Merits and Flaws

This is a list of White Wolf merits and flaws. I've edited them for the Victorian Midsummer setting, and added some new ones of my own! (All new merits and flaws are in light yellow.)

How they work

Merits are things that work to the character's advantage, and Flaws are things that work to the character's disadvantage. They are ways in which you can describe your character in more detail than provided in the basic rules, but these new rules are optional. If you do not take Merits or Flaws for your character, you will not suffer for it: your character is simply different than who they might otherwise be.

Merits and Flaws are exchangeable for Freebie Points. Merits must be bought with freebie points, but Flaws give you extra freebie points, which you can use elsewhere on your character sheet.

Psychological

Mental

Perception

Aptitudes

Crack Shot - reduce one difficulty on targeting firearms rolls.

Superb Horseman - one automatic success on any equestrian actions.

Supernatural

Horse Whisper - you are particularly good with animals, having an uncanny ability to lead them and calm them.

Personal

Man of Honour - you have a reputation for stoic honesty and trustworthiness.

Orphan - you have no family or other support network, in a world where family and "connections" are of the utmost importance. You may have been in a terrible Victorian orphanage, or palmed off on uncaring distant relations.

Infamous Legacy - you are the child of an infamous person; perhaps your father was a murderer, lunatic, criminal, or your mother was a prostitute or other disreputable woman.

Unsavoury Reputation - you are distrusted and even feared in society, not quite shunned, but looked upon by all reputable company with suspicion and mistrust. There are various rumours about you, whether true or not.

Opium Addiction - you are addicted to smoking pipes of opium, often supplied in the dangerous underside areas of large towns and cities, or indulged in privately behind locked doors. Without regular consumption Self-Control goes down (one point per day after two days of abstinence).

Unnatural Deviance - to Victorians this covered a pretty broad spectrum, including homosexuality and sexual compulsion in visiting brothels, also the more... unusual aspects of sadism and masochism, troilism, frottage, copraphilia, zoophilia, paedophilia...

Chronic Debt - you have severe debts; remember, in Victorian times this could result in indefinite imprisonment. (NB Obviously player can have no Wealth - in fact, it is considered -3 wealth points.)

Nemesis - you have not just an enemy but someone who is utterly determined to bring about your downfall, or even your death, by any means possible.

Social

Great Expectations - you are expected to inherit a vast fortune, which Victorians often used to build up large lines of credit.

Illustrious Family - you are part of a family with a great reputation, perhaps near descendants of some famous and respected person.

Advantageous Marriage - you have marriage well above your station to someone wealthier and with greater status than yourself (ie allows you to use your spouse's wealth).

Title - you are a titled member of the aristocracy (NB wealth usually comes with this, but not necessarily). Points are incremental beginning at +2 for a Baron, increasing through Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke.

Physical

Consumptive - you have 'consumption' - or tuberculosis. Maximum of 2 in any physical stats, and automatic failure on any stamina roles (ie, no stamina).