Meditation
| Category: | Abilities |
| Subcategory: | Secondary Skill |
| Prerequisites: | None |
| Reference: | Vampire Player's Guide (2nd edition/WW2006), page 53. |
Meditation is the Skill of calming emotions, controlling the mind, and relaxing the physical body. The attention of the mind is focused on a singular object or phrase so that a character's entire being can also focus on matters of importance and screen out distracting thoughts. Meditation is usually performed while seated in a special position, like the lotus position, but with practice it can be performed in a variety of situations or positions.
A successful Willpower roll is necessary to enter meditation; the difficulty depends on your surroundings, but is generally 8.
Reducing Rage
After each full hour in a trance, the character rolls their meditation skill alone against difficulty 9. Subtract dice from the character's Dice Pool if there are any distractions during that time. Each success on the roll subtracts one point of Rage. Each net botch indicates a Rage point gained. If the meditation is interrupted and concentration is lost before the hour is up, no benefit occurs.
Regaining Willpower
After each full hour in a trance, the character rolls their meditation skill alone against difficulty 9. Subtract dice from the character's Dice Pool if there are any distractions during that time. Each success on the second roll restores one point of Willpower. Each net botch indicates a Willpower lost. If the meditation is interrupted and concentration is lost before the hour is up, no benefit occurs.
Regaining Gnosis
When a character takes time to center himself and reconnect with the Sacred Mother on a personal level, he can sometimes regain Gnosis. The character must spend at least an hour staying in one place and focusing on his deeply spiritual side. (One cannot meditate while cleaning guns, for example.) The player must then roll Wits + Meditation (difficulty 8). For each success, a player regains one Gnosis point. However, a character can regain only one Gnosis point per hour of meditation, no matter how many successes the player rolls. In addition, this form of meditation can be done only once per day, and the difficulty increases by one for each extra day a character attempts it in the same week (to a maximum difficulty of 10). The spirits are gracious, but not always generous.
Other Uses
Catching up on lost sleep: Stamina + Meditation (Diff. 8) determines how many effective hours of sleep are gained per hour of meditation.
Surviving inclement weather or conditions by effectively hibernating: Stamina + Meditation (Diff. 9) determines how many days the character can last before the effects of starvation, etc. set in.
Figuring out particularly complicated puzzles: Intelligence + Meditation (Diff. 9) lowers the difficulty of an Enigmas roll by one per success.
x Unskilled: You've probably heard of it, and may or may not know that there are different kinds. • Novice: Looked through a book on it once or twice. You understand the basic principles. •• Practiced: Studied seriously. You can enter an altered state of mind with time and effort. ••• Competent: May have studied with a Master. You can enter an altered state of mind almost at will, and know how to use it to benefit you. •••• Expert: Qualified to teach. You have explored many different kinds of meditation and can recommend and teach a particular style to another. ••••• Master: Just that. You are a true meditative master.
| Possessed by: | Monks, Yogis, Mystics, Holistic Healers, New Agers, Shamans, Hippies. |
| Example Specialties: | Concentration, Tantric, Transcendental, Yogic, New Age, Rage, Willpower, Gnosis. |