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, with similar stacking benefits.

Giant (*+)

As there are a number of particularly large super humans, the Giant Merit works as follows; Each dot adds one to the character's Size and for each dot after the first, the merit decreases the character's defense by one.

If using the God Machine Chronicle rules update this version of the merit still takes precedent over the version listed in the update.

Quick Healer (**)

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

Weaponry Dodge and Brawling Dodge

In More Than Human, these merits are replaced by the merit Skillful Dodge. It functions, essentially, as both merits, and both functions can be used in the same turn. Furthermore, if the character possesses Skillful Dodge they may use it with weapons that do not use the Weaponry skill. When doing so the character substitutes whichever skill is appropriate to the skill. They must have at least one dot in this skill. Thus characters may use thrown weapons to dodge with athletics, or gunshots with Firearms. The merit costs one dot.

God Machine Merits

Players using the God Machine Chronicle rules update should consider the following merits to be valid powers for More Than Human; Aura Reading, Biokinesis, Clairvoyance, and Psychometry.

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

{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) + & Power 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.

If using the God Machine Chronicle rules update, use the Safe Place merit in place of Base.

AIRSHIP (special)

PREREQUISITES: Base, combined Resources 10+ or Unlimited Resources. Characters who share a Base pool their Resources to achieve this minimum.

EFFECT: In defiance of all physics, your Base flies as fast as a typical passenger plane, making travel easier but mostly just looking cool.

The Airship merit costs as many dots as you have in Base. If you improve your Base later, you must improve your Airship at the same time. If for some reason the prerequisites are no longer met, the Airship is grounded.

ENHANCED ITEM (* to *****)

PREREQUISITES: Varies. The ST will most likely veto certain forms of equipment, and will want a background story for most. 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 can be enhanced to increase there equipment bonus by one per dot, or improve their durability by two per dot. Likewise, penalties to a normal item can be removed on a two-per dot ratio as well.

ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATIONS (*+)

PREREQUISITES: Survival equal to the level of the merit, or half that in Mega Survival or Power Level, and a suitable rational.

EFFECT: The character is specially adapted to survive in one environment humans cannot normally survive in. Mechanically, the merit removes any penalties provided by the environment in question. In a more general sense, the character's body is altered in whatever way is needed to survive. Aquatic environments provide gills, high altitude environments require inner ear adjustments and changes to respiration, etc. The specific number of dots in this merit measures the difficulty required to survive. One dot makes the character comfortable where a human could live with difficulty, such as the arctic or a desert. Five allows them to walk around on the moon.

EQUIPMENT THEME (** to ****)

PREREQUISITES: An equal level of Resources or the Gagetteer's Foresight Power. Characters may pool their Resources to achieve this minimum if they share a theme.

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/use 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 unless they are substantially reworked.

Individuals may share a theme.

God Machine Chronicle Rules Update: Treat the Resources requirement above as an Availability rating.

EXANIMAIC OBJECT (*)

PREREQUISITES: A related Code (*), Superhuman Template

EFFECT: Sometimes an object can become so integral to its bearer that to lose it would be a fate worse than death. Other times an individual may dedicate themselves so strongly to a vocation or cause that their soul actually manifests this urge in physical form. Either way, the character’s soul is tied to an object irrevocably. It is, in fact, part of their soul.

The character may place this object within their soul, causing it to physically vanish. With an action, they may then draw this object back into physical reality. If they have the Quick Draw merit, this is reflexive. The object is either indestructible, or can be reformed in the character’s soul, if broken. It resists wear and similar degradation. It can be no greater Size then the character.

A spirit-warrior would likely have this object manifest as a weapon or armor, a musician as an instrument, or a physician as a medical bag. It must always be central to the character’s identity, but need not be something the character has easy access to. Storytellers should veto applications of this merit that simply allow a character to have unlimited access to a potent weapon or object, but exotic items are still reasonable provided they apply in a spiritual sense. For example, it's acceptable for a kid from inner-city Manhattan to manifest a katana, even if he has no knowledge of martial arts or Asian culture, provided that, deep in his heart, he truly feels the path of the Samurai. He will not, however, manifest a suitcase nuke.

The object may also be a Fetish Object and/or an Enhanced Item, if the player pays for them as such.

FAVORED FOE (*)

Prerequisite: One specialty of a matching name.

EFFECT: Some superhumans are fine-tuned to fight a specific sort of enemy. Favored Foe adds one die to all trained skill pools when dealing with enemies fitting a descriptor such as "undead" or "giant", chosen when this merit is first purchased. As always, only the Storyteller can decide whether a Favored Foe is specific enough. The breath of the focus of this merit should be roughly the same as a specialty, but covers multiple Skills.

FETISH OBJECT (*)

EFFECT: Often a religious icon, weapon, heirloom, or all three, a fetish object is of great importance to its bearer or protector. So great is its importance that the character possessing this merit adds two to their effective Resolve when bearing the object or protecting it. The object may also be an Exanimaic Object, if the player pays for them as such.

TRICKED-OUT RIDE (*+)

PREREQUISITES: Equal or better Resources dots, and equal or better total of the following; Backing (Military), Contacts (Black Market), Allies (Military).

EFFECT: The character has procured a specialized and highly modified custom vehicle. The player selects any vehicle found in any of the WoD books (with ST permission). The ST may choose to limit this selection based on what the character they can normally afford with their resources, and the character's background.

Each dot allows the player to add three dots worth of gadgetry to their vehicle. Each of those dots is equal to one dot of resources if the player where using a normal version of the item. For instance, according to Armory, Caltrops cost **, and an Advanced Security System is ****. Installing them in a car would make the car a Tricked-Out Ride (**).

Vehicles can be 'nested' within other vehicles this way. If your car can eject a motorcycle, use the motorcycle's resources in the example above.

Installation is assumed to be free (and possible).

Characters can pool their dots into a single vehicle if they like.

If the character also has the Theme Merit, they may treat the dots in that merit as additional dots in this merit as well. In other words, every dot in Theme adds the equivalent of three dots of resources to this merit. All characters contributing to this merit must possess Theme for this secondary effect to apply, and those effects do not stack. The lowest Theme rating applies.

If the vehicle is destroyed the merit is lost. The character(s) may repurchase the merit, but 'training time' time is still required to build the vehicle. Even characters with Unlimited Resources can't order something like this 'off the shelf'.

VERVE RESERVE (*+)

PREREQUISITES: Equal or better Power Level

EFFECT: The character can use more powers before getting tired. Each dot in Verve Reserve adds 1 to the character's maximum Verve.

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 after 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 lose the benefit of this merit until they can re-stock. Likewise, the thief only benefits from the theft until they empty out the cache.

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 (* to *****)

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.

BERSERKER RAGE (*)

EFFECT: Once per scene the character can enter a trance-like state of frenzied aggression. While in this state they suffer no wound penalties and add half their Power Level, rounded up, to any All-Out Attacks they make (see World of Darkness pg175 for rules on All-Out Attacks). They likewise add their Power Level to their Stamina and Resolve (the Rage is a kind of focus), with the resulting addition of health levels and willpower dots (not points) while in the Berserker state.

The trance lasts for one round per two dots of Power Level, rounded up, and cannot be ended prematurely. While in this state the character must attempt to attack a living (or at least animate) target every round. Alternatively, the character can take actions directly related to attacking, such as drawing a weapon, charging toward an opponent, or pushing a vat of boiling oil toward the end of a ledge under which someone happens to be standing.

If no being the berserker wishes to harm is nearby, they must make a successful Composure roll in order to vent their aggression on an inanimate object instead. Failing this roll requires them to attack whoever or whatever happens to be nearest.

In order to enter the Rage, the character must fail a Composure roll (some berserkers use mind-altering substances in order to intentionally levy penalties to this roll). While the state can only be entered into once a scene, the character can try to provoke the fury once a turn.

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

BIOLUMINESCENCE (*+)

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.

DEMOLITIONS (* to *****)

PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength, Wits or Intelligence 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 (Demolitions + Power Level) 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.

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.

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 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 manor.

SHOCKWAVE (***)

PREREQUISITES: Effective Strength 8+, or Power Level 5+

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.

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.

SUPERVISION (*)

PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: Superhumans often demonstrate enhanced vision abilities. Purchasing this merit gives the character one of the following forms of special vision.

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 eliminates all penalties for medium range and reduces the penalties for attacks at long range to -2.

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 Bolt, and simply have the bolt emanate from the character's eyes.

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.

UNLIVING (*+)

PREREQUISITES: Superhuman

EFFECT: The character is differently alive to say the least. His need to eat, drink and breathe is replaced with an alternate form of sustenance, such as electricity or a magic ritual, which must be acquired regularly. He can survive for (Unliving + Stamina) days without it, and takes 2 bashing damage each (Unliving) days afterward. This damage cannot be reduced in any way or healed until he regains a steady supply of energy. If he dies from lack of sustenance, it may be possible for allies to reactivate him, depending on the nature of his unlife.

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 (*)

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.

Players may include this merit as an Extra for Super Speed. In this case the merit only applies while the character is in motion, though they may still purchase the merit separately and have it function as written should they wish.

SOCIAL MERITS

CODE (free)

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 *****)

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 (*)

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 (****)

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 (*+)

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. If the character activates that power and makes an Intimidation roll in the same turn, he may either add his dots in Horrific Transformation to his pool for the Intimidation roll, or target each enemy within 1 yard per dot in Horrific Transformation with one Intimidation roll. Such an action generally only works once per scene; he can't change back to normal and try again.

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 XP directly.

When the character wishes to make a purchase beyond their means they may spend 5 XP per extra dot, 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.

God Machine Chronicle rules update: If using the rules update, this merit is replaced by the Ascendent Acquisition merit;

Ascendent Acquisition (***)

PREREQUISITES: Superhuman Template, and A total of 7 in Allies, Backing, Status, Resources, Larceny, Politics, Computer, and Power Level

EFFECT: The character has a specific developed ability to acquire what they need. XP may be spent to reach Availability ratings the character cannot normally reach, on a 5 for 1 basis. The amount of XP that can be spent at once is equal to 5 times the rating they have in the Merit or Skill they are using to meet the Availability rating. If more then one Merit or Skill applies the highest one is used for this cap.

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 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 *****)

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.

TURN UNDEAD (**)

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

EFFECT: 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.

Note that 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.

BANISH UNDEAD (**)

PREREQUISITE: Turn Undead (**)

EFFECT: 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. The effect costs one verve or willpower, and takes at least a turn to evoke. Additional turns can add to the die roll as per the rules for aiming, with the character continuing the liturgy or flourishing the symbol dramatically.

Even if the effect is ‘aimed’, it still effects every undead creature within (Power Level x 10) yards. The player rolls Presence + (Intimidation or Expression) + Power Level. Each success deals one level of aggravated damage and some sort of showy sensory effect chosen by the player when the merit is bought (celestial flame, sulfurous stench, notes sung by a heavenly choir, ect). If there are any sentient undead creatures present, they may subtract the highest of their (Composure or Power Level) from the successes rolled from the over-all effect, or from themselves selectively. This means that vampires and other thinking undead can choose to shield their lesser minions or let them burn.

FIGHTING STYLE MERITS

FIGHTING STYLE: ASSASSINATION (* to *****)

PREREQUISITES: Dexterity 3+, Wits 3+, Medicine 2+, Stealth 2+

Sieze The Advantage (*): When using Brawl, Firearms or Weaponry to attack a Defenseless target whose anatomy is familiar to the character, within (Dexterity + Wits) yards, he gains a +1 bonus. Exactly what constitutes familiarity is decided by the Storyteller; attempting to assassinate a robot or a demon may require dots in Science or Occult respectively equal to its Power Level if it is even possible.

Backstab (**): Any attack to which the character's Seize The Advantage applies has the 9-again rule.

Ghost Strike (***): Any attack to which the character's Seize The Advantage applies ignores half the target's Armor (the equipment, not the power), rounded up.

Improved Backstab (****): Any attack to which the character's Seize The Advantage applies has the 8-again rule.

Bloody Mess (*****): At the cost of 1 Willpower or Verve, any attack to which the character's Seize The Advantage applies can be upgraded to lethal damage if it normally deals bashing, or to aggravated if it normally deals lethal.

FIGHTING STYLE: SUPER STRENGTH (* to ***)

PREREQUISITES: Both Mega Strength & Power Level rated equal to the merit or greater.

Wielder (*): If the ST agrees that an object can be lifted and used as a weapon by the character, they may reduce a penalty to wield it by the character's rating in this merit or their Power Level.

Shockwave (**): Such is the character's strength that he can damage nearby opponents and objects by striking the ground or floor they stand upon. In order to use this ability, the character must spend a point of willpower, and roll his effective Strength 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 or floor 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 effective Dexterity 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. Defense applies to this attack, and it can be dodged, in both cases only if the character can jump or otherwise leave the ground. Armor may not be applied.

Thunderclap (***): The character is able to clap her hands hard enough to unleash a wave 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.

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

PREREQUISITES: Stamina 3, Strength 3

EFFECT: Dots in this merit are added to the character's Strength for the purposes of meeting the minimums required to wield a weapon.

Armor To Armored Hide (*): 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.

God Machine Chronicle rules update: Impact stance creates a general armor bonus.

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.

ALLERGY

The character is violently allergic to a specific substance or condition, and begins to physically weaken if exposed to this allergen. On average, the character would take on one -1 penalty to all actions, cumulatively, for each turn of exposure, and does a bashing level. This flaw only provides experience if the character is hindered by it ; 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.

DEPOWERING

There is a certain condition or substance that causes the character to begin to temporarily loose their powers. This can either be instantaneous and last a scene (for example, they loose there powers when they lie), or it can cause their abilities to fade gradually until the issue is resolved (a kryptonian looses one dot from all superpowers pur turn until there is no kryptonite nearby).

PASSENGER

Your character is a host to some other intelligence. It could be an alien symbiote, a demon, a sapient virus, a spirit, or anything else the Storyteller will approve. What matters is the passenger is the source for at least some of the character's powers, it has some control over their use or other aspects of the character's life, and it has an agenda.

The specific nature of the passenger and what it wants is something the ST and the player should come up with together. Whenever the character wishes to act in a way contrary to the desires of their passenger, the passenger can choose to resist, giving a penalty to the action. The penalty starts at the Power Lever of the character, and increases by one for each time the passenger resists in a session.

Should resistance result in a dramatic failure, the passenger will add a permanent point to the penalty they can levy, and take control of the character for an entire scene.

The passenger could conceivably shut down any power it is associated with, thus this could be used as a rational for a weakness for any associated power.

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.

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 rules presented in this system. 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.

As written, this flaw must be obvious or known be an issue. In some settings, such as the Marvel universe, mutants may have enough stigma associated with them to have this flaw. In others, such as the Green Lantern Corp, it may be nearly impossible for this merit to come up.

PERSISTENT CONDITIONS

If using the God Machine Chronicles rules update, replace the Flaws above with the following persistent conditions. They have the same descriptions as the flaws above.

ALLERGY

This Flaw becomes a new Persistent Condition.

Resolution: The character must have their nature fundamentally changed so as to no longer have the extreme allergy.

Beat: The character fails a critical roll due to the wound penalties of the allergen.

DEPOWERING

This Flaw becomes a new Persistent Condition.

Resolution: The character is permanently cured of her vulnerability.

Beat: The character fails a critical roll due to the Depowering, or is unable to make the roll at all in a critical situation.

PASSENGER

This Flaw becomes a new Persistent Condition.

When your character disagrees with their passenger enough for it to become a problem, they take on additional Conditions. A player and ST should work out how this manifests, but potential Conditions include Disabled, Deprived (the Passenger can alter the character's biology, possibly), Mute, Fugue, or Leveraged. When some of these are permanent conditions they are temporary when created by the Passenger. Otherwise persistent conditions end when the Passenger is appeased.

Resolution: Your Passenger is permanently removed.

Beat: As per resolution of the gained Condition.

UNNATURAL

This Flaw becomes a new Persistent Condition.

Resolution: Your character's nature is fundamentally changed or augmented in a radical enough way to make natural healing possible for them.

Beat: Gain a beat when you are wounded, had time to heal, and are still in danger before regaining health.

INHUMAN

If the character keeps their nature secret, use the Embarrassing Secret. If the secret is revealed or not hidden to begin with, use Notoriety.

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