Tweet
Yep. Here's my Beast edition for Homebrew Merits. Expect a lot of the Beast (and Hero stuff) that Arcanist and I are brewing up to appear here in this thread. As always, constructive critique and contributions are appreciated.
BEAST MERITS
Ancient Horror (• to •••••) By Arcanist and Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Beast
Effect: Perhaps your Horror is particularly powerful, or has been around since ancient times and may have incarnated over several generations. Either way, this makes you more powerful than other Children of your standing, and to the dismay of those you direct your Hunger upon. You add your dots in this Merit to your effective Lair rating for the purpose of determining the power of your Atavisms and Nightmares.
Drawbacks: You don't just cause ripples in the Primordial Dream. You create tidal waves. And the strength possessed by your Horror makes it harder for you to sate its Hunger. You add your dots in this Merit to your effective Lair rating for the purpose of losing Satiety, as well as to all attempts made by Heroes to track you.
Dark Walker (o to ooo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Resolve 3
Effect: You are well-versed in traversing both the Primordial Pathways and other supernatural passages, and can open any one of them with ease. For each dot you possess in this Merit, you gain a +1 bonus to Opening Pathways and using Skeleton Key.
Dark Walker (Advanced, oo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Dark Walker
Effect: Your ability over supernatural gateways has grown to the point that it requires less effort for you to open them. When rolling to open a Primordial Pathway or use Skeleton Key, you gain an Exceptional Success at three successes instead of five.
Find a Vein (• to •••••) By Satchel
Prerequisite: Presence or Stamina rating of [Merit dots + 2]
It is in the nature of the Begotten to feast, but the hungers of their kin tend to be more rarefied. A Beast with this Merit can provide for their family with a bit of effort, tapping into currents of stray supernatural energy that lie buried within the Primordial Dream called Veins.
A Beast seeking to draw upon a Vein must first have room in their Lair to add a Chamber and possess the Family Ties Condition with a supernatural being capable of storing the energies they wish to draw forth. Having met these conditions, the Beast must satisfy their Hunger upon one or more similarly resonant supernatural beings with an act whose Satiety potential is 7 or higher in the presence of one or more of their Lair Traits and spend a point of Satiety as though adding a Chamber to the Lair; this confluence of metaphysical appetite is enough to bring forth a Vein of the appropriate supernatural energy in the Lair of the Beast and her brood.
For the rest of the story, a pool of [dots in this Merit + Beast's Occult rating] points of an appropriate supernatural power currency runs through the Lair. This pool refreshes at the same rate as the Beast normally would lose Satiety over time and can be refreshed at will with the expenditure of a dot of Satiety.
This pool can be accessed from any Chamber in the Lair, but for every Burrow between a Chamber and the shortest route to the Beast's Heart, subtract one point from the pool of available power currency, to a minimum of zero; the last crumbs of the Begotten's meal must be scraped together from within the Heart itself. Supernatural beings with the Family Ties Condition tagged to the Beast mitigate this reduction of the pool by [Supernatural Tolerance/3 rounded up] points, though this does not increase the pool's maximum capacity; the bonds of Kinship permit the supernatural energies to flow more readily, but no amount of metaphysical closeness will change the amount of sustenance to be had. Any supernatural being that partakes of the feast subtracts one Door from Social Maneuvering attempts by the Beast to place the Family Ties Condition on them.
Redefining the Burrows in a Lair with a Vein removes the Beast's Occult rating from the pool's maximum size until the next chapter. A Vein counts as a Chamber for the purposes of available slots in a given Beast's Lair, and tapping a Vein counts as adding a Chamber. At the end of the story, the Vein sinks back into the Dark Dream, though the Beast can prevent this from happening for the length of another story with the expenditure of a Willpower dot, which does not count as adding a Chamber to the Lair for the purposes of expanding the Lair but still fills an available Chamber slot.
Invade Dream (ooo or ooooo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Meditative Mind 4
Effect: After performing a successful meditation, you can choose to sate your Hunger by Inflicting Nightmares. The three-dot version lets you target people at random within the radius of your Horror's hunting ground. The five-dot version, however, allows you to focus your Horror's predations on a character of your choice, provided they are within range and in a deep state of consciousness.
Drawback: You still run the risk of drawing the attention of Heroes on a dramatic failure or an exceptional success.
Marrow Feeder (o to ooooo) By mp122984
Effect: You gnaw on your victim's shock, consuming every scrap of fear and anguish. When attempting to feed, reduce your effective current Satiety Level by your dots in this Merit for the purposes of determining whether you roll the Satiety potential as a dice pool.
Drawback: Gnawing the very bones takes energy and raises your Horror's expectations. When making a roll to feed, automatically convert a Failure to a Dramatic Failure.
Mother's Feast (••••) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Beast
Effect: As a Beast further explores his Kinship, he learns to convert the substance of his own energies into a form usable by his lesser cousins. This is done by expending a dot of Satiety while making skin-to-skin contact with the intended recipient. Each dot spent translates to points of supernatural energy (i.e: Essence, Glamour, Mana) equal to his Lair rating. The target must have the Family Ties Condition from the Beast to be elligible for Mother's Feast.
Mortals with Supernatural Merits also benefit from this, regaining Willpower through it. At Storyteller discretion, however, Mother's Feast may instead confer points in a different sort of energy, such as Ephemera for Psychic Vampires, glamour for Fae-Touched, and Essence for certain Wolf-Blooded.
HERO MERITS
Arête (• to •••••) By Arcanist
Prerequisite: Hero
Effect: A paragon amongst ordinary men and women, capable of pushing their abilities beyond the merely human. Choose a Skill when purchasing this Merit, and when using that Skill apply dots in this Merit as a bonus to the roll. This can take a Skill above their normal limitations.
Drawback: Not even Heroes are entirely immune to flaws of personality, and when a Skill is magnified, so are these potentially fatal flaws. When purchasing this Merit, describe an Integrity Breaking Point that relates to the Hero’s Legend and the Skill chosen. Every dot in this Merit levies a -1 penalty to the Breaking Point roll.
Dragon Slayer (• to •••••, Style) By Arcanist and Deionscribe
Prerequisite: Hero
Effect: No matter where they are, no matter who they are, Heroes are the bane of a Beast's existence. Their Gifts can quickly overwhelm even the most resilient of Broods, provided they have enough experience (and a little bit of luck) to weaken them right away. Over the course of their Quests, however, some Heroes become particularly skilled in hunting the Children of the Dark Mother. Most Beasts who come across such individuals seldom walk away alive, much less unscathed.
(•) - Relentless Pursuit: The greatest Heroes were able to pursue even the most elusive of Beasts to the furthest edges of the world. No matter where the Children ran, they seldom stayed hidden for long . The Hero adds his dots in Dragon Slayer to all Heroic Tracking/Stalking Rolls
(••) - Hunter's Fortitude: Once the Hero has laid eyes upon his quarry, he becomes more driven to slay it before it can harm innocents. All rolls made against Beasts the Hero has successfully Tracked or Stalked are Exceptional at three successes
(•••) - Weapon Master: Sometimes, it takes more than one legendary weapon to lay low a Beast. And the seasoned Hero who realizes this truth soon has a potent arsenal at his disposal. He may now possess a number of Chosen Blades up to his dots in this Merit. He must still fulfill the usual prerequisites for each additional purchase of the Gift.
(••••) - Fatal Flaw: After having acquired much experience in slaying the Begotten, the Hero's knack for 'finding' their weaknesses is honed into a fine edge. He may roll Wits + Occult in a Clash of Wills against a Beast with Low or High Satiety. On a success, he may force an Anathema upon him.
(•••••) - Heroic Valor: The greatest Heroes are the stuff of nightmares for lesser Beasts, and have the potential to fight on equal footing against a Beast Incarnate. Attacks against Beasts now gain the rote action quality. If he receives the rote quality from other sources, he benefits instead from the Steadfast Condition.
Note: The Dragon Slayer Merit was taken from a scrapped Hurt Locker concept.
Hallowed Blade (ooo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Chosen Blade
Effect: The Hero has become well-versed in his weapon that it has been further imbued by their connection. A Hallowed Blade increases its damage bonus by 2 instead of 1, removes all Initiative penalties, and benefits from the 9-again quality. If it receives 9-again from another source, it gains 8-again instead. If the Hero possesses multiple Chosen Blades, he may purchase this Merit for each additional weapon.
Heroic Resolve (• to •••••) By Arcanist
Prerequisite: Hero
Effect: The great Heroes of myth and legend are not easily susceptible to the powers of their opponents, able to shrug off the crippling terror that can paralyze mere mortals with relative ease. Apply dots in this Merit as an effective Supernatural Potency Trait for the purposes of resisting various supernatural powers. At Storyteller discretion, this can act as a bonus to certain Supernatural Merits or Heroic Gifts
BEAST MERITS
Ancient Horror (• to •••••) By Arcanist and Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Beast
Effect: Perhaps your Horror is particularly powerful, or has been around since ancient times and may have incarnated over several generations. Either way, this makes you more powerful than other Children of your standing, and to the dismay of those you direct your Hunger upon. You add your dots in this Merit to your effective Lair rating for the purpose of determining the power of your Atavisms and Nightmares.
Drawbacks: You don't just cause ripples in the Primordial Dream. You create tidal waves. And the strength possessed by your Horror makes it harder for you to sate its Hunger. You add your dots in this Merit to your effective Lair rating for the purpose of losing Satiety, as well as to all attempts made by Heroes to track you.
Dark Walker (o to ooo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Resolve 3
Effect: You are well-versed in traversing both the Primordial Pathways and other supernatural passages, and can open any one of them with ease. For each dot you possess in this Merit, you gain a +1 bonus to Opening Pathways and using Skeleton Key.
Dark Walker (Advanced, oo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Dark Walker
Effect: Your ability over supernatural gateways has grown to the point that it requires less effort for you to open them. When rolling to open a Primordial Pathway or use Skeleton Key, you gain an Exceptional Success at three successes instead of five.
Find a Vein (• to •••••) By Satchel
Prerequisite: Presence or Stamina rating of [Merit dots + 2]
It is in the nature of the Begotten to feast, but the hungers of their kin tend to be more rarefied. A Beast with this Merit can provide for their family with a bit of effort, tapping into currents of stray supernatural energy that lie buried within the Primordial Dream called Veins.
A Beast seeking to draw upon a Vein must first have room in their Lair to add a Chamber and possess the Family Ties Condition with a supernatural being capable of storing the energies they wish to draw forth. Having met these conditions, the Beast must satisfy their Hunger upon one or more similarly resonant supernatural beings with an act whose Satiety potential is 7 or higher in the presence of one or more of their Lair Traits and spend a point of Satiety as though adding a Chamber to the Lair; this confluence of metaphysical appetite is enough to bring forth a Vein of the appropriate supernatural energy in the Lair of the Beast and her brood.
For the rest of the story, a pool of [dots in this Merit + Beast's Occult rating] points of an appropriate supernatural power currency runs through the Lair. This pool refreshes at the same rate as the Beast normally would lose Satiety over time and can be refreshed at will with the expenditure of a dot of Satiety.
This pool can be accessed from any Chamber in the Lair, but for every Burrow between a Chamber and the shortest route to the Beast's Heart, subtract one point from the pool of available power currency, to a minimum of zero; the last crumbs of the Begotten's meal must be scraped together from within the Heart itself. Supernatural beings with the Family Ties Condition tagged to the Beast mitigate this reduction of the pool by [Supernatural Tolerance/3 rounded up] points, though this does not increase the pool's maximum capacity; the bonds of Kinship permit the supernatural energies to flow more readily, but no amount of metaphysical closeness will change the amount of sustenance to be had. Any supernatural being that partakes of the feast subtracts one Door from Social Maneuvering attempts by the Beast to place the Family Ties Condition on them.
Redefining the Burrows in a Lair with a Vein removes the Beast's Occult rating from the pool's maximum size until the next chapter. A Vein counts as a Chamber for the purposes of available slots in a given Beast's Lair, and tapping a Vein counts as adding a Chamber. At the end of the story, the Vein sinks back into the Dark Dream, though the Beast can prevent this from happening for the length of another story with the expenditure of a Willpower dot, which does not count as adding a Chamber to the Lair for the purposes of expanding the Lair but still fills an available Chamber slot.
Invade Dream (ooo or ooooo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Meditative Mind 4
Effect: After performing a successful meditation, you can choose to sate your Hunger by Inflicting Nightmares. The three-dot version lets you target people at random within the radius of your Horror's hunting ground. The five-dot version, however, allows you to focus your Horror's predations on a character of your choice, provided they are within range and in a deep state of consciousness.
Drawback: You still run the risk of drawing the attention of Heroes on a dramatic failure or an exceptional success.
Marrow Feeder (o to ooooo) By mp122984
Effect: You gnaw on your victim's shock, consuming every scrap of fear and anguish. When attempting to feed, reduce your effective current Satiety Level by your dots in this Merit for the purposes of determining whether you roll the Satiety potential as a dice pool.
Drawback: Gnawing the very bones takes energy and raises your Horror's expectations. When making a roll to feed, automatically convert a Failure to a Dramatic Failure.
Mother's Feast (••••) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Beast
Effect: As a Beast further explores his Kinship, he learns to convert the substance of his own energies into a form usable by his lesser cousins. This is done by expending a dot of Satiety while making skin-to-skin contact with the intended recipient. Each dot spent translates to points of supernatural energy (i.e: Essence, Glamour, Mana) equal to his Lair rating. The target must have the Family Ties Condition from the Beast to be elligible for Mother's Feast.
Mortals with Supernatural Merits also benefit from this, regaining Willpower through it. At Storyteller discretion, however, Mother's Feast may instead confer points in a different sort of energy, such as Ephemera for Psychic Vampires, glamour for Fae-Touched, and Essence for certain Wolf-Blooded.
HERO MERITS
Arête (• to •••••) By Arcanist
Prerequisite: Hero
Effect: A paragon amongst ordinary men and women, capable of pushing their abilities beyond the merely human. Choose a Skill when purchasing this Merit, and when using that Skill apply dots in this Merit as a bonus to the roll. This can take a Skill above their normal limitations.
Drawback: Not even Heroes are entirely immune to flaws of personality, and when a Skill is magnified, so are these potentially fatal flaws. When purchasing this Merit, describe an Integrity Breaking Point that relates to the Hero’s Legend and the Skill chosen. Every dot in this Merit levies a -1 penalty to the Breaking Point roll.
Dragon Slayer (• to •••••, Style) By Arcanist and Deionscribe
Prerequisite: Hero
Effect: No matter where they are, no matter who they are, Heroes are the bane of a Beast's existence. Their Gifts can quickly overwhelm even the most resilient of Broods, provided they have enough experience (and a little bit of luck) to weaken them right away. Over the course of their Quests, however, some Heroes become particularly skilled in hunting the Children of the Dark Mother. Most Beasts who come across such individuals seldom walk away alive, much less unscathed.
(•) - Relentless Pursuit: The greatest Heroes were able to pursue even the most elusive of Beasts to the furthest edges of the world. No matter where the Children ran, they seldom stayed hidden for long . The Hero adds his dots in Dragon Slayer to all Heroic Tracking/Stalking Rolls
(••) - Hunter's Fortitude: Once the Hero has laid eyes upon his quarry, he becomes more driven to slay it before it can harm innocents. All rolls made against Beasts the Hero has successfully Tracked or Stalked are Exceptional at three successes
(•••) - Weapon Master: Sometimes, it takes more than one legendary weapon to lay low a Beast. And the seasoned Hero who realizes this truth soon has a potent arsenal at his disposal. He may now possess a number of Chosen Blades up to his dots in this Merit. He must still fulfill the usual prerequisites for each additional purchase of the Gift.
(••••) - Fatal Flaw: After having acquired much experience in slaying the Begotten, the Hero's knack for 'finding' their weaknesses is honed into a fine edge. He may roll Wits + Occult in a Clash of Wills against a Beast with Low or High Satiety. On a success, he may force an Anathema upon him.
(•••••) - Heroic Valor: The greatest Heroes are the stuff of nightmares for lesser Beasts, and have the potential to fight on equal footing against a Beast Incarnate. Attacks against Beasts now gain the rote action quality. If he receives the rote quality from other sources, he benefits instead from the Steadfast Condition.
Note: The Dragon Slayer Merit was taken from a scrapped Hurt Locker concept.
Hallowed Blade (ooo) By Deionscribe
Prerequisites: Chosen Blade
Effect: The Hero has become well-versed in his weapon that it has been further imbued by their connection. A Hallowed Blade increases its damage bonus by 2 instead of 1, removes all Initiative penalties, and benefits from the 9-again quality. If it receives 9-again from another source, it gains 8-again instead. If the Hero possesses multiple Chosen Blades, he may purchase this Merit for each additional weapon.
Heroic Resolve (• to •••••) By Arcanist
Prerequisite: Hero
Effect: The great Heroes of myth and legend are not easily susceptible to the powers of their opponents, able to shrug off the crippling terror that can paralyze mere mortals with relative ease. Apply dots in this Merit as an effective Supernatural Potency Trait for the purposes of resisting various supernatural powers. At Storyteller discretion, this can act as a bonus to certain Supernatural Merits or Heroic Gifts
Comment