Merits & Flaws

Extraordinarily open to physical sensations, you possess a depth of sensitivity most folks cannot conceive of having. A mere sip of wine can reveal its vintage to you; a whiff of smoke betrays the quality (or lack thereof) and origins of its burnt tobacco; a faint touch can conjure up orgasmic ecstasies.

Story-wise, you can easily “fall into” an enjoyable sen­ sation, relishing it to a degree far beyond typical human sensitivity. System-wise, you reduce the difficulty by -2 if you’re trying to use a Perception + Alertness roll to identify details about a sensation. Assuming that you employ instruments like

Bodywork, Drugs, Energy, Eye Contact, Food and Drink,

or Sex and Sensuality (and you probably use most or all of them), you can get more “bang for your buck” from such sen­ sations, which allows you to employ those instruments faster, and perhaps (Storyteller’s option) gives you a -2 reduction to the difficulty of associated Ability rolls. The normal modifier limits still apply.

On the flipside, however, painful sensations and over­ stimulation can trigger paralyzing agonies and intense panic. Whenever you experience a painful sensation without your consent (that is, being flogged against your will, subjected to loud music that you didn’t wish to hear, or injured by

something you didn’t want to be hurt by), you must make a Willpower roll to avoid being “dragged under” and stunned by the pain for a turn or two. (See Stunning in Mage 20, p. 417.) That roll’s difficulty depends upon the intensity of the pain – from difficulty 4 for a minor annoyance, to difficulty 10 for screaming agony. As any Cultist can tell you, ecstasy is indeed a two-way street!

Although this Merit goes well with Acute Senses, it cannot be taken by a character who’s also Insensate to Pain (detailed below).