Merits and Flaws

The character now has to pick at least five positive and negative traits. She can start with no more than 5 merits, but she can have more than 5 points of flaws. These merits and flaws are always active and can help or hinder certain activities (A blind person would have a hard time playing catch, for instance). How these affect the game is mainly up to the Ubergoth. The Ubergoth can come up with any other Merits and Flaws she sees fit, mainly because I was too lazy to write all the ones I could think of down. Some Merits and Flaws can't be paired, like Good Drinker and Booze Hound and the decision is up to the Ubergoth.

Merits

Pretty (2 pt): There is something about your features that raises you above the crowd. You get treated better and have an easier time dealing with others, though your appearance might attract the wrong type of people at times.

Doppelganger (1 pt): You look like someone else well known in the scene. Maybe you look like Andrew Eldritch or Winonna Ryder in Beetlejuice or Peter Murphy or Frank-N-Furter or whoever else. You can play up on this as appropriate.

Famous (1-3 pts): People know you and admire you. Doors are opened for you and people will actually kiss your ass, no matter how self-absorbed you are. A 1 point merit implies that you are popular on a small scale. The head poster on a newsgroup, the best Rocky in San Francisco, etc. 2 points in this merit means that you are fairly well known but haven't made a hard enough impact. Underground comic creator, minor band. A 3 in this merit implies that your presence has significantly impacted the scene and everyone knows you.

Goth job (1-2 pt): Most jobs are dull as hell and routinely suck up Goth points like a fat man gorges on cheeseburgers. You, however, are lucky enough to land a Goth intensive job. At one point you work at a place that doesn't leech up Goth points, like a library or a Halloween store. 2 points means that at the end of the week you might actually gain Goth points as well as a big fat paycheck. Places like that are good music stores, "alternative" clothing stores, the offices of Carpe Noctem, etc.

Occult Library (1 pt): At some point in your existence you became fascinated with the occult and have amassed a good sized library of books and art. Most of it is probably crap that you picked up from the New Age section at Waldenbooks, but there might be something useful in there. In the event of an occult-type emergency, the character can try a Shop roll to see if she digs anything up.

Underworld connections (3 pt): Your family is tied to an organized crime syndicate like the Mafia, the Yakuza, the triads, the drug cartels or whatever. There is a possibility that you can use these ties to your advantage. Be very careful in selecting this merit because you can piss the wrong person off and get your brains shot out.

Guardian Angel (4pt): Someone up there fucking loves you. You can NEVER double zero. When you do, rather than an "ultimate fuck-up," your character gets divine intervention. Anything in the world outside of actually seeing the face of God and becoming a reformed Christian is possible (however, that could be used for someone else as a fuck-up--permanently losing all Goth Points and retiring that character into the recesses of the closet).

Cause (1 pt): You have something you are working towards in your life, such as being a horror writer, losing weight, etc. You may add 10 points to any skill roll that directly affects your goal.

Moral Code (1 pt): You have a code of ethics that you adhere to. No one can budge you from your ways and any Persuade or Bitch rolls fail automatically. Define the code clearly. This merit is extremely popular with members of the GMAS.

Concentration (1 pt): Your mind is disciplined and centered enough that you can keep yourself focused in difficult situations. No modifiers can be played on you if you concentrate on something long enough.

Self-Confident (5 pt): You don't really give too much of a fuck about what other people say or think of you. If you ever fail a Goth roll due to an insult or an act of human cruelty, you may reroll it once.

Daddy's Little Princess (4pt): You can do no wrongs in the eyes of our parents. If you rolled up your grandfather's ashes and smoked them while pissing on a $900 Persian rug your parents would shake their heads and exclaim it a phase. Due to this leeway you have a window of opportunity for a lot more adventures. This merit is usually only taken by babygoths.

Time/Direction Sense (1 pt): You know where you are at what time. Comes in handy if you find yourself in a bad situation and want to go home.

Nightclub (2 or 4pt): You run a Goth oriented nightclub. Although bookings and management take up a healthy majority of your time you benefit both financially and in Goth point bonuses. A two point club is a semi-popular one, one with minor bookings, or one set during an inconvenient time of the week. A 4 point club is one in a big venue with major bookings on the weekends or it could be the only Goth club in the area. Either way you get the Fame Merit, though it depends on the nature of the club.

Action Hero (3 pt): You weren't born, you were created in a John Woo wet dream. In a combat situation you cannot be knocked unconscious (though you do get modifier penalties). You can use a gun in each hand without penalty regardless of your Dexterity. In the first round of combat you automatically go first regardless of the Dexterity order. Finally, in a fight you have to talk melodramatically.

Light Sleeper (2pt): Your body functions well without sleep. You only get the 10 point modifier if you slept less than 4 hours.

Luck ( 3 pt): The devil looks after his own. You can repeat 3 failed rolls per game.

Velvet Voice (2 pt): Your voice is as soft and sensual as a cat. This can make Seduction and Persuade rolls easier, depending on the person you are talking to.

Tough Guy (4 pt): You regenerate like Wile E. Coyote. Every time you make a healing roll you may add +2 to the result.

Animal Person (1 pt): Animals trust and like you. None will do you harm, nor will any impede your way.

Friends in High Places (1-3 pt): You have a friend in a convenient location. This friend can perform useful favors for you and is an asset. A 1 point friend is a minor drug dealer or someone with his own apartment you can crash at. A 2 point friend is a bouncer that will ignore false IDs or a talented computer hacker. A 3 point friend is someone that can write good music for your band or get you a Tek-9 on short notice.

Streetwise (1 pt): You are more comfortable in urban areas and do not present yourself as a target. You are less likely to be molested by gangs and whatnot.

Destiny (4 pt): You are bound to do something remarkable with your life, something that will change people's very perception of the world. You have a vague idea about what it is but you aren't sure (that is left to the Ubergoth.)

Loyal (1 pt): Your friends know they can count on you when the chips are down. You have their complete trust, which can make for awkward situations at times but they will put up with a lot from you.

Empathetic (3 pt): You have an ability to deduce amazing amounts of information on an individual's personality just by watching them. When you attempt this roll your Angst skill. If you succeed, the Ubergoth will clue you in on everything you know.

Knowledgeable (3 pt): You picked up a few more things than you expected you would. You may add 40 points to your total when you start creating your character.

Good Drinker (2 or 4 pt): You only take half the Intoxication points from a drink (round up). At a 4 point merit you also gain back double the Intoxication points per hour.

Romantically Lucky (1 pt): You are always pursued by those you find attractive. Rolls made in romantic situations are easier.

Kind (1 pt): You have a natural altruistic personality. Sometimes it's a hassle, but there are rewards and even Goth unfriendly types usually leave you alone. You must role play this Merit.

Masochist (4 pt): You enjoy pain, you sick fucker. You don’t roll to fall unconscious until you receive a blow that takes 75% of your current Hit Points. Even then, rather than rolling a 3D6, you roll a 2D6. Beware of falling into coma, and know your limits.

Dominatrix (3 pt): Unlike the sadist, the pain you inflict upon others is consensual, and ultimately enjoyable. Doms can get mucho Goth Points for doing a good scene, and have mucho Points subtracted for doing a bad one. For more info on BDSM, read the soc.subculture.bondage-bdsm FAQ (formerly the alt.sex.bdsm FAQ) available online at http://www.unrealities.com/adult/ssbb/faq.htm. A must read for Ubergoths who make use of the BDSM system.

Flaws

Ornery Son Of A Bitch (3 pt): You act like everyone is out to get you. You are rude, cruel, sad, and have a hard time making friends and it is nearly impossible for you to fall in love. If you are ever forced to make a social roll based on niceness you will get a negative modifier. This flaw can only be removed by loving someone else.

Sadist (3 pt): You enjoy inflicting pain on others, you sick fucker. Be it emotional or physical, you thrive on seeing suffering, as long as it’s not your own.

Depressed/Suicidal (1 or 3 pt): You put mopeygoths to shame. Constantly depressed over trumped up reasons, you lose energy and motivations. If you are suicidal you actively wish to die. You will not just throw yourself in front of a car while walking with your friends (you want a more intimate final exit) but you are prone to taking ridiculous chances with your life. You are either in therapy or completely covering this aspect of your personality up.

Doomed (5 pt): You are not going to live much longer. You probably have some terminal disease or are involved in something over your head (as in a fouled Underworld Ties merit) . In any case your clock is running out. You automatically have the flaw Depressed. What's worse, you are constantly aware of this fact and it weighs heavy on you.

Psycho Ex (1-3 pt): A past lover has become an obsessive individual. You might have to deal with this person constantly or never see him/her at all, but they are a thorn in your side. A 1 point ex is someone who calls too often and gets awkward when you meet on a street. A 2 point ex is someone who is a potential danger but is more likely to try a reconciliation. A 3 point ex has made it perfectly clear that they wish you great bodily harm. This makes you more than a little jumpy.

Mentally Unstable (1-3 pt): Okay, let's get something clear here. Insane characters are usually poorly played and often fuck up a game. Anyone who's ever played Vampire with an out of control Malkavian will tell you that. Most of this game can't be taken too seriously but if you pick this flaw, do it justice. Don't use insanity as an excuse to act like a 3 year old.

A 1 point Mentally Unstable flaw is a compulsion. Staying off cracks in the street, constantly checking to see if your car doors are locked, etc. A 2 point insanity is a little more destructive. An explosive temper, flashbacks, etc. 3 points is something extremely disruptive, something along the lines of criminal psychosis. A 3 point insanity flaw can never be bought off.

Military Goth (4 pt): You had a day when your brain evaporated out of your body and on that day, you joined the military. You're back now, but the military changed your mindset dramatically. Your character starts out with their maximum Goth points at 5 instead of 10. However, they get 20 extra points in the combat skill of their choice.

Just a Phase (3 pt): You probably got introduced to Goth through a friend or some MTV special. Though you have fun with it and you do like some of the songs on whatever Cleopatra compilation you own, you're not sure how you feel about the life. Mainly, you enjoy scaring the mundanes.

Your character starts the game with a maximum Goth point total of 7.

Loosely Connected (5 pt): It's not that you aren't strongly connected to Goth right now. You're just a flake. Goth point losses for you are doubled.

Shy (1 pt): You are uncomfortable in situations with people you don't know too well. You tend to appear quiet and kind of lonely, but in reality you just don't know how to proceed. There will be negative modifiers on any social rolls involving strangers.

Lone Man's Path (1 pt): You will always be alone. There is something about you that people instinctively shy away from and even old friends can't tolerate your company for too long. You can be a nice person, you can fall in love, but you'll always lead a solitary life. Social rolls might require modifiers based on the situation, usually if you've been around the same person for a while.

Intolerance (2 pt): You hate/fear something and will avoid it when necessary. The Ubergoth is the final arbitrator of what you can hate, as something's are too trivial for consideration.

Phobia (1-3 pt): You have a major fear of something and actively avoid it at all costs. If you are in its presence it could affect your rolls. This can range from mild arachnophobia (fear of spiders, we all saw the movie...), to severe claustrophobia to a fear of the outside world, making it impossible to go anywhere outside your house or a few select places, which are up to the Ubergoth.

Addiction (1-3 pt): You are addicted to something not good for you. If you are denied what you are addicted you could lose hit points. A 1 point addiction is anything easily obtainable, like caffeine or cigarettes. 2 and 3 points are things more hard to get and more dangerous.

Fat Ass (1 pt): You are painfully out of shape so PLEASE don't wear anything tight and revealing. In addition if you ever need to take a Strength roll for stamina, the trait is halved.

Clueless (3 pt): You're the kind of guy that wears Tommy Hilfiger to a fetish ball, request that the DJ plays something by Puff Daddy, and show up early to the Rocky Horror Picture Show so you don't miss the previews. You have some experience with the life, but you have never really grasped the social mores. Or maybe you just don't give a fuck.

Your Goth point maximum total starts at 8. You are also susceptible to Goth point losses from other Goths, who look down upon you for not fitting in well enough.

Sheltered (2 pt): You are someone who never really experienced the world outside what your parents created for you at an early age. You don't really know how to handle situations you've never experienced before and aren't as likely to try new things.

Babygoth (1 pt): You are just starting out. You know a little about the scene and the names of a couple of bands and have a small group of friends, but you have yet to establish yourself. Until you can get rid of this flaw, your Goth Lore skill cannot be above 20 points and you are a lot less likely to know where the shows are. You are also susceptible to Goth point losses from older Goths who try to weed out the real Goths from those just going through a phase.

Note that his flaw doesn't really cover age, just experience. Some young Goths are so well entrenched in the lifestyle that they don't suffer for this.

Gothier Than Thou (2 pt): No one is as dark as you. You tend to be arrogant and insulting to those who don't fit your definition of Goth and as a result you actually cause Goth point losses. Because the nature of this flaw demands some experience in the scene it can't be combined with Clueless, Babygoth, and other such flaws.

Anti-Goth job/Dull High School (3 pt): Be it cop or Corporate America, Goths just aren't cut out for some jobs. If you have to wear a suit or work with numbers or something else equally draining you lose a Goth point or two per week. Same applies to high schools with a disproportional high amount of cheerleaders and jocks.

Suburbia/ Non-Goth state (1 or 4 pt): You live in Suburbia, a place that is isolated and dull. You don't have immediate access to anything Goth oriented and you might surf the net to get Goth point fixes. Maybe your friends drive you into the city, but generally you're alone against the forces of the suburbs most of the time. Your enemies generally run along the lines of drunken preppies, small town cops, and concerned parents.

Non-Goth state is a much more extreme version of the flaw. You live in a state (Utah comes into my mind) that is completely right-wing and oasis's of Goth are usually small and few. In addition, being one of the rare freaks in the state, you are hassled on a daily basis. To top it off, your interpretation of Goth is likely to wind up in a bizarre mix of Goth, Mansonism, occultism, and Vampire: The Masquerade. This can be fine for you, but if you run into LA Goths it could be a problem.

Can't Drive/License Suspended (1-2pt): You either never learned or are too young to take the license test. You have to rely on friends and family to chauffeur your ass from point A to point B, or in the worst case scenario take public transportation. Until this flaw is bought off, you can't have the Drive skill past 20 points.

A suspended license means that you can drive but at some point you got nailed by the cops. If you're ever caught driving, all sorts of hell will come down upon your ass. However, you can have as many points in the skill as needed. This flaw can't be bought off until the conditions of the suspension is met.

Romantically screwed (1 pt): It's like their being fucking paid not to like you. For whatever reasons romances rarely work out for you and you have a hard time picking up dates.

Booze hound (3 pt): You take your drink badly. You lose double the Intoxication point value of a drink. To top it off, you will not stop drinking unless your friends Persuade you out of it, you pass out, or you die. You will never stop drinking on your own conscious control. Don't give this character the car keys.

Enemy (1-3 pt): You have someone gunning for your ass. This person will do anything to make life difficult for you and you will do the same for them. A 1 point enemy is someone who is only a social danger and more of an inconvenience, such as a high school teacher or a nightclub shit talker. A two point enemy is someone more extreme who might take physical action against you, like a single member of the GMAS or CCP. A 3 point enemy is a major organization that makes discrediting or harming you a major focus in their activities. These might be a CCP picket line outside your nightclub, a majority of the GMAS, a street gang, or the football team at your high school.

Speech problem (1-2pt): There is something about the the way you speak that irritates people on occasion. This can cause modifications on your Persuade rolls. A 1 point flaw is a bad habit you picked up, but can be remedied. Perhaps you swear too goddamn much or you talk like you just walked off the set of a Snoop Doggy Dogg video. A 2 point flaw means that the problem is uncorrectable, such as a high pitched voice or a nasal tone.

Light sensitive (1 pt): Your eyes are very light sensitive and you wear shades in clubs because they actually are necessary, not just for effect. If you are ever caught in the light without sunglasses all of your See rolls are halved, and you suffer any penalties the Ubergoth declares.

In The Closet Goth ( 3 pt): You hide your interest in the life very carefully from those you are close to. When your parents knock on the door the Prophagandas go under the bed like they were pornography or you hide the make-up from your girlfriend. Your character loses 2 Goth points on a weekly basis.

Deep Sleeper (1 pt): You need your beauty sleep. If you get less than 8 hours of sleep, you lose 10 points to all skill rolls. In addition, when it starts getting late you have to beat your Strength trait or start nodding off. If you don't sleep you are a cranky pain in the ass. You can't take this with the Light Sleeper Merit.

Illiterate (1 pt): Due to dyslexia or poor education, you cannot read or write.

Bad Reputation (3 pt): You are looked down upon in the scene. This makes life difficult when you go out. Being banned from a club goes along with this flaw. You cannot combine this with Fame.

Spineless (2 pt): People can talk you into things very easily and you have a difficult time saying no. All Persuade rolls against you gain 20 points.

Haunted (1-3 pt): This can range from feeling a clammy hand on your shoulder periodically, and seeing nothing there, to House ("There baaaaack..."), to Exorcist, in which you periodically get possessed. (Note: In some cultures around of the world where the supernatural is accepted much more than here, possession is basically an excuse to let it all hang out, and to do things that are normally socially unacceptable--if this form of possession is chosen by the Ubergoth, this is only a 1 pt. flaw, and you automatically receive the Bad Reputation flaw with no bonus [you’ve probably done this enough times to seriously piss some people off] ) This can also be the subject of a chronicle.

Schizophrenic/Multiple Personality Disorder (1-3 pt): You hear voices in your head. The value of this flaw depends on how much you listen to them, how much they become a part of your life, and how much control you have over them, i.e. whether or not you can prevent them from taking over your body (can be a substitute for possession if diagnosed).

Cursed (4 pt): The opposite of Guardian Angel. Someone out there wants to fuck you over, and bad. For all your D10 rolls, you must first make a 1D4 roll to determine whether or not you get a double zero. If, on that roll you get a 1, you’re fucked. Otherwise, you’re cool, and continue the 2D10 roll as normal. You can still get a double zero if you did not roll a 1 on the 1D4 but rolled 00 with the 2D10.

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