MTH:Merits

ALTERED MERITS

The following merits from the WoD corebook are given alternate rules for inclusion in games of MTH.

Fast Reflexes & Fleet of Foot

Mechanically identical, except that the merit can go up to 5 dots.

Giant & Quick Healer

Seeing as the benefits of these merits are handily trumped by various powers in this ruleset, their cost is reduced to 2 dots each.

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 modifications 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.

ENHANCEMENT MERITS

PINASH (** to ***)

EFFECT: The character has a specific means about them which they have an easier time operating in. In effect, they have a specialty which is not tied to a specific die pool. When the specialty applies, add one die to the character's pool for each dot in this merit beyond the first.

{Skill Specialty} Assertion (* or **)

Prerequisites: For the one-dot version; Applicable Skill (***+), Applicable Specialty, & Power Level (***+), For the two-dot version; Applicable Skill (*****+), Applicable Specialty, & Level (*****+)

EFFECT: The player may buy this merit for each skill specialty separately. With the one dot version of this merit the player may add four dice to a roll with the applicable specialty when spending a point of Willpower instead of three. With the second dot in this merit that bonus moves to five dots.

{Skill Specialty} Mastery (* to **)

Prerequisites: For the one-dot version; Applicable Skill (***+), Applicable Specialty, & Power Level (***+), for the two-dot version; Applicable Skill (*****+), Applicable Specialty, & Power Level (******+)

EFFECT: This merit gives the character the 9-again rule with the selected specialty at the one dot level, and the 8-again rule at the two dot level. In both cases these effects do not stack with other effects that give an x-again benefit.

Perfection of {Skill} (* to *****)

Prerequisites: Applicable Skill (dots equal or greater then merit level), & Power Level (twice or greater then merit dots)

EFFECT: This merit costs a willpower point to activate, and lasts a scene. While active, all rolls made for that specific ability add one die to them for each dot in Perfection of (Skill).

Perfection of {Attribute} (* to *****)

Prerequisites: Applicable Attribute (dots twice or greater then merit level) + & Level (dots twice or greater then merit level)

EFFECT: This merit costs a willpower point to activate, and lasts a scene. While active, all rolls made for that specific attribute add one die to them for each dot in Perfection of {Attribute}. The bonuses for Perfection of {Attribute} stack with those of Perfection of {Skill}.

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.

ENHANCED ITEM (* to *****)

Prerequisites: Varies. The ST will most likely veto certain forms of equipment, and will want a background story for others. Players should avoid simplistic enhanced item rationals, like 'It's just a really good gun'. Signature gear should have a tale to tell. Based on the rational provided the ST may require a certain amount of a given merit (such as resources or status).

EFFECT: Magically or technologically improved objects are not uncommon in the world of MTH. Any object which gives an equipment bonus can be enhanced to increase that bonus by one per dot. Likewise, penalties to a normal item can be removed on a one-per dot ratio as well.

EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****)

PREREQUISITES: Resources **+

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 discretion).

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). Themed equipment must be prepared as such. This means themes cannot be applied to items found in the field. Individuals may share a theme.

VIRTUOUS/VILE STYLE (*)

PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character has a special flair and is especially good at capitalizing on the benefits of the superhuman method of stylish execution, when it matches their personality. The player doubles the dice bonus that their character gains for Stylish Execution whenenver the action matches their Virtue or Vice (chosen when the merit is purchased). The bonus for a dodge is applied before doubling defense when the character's Virtue or Vice applies.

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. Likewise, this merit doesn't do anything to stop an enemy from taking action to steal or sabotage the character's supplies.

Players should outline how 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 their 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 benefit of this merit until they can re-stock. Likewise, the thief only benefits from the theft until they eventually 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

ANIMAL / PLANT SPEECH

PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: This merit is identical to the Language merit, except that this merit allows the character to learn animal or plant languages in the same manor as they learn human languages. Animal and plant languages are defined by groups of flora or fauna, so a character wouldn't learn 'housecat', but would instead learn 'feline', allowing them to speak to all cats from toms to tigers.

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.

HYPNOTIC PRESENCE (*** or *****)

PREREQUISITES: Intelligence 3 or Resolve 3

EFFECT: The Character can instantly put someone into a deep and suggestible trance like state. With 3 dots the character can use a small verbal Induction technique that takes a few minutes long, or with 5 dots the character simply has to snap their fingers after a few seconds of talking or eye contact for the target to enter a hypnotic trance. Willpower will stop this skill. Target must roll a wits plus resolve plus composure minus Hypnotic Presence roll to avoid the trance in the first place.

MULTI-TASKING (* or **)

PREREQUISITES: Effective Intelligence 4+ or Wits 4+

EFFECT: The character 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 take completely mental instant actions as reflexive actions and perform two extended-action knowledge tasks at once.

For two dots, if the character takes no physical rolled action in a turn, the character can take any number of mental actions reflexively. This merit does not allow the character to activate two Powers at the same time, since activating powers is not purely a mental action.

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+, or the Strong Lungs merit

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 equivalent of running and double her swimming speed by taking no other actions that turn. In addition, for two dots, the character also receives the equivalent 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).

DEMOLITIONS (* to *****)

PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 4+, or Effective Wits 4+

EFFECT: Through force of personality or natural talent, your character seems particularly inclined toward property damage. When the character would roll to see if they damage and object, subtract the dots in this merit from the object's Durability. Keep in mind that this merit cannot be turned off, and the character may well find that they are damaging things they didn't intend to damage.

FIGHTING STYLE: TANKER (* to *****)

EFFECT:
Armor Training (*): The character gains no defense or speed penalties due to the wearing of armor.
Brace the Way (**): Allies may always claim the bearer of this merit as cover if the bearer wishes. The amount of cover is dependent on the physical arrangement of all concerned, as usual, but the bonus is one higher then it would normally be (so they still need to be close enough to be cover in the first place).
Impact Stance (***): The fighter adds 1/0 to the armor rating of any armor they wear provided they get their natural defense applied at the same time. They also receive their normal defense against ranged weapons at medium range.
Defender’s Will (****): When the character spends WP to boost their defense, the bonus is increased by one.
Adamantine Stance (*****): The character may choose to dodge in such a way as to double their armor rating instead of their natural defense. This “dodge” does not actually require the character to move, it in fact requires the character not to move more than their [size-1 feet] on their following turn.

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.

HUGE (**)

PREREQUISITE: Giant

EFFECT: The character is size 7, with the usual added benefits to health and speed. Note that the Giant merit is slightly altered for balance in games of More Than Human. See the section on altered merits.

LUGGER (**)

PREREQUISITES: Strength (***+), Stamina (***+), or Power Level (4+)

EFFECT: The character gains no penalty for wielding a weapon with a greater strength requirement then the character has.

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.

REFLECTIVE 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 roll his Strength + Brawl as an instant action. Each success on this roll deals one point of bashing damage to everything within a two-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 two yards away suffer one less level of damage for every full two yards 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. Characters may avoid being the effects of shockwave by jumping into the air at the right moment. This is automatic, but is considered a dodge, with the effect of using the character's action for the turn.

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.

STUNT DRIVER'S DURANCE (**)

PREREQUISITES: Stunt Driver

EFFECT: Some individuals, prone to the drama of a heroic protagonist, synergise with their vehicle to the point that they may sometimes manage to hold their ride together by sheer force of will. Spend one Willpower point to activate this merit. For the remainder of the scene, any damage done to the vehicle your character is driving and which wasn't done by an attack or other intentional effect, is delayed. The cosmetic effects of the damage are still in effect. Once the scene ends, all delayed damage takes effect.

TELESCOPIC VISION (**)

PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: 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 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 (****)

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 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. 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.

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 temporarily increase their Resources merit by spending Verve (keep in mind Verve only refreshes during play, not between sessions).

When the character wishes to make a purchase beyond their means they may spend Verve, at a one-to-one ratio, to increase their rating beyond 5 for that specific purchase only. Exactly what is available to be bought is, as always, in the hands of the ST.

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 (and even those who don't) 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 sentient pets, sentient machines, or whatever else the ST feels is appropriate.

{Setting} MAJESTY (**)

EFFECT: The character is adept at retaining their social standing, either through natural bearing and dignity, or through the ability to turn the social tide to their advantage. Characters with this merit treat their Composure as two higher when applied as a defense in a specific social setting. In the same social setting, they treat their Presence as two higher as well. A lawyer might have Court Room Majesty, while a street thug might have Ally Mugging Majesty, or a scholar might have Thesis Review Majesty. This merit can be chosen multiple times for multiple settings.

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.

UNNATURAL

For one reason or another, your character doesn't heal naturally with time. They may be a machine, undead, or simply have a condition, such as leprosy. Weather or not the character can heal at all, and how they do if they can, must be set up with the ST before hand. Remember, the more difficult to achieve, the more often it will yield exp.

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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