MTH:Social Merits

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SOCIAL MERITS[edit]

CODE (free)[edit]

EFFECT: The character has made an internal promise to his- or herself, and adhering to this promise bolsters the character’s spirit.

Mechanically, a Code regains the character a spent point of WP or Verve whenever that character adheres to their Code in a situation where doing otherwise would be beneficial to that character.

The heroic Codes held to by some heroes, such as Batman's refusal to use a gun, are the most commonly recognized type of Codes, but any similar rule an individual holds to sincerely can form a Code. A criminal who always leaves clues to her crimes in the form of riddles is following a Code.

Codes can be complicated or simple, with multiple prohibitions and requirements or just a single one. A Code with more restrictions will come into play more often, yielding more willpower, but will also inhibit the character more. Since the power in a Code comes from the conviction involved with it, paying lip service to a Code will not give any benefit.

Mechanically, a Code is similar to a Vice, except that the character gains Willpower from resistance, not indulgence, and this benefit can be derived more than once a scene.

Breaking a Code causes a degeneration.

God Machine Chronicle rules update: Breaking a code is a Breaking Point.

CIPHER (* to *****)[edit]

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.

God Machine Chronicle rules update note: If defending the character's true, original, identity, players should use the Cipher merit above. If creating new or additional identities (such as for a character who has no normal human identity), use the Alternate Identity merit.

ELITE THESPIAN (*)[edit]

PREREQUISITES: Any of the following: Resources 4+, Effective Wits 4+, Allies related the the theater 2+, Super Speed 2+, Mega Larceny 3+, or Power Level 4+

EFFECTIVE: A character with this merit likes to set the scene. If they know someone is coming into a scene, and they have a little time to set up, they can prepare a ruse with no concern for their material needs. They will automatically be able to find all the needed makeup, props and etc without difficulty.

The character still needs to make the needed Larceny rolls, and coordinate with their allies, they simply never need to answer the questions "Where are you getting the materials for that?" or "How are you going to finish that in time?"

Nothing physically created with this merit effectively lasts.

ENLIVENING PATHOS (****)[edit]

PREREQUISITES: 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 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 universal 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). Likewise, the fame must be associated with something primal, something which speaks very closely to the fundamental nature of humanity or another sentient population of great number. 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. Being on a reality TV show generally won't.

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. 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.

HORRIFIC TRANSFORMATION (***)[edit]

PREREQUISITES: Presence 3+, Intimidation 3+

EFFECT: The character's transformation is frightening to behold. This merit must be linked to a power that changes the character's appearance. When the character activates that power, he may reflexively make an Intimidation roll against each enemy within 5 yards. Such an action generally only works once per scene; he can't change back to normal and try again.

LARGE AND IN CHARGE (*)[edit]

PREREQUISITES: Size 6+, Intimidation 3+

EFFECT: The character's sheer mass lends credence to their threats. When attempting an Intimidation roll, the character gains a bonus equal to the difference between their size and the size of their target. (Since the merit requires a minimum size 6, and the average human is size 5, this means the character will usually get at least a +1 to their roll). This merit never results in a penalty to the Intimidation roll.

SIDE KICK (** to *****)[edit]

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 merit's 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 sentient pets, sentient machines, or whatever else the ST feels is appropriate.

HENCHMEN (** to *****)[edit]

EFFECT: Your character has the loyalty of one or more expendable grunts. Treat this as the Retainer merit, except each dot after the second adds an additional average retainer instead of the normal benefit. Henchmen may be replaced at a rate of one per week.

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

TAUNT (* to ***)[edit]

PREREQUISITES: Manipulation, Persuasion, Expression or Intimidation 3+

EFFECT: The character is able to bait enemies into focusing their attention on him for a moment. If he rolls an appropriate social action (usually Manipulation + Social skill vs target's Composure) and succeeds, the target takes a -1 penalty per dot in Taunt to all actions. Each turn this penalty reduces by one, until it expires at -0. Nothing stops the character from taunting them further.

If the character has an effective Manipulation of 5+, then the penalties for multiple taunts stack.

By spending 1 Willpower or Verve, the character can taunt as a reflexive action once during his turn.

Though it shouldn't really need to be mentioned, targets which cannot understand the target or are simply emotionless cannot be effected by this merit.

God Machine Rules Update note: The 'Taunted' effect counts as a Tilt.

TURN UNDEAD (* or **)[edit]

PREREQUISITE: Status (*+ as some form of clergy, or as some sort of agent of the divine or diabolic).

EFFECT: At one dot, this merit allows the character to make a social roll to terrify undead creatures just like they were trying to intimidate a living human. The character may add their Power Level to that roll. Successfully intimidated creatures temporarily regain their once-powerful sense of self-preservation, and will flee the area for at least a scene. On an exceptional success they will flee the area for at least a day and a night.

While any character may try to intimidate a self-aware undead creature, this merit still yields the benefit of adding one’s Power Level to the roll.

At the two-dot level by brandishing a holy symbol or reading aloud a scriptural or mystical passage, the character can degrade and damage undead creatures through force of personality. This more powerful effect costs one verve or willpower, and takes at least a turn to evoke.

Both levels of the merit can be made more potent by adding additional turns to the evocation. For each turn added the player adds a die to the roll, with the character continuing the liturgy or flourishing the symbol dramatically for that time.

Note: If the Chronicle focusses on undead a great deal, the ST may wish to increase the cost of this merit to 2 or 3 dots. Alternatively, if the ST feels this kind of merit, with it's religious/spiritual overtones, does not fit in their chronicle, they may disallow it entirely.