Secondary Abilities

Secondary Abilities are often more specialized than the basic abilities thus enabling a player to define her character more exactly.
Each dot costs 2 pt for secondary abilities. You pay for those dots with your freebie points.
In Freebie points you get:
Vampire: 15
Elders: 20
Mortals/etc: 21

Talents

Artistic Expression (VPG)
You have the talent to produce works of art in various media. You are able to sketch a reasonably accurate rendition of a place or person.
* Novice: Your work is simple, seen as charmingly naive by some and as amateurish by others.
** Practiced: Your work could win prizes at local art society shows.
*** Competent: You could get a showing in a minor gallery.
**** Expert: Your work is widely admired, and galleries contact you about mounting exhibitions. You are invited to teach at local art colleges.
***** Master: You are acknowledged as a driving force in contemporary art. Your work commands enormous prices, and is found in art museums as well as commercial galleries and private collections.

Carousing (VPG)
This is the ability to have a good time at a party or other social occasion, and to make sure others around you also have a good time. Normally, it involves a mixture of eating, drinking and good cheer; For vampires, however, things are a little different. Carousing also includes the ability to appear to eat and drink, normally, without actually doing so.
* Novice: You can plead a small appetite or recent illness.
** Practiced: Perhaps you’re watching your diet.
*** Competent: A charming dinner companion.
**** Expert: You obviously enjoyed the food.
***** Master: You even called for seconds.

Clan Impersonation (Cbk Assa)
This is the ability to imitate the characteristics of another clan sufficiently well to be mistaken for a member. It involves changes to behavior, knowledge of clan jargon and politics, and sometimes and element of physical disguise as well.
*Novice: Fool anyone who hasn't had direct dealings with the clan
** Practiced: Fool anyone who is slightly familiar with the clan
*** Competent: Fool a clan neonate
**** Expert: Fool a clan ancillae
***** Master: Fool a clan elder

Diplomacy (VPG)
You have the ability to deal with people of all types and creeds. Even when handling touchy subjects, you are able to get results without ruffling too many feathers.
* Novice: You can iron out schoolyard disputes.
** Practiced: Friends ask you to deal with things for them.
*** Competent: You could shine in management or personnel.
**** Expert: You could be a professional union negotiator or ombudsman.
***** Master: You can defuse nearly any situation, from an industrial dispute to a religious war.

Enigmas

Fortune Telling (VPG)
You may or may not have the gift to tell accurate fortunes, but you can make people believe you do.
* Novice: You are able to use one method of divination adequately, and treat this Ability as a pastime.
** Practiced: You can use one method of fortune telling well, and can tell someone general information that will apply to her.
*** Competent: You know a lot about certain methods of fortune telling and can tell anyone detailed information that will apply to him.
**** Expert: You are able to use multiple methods well, and have a keen understanding of what people want to hear.
***** Master: Gypsies take lessons from you.

Grace

Haggling (VPG)
You are skilled at bargaining and can reduce another’s price, or get some other concession, under most circumstances.
* Novice: Bargain hunter
** Practiced: Market trader
*** Competent: Horse trader
**** Expert: Con artist
***** Master: Marco Polo

Hobby Talents

Instruction (VPG)
You have a knack for imparting information and skills to others. You can explain things and demonstrate techniques in such a way that anyone who listens to you can easily learn. You can teach any of your Skills or Knowledges to another character, but you can never raise a student’s score above your own.
* Novice: You can take simple concepts (e.g. basic arithmetic) and teach them.
** Practiced: You can teach moderately complex things (e.g. algebra) and make them straightforward and interesting.
*** Competent: You can make differential calculus sound like the simplest thing in the world.
**** Expert: Learning from you is scarcely an effort. You could teach irrational-number theory or Sumerian cuneiform to almost anyone.
***** Master: You are an inspiring teacher, and bestow a touch of greatness on anyone who studies with you.

Interrogation (VPG)
You are able to extract information from people by fair means or foul. * Novice: Nosy neighbor
** Practiced: Movie cop
*** Competent: Talk-show host
**** Expert: Investigative journalist
***** Master: Spymaster

Intrigue (VPG)
You know the finer points of plotting and deal-making in the halls of power. You understand the practical use of power (in sometimes threatening but always nonconfrontational ways) to achieve your own ends.
* Novice: Neonate
** Practiced: Ancilla
*** Competent: Elder
**** Expert: Primogen
***** Master: Prince

Malkavian Time

Masquerade (VPG)
This Talent cannot be taken during character generation, and is available only to vampires. Masquerade reflects how skilled a character is at appearing to be mortal: feigning respiration, creating a heartbeat, producing pink skin (by bringing blood to the surface), sneezing, masking vampiric tendencies, et al. * Novice: You might succeed — in ideal circumstances.
** Practiced: You are able to pass casual inspection.
*** Competent: You are undetectable under most normal circumstances.
**** Expert: You may succeed even under duress.
***** Master: Even a witch-hunter would be fooled.

Mimicry (VPG)
You have a very versatile voice, and can imitate accents, people and sometimes other sounds. * Novice: You can passably duplicate a few accents, and can perform impressions of a couple of well-known personalities.
** Practiced: You can duplicate a range of accents well enough to fool anyone but a native speaker, and can convincingly imitate a range of celebrities and others.
*** Competent: You could do this on stage. You can pick up someone's vocal mannerisms by studying them for a couple of hours, and subsequently imitate them well enough to fool someone who doesn’t know the person well.
**** Expert: You can imitate a specific person well enough to fool someone on the phone, and pass as a native speaker in an accent similar to your own. You can duplicate a range of animal and technological noises.
***** Master: There is almost no accent, person or noise you can’t imitate.

Panhandling (VPG)
You are a skilled beggar. You are able to get people to give you money just by asking for it.
* Novice: You can tell a good hard-luck story. ** Practiced: You can gain sympathy from most people.
*** Competent: Real smooth. You can hit even the hardhearted for a few bucks.
**** Expert: People want to take you home and feed and clothe you.
***** Master: You can get whatever you want (within reason) for free.

Poetic Expression (VPG)
You are able to craft words in ways that evoke thoughts, emotions and reactions from those who read them. It is rare for one person to be skilled at more than one specialty at one time, so choose carefully.
* You can write a short poem or a short story is not out of your reach.
** Practiced: You could publish your poetry or fiction in a local journal, or write basic hit- parade lyrics.
*** Competent: You could get your novel or anthologies of your work published and make a profit.
**** Expert: You are asked to do readings of your work for local societies nationwide, and aficionados snap up your works as soon as they are published.
***** Master: Your work is already being taught in English classes, and you are recognized as one of the foremost writers of your day.

Public Speaking (VPG)
You are able to mold the emotions of a crowd by making a speech. This might be at a political rally, in a courtroom, at a lecture or even at the barricades once the revolution is underway.

* Novice: Entertaining speaker
** Practiced: Compelling speaker
*** Competent: Inspiring speaker
**** Expert: Popular champion
***** Master: Churchill or Hitler

Scan (VPG)
You are practiced at noticing small details and changes in the environment when you purposely look at or listen to what is going on around you. This Ability can only be used when you specifically say you are attempting to notice if anything is amiss--if you aren’t concentrating, this Ability will do you no good.
* Novice: If anyone notices police sirens, it’s you.
** Practiced: Police could use your detective abilities.
*** Competent:The slightest motion draws your attention.
**** Expert: Nothing escapes your glance.
***** Master: You can count the grains of salt on a pretzel by taste.

Scrouging (VPG)
You have a knack for finding almost anything, under almost any circumstances. The masters of your craft can find a hot spring at the North Pole, or a mainframe computer in the heart of the Amazon Jungle, if necessary.
* Novice: You can find basic equipment and services, such as drugs, illegal weapons and hired thugs.
** Practiced: You can get hold of a vehicle, a forged passport or a skilled wiretapper.
*** Competent: You can find an aircraft and pilot or a hitman at an hour’s notice.
**** Expert: You can find state-of-the-art military hardware, any vehicle you desire, and services better imagined than described.
***** Master: You could probably find a rent- controlled apartment overlooking Central Park for $100 a month.

Search (VPG)
You know how best to go about looking for someone or something in a small area, where you can concentrate your perceptions. You can search for anything from a lost ring in your bedroom to the assassin who is hiding in the garden.
* Novice: You are good at finding lost items.
** Practiced: Tell-tale signs (e.g. broken plants) are apparent to you.
*** Competent: You know where to look.
**** Expert: Nothing escapes your glance.
***** Master: You can spot the Purloined Letter in two seconds flat.

Seduction (VPG)
You know how to lure, attract and command the attention of others in a sexual manner. By the way you hold yourself, how you look at someone and even by the tone of your voice, you are able to arouse and excite those upon whom you practice your wiles. Once you have fully seduced someone, he will be willing to do nearly anything for you.
* Novice: Teenager
** Practiced: The “older woman”
*** Competent: Heartthrob
**** Expert: Movie star
***** Master: Vampire

Sense Deception (VPG)
Over the years, you have developed the ability to know instinctively when people are not telling you the truth or not telling you the whole truth. There is a way they look, a tone of voice, a movement of the eyes. * Novice: Sometimes you can tell, but you still get suckered though more rarely than the average person does.
** Practiced: It takes a silver tongue to pull the wool over your eyes.
*** Competent: Anyone who can slip one past you is a highly skilled con artist.
**** Expert: You could make a living screening people for security.
***** Master: People whisper behind your back, and many are nervous talking to you. Your ability is almost supernatural.

Style (VPG)
You may not have been born good-looking, or possessed of a natural charm, but you know how to dress and make the most of your appearance. Note that this Talent only applies to people’s reactions to your appearance; once you get closer, it’s up to you.
* Novice: Good taste
** Practiced: Socialite
*** Competent: Celebrity
**** Expert: Celebrity advisor
***** Master: International model
Swimming (VPG)
You are able to swim at least enough to keep yourself afloat, and maybe a little more. Note that vampires, unlike mortals, do not float naturally; if they do not swim, they sink.
* Novice: You can swim.
** Practiced: You can swim fast, or for extended periods.
*** Competent: Instructor/lifeguard
**** Expert: Swim team
***** Master: Olympic gold

Throwing (VPG)
You know how to throw things in general, and how to use various types of thrown weapons — anything from spears to hatchets to knives to baseballs (yes, if thrown hard enough, they make fine weapons).
* Novice: You sometimes get the ball over home plate.
** Practiced: High school baseball pitcher
*** Competent: You are deadly even in a food fight.
**** Expert: Bruce Jenner with a javelin
***** Master: Tom Glavine (Greg Maddux!)

Ventriloquism (VPG)
You have the ability to throw your voice, making to appear to come from somewhere else. This Talent can be used for entertainment — or deception. * Novice: You could do a ventriloquist act at a children’s party.
** Practiced: You could get a spot with a local amateur vaudeville club.
*** Competent: You could almost make a living from your talent. You can make someone (or something) within five yards of you appear to speak.
**** Expert: You could take your act to Vegas. You can make your voice appear to come from any spot within 30 feet of you.
***** Master: Young hopefuls bombard you with questions, and Variety calls you the savior of a lost vaudeville art. You can make your voice appear to come from anywhere within earshot.