Mortals Chapter Two

Ghouls have safe, “usable” access to six of their ten Blood Traits, and suffer a level of damage for each Blood Trait they lose (or use) beyond that. Ghouls may only spend one Blood Trait per turn, to increase Physical Traits, power Disciplines, or heal wounds as vampires do.

Ghouls begin play with only one Discipline, the first power of Celerity, Fortitude, or Potence (usually whichever the domitor has in-clan, but not necessarily). All Disciplines are considered out-of-clan for ghouls, thus teachers must be acquired, and out-of-clan Experience Trait costs must be paid (see Chapter Three of the Vampire Supplement for adjusted out-of-clan Discipline costs). Additional levels of the ghoul’s initial physical Discipline can be bought without a teacher (but the other restrictions still apply). Ghouls whose domitors have in-clan access to special approval Disciplines do not find those powers any easier to learn (Approval must still be acquired, as with all out-of clan Disciplines).

In the Camarilla and Sabbat venues, a ghoul’s current domitor limits the level of Disciplines that she may learn (and use). Normally ghouls may not learn higher than Basic level powers, but ghouls of a domitor that is tenth generation or better may learn and make use of Intermediate Disciplines. Ghouls of a domitor that is eighth generation or better may learn and make use of Advanced Disciplines.

To balance this Merit with the other venue subtype Merits, ghouls who are also Dauntain, Mediums, Psychics, Sorcerers, or Theurgists may not have additional Disciplines. This restriction does not apply to characters outside the Mortal venue or to those with High Approval for permanent cross-venue play.

Kinfolk
If a mortal character’s home venue is Garou, this Merit requires only Low Approval and can be taken at no cost. If a character also takes the Merit Gnosis, Kinfolk does not count against the character’s maximum number of Merit Traits.

The cost of learning a Basic Gift is changed to four Experience Traits, but the kinfolk may only purchase Gifts from her breed and Tribe lists. If the character does not select a Tribe (see Laws of the Wild page 70), she may only purchase breed Gifts.

Kinain
Kinain in the Changeling venue don’t require a Merit to be kinain. They use the character creation rules beginning on page 138 of The Shining Host Players Guide. Kinain in the Changeling venue require only Low Approval.

Kinain in the Mortals venue (or another venue) choose a Heritage from The Shining Host Players Guide (page 142), but otherwise do not use the character creation rules from that book. If a character in the Mortal venue also takes the Merit Faerie Blood, one of these Merits (the lowest level one) does not count against the character’s maximum number of Merit Traits.

Medium
Possession of this Merit is required for all Medium Types (Benandanti, Boardwalk Mediums, Dannati, Orphic Circle, PRW, Shamans, and Specter Cultists), though simply possessing it does not require the character’s type to be ‘Medium’.

Magical Item
This Merit is only available to characters in a home venue whose regular members have access to such item Backgrounds as Artifact, Fetish, or Treasure. The item in question must conform to the rules for the Background appropriate to the character’s home venue, with its level being no higher than the level of this Merit.

Potent Blood
The character’s blood is so powerful that nearby vampires can smell it when they come within ten feet of him. (Double this distance if the character is bleeding, or if the vampire has a heightened sense of smell.) Because the blood can be smelled, hungry vampires may have to check their Self Control to avoid attempting to feed on a character with Potent Blood, and a vampire already in a feeding frenzy will most certainly choose a mortal possessing this Flaw as her first victim.

Revenant [New 7 Trait Merit]
If a mortal character’s home venue is Sabbat, this Merit requires Mid Approval and can be taken at no cost.

Revenants use the standard mortal character creation rules for their Traits, with additional rules taken from Laws of the Night Sabbat Guide (page 168). Revenants who have a Path of Enlightenment use the rules for them presented in Laws of the Night and the Vampire Supplement (including approval requirements based upon venue). Revenants may buy age with Mid Approval, but not more than four Traits. They do not automatically get bonus Path Traits based on age.

Revenants use blood exactly as ghouls, except they may safely spend (or lose) all of their Blood Traits without losing health levels or falling to Mortally Wounded.