Page 103 - World of Darkness

has its place in the Plan and ultimately serves that Pur- “Run them,” he said. “I don’t care. You can tell your
pose. This Virtue does not necessarily involve belief in a boss he’s through. He has more to lose than I do.”
personified deity. It might involve belief in a Grand Uni- By refusing to budge and pressing on in the wake of
fied Theory whereby the seeming randomness of the uni- scandal, Noel behaves in a way that validates his defining
verse is ultimately an expression of mathematical preci- Virtue and he regains any spent Willpower points.
sion. Or it might be a view that everything is One and
that even evil is indistinguishable from good when all dis- Other Names: Courage, integrity, mettle, stoicism
criminating illusions are overcome. Possessed by: Dictators, fanatic cultists, gumshoes
Your character regains all spent Willpower points when-
ever he is able to forge meaning from chaos and tragedy. Hope
Example: Kevin stood at a precipice. Images flashed Being hopeful means believing that evil and misfortune
through his mind: his wife’s bulging eyes, his son’s mutilated cannot prevail, no matter how grim things become. Not
body, his daughter’s pink pajamas shredded and matted with only do the hopeful believe in the ultimate triumph of mo-
hair and blood. Despair and rage whirled up from the rality and decency over malevolence, they maintain stead-
psychological chasm before him. He had only to take a step fast belief in a greater sense of cosmic justice — whether it’s
into the cold comfort that the world was meaningless, Karma or the idea of an all-knowing, all-seeing God who
random and violent, that there could be no God if such evil waits to punish the wicked. All will turn out right in the
could come to pass. end, and the hopeful mean to be around when it happens.
Your character regains all spent Willpower points
No! He didn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe it.
Something had done this. Something sick and twisted. whenever she refuses to let others give in to despair, even
Something inhuman. Kevin would find it. God give him though doing so risks harming her own goals or wellbeing.
strength, he would find it and stop it. This is similar to Fortitude, above, except that your char-
acter tries to prevent others from losing hope in their goals.
By dedicating himself to finding the meaning of the She need not share those goals herself or even be success-
crime, knowing that there must be a reason for the madness, ful in upholding them, but there must be a risk involved.
Kevin regains any spent Willpower points. Example: The activists’ anger was palpable as Eva
Other Names: Belief, conviction, humility, loyalty entered the room.
Possessed by: Detectives, philosophers, priests, sci- “I know you see me as the enemy — Trent Thorson’s
entists, true believers daughter. The truth is, I may own Thorson Lumber, but I
don’t control it or I’d shut it down. If my uncle has his way,
Fortitude I’ll never have that chance.
A person’s ideals are meaningless unless they’re tested. “I know his lawyers and thugs are pressuring you to
When it seems as though the entire world is arrayed against stop the protest, but you can’t give up. You feel the power of
him because of his beliefs, a person possessing Fortitude that forest. There’s something there, something bigger than
weathers the storm and emerges with his convictions in- any of us that needs to be protected.
tact. Fortitude is about standing up for one’s beliefs and
holding the course no matter how tempting it may be to “All I came here to say is don’t lose hope. I’ll feed you what
relent or give up. By staying the course — regardless of information I can from the inside to keep you one step ahead of
the cost — he proves the worth of his ideals. them. If you give up now, there’ll be nothing left to save.”
Your character regains all spent Willpower points By supporting the activists at her own personal expense
whenever he withstands overwhelming or tempting pres- and risk, Eva regains any spent Willpower.
sure to alter his goals. This does not include temporary Other Names: Dreamer, optimist, utopian
distractions from his course of action, only pressure that Possessed by: Anti-globalization activists, entrepre-
might cause him to abandon or change his goals altogether. neurs, martyrs, visionaries
Example: Noel was absorbed in reading the newspaper
when the stranger walked in. The town was opening its eyes Justice
to the corruption; his campaign to oust the criminal who
called himself ‘mayor’ was working. Wrongs cannot go unpunished. This is the central tenet of
the just, who believe that protecting the innocent and con-
The stranger dropped some photos on the desk, breaking fronting inequity is the responsibility of every decent person,
Noel’s concentration. They were of Noel 15 years before. even in the face of great personal danger. The just believe that
The alcoholic years.
evil cannot prosper so long as one good person strives to do
“I suggest you drop your high and mighty crusade unless what is right, regardless of the consequences.
you want these on the front page.” Your character regains all spent Willpower points
whenever he does the right thing at risk of personal loss
Noel instantly recognized that his political career hung
in the balance. Was this how it started? Was this how they or setback. The “right thing” can be defined by the letter
got their hooks into you? or spirit of a particular code of conduct, whether it be the
United States penal code or a biblical Commandment.

102
Chapter 4- ADVANTAGES