Merits and Flaws

Embraced without the Cup (1pt. Merit)
For some reason you did not drink the blood of the elders when you were inducted into Clan Tremere. More dangerously, it may have had no effect on you. As a result, you are not bound to the Clan the way most Tremere are. Should it be discovered, it will usually be corrected, but one might almost believe there was some purpose to this lapse, as the Tremere don’t make mistakes. Perhaps the Clan has a special task in mind for you, one where you might be forced to act against the Clan to maintain a cover….

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Secret Society Member (1pt. Merit)
You have found and joined one of the many secret societies in Clan Tremere. Your character must be suitable to join, such as having Necromancy to join the Covenant. You might pick one of the societies listed here or create one of your own. In most cases, your society membership should be kept secret, but your allegiance to it is not considered a crime. While your society expects you to uphold its tenets and agenda, they can also be counted upon to back you up and help you increase your power within the pyramid. 

 

Keys to the Library (1-5pt. Merit)
You have one of the most sought after positions in the chantry: a librarian. It is one of your duties to catalogue and maintain the magical lore kept in your chantry. This means you have complete access to it, and get to decide who can see it and who can’t. A vast array of rituals and Thaumaturgical knowledge resides here, making it simple o learn many of the secrets of magic. No matter how restrictive your chantry, you have complete access to the library for research. The cost of this merit is the same as the chantry’s Library rating (see pp. 221-222).

 

Outside Haven (2pt. Merit)
You maintain your own private haven outside the chantry and Tremere control. Most Tremere are expected to rest in the chantry, where the Clan can keep an eye on them. However, you have been trusted with a little more privacy. This might be because you have already proved your loyalty, or perhaps because they are testing it. 

 

Unmarked Antitribu (2 or 5pt. Merit)
While you are part of the Sabbat and a traitor to House and Clan Tremere, somehow you remain unmarked by the antitribu curse. You are not easily recognized as a renegade Tremere, and the magic that burned so many of your brethren cannot target you. Further, other Sabbat members cannot judge you at a glance. Those of the Telyavelic bloodline can purchase this Merit at 2 points, while other Tremere pay 5 points.

 

Quartermaster (3pt. Merit)
You are one of the Kindred responsible for maintaining and organizing the chantry’s mundane supplies. You may take anything from the chantry’s stores as defined by the chantry’s Stores rating. While you will have to return or replace anything you borrow, you have access the whole range of equipment appropriate to the size of the chantry. This might range from assault weapons and explosives to advanced medical and scientific equipment. 

 

Arcane Curse (1-5pt. Flaw)
Because of either your studies or someone else’s, you suffer from a magical curse. It might be an aversion or allergy, or even a strange magical effect. The level of the flaw depends on how debilitating the curse is. Curing the affliction may be impossible, or require some sort of quest or advanced research. 

Flaw Value       Example Curse
    1 point                  A minor oddity, such as an animal feature or strange eye color
    2 point                 A noticeable problem, such as your magic having a strange taint or                                         pattern that makes it instantly recognizable, or that plants wither                                       in your presence.
    3 point                 Something problematic, such as people sickening in your presence or                                      animals attacking you.
    4 point                Concerning handicap, such as developing another Clan’s weakness.
    5 points              Potentially deadly, such as moonlight being as dangerous to you as                                        sunlight.

 

Cloistered (2pt. Flaw)
You have spent almost all of your undead existence in the halls of the chantry, making Kindred society rather new and confusing for you. You suffer a -2 dice penalty to any social interactions with those outside the Tremere.

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Betrayer’s Mark (3pt. Flaw)
Even though you are loyal to House and Clan Tremere, for some reason you are branded with the mark of the antitribu (see the sidebar on p. 216). It might be that you have returned to the Clan after leaving the Sabbat or that you unwittingly or as part of an undercover operation took part in the Vaulderie. Whatever the reason, the mark makes other Tremere wary of you. You will have to go that extra mile to prove yourself, and few among the Clan will trust you with positions of power and responsibility.

 

Bound to the Clan (3pt. Flaw)
You have done more than just drink from the blood of the elders. Whether as punishment or by choice, you have become fully blood bound to Clan Tremere. You cannot act against the Clan, and find everything you do works in the service of the Tremere. You might not like it, but you can’t help yourself doing it. Of course, now you are bound to the Clan, you cannot be bound to another individual. Many older Tremere have this Flaw, as it has been common in the past to completely blood bind new Tremere.

 

Mage Blood (5pt. Flaw)
Your blood is so tied to magic that you find you are unable to use any Discipline apart from Thaumaturgy (and for Kindred who are not Tremere, it is still paid for at out-of-Clan rates). While no path or ritual is barred to you, you may not gain any dots in any other Discipline. 

 

Thaumaturgically Inept (5pt. Flaw)
Something about you refuses to respond to Thaumaturgy. Magic just doesn’t work for you. You cannot take any ability in the Thaumaturgy Discipline or any of its paths or rituals. For a Tremere this is doubly difficult, as skill in Thaumaturgy is often the key to position within the Clan. While some willingly choose to ignore their thaumaturgical studies and serve in other ways, ineptitude is never excused. Only Tremere can take this Flaw.

 

Combination Disciplines
 

Blood Sight (Auspex ••, Thaumaturgy (Path of Blood) •)
This power allows the user to analyze the potency and type of any blood they touch to a higher level than A Taste for Blood (V20, p. 213). They can determine which supernatural creature it might come from, and the relative potency of the being in question.
System: The user of this power must touch a small sample of the blood they wish to analyze. They then make a Perception + Medicine roll at difficulty 6. If they are successful, they can identify if the blood is human, animal, or supernatural. With two successes, they can also determine the type of supernatural being in question, such as vampire, lupine, mage, etc. If they gain five successes, they can also determine the relative power of the person in question, such as a vampire’s Generation and possibly Clan, or how strong a lupine is. In addition to this, up to one hour for each success, the power user will know if they touch the person the blood came from. This power costs 9 experience points to learn.

 

Chain of Slavery (Auspex ••, Dominate ••)
By looking a target in the eyes, the user of this power can see if a target is under the influence of Dominate, and who controls him or her. They must be able to make eye contact with the target, and if they can, the image of the Dominator forms in their mind. 
System: The user of this power must be able to make eye contact with the target (V20, p. 152). They then make a Perception + Empathy roll, with a difficulty equal to the controller’s Willpower. If successful, they get a glimpse of the target’s controller, which becomes more distinct the more successes they roll. With only one success, the image might only appear male or female. At three successes, it is a blurred but recognizable form, and at five successes, it is clear and distinct. If the target is not Dominated or the power user fails the roll, the result is the same: no image appears. This power costs 12 experience points to learn.

 

Theft of Will (Dominate •••, Thaumaturgy (any path) ••••)
This power allows a vampire to take control of any magical effect nearby, such as a ward or enchantment. Effectively, the power user becomes the caster of the spell for all intents and purposes. This power doesn’t grant the ability to detect magic or recognize it, although the power user need only know the magic is there to take control of it. Some magicians have laid cursed enchantments that lie in wait for someone to try to take control of them without knowing what they are.
System: The user of this power must know there is a magical effect nearby that they wish to take control of (such as with the use of Thaumaturgical Sight, below). The ritual that created the effect must also be one level below the power user’s own Thaumaturgy level. It costs one Willpower point to use this power, and requires a Stamina + Occult roll at a difficulty equal to the original caster’s total Willpower. If the roll is a success, the power user effectively becomes the caster of the spell, although this does not change the duration or strength of the effects. This power also only works on Thaumaturgy effects. The Storyteller may allow it to apply to Necromancy or other mystical powers at her discretion. This power costs 21 experience points to learn.

 

Thaumaturgical Sight (Auspex ••, Thaumaturgy (any path) •)
With this ability, the user can see magical auras. In much the same way as Aura Perception (V20, pp. 135-136), she can see a halo of crimson over any magical items or effects. This sight extends to all Kindred blood magic, although some might show a different color of aura. Generally, the stronger the magic, the brighter the aura will be, but is it hard to gauge the relative power of any magical effect. 
System: This ability is used in much the same way as Aura Perception. The user stares at the item or area in question for a few moments and makes a Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 8). For a single success, the power user can determine that magic is present. If she gets three successes, she can recognize the ritual or path in question, as long as she knows it herself. For five successes, she can recognize any thaumaturgical effect, regardless of whether she has seen it before. If the effect in question is beyond her skill or knowledge, the user will still gain an impression of what it is designed to do. Should the power user also wish to use Aura Perception on the target, she must take a new action to do so. This power costs 6 experience points to learn.