Mental Merits

Language (●)
Effect: Your character knows an additional language besides his own, one that he can read, write and speak with fluency. If he wishes to convince others that he is a native speaker, however, the Storyteller might call for an Intelligence + Expression roll, contested with a reflexive Intelligence + Academics roll by anyone who is suspicious.
(This appears in the official errata, and is printed here for convenience.)

Physical Merits

I wanted a little more diversity in martial arts that provided by Fighting Style: Kung Fu. For one, not all martial arts are Kung Fu, and not every artist will have the same moves as every other one. Adapting elements of that Merit and some of the Martial Arts maneuvers presented in the oWoD game Kindred of the East, I created two Merits based on "hard" and "soft" styles. I had a lot of much-appreciated help from FuzzyJuan of the White Wolf forums, who offered suggestions and systems tweaks. I present ten maneuvers (two one-dot maneuvers per Merit, two two-dot maneuvers, and so on), with the option of adding more; the player has to pay for each maneuver, as normal. Maneuvers must be taken in sequential order: for example, for a character to have a three-dot maneuver for Fighting Style: Soft Martial Arts, he must first have both a one-dot and two-dot maneuver for Soft Martial Arts. However, within this restriction the player can choose to take maneuvers in whatever order she like, barring maneuvers with prerequisites. So, three characters with three Soft Martial Arts maneuvers can choose: ♦ Roll With Blow (●) > Reeds in the Wind (●●) > Defensive Attack (●●●) ♦ Intuitive Evasion (●) > Brawling Finesse (●●) > Throw (●●●) ♦ Intuitive Evasion (●) > Roll With Blow (●) > Reeds in the Wind (●●)

Fighting Style: Hard Martial Arts
Prerequisites: Strength (●●●), Dexterity (●●), Stamina (●●), Brawl (●●).
Effect: You practice a martial art designed around taking and dishing out damage, such as Mui Thai, Tae Kwan Do, Savate, or Special Forces techniques. While the defensive ability of a hard style practitioner isn't as developed as that of some fighters, the offensive capability of a master is unparalleled.
Body Blow (●): Your character can deliver powerful blows that leave opponents reeling and gasping for air. If the successes inflicted in a single Brawl attack equal or exceeds the victim's Size, the victim loses her next action.
Focused Attack (●): Physical conditioning and accuracy allow your character to deliver blows at vulnerable spots on targets. Penalties to hit specific areas are reduced by one. Even when a specific part of an opponent is not targeted, Armor penalties to your character's Brawl attacks are reduced by one.
Blow to Pressure Point (●●): You may make a single unarmed attack this turn at -3, as you target Chi meridians and nerve clusters for devastating effect. Each success on the attack inflicts a -1 penalty on all your opponents' rolls that turn, in addition to dealing damage. This penalty disappears at a a rate of one die per turn. (Example: a Blow to Pressure Point attack that inflicts three points of damage inflicts a -3 penalty on the turn the attack hits, a -2 penalty on the next turn, and -1 on the third.) Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver, due to the intense focus the blow requires. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the initiative roster, before he can perform the attack, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn.
Iron Skin (●●): Your character has hardened his body to physical blows, allowing him to withstand repeated hits with minimal effect. He has an effective Armor trait of 1 against bashing attacks only.
Damaging Block (●●●): Prerequisite: Brawling Dodge. The martial artist's blocks are actually strikes aimed at attacking limbs. When using Brawling Dodge, the defender may make a reflexive roll at -2 to inflict damage against an attacker that fails to attain any success on a close combat attack roll against him. Only one Damaging Block attack may be made in a turn.
Dragon Tail Sweep (●●●): Your character can trip with a powerful kick. If the attack successes on this maneuver exceed the victim's Dexterity, the victim is knocked prone in addition to taking damage from the attack. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver, as he's recovering from making the attack. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the initiative roster, before he can perform the attack, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn.
Penetrating Attack (●●●●): Prerequisite: Focused Strike. After conditioning and strengthening his hands, your character can strike with such force as to penetrate thick clothes and even armor. Your character can ignore a single level of Armor when making unarmed attacks. Drawback: On a failed attack against an armored opponent, you mistime your attack or strike improperly and hurt your hand, resulting in a -1 to all unarmed attacks for the duration of he scene. Due to this possibility of injury, you must announce this option before using it. This effect stacks with that of Focused Strike.
Whirlwind Strike (●●●●): Your character can unleash a storm of blows against an opponent. He can make a number of extra attacks for each point of Dexterity he has above 2 in a single action. Every extra attack is made at a cumulative -1 modifier. All attacks must be targeted against the same target. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the initiative roster, before he can perform the attack, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn. He is too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.
Lethal Strike (●●●●●): By focusing his might and concentration, your character can kill or maim an opponent with a well-placed strike. A strike inflicts lethal instead of bashing damage. Drawback: Spend one Willpower point per attack. Note that this Willpower expenditure does not add three dice to the attack.
Target Atemi (●●●●●): Prerequisite: Lethal Strike. Your character can strike a vital area or Chi center, resulting in internal hemorrhaging. Spend a Willpower point before making any Brawl attack; if the damage exceeds the victim's Stamina, the difference is taken as points of bashing damage. This extra damage is taken at a rate of one point per turn, starting on the turn after the attack, and can be staunched with an Intelligence + Medicine roll. As with Lethal Strike, this Willpower expenditure doesn't add three dice to the attack roll.

Fighting Style: Soft Martial Arts
Prerequisites: Strength (●●), Dexterity (●●●), Stamina (●●), Brawl (●●)
Effect: Rather than bone-breaking and inflicting pain, your martial emphasis is defense and indirect attacks -- which makes you no less an effective combatant. Soft styles include Tai Chi, Judo, Aikido, and Shaolin Kung Fu.
Roll With Blow (●): Your character presents an unresisting target, moving with attacks rather than against them; he makes subtle shifts in his body to avoid hits, and moves to disperse the kinetic energy when he is hit. He gains a +1 bonus to Defense against bashing Brawl attacks only.
Intuitive Evasion (●): Self-defense becomes second nature to your character, allowing him to respond without even thinking. He gains a +2 bonus to Composure + Wits rolls to detect surprise attacks and ambushes.
Brawling Finesse (●●): Your character uses agility and accuracy to great effect, able to land quick blows and apply leverage as well as stronger characters. When performing Brawl maneuvers (including unarmed attacks and grapples), you may substitute Dexterity for Strength. While your character is maintaining a hold, you may opt to subtract your character's Dexterity from your victim's roll to escape rather than Strength.
Reeds in the Wind (●●): Prerequisite: Brawling Dodge. The character is a master of defensive fighting, able to avoid he attacks of anyone that faces him. The character uses his Dexterity or Wits, whichever is higher, against all close combat attacks.
Defensive Attack (●●●): Your character has mastered the ability to fight defensively. When using this maneuver, your character gain +2 to his Defense for the turn, but any attack he makes suffers a -2 penalty. He can move no more than his Speed in a turn while performing a Defense Attack maneuver.
Throw (●●●): Your character can hurl a foe to the ground, using leverage and the victim's weight against her. After a successful grapple attack to gain a hold, the attacker may make a Strength + Brawl roll for her next attack. If the attack successes on this maneuver exceed the victim's Dexterity or Strength, whichever is higher, the victim is thrown to the ground. This breaks the grapple, but the victim is prone and takes a level of bashing damage (which may be upgraded to lethal if the victim is thrown onto something particularly hard, sharp or otherwise damaging). Fewer successes than what's needed for success this indicates the throw fails and the grapple isn't broken, allowing the victim to attempt to break it or perform her own grapple-based attack.
Grapple Mastery (●●●●): Your character gains a bonus Strength dot for purposes of grapples, both as an attacker and defender.
Perfected Defense (●●●●): Prerequisite: Reeds in the Wind. The character acts as if he had eyes on the back of his head and everywhere else, able to anticipate attacks from opponents all around him and defend against them all equally. The character suffers no Defense penalty when facing multiple attackers.
Whirlwind Strike (●●●●●): Your character can unleash a storm of blows against an opponent. He can make a number of extra attacks for each point of Dexterity he has above 2 in a single action. Every extra attack is made at a cumulative -1 modifier. All attacks must be targeted against the same target. Drawback: Your character cannot use his Defense against any attack in the same turn in which he intends to use this maneuver. If he uses Defense against attacks that occur earlier in the initiative roster, before he can perform the attack, he cannot perform the maneuver this turn. He's too busy bobbing and weaving out of the way of attacks.
Counterthrow (●●●●●): Prerequisites: Brawling Dodge, above Throw maneuver. Your character can use a victim's momentum against her. When using Brawling Dodge, the defender may make a reflexive roll against an attacker that fails to attain any success on a close combat attack roll against him; if the success on this roll exceeds the attacker's Dexterity, the attacker is thrown to the ground; treat effects of this throw as the Throw maneuver, above. Only one Counterthrow may be attempted in a turn.