Page 111 - World of Darkness

time and with a little trial and error, he might be able to a number of yards away from the opponent equal to your
qualify what his body tries to tell him. successes rolled.
The specific type of supernatural phenomenon to Disarming is a different activity than specifically at-
which your character is sensitive must be determined when tacking or breaking weapons or items carried by oppo-
this Merit is purchased. It can be something as vague as a nents. See “Equipment” (p. 139) for rules on doing that.
creepy feeling when in the presence of ghosts, or some-
thing as specific as a sudden chill when a vampire is nearby. Fast Reflexes (• or ••)
The Storyteller has final say on the exact nature and trig- Prerequisites: Dexterity •••
ger of your character’s sixth sense, and can keep its nature Effect: +1 Initiative per dot
secret if desired, leaving you to figure it out during play. Your character’s mix of sharp reflexes and steady
Only mortal, mundane characters can possess this nerves helps him get the drop on adversaries.
Merit. The pivotal moment of becoming or being changed
into a being with supernatural capabilities eliminates it. Fighting Finesse (••)
Physical Merits Prerequisite: Dexterity ••• and Weaponry ••
Effect: Your character prefers to fight with a chosen
weapon in a manner that favors agility over power. With
that one weapon (a rapier or katana, for example), you
Ambidextrous (•••) may substitute your character’s Dexterity for Strength
Effect: Your character does not suffer the -2 penalty when making attack rolls.
for using his off-hand in combat or to perform other ac- This Merit may be purchased multiple times to gain
tions. Available at character creation only. agility with more weapons, one for each purchase.

Brawling Dodge (•) Fighting Style: Boxing (• to •••••)
Prerequisite: Strength •• and Brawl • Prerequisites: Strength •••, Stamina •• and Brawl
Effect: Whenever your character performs a dodge ••
(see “Dodge,” p. 156), you can choose to add his Brawl Effect: Your character is trained in the art of boxing,
Skill dots to his Defense instead of doubling his Defense. able to deliver swift, powerful punches, and to duck and
He essentially draws on his training in blocking and evad- weave away from opponents’ attacks. He might have par-
ing attacks rather than relying on his raw ability alone. ticipated in the sport in high school or college, or made a
While this might provide little benefit to a brawling nov- go of it professionally. Or he might have taken some classes
ice, it can give the advanced fighter an edge. at the local health club as a form of exercise.
Brawling Dodge applies against incoming Brawl- and Dots purchased in this Merit allow access to special
Weaponry-based attacks, against thrown-weapon attacks, combat maneuvers. Each maneuver is a prerequisite for
and against Firearms attacks made within close-combat the next. So, your character can’t have “Duck and Weave”
range. Your character can move up to his Speed and per- until he has “Body Blow.” The maneuvers and their ef-
form a Brawling Dodge maneuver in a turn. fects are described below, most of which are based on the
A character can possess both the Brawling Dodge and Brawl Skill.
Weaponry Dodge Merits, but only one can be used per Body Blow (•): Your character can deliver powerful
turn. blows that leave opponents reeling and gasping for air. If
successes inflicted in a single Brawl attack equal or ex-
Direction Sense (•) ceed a target’s Size, the victim loses his next action.
Duck and Weave (••): Your character is trained to
Effect: Your character has an innate sense of direc-
tion that instinctively allows him to remain oriented. He instinctively duck and evade an opponent’s blows. Use
the higher of your character’s Dexterity or Wits to deter-
can enter unfamiliar territory and always retrace his steps
back to his starting point, and can orient himself to any mine his Defense when dealing with Brawl-based attacks
only (not against Weaponry attacks). If a combination of
of the compass points (i.e., face north, face south) with-
out references. Brawl- and Weaponry-based attacks is focused on your
character in the same turn, use his normal Defense against
Disarm (••) both.
Combination Blows (•••): Your character’s train-
Prerequisite: Dexterity ••• and Weaponry •• ing and experience allow him to devastate opponents with
Effect: Your character has refined his Weaponry Skill a flurry of rapid blows. He can make two Brawl attacks
to the extent that he can use a weapon to disarm oppo- against the same target in a single action. The second at-
nents in close combat. When making a normal attack, tack suffers a -1 penalty. Drawback: Your character can-
compare your successes to the opponent’s Dexterity. If you not use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in
get a number of successes equal to or greater than the which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense
opponent’s Dexterity, you can choose to have your char- against attacks that occur earlier in the Initiative roster,
acter disarm him instead of doing damage. A weapon lands

110
Chapter 5- MERITS