Page 57 - Chronicles of Darkness

of artistry and craftsmanship. Not only does this give her an Aura Reading (•••)
eye for detail, it makes her a center of attention in critical
circles. She can also appraise items within her area of exper- Effect: Your character has the psychic ability to perceive
tise. With a Wits + Skill roll, depending on the creation in auras, the ephemeral halos of energy that surround all liv-
question (Expression for poetry, Crafts for architecture, for ing things. This allows her to perceive a subject’s emotional
example), your character can pick out obscure details about state, and potentially any supernatural nature. The colors of
the item that other, less discerning minds would not. For an aura show a person’s general disposition, and the ebbs,
each success, ask one of the following questions, or take a flows, tone, and other oddities reveal other influences. Note
+1 bonus to any Social rolls pertaining to groups interested that your character may not know what she’s looking at when
in the art assessed for the remainder of the scene. seeing something odd in an aura. For example, she may not
know that a pale aura means she’s seeing a vampire, unless
• What is the hidden meaning in this? she’s confirmed other vampiric auras in the past.
To activate Aura Reading, spend a point of Willpower
• What was the creator feeling during its creation?
and roll Wits + Empathy minus the subject’s Composure.
• What’s its weakest point? Perceiving an aura takes an uninterrupted moment of star-
ing, which could look suspicious even to the unaware. For
• Which other witness is most moved by this piece? every success, ask the subject’s player one of the following
questions. Alternatively, take +1 on Social rolls against the
• How should one best appreciate this piece? character during the same scene, due to the character’s un-
derstanding of their emotional state.
True Friend (•••) • What’s your character’s most prominent emotion?

Effect: Your character has a True Friend. While that
friend may have specific functions covered by other Merits • Is your character telling the truth?
(Allies, Contacts, Retainer, Mentor, et cetera), True Friend • What is your character’s attention most focused on
represents a deeper, truly trusting relationship that cannot right now?
be breached. Unless your character does something egregious
to cause it, her True Friend will not betray her. Additionally, • Is your character going to attack?
the Storyteller cannot kill her True Friend as part of a plot
without your express permission. Any rolls to influence a • What emotion is your character trying most to hide?
True Friend against your character suffer a five-die penalty.
In addition, once per story, your character can regain one • Is your character supernatural or otherwise not
spent Willpower by having a meaningful interaction with human?
her True Friend. Determine how your character perceives auras. Maybe she sees
different hues as different emotions. Perhaps she hears whispers
Untouchable (•) in the back of her mind, reflecting subtle truths about her subject.

Drawback: Because of your character’s sensitivity to the
Prerequisites: Manipulation •••, Subterfuge •• supernatural, she sometimes appears to know ‘a little too
Effect: Your character commits crimes, and is always a much.’ No more than once per chapter, when first meeting
step ahead of pursuers. Because of his methodical planning, a supernatural creature, the Storyteller can roll Wits + Occult
any roll to investigate him suffers the Incomplete Clue tag for the creature, penalized by your character’s Composure.
(see p. 80) unless it achieves exceptional success.
If successful, they get a strange feeling that your character is
Supernatural Merits aware of their nature. They’re not forced to behave in any
particular way, but it could cause complications.
These Merits require the character remain human (non-
supernatural.) If the character becomes a vampire, ghoul, Automatic Writing (••)
mage, or any other supernatural character type, these Merits Your character can enter a trance of sorts, in which she’s
disappear. Per the Sanctity of Merits (see p. 43), these Merits temporarily overtaken by a spirit or ghost, and compelled to
can be reallocated. write mysterious things.
These Merits each have a deeply mystical bent, and may Effect: Your character must meditate for at least one min-
not be right for every chronicle. If you’re allowing certain ute. Spend a point of Willpower and roll Wits + Composure
Supernatural Merits in your chronicle, discuss this with your to enter the trance. For every success, your character writes
players before they make their characters. Some chronicles a single statement or clue about something occurring in the
(including the God-Machine Chronicles in this book) suggest area or relating to a pertinent issue. The Storyteller provides
certain Supernatural Merits as part of their hooks. If this is these clues, and they may at first seem completely nonsensi-
the case, mention them to your players and encourage them cal. Characters may attempt to interpret the clues with Wits
to consider these Merits. + Investigation or research efforts.

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the face in the mirror-Characters