Talents

Pain Resistance
Travis should've looked where he was going. Once he hit, there was no chance to roll with the impact. One moment he was ducking into a room, trying to hide from the gang members. The next, the floor collapsed, spilling him into the room below. He didn't even remember hitting the floor, only the sharp crack of plaster and rotted wood, the vertigo of a sudden fall, and the semi-conscious haze of pain that followed. Funny how that one unremarkable section of the floor was unstable...
Travis winced as he looked down at his ruined leg. His tibia was clearly broken, with the bottom half of his shin pointing forward and left at a sickening angle. Below he heard the Ecstasy Cultist's toadies coming for him, searching the abandoned tenement room by room. They were no more than two floors down.
Thinking quickly, Travis pulled off his pack and fished out his duct tape. He then picked up some nearby scraps of wood, the remains of old furniture someone destroyed for God knows what purpose, and set them aside. Gritting his teeth, he took the two halves of his calf and pushed them together. Tears poured from the corners of his eyes as he set the bone. Nausea poured over Travis and he vomited, but he managed to place two strips of wood on opposite sides of the tibia and tape them tightly to his leg. He tested the makeshift splint, and was relieved it supported his weight. It hurt like hell to walk, but Travis didn't have much of a choice at this point.
As he looked for a place to hide, Travis reminded himself to learn some of the Progenitors' advanced life sciences, and to get some of their painkillers, before going out on another "recruitment" mission...

Pain Resistance allows a character to overcome the effects of pain through discipline and force of will. While most creatures of supernatural origin have developed some resistance to discomfort, this Talent reflects a special tolerance for it. Pain Resistance doesn't let a character to resist damage or recover from injury quicker, but allows him to grit his teeth against the pain and keep going.
A character may roll Stamina + Pain Resistance (difficulty 7) against anyone using the Torture Skill or pain-inflicting power against her; each success cancels one of the torturer's successes. A character may also roll Stamina + Pain Resistance (difficulty 8) and spend a point of Willpower; every success garnered on this roll allows the character to ignore wound penalties for one turn. Characters may attempt to ignore penalties for an extended period through extended rolls, at the cost of more Willpower.
A character must have a Stamina of 3 to have the Pain Resistance Skill, and her dots in Pain Resistance can never be higher than her Willpower -4 (so a character must have a Willpower of 5 or higher to purchase this Talent). In addition, unlike most Talents, a Pain Resistance check can't be made at all unless the character has at least one dot in the Ability.

●	Novice: You can pick a nasty splinter out of your finger without passing out.
●●	Practiced: You can perform minor surgery on yourself, like stitching closed a cut or setting a broken limb.
●●●	Competent: You can stand against hours of CIA or Mafia "questioning" without breaking a sweat.
●●●●	Expert: You can amputate body parts if need be, or flay open your skin and stitch it closed. (Not recommended for mortals.)
●●●●●	Master: "Pass the battery acid!"

Possessed by: Cathayans, Tzimisce, Green Berets, Inquisitors, spies.
Specialties: Torture, Burns, Self-Mutilation.

Skills

Divination
Since Laughing Trout died, the spiritual duties to the Sand Dune Mavericks pack had fallen to Sheila Chim. Which is only natural -- she was a Stargazer, and expected to do those sort of things. But Sheila didn't mind the extra responsibility. The Galliard felt she owed it to the Mavericks in a way; after all, she'd be leaving them for the Beast Courts soon, following her tribemates who had left before her. It seems her sentimental attachments and pack duties kept her here in North Dakota for too long, and such ties were often detrimental to spiritual advancement. Still, it saddened her to think of leaving her dear friends, and she wondered if a pack only three strong would prosper.
Sheila Chim consulted the star charts given to her by her mentor and father, Red River. She carefully laid out the crumpled rice paper and tracked star movements, compared them to birth dates, and then skillfully painted Mandarin characters on the paper. This was as much a meditation to her as it was an augury. It facilitated clear thought and harmony with Gaia. Tonight, Sheila she would calculate charts for her packmates and herself, perhaps to find a way to find prosperity in the face of past unpleasantness, and those yet to come.

This Ability is a natural fit for Numina related to perceiving that which lies outside normal human understanding. When using the Mythic Path: Divination, or Precognition Psychic Numina, the player may use the Divination Ability in the die pool instead of the listed Ability. Wraiths with Divination find their proficiency in Fatalism increased. A Divination rating of 3 or more lowers an Oracle's difficulties by 1 for the following arts: Kismet (basic ability), Foreshadow, Guesswork and Luck. As with feng shui (see below), Cathayans have developed powers based upon the practice of Chinese astrology, known as tzu wei. Characters with Divination may substitute that Ability in any roll involving the Tzu Wei Discipline (in lieu of Rituals, etc.). Those who have four or more dots in Divination, plus the Chinese Astrology specialization, may lower difficulties involving the Tzu Wei Discipline by 1. Finally, many fallen that possess Lore of Patterns use astrology or other divinatory practices for their focus. This is especially common among Fiends, but some Devils and Scourges do so as well. These characters may substitute Divination for other Abilities when gleaning information through the Lore of Patterns.

After two hours of this, however, Shiela thought she had made an error. Smile-of-Baldur's chart was what she expected (drunken fighting, drunken revelry, and the like) but her own chart, and Forest Shadow's, showed unexpected results. She calculated all the charts again just to be sure. According to the stars, Shiela's fate apparently wasn't in the East after all. Even more joyous, Forest Shadow would soon give birth to a great Garou hero.
Sheila immediately threw open the door to her shack, shifted to lupus form and ran at full speed for the caern, not even bothering to close the door to her shack behind her. Such news was too important to not share face-to-face.

Divination allows a character to get a "feel" for possible future events. While the specifics of the practice vary according to cultural tradition and practitioners, all forms of the Divination Skill have the same basic effect. While it doesn't grant specific knowledge, or allow for a wholesale rewriting of fate, a character advised on the future may take actions that have the best chances for success. (Note: the Divination Skill has the same game effects as the Portents and Divine Abilities published in other books, as Divination is a generalized renaming and refinement of those Skills.)
There are different styles of Divination practiced by various cultures the world over. When a character takes the Divination Knowledge, the player should specify her tradition. Western astrology and tarot are the forms most Americans are familiar with, and detailed information on these can be found in countless books, newspapers and web pages. The Chinese astrological tradition known as tzu wei is often practiced in conjunction with feng shui, I Ching, folk medicine, and other ancient arts. The Ifa faith offers popular divination form among the Yoruban people. The Jaimini tradition is practiced in India, while in Jamaica and Haiti, houngans enter trances to channel the wisdom of the loa; the Mongolian Buddhists, Mayans, and people all over the world possess their own divinatory secrets.
A character with Divination can perform a reading on himself or others by making an Intelligence + Divination roll (difficulty 8). The detail and accuracy of the reading is based on the number of successes rolled, though the Storyteller should provide hints rather than simply give the players raw data.

●	Novice: You often make general comments like, "Oh, he's a Capricorn, so he must be hard-working and honest."
●●	Practiced: You can read people and occasionally gain reliable information about them through your practices.
●●●	Competent: You are considered a reliable fortune teller, and only the unwise ignore your predictions.
●●●●	Expert: You can make a good living performing readings.
●●●●●	Master: Everyone reads your national newspaper column.

Possessed by: Stargazers, Hermetic magi, pagans, fortune tellers, singles bars patrons.
Specialties: Matchmaking, Financial Forecasts, Prophesy.

Feng Shui
Dr. Holland hovered over Xiaong Wan as he silently paced the sterile white room. The Chinese man was intermittently looking at the room's furniture and out the window, and periodically consulting Holland's daughter's medical charts. The tired doctor's gray eyes sported dark circles, and deep lines of worry etched his face. Nearby, a bald, emaciated-looking girl of no more than eight slept fitfully, connected to various machines by tubes leading into her nose and arms.
After a few minutes of walking around the sterile hospital room, Xiaong asked, "Who built this hospital, Doctor Holland?"
Holland, surprised, replied, "Our money men hired some independent contractors. But, why is that important? And why aren't you looking at Typhanie? I'm paying you to cure her, not worry with construction contracts."
The Wu Lung looked at the man seriously. "Because the problem is not with Typhanie. Her condition reflects a larger problem. This building has... very bad energy. This is no accident... whoever built this hospital obviously did so with the intention of flouting feng shui." Xiaong pointed an old, wizened finger as he spoke. "Do you see how the angles of this room are slightly off, but only barely? And notice how the hospital is arranged at an obtuse angle to the medical offices? I do not see how even a Westerner could miss this."
Holland scowled. "Obviously, you superstition-mongers are more sensitive to things like this than I am. Otherwise, I'd have not brought you here. Your unique healing talents are my girl's last hope."
The old man nodded slowly, unperturbed by the other man's lack of manners, and said soberly, "While your Typhanie remains within this room, her condition will not improve. This also explains the poor reputation this hospital has, doctor. Many people have died here from even minor illnesses. This is due to all the concentrated negative energy here."
The Progenitor paused thoughtfully. Without looking away from the girl, he asked, "If we move Typhanie to a different facility, can you help her?"
The Wu lung nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I am confident I can. You have my word I will do my best. However, I do not want your money. In return for my services, I must ask you and your associates in the local Construct to allow my friends at the local Hermetic chantry to operate in peace, and for you to cease and desist your 'reeducation initiative'."
Xiaong was too surprised to keep his customary composure when Doctor Holland grabbed him by the shoulders and almost yelled, "I'll do anything if you ask, as long as you save my daughter! So do it!" Holland's eyes were mad with chronic exhaustion and grief, and Xiaong knew the price of refusal or failure.

The Kuei-jin Discipline Feng Shui expands upon (and some says corrupts) the concepts and principles of this Ability. Kuei-jin may learn the Discipline without knowing this Ability, and vice-versa. However, these two practices, while distinct, naturally complement each other. A character may substitute the Feng Shui Knowledge in any roll involving the Feng Shui Discipline, if he chooses (i.e., she may make an Intelligence + Feng Shui roll instead of Intelligence + Occult when using Broom of Heaven). In addition, those who have the Feng Shui Ability at a 5 roll against difficulty 5 when using the Wind-Water Eye power (Feng Shui ●). Storytellers with the Kindred of the East Companion may grant a character with five dots in Feng Shui the joss-manipulating abilities listed under Wind-Water Eye (Feng Shui ●, pg. 63) to simulate her proficiency. However, the fang shih must work for several hours to perform such a feat.)

Feng shui is an ancient art practiced by Chinese geomancers (fang shih). Those who practice feng shui can construct and position structures, shrines and graves so they are in harmony with their environments. They also know how to best arrange furniture and decorations within a building so as to bring prosperity and harmony to its inhabitants, be it a home or business. Structures constructed with the principles of feng shui are in harmony with the mystic Dragon Lines that carry Chi energy through the land, and are in accord with Heaven; buildings that are not properly arranged or built can only bring stress and bad joss (ill fortune) to its inhabitants. In the Middle Kingdom, it is considered most inauspicious to build something, or even rearrange one's domicile, without first consulting a fang shih. This art is practiced outside Asia, too, as the art is a popular pastime in some parts of the United States (especially the West Coast).
A character with this Knowledge may sense and identify the ambient Chi (Quintessence/ Gnosis/ etc.) and perceive how it flows; the area the character is attempting to read can be no larger than an office building. This requires a Perception + Feng Shui roll (difficulty 9). It takes from thirty minutes to several hours to properly cleanse one's mind and study the area, with larger areas taking more time to read.
Many Kuei-jin possess this Ability (and have even developed a Discipline around it), though by no means is it exclusive to them. The practice is even more widespread among hengeyokai and traditional chi'n ta, who make harmony with the mystic forces of the Middle Kingdom a way of life.
While Kindred may practice this Ability, not many do. Few have connections to traditional Chinese culture, and their spiritually dead natures makes it difficult for most of them to master the art; all rolls involving the Feng Shui Ability requires an additional success to function (i.e., the first success the character rolls is ignored). If a vampire has Auspex, however, she doesn't suffer this penalty, as her psychic awareness helps her to "reconnect" with the ambient lines of Chi.

●	Novice: You know not to put tiger print drapes in the same room with 18th century Prussian antique furniture.
●●	Practiced: People feel at peace while in your dwelling.
●●●	Competent: You can make a decent living contracting to homemakers and architects.
●●●●	Expert: Your skill is such that you can bring good Chi to a junkyard.
●●●●●	Master: Fang shih from all over come to study under you, and you command top dollar for your services.

Possessed by: Shen, traditional Chinese, New Agers.
Specialties: Furniture, Office Buildings, Gravesites, Mystic Land.

Knowledges

Linguistics
Here's an optional way to handle Linguistics that eliminates the tendency of characters to spontaneously learn multiple languages (or gaining empty language slots) when increasing Linguistics with experience points. It also allows characters to pick up languages faster and easier. Finally, "normal" mortal characters without the ability to increase Linguistics to 6 or above have the option to know more than sixteen languages -- and quite a few people do, especially in Africa, Asia and Polynesia.
Instead of getting new languages from raising Linguistics, you learn new languages and gain dots in Linguistics separately. While the two concepts go hand-in-hand, the study of language itself and learning new languages aren't the same thing. When taking the Linguistics Ability at character creation, consider it to be a "package deal" that gives you the number of bonus languages listed in the book. After that, increasing the Linguistics Ability and gaining new languages are handled separately. In fact, a character with no Linguistics can learn new languages, though it's harder and takes more time.
Your scholastic understanding of language (its structure, rules, etc.) increases when you raise Linguistics. But new languages don't just pop unbidden into your head whenever you attain a new Linguistics dot. Thus, any new languages picked up after character generation cost 2 exp apiece, or 3 exp apiece if you have no dots in Linguistics. This means you can keep a Linguistics of 1 and buy all the new languages you're willing to pay exp for (and have the time and opportunity to study). However, if you raise Linguistics from 0 to 5 without purchasing any new languages along the way (an unlikely event), you still only know your birth language.
The Linguistics Ability is still useful, however. Linguistics adds to Intelligence die pools for deciphering ancient script, clearly understanding a new dialect or strange slang expression, and cracking language-based codes in lieu of Cryptology. Also, for every dot of Linguistics you have, reduce the time needed to learn a new language by 10%. So a Linguistics of 3 indicates a 30% reduction in the study time for new languages. As a basic rule of thumb, the base time to learn a new language is roughly six months.

Lore
The elderly, well-dressed Japanese man smiled. "We of the Whispering Tigers Clan appreciate your token of friendship to us, Parseus-san, elder Kindred of Portland. We are at your mercy in this land, with its strange customs. We will certainly think of you favorably in our future enterprises, and will be glad to assist your Camarilla in their efforts against the Chinese invaders." He bowed respectfully, then he and two younger vampires -- one a man, the other a woman -- followed him out of the double oak doors.
Prince Parseus leaned back in his stuffed chair and allowed himself a slight smile as he thought of the prestige he could lever from this secret alliance with the Cathayans, as well as from the mystical knowledge Sakaimoro promised him. Then a heavy voice, thick with a German accent, spoke behind him, "You just gave prime feeding grounds away to no gain. Congratulations."
The Toreador immediately spun around and hissed angrily, "What do you know of Eastern Kindred, Ivan of no clan worth mentioning?"
Ivan briefly met the prince's gaze, yet did not flinch. The large, muscular German shrugged and started walking towards the doors. "It's nothing to me. Do as you please."
A well-dressed older man with a thick mustache shot Parseus a severe glance, and stopped Ivan at the door. He smiled disarmingly, and said, "Please, Ivan. Tell us what you know."
Without turning to face the prince, Ivan said, "I spent a good bit of time in Hong Kong, and I'm sure that Sakaimoro and his friends aren't Kuei-jin. Eastern vampires don't even have 'clans'. Your visitors were, in fact, impostors. Likely Ravnos." Ivan slowly turned to Parseus, smiling at the prince's shocked expression. "And yes, I can give you proof of this. But if I do, I want a third of the feeding grounds you would have given to these charlatans. Agreed?"
The prince glowered at Ivan, but nodded assent.

Lore represents advanced knowledge of a particular area of study. You must specify a subject when this Knowledge is taken; you can't have a general Lore Ability that covers everything.
Lores often focus on groups or types of supernatural creatures -- Kindred Lore, Mage Lore, Spirit Lore, etc. -- but more esoteric subjects like Wyrm Lore, Discipline Lore, Underworld Lore and such are also appropriate. A broad Lore grants you a wide range of knowledge, while a more specific one allows more detailed information of a narrow focus (Kindred Lore verses Setite Lore, for instance).
Storytellers should be careful what Lores they allow their players to take, especially during character generation; the temptation for metaknowledge may override common sense. A Lore should reflect the character's experience and actual knowledge. There's no good reason a whelp straight out of his Rite of Passage would have Kindred Lore 4; in fact, his player should have a good justification for his character to have Kindred Lore at all. However, a dot in Wyrm Lore might be appropriate, and rudimentary Spirit Lore would be useful for a Theurge. Lores should be limited to a maximum rating of 2 for beginning characters, as deeper understanding requires experience (though Storytellers may waive this restriction if there's a very good reason for a character to have a higher rating).

●	Novice: You only know a little about the subject, and rely mostly on rumors and conjecture.
●●	Practiced: You have a strong base of knowledge to work with.
●●●	Competent: You know enough to make you dangerous... or worth watching.
●●●●	Expert: You're often asked by your fellows, and those who rank above you, for advice on the subject.
●●●●●	Master: You know more about those you study than most of them do.

Possessed by: Infiltrators, spies, diplomats, leaders.
Specialties: Hunting, Philosophy, Sects and Divisions, Supernatural Abilities.

Stereotypes R Us Admittedly, a Lore regarding supernatural creatures relies fairly heavily on stereotypes and sweeping statements. It assumes the supernatural group in question has a common culture, universally applicable qualities, and that aggregates of individuals fall neatly into predefined roles and behavioral models. In the complex and diverse World of Darkness, little can be further than the truth. Revised editions of the WoD games have moved visibly away from the "splat equals fraternity" setup of earlier editions. Basic Vampire Lore tells us vampires "eat people and react poorly to sunlight"; higher levels clue you into (broad) undead politics, divisions and regional cultural variations -- Sabbat are really violent, or Cathayans are different from Kindred, for instance. Beyond that, any generalization you make about such a broad group of creatures likely falls short at some point. What applies to English Ventrue doesn't apply to Cambodian penangallan. Knowing about Mexican Sabbat auctorus ritae won't help at all when trying to puzzle out the politics of an ancient, tyrannical domain of Ugandan Guruhi. Even Lores of specific divisions of vampires (Sabbat Lore, Laibon Lore) is hard to obtain and apply effectively, and they never apply universally. Understanding the politics of the aforementioned Ugandan domain, for instance, tells you very little about a neighboring domain of thin-blooded Laibon, overseen by a liberal Ishtarri magaji and composed of a mix of legacies. Setites themselves have a hard time keeping track of the various beliefs and heresies of their "clan faith", so what hope has an outsider to puzzle them out? Similarly, there's a diversity of proscribed Devil-Tiger sects that Resplendent Crane legalists they can only suspect exist, despite regularly brushing shoulders with them in the same courts. And so on, and et cetera. Vampires are as diverse as the human societies from which they draw. The sects, clans, Dharmas, regional groups and individual proclivities of vampires add even more complexity to this already cosmopolitan foundation, and making accurate generalizations about such diverse collection of monsters even more trying. The same diversity applies to Garou, mages, wraiths and other denizens of the World of Darkness. Generalizations don't apply very well to any of them; even the term "exceptions to the rule" becomes meaningless when there are no rules, and the nature of individuality can through all preconceived notions to the wind. Thus, Lores should be hard to come by, and apply only very generally. Werewolf Lore 1-2 tells you that they don't like silver, prefer rural areas, are testy, and are death on either two of four legs as the mood strikes them; a rating of 3 might clue you into the existence of tribes, their Gaia religion, and that they can inexplicably appear and disappear from certain areas; 4-5 would give you tribe and auspice names (though you might mix the names and concepts up), some knowledge how these "Garou" relate to their spirit world, perhaps a bit of history and more detail on their shamanistic traditions -- but even with Werewolf Lore 5, you probably still don't know what's up with Renown and rank, which groups have which weird powers, or why this group of "Fenrises" are friendly and why these other ones kill everything they see. A sufficient degree of Setite Lore tells you the majority of them venerate Set (or at least pay lip service to him), often (but not always) have ties to underworld enterprises rivaling that of the Ventrue, have long-standing rivalries with Assamites and Sabbat... and probably not much beyond that. What does all that tell you about this particular Follower of Set coterie that's moved into your town, investing in museums and art galleries and ignoring the drug trade? Not much. So Demon Lore 4 tells you Devils are all manipulative, deceitful bastards? What about this red-scaled warrior covered in flames, proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ as he lays waste to other demons? The stereotypes provided by your Demon Lore sometimes serve you well, but often don't apply. This isn't to say Lores regarding supernatural creatures are useless, or that they always give you inaccurate information. If this were the case, investing in them would be pointless. Wraith Lore, for example, is a necessity for Giovanni necromancers that don't want their asses handed to them by their wraithly "subjects", while a hunter without concrete data on whatever he's hunting will die almost immediately with nothing to show for it. You just have to keep Lore Knowledges in the proper perspective. A character will only get so much mileage out of a particular Lore, as it offers general rather than specific information, and it occasionally may not apply at all to an atypical individual falling under the aegis of that group.