Optional Rule: Merit Decay
Allies, Contacts, Resources, and Retainer Merits are all subject to degradation when unattended during periods of Torpor. Each Merit has one dot of its total rating at risk for each 10 years spent in Torpor. When emerging from Torpor, make a separate roll for each Merit. The dice pool for this roll equals the number of dots for that Merit “at risk.” You do not roll more dice than the Merit’s rating, regardless of the duration of Torpor. For each success on this roll, one of the dots “at risk” is retained. The rest are simply lost. The Storyteller may wish to impose penalties to these rolls. Such penalties may include -1 die per 50 years in Torpor, -2 dice if the Torpor was unplanned, or even a -3 penalty if the vampire’s body is moved a vast distance during his time in Torpor.
Example: Maxwell has the following Merits before entering Torpor: Allies 4, Contacts 2, and Resources 3. Because of a Blood Potency of 3 and Humanity of 3, he will be in Torpor for 30 years. Thus, 3 dots of each of these Merits are at risk of being lost over the time of his absence. For Allies and Resources, the player rolls three dice, and for Contacts he rolls two. Rolling each dice pool, Maxwell’s player manages two successes for Allies, one success for Contacts, and none for the Resources roll. Two of the three dots at risk for Allies are retained, leaving him with Allies 3. One success on the Contacts roll leaves him with Contacts 1 (the player may choose which area of awareness is retained), and the lack of any successes on the Resources roll means Maxwell has no Resources Merit after his time in Torpor.
Note that the Devoted Merit provides a reason for some Merits, that would otherwise fade, to linger.
Example: Maxwell has the following Merits before entering Torpor: Allies 4, Contacts 2, and Resources 3. Because of a Blood Potency of 3 and Humanity of 3, he will be in Torpor for 30 years. Thus, 3 dots of each of these Merits are at risk of being lost over the time of his absence. For Allies and Resources, the player rolls three dice, and for Contacts he rolls two. Rolling each dice pool, Maxwell’s player manages two successes for Allies, one success for Contacts, and none for the Resources roll. Two of the three dots at risk for Allies are retained, leaving him with Allies 3. One success on the Contacts roll leaves him with Contacts 1 (the player may choose which area of awareness is retained), and the lack of any successes on the Resources roll means Maxwell has no Resources Merit after his time in Torpor.
Note that the Devoted Merit provides a reason for some Merits, that would otherwise fade, to linger.