Crucible Merits
Debt of Gratitude (6 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
At some point in the past, the crucible made a friend who owes the group a significant favor. At the minimum level, the person is just an average citizen -- a plumber, a student, a nurse, a beat cop, a secretary or the like -- but is reliable and eager to return the favor he owes the group. It is up to the group to determine how best to make use of this gratitude.
Add-ons:
4 pts: The person who owes the group a favor is someone of standing and influence -- a lawyer, a doctor, a professor, a precinct chief -- who can pull some strings for the group.
8 pts: At this level, the person who owes the characters a favor is extremely powerful -- a corporate CEO, a senator, a major mob boss, or the like. A favor from these individuals can help the crucible greatly. Favors, however, are sometimes best when they're owed, not when they're paid.
Empathetic Link (6 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
Sometimes the ties that bind not only share what has been, but what is to come. For this Merit, the characters are so tightly bound together emotionally and through experience that they can practically communicate and sense each other's thoughts just with a touch or a glance. They may even predict how their friends will react to a situation.
This merit enables one crucible member to know what another member is feeling or intending if he succeeds in a Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 5). If the other character is resisting any attempt to read him, the difficulty is the target's Willpower. One success enables the character to sense the general emotional state of his comrade. For each subsequent success, the character can ask the target one question pertaining to his emotional state or intent, which the target must answer truthfully. This way, characters separated may know where the other characters are, their potential course of action or how they plan to remedy a situation. This allows groups to coordinate their efforts or sense distress in one another without communicating verbally.
Good Vibes (6 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
Maybe it was fate or just the will of the divine, but the crucible is lucky when the characters are around one another. They are somehow able to escape from impossible odds, or the tools they need are at hand at the right moment or somehow, beyond all reason, they push the right button.
For the duration of the story, each crucible member has a pool of luck dice that he can rely on in times of need. Each pool is equal to half the number of freebies contributed to this Merit (as a group) at a minimum of six, rounded down. These dice last for an entire story and do not replenish until the beginning of the next story. A Storyteller may also award a luck point to the characters if they did something particularly daring to benefit them all.
Employer (9 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
At some poin in their career, the characters suitably impressed one of their employers. Maybe they saved a businessman's daughter or consoled a son with the knowledge his mother wasn't suffering. Regardless, the crucible now has an employer who not only pays well, but who won't betray them to the authorities. While the employer may not risk his neck for them, he will use his talents on occasion and pay them for such services.
This provides each character with one dot in the Background Resources, to indicate regular employment with this individual. This dot does not increase a preexisting rating in Resources since that would create a discrepancy in how much the employer paid each member. Instead, it functions as a second Resource Background indepdendent of the first.
Add-ons:
3 pts: The crucible has the equivalent of two dots in Resources.
6 pts: The crucible has the equivalent of three dots in Resources.
9 pts: The cruicble has the equivalent of four dots in Resources and the employer is absolutely unimpeachable or incorruptible.
Safe Haven (9 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
The minimum investment of nine points in this Merit gives the characters a very basic, but safe, place to crash. The crucible members have one unfurnished room (like an attic or basement) where they can escape the pressures descending down upon them. Neither Spectres, ghosts nor human adversaries know the whereabouts of this haven, nor are they likely to uncover it unless the crucible inadvertantly leads them there. Further expenditures increase both the safety and the comfort of this sanctuary.
Add-ons:
2 pts: Distant/Secluded. Adds two to the difficulty of all rolls to find this haven.
4 pts: Luxurious. The haven has many amenitites: plenty of comfortable furniture, a good stero system, high speed internet connection, pool, ample space, etc.
8 pts: Safe Haven. At some point in its history, the location was “sanctified” somehow. Neither Spectres nor spooks can breach the perimeter, adn they must use an open door or even an invitation, to enter.
10 pts: Sanctuary. No spook or Spectre can even breach this location through open doors and windows. In fact, the characters can only enter when in their own bodies, or if specifically invited in by someone living.
Lives Shared (10 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
Vitality is life. In the world of Orpheus it represents memories, emotions, and feelings. Normally a crucible of spooks can share these things on a superficial level, just using them to fuel their normal abilities and enhance their Horrors. This crucible is closer than that, however. Through the anchors of Vitality, a crucible member can impart a portion of his life experiences with another crucible member, showing her how to accomplish something as though she's actually skilled in the matter.
In effect, this Merit allows crucible members to share Abilities. For each Vitality point spent, a crucible member can share one dot in an Ability with another member. Someone with no experience in guns, for example, can borrow a dot in Firearms from a fellow crucible member. This is temporary, lasting only for a scene before the spook forgets what he learned.
Add-ons:
5 pts: The crucible is more connected then before. Spending a point of Vitality allows a spook to impart two dots in one Ability to another crucible member for a scene.
10 pts: At this level, the spooks are so intertwinced that they are reflections of one another. This allows them to share Attributes. For each point of Vitality spent, a character can impart an Attribute dot to another crucible member for a scene. The lender, however, loses those dots for the duration of the scene.
Hive Mind (15 pt Crucible Merit)
The combination of working closely together and sharing Vitality allows the characters to develop a constant sensory and telepathic link so long as they're within 30 feet of one another. They know what the other members see and what the other members think.
Add-ons:
4 pts: Well Oiled Machine. The crucible members are so in tune with each other that the difficulty to all team efforts decreases by two. To earn this benefit, the players must describe their character's role in bolstering the team effort.
6 pts: Unlimited Range. Distance no longer affects the group's telepathic connection.
Cult Worship (15 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
The characters have a cult following of folks believing the characters are angels, devils, gods, or powerful spirits. The cultists worship the characters and seek to placate the crucible however they can. To maintain this Merit, the characters must play along and foster belief in the cult by arranging for the occasional “miracle” to maintain the illusion of divinity. So long as they make a basic effort, though, this cult believes just about anything. This Crucible Merit provides crash space in the form of the “church” where the characters are worshipped.
At the basic level, cult members are just a collection of random kooks who stumble across the characters. While it doesn't possess much power (or credibility) to use on the crucible's behalf, the cult will go so far as to interfere with the police if its “angels” are being persecuted. The cult may also provide other minor benefits as well, like sex, shelter, food, or a little cash.
Add-ons:
3 pts: Cash. For every three points the crucible invests, the cult provides a cash equivalent to one dot in the Resources Background.
5 pts: Influence. The cult consists not of kooks, but of sensible, respected people. These true believers can provide the crucible with savvy advocates in the physical world and work in very tangible ways for the crucible's best interests.
6 pts: Vitality Well. The reverence and respect paid to the characters by the cult translates into Vitality. When the group meets to “worship” the crucible, each member of the cult provides the crucible with one point of Vitality, which the crucible can split among the group as they choose.
Will of Purpose (12 pt minimum Crucible Merit)Soldiers often state that they fight neither for God nor country when the shit hits the fan, but for their comrades standing next to them. Members of a crucible with this Merit back each other up on issues they feel strongly about, whether it's proving they are right or just proving they can drink more. Each character is a ready hand to support and help fellow crucible members through the trying parts of existence.
By expending two Vitality points, a crucible member lends another character a Willpower point to help on a roll. The recipient can stack this Willpower point with any Willpower point already added to the roll, thuse improving the degrees of success. It represents the utter support each crucible member has for one another.
Add-ons:
5 pts: It only costs one Vitality to share Willpower.
10 pts: The characters can share Willpower points without expending any Vitality.
Eyes of the Crucible (6 pt minimum Crucible Merit)
The crucible shares a link with each other so that they no longer need use the “Dead Eyes” ability to be able to sense how much Vitality each member has. So long as they can see each other, they may immediately know the quantity, quality and capacity of Vitality for each visible member in the Crucible. Maximum range applicable is approximately 1 city block.
Add-ons:
3 pts: Vitality Link: So long as each member is visible, in addition to being able to sense Crucible-mates' Vitality, Vitality can also be shared without direct contact with the individual. Range is the same.
3 pts: Sensory Gestalt: The Crucible is so in tune with itself that the members sense the Vitality levels of each another regardless of sight or distance. There is no limit to how far you can sense your Crucible-mates. Indeed, the bond has increased so much so that a Crucible feels collectively each other's Vitality points, rating, usage and damage at an empathic and sensory level. This causes no wound penalties for Crucible-mates but instead is used for dramatic effect. This also allows the sharing of Vitality regardless of distance. However, if the Crucible-mate is not within sight, you must either spend 1 temporary WP / 5 Vitality Shared or Tap 1 Spite Point / Vitality Shared. This expending of WP or Spite is only used to grant the ability to share Vitality. It does not produce any extra Vitality.
Hounded by Journalist (6 pt minimum Crucible Flaw)
The crucible somehow attracted the attention of a journalist of questionable repute. He works for some fringe media element: a website covering supernatural phenomena, a sensationalist supermarket tabloid or action news program. This journalist may specialize herself in bizarre or paranormal events or simply fancy herself a legitimate journalist who stumbled upon a good (if unusual) story. This crank occasionally has the urge to track the crucible. She assigns it a lurid nickname -- “The Freakish Five,” The Psycho Six,” “The Morristown Monsters” -- and takes particular delight in exposing its whereabouts and habits to the public. Unfortunately, as is often true with the creators of yellow journalism, he frequently catches the crucible in bizarre circumstances that he simply can't understand. Of course, she's happy to formulate lurid explanations, regardless.
Add-ons:
5 pts: Reputable. The journalist who hounds the crucible isn't just another old reporter, but a lunimary in the media world (like Barbara Walters) with a significant credibility.
Ward (6 pt Crucible Flaw)
The crucible has a person that is must protect at all costs, someone the characters all hold in high regard either emotionally, strategically, or both. Regardless of the circumstances, leaving this person behind is not an option. The ward may be a character's family member beloved by the crucible, a child found on the streets, a gang of rebellious teens or the living body of a sleeper who simply never returned.
Add-ons:
4 pts: The person cannot move easily on her own. Maybe it's someone's grandmother who can't leave her nursing home, a wheelchair-bound friend or the aforementioned ally stuck in the sleeper pod. Easy mobility is not an option and moving this person requires some logistical preparation and time.
6 pts: The person is in fact a group of people, whether it's a group of children from an orphanage or patients in a hospital or an entire family. Defending these people is difficult, and they will not change locations easily.
Entanglements (9 pt minimum Crucible Flaw)
During an Orpheus assignment, the characters were caught doing something illegal or immoral. Maybe they stole from the company contracting them, or they sold vital and proprietary information. Regardless, they victims in this case are quite upset with the crucible, and willing to use their evidence to blackmail the crucible into working for them.
The crucible is essentially on the bad side of a large corporation (or very influential person) that is willing to use any and all mean to locate the crucible should the characters elude them. This adversary will happily sell the crucible down the river if it suits his purposes, but for now, finds more use for the characters as lackeys. The adversary may even “lend” the characters out to allies, forcing them to partake in dangerous raids or purely demeaning work. To prevent the characters from easily using their powers to end this threat, the blackmailer must be prepared to deal with the crucible as spooks. Maybe he is a spook or he simply employs one. Maybe he operates through proxies and dozens or red herrings. Mayeb the evidence is out there somewhere, floating around, waiting to fall into the wrong hands in case something happens to the employer.
Add-ons:
6 pts: The blackmailer not only has the crucible under his thumb, but many family members and friends as well -- having invested some time and money in acquiring extra information.
Inadvertent Haunting (9 pt minimum Crucible Flaw)
When the crucible works together as a team, the strings of reality gum up a bit and wierd, small phenomena manifest around you: rasios go on the fritz, physical items fall ovewr, the power fails, flames turn blue, et cetera. Not only does this add two to the difficulty of Stealth rolls for all members of your crucible, but it tends to capture the attention of those you'd rather not have poking around.
Add-on:
6 pts: Pyro. When the stress levels in the group increase (combat, group dissent, etc.), small flammable items in your immediate vicinity have a tendency to catch fire with results ranging from distraction to arson charges.
Stalked (9 pt minimum Crucible Flaw)
The crucible attracted the unhealthy attentions of someone. The individual may be physical or a ghost, but he stalks the group and may leave little clues to show he knows where the characters are and what they’re doing. If provoked, he may pursue petty destructive actions against the crucible (slashing their car tires, breaking windows, etc.). The Storyteller generates the stalker’s stats and determines what the stalker’s motivations are (possibly linking it to a former case or client). On some occasions, when the crucible pursues action besides staying at home quietly, the Storyteller makes a Perception test on the characters’ behalf (difficulty 6). With a failure or botch, the stalker successfully tails the crucible throughout the night and may even appear at an ill-opportune moment. The Storyteller should not use the stalker at every opportunity, because frustrated characters will eventually deal with him in the nastiest fashion possible.
Add-ons:
6 pts: Spectre. Your stalker is no mere obsessed individual, but a malice-maddened Spectre. Worse, Spectral stalkers are ‘’always’’ malicious and will do anything in their power to hurt or kill the crucible or loved ones.
Wanted by Law Enforcement (9 pt Crucible Flaw)
The authorities are looking for you with one of many uncovered illegal cases. This is Storyteller optional.
Add-ons:
4 pts: America’s Most Wanted. The crucible members are defamed on national television with their pictures plastered across the screens of millions of televisions. Worse, the program treated the audience to bad actors portraying the crucible engaging in black ops.
5 pts: Public Enemy. The characters are ‘’so’’ wanted that the Department of Justice placed them on the public enemies list. Their faces are displayed in post offices and police stations. If someone spots the characters, authorities will quickly flock to their location with snipers and SWAT teams in tow to apprehend or kill the crucible.
Bleed Over (10 pt minimum Crucible Flaw)
Not all emotions are positive. In Orpheus, Vitality represents the positive flow of life. Spite, however, is that negative ebb that sometimes bleeds into people’s everyday actions. For some reason the characters have a hard time sharing Vitality without sharing the more negative aspects of their existence…Spite. In the group, anger and resentment is a very tangible force between the members, thus Spite is not given – life isn’t that easy – it just burdens.
For every two points of Vitality shared, whether whether cumulatively, in one shot or from multiple characters, the recipient must roll one die (difficulty 8). A success means the recipient character somehow earns a Spite point. This Spite point is not traded between characters, it is simply the result of resentment and anger building up within the group.
Add-ons:
5 pts: The difficulty to gain a Spite point increases by two.
10 pts: Not only is the difficulty 6, but the characters must roll for each Vitality traded between members.
Internecine Fighting (12 pt minimum Crucible Flaw)
The crucible is slowly cracking and the cracks are growing wider daily. Somewhere in their history, the characters had a problem that they can’t resolve properly. They still fight to this day, and it is straining the crucible’s bonds to the breaking point or weighing the characters down like heavy chains.
The players need to pick a matter of contention between their characters. This can be anything from a sexist/racial character to a decision the group was forced to make that never sat right with some members. Regardless, the incident or wedge should split the group. There must be two sides to the argument with half the group taking one side while the other half takes the other. Thus, members on one side of the argument can share Vitality with one another, as per normal, but sharing Vitality with a member of the opposition requires a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) in non-lethal circumstances. The donated Vitality will always be minimal as well (one or two points).
Add-ons:
6 pts: The argument is intense. The two factions no longer share Vitality between them regardless of the circumstances. The only reason the group is still together is because survival dictates it.
Back to Orpheus Resources
Additionally, all material presented here is reprinted within the bounds of White-Wolf's Creative Copyright, 2003. Any unauthorized reproduction or reprinting without the publishers written permission is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews.