Difference between revisions of "XerExaltedLite/Merits"

Revision as of 19:08, 19 March 2006

Merits

Universal Merits

Universal Merits may be purchased by (nearly) anyone. Many of these are actually faux permanent Charms, in a way, and the costs reflect such.

Appearance:

• You may purchase one and only one of three types of Appearance. Each costs 20 experience points.

1. Horrific: You are a grotesque sight. You can forget making Socialize or Expression rolls where good looks come into play at all, but you may count your Social Attribute as automatic successes on any intimidation roll, or other attempt to horrify or to disgust.
2. Innocuous: Normally, a character's Prowess and Might are somewhat discernable attributes, and a character with an extreme or crippled value in one or more scores can be told apart. Not so the Innocuous, who appear unremarkable until they prove themselves to be otherwise. Even then, unless they physically stick out for some reason, it will be hard to pick them out of a crowd after the fact.
3. Sexy: Your looks are enticing. Your Social Attribute counts for automatic successes when socializing, persuading or performing for those that are attracted to your gender (including 'bedsports'). Some members of your own gender may be jealous, however, and some who are attracted to you might not see you for your other talents.

When wearing little or no clothing, some Storytellers might give Sexy characters additional Resilience equal to their Expression.

• Sidereals may not purchase Innocuous, as they have a superior version.
• Abyssals must purchase either Horrific or Sexy before achieving Essence 4.

Eidetic Recall:

• 6 xp per sense, 20 for all.

The character remembers anything she has experienced with a given sense on a successful Intellect roll, where the Ability in question is appropriate to the scene remembered. This should be considered automatic, except for cases of intense stress, the distant past, or active memory-muddling, which may add to the difficulty. For the purposes of this Merit, Smell and Taste are a single sense.

Favored, Prodigal, or Legendary (Attribute)

• Ten (10) experience for favored, or thirty (30) experience for Prodigal. When combined (40 xp total) the Attribute chosen is considered Legendary.

Favored Attributes may be raised to Permanent Essence + 1 instead of merely to Permanent Essence

Prodigal Attributes may be raised to Permanent Essence * 2 instead of merely to Permanent Essence

Legendary Attributes gain the benefit of both the above effects, allowing the chosen Attribute to be raised to (Permanent Essence + 1)*2

• Celestial Exalted may not purchase these Merits, having a far superior version already.

Internal Compass:

• Available to all, 20 xp

The character may orient herself to any of the five cardinal directions of Creation or the Underworld at any time.

Iron Will:

• 20 experience

You have an unusually sound mind. Your Mentality increases by one step. This stacks with other multiplier adders.

Large:

• 20 experience

You are at least 6 and a half (two meters) tall, and weigh over 330 pounds (150 kg). Your Size increases by one step. This stacks with other multiplier adders, such as Ox Body.

• Alchemicals who purchase this Merit lose its benefits upon gaining Essence 5 (as they become Large normally). They regain the experience spent on this Merit upon the achievement.

Lucky:

• Available to all, 20 xp per rank, maximum of five ranks. 20 to 100 experience.

For each rank of the Lucky Merit purchased, the character gains the ability to re-roll one roll per Scene or Day, whichever is shorter. While this can re-roll botches, forced botches, such as those gained from breaking an Eclipse Oath, are not technically rolls and not rerollable.

Priest:

• Available to all, 20, 40, 60 experience.
• Sidereals are the only High Priests and Priestesses of their respective Maidens, with the benefits of the 60 xp Merit. Zeniths, Midnights, Gibii, and Waxing Moons (as much as they can be considered to 'pray' to their Unshaped Fomorian lords) are also considered the only High Priests of their respective benefactors.

The 20 xp version of this Merit has little in the way of game effects. It represents the character's official ordainment as a religious figure in the cult of a demon, god, or other magical spirit - even a powerful Exalted. The only requirement for worship is that the target have a maximum potential permanent Essence of 5 or higher. The recipient need not be willing, and in many cases, especially for Exalted, isn't. She will hear her priest's prayers on a successful Prayer roll by the Priest (See /Expression for details on difficulty), but whether or how she acts upon them is up to her. Without Animii or Charms to aid her worshippers, the diety can only intervene directly if she is capable of such.

The 40 xp version purchases an active link with the target to be worshipped. A divinity may only have a number of such High Priestesses equal to the square of her Permanent Essence, and no High Priest may have a permanent Essence higher than her own. This allows the divinity to do the following:

• Appear in the supplicant's dreams or waking visions. This effect is usable once per Story per such supplicant. The diety may perform other tasks without penalty while she grants such a vision - it uses her supplicant's mental resources far more than hers.
• She gains a vague awareness as to the health and status of the supplicant. This does not normally function outside of the the Divinity's standard domain (Creation for gods, Malfeas for demons, the Labyrinth for the Malfeans and so on), but certain dieties may have Animii or Charms that can extend their influence.
• Using the latter, she may contact the supplicant up to once per Story. Finally, during such contacts, or when her High Priestess actively prays for such aid, she may provide the following benefits through the link:
  • Restore up to the supplicant's permanent Essence in motes. The diety transfers the motes.
  • Restore one point of a virtue to the supplicant. The diety transfers the Virtue point.
  • Use a Charm of any sort through the supplicant, as if the supplicant was the one weilding it (the Divinity pays all costs).

For an additional 20 experience, the character gains an aura of holiness, or otherwise, about them. If their deity has purchased the Mantle of Divinity Talent, then they gain the effects described by said mantle. Otherwise, this has no effect.

Pure (Virtue)

• 20 experience

You may raise your chosen Virtue up to 6 or (permanent Essence + 1) - whichever is higher, to a maximum of 10 at Essence 9.

Selective Conception:

• Available to most, 1 Experience

With this Merit, a female or male may force or withhold conception after intercourse. In the case of two characters who each have this Merit mating, the female only gets pregnant if both characters desire it (but certainly will).

• UnEnlightened Mountain Folk, being sterile, may not take this Merit.

Special Resistance:

• 5 xp per disease or poison chosen, or 20 xp for a class. 20 xp for Exalted (special, see below)

For the 5-xp version, you are completely immune to one single poison or disease, short of magical effects on the scale of the Great Contagion (but lesser magical poisons or diseases may still be chosen). For 20 xp, choose a class of diseases or poisons as you would a specialty (Contact poisons, STDs, etc). You are immune to all diseases and/or poisons of that type.

• Exalted who purchase this Merit for diseases pay only 20 experience to be completely immune to any disease short of effects on the scale of the Great Contagion.

Mortal Merits

The following Merits are for Mortals and Spirit-Blooded only. The Exalted either already have far superior versions, or similar reason.

Essence Awareness:

• 20 xp

Grants Spirit Blooded and Mortals an Essence Pool. Mortals need Essence Mastery to access their full pool, and only begin with access to their permanent Essence in motes.

Essence Mastery:

• 20 xp. Mortals only, requires Essence Awareness

Mortals require this Merit to unlock their Essence pool. They then have an Essence Pool equal to their Permanent Essence + the sum of their Virtues. Allows Mortals to purchase Essence 2 and 3.

Essence Recovery:

• 20 xp. Mortals only, requires Essence Awareness

Mortals require this Merit to recover Essence like normal Essence wielders do. Otherwise, they only recover one mote per hour of meditation.

God-Body:

• 20, 40, or 60 experience

When purchasing this Merit, the character gains one of three effects, each of which resembles the enhanced healing of the Exalted. With all four purchased, they heal and resist injury exactly as the Exalted do.

• Increased healing rate, as per the Exalted. Also slows bleeding. See /HealthResilience
• Near-immunity to diseases, resistance to poison
• Recovery of maimed or shattered limbs/organs. See /HealthResilience

Longevity:

• 20 experience
• May not be purchased after character creation without damn good reason!

Add 50% to your base lifespan. So, if your lifespan is 120+10*Permanent Essence years, it becomes 180+10*permanent Essence years. See the /Lifespan rules for details.

Magical Attunement:

• 20 xp, requires Essence Awareness

Spirit-Blooded and Mortals without this Merit may not attune to Manses or Artifacts. With this Merit, they may, though they gain no benefit from Magical Material bonuses (and may still not attune the Greater Magical Materials). In addition, their attunement to manses is rather simplistic, and an Exalt or natural Essence-wielder can easily shunt them aside.

Supernaturals

Applies to Spirit-Blooded and more powerful Essence Weilders.

Brigid's Heir / Legacy of Hesiesh:

• 20 xp, only those able to learn Sorcery may apply

This Merit reduces the difficulty of sorcerous and necromantic initiations, and makes spells cost 4 xp less. In exchange, all non-Talent/Excellency/Doom Charms cost double the normal amount of xp to learn.

Call of the Blood:

• 20 xp - Blooded only (Dragon-Blooded may also take this Merit, but half-Caste cannot)

When one of your kin (either a Spirit Blooded such as you, or an entity of the same type as your supernatural parent, including Element if applicable) enters within your permanent Essence * 10 yards, you are immediately aware of the fact, though you cannot determine the direction.

Dynasty of Inheritance:

• 20 experience - Spirit-Blooded only, Dragon-Blooded have a superior version.

The character's children gain an Inheritance Rating normally, rather than halved as with most Spirit-Blooded.

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