Academics (Mage / Dark Ages / 20th Editions) You have a broad education in the liberal arts and humanities, including history, literature, philosophy, art history, theology, and classical studies.
• Novice: High school student or college freshman.
•• Practiced: College graduate or enthusiastic amateur scholar.
••• Competent: Graduate student, master's degree, or high school teacher.
•••• Expert: Doctorate or university professor.
••••• Master: World-renowned scholar whose works define the field.
Specialties: History (by era), Philosophy, Literature, Art History, Theology, Classical Antiquity, Architecture, Genealogy.
Bureaucracy You understand how organizations, governments, and corporations operate—and how to manipulate forms, permits, requisitions, and red tape to get what you want or stall your enemies.
• Novice: You can file permits and navigate basic municipal forms.
•• Practiced: Civil servant or office manager.
••• Competent: Government agency or department director.
•••• Expert: You can bury a building permit or audit for a decade.
••••• Master: Master of the machine; red tape bends to your will.
Specialties: Municipal Government, Federal Agencies, Corporate Hierarchy, Customs/Imports, Court Filings, Academic Administration.
Computer You know how to operate, program, network, and secure (or intrude into) computer systems, databases, and the Digital Web.
• Novice: Point-and-click user; basic data entry.
•• Practiced: Power user or basic programmer.
••• Competent: Systems administrator or commercial software developer.
•••• Expert: Elite cybersecurity analyst or network architect.
••••• Master: Architect of virtual realities and bleeding-edge code.
Specialties: Programming, Hacking/Intrusion, Database Retrieval, Cryptography, Virus Design, Digital Web, Data Recovery.
Cosmology (Mage / Werewolf) You possess knowledge of the spirit worlds beyond the Gauntlet: the Penumbra, Astral Reaches, Dark Umbra, Horizon Realms, Moon Bridges, and Deep Umbra.
• Novice: You know the Umbra exists and how the Gauntlet works.
•• Practiced: You can navigate the local Penumbra without getting lost.
••• Competent: Seasoned Umbral traveler familiar with Near Realms.
•••• Expert: You have charted Horizon Realms, Shade Realms, and spirit courts.
••••• Master: You know the hidden pathways of the Deep Umbra.
Specialties: Penumbra, High/Astral Umbra, Dark Umbra/Shadowlands, Horizon Realms, Spirit Courts, Moon Bridges, Paradox Realms.
Enigmas (Mage / Werewolf / Changeling) You excel at solving lateral-thinking puzzles, riddles, spirit conundrums, Zen koans, prophecies, and mysterious patterns that defy linear logic.
• Novice: Crossword and logic puzzle fan.
•• Practiced: Clever riddle solver.
••• Competent: You can decipher prophetic verses and cryptic codes.
•••• Expert: Master of spirit riddles and Zen koans.
••••• Master: You can unravel the most convoluted cosmic mysteries.
Specialties: Spirit Riddles, Prophecies, Zen Koans, Logic Puzzles, Mazes/Labyrinths, Numerology/Patterns.
Finance You understand money markets, investments, stock trading, accounting, currency exchange, real estate valuation, and money laundering.
• Novice: You can balance a business ledger and manage a portfolio.
•• Practiced: Stockbroker, bank officer, or corporate accountant.
••• Competent: Investment banker or CFO.
•••• Expert: Wall Street shark; you can read market shifts before they happen.
••••• Master: Financial titan; you can destabilize currencies from a terminal.
Specialties: Stock Market, Money Laundering, Accounting/Auditing, Real Estate, Venture Capital, Offshore Banking, Antiquities Market.
Gremayre (Changeling Exclusive) You have studied Fae magic, the Dreaming, Glamour, Chimerical reality, Houses, Kiths, and the lore of ancient Arcadia.
• Novice: Childling tales and basic Freehold etiquette.
•• Practiced: You know Court customs and common chimera.
••• Competent: Respected lorekeeper of the Freehold.
•••• Expert: Master of Fae mysteries and ancient cantrip theory.
••••• Master: Keeper of secrets from before the Shattering.
Specialties: Arcadia, Seelie/Unseelie Lore, Cantrip Theory, Chimera, Freeholds/Trods, Tuatha de Danann.
Hearth Wisdom (Dark Ages)
You know folkloric traditions, peasant superstitions, herbal remedies, weather signs, local legends, and practical rural wisdom passed down orally.
• Novice: You know common rhymes and seasonal omens.
•• Practiced: Village elder or healer.
••• Competent: Cunning folk or seasoned midwife.
•••• Expert: Repository of regional folklore and old ways.
••••• Master: You know the true supernatural root behind every local myth.
Specialties: Midwifery/Herbs, Weather Lore, Wardings, Local Legends, Faerie Rings, Omens.
Investigation You know how to search crime scenes, connect disparate clues, conduct forensic analysis, and piece together mysteries from physical or documentary evidence.
• Novice: Amateur sleuth or mystery buff.
•• Practiced: Beat officer or private investigator.
••• Competent: Veteran homicide detective.
•••• Expert: Elite federal profiler or master investigator.
••••• Master: Sherlock Holmes.
Specialties: Crime Scenes, Forensics, Ballistics, Missing Persons, Financial Trails, Surveillance Analysis, Narcotics.
Law You understand criminal and civil codes, constitutional rights, court procedures, contract drafting, and litigation (as well as supernatural codes like the Six Traditions, Hermetic Code, or Litany).
• Novice: Pre-law student; knows basic rights and statutes.
•• Practiced: Paralegal or beat cop.
••• Competent: Practicing trial or corporate attorney.
•••• Expert: Senior partner or judge.
••••• Master: Supreme Court scholar; knows every obscure legal loophole.
Specialties: Criminal Law, Contract/Corporate Law, International Law, Police Procedure, Kindred Traditions, Hermetic Code, The Litany.
Linguistics You have studied foreign and ancient languages beyond your native tongue, as well as linguistic structure, dialects, and scripts.
• Novice: 1 additional language.
•• Practiced: 2 additional languages.
••• Competent: 4 additional languages.
•••• Expert: 8 additional languages.
••••• Master: 16 additional languages.
Specialties: Romance Languages, Dead/Ancient Languages (Latin, Ancient Greek, Sumerian), Cryptic Scripts (Hieroglyphs, Runes, Enochian), Dialects/Accents, Translation.
Medicine You understand human (and supernatural) anatomy, physiology, disease, pharmaceuticals, emergency trauma care, and surgery.
• Novice: Pre-med student or basic EMT.
•• Practiced: Paramedic or registered nurse.
••• Competent: General practitioner or internist.
•••• Expert: Specialist physician or trauma surgeon.
••••• Master: World-class medical authority and researcher.
Specialties: Emergency Trauma, Surgery, Pathology/Autopsy, Pharmacology, Psychiatry, Toxicology, Kindred/Garou Physiology.
Occult You are versed in the hidden world of superstition, folklore, hermetic symbolism, tarot, secret societies, curses, and rumors of supernatural beings.
• Novice: New Age bookshop browser.
•• Practiced: Serious dabbler; can separate some truth from Hollywood myth.
••• Competent: Accomplished occultist with genuine insights.
•••• Expert: Seasoned scholar of the hidden world.
••••• Master: Keeper of deep, dangerous truths of the World of Darkness.
Specialties: Kindred Lore, Lupine Lore, Mage/Hermetic Lore, Curses, Ghosts/Wraiths, Tarot/Divination, Secret Societies, Infernalism.
Politics You understand who holds power, how elections and appointments are won, political leverage, lobbying, and backroom deal-making in mortal or supernatural society.
• Novice: Political activist or informed voter.
•• Practiced: Campaign manager or local alderman.
••• Competent: Mayor, state senator, or high-level lobbyist.
•••• Expert: National campaign strategist or kingmaker.
••••• Master: Machiavelli.
Specialties: City Hall, State/Federal Government, Camarilla/Elysium Politics, Sabbat Politics, Union/Labor, Media Spin, Bribery/Leverage.
Rituals (Werewolf Core)
You have studied sacred Garou Rites (Accord, Caern, Death, Mystic, Punishment, Renown, and Seasonal) and know the proper prayers and chiminage to perform them.
• Novice: Knows basic tribal prayers and Rank 1 rites.
•• Practiced: Can lead minor sept rites.
••• Competent: Respected Ritemaster of the sept.
•••• Expert: Keeper of ancient tribal ceremonies.
••••• Master: Knows lost rites of the Elder Days.
Specialties: Caern Rites, Accord/Cleansing, Punishment Rites, Death Rites, Mystic Rites.
Science You have systematic training in the physical and natural sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy, and engineering.
• Novice: High school science student.
•• Practiced: Lab technician or college science major.
••• Competent: Research scientist or high school science teacher.
•••• Expert: Doctorate or lead industrial researcher.
••••• Master: Nobel laureate or visionary Etherite.
Specialties: Chemistry, Physics, Biology/Genetics, Geology, Astronomy, Metallurgy, Engineering, Hyper-Science/Etherics.
Seneschal (Dark Ages)
You know how to manage a castle, manor, monastery, or feudal estate—overseeing servants, food stores, taxation, logistics, and household defense.
• Novice: Bailiff's clerk.
•• Practiced: Manor steward.
••• Competent: Castle castellan.
•••• Expert: Royal chamberlain.
••••• Master: Can run an entire kingdom's household logistics effortlessly.
Specialties: Supply/Provisions, Taxation, Fortification Maintenance, Servant Management, Hosting Feasts.
Accounting You can set up and keep commercial accounts, interpret financial ledgers, and uncover errors, tricks, and embezzlement.
• Novice: Night school student.
•• Practiced: Junior clerk.
••• Competent: Senior clerk or junior partner.
•••• Expert: Senior partner.
••••• Master: Nothing escapes your audit.
Specialties: Small Business, Large Corporation, Governmental, Taxes, Money Laundering.
Alchemy You are familiar with classical and medieval alchemical texts, practical laboratory transmutation, and the symbols and ciphers used by alchemists.
• Novice: A mere dabbler.
•• Practiced: Apprentice, still dependent on a master.
••• Competent: Journeyman capable of independent work.
•••• Expert: Experienced alchemist within reach of the greatest secrets.
••••• Master: Maybe that lead-into-gold thing really works.
Specialties: Transmutation, Cosmology, Lapis Philosophorum, Elixirs.
Anthropology You have studied human societies on a theoretical and practical level, including specific preindustrial and contemporary cultures.
• Novice: Undergraduate student.
•• Practiced: Grad student or research assistant.
••• Competent: Professor or veteran fieldworker.
•••• Expert: Department head at a major university.
••••• Master: Leading light of the field.
Specialties: Physical, Social, Ancient, Theoretical, Specific Cultures.
Archaeology You have studied the physical remains of the past, how they are preserved and excavated, and can identify the origin of ancient artifacts.
• Novice: Undergrad or amateur.
•• Practiced: Graduate student or research assistant.
••• Competent: University professor.
•••• Expert: Senior research fellow.
••••• Master: Doyen of antiquity.
Specialties: Prehistoric Europe, Classical, Central America, Egyptology, Excavation, Underwater Archaeology, Paleopathology.
Architecture You are trained in the functional and aesthetic design of buildings, can read blueprints, locate load-bearing walls or secret rooms, and know the safest spots during an explosion or earthquake.
• Novice: Student.
•• Practiced: Office junior.
••• Competent: Junior partner.
•••• Expert: Senior partner.
••••• Master: Frank Lloyd Wright.
Specialties: Houses, Office Buildings, Public Works, Gothic, Fortifications/Bunkers.
Area Knowledge You are intimately familiar with a specific city or region—its street layout, history, geography, neighborhoods, and mortal politics (does not cover Kindred affairs; see City Secrets).
• Novice: You know a fair amount for an outsider.
•• Practiced: You have lived there for a year or two.
••• Competent: You have lived there for 5–10 years.
•••• Expert: Native-born and never left.
••••• Master: You could write the definitive guidebook on the city.
Specialties: History, Geography, Politics, Transportation, Law, Alleys/Shortcuts.
Art History You have studied art academically and can identify a work's period, origin, artist, and current market price on sight.
• Novice: Student or amateur.
•• Practiced: Grad student or enthusiastic collector.
••• Competent: Professor or auction house specialist.
•••• Expert: Research fellow or auction house chief.
••••• Master: Head curator of a major museum.
Specialties: Classical, Renaissance, Old Masters, Impressionists, Primitive, Modern, Ethnographic.
Astrology You know how to compile and interpret horoscopes and planetary alignments based on birth dates, times, and locations.
• Novice: You merely dabble.
•• Practiced: Friends ask you to cast horoscopes for them.
••• Competent: You could run a small astrology business.
•••• Expert: Syndicated columnist.
••••• Master: Personal astrologer to world leaders and elders.
Specialties: Solar Horoscope, Natal Charts, Ming Shu, Zu Wei.
Astronomy You study the heavens from a scientific standpoint: identifying constellations, operating telescopes, and predicting eclipses, comets, and solar phenomena.
• Novice: Student or backyard amateur.
•• Practiced: Grad student or serious amateur.
••• Competent: Professor or observatory head.
•••• Expert: Research fellow or NASA specialist.
••••• Master: Renowned astrophysicist or space program leader.
Specialties: Planets, Galaxies, Quasars, Novas and Nebulae, Black Holes, Big Bang Theory.
Biology (Requires Science •+) You know the nature of living organisms, how they function, and can identify plants or creatures from fragments.
• Novice: High school biology.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student.
•••• Expert: University professor.
••••• Master: Senior research fellow.
Specialties: Botany, Zoology, Ecology, Paleontology, Genetics.
Camarilla Lore You know the inner workings of the Camarilla: who the Princes and Justicars are, the history of the Masquerade, Conclave procedures, and sect propaganda.
• Novice: What just about all Camarilla Kindred know.
•• Practiced: What most Ventrue know.
••• Competent: What most Nosferatu or Tremere know.
•••• Expert: What most Princes and Archons know.
••••• Master: What the Inner Circle and Methuselahs know.
Specialties: History, Legends, Famous Rulers, Princes, Justicars, Strategies, Current Activities, Secrets, Propaganda.
Chemistry (Requires Science •+) You have studied the nature of chemical substances, their reactions, how to synthesize compounds, and how to handle hazardous materials.
• Novice: High school chemistry.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student or pharmacist.
•••• Expert: Professor or industrial chemist.
••••• Master: Senior research fellow.
Specialties: Organic, Inorganic, Analysis, Safety, Synthetics/Drugs.
City Secrets You know the hidden supernatural reality of a specific city (chosen separately for each city): who holds real power, how local vampires relate to one another, where havens and Elysiums are located, and current plots. (Generally earned through play rather than at character creation).
• Novice: Whelp.
•• Practiced: Naive or inexperienced.
••• Competent: You have an ear to the ground.
•••• Expert: Well-informed Harpy or Sheriff.
••••• Master: Seasoned intriguer; you know where all the bodies are buried.
Specialties: Prince, Primogen, Secret Powers, Anarchs, Influences, Sabbat Presence, Havens, Masquerade.
Clan Knowledge You possess non-public information pertaining to a specific Vampire Clan (usually your own): its true history, bloodlines, internal politics, and secret gatherings.
• Novice: What some neonate clan members know.
•• Practiced: What most ancillae know.
••• Competent: What most elders know.
•••• Expert: What most Methuselahs know.
••••• Master: What only the clan founder or inner circle knows.
Specialties: Gossip, Membership, Legends, History, Gatherings.
Computer Hacking (Requires Computer ••+) While Computer covers standard programming and operation, Computer Hacking represents the imaginative faculty to break the rules—cracking military encryption, bypassing firewalls, and manipulating data in real time.
• Novice: Computer geek who can change grades in a school network.
•• Practiced: Uncanny "luck" at guessing passwords and bypassing basic security.
••• Competent: You can erase utility bills or alter credit records with a few keystrokes.
•••• Expert: You can crack bank transfer codes and corporate mainframes.
••••• Master: You can infiltrate intelligence and defense networks without leaving a trace.
Specialties: Viruses, Data Retrieval, Networking, Telecommunications, Zero-Day Exploits.
Criminology You have studied the nature of crime—when, where, how, and why it is committed—along with the psychology of the criminal mind and famous historical cases.
• Novice: Amateur true-crime reader.
•• Practiced: Enthusiast.
••• Competent: Scholar or precinct detective.
•••• Expert: Criminal historian or senior profiler.
••••• Master: The Shadow.
Specialties: Serial Killings, Unsolved Crimes, Jack the Ripper, Criminal Psychology, Organized Crime.
Cryptography You can compose and break codes and ciphers. Creating a code requires someone else to roll successes equal to your Cryptography rating to crack it.
• Novice: Grade-school spy fan.
•• Practiced: Puzzle buff or military signals officer.
••• Competent: Intelligence officer.
•••• Expert: NSA cipher specialist.
••••• Master: Alan Turing.
Specialties: Letter Shifts, Mathematical Encryption, Obscure Character Sets, Steganography.
Culture (Mage 2nd Ed) You understand the customs, art, social mores, taboos, and worldviews of various societies and subcultures.
• Novice: Well-traveled tourist.
•• Practiced: Exchange student or cultural attaché.
••• Competent: Experienced diplomat or cultural scholar.
•••• Expert: Polymath who blends seamlessly into foreign societies.
••••• Master: Citizen of the world; no custom is alien to you.
Specialties: High Society, Street Subcultures, East Asian, European, Middle Eastern, Indigenous Traditions.
Economics You understand how economies function on a local, national, and global scale, and can trace the flow of wealth through a city or nation.
• Novice: High school economics.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student or business journalist.
•••• Expert: Professor or economic consultant.
••••• Master: Federal Reserve chair or presidential advisor.
Specialties: Private Sector, Public Sector, Stock Market, Taxes, International Trade.
Electronics You are familiar with the design, diagnosis, and repair of electronic devices (radios, televisions, circuit boards, control systems, and computers), as distinct from purely mechanical gear.
• Novice: Tinkerer.
•• Practiced: Ham radio operator.
••• Competent: TV and electronics repair technician.
•••• Expert: Computer hardware engineer.
••••• Master: Master hardware designer and inventor.
Specialties: Radio/TV, Control Systems, Information Systems, Surveillance Bugs.
Engineering You can understand, design, and diagnose faults in mechanical and structural systems, and draft plans from which a skilled mechanic or builder can construct anything from a toaster to a jet.
• Novice: Amateur.
•• Practiced: Engineering student.
••• Competent: Junior engineer.
•••• Expert: Chief engineer.
••••• Master: Ace inventor.
Specialties: Automotive, Aerospace, Marine, Domestic, Maintenance/Repair, Invention.
Faerie Lore You possess factual knowledge regarding the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, Changelings, Glamour, and the mythical realm of Arcadia.
• Novice: Mostly speculation and hearsay.
•• Practiced: You know some relevant facts about Kiths and Courts.
••• Competent: General knowledge of Fae ways and cantrips.
•••• Expert: Expansive knowledge of Fae society and Freeholds.
••••• Master: You know the deepest secrets of the Dreaming.
Specialties: Enchanting Music, Faerie Food, Arcadia, Seelie/Unseelie Courts, Cold Iron, Chimerical Reality.
Forensics You are trained in recognizing and interpreting physical clues at a crime scene (hair, fibers, blood spatter, ballistics, fingerprints) and determining the time and cause of death from a body.
• Novice: Amateur sleuth.
•• Practiced: Precinct detective or field agent.
••• Competent: Police crime-lab specialist.
•••• Expert: FBI forensics expert.
••••• Master: You can reconstruct an entire crime from a single footprint and a drop of blood.
Specialties: Scene of Crime, Pathology/Autopsy, Ballistics, Fingerprints, Blood Spatter.
Geology (Requires Science •+) You have studied the physical composition of the earth, rock strata, landscape formation, and mineral/oil prospecting.
• Novice: High school earth science.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student or oilman.
•••• Expert: Professor or prospecting consultant.
••••• Master: Senior research fellow.
Specialties: Petrology, Geomorphology, Prospecting, Paleontology, Engineering/Tunneling.
Heraldry You have studied the art and language of heraldic devices (coats of arms, crests, Japanese mon) and can identify the noble family or organization to which a crest belongs.
• Novice: Amateur.
•• Practiced: Enthusiast or historian.
••• Competent: Grad student or genealogist.
•••• Expert: Professor or junior herald.
••••• Master: King of Arms.
Specialties: British, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scandinavian, Japanese, Modern/Corporate.
History You have studied the recorded history of the world (or specific eras and regions) and understand social, political, economic, and technological conditions of the past.
• Novice: High school history.
•• Practiced: College student or history buff.
••• Competent: Grad student or historical author.
•••• Expert: University professor.
••••• Master: Renowned historian and research fellow.
Specialties: Political, Intellectual, Social, Economic, Technological, Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, Modern, Europe, Americas, Asia, Africa.
Kindred Lore You possess factual knowledge of the great secrets of the Kindred: Caine, the Book of Nod, Antediluvians, Methuselahs, the Jyhad, the Inconnu, and Gehenna. (Cannot be taken at character creation without Storyteller approval).
• Novice: But a whelp.
•• Practiced: Still mostly unfamiliar.
••• Competent: Broad familiarity with Kindred legends.
•••• Expert: Knows a few of the great secrets.
••••• Master: Possessor of ancient Noddist truths.
Specialties: Jyhad, Inconnu, Antediluvians, Caine, Book of Nod, Gehenna, Golconda.
Literature You are familiar with the great literature, poetry, and drama of one or more nations or eras, and can identify or produce a fitting literary quotation for any occasion.
• Novice: High school English.
•• Practiced: College student or struggling author.
••• Competent: Grad student or literary critic.
•••• Expert: Professor or recognized author.
••••• Master: Celebrated literary scholar.
Specialties: The Novel, Poetry, Drama, English, American, European, Classical, Medieval, Asian, Islamic.
Lupine Lore You possess factual knowledge about Werewolves (Garou): their tribes, auspices, totems, packs, Caerns, strengths, and vulnerabilities.
• Novice: Largely speculation and hearsay.
•• Practiced: You know some relevant facts (such as silver and regeneration).
••• Competent: General understanding of Garou society and tribes.
•••• Expert: Expansive knowledge of their rites, Gifts, and Umbral ties.
••••• Master: You know almost as much about them as their own elders do.
Specialties: Tribes, Totems, Spirit Guides, Packs, Ancestors, The Litany.
Mage Lore You possess factual knowledge of Awakened mages: the Nine Mystic Traditions, the Technocratic Union, Spheres, Avatars, Chantries, and Paradox.
• Novice: Largely speculation and hearsay.
•• Practiced: You know some relevant facts about Traditions and cabals.
••• Competent: Basic knowledge of mystic ways and Spheres.
•••• Expert: Expansive knowledge of the Ascension War and Horizon Realms.
••••• Master: You understand the fundamental theory of Awakened magick.
Specialties: Rituals, Wicca/Verbena, Order of Hermes, Kabbalah, Mystic Traditions, Technocracy, Paradox.
Mathematics You have studied the science of numbers and can perform complex calculations in pure math, calculus, statistics, and chaos theory.
• Novice: High school algebra/trigonometry.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student or statistician.
•••• Expert: Mathematics professor.
••••• Master: Theoretical mathematician.
Specialties: Pure Mathematics, Mechanics, Statistics, Chaos Theory/Fractals, Sacred Geometry.
Metallurgy (Requires Science •+) You know the properties, melting points, stress limits, and compounding of metals and alloys.
• Novice: Student.
•• Practiced: Grad student or foundry apprentice.
••• Competent: Professor or materials engineer.
•••• Expert: Senior metallurgical engineer.
••••• Master: Chief materials scientist.
Specialties: Iron, Steel, Copper Alloys, High-Stress Alloys, Conductors, Precious Metals.
Meteorology You understand atmospheric science and weather patterns, allowing you to accurately forecast rain, snow, cloud cover, and storms.
• Novice: High school science.
•• Practiced: Weekend camper or TV weather presenter.
••• Competent: Grad student or outdoor enthusiast.
•••• Expert: Professor or seasoned almanac farmer.
••••• Master: Uncanny atmospheric predictor.
Specialties: Theoretical, Local Area, Storm Prediction, Barometrics.
Military Science Through intensive study or battlefield command, you understand military tactics and strategy—from 10-man squad maneuvers to grand army logistics and siege warfare.
• Novice: Military academy cadet.
•• Practiced: Non-commissioned officer (NCO).
••• Competent: Brigadier general.
•••• Expert: Julius Caesar.
••••• Master: Sun Tzu.
Specialties: Phalanx, Large-Scale Strategy, Small-Unit/Squad Tactics, Modern Warfare, Sieges, Sabbat War Parties, Guerrilla Warfare.
Naturalist You are a student of animal and ecosystem behavior in the wild, able to read natural signs for predators, migration patterns, and animal moods.
• Novice: Boy Scout.
•• Practiced: Outdoors enthusiast.
••• Competent: Nature documentary host.
•••• Expert: Seasoned field biologist.
••••• Master: David Attenborough.
Specialties: Temperate Forest, Jungle, Plains, Mountains, Coast, Arctic, Desert.
Physics (Requires Science •+) You have studied the fundamental laws of matter, energy, motion, optics, thermodynamics, and relativity.
• Novice: High school physics.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student.
•••• Expert: University professor.
••••• Master: Leading theoretical physicist.
Specialties: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Hydrodynamics, Aerodynamics, Astrophysics, Optics, Electronics, Nuclear, Quantum/Theoretical, Applied.
Psychology You have formal education in human cognitive development, emotion, personality theory, and behavioral triggers.
• Novice: High school psychology.
•• Practiced: College student.
••• Competent: Grad student or counselor.
•••• Expert: Professor or clinical psychologist.
••••• Master: Groundbreaking psychological theorist.
Specialties: Behaviorism, Freudian, Jungian, Humanist, Developmental, Experimental, Animal Psychology.
Sabbat Lore You possess dangerous, insider knowledge of the Sabbat: its history, Auctoritas Ritae, Vaulderie, Black Hand sub-sect, Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, and war tactics.
• Novice: What almost all Sabbat pack members know.
•• Practiced: What most Sabbat pack priests know.
••• Competent: What most Sabbat Bishops know.
•••• Expert: What most Sabbat Archbishops know.
••••• Master: What the Prisci, Cardinals, and Regent know.
Specialties: History, Auctoritas Ritae, Famous Sabbat, Local Sabbat, Propaganda, Black Hand.
Sewer Lore You know the layout, construction, and hidden passages of subterranean sewer systems, storm drains, and underground Nosferatu warrens.
• Novice: Tunnel rat.
•• Practiced: City sanitation worker.
••• Competent: What a local Nosferatu or Giovanni knows.
•••• Expert: What older Nosferatu or Bone Gnawers know.
••••• Master: Nosferatu warren master; you know every pipe and forgotten vault beneath the city.
Specialties: Havens, Food, Hiding Places, Shortcuts, Slums, Subway Tunnels.
Spirit Lore You know the structure and inhabitants of the spirit worlds and the Shadowlands, including ghosts, Wraiths, and Umbrood spirits.
• Novice: Watched a paranormal TV show.
•• Practiced: Survived a genuinely haunted house.
••• Competent: You know where spirits gather and how they manifest.
•••• Expert: You know what different classes of spirits are and what they want.
••••• Master: You know why they exist and the deep laws that bind them.
Specialties: Benign Spirits, Malevolent Spirits, Mischievous Spirits, Astral Travel, Specific Site, Hauntings/Wraiths.
Theology You have studied religious doctrines, comparative mythology, church history, and spiritual philosophy across one or more faiths.
• Novice: Devout congregant.
•• Practiced: Altar server or lay reader.
••• Competent: Ordained priest, rabbi, or imam.
•••• Expert: Seminary professor.
••••• Master: Renowned theologian.
Specialties: Comparative Religion, Liberation Theology, Agnosticism, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Pagan/Wiccan, Cults.
Toxicology (Requires Biology or Chemistry •+) You have a working knowledge of venoms, chemical and herbal poisons, their physiological symptoms, and how to brew both toxins and antidotes.
• Novice: Dabbler.
•• Practiced: Mystery writer or homicide detective.
••• Competent: Pharmacist.
•••• Expert: Forensic toxicologist or ER poison specialist.
••••• Master: Master poisoner and assassin.
Specialties: Venoms, Chemical Poisons, Herbal Poisons, Analysis, Antidotes, Instant Poisons, Slow-Build Poisons, Undetectable Poisons.
Wyrm Lore You have delved into the perilous lore of the Lupines' cosmic enemy—the Wyrm—including its Banes, Fomori, Pentex fronts, Black Spiral Dancers, and the corrupt realm of Malfeas.
• Novice: You are aware of and can name several Wyrm creatures.
•• Practiced: You know the Triatic and Urge Wyrms and recognize Black Spiral pictograms.
••• Competent: You know something of Malfeas and how Banes possess hosts.
•••• Expert: You know the secrets of the Black Spiral Labyrinth.
••••• Master: You know enough to be a grave danger to the Wyrm—and to your own sanity.
Specialties: Triatic Wyrm, Urge Wyrms, Fomori/Monsters, Banes, Black Spiral Dancers, Malfeas, Pentex.