Merits and Flaws

The following is a master list of all of the M20 and revised edition merits and flaws from the core books and supplementary materials. Merits and Flaws from both game editions are allowed here. In cases where a Merit/Flaw is listed in both editions, always use the updated version. If you do not see a merit or flaw on this list, it's probably from a previous edition of the game (and is therefor unavailable.)

Note that the Admin always reserves the right to make judgment calls on Merits and Flaws that may vary from what's listed here.

• Open = available to anyone
• Limited = available, but only in limited numbers (these may become restricted if over-used)
• Restricted = available only with special approval (talk to the Admin)
• Banned = unavailable

20th Anniversary Edition

Physical

• Acute Senses - Open
• Addiction - Open
• Too Tough to Die - Restricted

Social

• Construct - Limited
• Dark Triad - Banned
• Enemy - Open
• Ties - Open

Mental

• Berserker / Stress Atavism - Banned
• Deranged - Open
• Language - Open
• PTSD - Open

Supernatural

• Cursed - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific curses when necessary]
• Echoes - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific echoes when necessary]
• Stormwarden / Quantum Voyager - Banned [moot]
• True Faith - Restricted
• Umbral Affinity - Open

Genetic Flaws

• Talk to the Admin (these go along with the Enhancement Background)

Revised Edition

Physical

• Acute Senses - [use the M20 version]
• Addiction - [use the M20 version]
• Aging - Banned  [use the Diminished Attributes flaw]
• Ambidextrous - Limited  [in this system, Ambidextrous does not eliminate dice splitting, only off-hand penalties.]
• Bad Sight - Open
• Blind - Open
• Catlike Balance - Open
• Claws / Fangs / Horns / Hooves / Barbed Tail - Restricted
• Cloak of the Seasons - Limited
• Daredevil - Limited
• Deaf - Open
• Defective Sense - Open
• Deformity - Open
• Degeneration - Restricted
• Diminished Attributes - Open
• Disfigured - Open
• Horrifying - Restricted
• Huge Size - Restricted
• Hypersensitivity - Open
• Immunity - Open at 2 points, Limited at 4 points, Restricted at 6 points, Banned at 8+ points [and I reserve the right to deny specific immunities when necessary]
• Insensible to Pain - Restricted
• Lame - Open
• Long-Lived - Limited
• Mayfly Curse - Banned
• Monstrous - Open
• Mute - Open
• One Ear/Eye - Open
• Paraplegic - Limited
• Permanent Wound - Restricted
• Primal Marks - Limited
• Resistant Pattern - Banned
• Short - Open
• Slow Healing - Open
• Vulnerability - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific vulnerabilities when necessary]

Social

• Anachronism - Restricted
• Celestial Affinity - Limited
• Child - Banned
• Dark Secret - Open
• Discredited - Open
• Drahma's Voice - Banned [moot]
• Dogmatic - Open
• Ecumenist - Limited
• Faction Founder - Banned
• Folk Hero - Restricted
• Honored Lineage - Limited
• Inglorious Pedigree - Limited
• Massasa Contact - Restricted
• Mistaken Identity - Restricted
• Mourner's Chant - Open
• Probationary Member - Open
• Renunciate - Open
• Shy - Open
• Techgnosi - Open at 2 points, Limited at 6 points
• Tradition Herald - Open
• True Love - Banned
• Well Connected - Open
• Witch-Hunted - Banned [redundant - use the M20 Flaw: Enemy]

Mental

• Ability Aptitude - Open [in this system, Ability Aptitude only provides a -1 to difficulties]
• Ability Deficit - Open
• Amnesia - [use the M20 Derangement]
• Beast Within - Banned
• Berserker - Banned
• Code of Honor - Open
• Common Sense - Open
• Compulsion - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific compulsions when necessary]
• Concentration - Open
• Dead Passion - Open
• Deep Sleeper - Open
• Deranged - [use the M20 version]
• Driven - Banned [not applicable]
• Eidetic Memory - Limited
• Ineptitude - Open [as with Ability Aptitude, this flaw only provides +1 to difficulties]
• Iron Will - Limited
• Judge's Wisdom - Limited
• Light Sleeper - 1 pt. version Open, otherwise Banned
• Lightning Calculator - Open
• Mad Science - Open
• Nightmares - Open
• Ontological Pacifist - Open
• Phobia - Open
• Prone to Quiet - Limited [See "Specific Merits & Flaws" Below]
• Protean Psyche - Limited
• Scientific Mystic - Open
• Short Fuse - Limited
• Sleepwalker - Restricted
• Soft-Hearted - Open
• Speech Impediment - Open
• Territorial - Open
• Time Sense - Open
• Vengeful - Limited
• Vice Grip - Open

Supernatural

• Astral Vigor - Limited
• Avatar Companion - Limited
• Bard's Tongue - Banned
• Bedeviled - Restricted
• Blood-Hungry Soul - Restricted [all versions of this Flaw provide 1 point less than stated.]
• Bound by the Law of Three - Open
• Calling Card - Open
• Cast No Shadow or Reflection - Open
• Circumspect Avatar - Open
• Conditional Magic - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific conditions when necessary]
• Crucial Component - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific components when necessary]
• Curse of the Otherworlds - Open
• Cyclic Magic - Open
• Dark Fate - Restricted
• Deathwalker - Limited
• Devil's Mark - Limited
• Discordant - Open
• Distorted Image - Restricted
• Dual Traditions - Restricted
• Echoes - [use the M20 version]
• Fae Blood - Restricted [See "Specific Merits & Flaws" Below]
• Faust's Burden - Restricted
• Geasa - Restricted
• Ghoul - Restricted [this Merit can only be earned in-game]
• Green Thumb - Open
• Legendary Attribute - Banned
• Lucky - Limited
• Manifest Avatar - Limited
• Medium - Limited
• Natural Channel - Limited
• Natural Shallowing - Limited
• Natural Shapeshifter - Limited
• Nephilim - Restricted
• Nine Lives - Restricted
• Oracular Ability - Limited Restricted
• Parlor Trick - Open
• Personal Talisman - Limited
• Phylactery - Limited
• Resonant Passion - Open
• Shapechanger Kin - Restricted [See "Specific Merits and Flaws" below]
• Shattered Avatar - Limited
• Sphere Inept - Open
• Sphere Natural - Open
• Storm-Scarred - Open at 1 and 2 points, Limited at 3 points
• Stormwarden - Banned [moot]
• Touch of Chaos - Open
• Touch of Life - Open
• Touch of Frost - Open
• True Faith - [use the M20 version]
• Twin Souls - Limited
• Umbral Affinity - [use the M20 version]
• Unaging - Restricted
• Unbondable - Restricted
• Witch's Bane - Open

Allowed 2nd Ed. Merits and Flaws

(The following Merits and Flaws from 2nd Edition Sources have been approved for use in this system)

• Absent-Minded - Limited
• Allergic - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific allergies when necessary]
• Asthma - Open
• Curiosity - Open
• Intolerance - Open [but I reserve the right to deny specific intolerances when necessary]
• Overconfident - Open
• Self-Confident - Limited
• Spirit Sight - Restricted

Specific Merits & Flaws

(This is for site-specific rulings on Merits and/or Flaws that need clarification)

Prone to Quiet

Prone to Quiet is a very poorly-written Flaw in the Virtual Adepts Revised Tradition Book with a lot of potential. Quiet is a very interesting aspect of Mage that can lead to some great roleplaying and I'm a fan of that! So to make it playable, the following changes to the Flaw are in place:

• The Flaw is a base 4 points. There is no 5 point option.
• The Flaw tells you to roll Int + Enigmas at a difficulty set by the ST in times of stress, but it doesn't say whether it's to stave off or go into Quiet. On Denver, successes on the roll will be to stave off Quiet.

Nightmares

The Nightmares flaw in Mage Revised does not list a difficulty; however, the 20th Anniversary editions of Vampire and Werewolf both added a difficulty of 7, so we assume the difficulty of the WP roll to be at 7.  

Fae Blood and Shapechanger Kin

Both of these Merits include the option for mages to learn an Awakened-magic version of the supernatural abilities possessed by their relations (Gifts in the case of Shapechanger Kin, Cantrips for Kinain,) stating that they can be cast "Paradox-free." In our system, that component of these merits has been removed. Players are welcome to design rotes inspired by these abilities, but they are still vulnerable to Paradox (and function the same as any other rote.) As such, the cost of both Merits have been reduced to 3 points.