Merits and Flaws are special options that a Storyteller may allow their players to take. They are mainly a device meant to help with backstory and to help flesh out a character, but main of them are very useful. At character creation a player may choose as many merits they can afford with 'bonus points' and may only choose a number of flaws that award additional 'bonus points' totaling seven for a total of 22 'bonus points' at character creation.

For every human ability, there are those who have a natural flair for it. Within your character's specific Aptitude, gain 2 dice. A crack driver can perform phenomenal car tricks with ease. This Aptitude functions for one Ability, but it can be taken multiple times for a character who's a natural with, say, science and engineering. Combat Abilities should never have an Ability Aptitude associated with them.

You rely on rationality and observation, separating factual reporting from emotional or hysterical coloration which allows you to see when others are allowing feelings to cloud their thinking. You may or may not be emotional yourself, but you can see clearly when others are clouding the facts with their feelings (one additional die on all related rolls).

You have your head screwed on straight, and a good degree of practical and plain day-to-day wisdom with a tendency to deduce clear courses of action in puzzling situations. Whenever you’re about to do something counter to common sense, the Storyteller may step in and advise you that you’re about to do something that your character would recognize as foolhardy. This is a very useful Merit to give to beginning players unfamiliar with the game.

You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances to focus intently on what's important, the task at hand. Your character is never affected by adverse situational and environmental circumstances that don't actually cause damage. Characters with this Merit are unaffected by any circumstantial penalties that otherwise might affect their dice pools or difficulty ratings (e.g., nearby gunfire, loud noises, strobe lights, overpowering aromas, hanging upside down, distracted, disturbed, pushed, jostled, working in the rain or otherwise inconvenienced.).

It’s almost impossible to make you lose your sense of location and direction. You can tell which way is north, even indoors, with an Alertness or Survival roll at base difficulty; you can also retrace a path you’ve traveled only once with a +1 difficulty Alertness or a standard Survival roll.

Through this nightly exercise of examining your own motives for actions, you have a knack for seeing the underlying and ulterior motives of other's actions. Add two dice to your Perception dice pool when you must take an action against someone with the same Nature as you.

You know a language in addition to your native one. You can take this Merit multiple times, each reflecting a different language.

Your character can perform complex mathematical equations in her head instantly with little error at the speed of a computer. You have a natural affinity with numbers and mental calculations, making you a natural when working with finance, estimating at a glance, computing odds, figuring complex variable equations, and the like. You as a player can use a calculator during play at any time, even when your character is fleeing for her life. All rolls where mental math comes into play are made with at +2 dice to your pool. Another possible use for this Merit is figuring the odds of success or failure of a particular endeavor, assuming you have sufficient data upon which to base your calculations. In appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller for the difficulty of a task you are about to undertake before committing to the effort.

You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using a watch or other mechanical device even after long periods of unconsciousness down to within a few seconds of accuracy.

The ancient Celts called this state the “Battle Fury,” and when it takes over your character, everything is tinted with a red haze as he kills. And kills. And kills some more. Your character feels no pain, and he ignores all wound penalties when berserk. Whenever your character is injured in combat, make a Willpower roll (difficulty the number of wound levels suffered so far that scene). Add two to that difficulty if you have the Short Fuse Flaw. If you fail, your character enters the battle fury, and he may ignore all wound penalties. Unfortunately, he won't know friend from foe, and he will kill until there's nothing left standing. To end the battle fury, you must make a Willpower roll at the same difficulty. Subtract one from the difficulty if the person on the receiving end is your True Love or someone similarly important. Otherwise, everyone just has to run and hide until you come down.

You have a strong personal code of ethics to which you adhere and can often be as much a help as a hindrance. The specifics of this code must be worked out with the Storyteller prior to play, and the character must follow it strictly. This code guides their actions, promotes higher standards and gives a clear ethical path. Characters with this Merit gain two additional dice to all Willpower rolls when acting in accordance, struggling to uphold their code (e. g., defending the helpless) or when attempting to avoid situations that might force them to violate their code. You may choose something already established or create and describe your own list of moral and ethical dos and don’ts to flesh out the code with your Storyteller’s approval. Note that if your character does not uphold the code and ponder its impact on his lifestyle regularly, this Merit may be revoked.

You remember, with perfect detail, things you see and hear. This includes documents, photographs, conversations, etc. Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions (like memorizing a book during a firefight), you must make an Awareness roll to summon enough concentration to absorb what your senses detect.

You have the grit of a true survivor. In a crisis, your deep reserve of determination gets you through. Reduce the difficulty of Willpower rolls by two if struggling against overwhelming odds.

You have a flair for languages. Add three dice to any dice pool involving written or spoken language, and each purchase of the Language Merit gives you two languages instead of just one.

You can read at 4 times the normal rate with no loss in comprehension. While reading make an Intelligence roll each success adds to the reading rate multiplier. So rolling two successes results in a reading rate of 6 times normal.

You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble, danger or disturbance and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. While rest is still required after exertion, sleep is seldom necessary. You are not immune to sleep-causing effects, and you must still rest (no combat and no efforts requiring rolls) after exhausting actions. You are not always perky, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, but you suffer no penalties or ill effects from remaining awake for extended periods. For one point, your character needs less sleep than other humans: They can function quite well on four hours a night. If the Storyteller imposes penalties on other players for sleep deprivation (one- or two-die penalties are suggested), then you are exempt. Needless to say, this Merit allows your character to accomplish a lot more with his daily activities.

For two points, your character sleeps only about two hours per night. This resilience is quite unusual, and it lets your character get a lot more done. It also means that they have the luxury of sleeping while on the run.

For three points, your character is truly sleepless. You may suffer penalties from exhaustion, but you do not need shut-eye. Perhaps your character's brain's sleep center was destroyed in an accident, they have a strong constitution, or a frenetic nature. Regardless, the only time your character sleeps is if he's drugged or beaten unconscious.

You remain calm and collected even in the most trying of circumstances. You receive two extra dice when attempting to resist intimidation.

When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. You have a tremendous ability to resist outside attempts to take over your mind. You receive three extra dice to resist attempts to manipulate your mind, and may spend a Willpower point to shake off direct mental control. This Merit works only against direct mental control, not emotional manipulation or other powers dealing with the emotions. Characters will Willpower scores below 8 cannot take this Merit.

You have a little knowledge about a lot of things. You can draw upon a large pool of skills and knowledge, obtained through your extensive travels, the jobs you've held or just all-around know-how. You automatically have one illusory dot in all Abilities. The difficulty for any rolls using one of these Abilities are raised by 1 (requires a minimum of 2 successes). These abilities may not be used in combat.

This is an illusory level, used only to simulate a wide range of abilities. If you train or spend experience in the Ability, you must pay the point cost for the first level a “second time” before raising the Ability to 2 dots.

You are so sure of your own abilities that when you expend Willpower to gain an automatic success on an endeavor, you have a chance to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower. When you spend Willpower for an automatic success, you do not actually lose it unless the auto-success is the only one garnered in the roll. This Merit may only be used in challenging situations, that is, when the difficulty is two or higher. You may spend Willpower for an automatic success at other times, but if your difficulty is one, the Willpower will be spent regardless of what you roll.

You feel compelled to take certain actions at certain times or under specific circumstances. This psychological quirk sometimes takes a highly ritualized form (constant hand-washing or grooming) or else manifests in trigger situations (compulsive gambling, swearing, talking, stealing). This Flaw not only causes problems for you, but for your team as well. You may spend a Willpower point to avoid your compulsion temporarily. Check with your Storyteller to find out how long you can resist before you must spend another Willpower point or succumb to your compulsion.

When you sleep, it is very difficult for you to awaken. The difficulty of any roll to awaken is increased by two and the character continues to stagger along bleary-eyed and uncomprehending for the rest of the scene (with a further one point penalty on all rolls)..

You have no patience for standing around and waiting. Now is the time for action. Some people are exceptionally patient, and can wait almost indefinitely to achieve their goals. You are not one of these people, and find it very difficult to wait instead of acting now. Make a Willpower roll any time you try to wait rather than act immediately. Failure means you’re off to tackle what’s got to be done, on your own if necessary.

Your character just sucks at one particular Ability. Maybe he can't handle driving worth a damn, or he makes radios burst into flames and emit pink smoke. Pick one Ability in which your character has at least one dot — preferably one that will be important to your character in some fashion. (Your Storyteller will know if you do otherwise, and he has nasty ways to make you pay.) You have 2 fewer dice on all rolls with that Ability.

You have an irrational dislike of a certain thing: an animal, class of person, situation, or object. You gain a +2 difficulty on all dice rolls involving the focus of your intolerance. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what you can choose to have an Intolerance of: some dislikes may be too trivial to count (doughnuts or mechanical pencils).

You have an insatiable libido coupled with an inability to control your desires. Any attempt to seduce you receives 3 extra dice, provided they are attractive to you. You are at +1 Difficulty to resist any such attempts. You can expend a Willpower point or take a cold shower to resist this flaw.

You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours whether due to a natural condition like night terrors, a curse or perhaps a vivid replaying of a terrifying event. Your character has trouble getting enough sleep, and he often wakes up horrified, soaked with sweat and exhausted. Upon awakening, you must make a Willpower roll or lose a die on all actions for that night. A botched Willpower roll indicates that, even when awake, you still believe that you are locked in a nightmare (and Storytellers will be quick to take advantage of this impression). Naturally, you cannot take this Flaw in conjunction with the three-point version of the Light Sleeper Merit!

You can do anything — or so you think. No challenge is too big for you to tackle, regardless of whether you actually have the skill to succeed. Never refuse to attempt something due to being outgunned, outclassed, or outnumbered. If you fail, you will find someone or something else to blame; it couldn’t have been any lack on your part, of course.

You cannot stand to watch others suffer. Whether because of an abundance of empathy and compassion, or simply a weak stomach, you cannot stand to watch others suffer. You must avoid or leave any situation that involves someone in physical or emotional pain, unless you succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8).

You have a particular “signature” and like to “sign” your work. It may be leaving a poem or carving your initials into the scene; you feel compelled to do something to not it was your work. What makes it a flaw is your obsession to leave your mark and the extra risk you take to do it. To avoid leaving your trademark “signature” behind you must spend a Willpower Point.

You must spend a Willpower Point to commit a violent act, although you can defend yourself or others without having to expend Willpower. For 4 points you must spend a Willpower to fight at all. Normally, you use only bashing attacks and must spend a Willpower Point to use a Lethal weapon.

You are unable to remember anything about your past, yourself, or your family, though your past might well come back to haunt you. Your origins and the circumstances behind your amnesia are for the Storyteller to determine, and she is encouraged to make it as interesting as possible.

You are often confused, and you perceive the world to be a very distorted and twisted place. Sometimes, you are simply unable to make sense of things. You need to roleplay this behavior all the time to a small degree, but your confusion becomes especially strong whenever stimuli surround you (such as a number of different people all talking at once or the pounding music of a nightclub.) You can spend Willpower to override the effects of your confusion, but it works only temporarily.

You find mysteries of any sort irresistible. Whether it’s a closed drawer, a whispered conversation, or a mysterious light just beyond the trees, you have to know what is going on at all times. Anytime you are presented with the unknown, make a Wits roll or else you must go investigate. The difficulty varies with the roll involved: (“What is in that storage unit?”) and up to difficulty 5 for intense circumstances (“I wonder what those guards are planning. I’d better go listen in. What could possibly go wrong?”)

Due to circumstances beyond her control, your character is permanently insane. This state may result from a congenital brain disorder, or maybe she saw things she wasn't meant to see that drove her mad. Although you can overcome this insanity temporarily with Willpower, your character might never overcome its grip. Choose or create a Derangement.

You are lost without your group. Their presence not only supports you, it helps define you. When you are not with at least one member of your group your difficulty increases by 2 on any task. You sometimes have trouble making decision without your group to help you, even if you are the leader. In stressful situations, you may need to make a Willpower roll to act on your own.

You just don't believe in yourself. You have two fewer dice in situations where you don't expect to succeed (at the Storyteller's discretion, although he might limit this penalty to one die if you do the brave thing and point out times when this Flaw could affect you). At the Storyteller's option, you may have to make Willpower rolls to do things that require self-confidence, or even to use a Willpower point when other players would not be obliged to do so.

You are fascinated with a particular place, person or behavior and do everything you can to fill this desire. If you are obsessed with a person you spend all your free time stalking them trying to learn all about them. If it is a place you try to spend all your free time there and are very reluctant to leave. If it is a behavior you try to perform that behavior all the time. To avoid expressing your Obsession, for one scene, you must spend a Willpower Point.

You suffer from over stimulation, a common problem in the overcrowded 22nd century. Unless you are in an area of complete calm and relative silence, you’re distracted as you try to filter more sensory input than you can comfortably handle. All tasks attempted under chaotic conditions are at +1 to +3 difficulty, depending on the level of turmoil around you-combat is usually good for a +2 difficulty. You may temporarily focus and ignore this penalty for a number of turns equal to your Wits score by spending a Willpower point. You may not take this Flaw in conjunction with the Merit Concentration.

You have an overwhelming fear of something. Spiders, snakes, crowds, and heights are examples of common phobias. You must make a Willpower roll every time you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of the roll is determined by the Storyteller and based on the circumstances of the encounter. You must make at last three successes in order to approach the object of your fear or deal with the fearful situation. If you fail the roll, you must run away. Your Storyteller must approve your choice of phobia.

You are easily angered. It takes two Willpower points to resist your Vice.

You have a score to settle. Taking revenge on the individual or group responsible is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter them, or have the opportunity to come closer to your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower point.

You forget things: important things like names, phone numbers, and which route to take to the grocery store. You often forget tasks you’ve been assigned, what day or time certain happenings are taking place, or even when you last ate. Although you don’t forget Abilities, in order to remember specific details about anything more significant than your own name, you need to make an Intelligence roll.

Whether from inexperience or some past trauma you tend to “freeze up” in combat. You must roll two initiative dice and take the lower result.

You are driven by a personal goal that compels you in sometimes startling ways. The goal is always unachievable. Few are as consumed by the singular nature of your focus. You must work toward your goal throughout the series (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), and your one-track mind continually gets you into trouble with those who do not share the intensity of your vision. Choose your goal carefully, as it will be the focus of everything your character does.

Certain types of people or situations arouse an uncontrollable and irrational hatred in you, causing you to frenzy whenever you confront the object or objects of your hatred. Furthermore, you actively look for opportunities to wreak destruction on your chosen targets. You should choose your nemesis carefully, since the Flaw can affect your relationships.

You just don’t deal well with physical trauma. All wound penalties are one higher than they would be for a normal individual. You’re down one die as soon as you’re Bruised, and a Crippled result knocks you down five dice on all your rolls. You may not spend Willpower to overcome your wound penalties.

You have little resistance to attempts to dominate or intimidate you. You are highly susceptible to intimidation by others; Your difficulties to resist Social abilities such as Intimidation or Command, are increased by two. Your Willpower Trait may never rise above 4.

You feel crippling guilt when you cause any type of harm to another. This leaves you unable to spend Willpower for the duration of the scene and increases the difficulty of all rolls by one.

You managed to make it through a traumatic experience, but not wholly intact. The most insignificant thing can throw you into a different mood or state of mind, and as such your behavior is extremely unpredictable. Because of your precarious emotional state, your Willpower fluctuates. At the beginning of each episode, make a Willpower roll (you may not spend Willpower for an automatic success). If you succeed, you may participate in the story as normal. If you fail, however, your Willpower score is considered to be 1 for the duration of that session, and you only have one Willpower point to spend. You may roll again at the beginning of the next session to see if you regain your Willpower.