Roleplaying Hints

Magic Advantages

Vampire
Only in rare cases will a Discipline have a profound effect on a character’s appearance -- Cainite or Cathayan. If there is such an impact, it will be listed in the book. For the most part, enemies must guess at what powers a vampire may have. There is no way to tell until the vampire uses them.

Werewolf
Pure Breed can cause the character’s bearing to be nobler and more stately or proud. But it can also affect the appearance of his animal forms. Normally, this may mean a special marking of some sort in the fur or on the scales -- not a glyph, but more of a “birthmark” or “birthmarks”. For example, all Red Talons have a splash of red fur somewhere on their bodies. One with high Pure Breed may mean this splash of color is richer or brighter. It doesn’t necessarily mean the character’s animal form will be unblemished or a “perfect specimen” -- that has more to do with Physical Attributes and Appearance! Past Life, on the other hand, will rarely have much impact on a character’s outward image.

Likewise, most Gifts never have an obvious impact on image. A few Gifts may, however, depending on their nature. For example, it’s not uncommon for a character that knows Pulse of the Invisible to peer around at things no one else sees.

Mage
Occasionally, Destiny or Avatar will mark a mage in some way, usually through some kind of stigmata. (This can actually be taken as a Supernatural Flaw, Storyteller’s discretion; c.f., Primal Marks.) Arcane naturally has the most profound effect on a mage. Not only does it stifle the mage’s mundane persona, but it also obscures his magical airs as well. Arcane can “dampen” a mage’s personal Resonance (every two dots of Arcane reduces the Social penalties/bonuses of a mage’s Resonance by one). Some mages become skilled in “turning off” Arcane at the right time that it becomes a handy tactic to use in certain social situations, especially intimidation (e.g., Gandalf suddenly becoming taller, darker, and more commanding to frighten Bilbo Baggins into pacification).

Spheres can affect a mage’s Resonance as well. Indeed, at Adept Rank or higher, knowledge of the Sphere itself develops Resonance. This will definitely filter into a mage’s bearing and appearance. A Forces Master who specializes in fire, for example, may radiate great heat, and his eyes may seem to burn. A Mind Master may often talk to himself. However, until these exceptional levels are achieved, the development of one’s Spheres contributes mainly to the mage’s personal Resonance scores (which may evoke similar quirks anyway).

Wraith
Wraiths’ Backgrounds do not have any direct impact on the ghost’s appearance unless specifically noted otherwise.

Developing Arcanoi, especially Level 3 and higher, causes the ghost to develop certain “stigmata”. Although associated mainly with “the Guilds”, these traits are common to any ghost who grows skillful in a certain Arcanos (or more). Moliate can sometimes mask these traits, but not always. Each Arcanoi as detailed also covers the “stigmata”.

Changeling
For all sorts of changelings, there are almost no Backgrounds that have a direct, supernatural effect on the character’s appearance. There are two exceptions, and one is for the hsien: Pakua. Pakua takes the place of the Mists, and functions similarly to Arcane. However, it only covers up the hsien’s mystical behaviors after they are invoked, not constantly. The only constant obfuscation Pakua grants is guarding the hsien’s true nature from magical detection. An educated hunter can still observe hsien-ish behaviors or personality quirks. For all changelings, the second exception is Remembrance. Sometimes, a changeling will be inspired to dress as a past life once did. Sometimes a character's voile appears like it did in a past life even after the Chrysalis. How much a character's Remembrance can affect his appearance depends on player whimsy, but it should be based at least somewhat on the strength of the character's memories (the higher the Remembrance score, the more of a throwback the character may appear).

Arts and Realms, and Wu Tan, all also have no direct impact on the changeling’s appearance. There is no way to tell what magics a changeling is skilled in until he uses them.