Roleplaying Hints
Advantages: Personality
How Virtues, Humanity, and Willpower affect a character’s personality should be fairly obvious. White Wolf also did a decent job of explaining how Glamour and Banality affect changelings’ behavior. The complexities of Kuei-jin Chi and Soul Virtues and how they interact were described adequately; bearing them all in mind can take an especially dedicated player sometimes (especially when a scene demands the player to focus on other Traits and character elements). Finally, Wraith focuses a great deal on Passions, Pathos, Angst, and similar elements. I will detail other “core Advantages” below before moving onto what White Wolf did little of explaining ever.
Core Advantages
Vampire
As noted, Virtues and Humanity (and Paths of Enlightenment) were fairly well-detailed in their effects on how a character will behave and think. The same is true of Kuei-jin Virtues, except a note on how complex the interactions can be is worth noting. Roleplaying Kuei-jin right can be a metaphysical challenge indeed.
Dhampyrs are similar in that regard except that their Chi Virtues (Self-Control and Courage) can’t reach the heady highs that Kuei-jin Chi Virtues can (Yin and Yang can both exceed a score of 5). However, the presence of a metaphysical joss element can affect the dhampyr’s behavior. The more joss a Dhampyr currently has, the more confident he will feel, simply put. Indeed, a dhampyr will lots of joss will often throw himself into dangerous, daredevil stunts and action (and will often survive, too!).
Werewolf
The Werewolf series did little to explain on how Rage and Gnosis interact. The books noted a few special events when one Trait is higher than the other, or totally drained. But more should be said.
Characters with a Rage score of 4+ will seem edgy at all times. This doesn’t mean they’re drooling psychopaths. They just tend to take slights more easily, and often have a harder time in social settings outside their own special “families”. Shapechangers with Rage scores of 7+ are even worse. They seem to radiate a “scary presence”, and most mundanes will keep their distance. On the other hand, if human officials are looking for a troublemaker, they may pick on the character more. The character has a harder time smiling and being happy in general. Indeed, even his “special family” -- at least the Kinfolk -- will tend to keep their distances, lest they accidentally step on his toes and have their throats torn out as a result. How well a character can suppress the effects of his Rage will depend on Willpower and Gnosis -- but regardless, a high Rage score makes a character that much more bestial, with all that entails. Characters with high Rage scores rarely think ill of their pent-up fury, having embraced it as the necessary power of Gaia, Luna (or whomever). This makes talking rationally with such characters that much harder, as they may even taken insult at the suggestion that “they’re too angry for their own good”. “Blinded by rage” is an applicable cliché here. Fortunately, this Trait’s effect on personality is especially dependent on its current rating. Thus, a Rage 8 Get of Fenris may actually be somewhat passive and cooperative after a long fight that drops him to one meager point.
Gnosis also has a very tangible effect on a character’s behavior. Any character with Gnosis will have a subtle air of unusual spirituality. It may not be evident until an event calls for Gnosis (spending a point or rolling the Trait), however. But characters with Gnosis scores of 6+ will demonstrate very unusual personality quirks. They will often “look beyond”, as if seeing or feeling another world. They will have greater reverence for the gods and lands they worship and protect. They will have a definite sense of spiritual or mystical power. The sense of that power will depend on the Changing Breed and character in question. A Garou Theurge’s power will not feel the same as a Corax, for example. A character with high Gnosis will also be more connected to his duties, his “place in the Great Cycle”. Curiously, the fact that Black Spiral Dancers and other Wyrm-corrupted beings have no trouble using their Gnosis may be evident that there may be a connection between the essence of Gnosis and the Triatic persona one serves. Even Weaver-bound creatures have no trouble using Gnosis. However, the uses do differ. The fact thus seems to be that Gnosis energy is an element of the Wyld, Weaver, or Wyrm and not Gaia (although Gaia is the greatest child of the Wyld). Like Rage, the current rating a character has in Gnosis will affect his behavior. A character with Gnosis 9 but who has spent all points will behave and appear very drained and tired, even if he’s still physically up to par. A character with full Gnosis, regardless of the score, will think and feel much more fresh and energized.
Mage
Arete is the defining Trait of a mage. Although its development is not needed to Ascend, its development is fundamental in the growth of magick itself. Like the Tao score for hsien, a mage’s Arete will have an important bearing on the choices he makes and his behavior. Mages whose Arete scores exceed 5 (and these are usually the Masters) will be very insightful and prudent individuals; their wisdom is beyond the bounds of anything anyone else can even hope to understand. The greater one’s Arete, the more understands about how the world really works -- on every level of what the word means -- and what the character’s place in the world really means. Mages with high Arete are never fools, though they may be outsmarted like anyone else. It just means that not even a Marauder Archmage with Arete 7 will twirl around and play whoopee bag pranks like some unenlightened clown (although he will still be very, very weird). It is not uncommon for a mage’s Demeanor or even Nature to change as his Arete improves. As Arete increases, priorities and motivations will alter. The more you know, the less you need. For if knowledge is power, greed is trivialized. The wisdom of Arete does not indicate a moral person, but one who understands the application of knowledge through experience. It is a mage who knows how to alter the world in the most exacting ways. Often, the precision becomes so ingrained that high Arete mages will rarely bother with vulgar magicks, as they understand how to prudently affect their needs and desires and remain subtle. In game terms, coincidental magicks sometimes require more successes to achieve a certain than attempting it directly and vulgarly. And with more Arete dice, it is easier to score more successes.
The Resonance Traits are well-discussed in the books, and need no further mention here. In the CoLA Troupe that uses Mage 2nd edition, Resonance scores are optional.
But what about Quintessence and Paradox? These are Traits with “current ratings” only, but nevertheless have an effect on a character’s personality. A character with high Quintessence (5+) will feel especially energized and even happy (even if he doesn’t show it). A character who has been drained of all Quintessence will feel more tired than he really is. A character’s current Paradox score can effect his personality, too. A few points may not matter (except when they’re first gained), but as Consensus builds up against the mage, he will feel much more bogged down, fenced in, and even irritable. After all, he might literally explode any minute…
Changeling
The Changeling books did a fair job on explaining how a faerie will behave depending on his current and permanent Glamour and/or Banality scores. Hsien, on the other hand, left a bit to be desired. A hsien’s Yin and Yang ratings are both definitions of the changeling’s metaphysical comprehension and power -- like Kuei-jin. Unlike Kuei-jin, however, these Chi Virtues are the hsien’s life-blood. Thus, all hsien will consciously and actively nurture these Traits (this doesn’t mean they skyrocket just because a character is focused on improving them!). Tao is similar in this regards, except its value is loftier than “life-blood”. Hsien with Tao scores, especially high scores, are among the wisest beings in the world. This will reflect in their behavior, speech, and choices.
