Useful Merits

Note that many Merits aren't listed, as their usefulness is inherently stated, or they aren't nearly as useful in a LARP setting as a Table Top game. This list is also partly skewed from a Requiem perspective, and works with generalities, rather than focusing on Clan/Covenant specific items.


Mental Merits

Common Sense: often unappreciated, this Merit works well for newer players whom wish to avoid getting into too much trouble during their first few games. It also allows for you to run things by a ST member and ask if it's a "good idea".

Encyclopedic Knowledge: this Merit is helpful in following plot, allowing you to garner pieces of the puzzle that other people may not have.

Language: there are a plethora of languages in existence, and if you are going to be in a coterie with others, finding a seldom used language to communicate secretly is perhaps paramount.



Physical Merits

Ambidexterity: while it doesn't allow you a second attack, this merit is useful, but only when paired with either the Gunslinger Merit, or Two-Weapon Fighting. The fact that it takes 3 dots of your Creation Merit dots means that it actually costs you 24 xp for this Merit, as it precludes you from spending 6 Creation Merit dots on Blood Potency. Thus at most, you can make BP 2 with Creation Merit dots, as opposed to BP 3, which would cost 24 xp. Before taking this Merit, make certain that it is something that you're going to use with the PC.

Disarm: A disarmed combatant often ends a fight, unless they are truly desperate. If someone has built their PC to be extremely efficient with a big axe, removing it from their possession makes them less efficient with anything else they might be carrying, or forcing them to fight unarmed.

Fast Reflexes: this is the cheapest method for increasing your Initiative, giving you an edge which allows you to dictate the flow of combat, or to remove yourself from such a harmful situation.

Fighting Style: Boxing: this is the best fighting style to avoid the claws of an enraged Gangrel, or to avoid being grappled. Note that it only applies when your opponent is using a Brawling based attack against you.

Fighting Style: Combat Marksmanship (Armory): if you're going to go with a gunslinger character, this Merit is a must, especially when combined with Fast Reflexes and a power that boosts Initiative (such as Celerity), it allows you to shoot first, giving an edge in combat.

Fighting Style: Fencing (Armory): trading your Defense for a larger bonus on your attack works well with a Rapier versus an armed opponent, allowing you to trade the +2 Defense a Rapier grants for a +2 to hit.

Fighting Style: Fillipino Martial Arts (Armory): this has the drawback of only being applicable when fighting against unarmored opponents while you have a weapon. It is a great accomplice to Two Weapons, allowing you to gain a Defense bonus versus almost any attacker, by switching between the two Merits.

Fighting Style: Kung Fu: as this fighting style only applies against unarmed opponents (i.e. they are using Brawl attacks), it often lacks some usefulness. Combined with the fact that it only subtracts from their Base Defense, and buying more than 2 dots in this Merit has severely diminishing returns for the amount of XP you are spending.

Fighting Style: Two Weapons: as with the rest of the fighting styles in the core MET book, this only apples to specific circumstances, namely when your opponent is using Weaponry based attacks (or the occasional thrown weapon). This style also only works with weapons that have a damage rating of 2 or less (p.234), making it highly efficient with the Rapier/Main Gauche combination.

Gunslinger: this Merit is very effective, allowing you to take the better of two draws, in every venue except Requiem, where vampires take Bashing from bullets. Also remember that when using this Merit, you lose your Defense.

Quick Draw: tired of wasting an entire round pulling your weapon out of a sheath or holster? Buy this Merit. Also, if you have this Merit and your opponent does not, make sure that the ST enforces them taking an entire turn to pull out their weapon.



Social Merits

Allies: the drawback to this Merit is that they require a successful Social Challenge to motivate them to pursue a task, which in Requiem is often capped by your Humanity. The benefit is that they are a nebulous group of people, thus harder to remove from your sheet.

Contacts: very useful in gaining information on plot related situations. Unfortunately, people often underestimate this Merit and it is absent on many sheets.

Retainer: unlike Allies, Retainers never need a Social Challenge in order to be persuaded to pursue their task, however, their drawback is that they are easier to lose, as they represent a single individual.



Other Merits

Anonymity (Blood of the Wolf, p.46): this Merit makes it very difficult for people to track your character down through any sort of government or business database.

Armory (Banishers, p.51): this represents a cache of weapons, which is useful when you have a group of ghouls you wish to arm, or if the Freehold needs to combat a threat.

Feeding Ground (Damnation City): once the Prince grants your Kindred such, this Merit effectively aids in Feeding Challenges.

Haven: every vampire whom wishes to stay in the city more than simply passing through should invest in a Haven, even if you're a Gangrel, as it gives you a location to store your possessions. Often having a number of locations represented by Haven Security 1 is more efficient than having a huge mansion, as it allows you to change locations on a regular basis, and keeps people from tracking you down during those pesky daylight hours.

Luxury (Seers of the Throne): having use of nice things, and a rich person's lifestyle, without actually having the resources to back it up. This Merit allows you to play with all the nice things, without having Resources that can be stripped away.

Shadow Contacts (Book of Spirits, p.110): Low Approval for lesser supernatural templates (ghouls, sleepwalkers) or mortals. In essence, this grants you the ability to go somewhere, and ask questions of a Shadow, much as you would a mortal contact, although the information is often of a different nature. This Merit is handy for plot.

Staff (Ghouls, p.74): represents a group of individuals whom tend your haven/sanctum/etc. This is a necessity for anyone wishing to have a mansion or other large edifice.