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ATTRIBUTES

Every Vampire character has Attributes; they represent the basic potential of every person in the world, as well as most other living (and unliving) things. Most people have Attribute scores between 1 (poor) and 3 (good), though exceptionally gifted individuals may have scores of 4 (excellent) or even 5 (peak human capacity). Some vampire elders, those of strong Blood, are rumored to have scores higher still.



Physical Attributes define the condition of a character's body. They indicate how strong, agile and resilient a character is. Physical Attributes should be taken as the primary category for an action-oriented character.
Vampires may use ingested blood to supernaturally augment their Physical (and only their Physical) Attributes.

STRENGTH
Simon winced as blow after blow landed on the other side of the hotel door. His sire was right: The war packs of the Sabbat were terribly tenacious. Unless he managed to keep the door held against them while Josephine called the police, Simon was as good as gone. Envisioning himself and Josephine torn to ribbons under the Sabbat's talons, Simon braced himself against the door for another hail of blows.
Strength is the raw, brute power of a character. It governs how much weight a character can lift, how much he can physically push and how hard he can hit another character or object. The Strength Trait is added to a character's damage dice pool when he hits his opponent in hand-to-hand combat. It is also used when a character wishes to break, lift or carry something, as well as when a character tries to jump a distance.
Specialties: Iron Grip, Powerful Arms, Reserves of Strength, Fists Like Anvils
• Poor: You can lift 40 lbs.
•• Average: You can lift 100 lbs.
••• Good: You can lift 250 lbs.
•••• Exceptional: You can lift 400 lbs.
••••• Outstanding: You can lift 650 lbs. and crush skulls like grapes.

DEXTERITY
A sheer layer of blood-sweat glistened on Serina's forehead. Her prey knew he was being followed, so her ability to strike quickly and with surprise was paramount. Serina managed to climb the fire escape almost silently, knowing that the man would seek refuge in this alley. Ah, there he was? Baring her fangs and claws, Serina erupted from her ill-lit perch as her prey panted for what would soon be his last breath.
The Dexterity Attribute measures a character's general physical prowess. It encompasses the character's speed, agility and overall quickness, as well as indicating the character's ability to manipulate objects with control and precision. Also included under Dexterity's heading are hand-eye coordination, reflexes and bodily grace.
Specialties: Lithe, Swift, Feline Grace, Lightning Reflexes
• Poor: You are clumsy and awkward. Put that gun down before you hurt yourself.
•• Average: You're no clod, but you're no ballerina, either.
••• Good: You possess some degree of athletic potential.
•••• Exceptional: You could be an acrobat if you wished.
••••• Outstanding: Your movements are liquid and hypnotic — almost superhuman.

STAMINA
Simon awoke to find himself bound to a chair with heavy chains, the prince's enforcer looming over him.
"It seems your little Sabbat friends left you high and dry, no?"
"They're not my friends. They came after me and Josephine." Simon spat through tattered lips.
"Why would you lie to me, Simon?" crooned his captor "Just tell me the truth, and this will all be over...." The brute pushed up his sleeve and hammered Simon in the face, cracking bone and spattering blood.
Hang in there, Simon thought to himself. They can't beat it out of you it you don't let them.
The Stamina Trait reflects a character's health, toughness and resilience. It indicates how long a character can exert herself and how much punishment she can withstand before suffering physical trauma. Stamina also includes a hit of psychic fortitude, indicating a character's grit and tenacity not to give up.
Specialties: Tireless, Determined, Tough as Nails, Resolute
• Poor: You bruise in a stiff wind.
•• Average: You are moderately healthy and can take a punch or two.
••• Good: You are in good shape and rarely fall ill.
•••• Exceptional: You can run — and perhaps win — any marathon you choose.
••••• Outstanding: Your constitution is truly Herculean.

Mental Attributes define a character's cerebral capacities, including such aspects as memory, intelligence, awareness of one's surroundings and the ability to think, learn and react.

PERCEPTION
Lucasz sat on the leather divan, jacket unbuttoned, hands in his lap, waiting for his odd host to enter the room. Above the musky scent of the leather, Lucasz caught a whiff of...poppies?...and heard the clink of glass on glass.
A stooped man with a beaklike nose — probably Barzeski's ghoul servant — limped into the room, a fluted glass on a service in his hand "An aperitif while the lord dresses, sweet guest?" the ghoul rasped.
"If it's all the same to you, I prefer my vitae without laudanum," answered Lucasz.
The ghoul blanched.
Perception measures a character's ability to observe his environment. This may involve a conscious effort, such as searching an area, but it is more often intuitive, as the character's keen senses notice something out of the ordinary. Perception is a sensitivity to the character's surroundings, and is seldom present in the cynical or jaded (who have seen it all before).
Perception is used to determine whether or not a character understands a given situation or detects an environmental stimulus. It can warn a character of ambushes, help a character identity a metaphor, distinguish a clue from a pile of refuse or uncover any other hidden or overlookable detail, whether physical otherwise.
Specialties: Attentive, Insightful, Careful, Discerning, Experienced
• Poor: Perhaps you are absurdly self-absorbed, perhaps merely an airhead; in any event, even the most obvious details elude you.
•• Average: You are oblivious to the very subtle, but aware of the bigger picture.
••• Good: You perceive moods, textures and minuscule changes in your environment.
•••• Exceptional: Almost nothing evades your notice.
••••• Outstanding: You instantly observe things almost
imperceptible to human senses.

INTELLIGENCE
Aisling stared at the fragile manuscript, wondering why it refused to make sense. The symbols were all in order, the invocations were clearly defined, and the motions were even illustrated correctly. Why wouldn't the damn thing work, then? It was as if whatever backward magician had scrawled this thing had left out some basic but vital element.
Backward...
Aisling laughed aloud as she held the book before a mirror. There were the symbols. Working through the alphabet in reverse, she transcribed the proper verses from the page, and practiced the motions in opposite order. She had broken the primitive code.
The Intelligence Attribute refers to a character's grasp of facts and knowledge. More importantly, however, it governs a character's ability to reason, solve problems and evaluate situations. Intelligence is almost a misnomer, as the Attribute also includes critical thinking and flexibility of thought.
Intelligence does not include savvy, wisdom or common sense, as these are properties of the character's personality, not Traits. Even the smartest character may be too foolish to keep her mouth shut or too daft to assume the thugs who want her car keys are up to no good.
Characters with low Intelligence aren't necessarily stupid (though they might be), they are just uneducated or simple thinkers. Likewise, characters with high Intelligence aren't all Einsteins; they may be better at rote memorization or have particularly keen judgment.
Specialties: Book Knowledge, Creative, Analytical, Prob-lem Solver, Subject Authority
• Poor: Not the sharpest knife in the drawer (IQ 80).
•• Average: Smart enough to realize you're normal (IQ 100).
••• Good: More enlightened than the masses (IQ 120).
•••• Exceptional: You're not just bright, you're downright brilliant (IQ 140).
••••• Outstanding: Certified genius (IQ 160+).

WITS
Fire!
Lucasz leaped from the divan as the first waves of hot smoke wisped through the floorboards. First poison, and now this?
Looking to the door, Lucasz figured it must be braced from the outside. The window overlooked the bay, and using that exit would mean a fall of a few hundred feet. The ventilation ducts were far too small for Kindred to crawl through.
Lucasz looked up. The crawlspace. The Fiend surely couldn't have compartmentalized the thin gap between the floors. Simply crawl up there, burst back through above the hallway, and bolt out the front door.
Lucasz turned the divan on its side, climbed atop and hammered his way through the plaster ceiling with his fists. Now it was only a question of what remained outside.
The Wits Trait measures the character's ability to think on her feet and react quickly to a certain situation. It also reflects a character's general cleverness. Characters with low Wits scores are thick and mentally lethargic, or maybe gullible and unsophis-ticated. By contrast, characters with high Wits Traits almost always have a plan immediately and adapt to their surroundings with striking expedience. Characters with high Wits also manage to keep their cool in stressful situations.
Specialties: Getting the Jump on Others, Snappy Patter, Changes in Strategy, Ambushes
• Poor: Pull my finger
•• Average: You know when to bet or fold in poker.
••• Good: You are seldom surprised or left speechless.
•••• Exceptional: You're one of the people who make others think. "Ooh, I should have said..." the next day.
••••• Outstanding: You think and respond almost more quickly than you can act.

Social

Are you a natural leader? Do you find it easy to make others do your bidding? Does the opposite sex find you irresistible? The Social Trails rank your aptitude in dealing with others, both your good looks and your general personality. Naturally, some penalties apply to these Attributes as the werewolf shifts forms. Many Galliards and Philodox find high Social Traits extremely useful.

Charisma
Robiard de Chazelle looked down the hill. The Silver Fang Galliard himself wore a swath of bandages over what remained of his left arm. But duty dulled the pain.
"My friends," he called in a strong voice, "the hour is nigh. Even as we assemble, our enemies are never distant. You have sworn a pledge to soak your claws with the death's blood of the Dark Hollow Spirals. Their Hive must be destroyed. Will you follow me, and by dawn, keep your oath?"
As one, the, cries of the werewolves rose in assent, promising death to their enemies and vows to follow their leader even through darkness.
Charisma isn't really about good looks; rather, it's innate charm, personality and power of influence. Even ugly people can have high Charisma, and many great leaders possess a command¬ing presence without being beautiful or handsome. Characters with a high Charisma Trait generally serve as inspiration for their fellows, exuding an air of trust and likability. Others depend on them regularly to provide motivation and encouragement, a great expectation indeed. In contrast, characters with low Cha¬risma have poor social skills, no matter what form they wear. They do and say the wrong things, and they generally end up pissing off people who might otherwise be friends.
• Poor: Making friends is harder for you than most.
•• Average: People think you're kind of friendly and fairly easy to get along with.
••• Good: You generally inspire others to trust you, even in tough circumstances.
•••• Exceptional: You draw in admirers like bees to honey. No one's ever a stranger for long.
••••• Outstanding: You've got tremendous leadership potential, and your mere presence stirs entire septs to extreme acts of reverence and duty.
Specialties: Air of Confidence, Captivating, Command¬ing Voice, Infectious Humor

Manipulation
Tuyen gave his best smile to the coltish caern Warder. "Hi there. Guess nobody told you I was comin'."
The girl stared at him, tense and ready to spring. "Who're you, and what do you want?"
"I'm Treads Near Spirits of the Uktena, but most people call me Tuyen." He looked around. "This bawn is immaculate. Your doing, no doubt. It's a great responsibility for one so young, but you've seen to the task well." The girl shrugged, but a smile of pride crept onto her lips. Ah, Tuyen thought, a crack in the ice. Getting her to take me to the ritemaster will be a snap.
Manipulation is the art of getting others to do what you want, preferably without them realizing how they're being used. It differs from Charisma in that the person being persuaded doesn't have to be a friend; a character with a high score in Manipulation can even exploit her enemies. This Trait is usually subtle, and it involves some variety of quick talking, bluffing or understated threat, unless an overt action fits the story. Botching a Manipulation roll can bring down the wrath of the intended target. Nobody likes to he manipulated. This Attribute is gener¬ally easier for homids to master than it is for lupus, although many betas and omegas are no stranger to the idea.
• Poor: You'd have trouble getting a starving wolf to eat freshly killed rabbit.
•• Average: You're as sly as the next person; sometimes you got it, sometimes you don't.
••• Good: Haggling and striking a good deal is a snap for you.
•••• Exceptional: Folks generally agree with whatever you say, despite their better judgment.
••••• Outstanding: You could convince the most devoted pup to turn against his mother, if you wished.
Specialties: Forked Tongue, Unswerving Logic, Doubletalk, Seduction

Appearance
"I hear there's a party tonight," Thea grinned. "Sounds like a good time will be had by all."
"Uh huh. And you're not coming," her brother replied, thinking of all the rowdy young Kinfolk who'd been calling lately.
"Not coming! You can't keep me from attending the May Day rites! All the other Kin get to come, so I'll be there too." Thea looked just smug enough to slap.
Ian's seven-foot body towered over his sister, and with a glare at her good looks, he reminded her just who was head of the family. "You're my sister, and you're not going!" he growled. "Care to argue about it?"
Appearance describes your physical features and related qualities, such as voice and bone structure. A high score in this Attribute denotes a character who is physically attractive or who has some mysterious allure that others find enticing. A low score means that he's unattractive or lacking physical features that most folks find pleasing. Appearance is important for first encounters and impressions. Charisma can go a long way after acquaintances are made, but Appearance certainly influences initial gut instincts.
• Poor: Not pretty. Young ones howl when you come too close.
•• Average: Your looks and features don't set you apart, which can be an asset.
••• Good: You've heard all the pickup lines at the local pub, good and bad.
•••• Exceptional: You could make a living as a model, and photographers are always bugging you to pose for them.
••••• Outstanding: It's a bit of everything: your body, hair, face and voice make you exquisite to behold.
Specialties: Genial, Exotic, Alluring, Noble Bearing

Your Mage characters, like any other human (or nearly-human) beings, have innate capabilities, weaknesses, limitations and strengths. Attributes gauge such potentials. With the simple 1 to 5 rating system. Attributes show not only how well a character performs in a given area, but elaborate on that character's potential compared to others. Most people have Attribute ratings from 1 (poor) to 3 (good), with a rare few holding 4 (exceptional) or 5 (world-class) capability. In rare instances, heroic mages or otherworldly creatures may exceed the limits of human potential, as well.
For each of the Traits listed, we offer some suggestions for Specialties. A Specialty defines an area of a Trait in which your character is particularly good. Feel free to customize your own Specialties with your Storyteller. In general, your character may have a Specialty in a certain Trait if you have assigned her four or more points in that Trait. You may also choose a Specialty with less than that, just for the purpose of character definition. Although you won't receive any special bonuses on your dice rolls when your base rating is less than four, the early choice of a Specialty for your character helps you to describe your character more specifically, her goals and her history.


A character's Physical Attributes define how strong, agile and resilient she is. If you want to create an action-oriented character, you should take the Physical Attributes as her primary category. Such characters might include those who have military or police experience, Akashic Brothers, athletes or blue-collar workers. The character's history plus her focus on physical health help you decide how many points to assign to these Traits.

Strength
Hot smoke burned Donald's nostrils and filled his lungs with soot. Flames shot up the curtains and cast a devilish glow on the walls. The fire licked at him like a starved dog. Donald anticipated the bite at any moment. He had to get out of the room, but the earthquake had dropped a beam over the exit. Just a couple of inches; that's all he needed to squeeze through the crack. His magic wouldn't help him —he'd used up all his juice surviving the quake. So, Donald wrapped his arms around the beam and put his back into it.
The points you assign to your character's Strength Attribute represent how much brute strength she has. Strength determines how much weight she can lift, carry or push. It directs how far she can jump. Furthermore, it expresses how hard she can hit another character or object, as well as how much damage she can do during hand-to-hand combat. When determining the damage your character inflicts with a hand-to-hand attack, you add her Strength score to your damage dice pool.
Specialties: Iron Grip, Powerful Arms, Reserves of Strength, Fists Like Anvils
X Abysmal: Lift 20 lbs.; you're nigh unto dead.
• Poor: Lift 40 lbs.; you're a wuss.
•• Average: Lift 100 lbs.; you're Joe Average.
••• Good: Lift 250 lbs.; you're a stud.
•••• Exceptional: Lift 400 lbs.; you're an Atlas bodybuilder.
••••• Outstanding: Lift 650 lbs.; you're a freight train.

Dexterity
The boat motor choked to a stop. The ensuing silence held a brooding menace. It and the unmistakable taste of dark magic made the hairs stand up on the back of June's neck. Something had gone terribly wrong. Someone had made it go terribly wrong. And then she heard the sound, like distant thunder — the roar of the falls. The hoar gathered speed, heading straight for destruction.
"Damn it!" June hissed, rushing up to the deck. She assessed her options. Perhaps she could swim to shore. Perhaps she could fight the current. She wasn't at all sure she'd succeed. But there, just ahead, she spotted a vine hanging out over the water. If only she could make the leap and grab onto the vine before the boat sped deeper into the whitewater, she might have a chance. June crouched at the bow with one hand on the rail....
The Dexterity Attribute measures a character's overall athleticism. It expresses a character's general physical prowess, including grace, speed, physical reflexes, hand-eye coordination and agility. Dancers, mechanics, artists, speed skaters, gymnasts, surgeons and good bartenders all have a high Dexterity.
Specialties: Lithe, Swift, Feline Grace, Lightning Reflexes
X Abysmal: No coordination; you have trouble just standing up.
• Poor: Clumsy; you trip on your own shadow.
•• Average: No klutz; you don't embarrass yourself often.
••• Good: Smooth; you have athletic potential.
•••• Exceptional: Graceful; you impress,
••••• Outstanding: Liquid; you inspire.

Stamina
The dunes stretched as far as the eye could see, but Haman knew that a road cut through to the north. He'd had a hard enough time escaping the crazy Son of Ether who had wanted to experiment on him with all those whizzing, whirring, whining contraptions. His head still ached from the din. His arm still hurt from the injection. There'd be plenty of time to find out what the b*****d had done to him once he got back to the chantry. For now, he just needed to keep going so he would get back.
Haman had never appreciated the expression "cotton mouth" as much as he did at that moment. The wind blew hard, harsh as sand-paper on his dusty skin. One step after the other, lift foot, put it down. Haman wanted so badly to lie down and sleep. He had no idea how many miles he had walked or how many more he had to go. All he knew was that to stop was to die.
The Stamina Trait represents your character's ability to Withstand physical stress. It is a measure of her body's resilience, roughness and adaptability. It expresses how long your character can continue to exert herself and how much physical punishment she can withstand before suffering trauma.
Specialties: Tireless, Tough as Nails, Resilient, Pain Resistant
X Abysmal: Dying; your body is falling apart.
• Poor: Wimp; you're tired after brushing your teeth.
•• Average: Couch potato; you can run a mile, if you have to.
••• Good: In shape; you work out regularly.
•••• Exceptional: Stalwart; you swim in Arctic conditions.
••••• Outstanding: Formidable; even torture can't break you.

The three Mental Attributes define your character's mind. The scores you choose for these Traits reveal your characters memory capacity, intelligence and alertness to details in her environment. If your character is a scientist, university professor, doctor, journalist, air-traffic controller, stand-up comedian or any other concept that requires quick mental acuity or high IQ, then you'll want to make the Mental Attributes your primary category.

Perception
The caller had said his name was "X" and that he had information Casey needed. He had named the meeting place and insisted on anonymity. Casey couldn't pass up the opportunity. He waited in the cool stairwell, hoping desperately that it wasn't a set-up. Pitch darkness clutched at Casey, putting his nerves on edge as footsteps echoed up the stairwell toward him. This was it — the moment of truth. X stopped on the landing below.
An electronically altered voice spoke out of the darkness, saying, "I know who broke into your sanctum, Casey, but I need something from you in return."
The scent of lilacs drifted up from below, tickling gently at Casey's nose and his memories. A smile touched across his lips, and his fears drained away like dirty bath water. He knew that perfume. "Tell me what I can do for you," he answered.
This Trait expresses your character's ability to notice details in her environment. Sometimes, the character actively applies her perception, such as when she's searching for something specific. The majority of the time, however, it's an intuitive awareness that allows her to catch details via one of her five senses, Although she may see, taste, smell, feel or hear something that others would overlook, it doesn't mean that she has the experience or knowledge to identity that thing.
A character's Perception score helps her find, spot or recognize things. This awareness includes spotting an ambush, noticing that lost keys are peeking out from behind the dresser, finding clues in piles of useless junk, hearing the hesitation in one's answer to your question and catching secretive glances exchanged by two people who are hiding something.
Specialties: Alert, Insightful, Intuitive, Thorough, Experienced
X Abysmal: Oblivious; you wouldn't notice an elephant if it sat down beside you.
• Poor: Inattentive; you don't pay much attention to what happens around you.
•• Average: Heedless; you catch the gist of your surroundings.
••• Good: Sensitive; you're aware of moods and textures.
•••• Exceptional: Alert; you have a keen awareness of your surroundings.
••••• Outstanding: Intuitive; you sense things most others never would.

Intelligence
Peering still at the illuminated phosphors of the screen, Cathrine brushed an errant strand of hair back for the third time before turning away and rubbing her temples In her mind's eye, the numbers and symbols still flickered. For the last two days she'd fought over the code in most of her spare time. Unlocking the original encryption proved difficult enough, Once she had the file open, it proved to be a mass of disorganized data. She had to sort through it all to find the key numbers that would let her unlock the meaning behind it.
Leaning back in her chair, Cathrine thought back to some of the flickering numbers. The patterns were there, just out of grasp of her conscious mind. The numbers hadn't been bit-twiddled or reverse-encoded or tweaked in a fashion that she recognized... until she stopped and thought about what a Technocrat would do. No Tech-nocrat would ever encode a file without error-correction. In a sudden blast of inspiration, she spun her chair back in front of the monitor and flexed her hands as she prepared for a night's work.
The dots in a character's Intelligence Trait define what most people would classify as "smarts." This Attribute represents her facility for solving problems, remembering facts, evaluating situations, reasoning and making leaps of logic. It expresses her innate ability, though it doesn't necessarily mean that she had years of education. A person can have a powerfully logical or deductive mind and still be a store clerk who didn't finish high school. Other factors play into a character's career choice, though any character with a college education or an intellectually demanding position should have that ability reflected in her Intelligence score.
This Trait deals with calculating skills and the character's memory threshold. It doesn't necessarily imply that the character has common sense, street smarts or wisdom. A very intelligent person could also be the one who trusts the shady character in the alley, who pulls out her wallet to count her money in front of the crack house or who keeps misplacing her car keys. On the other hand, intelligent characters are the ones who come up with creative and thorough solutions to problems, who see situations from multiple sides and who learn quickly.
Specialties: Book-Smart, Creative, Analytical, Logical, Subject Authority, Good Memory
X Abysmal: Moronic; you can't rub two neurons together (IQ 60).
• Poor: Thick; you have trouble with child-proof lids (IQ 80).
•• Average: No dummy; you were a "C" student (IQ 100).
••• Good: Smart; you do the hard crosswords for fun (IQ 120).
•••• Exceptional: Brainy; your intellect leaves most others in the dust (IQ 140).
••••• Outstanding: Genius; you solve universal mysteries (IQ 160+).

Wits
The situation soured quickly. Minx cowered behind a couch with the newly Awakened girl, trying to think fast as she looked into the girl's large, blue eyes. Those eyes held terror. Damn, Minx thought. I have to get her out of here. A brick came through the front window and soon the agents would follow. Minx glanced around the house.
"This way!" Minx whispered. She scurried toward the kitchen door, pulling the girl along by the hand. The back door tempted, but Minx knew they'd catch her if she left the house. She pulled the back door open, but kept the girl from fleeing. "No, not that way." Instead, she headed for the basement. The two crept down the stairs, listening to their pursuers' footfalls cross the house and go straight out the back door. Minx and her charge hid in a shadowy corner. They waited until nightfall, then slipped out under cover of darkness.
Your character's Wits score represents her ability to think quickly, to react with expedience to critical situations and to creatively find solutions to immediate problems. This Attribute Trait reveals a character's level of adaptability to changing circumstances and her cleverness in extracting herself from difficult situations, Unlike the Intelligence Trait, it expresses a more immediate and pressing mental acuity. It's not about how much you know or could know, but rather about how quickly your mind reacts to surprises, ambushes, cutting comments and the unexpected in general,
Specialties: Ever-Ready, Witty Conversationalist, Intuitive, Combat Reflexes
X Abysmal: Dense; you just can't keep up with changes,
• Poor: Slow; you're an easy target.
•• Average: Paced; you figure things out eventually.
••• Good: Snappy; you often have just the right response.
•••• Exceptional: Sharp; you can handle almost anything.
••••• Outstanding: Instinctual; you don't even break a sweat in a gunfight.

Social Attributes determine how a wraith is able to deal with others. They help define how the wraith places himself in society and how he relates to other wraiths, regardless of political affiliation or social standing.

Charisma
Charisma defines the wraith's overt presence with other wraiths. Charisma determines how well the wraith attracts others, persuades them or leads them willingly. Unlike Manipulation, wraiths who are affected by Charisma feel that they are acting of their own free will; Charisma works by appeal, not through tricks.
Specialties: Smooth, Eloquent, Classy, Savoir-Faire, Genial, Well-Mannered, Urbane, Sophisticated, Folksy, Captivating
• Poor: Even on the playground you were shunned.
•• Average: People liked being around you, more or less.
••• Good: You could get dates quickly and easily.
•••• Exceptional: People felt guilty about disagreeing with you, even slightly.
••••• Outstanding: You could have led a nation — or a religion.

Manipulation
Manipulation is the flip side of Charisma, for it is the ability to bring wraiths onto your side without them realizing it, rather than convincing them through the force of your personality. It is the ability to get others to perform actions without their initial consent, and does carry risks. People do not like to realize that they have been fooled, so a failure on a Manipulation roll does carry consequences.
Specialties: Glib, Persuasive, Cunning, Logical, Remorseless, Bravado, Forked Tongue, Witty, Legalese
• Poor: You couldn't talk Mom into letting you stay up late.
•• Average: Occasionally you got your way.
••• Good: You always got your way.
•••• Exceptional: You could have been a politician.
••••• Outstanding: Lawyers took notes when speaking with you.

Appearance
The Appearance Attribute is not merely your physical looks, but also your ability to create a definite impression. While the other two Social Attributes require time and conversation to function, Appearance allows basic concepts to be communicated instantly and silently through the nuances of body language, facial expression and other subconscious cues. Despite the widespread use of masks in the Shadowlands, your ability to give and receive impressions is unhampered, for it is not just the face that communicates.
Specialties: Stunning, Gorgeous, Sexy, Honest-Looking, Noble, Dignified, Pleasing, Handsome, Luminous
• Poor: Usually people didn't scream when they saw you.
•• Average: A face in the crowd.
••• Good: Reasonably attractive.
•••• Exceptional: One of the "25 Most Beautiful Wraiths" of the year.
••••• Outstanding: A face and physique for the ages.

Specialties
For each Attribute rated 4 or higher, a player may select a specialty. A specialty shows that the character has developed an expertise in a specific sub-category of that Trait. In rules terms, this means that the player gets to reroll any 10s scored on actions directly involving the specialty. The player not only keeps the first success, but now has the opportunity to possibly roll another. For each 10 she rolls, she may reroll and try to get more. This only applies if the character is attempting an action that specifically involves the specialty, not just the Trait.
For example, a character with four dots in Intelligence is very smart, but if your character has the specialty Creative, then she has concentrated her intelligence in that area and is particularly creative. If she is attempting to come up with a creative idea for a gift, you can reroll any 10s. If, however, she is trying to solve a crossword puzzle, you cannot because she is not attempting an action that uses her creativity. The specialties listed with each Trait are just a few suggestions. If you can think of something that fits your character better (such as Charisma specialty Flirting), go for it— once your Storyteller approves, of course.


These Traits describe how strong, nimble and sturdy a character is; they are the primary focus of an action-oriented character Physical Traits represent the strengths and weaknesses of the body.

Strength
This Trait measures brute strength. It represents your character's ability to lift, carry loads and cause physical harm. A person with a high Strength rating is usually larger and bulkier than someone with a lower rating. In brawling and melee combat, your character's Strength Trait is added to her damage Dice Pool.
Specialties: Lifting, Long Jumping, Strong Grip, Sustained Carrying
• Poor: weakling, lift 50 lbs., carry 20 lbs.
•• Average: normal, lift 100 lbs., carry 50 lbs.
••• Good: athlete, lift 250 lbs., carry 125 lbs.
•••• Exceptional: weight-lifter, lift 400 lbs., carry 200 lbs.
••••• Outstanding: Olympian, lift 650 lbs., carry 300 lbs.

Dexterity
This Trait measures general physical prowess, speed, quickness and agility. It indicates your character's capacity for moving precisely and with grace. Dexterity includes hand-eye coordination, fine motor manipulation, reaction speed, reflexes and finesse.
Specialties: Catlike Reflexes, Fleet-Footed, Flexible, Light Touch, Steady Hand, Sure-Footed, Swift
• Poor: butterfingered, clumsy, inflexible, accident-prone
•• Average: ordinary, unrefined, passable, fair
••• Good: natural grace, coordinated, flexible, agile
•••• Exceptional: athletic, gymnastic, trained, dexterous, professional
••••• Outstanding: awe-inspiring grace, gold medalist, surgeon's touch

Stamina
Stamina measures general health, pain tolerance and endurance. It determines your character's staying power, both physical and mental. Two of its most important elements are the will to live and downright stubbornness.
Specialties: Determined, Enduring, High Pain Threshold, Tireless, Tough
• Poor: sickly, frail, wimpy, vulnerable, fragile
•• Average: moderately healthy, confident, consistent
••• Good: resistant, sound, hearty, robust, sturdy
•••• Exceptional: steadfast, resolute, committed, determined
••••• Outstanding: hell-bent, unyielding, relentless, do-or-die