Secular

Mental Merits & Flaws

4 point Merit (Dark Ages only)

You have begun to explore the first glimmers of what awaits mankind after the Renaissance. You have a dim understanding of the scientific method, and while such concepts as evolution and entropy are still beyond you, you have begun to suspect that the world is much more complex than the Christian and pagan fools imagine. The difficulty to affect you with and Faith-based power (including Infernal magic!) is raised by one. Once per story, you may automatically regain a single Willpower point (you do not live with the same dread of damnation that many other Cainites do). Moreover, by spending a Willpower point and making an appropriate Intelligence + Science roll, you may formulate concepts and invent machines unknown in your time (higher mathematics, elaborate torture devices, etc.). The Storyteller must use prudence in adjudicating this; a da Vinci-esque flying machine is remotely conceivable, while an A-bomb (fun as the thought might be) is impossible.
You may not follow the Road of Heaven or the Road of the Devil. Moreover, the difficulties of all Conscience/conviction rolls are increased by one (you are too existential to be overly concerned with your actions).