Page 105 - World of Darkness

“Who the hell are you? How’d you get in here?” “Such is the way of capitalism,” he mused. The press
“Kick-off is in five minutes, Hughes. You want to be wouldn’t believe there was synergy to the merger unless the
the star tonight? Then drink up. You want Montgomery to two companies’ duplicated human resources weren’t
get the headlines tomorrow, then call security.” eliminated. Progress had its price.
He once again skimmed the magazine list of the world’s
Hughes considered a moment, then took the vial and downed
it. Salty, thick, warm and powerful — so very powerful. Screw the 500 wealthiest men, and eyed the meager difference between
consequences, he was going to have the game of his life. his fortune at number 20 and that of number 19. Then he
imagined next year’s poll. Progress had its rewards, too.
By taking the drink, Hughes indulges his defining Vice
and regains one point of spent Willpower. By engineering the hostile takeover that costs hundreds
of jobs, all for petty personal gain, Gregor indulges his
Other Names: Covetousness, jealousy, paranoia defining Vice and regains a point of spent Willpower.
Possessed by: Celebrities, executives, politicians
Other Names: Avarice, parsimony
Gluttony Possessed by: CEOs, lawyers, stock brokers
Gluttony is about indulging appetites to the exclu- Lust
sion of everything else. It’s about dedicating oneself to
sensual pleasures or chasing the next high. A glutton makes The Vice of Lust is the sin of uncontrolled desire. A
any sacrifice to feed his insatiable appetite for pleasure, lusty individual is driven by a passion for something (usu-
regardless of the cost to himself or those around him. He ally sex, but it can be a craving for virtually any experi-
might be considered a junky or even a kleptomaniac (he ence or activity) that he acts upon without consideration
steals things he doesn’t need just for the thrill of it). for the needs or feelings of others. A lusty individual uses
Your character regains one spent Willpower point any means at his disposal to indulge his desires, from de-
whenever he indulges in his addiction or appetites at some ception to manipulation to acts of violence.
risk to himself or a loved one. Your character is consumed by a passion for something.
Example: They’d come for his dad. They’d hauled his He regains one Willpower point whenever he satisfies his
ass into the bedroom, brought in the power tools, and then lust or compulsion in a way that victimizes others.
the screaming started. James thought about protesting, but Example: For two weeks, Aaron had been holed up with
what good would it do? He decided to drown it all out, the star witness, “protecting” her. That she was also suspected
instead. He snorted some coke and tipped back the whiskey. as an accomplice in the crime hadn’t stopped Aaron from
Sure, he’d gotten involved with them, and maybe that was a banging her seven ways to Sunday, ever since she’d come on to
mistake, but he told his dad to keep out of it. James took him on the second day. It might have meant compromising the
another drink. The whiskey trailed fire down his throat and witness and his career, but this chick was worth it. Aaron
dulled his senses. They didn’t tolerate people interfering in didn’t care that her last four husbands had died or that the
their business. And so, James took another drink. precinct had labeled her “Black Widow.” The sex just kept
getting better. In fact, he was exhausted for hours afterward. If
By overwhelming his senses with drugs and booze rather he’d stopped to think about it, the blackouts might have worried
than helping his father, James indulges in his defining Vice him, but he didn’t want to think about it.
and regains a point of spent Willpower.
By using his position and influence to get sexual favors, Aaron
Other Names: Addictive personality, conspicuous indulges in his defining Vice and regains a point of spent Willpower.
consumer, epicurean
Possessed by: Celebrities, junkies, thieves Other Names: Lasciviousness, impatience, impetu-
ousness
Greed Possessed by: Movie producers, politicians, rock stars
Like the envious, the greedy are never satisfied with Pride
what they have. They want more — more money, a big-
ger house, more status or influence — no matter that they Pride is the Vice of self-confidence run amok. It is
may already have more than they can possibly handle. the belief that one’s every action is inherently right, even
Everything is taken to excess. To the greedy, there is no when it should be obvious that it is anything but. A pride-
ful person refuses to back down when his decision or repu-
such thing as having too much. If that means snatching
someone else’s hard-earned reward just to feather one’s tation is called into question, even when the evidence is
own nest, well, that’s the way it goes. clear that he is in the wrong. His ego does not accept any
Your character regains one Willpower point when- outcome that suggests fallibility, and he is willing to see
ever he acquires something at the expense of another. others suffer rather than admit that he’s wrong.
Gaining it must come at some potential risk (of assault, Your character regains one Willpower point when-
ever he exerts his own wants (not needs) over others at
arrest or simple loss of peer respect).
Example: Gregor scanned down the list of names. It some potential risk to himself. This is most commonly
read like a small-town telephone book. He signed the cover the desire for adulation, but it could be the desire to make
sheet, ending the employment of several hundred people. others do as he commands.

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Chapter 4- ADVANTAGES