MTH:Physical Merits
Contents
PHYSICAL MERITS[edit]
AGELESS (*)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman
EFFECT: The character does not age and is therefore immune to forced aging. While advanced age would conceivably allow a character to have a variety of merits and built up powers, this is the preview of other stats on the character sheet.
Note: If the character is immortal but is, for one reason or another not immune to unnatural aging they do not need to purchase this merit. The ST may require this merit (or grant it for free) for games that are supposed to take place over a long enough time-frame for aging to matter.
BIOLUMINESCENCE (*+)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman Template
EFFECT: The character is able to emit light. When this power is active, the character can illuminate a radius equal to her Bioluminescence rating in yards; this light is bright enough to see by, but not bright enough to blind anyone who isn’t exceptionally sensitive to light. The character may project a beam of light similar to a flashlight beam or glow from all or any part of her body; this beam has a maximum range of (Power Level + Bioluminescence) x 5 yards.
Bioluminescense is technically a superpower, but is written as a merit so that the experience cost would be more appropriate to the limited utility of the power.
LIGHTNING DODGE (**)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dexterity 5+ and Effective Wits 5+ OR the Super Speed power
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.
PERFECT BALANCE (**)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Effective Dex 5+, Effective Wits 3+
EFFECT: The character's sense of balance is spectacular, and when conditions (such as an Earthquake, shockwave, or gravity blast) would force others to roll to keep on their feet, this character succeeds automatically. When the character is forced to roll to avoid going prone, they double their pool. When the character is forced to automatically go prone (as per certain skill tricks or powers), they are able to reflexively roll Dexterity or Wits - whichever is higher - to resist.
REFLECTIVE SHOT (**)[edit]
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 spend a point of willpower or verve, 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. The reflective attack roll is made at the bottom of the initiative order.
If multiple attacks are valid to be rebounded, the player with this merit uses one die roll to apply to all of them. If more then one weapon is used, the lowest damage rating of any applicable weapon is used.
Insubstantial attacks cannot be redirected in this manner.
STABILITY (** to *****)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Combined Effective Strength, Dexterity, Wits & Stamina 7+
EFFECT: The character is able to anchor herself to the ground. While standing on a firm surface, she may divide any forced movement she is subject to by her dots in Stability and round down.
SUPER SENSES (*+)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman
EFFECT: One or more of the character's senses is enhanced. The player chooses which sense when the merit is purchased. This merit can be bought up to four times (taste and touch can be bought together as one purchase). Rolls that normally focus on the sense in question add a die per dot in this merit.
In addition, sight, hearing and smell become effective to greater distances. Assume the increment of distance the character can apply the sense to is increased by one per merit dot. For example, if current visual conditions allow the character to see a mile, then a character with super sight (***) can see for four miles.
If a player can rationalize how, they may add up to half their merit dots to rolls for other information-gaining actions, such as using Super Scent to tracking attempts or noticing a subject is nervous on an empathy roll by hearing their heartbeat pick up.
SUPERVISION (*)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman
EFFECT: Superhumans often demonstrate enhanced vision abilities. This merit gives the character one of the following forms of special vision, and can be purchased multiple times.
Dark Vision - The character requires little to no light to see.
Spectrum Vision - The character can see the entire visual spectrum of light. This allows the character to see anything which would become visible under a black light (ultraviolet), and recognize temperatures by sight (infrared). Many forms of technology emit wave forms the character might see as well. The player is granted some leeway in creative uses for this power.
Telescopic Vision - The character has distance vision equivalent 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 Is treated as being equipped with a scope.
Microscopic Vision - The character is considered to be equipped with a microscope.
X-Ray Vision - The character can look through substances which aren't sufficiently dense. Typically, this means most walls and clothing. Dense metal or stone structures block the character's vision, such as armor or lead.
Players looking for weaponized vision, like heat ray vision, should try the power Force Strike, and get the Force Shot Power Tree Merit (making the attack ranged), and simply have the shot emanate from the character's eyes.
TINY (* to ***)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman, Dwarf flaw, not Giant
EFFECT: The character is smaller than a person has any right to be. Each dot in this merit reduces the character's Size (including Health) and Speed by 1, to a minimum of 1, and imposes a -1 penalty to non-area attacks made against the character. If the character's Size increases due to powers, the other effects of this merit disappear for the duration.
UNLIVING (* or **)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman
EFFECT: The character is differently alive to say the least.
At the first dot of this merit, his need to eat and drink is replaced with an alternate form of sustenance, such as electricity or a magic ritual, which must be acquired regularly. Without it he suffers from the normal penalties for deprivation. Remember that this is a merit, and so the alternate form of sustenance must be easier to come by then normal food and water.
At two dots the character is immune to normal diseases and toxins.
The Unliving state may be a rational for many other merits, powers, flaws or permanent Conditions. These are covered under their own rules.
UNSTOPPABLE (*** or *****)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Effective Stamina 5+ or Effective Resolve 5+
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 (**)[edit]
PREREQUISITES: Superhuman
EFFECT: The character is able to cling to sheer surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. A character with this Merit can cling to any horizontal or vertical surface without need for handholds and 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.
A character with the Super Speed power may replace one of the bulleted uses of that power with a weaker version of this merit. In this case it only applies while the character is using Super Speed and in motion, though they may still purchase the merit separately and have it function as written should they wish.
