. For example, a chunk of ice could be changed into a puddle of water, which could then be changed into a cloud of steam.

* Size: The character may increase or decrease the object's Size by one point per success, to a minimum of Size 0 (small enough to be concealed in the palm of one hand). The character may only do this if the object had a Size characteristic to begin with; thus, it cannot be performed on a volume of gas unless that gas is first transformed to another phase (see above).

* Durability: The character may increase or decrease the object's Durability by one point per success, to a minimum of Durability 0 (about the consistency of balsa wood or paper). The character may only do this if the object had a Durability characteristic to begin with; thus, it cannot be performed on a volume of liquid or gas unless that substance is first transfromed to a solid (see above).

* Shape: The character may spend a success to alter the shape of the object, without significantly altering the size. For example, a two foot long iron bar could be reshaped into a short sword, or a hole could be formed in a locked door.

* Complexity: The character may spend a success add mechanical or electronic components to an object, or increase or decrease the complexity of components already in place. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of how many successes are needed to reach a certain level of complexity; for example, it may take one success to transform a length of lead pipe into a single-shot rifle, and another success to turn it into a machine gun.

* Quality: The character may increase or decrease the damage bonus of a weapon at a cost of one point of damage per success. This ability can also be used to negate the damage penalty of an improvised weapon.

* Range: The character may spend a success to double or halve the short range of a ranged weapon, or to make an unaerodynamic throwing weapon aerodynamic (or vice-versa).

* Hazardous Material: The character may spend two successes to render a substance radioactive or corrosive, such that contact with the substance deals a level of lethal damage each turn. The character may also increase or decrease the lethality of an already hazardous substance at the rate of one level of lethal damage per success, and may also increase or decrease the distance at which the substance is harmful by one yard per success.

* Toxicity: The character may increase or decrease the Toxicity of a substance at a rate of one point of Toxicity per success.

* Composition: Many of the above alterations involve altering the composition of an object; for example, an increase in Durability could represent a transformation from wood to stone, while an increase in weapon damage could represent lead bullets changing into depleted uranium rounds. However, the character may also spend a single success to simply change the composition of a substance without changing any of the above characteristics, such as turning lead into gold or water into wine. The player and Storyteller should work together to determine what these changes signify, if anything.

===MATTER CREATION===
Cost: N/A

Dice Pool: See below

Action: See below

Range: See below

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: Such is the character's skill with Matter Control that she can create matter from nothingness. A character who possesses this technique is able to use the Matter Alteration technique without first having a source of raw materials to work with; in this case, a single success on the activation roll provides the character with a solid chunk of Size 1, Durability 1 material to work with, or a Size 2 volume of water or other harmless liquid, or enough gas to fill about ten cubic feet of space.

==MEGA-ATTRIBUTE==
Rank: 3

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: There are nine Mega-Attributes, one for each standard Attribute. Each dot in a Mega-Attribute increases its base Attribute by 2 dots for the purposes of rolling dice and meeting prerequisites. Alternatively, character may reduce a penalty on a roll by three per mega dot instead of adding two dice. This may be done whole or in part, as the player wishes.

A character may have no more dots in a Mega-Attribute than he does in its base Attribute.

Mega-Attributes do not stack with Mega-Skills or Mega-Specialties unless the Mega Skill or Specialty has the Stacking extra.

Extras: None.

==MEGA-SKILL==

Rank: 2

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: There are twenty-four Mega-Skills, one for each standard Skill. Each dot in a Mega-Skill increases its base Skill by 2 dots for the purposes of rolling dice and meeting prerequisites. Alternatively, character may reduce a penalty on a roll by three per mega dot instead of adding two dice. This may be done whole or in part, as the player wishes.

A character may have no more dots in a Mega-Skill than he does in its base Skill.

Mega-Attributes do not stack with Mega-Skills or Mega-Specialties unless the Mega Skill or Specialty has the Stacking extra.

Extras: Stacking.

==MEGA-SPECIALTY==

Rank: 1

Cost: --

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: Permanent

Effect: Mega-Specialties are defined with the same breadth as normal specialties. Each dot in a Mega-Specialty increases its base Skill by 2 dots for the purposes of rolling dice when that specialty applies. Alternatively, character may reduce a penalty on a roll by three per dot instead of adding two dice. This may be done whole or in part, as the player wishes.

A character may have no more dots in a Mega-Specialty than he does in its base Skill or Power Level, whichever is lower. Likewise, a character must have a matching normal specialty to have a Mega-Specialty.

Mega-Attributes do not stack with Mega-Skills or Mega-Specialties unless the Mega Skill or Specialty has the Stacking extra.

Extras: Stacking.

==MENTAL BLAST==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Expression) + Mental Blast – target’s Resolve + Power Level

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Mental Blast) x 5 yards

Area: N/A

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character blasts his opponent’s mind with a wave of mental energy, causing psychosomatic injury and pain. Each success on the activation roll deals one level of bashing damage to the target. This power only functions on targets with a functioning central nervous system (IE people and most animals, but not plants, inanimate objects, ghosts, or nonsentient zombies).

Extras: None.

==MIMIC==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Touch

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to copy the abilities and powers of another character.

In order to use this power, the character must touch her intended target; touching an unwilling target requires a Dexterity + Brawl roll, and the target’s Defense applies.

Once she has successfully touched the target, the character may spend one Verve to copy one of the target’s Attributes, Skills, Merits, or superpowers for each dot in Mimic she has. In the case of Attributes, Skills, or superpowers, the character’s rating in the ability increases to either the target’s rating in the ability or the character’s own Power Level, whichever is lower.

In the case of Merits, the character may only copy Merits worth a number of dots equal to or less than her own Mimic rating; the character need not necessarily meet the prerequisites a copied Merit, but the Storyteller is the final arbiter of which Merits can be copied (as a general rule, “internal” Merits like Gunslinger or Eidectic Memory can be copied, while “external” merits like Resources or Allies cannot). A character may only copy a total number of abilities up to her dots in Mimic at a time. Abilities gained using Mimic disappear at the end of the scene unless the character spends another point of Verve at the start of the next scene to maintain them.

Extras: Copycat - (The character need only see her target use an ability to copy it and need not touch the target).

==NATURE MASTERY==
Rank: 3

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Varies

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to communicate with and influence plants and animals. The character knows one of the following techniques for each dot in Nature Mastery he possesses; he may attempt to use a technique that he does not specifically know, but doing so increases the Verve cost of the technique by one and imposes a –1 penalty to the activation roll.

Extras: None.

===ANIMAL COMMUNICATION===
Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: N/A, or Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery [vs. target's Resolve]

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Duration: Permanent

Effect: The character is able to understand and communicate with any animal. He gains the inherent ability to understand any form of communication used by animals (IE a dog's barking, a cricket's chirping, the blinking pattern of a firefly's light) and, assuming he is physically capable of doing so, can also communicate with the animal in question in that language. Failing that, the character may attempt to establish a telepathic link with any animal he can see and communicate directly through this link; this functions identically to the Telepathy power's Communicate technique, except that the dice pool for the activation roll is Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery. Note that this power only allows communication with animals, and does not compel obedience or friendship; that is the purview of the Animal Control and Animal Companion techniques. The character may certainly attempt to befriend or command an animal, but he will have to rely on his own force of personality (Presence or Manipulation + Animal Ken) to do so.

===ANIMAL COMPANION===
Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery vs. target's Composure

Action: Extended and contested; resistance is reflexive

Range: See below

Duration: See below

Effect: The character attempts to establish a bond with an animal through a combination of personal interaction and vigorous application of the Nature Mastery power. Use of this power is an extended and contested action; each roll costs one Verve, and represents one hour of interaction with the animal (playing a game, sharing food, handling the animal, etc.). Both the character and the target animal have a target number equal to the opposing party's Willpower. If the animal reaches its target number first, the attempt to use Animal Companion fails and the character may not make another attempt on this same animal for a number of days equal to the animal's Composure. If the character reaches his target number first, the power takes effect and the animal regards the character as its friend and boon companion. So long as the character does not abuse, attack, or otherwise act in a manner against the animal that would break the bonds of friendship, the animal will remain loyal to the character and obey his instructions, as well as coming to his aid in times of need (up to and including fighting alongside the character against his enemies). Note, however, that an animal under the effects of this technique is still an animal, not an automaton; it still has its normal instincts and intelligence, and will continue to behave in an appropriate manner unless specifically ordered not to by the character (and even then, an animal companion will not act in an obviously suicidal or self-destructive manner, and ordering the target animal to do so will cancel the effects of the power). Unless cancelled prematurely by unfriendly action on the part of the character, the effects of Animal Companion last until the character voluntarily releases the target animal from his service. A character may only have one animal companion at a time.

===ANIMAL CONTROL===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery vs. target's Resolve

Action: Contested, resistance is reflexive

Range: (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 5 yards

Duration: Varies

Effect: The character is able to impose his will on animals, forcing them to perform actions they otherwise might not. This technique functions identically to the "Domination" power, except that it only works on animals (and the Storyteller has the final say on what constitutes an "animal" or not, if there is room for debate), and the dice pool for the activation roll is Intelligence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery.

===PLANT ANIMATION===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Manipulation + (Survival) + Nature Mastery

Action: Instant

Range: (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 5 yards

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to animate the plant life of an area to attack, constrict, or otherwise hinder an opponent. This power functions identically to the Animation technique of the Matter Control power, except that the activation dice pool is the character's Manipulation + (Survival) + Nature Mastery, and the power only works on plant life (or, at the Storyteller's discretion, on sufficiently advanced fungi or protists such as mushrooms, algae, moss, or kelp). Note that plants will not uproot themselves under the influence of this power, and so cannot be given a Speed value.

===PLANT COMMUNICATION===
Cost: None

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: N/A

Range: (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 5 yards

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character is able to communicate with plants. The character may use this power on any form of plant life (and, at the Storyteller's discretion, on sufficiently advanced fungi or protists such as mushrooms, algae, moss, or kelp) within range. Note that the "thought processes" of plants, if they can be referred to as such, are unlikely to be anything like those of a person; thus, while the character ''can'' communicate with any given plant, there is no guarantee that the plant will have anything useful (or coherent) to say.

===SUMMON ANIMALS===
Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Presence + (Animal Ken) + Nature Mastery - targets' average Composure

Action: Instant

Range: Varies

Duration: Instant

Effect: The character issues a telepathic summons (possibly in conjunction with a bird call or a wolf's howl), compelling nearby animals to converge on his current position. The character may elect which kind of animals the summons affects, such as "all predators," "only deer," or "my pet dog." One success on the activation roll is enough to call most of the viable animals within a radius equal to the character's (Power Level + Nature Mastery) x 100 yards (a handful of individual animals with particularly high Composure might resist the summons, but the vast majority will be affected); each additional success doubles this distance. Affected animals move towards the character's current location as fast as reasonably possible, though they will stop to eat and sleep if necessary. Once the summoned animals reach their destination, they will revert to their normal behavior unless the character uses other Nature Mastery techniques on them.

==PHASING==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Stamina + (Survival) + Phasing

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One turn

Effect: The character is able to "phase" through matter like a ghost, passing through solids and liquids as easily as through air. Essentially a highly specialized form of Density Control (decrease), a successful activation roll allows the character to become insubstantial and pass through any solid objects she encounters and to move through water and difficult terrain at full speed for a single turn. As with Density Control (decrease), a character using the Phasing power is normally unable to breathe while her head and chest are inside a solid object or a liquid, and the character may risk drowning if she is forced to spend multiple turns inside such an object. This power may also be activated as a Dodge action to defend against physical attacks; in this case, each success on the activation roll imposes a -1 penalty to any physical attack roll made against the character that turn.

Characters who run out of Verve or simply refuse to spend it while inside an object will be forcefully ejected if the power is allowed to lapse while inside a solid substance. Assume a character will be thrown through a material in the shortest direction possible when ejected, and will take damage as if they had fallen a similar distance. Note that effects which negate falling damage do not negate this damage. Also, there is no guarantee that conditions where the character is ejected will be favorable or even safe.

Extras: None.

==PLASTICITY==
Rank: 1

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: N/A

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to stretch and contort as though she were made of rubber. When this power is active, the character is able to stretch her arms, legs, torso, and neck a maximum of three yards for every dot in Power Level she possesses, and may add her Plasticity rating to all rolls made to grapple another character or to escape from a grapple. She is also able to squeeze her entire body through any opening that would allow a being to pass through which was size [her size - Plasticity rating]. Thus a normal size person (size 5) with Plasticity 3 could fit through a size 2 opening.

Extras: None.

==PLURIPOTENCE (Alpha, Beta, and Gamma)==

Rank: 2 (Alpha), 3 (Beta), or 4 (Gamma)

Cost: Varies

Dice Pool: Power Level + Pluripotence

Action: Varies

Range: Varies

Area: Varies

Duration: Varies (Never Permanent)

Effect: Pluripotence is an incredibly flexible power, and may be used to represent super-science, sorcery, breaking the fourth wall or other extremely versatile power sets. To represent this, it is bought as 1-3 separate powers, with some unique rules. Alpha, Beta and Gamma versions are effectively separate powers, which do not have one another as prerequisites.
Each level of Pluripotence allows the character to mimic all of the other powers from the rank below it, with the following changes;

1) Pluripotence costs twice the typical amount of experience points at all levels.

2) The character rolls their Power Level + Pluripotence for any applicable rolls.

3) The cost to activate is as per the power mimicked, plus the rank of the power.

4) If multiple techniques exist for the power, the activation roll for each technique has a -2 penalty.

5) Each Rank of this power (Alpha, Beta or Gamma) requires the player to select two generic weaknesses (other than Single Technique) from the list given on this site. Alternatively, the ST can allow other weaknesses at her option. Whenever activating the power, the player must choose one of the two weaknesses to apply for the appropriate level. If there is no logical way to apply either weakness (Storyteller call), then the power cannot be mimicked. The player may choose the same weaknesses for each level of the power that they wish.

Pluripotence cannot duplicate Powers with a Permanent Duration.

Extras: None.

==POWER VAMPIRE==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Stamina + (Survival) + Power Vampire – target’s Stamina + Power Level

Action: Reflexive

Range: Touch

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to steal the abilities and powers of another character or to simply drain the life out of them (which ability the character has access to is chosen when the power is purchased).

If the character is stealing an ability (an Attribute, Skill, Merit, or superpower) from the target, his target loses one dot in the chosen ability and he gains one dot in the ability for every success on the activation roll. The target character cannot have an ability reduced below zero by this power.

If the character is trying to steal a multiple-dot Merit from his target, this power only works if the character gains enough successes on the activation roll to steal every dot of the Merit.

As with Mimic, the Storyteller is the final arbiter of which Merits may be stolen, and as a general rule, "internal" Merits like Fighting Styles and Gunfighter are fair game while "external" Merits like Allies, Contacts or Resources are not.

If the character is stealing health from the target, his target takes one point of lethal damage and the character gains one temporary health level for every success on the activation roll, to a maximum of the Power Vampire's Power Level.

Stolen powers are returned and temporary health levels are lost at the end of the scene; however, if the target took damage from Power Vampire, this damage heals at the normal rate.

Extras: Versatile - (The character is able to use both the ability-stealing and life-draining versions of this power, though not at the same time, and may switch between them at will).

==PREMONITION==
Rank: 2

Cost: 1 Verve

Dice Pool: Wits + Composure + Premonition

Action: Reflexive

Range: Self

Area: N/A

Duration: One scene

Effect: The character is able to sense impending danger or threats to his person. To use this power, the character simply pays the appropriate Verve cost; no activation roll is required. For the rest of the scene, any time something threatens the character—someone points a gun at her, or she is about to trip a trap—she may make a reflexive Wits + Composure + Premonition roll to attempt to detect the danger. On a success, the character learns that she is in danger and has a general idea of from what location or direction the threat originates (IE “There is a threat to you on the other side of this door”); on an exceptional success, the character also learns the exact nature of the threat (IE “There is a man with a crowbar on the other side of the door, waiting to ambush you”). If the character has the Danger Sense merit, the bonus given by that feat applies to Premonition rolls as well.

Extras: My Brother's Keeper - (The character’s Premonition can detect dangers to anyone within [Power Level + Premonition] yards of the character).

* [[MTH:Superpowers|Back to Superpowers]]

* [[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Merits

2011-06-04T04:11:27Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* GENERAL MERITS */

=NEW MERITS=

New Merits for superhuman and heroic characters. These are purchased in the same manner as normal Merits, though they usually have higher prerequisites than the Merits in the corebook.

A number of these Merits refer to "effective" Attributes, usually as prerequisites; this refers to an Attribute's rating after all permanent modificatioins have been factored in, such as a Mega-Attribute. For example, a character with Dexterity 3 and Mega-Dexterity 1 would have an effective Dexterity score of 5.

Some Merits created for other supernatural creatures might be appropriate for superhuman or heroic characters; perhaps a character's advanced technology could be represented by the "Imbued Item" or "Enhanced Item" Merits from ''Mage: the Awakening,'' or a superhuman who enjoys a good reputation among the heroic community could benefit from the "Repute" Merit from ''Promethean: The Created.'' Characters who wish to take Merits from other supernatural games are encouraged to speak with their ST in order to decide whether or not such a purchase would be appropriate.

==GENERAL MERITS==

===BASE(* to *****; special)===

EFFECT: A Base is a safe, secure location in which a character can train, plan his actions, recuperate from injuries, or simply rest while he's not saving the world. Perhaps there is a cave beneath his house in which he's set up a lair, or he has access to a special penthouse in a skyscraper.

All Bases are not created equal. A warehouse might have sufficient space, but might not have sufficient security to drive away intruders. A hidden basement in the character's house might be hard for others to breach, but might offer barely enough space to hold the character's specialized equipment. Great time and effort is spent in finding appropriate Bases, and their value is represented by two factors: Size and Security. See the "Sanctum" Merit from ''Mage: The Awakening'' or the "Haven" Merit from ''Vampire: The Requiem'' for rules to apply to Bases.

===EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: The character has a substantiated theme running through their gear, and this theme either reinforces their resolve such that it actually manifests in better performance, or the character just knows how to make/choose quality stuff. Most likely they have a Code Name and powers related to the theme, and will almost always have their costume patterned toward their theme (armor ratings are not enhanced by this merit, but other special traits of a costume might be, at ST discression).

Effectively, the equipment has an enhanced equipment bonus when used for its intended purpose by the character with this merit. This bonus is equal to the rating in this merit minus one.
The equipment must have the character’s ‘signature look’. A signature look might include painting the equipment in the colors of the character’s costume and placing their personal insignia on it (batarang, bat-shield, bat-underwear, ect), or almost any other set of descriptors the player can devise (with ST approval). In general, theme equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field.
Individuals may share a theme.

==MENTAL MERITS==

===BODY CONTROL (**)===
PREREQUISITES: None

EFFECT: This Merit duplicates the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Life 2 spell "Body Control" (M:tA, p. 182). This Merit is always active, use the character's Power Level as successes to determine the exact effect; see the spell description for further details.

===MULTI-TASKING (* or **)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligenge 5+ & Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character can can compartmentalize her mind so that she can hold more than one distinct train of thought in her mind simultaneously. For one dot, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Mind 1 spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts" (M:tA, p. 206)and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mind 3 spell "Multi-Tasking" (M:tA, pp. 211-212). This spell does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action. Botth versions of this Merit are always in effect and require no effort from the character to use.

===OMNIVISION (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: Whether by incredibly sharp senses, a sixth sense, or a literal 360 degree field of vision, the character is keenly aware of her surroundings at all times. She suffers no ill effects from being surrounded in combat, and it is impossible to sneak up on her under normal circumstances (though extraordinary circumstances, such as poor lighting or invisibility, may allow the character to be snuck upon as normal). The character must still roll to avoid surprise in the case of ambush or similar situations; this Merit allows the character to perceive normally in every direction at once, but does not grant any special form of perception or precognition.

==PHYSICAL MERITS==

===AQUATIC ADAPTATIONS (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted for life in the water. Both versions of this Merit allow the character to safely drink salt water and to swim at her normal Speed without effort. However, she cannot do the equivilent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivilent of the Strong Lungs Merit (nWoD p. 113), except that this Merit adds +3 to the character's Stamina for purposes of holding her breath. Also, even when in combat, the character can hold her breath for one minute per dot of Stamina (with the +3 bonus included).

For three dots, the character can instead breathe both air and water with equal ease.

===LIGHTNING DODGE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ or effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character's reaction time is so quick that he can literally dodge bullets, or (when combined with Weaponry Dodge or Brawling Dodge) deflect them with a melee weapon or even snatch them out of the air with his bare hands. This character may apply his Defense to firearms attacks. At the Storyteller's discretion, this character's Defense may also apply in other situations where Defense doesn't normally apply.

===NIGHT VISION (*)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has the night vision of a cat or someone wearing light-intensifier googles. As long as there is some light, such as starlight under and open sky or the light coming through the crack under a door, the character can see normally and suffers no penalties for poor vision. In totally lightless conditions, such as being locked in a safe with no light, the character cannot see.

===PERFECT BALANCE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+

EFFECT: The character has absolutely flawless balance; she is able to stand atop flagpoles, sprint along tightropes, and even traverse crowds quickly by running on peoples' heads. The Storyteller should only make this character roll Dexterity + Athletics to keep her balance in the most extreme situations, EG running along a tightrope on a moonless night while carrying someone and being shot at; it can be assumed that the character automatically succeeds at any such rolls under less trying circumstances.

===REFLECT SHOT (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Lightning Dodge, Weaponry Dodge

EFFECT: The character has honed her defensive skill and reaction time to such a degree that she is able to reflect projectiles back at their attacker. In order to use this Merit, the character has to be holding an appropriate melee weapon and has to dedicate her action to dodging. If an opponent makes a ranged attack against this character and scores no successes on the attack roll, the character may make an immediate attack roll against the opponent; the basic dice pool is the character's Dexterity + Weaponry, and she counts as having the same weapon as her attacker, as it is actually this weapon which is rebounding at the attacker.

Insubstantial attacks cannot be redirected in this manor.

===SHOCKWAVE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to ''everything'' within a one-yard radius of the impact point (except the character using Shockwave himself), including other characters, objects, and the ground being struck (which may be a problem if the character is standing on a bridge or riding in a vehicle when he uses this ability). Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the impact point. In addition, any character who takes damage from the shockwave must roll her Strength and score at least as many successes as she took levels of damage, or else she will fall prone. Only characters and objects standing on the ground can be affected in this way; airborne characters and objects are immune to the effects of a shockwave.

===SPECTRUM VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character can see into both the ultra-violet and visual and thermal-infrared spectrums. As a result, even in the total absence of light, the character can still clearly see anything that has a different temperature from its environment, which includes all animals larger than small insects. Outdoors, the character can see as well at night as during the day, and because of the advantages of having a far wider spectrum of vision, the character also gains +1 to all rolls for visual perception.

===TELESCOPIC VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has distance vision equivilent to someone using a moderately good pair of binoculars (x 25 magnification). The character eliminates most penalties for observing events at a distance, and can easily read text on a computer monitor from a distance of up to 100 feet. In addition, when using ranged weapons, the character eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2. This Merit also in no ways impairs the character's close-up or normal vision.

===THUNDERCLAP (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a shockwave of destructive force. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll her Strength as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to all other characters and objects within a one-yard radius of the character. Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the character using Thunderclap.

===UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+ or effective Resolve 4+

EFFECT: The character's pain tolerance is so incredibly high that he can continue to fight after taking injuries that would have dropped lesser creatures. A character who has the three-dot version of this Merit does not have to roll to remain conscious if all his health levels are filled with bashing damage. However, he will still lose consciousness and begin to bleed to death if all his health levels are filled with lethal damage. A character with the five-dot version of Unstoppable does not lose consciousness even when all of his health levels are filled with lethal damage, though he will begin to bleed to death as normal; such a character only stops moving when he dies (IE all his health levels are filled with Aggravated damage).

===WALLCRAWLER (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with the two-dot version of this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds, but she cannot move along such a surface any faster than a slow crawl. A character with the three-dot version of this Merit can move along such surfaces at her normal Speed (including the ability to run along walls and ceilings), whether or not the surface has handholds or would normally be climbable. At the Storyteller's discretion, particularly slippery surfaces or adverse conditions might require the character to make a Strength or Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain her hold.

==SOCIAL MERITS==

===CIPHER (* to *****)===
EFFECT: The character has made some effort to hide details of his life from public scrutiny; the exact details of this process are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide, but possibilities include tampering with government documents, entering the Witness Protection Program, or simply putting on a mask and costume before heading off on an adventure. Each dot in this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on any attempts to learn personal information the character has worked to keep hidden. It is up to the Storyteller to decide whether the penalty from Cipher should apply in a given situation.

Keep in mind, the existence of this merit doesn't mean that every character who wears a mask or uses other methods of identity-protection '''must''' take this merit. It's simply that having the merit identifies that your defenses are at least somewhat mechanically effective, giving you the benefit listed above. Players are always free to use whatever secrecy measures they can devise, with attempts to breach those measures handled on a case-by-case basis.

===UNLIMITED RESOURCES (*****)===
PREREQUISITES: Resources 5

EFFECT: The character has access to vast wealth: at least $1,000,000 a month in disposable income and millions, billions, or even trillions of dollars in assets. The character might be the beneficiary of a huge trust fund, the heir to a massive hereditary fortune, the owner of a multinational corporation, or some combination of these. For this character, it's not a question of whether or not she can afford any given item, it's a question of how soon she can get it.

Generally, it isn't necessary to quantify exactly how much the character is worth unless the player or Storyteller desires to; in game terms, the character is able to make an effectively unlimited number of Resources 5 purchases per month, and is probably capable of affording purchases beyond the grasp of even a Resources 5 character, such as private spacestations or bleeding-edge energy weapon and powered armor technology.

Note, however, that being richer than God does not equate to being God; even a character with this level of wealth can be held accountable for her actions, and a character who uses her fortune to cause trouble will almost certainly attract the attention of other powerful characters. Furthermore, the Storyteller should reserve the right to restrict the character's use of Unlimited Resources, or even remove the Merit altogether, if the character foolishly squanders her fortune.

=NEW FLAWS=

For all their powers and abilities, superhumans often possess great foibles and weaknesses that serve to temper their strength. The flaws listed below function in the same way as the flaws listed in the World of Darkness core rulebook; IE, any time the flaw comes up during gameplay and significantly hinders the flawed character, that character gains an additional experience point.

==MENTAL FLAWS==

As with standard World of Darkness characters, characters in More Than Human may take permanent derangements as Flaws. Common derangements for heroic characters include narcissism and fixation, while villainous characters might have megalomania, paranoia, or schizophrenia.

==PHYSICAL FLAWS==

===ALLERGY===
The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and takes physical damage if exposed to this allergen. The Storyteller determines what level of damage is taken and how often, based on the character's proximity to the allergen and the purity or intensity of the allergen in question. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it beyond the additional damage taken; for example, a hero weakened from allergen exposure might be unable to pursue a fleeing villain, who later returns to abduct the hero's love interest

==SOCIAL FLAWS==

'''Inhuman'''

The character either has some physical abnormality which makes them appear less then human, and/or they actually are something non-human (alien, robot, ect) but are close enough to both be a viable character and use the same rules. This flaw applies only if the character's nature is in some fashion repugnant to most of humanity, causing them to have to deal with social stigma or outright hatred. Note that many other merits and flaws can be coupled with this one to represent the nature of the character.
*[[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Merits

2011-06-04T04:10:48Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* SOCIAL MERITS */

=NEW MERITS=

New Merits for superhuman and heroic characters. These are purchased in the same manner as normal Merits, though they usually have higher prerequisites than the Merits in the corebook.

A number of these Merits refer to "effective" Attributes, usually as prerequisites; this refers to an Attribute's rating after all permanent modificatioins have been factored in, such as a Mega-Attribute. For example, a character with Dexterity 3 and Mega-Dexterity 1 would have an effective Dexterity score of 5.

Some Merits created for other supernatural creatures might be appropriate for superhuman or heroic characters; perhaps a character's advanced technology could be represented by the "Imbued Item" or "Enhanced Item" Merits from ''Mage: the Awakening,'' or a superhuman who enjoys a good reputation among the heroic community could benefit from the "Repute" Merit from ''Promethean: The Created.'' Characters who wish to take Merits from other supernatural games are encouraged to speak with their ST in order to decide whether or not such a purchase would be appropriate.

==GENERAL MERITS==

===EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: The character has a substantiated theme running through their gear, and this theme either reinforces their resolve such that it actually manifests in better performance, or the character just knows how to make/choose quality stuff. Most likely they have a Code Name and powers related to the theme, and will almost always have their costume patterned toward their theme (armor ratings are not enhanced by this merit, but other special traits of a costume might be, at ST discression).

Effectively, the equipment has an enhanced equipment bonus when used for its intended purpose by the character with this merit. This bonus is equal to the rating in this merit minus one.
The equipment must have the character’s ‘signature look’. A signature look might include painting the equipment in the colors of the character’s costume and placing their personal insignia on it (batarang, bat-shield, bat-underwear, ect), or almost any other set of descriptors the player can devise (with ST approval). In general, theme equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field.
Individuals may share a theme.

==MENTAL MERITS==

===BODY CONTROL (**)===
PREREQUISITES: None

EFFECT: This Merit duplicates the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Life 2 spell "Body Control" (M:tA, p. 182). This Merit is always active, use the character's Power Level as successes to determine the exact effect; see the spell description for further details.

===MULTI-TASKING (* or **)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligenge 5+ & Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character can can compartmentalize her mind so that she can hold more than one distinct train of thought in her mind simultaneously. For one dot, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Mind 1 spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts" (M:tA, p. 206)and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mind 3 spell "Multi-Tasking" (M:tA, pp. 211-212). This spell does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action. Botth versions of this Merit are always in effect and require no effort from the character to use.

===OMNIVISION (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: Whether by incredibly sharp senses, a sixth sense, or a literal 360 degree field of vision, the character is keenly aware of her surroundings at all times. She suffers no ill effects from being surrounded in combat, and it is impossible to sneak up on her under normal circumstances (though extraordinary circumstances, such as poor lighting or invisibility, may allow the character to be snuck upon as normal). The character must still roll to avoid surprise in the case of ambush or similar situations; this Merit allows the character to perceive normally in every direction at once, but does not grant any special form of perception or precognition.

==PHYSICAL MERITS==

===AQUATIC ADAPTATIONS (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted for life in the water. Both versions of this Merit allow the character to safely drink salt water and to swim at her normal Speed without effort. However, she cannot do the equivilent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivilent of the Strong Lungs Merit (nWoD p. 113), except that this Merit adds +3 to the character's Stamina for purposes of holding her breath. Also, even when in combat, the character can hold her breath for one minute per dot of Stamina (with the +3 bonus included).

For three dots, the character can instead breathe both air and water with equal ease.

===LIGHTNING DODGE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ or effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character's reaction time is so quick that he can literally dodge bullets, or (when combined with Weaponry Dodge or Brawling Dodge) deflect them with a melee weapon or even snatch them out of the air with his bare hands. This character may apply his Defense to firearms attacks. At the Storyteller's discretion, this character's Defense may also apply in other situations where Defense doesn't normally apply.

===NIGHT VISION (*)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has the night vision of a cat or someone wearing light-intensifier googles. As long as there is some light, such as starlight under and open sky or the light coming through the crack under a door, the character can see normally and suffers no penalties for poor vision. In totally lightless conditions, such as being locked in a safe with no light, the character cannot see.

===PERFECT BALANCE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+

EFFECT: The character has absolutely flawless balance; she is able to stand atop flagpoles, sprint along tightropes, and even traverse crowds quickly by running on peoples' heads. The Storyteller should only make this character roll Dexterity + Athletics to keep her balance in the most extreme situations, EG running along a tightrope on a moonless night while carrying someone and being shot at; it can be assumed that the character automatically succeeds at any such rolls under less trying circumstances.

===REFLECT SHOT (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Lightning Dodge, Weaponry Dodge

EFFECT: The character has honed her defensive skill and reaction time to such a degree that she is able to reflect projectiles back at their attacker. In order to use this Merit, the character has to be holding an appropriate melee weapon and has to dedicate her action to dodging. If an opponent makes a ranged attack against this character and scores no successes on the attack roll, the character may make an immediate attack roll against the opponent; the basic dice pool is the character's Dexterity + Weaponry, and she counts as having the same weapon as her attacker, as it is actually this weapon which is rebounding at the attacker.

Insubstantial attacks cannot be redirected in this manor.

===SHOCKWAVE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to ''everything'' within a one-yard radius of the impact point (except the character using Shockwave himself), including other characters, objects, and the ground being struck (which may be a problem if the character is standing on a bridge or riding in a vehicle when he uses this ability). Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the impact point. In addition, any character who takes damage from the shockwave must roll her Strength and score at least as many successes as she took levels of damage, or else she will fall prone. Only characters and objects standing on the ground can be affected in this way; airborne characters and objects are immune to the effects of a shockwave.

===SPECTRUM VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character can see into both the ultra-violet and visual and thermal-infrared spectrums. As a result, even in the total absence of light, the character can still clearly see anything that has a different temperature from its environment, which includes all animals larger than small insects. Outdoors, the character can see as well at night as during the day, and because of the advantages of having a far wider spectrum of vision, the character also gains +1 to all rolls for visual perception.

===TELESCOPIC VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has distance vision equivilent to someone using a moderately good pair of binoculars (x 25 magnification). The character eliminates most penalties for observing events at a distance, and can easily read text on a computer monitor from a distance of up to 100 feet. In addition, when using ranged weapons, the character eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2. This Merit also in no ways impairs the character's close-up or normal vision.

===THUNDERCLAP (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a shockwave of destructive force. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll her Strength as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to all other characters and objects within a one-yard radius of the character. Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the character using Thunderclap.

===UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+ or effective Resolve 4+

EFFECT: The character's pain tolerance is so incredibly high that he can continue to fight after taking injuries that would have dropped lesser creatures. A character who has the three-dot version of this Merit does not have to roll to remain conscious if all his health levels are filled with bashing damage. However, he will still lose consciousness and begin to bleed to death if all his health levels are filled with lethal damage. A character with the five-dot version of Unstoppable does not lose consciousness even when all of his health levels are filled with lethal damage, though he will begin to bleed to death as normal; such a character only stops moving when he dies (IE all his health levels are filled with Aggravated damage).

===WALLCRAWLER (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with the two-dot version of this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds, but she cannot move along such a surface any faster than a slow crawl. A character with the three-dot version of this Merit can move along such surfaces at her normal Speed (including the ability to run along walls and ceilings), whether or not the surface has handholds or would normally be climbable. At the Storyteller's discretion, particularly slippery surfaces or adverse conditions might require the character to make a Strength or Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain her hold.

==SOCIAL MERITS==

===CIPHER (* to *****)===
EFFECT: The character has made some effort to hide details of his life from public scrutiny; the exact details of this process are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide, but possibilities include tampering with government documents, entering the Witness Protection Program, or simply putting on a mask and costume before heading off on an adventure. Each dot in this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on any attempts to learn personal information the character has worked to keep hidden. It is up to the Storyteller to decide whether the penalty from Cipher should apply in a given situation.

Keep in mind, the existence of this merit doesn't mean that every character who wears a mask or uses other methods of identity-protection '''must''' take this merit. It's simply that having the merit identifies that your defenses are at least somewhat mechanically effective, giving you the benefit listed above. Players are always free to use whatever secrecy measures they can devise, with attempts to breach those measures handled on a case-by-case basis.

===UNLIMITED RESOURCES (*****)===
PREREQUISITES: Resources 5

EFFECT: The character has access to vast wealth: at least $1,000,000 a month in disposable income and millions, billions, or even trillions of dollars in assets. The character might be the beneficiary of a huge trust fund, the heir to a massive hereditary fortune, the owner of a multinational corporation, or some combination of these. For this character, it's not a question of whether or not she can afford any given item, it's a question of how soon she can get it.

Generally, it isn't necessary to quantify exactly how much the character is worth unless the player or Storyteller desires to; in game terms, the character is able to make an effectively unlimited number of Resources 5 purchases per month, and is probably capable of affording purchases beyond the grasp of even a Resources 5 character, such as private spacestations or bleeding-edge energy weapon and powered armor technology.

Note, however, that being richer than God does not equate to being God; even a character with this level of wealth can be held accountable for her actions, and a character who uses her fortune to cause trouble will almost certainly attract the attention of other powerful characters. Furthermore, the Storyteller should reserve the right to restrict the character's use of Unlimited Resources, or even remove the Merit altogether, if the character foolishly squanders her fortune.

=NEW FLAWS=

For all their powers and abilities, superhumans often possess great foibles and weaknesses that serve to temper their strength. The flaws listed below function in the same way as the flaws listed in the World of Darkness core rulebook; IE, any time the flaw comes up during gameplay and significantly hinders the flawed character, that character gains an additional experience point.

==MENTAL FLAWS==

As with standard World of Darkness characters, characters in More Than Human may take permanent derangements as Flaws. Common derangements for heroic characters include narcissism and fixation, while villainous characters might have megalomania, paranoia, or schizophrenia.

==PHYSICAL FLAWS==

===ALLERGY===
The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and takes physical damage if exposed to this allergen. The Storyteller determines what level of damage is taken and how often, based on the character's proximity to the allergen and the purity or intensity of the allergen in question. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it beyond the additional damage taken; for example, a hero weakened from allergen exposure might be unable to pursue a fleeing villain, who later returns to abduct the hero's love interest

==SOCIAL FLAWS==

'''Inhuman'''

The character either has some physical abnormality which makes them appear less then human, and/or they actually are something non-human (alien, robot, ect) but are close enough to both be a viable character and use the same rules. This flaw applies only if the character's nature is in some fashion repugnant to most of humanity, causing them to have to deal with social stigma or outright hatred. Note that many other merits and flaws can be coupled with this one to represent the nature of the character.
*[[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Merits

2011-06-04T04:10:17Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* GENERAL MERITS */

=NEW MERITS=

New Merits for superhuman and heroic characters. These are purchased in the same manner as normal Merits, though they usually have higher prerequisites than the Merits in the corebook.

A number of these Merits refer to "effective" Attributes, usually as prerequisites; this refers to an Attribute's rating after all permanent modificatioins have been factored in, such as a Mega-Attribute. For example, a character with Dexterity 3 and Mega-Dexterity 1 would have an effective Dexterity score of 5.

Some Merits created for other supernatural creatures might be appropriate for superhuman or heroic characters; perhaps a character's advanced technology could be represented by the "Imbued Item" or "Enhanced Item" Merits from ''Mage: the Awakening,'' or a superhuman who enjoys a good reputation among the heroic community could benefit from the "Repute" Merit from ''Promethean: The Created.'' Characters who wish to take Merits from other supernatural games are encouraged to speak with their ST in order to decide whether or not such a purchase would be appropriate.

==GENERAL MERITS==

===EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: The character has a substantiated theme running through their gear, and this theme either reinforces their resolve such that it actually manifests in better performance, or the character just knows how to make/choose quality stuff. Most likely they have a Code Name and powers related to the theme, and will almost always have their costume patterned toward their theme (armor ratings are not enhanced by this merit, but other special traits of a costume might be, at ST discression).

Effectively, the equipment has an enhanced equipment bonus when used for its intended purpose by the character with this merit. This bonus is equal to the rating in this merit minus one.
The equipment must have the character’s ‘signature look’. A signature look might include painting the equipment in the colors of the character’s costume and placing their personal insignia on it (batarang, bat-shield, bat-underwear, ect), or almost any other set of descriptors the player can devise (with ST approval). In general, theme equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field.
Individuals may share a theme.

==MENTAL MERITS==

===BODY CONTROL (**)===
PREREQUISITES: None

EFFECT: This Merit duplicates the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Life 2 spell "Body Control" (M:tA, p. 182). This Merit is always active, use the character's Power Level as successes to determine the exact effect; see the spell description for further details.

===MULTI-TASKING (* or **)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligenge 5+ & Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character can can compartmentalize her mind so that she can hold more than one distinct train of thought in her mind simultaneously. For one dot, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Mind 1 spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts" (M:tA, p. 206)and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mind 3 spell "Multi-Tasking" (M:tA, pp. 211-212). This spell does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action. Botth versions of this Merit are always in effect and require no effort from the character to use.

===OMNIVISION (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: Whether by incredibly sharp senses, a sixth sense, or a literal 360 degree field of vision, the character is keenly aware of her surroundings at all times. She suffers no ill effects from being surrounded in combat, and it is impossible to sneak up on her under normal circumstances (though extraordinary circumstances, such as poor lighting or invisibility, may allow the character to be snuck upon as normal). The character must still roll to avoid surprise in the case of ambush or similar situations; this Merit allows the character to perceive normally in every direction at once, but does not grant any special form of perception or precognition.

==PHYSICAL MERITS==

===AQUATIC ADAPTATIONS (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted for life in the water. Both versions of this Merit allow the character to safely drink salt water and to swim at her normal Speed without effort. However, she cannot do the equivilent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivilent of the Strong Lungs Merit (nWoD p. 113), except that this Merit adds +3 to the character's Stamina for purposes of holding her breath. Also, even when in combat, the character can hold her breath for one minute per dot of Stamina (with the +3 bonus included).

For three dots, the character can instead breathe both air and water with equal ease.

===LIGHTNING DODGE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ or effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character's reaction time is so quick that he can literally dodge bullets, or (when combined with Weaponry Dodge or Brawling Dodge) deflect them with a melee weapon or even snatch them out of the air with his bare hands. This character may apply his Defense to firearms attacks. At the Storyteller's discretion, this character's Defense may also apply in other situations where Defense doesn't normally apply.

===NIGHT VISION (*)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has the night vision of a cat or someone wearing light-intensifier googles. As long as there is some light, such as starlight under and open sky or the light coming through the crack under a door, the character can see normally and suffers no penalties for poor vision. In totally lightless conditions, such as being locked in a safe with no light, the character cannot see.

===PERFECT BALANCE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+

EFFECT: The character has absolutely flawless balance; she is able to stand atop flagpoles, sprint along tightropes, and even traverse crowds quickly by running on peoples' heads. The Storyteller should only make this character roll Dexterity + Athletics to keep her balance in the most extreme situations, EG running along a tightrope on a moonless night while carrying someone and being shot at; it can be assumed that the character automatically succeeds at any such rolls under less trying circumstances.

===REFLECT SHOT (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Lightning Dodge, Weaponry Dodge

EFFECT: The character has honed her defensive skill and reaction time to such a degree that she is able to reflect projectiles back at their attacker. In order to use this Merit, the character has to be holding an appropriate melee weapon and has to dedicate her action to dodging. If an opponent makes a ranged attack against this character and scores no successes on the attack roll, the character may make an immediate attack roll against the opponent; the basic dice pool is the character's Dexterity + Weaponry, and she counts as having the same weapon as her attacker, as it is actually this weapon which is rebounding at the attacker.

Insubstantial attacks cannot be redirected in this manor.

===SHOCKWAVE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to ''everything'' within a one-yard radius of the impact point (except the character using Shockwave himself), including other characters, objects, and the ground being struck (which may be a problem if the character is standing on a bridge or riding in a vehicle when he uses this ability). Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the impact point. In addition, any character who takes damage from the shockwave must roll her Strength and score at least as many successes as she took levels of damage, or else she will fall prone. Only characters and objects standing on the ground can be affected in this way; airborne characters and objects are immune to the effects of a shockwave.

===SPECTRUM VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character can see into both the ultra-violet and visual and thermal-infrared spectrums. As a result, even in the total absence of light, the character can still clearly see anything that has a different temperature from its environment, which includes all animals larger than small insects. Outdoors, the character can see as well at night as during the day, and because of the advantages of having a far wider spectrum of vision, the character also gains +1 to all rolls for visual perception.

===TELESCOPIC VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has distance vision equivilent to someone using a moderately good pair of binoculars (x 25 magnification). The character eliminates most penalties for observing events at a distance, and can easily read text on a computer monitor from a distance of up to 100 feet. In addition, when using ranged weapons, the character eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2. This Merit also in no ways impairs the character's close-up or normal vision.

===THUNDERCLAP (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a shockwave of destructive force. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll her Strength as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to all other characters and objects within a one-yard radius of the character. Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the character using Thunderclap.

===UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+ or effective Resolve 4+

EFFECT: The character's pain tolerance is so incredibly high that he can continue to fight after taking injuries that would have dropped lesser creatures. A character who has the three-dot version of this Merit does not have to roll to remain conscious if all his health levels are filled with bashing damage. However, he will still lose consciousness and begin to bleed to death if all his health levels are filled with lethal damage. A character with the five-dot version of Unstoppable does not lose consciousness even when all of his health levels are filled with lethal damage, though he will begin to bleed to death as normal; such a character only stops moving when he dies (IE all his health levels are filled with Aggravated damage).

===WALLCRAWLER (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with the two-dot version of this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds, but she cannot move along such a surface any faster than a slow crawl. A character with the three-dot version of this Merit can move along such surfaces at her normal Speed (including the ability to run along walls and ceilings), whether or not the surface has handholds or would normally be climbable. At the Storyteller's discretion, particularly slippery surfaces or adverse conditions might require the character to make a Strength or Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain her hold.

==SOCIAL MERITS==

===BASE(* to *****; special)===
EFFECT: A Base is a safe, secure location in which a character can train, plan his actions, recuperate from injuries, or simply rest while he's not saving the world. Perhaps there is a cave beneath his house in which he's set up a lair, or he has access to a special penthouse in a skyscraper.
All Bases are not created equal. A warehouse might have sufficient space, but might not have sufficient security to drive away intruders. A hidden basement in the character's house might be hard for others to breach, but might offer barely enough space to hold the character's specialized equipment. Great time and effort is spent in finding appropriate Bases, and their value is represented by two factors: Size and Security. See the "Sanctum" Merit from ''Mage: The Awakening'' or the "Haven" Merit from ''Vampire: The Requiem'' for rules to apply to Bases.

===CIPHER (* to *****)===
EFFECT: The character has made some effort to hide details of his life from public scrutiny; the exact details of this process are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide, but possibilities include tampering with government documents, entering the Witness Protection Program, or simply putting on a mask and costume before heading off on an adventure. Each dot in this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on any attempts to learn personal information the character has worked to keep hidden. It is up to the Storyteller to decide whether the penalty from Cipher should apply in a given situation.

Keep in mind, the existence of this merit doesn't mean that every character who wears a mask or uses other methods of identity-protection '''must''' take this merit. It's simply that having the merit identifies that your defenses are at least somewhat mechanically effective, giving you the benefit listed above. Players are always free to use whatever secrecy measures they can devise, with attempts to breach those measures handled on a case-by-case basis.

===UNLIMITED RESOURCES (*****)===
PREREQUISITES: Resources 5

EFFECT: The character has access to vast wealth: at least $1,000,000 a month in disposable income and millions, billions, or even trillions of dollars in assets. The character might be the beneficiary of a huge trust fund, the heir to a massive hereditary fortune, the owner of a multinational corporation, or some combination of these. For this character, it's not a question of whether or not she can afford any given item, it's a question of how soon she can get it.

Generally, it isn't necessary to quantify exactly how much the character is worth unless the player or Storyteller desires to; in game terms, the character is able to make an effectively unlimited number of Resources 5 purchases per month, and is probably capable of affording purchases beyond the grasp of even a Resources 5 character, such as private spacestations or bleeding-edge energy weapon and powered armor technology.

Note, however, that being richer than God does not equate to being God; even a character with this level of wealth can be held accountable for her actions, and a character who uses her fortune to cause trouble will almost certainly attract the attention of other powerful characters. Furthermore, the Storyteller should reserve the right to restrict the character's use of Unlimited Resources, or even remove the Merit altogether, if the character foolishly squanders her fortune.

=NEW FLAWS=

For all their powers and abilities, superhumans often possess great foibles and weaknesses that serve to temper their strength. The flaws listed below function in the same way as the flaws listed in the World of Darkness core rulebook; IE, any time the flaw comes up during gameplay and significantly hinders the flawed character, that character gains an additional experience point.

==MENTAL FLAWS==

As with standard World of Darkness characters, characters in More Than Human may take permanent derangements as Flaws. Common derangements for heroic characters include narcissism and fixation, while villainous characters might have megalomania, paranoia, or schizophrenia.

==PHYSICAL FLAWS==

===ALLERGY===
The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and takes physical damage if exposed to this allergen. The Storyteller determines what level of damage is taken and how often, based on the character's proximity to the allergen and the purity or intensity of the allergen in question. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it beyond the additional damage taken; for example, a hero weakened from allergen exposure might be unable to pursue a fleeing villain, who later returns to abduct the hero's love interest

==SOCIAL FLAWS==

'''Inhuman'''

The character either has some physical abnormality which makes them appear less then human, and/or they actually are something non-human (alien, robot, ect) but are close enough to both be a viable character and use the same rules. This flaw applies only if the character's nature is in some fashion repugnant to most of humanity, causing them to have to deal with social stigma or outright hatred. Note that many other merits and flaws can be coupled with this one to represent the nature of the character.
*[[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Merits

2011-06-04T04:06:36Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* REFLECT SHOT (**) */

=NEW MERITS=

New Merits for superhuman and heroic characters. These are purchased in the same manner as normal Merits, though they usually have higher prerequisites than the Merits in the corebook.

A number of these Merits refer to "effective" Attributes, usually as prerequisites; this refers to an Attribute's rating after all permanent modificatioins have been factored in, such as a Mega-Attribute. For example, a character with Dexterity 3 and Mega-Dexterity 1 would have an effective Dexterity score of 5.

Some Merits created for other supernatural creatures might be appropriate for superhuman or heroic characters; perhaps a character's advanced technology could be represented by the "Imbued Item" or "Enhanced Item" Merits from ''Mage: the Awakening,'' or a superhuman who enjoys a good reputation among the heroic community could benefit from the "Repute" Merit from ''Promethean: The Created.'' Characters who wish to take Merits from other supernatural games are encouraged to speak with their ST in order to decide whether or not such a purchase would be appropriate.

==GENERAL MERITS==

===Equipment Theme (** to ****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: The character has a substantiated theme running through their gear, and this theme either reinforces their resolve such that it actually manifests in better performance, or the character just knows how to make/choose quality stuff. Most likely they have a Code Name and powers related to the theme, and will almost always have their costume patterned toward their theme (armor ratings are not enhanced by this merit, but other special traits of a costume might be, at ST discression).

Effectively, the equipment has an enhanced equipment bonus when used for its intended purpose by the character with this merit. This bonus is equal to the rating in this merit minus one.
The equipment must have the character’s ‘signature look’. A signature look might include painting the equipment in the colors of the character’s costume and placing their personal insignia on it (batarang, bat-shield, bat-underwear, ect), or almost any other set of descriptors the player can devise (with ST approval). In general, theme equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field.
Individuals may share a theme.

==MENTAL MERITS==

===BODY CONTROL (**)===
PREREQUISITES: None

EFFECT: This Merit duplicates the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Life 2 spell "Body Control" (M:tA, p. 182). This Merit is always active, use the character's Power Level as successes to determine the exact effect; see the spell description for further details.

===MULTI-TASKING (* or **)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligenge 5+ & Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character can can compartmentalize her mind so that she can hold more than one distinct train of thought in her mind simultaneously. For one dot, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Mind 1 spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts" (M:tA, p. 206)and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mind 3 spell "Multi-Tasking" (M:tA, pp. 211-212). This spell does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action. Botth versions of this Merit are always in effect and require no effort from the character to use.

===OMNIVISION (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: Whether by incredibly sharp senses, a sixth sense, or a literal 360 degree field of vision, the character is keenly aware of her surroundings at all times. She suffers no ill effects from being surrounded in combat, and it is impossible to sneak up on her under normal circumstances (though extraordinary circumstances, such as poor lighting or invisibility, may allow the character to be snuck upon as normal). The character must still roll to avoid surprise in the case of ambush or similar situations; this Merit allows the character to perceive normally in every direction at once, but does not grant any special form of perception or precognition.

==PHYSICAL MERITS==

===AQUATIC ADAPTATIONS (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted for life in the water. Both versions of this Merit allow the character to safely drink salt water and to swim at her normal Speed without effort. However, she cannot do the equivilent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivilent of the Strong Lungs Merit (nWoD p. 113), except that this Merit adds +3 to the character's Stamina for purposes of holding her breath. Also, even when in combat, the character can hold her breath for one minute per dot of Stamina (with the +3 bonus included).

For three dots, the character can instead breathe both air and water with equal ease.

===LIGHTNING DODGE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ or effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character's reaction time is so quick that he can literally dodge bullets, or (when combined with Weaponry Dodge or Brawling Dodge) deflect them with a melee weapon or even snatch them out of the air with his bare hands. This character may apply his Defense to firearms attacks. At the Storyteller's discretion, this character's Defense may also apply in other situations where Defense doesn't normally apply.

===NIGHT VISION (*)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has the night vision of a cat or someone wearing light-intensifier googles. As long as there is some light, such as starlight under and open sky or the light coming through the crack under a door, the character can see normally and suffers no penalties for poor vision. In totally lightless conditions, such as being locked in a safe with no light, the character cannot see.

===PERFECT BALANCE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+

EFFECT: The character has absolutely flawless balance; she is able to stand atop flagpoles, sprint along tightropes, and even traverse crowds quickly by running on peoples' heads. The Storyteller should only make this character roll Dexterity + Athletics to keep her balance in the most extreme situations, EG running along a tightrope on a moonless night while carrying someone and being shot at; it can be assumed that the character automatically succeeds at any such rolls under less trying circumstances.

===REFLECT SHOT (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Lightning Dodge, Weaponry Dodge

EFFECT: The character has honed her defensive skill and reaction time to such a degree that she is able to reflect projectiles back at their attacker. In order to use this Merit, the character has to be holding an appropriate melee weapon and has to dedicate her action to dodging. If an opponent makes a ranged attack against this character and scores no successes on the attack roll, the character may make an immediate attack roll against the opponent; the basic dice pool is the character's Dexterity + Weaponry, and she counts as having the same weapon as her attacker, as it is actually this weapon which is rebounding at the attacker.

Insubstantial attacks cannot be redirected in this manor.

===SHOCKWAVE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to ''everything'' within a one-yard radius of the impact point (except the character using Shockwave himself), including other characters, objects, and the ground being struck (which may be a problem if the character is standing on a bridge or riding in a vehicle when he uses this ability). Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the impact point. In addition, any character who takes damage from the shockwave must roll her Strength and score at least as many successes as she took levels of damage, or else she will fall prone. Only characters and objects standing on the ground can be affected in this way; airborne characters and objects are immune to the effects of a shockwave.

===SPECTRUM VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character can see into both the ultra-violet and visual and thermal-infrared spectrums. As a result, even in the total absence of light, the character can still clearly see anything that has a different temperature from its environment, which includes all animals larger than small insects. Outdoors, the character can see as well at night as during the day, and because of the advantages of having a far wider spectrum of vision, the character also gains +1 to all rolls for visual perception.

===TELESCOPIC VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has distance vision equivilent to someone using a moderately good pair of binoculars (x 25 magnification). The character eliminates most penalties for observing events at a distance, and can easily read text on a computer monitor from a distance of up to 100 feet. In addition, when using ranged weapons, the character eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2. This Merit also in no ways impairs the character's close-up or normal vision.

===THUNDERCLAP (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a shockwave of destructive force. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll her Strength as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to all other characters and objects within a one-yard radius of the character. Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the character using Thunderclap.

===UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+ or effective Resolve 4+

EFFECT: The character's pain tolerance is so incredibly high that he can continue to fight after taking injuries that would have dropped lesser creatures. A character who has the three-dot version of this Merit does not have to roll to remain conscious if all his health levels are filled with bashing damage. However, he will still lose consciousness and begin to bleed to death if all his health levels are filled with lethal damage. A character with the five-dot version of Unstoppable does not lose consciousness even when all of his health levels are filled with lethal damage, though he will begin to bleed to death as normal; such a character only stops moving when he dies (IE all his health levels are filled with Aggravated damage).

===WALLCRAWLER (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with the two-dot version of this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds, but she cannot move along such a surface any faster than a slow crawl. A character with the three-dot version of this Merit can move along such surfaces at her normal Speed (including the ability to run along walls and ceilings), whether or not the surface has handholds or would normally be climbable. At the Storyteller's discretion, particularly slippery surfaces or adverse conditions might require the character to make a Strength or Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain her hold.

==SOCIAL MERITS==

===BASE(* to *****; special)===
EFFECT: A Base is a safe, secure location in which a character can train, plan his actions, recuperate from injuries, or simply rest while he's not saving the world. Perhaps there is a cave beneath his house in which he's set up a lair, or he has access to a special penthouse in a skyscraper.
All Bases are not created equal. A warehouse might have sufficient space, but might not have sufficient security to drive away intruders. A hidden basement in the character's house might be hard for others to breach, but might offer barely enough space to hold the character's specialized equipment. Great time and effort is spent in finding appropriate Bases, and their value is represented by two factors: Size and Security. See the "Sanctum" Merit from ''Mage: The Awakening'' or the "Haven" Merit from ''Vampire: The Requiem'' for rules to apply to Bases.

===CIPHER (* to *****)===
EFFECT: The character has made some effort to hide details of his life from public scrutiny; the exact details of this process are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide, but possibilities include tampering with government documents, entering the Witness Protection Program, or simply putting on a mask and costume before heading off on an adventure. Each dot in this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on any attempts to learn personal information the character has worked to keep hidden. It is up to the Storyteller to decide whether the penalty from Cipher should apply in a given situation.

Keep in mind, the existence of this merit doesn't mean that every character who wears a mask or uses other methods of identity-protection '''must''' take this merit. It's simply that having the merit identifies that your defenses are at least somewhat mechanically effective, giving you the benefit listed above. Players are always free to use whatever secrecy measures they can devise, with attempts to breach those measures handled on a case-by-case basis.

===UNLIMITED RESOURCES (*****)===
PREREQUISITES: Resources 5

EFFECT: The character has access to vast wealth: at least $1,000,000 a month in disposable income and millions, billions, or even trillions of dollars in assets. The character might be the beneficiary of a huge trust fund, the heir to a massive hereditary fortune, the owner of a multinational corporation, or some combination of these. For this character, it's not a question of whether or not she can afford any given item, it's a question of how soon she can get it.

Generally, it isn't necessary to quantify exactly how much the character is worth unless the player or Storyteller desires to; in game terms, the character is able to make an effectively unlimited number of Resources 5 purchases per month, and is probably capable of affording purchases beyond the grasp of even a Resources 5 character, such as private spacestations or bleeding-edge energy weapon and powered armor technology.

Note, however, that being richer than God does not equate to being God; even a character with this level of wealth can be held accountable for her actions, and a character who uses her fortune to cause trouble will almost certainly attract the attention of other powerful characters. Furthermore, the Storyteller should reserve the right to restrict the character's use of Unlimited Resources, or even remove the Merit altogether, if the character foolishly squanders her fortune.

=NEW FLAWS=

For all their powers and abilities, superhumans often possess great foibles and weaknesses that serve to temper their strength. The flaws listed below function in the same way as the flaws listed in the World of Darkness core rulebook; IE, any time the flaw comes up during gameplay and significantly hinders the flawed character, that character gains an additional experience point.

==MENTAL FLAWS==

As with standard World of Darkness characters, characters in More Than Human may take permanent derangements as Flaws. Common derangements for heroic characters include narcissism and fixation, while villainous characters might have megalomania, paranoia, or schizophrenia.

==PHYSICAL FLAWS==

===ALLERGY===
The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and takes physical damage if exposed to this allergen. The Storyteller determines what level of damage is taken and how often, based on the character's proximity to the allergen and the purity or intensity of the allergen in question. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it beyond the additional damage taken; for example, a hero weakened from allergen exposure might be unable to pursue a fleeing villain, who later returns to abduct the hero's love interest

==SOCIAL FLAWS==

'''Inhuman'''

The character either has some physical abnormality which makes them appear less then human, and/or they actually are something non-human (alien, robot, ect) but are close enough to both be a viable character and use the same rules. This flaw applies only if the character's nature is in some fashion repugnant to most of humanity, causing them to have to deal with social stigma or outright hatred. Note that many other merits and flaws can be coupled with this one to represent the nature of the character.
*[[MTH:Main_Page|Back to Main]]

MTH:Merits

2011-06-04T04:04:32Z

TheBunniRabbi: /* MENTAL MERITS */

=NEW MERITS=

New Merits for superhuman and heroic characters. These are purchased in the same manner as normal Merits, though they usually have higher prerequisites than the Merits in the corebook.

A number of these Merits refer to "effective" Attributes, usually as prerequisites; this refers to an Attribute's rating after all permanent modificatioins have been factored in, such as a Mega-Attribute. For example, a character with Dexterity 3 and Mega-Dexterity 1 would have an effective Dexterity score of 5.

Some Merits created for other supernatural creatures might be appropriate for superhuman or heroic characters; perhaps a character's advanced technology could be represented by the "Imbued Item" or "Enhanced Item" Merits from ''Mage: the Awakening,'' or a superhuman who enjoys a good reputation among the heroic community could benefit from the "Repute" Merit from ''Promethean: The Created.'' Characters who wish to take Merits from other supernatural games are encouraged to speak with their ST in order to decide whether or not such a purchase would be appropriate.

==GENERAL MERITS==

===Equipment Theme (** to ****)===
Prerequisites: None

EFFECT: The character has a substantiated theme running through their gear, and this theme either reinforces their resolve such that it actually manifests in better performance, or the character just knows how to make/choose quality stuff. Most likely they have a Code Name and powers related to the theme, and will almost always have their costume patterned toward their theme (armor ratings are not enhanced by this merit, but other special traits of a costume might be, at ST discression).

Effectively, the equipment has an enhanced equipment bonus when used for its intended purpose by the character with this merit. This bonus is equal to the rating in this merit minus one.
The equipment must have the character’s ‘signature look’. A signature look might include painting the equipment in the colors of the character’s costume and placing their personal insignia on it (batarang, bat-shield, bat-underwear, ect), or almost any other set of descriptors the player can devise (with ST approval). In general, theme equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field.
Individuals may share a theme.

==MENTAL MERITS==

===BODY CONTROL (**)===
PREREQUISITES: None

EFFECT: This Merit duplicates the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Life 2 spell "Body Control" (M:tA, p. 182). This Merit is always active, use the character's Power Level as successes to determine the exact effect; see the spell description for further details.

===MULTI-TASKING (* or **)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligenge 5+ & Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character can can compartmentalize her mind so that she can hold more than one distinct train of thought in her mind simultaneously. For one dot, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mage: The Awakening Mind 1 spell "One Mind, Two Thoughts" (M:tA, p. 206)and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, the character can duplicate the effects of the Mind 3 spell "Multi-Tasking" (M:tA, pp. 211-212). This spell does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action. Botth versions of this Merit are always in effect and require no effort from the character to use.

===OMNIVISION (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: Whether by incredibly sharp senses, a sixth sense, or a literal 360 degree field of vision, the character is keenly aware of her surroundings at all times. She suffers no ill effects from being surrounded in combat, and it is impossible to sneak up on her under normal circumstances (though extraordinary circumstances, such as poor lighting or invisibility, may allow the character to be snuck upon as normal). The character must still roll to avoid surprise in the case of ambush or similar situations; this Merit allows the character to perceive normally in every direction at once, but does not grant any special form of perception or precognition.

==PHYSICAL MERITS==

===AQUATIC ADAPTATIONS (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted for life in the water. Both versions of this Merit allow the character to safely drink salt water and to swim at her normal Speed without effort. However, she cannot do the equivilent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivilent of the Strong Lungs Merit (nWoD p. 113), except that this Merit adds +3 to the character's Stamina for purposes of holding her breath. Also, even when in combat, the character can hold her breath for one minute per dot of Stamina (with the +3 bonus included).

For three dots, the character can instead breathe both air and water with equal ease.

===LIGHTNING DODGE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ or effective Wits 5+

EFFECT: The character's reaction time is so quick that he can literally dodge bullets, or (when combined with Weaponry Dodge or Brawling Dodge) deflect them with a melee weapon or even snatch them out of the air with his bare hands. This character may apply his Defense to firearms attacks. At the Storyteller's discretion, this character's Defense may also apply in other situations where Defense doesn't normally apply.

===NIGHT VISION (*)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has the night vision of a cat or someone wearing light-intensifier googles. As long as there is some light, such as starlight under and open sky or the light coming through the crack under a door, the character can see normally and suffers no penalties for poor vision. In totally lightless conditions, such as being locked in a safe with no light, the character cannot see.

===PERFECT BALANCE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+

EFFECT: The character has absolutely flawless balance; she is able to stand atop flagpoles, sprint along tightropes, and even traverse crowds quickly by running on peoples' heads. The Storyteller should only make this character roll Dexterity + Athletics to keep her balance in the most extreme situations, EG running along a tightrope on a moonless night while carrying someone and being shot at; it can be assumed that the character automatically succeeds at any such rolls under less trying circumstances.

===REFLECT SHOT (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Lightning Dodge, Weaponry Dodge

EFFECT: The character has honed her defensive skill and reaction time to such a degree that she is able to reflect projectiles back at their attacker. In order to use this Merit, the character has to be holding an appropriate melee weapon and has to dedicate her action to dodging. If an opponent makes a ranged attack against this character and scores no successes on the attack roll, the character may make an immediate attack roll against the opponent; the basic dice pool is the character's Dexterity + Weaponry, and she counts as having the same weapon as her attacker.

===SHOCKWAVE (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to ''everything'' within a one-yard radius of the impact point (except the character using Shockwave himself), including other characters, objects, and the ground being struck (which may be a problem if the character is standing on a bridge or riding in a vehicle when he uses this ability). Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the impact point. In addition, any character who takes damage from the shockwave must roll her Strength and score at least as many successes as she took levels of damage, or else she will fall prone. Only characters and objects standing on the ground can be affected in this way; airborne characters and objects are immune to the effects of a shockwave.

===SPECTRUM VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character can see into both the ultra-violet and visual and thermal-infrared spectrums. As a result, even in the total absence of light, the character can still clearly see anything that has a different temperature from its environment, which includes all animals larger than small insects. Outdoors, the character can see as well at night as during the day, and because of the advantages of having a far wider spectrum of vision, the character also gains +1 to all rolls for visual perception.

===TELESCOPIC VISION (**)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has distance vision equivilent to someone using a moderately good pair of binoculars (x 25 magnification). The character eliminates most penalties for observing events at a distance, and can easily read text on a computer monitor from a distance of up to 100 feet. In addition, when using ranged weapons, the character eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2. This Merit also in no ways impairs the character's close-up or normal vision.

===THUNDERCLAP (***)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+

EFFECT: The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a shockwave of destructive force. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of Willpower and roll her Strength as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to all other characters and objects within a one-yard radius of the character. Characters and objects further than one yard away suffer one less level of damage for every full yard of distance between themselves and the character using Thunderclap.

===UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)===
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 4+ or effective Resolve 4+

EFFECT: The character's pain tolerance is so incredibly high that he can continue to fight after taking injuries that would have dropped lesser creatures. A character who has the three-dot version of this Merit does not have to roll to remain conscious if all his health levels are filled with bashing damage. However, he will still lose consciousness and begin to bleed to death if all his health levels are filled with lethal damage. A character with the five-dot version of Unstoppable does not lose consciousness even when all of his health levels are filled with lethal damage, though he will begin to bleed to death as normal; such a character only stops moving when he dies (IE all his health levels are filled with Aggravated damage).

===WALLCRAWLER (** or ***)===
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with the two-dot version of this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds, but she cannot move along such a surface any faster than a slow crawl. A character with the three-dot version of this Merit can move along such surfaces at her normal Speed (including the ability to run along walls and ceilings), whether or not the surface has handholds or would normally be climbable. At the Storyteller's discretion, particularly slippery surfaces or adverse conditions might require the character to make a Strength or Dexterity + Athletics roll to maintain her hold.

==SOCIAL MERITS==

===BASE(* to *****; special)===
EFFECT: A Base is a safe, secure location in which a character can train, plan his actions, recuperate from injuries, or simply rest while he's not saving the world. Perhaps there is a cave beneath his house in which he's set up a lair, or he has access to a special penthouse in a skyscraper.
All Bases are not created equal. A warehouse might have sufficient space, but might not have sufficient security to drive away intruders. A hidden basement in the character's house might be hard for others to breach, but might offer barely enough space to hold the character's specialized equipment. Great time and effort is spent in finding appropriate Bases, and their value is represented by two factors: Size and Security. See the "Sanctum" Merit from ''Mage: The Awakening'' or the "Haven" Merit from ''Vampire: The Requiem'' for rules to apply to Bases.

===CIPHER (* to *****)===
EFFECT: The character has made some effort to hide details of his life from public scrutiny; the exact details of this process are left up to the player and Storyteller to decide, but possibilities include tampering with government documents, entering the Witness Protection Program, or simply putting on a mask and costume before heading off on an adventure. Each dot in this Merit imposes a -1 penalty on any attempts to learn personal information the character has worked to keep hidden. It is up to the Storyteller to decide whether the penalty from Cipher should apply in a given situation.

Keep in mind, the existence of this merit doesn't mean that every character who wears a mask or uses other methods of identity-protection '''must''' take this merit. It's simply that having the merit identifies that your defenses are at least somewhat mechanically effective, giving you the benefit listed above. Players are always free to use whatever secrecy measures they can devise, with attempts to breach those measures handled on a case-by-case basis.

===UNLIMITED RESOURCES (*****)===
PREREQUISITES: Resources 5

EFFECT: The character has access to vast wealth: at least $1,000,000 a month in disposable income and millions, billions, or even trillions of dollars in assets. The character might be the beneficiary of a huge trust fund, the heir to a massive hereditary fortune, the owner of a multinational corporation, or some combination of these. For this character, it's not a question of whether or not she can afford any given item, it's a question of how soon she can get it.

Generally, it isn't necessary to quantify exactly how much the character is worth unless the player or Storyteller desires to; in game terms, the character is able to make an effectively unlimited number of Resources 5 purchases per month, and is probably capable of affording purchases beyond the grasp of even a Resources 5 character, such as private spacestations or bleeding-edge energy weapon and powered armor technology.

Note, however, that being richer than God does not equate to being God; even a character with this level of wealth can be held accountable for her actions, and a character who uses her fortune to cause trouble will almost certainly attract the attention of other powerful characters. Furthermore, the Storyteller should reserve the right to restrict the character's use of Unlimited Resources, or even remove the Merit altogether, if the character foolishly squanders her fortune.

=NEW FLAWS=

For all their powers and abilities, superhumans often possess great foibles and weaknesses that serve to temper their strength. The flaws listed below function in the same way as the flaws listed in the World of Darkness core rulebook; IE, any time the flaw comes up during gameplay and significantly hinders the flawed character, that character gains an additional experience point.

==MENTAL FLAWS==

As with standard World of Darkness characters, characters in More Than Human may take permanent derangements as Flaws. Common derangements for heroic characters include narcissism and fixation, while villainous characters might have megalomania, paranoia, or schizophrenia.

==PHYSICAL FLAWS==

===ALLERGY===
The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and takes physical damage if exposed to this allergen. The Storyteller determines what level of damage is taken and how often, based on the character's proximity to the allergen and the purity or intensity of the allergen in question. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it beyond the additional damage taken; for example, a hero weakened from allergen exposure might be unable to pursue a fleeing villain, who later returns to abduct the hero's love interest

==SOCIAL FLAWS==

'''Inhuman'''

The character either has some physical abnormality which makes them appear less then human, and/or they actually are something non-human (alien, robot, ect) but are close enough to both be a viable character and use the same rules. This flaw applies only if the character's nature is in some fashion repugnant to most of humanity, causing them to have to deal with social stigma or outright hatred. Note that many other merits and flaws can be coupled with this one to represent the nature of the character.
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