CrunchyMeritMethodology

Crunchy Merit Methodology

This revamp is intended to use the new, stronger framework for projects, crafts and social influence to attach more crunchy rules to Story Merits.

It seeks to answer the question: what do Story Merits do?

Merit Dice

Story Merits often add bonus Merit dice to appropriate rolls. To use these dice, you must use a stunt that illustrates how the Merit assists you.

It is possible to receive dice from more than one Merit on a single action, but you may not add more than a total of five Merit dice. Merit dice are not considered as coming from Charms.

When using these rules with the Unified Project Methodology, you may not add the Merit dice below to a Project roll. If you want to use a Merit for a Project, make it a Supporting Merit.

Revised Merits

Allies

Allies are no longer repurchased multiple times to reflect different characters.

When you are having difficulty doing something, you may call upon your Allies. You may do this a number of times each story equal to your Allies rating.

When your Allies respond, they will provide the chance to reattempt a task (if it would otherwise be impossible), and add bonus dice equal to your Allies rating to the roll. This will take a form appropriate to your Allies, as determined by the ST – they may intercede directly, provide you with something you can use, or send someone to assist.

Artifact

This merit is unchanged from as described in Third Edition.

Backing

You may add your Backing in Merit dice to:

• Social influence rolls targeting members of the organisation.
• Rolls to accomplish something that the organisation specialises in.

You must add your Backing to the Difficulty of:

• Mundane attempts to conceal yourself from members of the organisation.
• Social influence rolls targeting anyone who has a negative Intimacy toward the organisation.

You may not have more dots in a Backing merit than the Magnitude of the organisation it is with.

Breeding

You may add your Breeding in Merit dice to:

• Rolls to determine whether your child draws Second Breath.
• Rolls to seduce Dragon-Blooded characters.

Second Breath

To determine whether a child will draw Second Breath and become a Dragon-Blooded, roll the Breeding Merit of both of their parents. If at least one dice comes up as a success, they do so. The total number of successes becomes their offspring's Breeding Merit. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, no Charms or effects can assist with (or detract from) this roll.

Command

Command may be purchased multiple times, to represent different forces. You may add your Command in Merit dice to:

• All War rolls.
• Rolls to threaten someone.

You must add your Command to the Difficulty of:

• Attempts to evade detection.
• Attempts to outrun or outmanoeuvre someone, other than via strategy rolls.

In addition, you will need to make sure that they are fed and sheltered. You may leave your troops behind (and often do!), suspending these effects until you are reunited.

You may choose to make your troops cavalry. Having cavalry always allows you to make Mounted strategy rolls, and they do not apply a penalty to outrun or outmanoeuvre people. However, they only provide (Merit-1) dice to appropriate rolls.

Morale

Troops can have their Morale broken with a successful threaten action (or one provided by supernatural fear). For this purpose, they have Resolve equal to their merit rating, and usually have applicable Principles.

If troops have their Morale broken, they provide no benefit to their commander (and cannot be used to allow Command Charms) until the battle is over, or their Morale is restored with a rally action. This is a special persuade action made with Charisma+War, at a difficulty equal to the merit's rating. If successful, the troops return in (merit rating) turns.

Contacts

You may add your Contacts in Merit dice to rolls to:

• Determine the activity or intentions of anyone within the organisation.
• Strategy rolls against a commander who is a member of that organisation.

Cult

This Merit is unchanged from as described in Third Edition.

Demesne

You control a place of power within Creation.

OO: You control a Demesne.

OOO: You control a Demesne upon which a Manse has been built, and have its Hearthstone.

OOOO: You control a Major Demesne.

OOOOO: You control a Major Demesne upon which a Manse has been built, and have its Hearthstone.

You automatically detect any Essence expenditure within your Demesne. You may identify who used it and where (Perception+Occult, Difficulty 3), or the exact nature of the magic used (Difficulty 5).

When you are in a Demesne you control, you may add its rating (2 or 4) in Merit dice to:

• Motes regenerated per hour
• Motes regenerated per turn in combat
• All instantaneous checks

Attempting to confront an Exalt within their Manse or Demesne is a very foolish idea.

When you are in a Demense you are attuned to (but do not control), or you are carrying the Hearthstone for your Manse, you receive the motes/hour bonus but no others.

Demons

This Story Merit can be purchased multiple times, for different demons, but is most typically granted by the use of Sorcery. When you acquire Demons, pick a Speciality that best reflects the nature and capabilities of the Demon.

O: A First Circle demon

OO: A group of identical First Circle demons

OOO: A Second Circle demon

OOOO: A Second Circle demon, and attached demonic host

OOOOO: A Third Circle demon

You may add your Demons in Merit dice to any roll, of any Ability, that matches the Demons' Speciality.

It is highly likely that other people will have Principles that, seeing you in the company of demons, will help them resist your social influence.

You may leave your Demons behind somewhere, suspending these effects until you are reunited.

Familiar

You may add your Familiar in Merit dice to:

• Rolls to actively search an area to locate something or someone within it.
• Rolls to track someone.
• Rolls to forage for food in the wilderness.

You must add your Familiar to the Difficulty of all social influence (other than Threaten) in civilised society.

You may leave a Familiar behind somewhere, suspending these effects until you are reunited.

Followers

Each purchase of Followers are experts in a different Ability: choose between Bureaucracy, Craft (Any), Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Medicine, Occult, Performance, Sail, Socialise, and Survival.

You may add your Followers in Merit dice to any non-instantaneous roll that is made using their expert Ability.

Example: A group of Occultists could help with setting up a ritual. They could not help with aiming a sorcerous spell, as it is an instantaneous check.

You must add your Followers to the Difficulty of:

• Attempts to evade detection.
• Attempts to outrun or outmanoeuvre someone.

In addition, you will need to make sure that they are fed and sheltered. You may leave your Followers behind (and often do!), suspending these effects until you are reunited.

Hearthstone

This Merit has been merged into the Demense Merit.

influence

This Merit has been replaced by the Renown Merit.

Manse

This Merit has been merged into the Demense Merit.

Mentor

When you do not know how to accomplish something, you may call upon your Mentor. You may do this a number of times each story equal to your Mentor rating.

When they respond, they will explain a good way of accomplishing what you want, as determined by the ST. They will not resolve the problem for you.

Mount

This is a new Story merit to reflect the benefits of having a mount to ride on. If a character has a familiar or demon that serves as a mount, both merits should be taken to reflect this. An intelligent mount can be captured, but it cannot be claimed.

O: A functional but unimpressive mount, such as a workhorse.

OO: A capable mount, such as a warhorse.

OOO: An exceptional mount, such as a giant wolf or simhata, or a workable flying mount.

OOOO: A monstrous mount, such as a river dragon or tyrant lizard, or an impressive flying mount.

OOOOO: A monstrous and supernatural mount, such as a Wyld behemoth or very friendly elemental dragon.

You may add your Mount in Merit dice to all Ride rolls. Flying mounts provide only (Mount-2) dice, but also many other benefits.

An aquatic mount provides the same bonus as a land one. Amphibious mounts provide only (Mount-1) dice, but can be used equally on land and sea.

You may leave your mount behind, suspending benefits from it until you are reunited.

Relics

You may add your Relics in Merit dice to rolls to identify any item or effect.

You must add your Relics to the Difficulty of:

• All Athletics checks (they’re heavy!).
• Attempts to evade detection by magical sources.

You may leave your Relics behind in a laboratory or study, suspending these effects while you are not there.

Renown

When you take Renown, you should specify what you are renowned as. You may gain Renown multiple times, with different flavours.

You may add your Renown in Merit dice to rolls to inspire, instil, or threaten people in a way that is directly supported by your reputation.

You must add your Renown to the Difficulty of all attempts to inspire, instil, or threaten people in a way that directly conflicts with your reputation.

Example: Ha Ha Sushi has “Renown (Warlord) OOO”. If they tried to intimidate a guard into letting them into a party, they would receive a bonus from their Renown. If they tried to inspire a sense of camaraderie and good cheer to accomplish the same, they would receive a penalty instead.

Example: Three Word Name has “Renown (Slave Liberator) OOO”. If they tried to intimidate a Guild boss, they would receive a bonus from their Renown. If they tried to intimidate a slave, they would encounter a penalty instead.

Resources

You may add your Resources in Merit dice to:

• All bargain rolls against non-spirit characters.
• All acquisition rolls.

Acquisition Rolls

Acquiring a mundane item is now a [Social Attribute]+[Bureaucracy or Larceny] acquisition roll, with a difficulty equal to the item's Resources rating. The market must be large enough to provide the item, based on its Resources rating:

1. Nomads around a campfire
2. A village
3. A town
4. A city
5. A trade city

If the market is not large enough, a successful roll will instead tell the Exalt where the item can be found. If they journey to that location, they may acquire the item without a further check.

Acquisition rolls may be reattempted once per day.

Retainer

Each Retainer is an expert in a different Ability: choose between Bureaucracy, Craft (Any), Investigation, Larceny, Lore, Medicine, Occult, Performance, Sail, Socialise, and Survival.

Once per session, you may add your Retainer in Merit dice to any non-instantaneous roll that is made using their expert Ability.

Salary

You may add your Salary in Merit dice to all bargain rolls against spirit characters.

Scars

You have suffered great torment and temptation in your travels, and the burden of your decisions weighs heavily on you.

Once per session, you may add your Scars rating to your Resolve score.

Note: This is a new Story Merit, designed to accomplish two things: one, to give an alternative story reward where an Exalt's actions are noble but deeply unpopular; two, to balance the slight boost to social influence provided by Merit dice.

Ship

This is a new Story merit to reflect the benefits of having a ship to call your own, and a crew to run it.

O: A simple trading vessel.

OO: A powerful trading vessel or light warship.

OOO: A powerful warship or a Haslanti skyship.

OOOO: A First Age pleasure vessel, or a skyship enhanced with First Age technology.

OOOOO: A First Age warship or skyship.

You may add your Ship in Merit dice to all Sail rolls. Skyships provide only (Ship-2) dice, and use this rating for Ram maneuvers, but also provide many other benefits.

When you leave your ship in dock, you do not receive benefits from it until you are at sea (or in the sky) once more.