White Wolf players should be familiar with the optional Merits and Flaws system, which allows the addition of extra abilities or extra freebie points during character creation. The Merits and Flaws listing below is by no means complete, and is mainly restricted to those Merits and Flaws which are unique to Cybertrons or which must be altered for Cybertron purposes. White Wolf books contain many listings of Merits and Flaws related to personality, etc., some of which are certainly perfect for Cybertronian usage. However, certain Merits and Flaws do not apply, and discretion should always be used.
Cybertron-Supernatural Merits/Flaws
Indestructible Spark of Starscream (15 pt Merit)
The infamous Decepticon traitor Starscream was, after his physical death, found to have a spark that could not be destroyed by most ordinary means, such as running out of energy or being exposed outside the body. After this discovery, many scientists sought to reproduce the phenomena. Characters with the Indestructible Spark of Starscream merit are either spark-clones of the original Starscream, or very careful replicas, and are thus highly rare. These Cybertrons are nearly incapable of being destroyed. They spend Spark energy as normal, but recover it at an increased rate: one point per scene, automatically. Also, a character with the Indestructible Spark will not display any physical deprivation from spark loss, even if their Spark rating falls to zero. When a character with the Indestructible Spark falls below Incapacitated, they can like any Cybertron spend Spark to rise up again; however, when they recover, it is to full health as opposed to the Mauled health level. These characters can only be completely Incapacitated when they lose all their spark energy and fall to Incapacitated again. After that, they will recover Spark at the end of the scene.
The Spark of Starscream is so durable that it can survive outside the Cybertron's body indefinitely without draining (so, if he has a safe place to keep it, he may choose not to leave it in his body at all). The spark can also be cut up into several pieces and re-used, if one is careful. The only known way to destroy the Spark of Starscream is by cutting directly through its core with raw energon. This will destroy the spark, along with creating an explosion so powerful it destroys any sparks within a quarter-mile radius.
There is a downside to the Indestructible Spark of Starscream. Characters who are found to have this kind of spark are generally feared and hated due to their origins (no one likes or trusts Starscream). The pure power of the spark also carries with it a kind of madness: characters who take this Merit must also take at least one Derangement.
(Note: The spark of the original Starscream has never been destroyed. Although it currently has no body, it is somewhere in the universe, still seeking a host.
(This Merit has an enormous cost for an important reason: Storytellers beware when allowing a player to take this Merit for her character.)
Misplaced Spark (5 pt Merit)
The Spark of this Cybertron is in an unusual location in his body and not in the usual Spark cavity areas in the torso. This serves as an advantage to confusing enemies who will aim for the spark cavity to strike a mortal blow. However, remember that if an opponent accidentally hits the area where the Spark is now located, he may still strike a mortal blow unintentionally.
Emotional Vampire (5 pt Flaw)
Cybertron must be in the presence of a certain emotion to operate at full capacity. This emotion is chosen at the time the Flaw is assigned. After that, the character cannot recover Spark by the ordinary means outlined above, save in the presence of that particular emotion. (Once per day, a Wits + Empathy roll to "drain" the power from an emotion for Spark recovery.) In addition, if they should go for an entire week without experiencing the emotion, one point of temporary Spark will automatically drain.
(This Flaw will override the "automatic" spark recovery provided by the Indestructible Spark of Starscream, but, in this case, Spark recovery will not require a roll if the target emotion is present.)
Note that this flaw is potentially fatal: Storytellers beware when allowing a player to choose it.
Energon Allergy (3-5 pt Flaw)
Although all Cybertrons dislike contact with raw energon, characters with this flaw are extremely weak to its energy. Characters with a three point energon allergy are at the risk of double the normal health levels of aggravated damage per turn during any exposure to raw energon. As a four-point flaw, Transmetal and above characters cannot soak energon damage, and even refined energon does one health level of damage to you per round when you are exposed to it outside your system. As a five-point flaw, the above follows, refined energon damages as fully as unrefined normally, and energon damage of double the norm seeps into any mode, even the fully organic model one Beast.
Feral Beast Mode (4 pt Flaw)
When in beast mode, this character becomes of the animal and loses all touch with his robot self. Character will act only as an animal and forget his ability to speak and to Maximize/Terrorize. If the character wants to return to robot mode, he must be carefully reminded of this ability.
This Flaw may be programmed out or repaired quite easily after initial creation, but unless the character's motherboard is wiped entirely, it will continue to manifest throughout his life. In any situation where it is appropriate for the Cybertron's feral mode to come to the surface, roll his Primal Urge dice, alone, at difficulty 8. If the roll "succeeds," he succumbs to his beast.
Destiny (5 pt Merit)
A Cybertron with this Merit has been chosen for something great. A character's Destiny hangs over him, and other Cybertrons may realize that he is going to be something grand or important. The exact nature of this Destiny is secret, and up to the player and/or Storyteller.
Dark Fate (5 pt Flaw)
This character has a terrible destiny, which will come into play during the course of the Chronicle. This destiny need not be anything specific, and is often better left vague ("You are doomed to betray someone near to you..."). The Storyteller reserves the right to choose the time and place the fated situation will come into play.
Guardian Angel (6 pt Merit)
Someone or something protects this character from harm. Though it is not common to have actual angels watch over the Cybertrons, occasionally a Matrix spirit or simply the circumstances of Fate itself will cause prevention of harm to a character with this Merit. The Storyteller decides what if anything special watches this character, and when it manifests itself. This can often get characters out of otherwise fatal situations.
"He's whacko."
"No! Not whacko! Wonko! Wonko the SANE!"
—Blackarachnia and Waspinator, "Dark Designs"
The mental flaws below—all too common when programming goes awry—are considered derangements.
Sadism/Masochism (2 pt Flaw)
This Cybertron is excited by the giving or receiving of pain. Masochists, who enjoy pain, are given an extra difficulty of one on all rolls to soak damage (they enjoy the pain rather than attempt to resist it). Sadists, who deal out pain, must make willpower rolls of difficulty 5 to halt any combat situation. Those with these Flaws often actively go out to find sources of pain they can experience (on one side or the other).
Paranoia (3 pt Flaw)
This Cybertron sees enemies everywhere: perhaps even among his own unit. Very few can be trusted; all others are servants of evil, and frightening. Sometimes paranoids craft complex conspiracy theories to explain their delusions; other times, they are simply skittish, seeing every stranger as "one of them." Paranoid Cybertrons add one to the difficulty of all social interactions, and even the hint of suspicious behavior in an outsider may provoke them to activate their weapons.
Obsession (2 pt Flaw)
A character with this Flaw has an obsession with any one thing. It could be a type of common object, or an abstract concept: the classic "mania" will fall into this category. Whenever the character is in direct contact with his object of obsession, he must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 7, to resist being drawn toward the object. If he fails this roll, he will fly into a sort of frenzy, letting nothing get in his way. (Note that if he feels no need to resist the attraction, the roll is not required, and neither is the frenzy.) Where abstract obsessions are concerned, apply the modifier situationally...for example, an obsessive perfectionist would have to make this "sanity check" every time he failed a roll.
Manic/Depressive (3 pt Flaw)
A Cybertron with this Derangement has severe mood swings. If he fails a task, sometimes he will be required to make a Difficulty 8 Willpower roll. If this roll is not successful, he will lapse into temporary depression, suffering a -2 to all dice pools. This Cybertron will always become depressed if a roll is botched, and has half his normal Willpower rating. The Storyteller rolls a die to determine how many scenes the depression lasts, and does not tell the player the result. After the depression has passed, the Cybertron will approach his activities with a new fervor, extremely upbeat and aggressive for the same number of scenes.
Garbled Identity Circuits (3 pt Flaw)
In this specific form of schizophrenia, the character has a difficult time separating his robot life from his beast life. He will for all intents and purposes behave as his beast would behave—though not feral and perfectly capable of transforming and communicating, he only thinks in accordance with how his animal would think.
Phobia (1-3 pt Flaw)
Character has an irrational fear of any one thing. A one-point phobia is a minor fear that causes a subject to retreat from the hated object (or make a Willpower roll to remain). A three-point phobia is a major fear of a very common object—three successes on the Willpower roll are needed to avoid running away in terror. Consult the Storyteller when choosing an object of fear.
Nightmares (1 pt Flaw)
The Cybertron's imagery circuits bombard him while he is at rest or in stasis lock. He often has unrestful fits while trying to relax. Sometimes a character's nightmares will be so terrible as to give him difficulty functioning the next day. After a particularly difficult night, the Storyteller may choose to give a nightmare-inflicted character a -1 to all dice pools.
Flashbacks (3 pt Flaw)
In stressful or familiar situations, part of the Cybertron's past spark (or some of his own repressed memories) begins to take over. Suddenly, he will be reliving a vision of some other time, oblivious to the world around him. Visions are not always unpleasant experiences, but they are always disorienting. A remembrance of a "good" time is easily as distracting as a terrible memory, as characters in flashback sequences are completely unaware of their current situation. Characters in flashbacks will often refer to others by different names, or even mistake inanimate machines for friends and foes. A common Flaw for Optimals.
Split personality (5 pt Flaw)
Cybertron has a second, latent personality, which manifests itself at often inappropriate times. Some Cybertrons even develop several, multiple personalities; each other personality has its own emotional stimuli which it responds to. Storyteller and player must agree on the personalities the character possesses; most often, it is a single secondary personality which manifests as part of the character's connection with his Past Spark. Sometimes, a Cybertron can manifest different Abilities or Mental Attributes when his second personality is in control, and the voice and mannerisms of a Cybertron change drastically depending on which personality he is employing. The second personality can manifest at any time; all or both personalities are part of the same person. This Flaw is another common symptom of faulty Optimization.
Damaged Memory Circuit (2 pt Flaw)
When this Cybertron was first protoformed, his memory and identity circuits were not functional. Therefore, he knows nothing of his alliance and planetary heritage; though he understands transformation, he does not know of Cybertron or the Cybertron race. This is an illogical Flaw for characters who were protoformed on Cybertron itself, and is more appropriate for characters activated far from home. If any Cybertron were protoformed on-planet with this Flaw, it would be immediately corrected.
An alternative version of this Flaw, which is perfectly acceptable on Cybertron or any colony, is to create an amnesiac character whose memory circuits were damaged after a traumatic event, causing him to forget his former life. Players who wish to play amnesiacs may take an additional 1-5 points of Flaws, if desired, which the Storyteller chooses and keeps secret until such time as they should be revealed.
Emotionless (4 pt Flaw)
A flaw which is found solely among robots, but, is very rare among Cybertrons. A Cybertron with this flaw is, as a usual robot, completely lacking in all emotions. He does not understand hurt, pain, love, or happiness... He may take no dots in Empathy, and will have increased difficulties in all Social rolls where stirring or understanding emotion is necessary.
This can be a fascinating flaw to roleplay, as a character with this absolute lack can be very cold-hearted and goal-oriented, or may have a sort of longing to understand.
A character cannot take this flaw along with the Emotional Vampire Flaw.
Code of Honor (1 pt Merit)
This character has a strong sense of honor and a code to which he strictly adheres. This can be the Predacon Code of Honor, any Maximal peace code, or a code invented strictly for this character (if constructed in great detail). This character can automatically resist temptations that are contrary to his code, and any enemy attempting to reprogram him against his code does so at a +2 difficulty.
Vengeance (2 pt Flaw)
Someone or something has wronged this character, perhaps destroyed a home, murdered a friend, or tainted your name. That thing must be destroyed. The Cybertron's obsession with vengeance is so overpowering that, in any situation where he has the opportunity to enact it, he must spend Willpower to resist the compulsion. Of course, this Cybertron will resolve the conflict eventually, but only when the Storyteller decides it is time, and then perhaps at great cost.
Soft-Hearted (1 pt Flaw)
Some more peaceful-minded Maximals simply cannot stand the suffering of others. Cybertrons with this Flaw suffer penalties whenever they see pain and suffering, and will do almost anything to prevent it. If this Cybertron witnesses suffering, the difficulties for all her rolls for the next megacycle increase by 2. A very rare Flaw among Predacons.
Iron Will (3 pt Merit)
A Cybertron with the Iron Will Merit is difficult to break. Characters with Iron Will can always spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of another Cybertron's Download Mechanism, damage from Encoding subroutines, and a Transmetal II's Spark Telepathy or Hypnosis. In crossover Chronicles, this expenditure can also be used to resist supernatural domination, such as the Dominate Discipline or a Mage's Mind Sphere. However, this merit does not effect emotional appeals or other such non-mechanical/supernatural attempts.
Programmed Loyalty (4 pt Flaw)
When this Cybertron came on-line, or when he went through a repair cycle, an extra line was added to his programming. Because of it, he is always forced to obey the will of another single individual, or, in rare cases, a faction. Willpower cannot be spent to resist the instructions of this Cybertron's "master," and the Cybertron is incapable of doing any damage to the Cybertron he is programmed to obey. In most cases, the Cybertron does not realize he is being manipulated. The loyalty is an intrinsic part of his programming, and obeying the whims of his master does not make him in the least unhappy.
In rare cases, it may be possible for a Cybertron to break out of this hold naturally, but only under a life-changing circuimstance (such as renewing a link with his Past Spark, or falling in love). In those cases, shattering through the programmed barrier can sometimes cause damage to the Cybertron (drain points of Spark rather than Will while to disobey a master while the bond is being broken) before the bond is completely destroyed.
Confused (2 pt Flaw)
To this Cybertron, the world seems confusing and bewildering. The galaxy: even worse. This behavior should be roleplayed most of the time, and confusion becomes more overpowering in certain situations: large crowds, new places, strangers with names to remember… Willpower expenditure can sometimes override confusion, but only for a little while.
Multitasking (5 pt Merit)
A Cybertron with Multitasking has an incredibly quick processor: so fast that the character is literally able to think two thoughts at once. In game terms, this means that any Wits rolls this character must make are at a -1 difficulty. Combining this ability with Spark Telepathy or Download/Encoding Mechanisms can also yield some interesting results. Giga-sized Cybertrons may not take this Merit, as it nullifies their size class disadvantage.
Programming Block (2 pt Flaw)
After spending some time in beast form, some Maximals decided they did not want to embrace their secondary form, which was too animal and not at all sophisticated. In response, they designed a programming block which would keep their beast selves from interfering with their robotic identities. However, the programming block proved to be a mistake.
Characters with the Maximal Programming Block cannot take any dots in Primal-Urge or Animal Ken during their character creation. They are not used to their beast half, and if they should spend too long in their beast mode, this Flaw will suddenly manifest itself. The character will regress into an animal mentality as with the Flaw "Feral Beast Mode" until an ally can return them to robot form. This Flaw is one that can be easily be corrected and reprogrammed, but many Maximals are stubborn about their programming and will not allow anyone to remove the block which they insist "protects them."
This Flaw is almost unheard-of among Predacons, who do not deny their beast natures.
(Note: This flaw is, of course, designed after the events in the Beast Wars episode "Call of the Wild." However, I give it a greater range of limitations, and do not apply it to any of the "ordinary" season-one characters, most of whom did seem to have Primal-Urge ratings despite the sudden manifestation of the block in this episode.)
"It cannot even transform! This thing is useless."
—Megatron, "Transmutate"
Though handicaps are not particularly common in a race of robots, sometimes there are those Cybertrons who become handicapped either from protoformation malfunction or extensive battle damage. All of the Flaws listed below are assumed to be unrepairable due to an internal problem preventing the repair. At Storyteller's discretion, these Flaws may eventually be corrected by means of a total overhaul and reprogram, or other drastic methods.
Poor Video (2 pt Flaw)
Cybertron receives, for some reason, extremely poor-quality video feed. It may be fuzzy and indistinct, without color, or at a terribly inconvenient aperture (decide which, to aid role-playing). Mechanisms related to sight are very hard to work with. Difficulties of dice rolls related to vision are increased by two.
No Video (6 pt Flaw)
Character has no internal cameras, and, therefore, is completely blind in any mode. Characters with this Flaw fail all vision rolls and cannot take any Mechanism involving special sight, although other senses can develop well enough to compensate for this loss. Loss of video feed is common for those Cybertrons who have survived large energon explosions.
Poor Audio (1 pt Flaw)
This character receives audio at a lower quality than most. It is generally garbled, soft, and indistinct, and this Cybertron has to often ask to have phrases repeated. Dice difficulties related to hearing are increased by two; hearing Mechanisms are nearly impossible to use.
No Audio (4 pt Flaw)
This Cybertron receives no audio messages, and is completely deaf. Characters with this Flaw cannot take special hearing Mechanisms. Due to the neatness of Cybertron circuitry, the speech of the deaf is still completely clear, however, others will have to communicate with an audio-impaired friend in some other way. (Direct radio link-ups into the processor are common, but risky.)
No Vocal Apparatus (4 pt Flaw)
Cybertron cannot form sounds, as he has no vocal apparatus to work with. He will have to find some other way, such as signing or projecting images, to communicate with others. Some Cybertrons with this disability compensate by becoming relay scouts and simply recording the messages of others.
No Olfactory Sensors (3 pt Flaw)
Due to a damaged circuit, this character has permanently lost his sense of smell. It is impossible for him to accomplish any task involving finding a scent, or to take a Tracking Mechanism involving scent.
No Transformation (7 pt Flaw)
The ultimate in Cybertronian physical defects is the lack of a secondary form. A character with this Flaw is assumed to have a robot form, and only a robot form. He cannot derive any of the benefits from having a secondary form (if not Transmetal, he will take damage from energon exposure, etc.). He cannot transform into anything else, nor can he be reconstructed to do so without a total overhaul. Cybertronians who cannot transform are hated and pitied by others of their race, Maximal and Predacon alike. Most Cybertronians protoformed with the inability to transform are put into permanent Stasis Lock.
Remote Processor (5 pt Merit)
Character has a processor which can operate without being directly attached to his body. This allows the character's separate pieces to operate independently from one another—missing arms and legs returning to the body; the head and body functional even if separated—for an indefinite amount of time. A character with this merit can be in pieces and still functional: he has no Physical attributes while in pieces, but does not lose Mental attributes and may salvage himself and put himself back together while fully aware and conscious.
Misconstruction (4 pt Flaw)
This character has extremely weakened joints that often fall apart. If the character ever falls below the Injured health level, he will begin to lose limbs, attached weapons, etc., as a result. The parts are generally salvageable and the damage is repairable, but the loss can be very irritating to a Cybertron attempting to accomplish an important task. If a character with this Flaw falls to the Incapacitated health level, he is considered to be in many pieces, with the head and body separated from each other.
Shrunken Spark (2 pt Merit)
This Cybertron has a spark which is somehow smaller than average, and may be very cleverly hidden in the torso. Opponents aiming directly for the spark have a +1 difficulty to hit it (making the shot impossible under most circumstances). Characters cannot take this Merit along with the Flaw, Obvious Spark.
Obvious Spark (2 pt Flaw)
This character's spark cavity is clearly marked and wide open. It may be a circle drawn on her outer plating, a glow that emanates from the spark area, or some other obvious target. The casual observer can easily guess where the spark is located, and opponents aiming for the killing blow are at a -1 difficulty to hit the spark cavity. Characters cannot take this Flaw along with the Merit, Shrunken Spark.
Moving Parts (2 pt Flaw)
Although most Cybertrons make the general servo clamor when they walk, transform, etc., on a Cybertron with this flaw the sounds are exceptionally irritating. This Cybertron is at a plus two difficulty for all rolls involving Stealth. The Moving Parts flaw can also consist of a sound that follows the character around where ever he goes, such as a high-pitched whine or a loud buzzing. (It does not, however, apply to theme music.)
Metallic Sheen (1-2 pt Flaw)
The character's organic beast mode, for some reason, has a metallic appearance. This may be due to shining hair, feathers, scales, skin, or another feature. A Cyberorganic Beast takes this as a two-point flaw, as he loses his ability to blend in with natural animals of the same type. A Fuzor can also take this flaw, though it is only a one-point flaw. He was never able to "blend in," but this flaw makes him easily recognizable as a robot. This Flaw may not be taken by any characters with a generation of Transmetal or above (it is already assumed). It does not effect a character's organic nature or energon-soaking ability, only appearance.
Second Head (1 pt Merit)
The character's beast mode head is, in robot mode, one of his hands. This is a Merit because it allows for a secondary processor: though animal-like in nature when the character is in robot mode, this arm is capable of some thought. It can serve as a secondary pair of eyes; it will also be able to function without rest of the body if it is somehow detached. This is not a very powerful Merit, however, because of its disadvantages; the character will have to use the "mouth" on the hand for mechanical operations.
It is common to attach a weapon to the mouth of a secondary head, and combining this merit with a Drone Force Mechanism also yields interesting possibilities. (When designing a character's robot mode, feel free to place the beast mode head wherever you like, and feel free to give a Fuzor a second head as desired. The head, however, will not be capable of operating separately from the robot body unless this Merit is purchased.)
Strange hunger (2-4 pt Flaw)
Cybertron, for some unknown reason, has faulty energon processors, and requires sustenance which is different from the natural food of his Beast Mode. At a 2-point level, the food required is simply unusual, such as a wolf who eats grass. At 3 points, the food required is also terribly inconvenient: a single, specific type of meat. Some Cybertrons develop hungers that are downright horrific, such as those who must sustain themselves off the mech-fluids of Cybertron foes. Cybertrons who can only take sustenance from refined energon, and nothing else, may take this as a 4-point Flaw.
Poison resistance (3 pt Merit)
Character is unaffected by all types of venom, and can ignore all penalties imposed by Cybervenom attacks.
True Love (2 pt Merit)
The character has found his only love in the world, someone true and perfect. This entitles him to an automatic success on any Willpower roll he makes in order to protect or be closer to the object of his affection.
In addition, a Cybertron gains a second benefit from this Merit: Once per story and at Storyteller's discretion, he can use thoughts of his true love (and an on-the-spot Wits/Empathy roll at standard difficulty) to regain a single point of Spark.
As always, this can be an exacting merit to play over the course of a Chronicle, and must be roleplayed.
Foe Aversion (2-4 pt Flaw)
Cybertron has a specific aversion to a certain type of opponent, such that he will absolutely never hurt a person of this designation. This mainly applies to foes that the Cybertron will not hurt due to prejudice or superstition. As a lower-level flaw, the foe the Cybertron avoids is relatively uncommon—a 2-point aversion might consist of an inability to harm the Cybertron's same protoform animal. At three points, the category is much broader, for example, a Cybertron that will not harm females, or those of his same protoform alliance. A four-point flaw is an extremely broad category, such as all flying Cybertrons.
Speech Impediment (1 pt Flaw)
Cybertron has a slight impediment to his vocal processing. These impediments normally do not make the Cybertron any more difficult to understand, which would be counterproductive to the design of the race. At worst, they can be slightly irritating, and can make the Cybertron an easy target for mockery. However, certain speech impediments are actually good, as speech patterns passed down from Great War heroes occasionally make their way into their offspring. A speech impediment is a very minor Flaw because unusual speech patterns are relatively common to Cybertronian culture. It is not considered common among Cybertrons to ridicule the speech patterns of others, but other cultures may not be so tolerant. Cybertronian speech impediments have a lot of variation: examples would be the need to speak in third person, the need to repeat the last word of every sentence, or a propensity for speaking in rhyme. Creativity is encouraged, and speech impediments should be roleplayed. (Most official White Wolf books say you don't have to roleplay them, but where's the fun in that?)
Dark Secret (1 pt Flaw)
Cybertron has a dark secret about his past which he will take enormous pains to hide from others. Perhaps he killed a good friend on accident, or destroyed an important artifact. When choosing this flaw, decide what the character's terrible secret is, then hope no one ever figures it out.
Intolerance (1 pt Flaw)
Character has a heavy dislike for one particular type of person or thing. When choosing this Flaw, choose that one thing. It should be something dramatically appropriate and common to the chronicle—there's no reason to give a character an unhealthy hatred for torque wrenches or blue pens, and an unhealthy hatred of vampires makes no sense for characters born and raised on Cybertron.
Hunted (4 pt Flaw)
Character is a criminal or other type of rogue, and is hiding out from a specific hunter or group of hunters. The Storyteller creates the hunter and does not tell the hunted character all of the hunter's abilities. A very difficult Flaw to enact over time, as it is quite possible that the hunted criminal may be captured...
Enemy (1-5 pt Flaw)
Character has, through his travels, made himself a sworn enemy for life. This Flaw varies in cost depending on the severity of the enemy...a one-point enemy is nothing but a small nuisance, but at five points, the character might be hated by a powerful organization.