Physical Merits

Physical merits refer to special skills, abilities, or aptitudes in physical pursuits or contests that characters may possess. These may range from very simple merits, such as those that indicate a character has a good sense of balance or can lift a considerable amount of weight, to very complex and supernatural ones, often possessed by only a few beings in the world at any given time. Merits always represent either an innate quality of a character, a situation they have encountered that has permanently affected them, or a skill they have worked hard to acquire.

Physical merits are broken down into merits belonging in the realm of Dexterity (merits involving speed, skill, and flexibility), Stamina (merits involving resistance to and recovery from injury), and Strength (merits involving feats and raw physical power).

Dexterity Merits

Ambidextrous: This character is equally dextrous with both hands.

Crack Driver: This character is a natural when it comes to driving wheeled vehicles.

Crack Shot: This character is incredibly accurate with a long-distance weapon.

Dexterous Toes: This character has exceptionally agile toes and can use them almost as easily as their hands.

Double-Jointed: This character is unusually flexible and can move around in confined spaces or escape some bonds.

Firearms License: This character is skilled in firearms and possesses the license to prove it.

Graceful: This character has an innate grace that makes it almost impossible for them to look clumsy or awkward.

Hands of Daedalus: This character is extremely skilled at designing and building machines and pieces of art.

Legerdemain: This character is adept at sleight of hand and stage magic.

Long-Distance Runner: This character can run twice as fast as others and continue for surprisingly long periods of time.

Master Crafter: This character is incredibly good at designing and building physical objects.

Mechanical Aptitude: This character is adept with machines and devices of all kinds.

Natural Runner: This character runs especially quickly and easily.

Omnidexterous: This character is extremely dextrous with any and all appendanges they may have.

Perfect Balance: This character has excellent balance and can walk tightropes or dance on a dime.

Specialist Driver's License: This character has an extended license, such as for commercial trucks or buses, and is skilled in using it.

Stunt Rider: This character can ride either animals or open-air vehicles like motorcycles with expert skill.

Wheeler: This character is excellent at driving wheeled motor vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

Without a Trace: This character is adept at traveling in the wilderness and leaves no trail for others to follow.

Stamina Merits

Bitter Blood: This character's blood tastes disgusting to vampires, and even other supernatural creatures find it unpleasant to bite them.

Bundle of Energy: This character is naturally energetic and sleeps less than most.

Cast-Iron Stomach: This character can digest almost anything that technically counts as the kind of sustenance they need to live.

Catnapper: This character can get just as much rest from intermittent napping as most get from a full night of sleep.

Drug Resistance: This character is unusually resistant to the negative effects of drugs and alcohol.

Hale: This character has astonishingly good health for the most part.

High Pain Tolerance: This character feels much less pain than others and can behave as if they were less injured than they actually are.

Hollow Leg: This character is resistant to the effects of alcohol and can drink huge amounts of it before suffering ill effects.

Impervious to Weather: This character is used to harsh environments and can survive and thrive in them.

Pain Tolerance: This character is naturally resistant to pain and can keep going longer even when severely injured.

Robust Health: This character is resistant to poisons and toxins and seldom gets sick.

Runner's Wind: This character can perform long-distance running feats that others cannot.

Sea Legs: This character is at home on boats and is unaffected by rough weather or motion sickness.

Thick-Skinned: This character has especially sturdy flesh and is more difficult to cut or bite than most.

Too Tough to Die: This character is extremely resistant to injury and seldom takes damage from anything but serious weapons and accidents.

Strength Merits

Berserker: This character can Frenzy at will.

Combat Expertise: This character is experienced and skilled in combat and seldom makes mistakes.

Diverse Fighting Style: This character is versed in multiple types of combat and can wield most weapons and join most contests effectively.

Good Right Hook: This character hits especially hard when fighting hand-to-hand.

Huge Size: This character is especially huge (more than 6'5" tall) and can survive more physical punishment.

Lucky Shot: This character occasionally inexplicably hits or throws something so perfectly that it does far more damage than it normally should.

Natural Aptitude: This character is especially good at a specialized innate skill, far more than most other people.

Vigorous: This character barely needs to sleep an hour or two each day (although they also can't sleep more, even if they want to).