Contents
- 1 Mental Merits
- 2 Physical Merits
- 2.1 Ambidextrous (•••)
- 2.2 Automotive Genius (•)
- 2.3 Body as Weapon (••)
- 2.4 Choke Hold (••)
- 2.5 Close Quarters Combat (• to •••••)
- 2.6 Crack Driver (•• or •••)
- 2.7 Defensive Combat (•)
- 2.8 Demolisher (• to •••)
- 2.9 Double Jointed (••)
- 2.10 Fighting Finesse (••)
- 2.11 Firefight (• to •••)
- 2.12 Fleet of Foot (• to •••)
- 2.13 Giant (•••)
- 2.14 Grappling (• to •••••)
- 2.15 Greyhound (•)
- 2.16 Hardy (• to •••)
- 2.17 Heavy Weapons (• to •••••)
- 2.18 Improvised Weaponry (• to •••)
- 2.19 Iron Skin (•• or ••••)
- 2.20 Iron Stamina (• to •••)
- 2.21 Light Weapons (• to •••••)
- 2.22 Marksmanship (• to ••••)
- 2.23 Martial Arts (• to •••••)
- 2.24 Parkour (• to ••)
- 2.25 Police Tactics (• to •••)
- 2.26 Quick Draw (•)
- 2.27 Relentless (•)
- 2.28 Seizing the Edge (••)
- 2.29 Shiv (• or ••)
- 2.30 Sleight of Hand (••)
- 2.31 Small-Framed (•)
- 2.32 Street Fighting (• to •••••)
- 2.33 Stunt Driver (• to ••••)
- 2.34 Unarmed Defense (• to •••••)
- 3 Social Merits
- 3.1 Air of Menace (••)
- 3.2 Allies (• to •••••)
- 3.3 Alternate Identity (•, ••, or •••)
- 3.4 Anonymity (• to •••••)
- 3.5 Barfly (•)
- 3.6 Closed Book (• to •••••)
- 3.7 Cohesive Unit (•, ••, or •••)
- 3.8 Contacts (• to •••••)
- 3.9 Defender (•, ••, or •••)
- 3.10 Empath (••)
- 3.11 Fame (• to •••)
- 3.12 Fast-Talking (• to •••••)
- 3.13 Fixer (••)
- 3.14 Hobbyist Clique (••)
- 3.15 Inspiring (•••)
- 3.16 Iron Will (••)
- 3.17 Mentor (• to •••••)
- 3.18 Takes One to Know One (•)
- 3.19 Mystery Cult Initiation (• to •••••)
- 3.20 Peacemaker (•• or •••)
- 3.21 Pusher (•)
- 3.22 Resources (• to •••••)
- 3.23 Retainer (• to •••••)
- 3.24 Safe Place (• to •••••)
- 3.25 Small Unit Tactics (••)
- 3.26 Spin Doctor (•)
- 3.27 Staff (• to •••••)
- 3.28 Status (• to •••••)
- 3.29 Striking Looks (• or ••)
- 3.30 Sympathetic (••)
- 3.31 Table Turner (•)
- 3.32 Taste (•)
- 3.33 True Friend (•••)
- 3.34 Untouchable (•)
- 4 Mage Merits
- 5 Sleepwalker Merits
- 6 Werewolf Merits
- 7 Vampire Merits
Mental Merits
Professional Training (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None See '+help Professional' for HR. |
Effect: | Choose two starting asset skills. • Gain two free contacts. •• 9-again for asset skills. ••• Gain 3rd asset skill, and two specialties in asset skills. •••• Gain a dot in an asset skill. ••••• Spend a willpower to gain rote. Removes defense for the turn. |
Book | 46 CoD |
Tolerance for Biology (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Resolve ••• |
Effect: | Don't roll to avoid vomiting when things are extra gross. |
Book | 46 CoD |
Physical Merits
Ambidextrous (•••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Character generation only. |
Effect: | No negative modifier for using the off-hand |
Book | 47 CoD |
Automotive Genius (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Crafts •••, Drive •, Science • |
Effect: | Triple crafts instead of doubling when determining how many mods a vehicle can handle. Specs add additional +1 mod per spec that applies |
Book | 47 CoD |
Body as Weapon (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Stamina 3, Brawl 2 |
Effect: | Unarmed strikes cause an additional point of Bashing damage on a successful hit. |
Book | 41 HL |
Choke Hold (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Brawl •• |
Effect: | Choke someone out. |
Book | 61 CoD |
Close Quarters Combat (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Wits •••, Athletics ••, Brawl ••• |
Effect: | Various maneuvers for fighting in tight spaces. |
Book | 61 CoD |
Crack Driver (•• or •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Drive ••• |
Effect: | •• Add composure to drive rolls when doing nothing but driving. Any rolls to disable the vehicle take a -driver's composure to the roll. ••• Once per turn take a driving action reflexively |
Book | 47 CoD |
Defensive Combat (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Brawl • OR Weaponry • |
Effect: | Use Brawl or Weaponry to calculate defense instead of athletics. |
Book | 61 CoD |
Demolisher (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Strength ••• or Intelligence ••• |
Effect: | Ignore one point of an object's durability per dot of this merit. |
Book | 47 CoD |
Double Jointed (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Dexterity ••• |
Effect: | Automatically escape bonds and subtract Dexterity from attempts to overpower the character when in a grapple. |
Book | 47 CoD |
Fighting Finesse (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Dexterity •••, a specialty in Weaponry or Brawl. |
Effect: | Use dexterity with specialty instead of strength. |
Book | 61 CoD |
Firefight (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Composure •••, Dexterity •••, Athletics ••, Firearms •• |
Effect: | Different maneuvers for combat shooting. |
Book | 61 CoD |
Fleet of Foot (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Athletics •• |
Effect: | +1 Speed per dot. Pursuers suffer -1 per dot when chasing |
Book | 47 CoD |
Giant (•••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Character generation only. |
Effect: | Size 6 and gains +1 health box. |
Book | 47 CoD |
Grappling (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | See '+news grappling' in-game. |
Effect: | Different ways to restrain. |
Book | 62 CoD/49 HL |
Greyhound (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Athletics •••, Wits •••, Stamina ••• |
Effect: | When in a chase, get an exceptional success on three successes instead of five. |
Book | 48 CoD |
Hardy (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Stamina ••• |
Effect: | Add dots of merit to rolls for resisting disease, poison, loss of consciousness, suffocation, and deprivation. |
Book | 47 CoD |
Heavy Weapons (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Stamina •••, Strength •••, Athltics ••, Weaponry •• |
Effect: | |
Book | 62 CoD |
Improvised Weaponry (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Wits •••, Weaponry • |
Effect: | unknown |
Book | 62 CoD |
Iron Skin (•• or ••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Stamina •••, Martial Arts •• or Street Fighting ••. |
Effect: | |
Book | 63 CoD |
Iron Stamina (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Stamina ••• or Resolve ••• |
Effect: | Counteracts negative modifiers from fatigue and damage. |
Book | 48 CoD |
Light Weapons (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Wits ••• or Fighting Finesse, Dexterity •••, Athletics ••, Weaponry •• |
Effect: | |
Book | 63 CoD |
Marksmanship (• to ••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Composure •••, Resolve •••, Firearms •• |
Effect: | |
Book | 63 CoD |
Martial Arts (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Resolve •••, Dexterity •••, Athletics ••, Brawl •• |
Effect: | See +news martial arts in game. |
Book | 63 CoD |
Parkour (• to ••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Dexterity ••• and Athletics •• |
Effect: | • Ignore environmental penalties up to dots in Parkour. Subtract Parkour from successes needed to evade in a foot chase. •• 1 Autosuccess when using Dex+Ath to mitigate falling damage. Add Parkour rating to the number of damage that can be removed this way. Cannot be used on a terminal velocity fall. ••• Without rolling, can run and jump to gain 10 feet+5 feet per dot of athletics as an instant action. •••• Spend a willpower to gain rote on one athletics roll to jump, run, or climb. Lose defense for the turn. ••••• Meditate (per page 75 CoD), Athletics actions become reflexive. Spend a willpower and gain 3 autosuccesses instead of 3 dice. |
Book | 48 CoD |
Police Tactics (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Brawl ••, Weaponry • |
Effect: | |
Book | 64 CoD |
Quick Draw (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Wits •••, Specialty in Weaponry or Firearms |
Effect: | Drawing or holstering a weapon becomes a reflexive action anytime defense applies. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Relentless (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Athletics ••, Stamina •• |
Effect: | Opponent's need two additional successes to catch or evade your character. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Seizing the Edge (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Wits •••, Composure ••• |
Effect: | Always have the Edge in the first turn of a chase (pg 84, CoD). Additionally, the other person must make a Wits+Composure test as if being ambushed, or your pc does not have to count Speed or Initiative when determining the needed successes for the first turn. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Shiv (• or ••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Street Fighting ••, Weaponry • |
Effect: | |
Book | 64 CoD |
Sleight of Hand (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Larceny ••• |
Effect: | Take one instant,larceny based action per turn. Unless someone is specifically looking for it, the action goes unnoticed. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Small-Framed (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Character generation only |
Effect: | Very short. Size 4. -1 Health. +2 to rolls for hiding or going unnoticed. Also applies when being small is an advantage. Drawback: Also may not be taken seriously by people. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Street Fighting (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Stamina •••, Composure •••, Brawl ••, Streetwise •• |
Effect: | |
Book | 65 CoD |
Stunt Driver (• to ••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Dexterity •••, Drive •••, Wits ••• |
Effect: | • Subtract pc's drive skill from opponent's pool when trying to hit or ram the pc's car. •• Double speed gains from 5 mph to 10 mph per success when accelerating. ••• Never make maneuvering checks when turning at high-speed. •••• Ignore damage equal to pc's Wits before applying Durability when intentionally hitting something with a vehicle. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Unarmed Defense (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Dexterity •••, Brawl ••, Defensive Combat (Brawl) |
Effect: | |
Book | 65 CoD |
Social Merits
Air of Menace (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Intimidation 2 |
Effect: | |
Book | 49 HL |
Allies (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Complex system in which you can ask an Ally for a favor, the intensity of the favor determined by how many dots the character has of the Ally. |
Book | 49 CoD |
Alternate Identity (•, ••, or •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | • Basic fake ID, get into bars. Won't withstand inspection. •• Some paperwork has been filed to back up the identity, it will stand up to minor examination. ••• A full identity that will pass a deeper inspection. At • and ••, gain +1 subterfuge to defend it. At •••, gain +2 subterfuge to defend that ID. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Anonymity (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Cannot have Fame |
Effect: | A ghost in the system, the PC uses cash or prepaid or falsified cards to make purchases. Attempts to find them by paper trail are done at -1 per dot of this merit. Drawback: Cannot take the Fame merit. Also may limit some spends of Status if they cannot provide the kind of ID needed. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Barfly (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Socialize •• |
Effect: | Rolls to identify the PC as an outsider at a venue are reduced by the character's socialize skill. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Closed Book (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Manipulation •••, Resolve ••• |
Effect: | Add dots as extra Doors in social maneuvers and to contested rolls to detect true feeling, motives, and position. This can apply to some supernatural powers at the ST's discretion. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Cohesive Unit (•, ••, or •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Presence 3+ |
Effect: | 1-dot: Bonus to teamwork die. 2-dot: A dice pool the team has access to. 3-dot: Limited rerolls for the team. |
Book | 42 HL |
Contacts (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Complex system that interacts with Allies. Each dot represents a sphere/organization your character can get info from. Contacts provide information, but do not do favors. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Defender (•, ••, or •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Grants temp willpower for protect or get revenge for someone they love. |
Book | 42 HL |
Empath (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Empathy 2 |
Effect: | Make a roll to identify mental Conditions a character has. |
Book | 42 HL |
Fame (• to •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Cannot have Anonymity merit |
Effect: | Add +1 die per dot when interacting with someone that is impressed by the PC's celebrity status. Drawbacks: Any rolls to find or identify the character are at +1 die per dot of the merit. Alternate identity may be used to mitigate this. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Fast-Talking (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Manipulation •••, Subterfuge •• |
Effect: | • -1 to an opponent's Resolve or Composure roll when resisting a social interaction. •• Use fancy words to confuse the opponent. Apply one relevant specialty to any social roll made, even if it isn't tied to the skill being used. ••• Keep an opponent from advancing a discussion. Re-roll one failed Subterfuge roll per scene. •••• When your PC opens a Door using conversation (Persuasion, Empathy, Subterfuge, etc), they can spend a point of Willpower to immediately open another Door. ••••• If a mark gains willpower from their Vice while your PC is present, you can roll Manipulation+Subterfuge to open a Door, regardless of the interval or Impression level. |
Book | 50 CoD |
Fixer (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Contacts ••, Wits •• |
Effect: | When hiring a service reduce the Availability rating of the service by 1 dot. |
Book | 51 CoD |
Hobbyist Clique (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Membership in a clique, all members must have the chosen skill at 2+ |
Effect: | When the group's support is available, gain 9-again on rolls involving the chosen skill of the group as well as +2 dice on extended rolls. Drawback: Mandatory monthly meetings or lose the benefits. Logs or it didn't happen. |
Book | 51 CoD |
Inspiring (•••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Presence ••• |
Effect: | Presence+Expression test. -1 for small group, -2 for small crowd, -3 for large crowd. Listeners gain the Inspired Condition. User may not gain the benefit. |
Book | 51 CoD |
Iron Will (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Resolve •••• |
Effect: | When using Willpower for extra dice when resisting or contesting a social interaction, you may use your Resolve for the number of dice, instead of what you normally get. If the roll is contested, gain 8-again on the roll. |
Book | 51 CoD |
Mentor (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Mentors need goals and extract a payment based on the level of the merit. Choose 3 skills, or Resources. Once per day ('session' as per +help Durations), you may ask your Mentor for a favor (often asking a favor of like size/value in return). If a roll is required, they gain automatic successes equal to their dot-rating. |
Book | 51 CoD |
Takes One to Know One (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Removes -2 penalty for dealing with a crime that aligns to your PC's Vice. Instead, gain +2 and 9 again to any investigation rolls when the crime aligns to your Vice. A successful investigation is considered fulfilling his Vice. |
Book | 55 CoD |
Mystery Cult Initiation (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Complicated system with which a Mystery Cult can be built and give bonuses for being part of, at the cost of obligations and favors. |
Book | 51 CoD |
Peacemaker (•• or •••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Wits 3+ and Empathy 3+ |
Effect: | Works with the Doors System to try and avoid fights. 3rd dot allows for attempts to talk Supernaturals out of frenzy or Death Rage. |
Book | 42 HL |
Pusher (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Persuasion •• |
Effect: | Any time someone accepts Soft Leverage, improve your Impression as if you satisfied their Vice as well as moving their impression up on the chart. |
Book | 53 CoD |
Resources (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Adds points to your +resource pool the first of every month. |
Book | 53 CoD |
Retainer (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | A named mook your PC controls. Gets dots-in-dice for generic rolls and two times dots in dice for tasks that fall within their profession. • to •• gets • of a discipline. ••• to •••• gets •• of discipline. ••••• gets ••• of disciplines for ghouled retainers. |
Book | 53 CoD |
Safe Place (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | none |
Effect: | Complex system that allows players to pool dots to make an epic Safe Place |
Book | 54 CoD |
Small Unit Tactics (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Presence ••• |
Effect: | A number of characters equal to presence benefit from +3 of willpower spent on a coordinated maneuver. |
Book | 54 CoD |
Spin Doctor (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Manipulation •••, Subterfuge •• |
Effect: | When dealing with Tainted Clues you don't ignore successes. Instead, apply a -1 per relevant Tainted Clue. Using a Tainted Clue only gives a max -2 penalty, which includes the -1 of ignoring successes. |
Book | 54 CoD |
Staff (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | For every dot, pick a type of assistant and one skill for them. For mundane actions, the staff member gains one auto success for that skill. Does not work for contested rolls. |
Book | 54 CoD |
Status (• to •••••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Each instance of this merit reflects standing with different groups. Apply status dots to social rolls involving someone of the same group. Gain access to group-held facilities and resources, depending on the structure of the group. If you know a character's Mentor, Resources, Retainer, Contacts, or Allies you can block their use. One per chapter (+help Durations) you can stop a single merit from being used if it is of lower dot rating than your Status AND it makes sense for the organization to do so. Drawback: Status takes social maintenance. |
Book | 54 CoD |
Striking Looks (• or ••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | Effect: +1 or +2 to social rolls where the chosen descriptor for your PC might influence someone else. |
Book | 54 CoD |
Sympathetic (••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | At the beginning of Social Maneuvering, accept a Condition such as Leveraged or Swooned to remove two of the target's Doors. |
Book | 55 CoD |
Table Turner (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Composure •••, Manipulation •••, Wits ••• |
Effect: | Spend a Willpower to preempt a character's attempt to Social Maneuver against you with one of your own, or another Social action. |
Book | 55 CoD |
Taste (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Crafts •• and a specialty in crafts or expression |
Effect: | Wits+Skill (Expression, Crafts, etc dependent on the art observed) your PC can pick out obscure details others would not. See book for questions you may ask upon success or you may take a +1 bonus to Social rolls pertaining to groups interested in the art for the duration of the scene. |
Book | 56 CoD |
True Friend (•••)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | None |
Effect: | A True Friend will never betray the player or be killed without permission given to the ST. |
Book | 56 CoD |
Untouchable (•)
Merit Type: | General |
Pre-req: | Manipulation •••, Subterfuge •• |
Effect: | Rolls to investigate the player suffer the Incomplete Clue tag. |
Book | 56 CoD |
Mage Merits
Extension:DynamicPageList (DPL), version 2.3.0 : Warning: No results.
Sleepwalker Merits
Extension:DynamicPageList (DPL), version 2.3.0 : Warning: No results.
Werewolf Merits
Hearing Whispers (••)
Merit Type: | Werewolf |
Pre-req: | Bone Shadow |
Effect: | effect |
Book | WtF 106 |
Vampire Merits
Extension:DynamicPageList (DPL), version 2.3.0 : Warning: No results.