In addition to what's listed here, Rots may also take: the Secret Death and Vampire Friend Merits, and the Mortal Fame and Decapitated Flaws from The Risen; the Creepy Feelings, Small Gift and Speaker with the Dead Merits, and the Mobbed, Spectre Meat and Deathsight Flaws from Mediums: Speakers with the Dead; and the Huge Size and Medium Merits and Short Flaw from V:tM, Rev. Ed. They all work as listed in those books, with one Rot-based caveat for Decapitated (see below)

 

  • Forgetful Shadow: (+2) The flip side of Amnesia, the Shadow's trip across the Shroud has caused it to forget as much as its Psyche has. This puts it and the Wraith on an equal level of ignorance. This Merit cannot be taken unless the Amnesia Flaw is taken as well.

  • Well-Preserved: (+3) Maybe your Wraith wasn't dead for too long, and maybe the funeral home just outdid itself with the embalming. Either way, your Wraith doesn't look so bad off as a Rot, and she can have an Appearance one Dot greater than her state of decay allows. So a Fresh body could have an Appearance of 2 and a Rotting body could have an Appearance of 1.

  • Mummified: (+3) Instead of decaying, your body was dessicated by heat and dryness. As a result, your muscles and innards have the toughness of shoe leather, but you're a bit slow as a result. Mummified Rots start one Health Level above normal, but lose a dot from Dexterity.

  • Body Problems: (-1) Not all Rots wound up in their original bodies. Some found themselves in bodies of different genders, ages or races, which has caused psychological problems. Likewise, some did wind up in their original bodies, and seeing what's left of them hasn't done them a whole lot of good. Any Wraith who's inordinately bothered by the body she wound up in can take this Flaw to represent the unease she feels while inside it. This Flaw should be roleplayed out.

  • Cloud of Flies: (-2) For some odd reason, flies and gnats really, really like your Wraith. As a result, unless she douses herself in insect repellent at least once every hour, she will have a large cloud of buzzing insects around her person. These take away two dice from all Stealth-based rolls due to the noise they make.

  • Amnesia: (-2 to -3) The shock of being sent across the Shroud has rattled your Wraith's mind to the point that she doesn't remember who she was, where she came from or anything about her life, death and time as a Wraith. She will still remember certain instinctive things, such as how to use Arcanoi, Slumber and the like, but while she will know what her Passions and Fetters are, she will not know why she has them.

    The -2 version of this flaw means that the Wraith remembers nothing past the moment of her death: all time as a Wraith before coming back across the Shroud has been lost, leading to all sorts of complications. The -3 version of the Flaw means that everything - life and death - is a complete blank to the Wraith. In both cases, time and roleplaying should bring back the memory back, but this will be a lengthy process.

    Note that, unless the Forgetful Shadow Merit is taken, the Shadow does not suffer from the problem, and can use the Psyche's ignorance against her.

  • Mute: (-3) Whether your Rot's lost her tongue, her jaw or her vocal cords, she cannot speak. Such is the nature of being a Rot that when she 'talks,' Wraiths in the Shadowlands can hear what she's saying, but fellow Rots and mortals cannot.

  • Missing Parts: (-3 to -4) Maybe you lost a limb in the accident that took your life, or maybe you were always missing your left hand. Either way, your Rot isn't quite complete, and this causes problems.

    The -3 version of this flaw means something has been lost that is inconvenient, but does not completely impede mobility or manual dexterity, such as missing a hand, an arm or one leg below the knee. Those who are missing both arms, both hands or at least one leg would be applicable for the -4 version of this flaw. Keep in mind that not having body parts will reduce the starting Health Level.

    The Rot cannot heal this damage by putting comparable material on the stump.

  • Mr. Bones: (-5) Your Wraith's body has either been moldering for so long, or suffered such damage, that it's little more than a skeleton - and maybe only that.

    Consuder the body to be Rotten in regards to Health Levels, soaking and damage difficulties. Her STR and STA are dropped down to 1, no matter what they were before, but her Dexterity is only minus 1. She cannot talk and her very appearance invokes The Fog in mortals. On the brighter side, bullets, arrows and other small projectile weapons can only do a maximum of one health level after the soak. Shotguns at close range do their normal damage, though.

  • Decapitated: (-7) This acts in the same manner as the description from The Risen. The only caveat is that the Rot cannot heal the damage by putting the head back on the neck. One could try to stitch it back on or attach it with clamps, but they'll never be able to move it to look around, or up.

 


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