Anything purchased with experience points during a downtime is not available until the next game. It is assumed that your character spent the month learning or acquiring that item. That means that you cannot spend experience points to purchase an Attribute, Skill, Merit, Discipline, Devotion, Advantage, etc. and use what was purchased in the same downtime. For example, you cannot purchase your character's first dot of the Merit Influence: Police and then find incarcerated people during the same downtime. You could, however, perform this influence action at the next game. Nor could you purchase the Discipline Animalism: Call of the Wild and summon animals during that downtime. Your character may use Animalism: Obedience to command animals during that downtime since he/she already had that power.

You can purchase multiple dots of Disciplines, but you cannot purchase a second dot of the same Discipline during a downtime. In-clan Disciplines and out-of-clan Celerity, Resilience, or Vigor do not require a teacher or a Resolve action to learn. Other out-of-clan Disciplines require a teacher who has that Discipline in-clan (though either their clan or bloodline) and the expenditure of a Resolve action by both the teacher and the pupil. Remember that out-of-clan Disciplines cost 7 experience points times new dots whether or not your character requires a teacher. You must have and expend the experience points to purchase a Discipline during the downtime in which your character receives instruction. Failure to expend the necessary experience points at that time will require the process to be repeated.

Covenant-specific Disciplines such as Coils, Theban Sorcery, and Crúac may not be taught to characters outside the covenant and do not require a teacher or Resolve action as long as your character has at least 1 dot of status in the appropriate covenant. Keep in mind that other player characters may require in-game roleplay to in-character scenes to explain your character’s covenant studies.

Bloodline specific Disciplines, Devotions, or other powers which are unique to a particular bloodline may not be taught or learned outside their bloodline without exception.

Rituals from the Vampire: The Requiem book may be learned without the expenditure of a Resolve action (assuming your character possesses the appropriate level of Theban Sorcery or Crúac). Rituals outside the Vampire: The Requiem book may be learned from a PC teacher with the expenditure of a Resolve action by both the teacher and the pupil. Both players should coordinate and detail the circumstances of the instruction within their downtimes. If yourcharacter cannot find a PC teacher for a Ritual, it will require two to four months of study to acquire. Your character will be required to spend a Resolve action each month in order to make progress. At the end of this (ST approved) process, you may spend the experience points to acquire the Ritual. (Note that this applies to the free ritual your character receives when purchasing a dot of Theban Sorcery or Crúac.)

Devotions from the Vampire: The Requiem book may be learned without a teacher or the expenditure of a Resolve action if the prerequisite Disciplines are considered in-clan for your character. Vampire: The Requiem book Devotions can also be taught to those who cannot learn them naturally with the aid of a teacher and a Resolve action as if it were an out-of-clan Discipline. These simpler non-clan/non-covenant devotions can be taught to and learned by anyone.

Devotions outside the Vampire: The Requiem book (most likely clan or covenant specific) may be learned from a PC teacher with the expenditure of a Resolve action by both the teacher and the pupil. Both players should coordinate and detail the circumstances of the instruction within their downtimes. If your character cannot find a PC teacher for a clan or covenant specific Devotion, it will require two to four months of study to acquire as long as you are of that Clan or Covenant. Your character will be required to spend a Resolve action each month in order to make progress. At the end of this (ST approved) process, you may spend the experience points to acquire the Devotion.

If your character is privileged or lucky enough to gain a Devotion which is considered clan or covenant specific as an outsider, they most likely will not be able to teach it to others, even those characters that belong to the appropriate clan or covenant.

There are several Devotions in other Vampire: The Requiem supplements which may not be clan or covenant specific. These Devotions will most likely require an NPC teacher or Mentor and over 3 or more months of Resolve actions. Once your character gains an uncommon or rare Devotion, they may teach it to other player characters. This may require as many Resolve actions to teach it as it did for your character to learn it – spent by both the teacher and the pupil.

Characters can purchase a single dot per Attribute, Skill or Merit per downtime without using a Resolve action. A second dot of the same Skill or Merit* can be purchased by spending a Resolve action to spend extra time studying or acquiring it. A second dot of the same Attribute cannot be purchased during a downtime. Blood Potency may only be increased by a single dot during a month with experience points (but there is always diablerie...).

*Note that your first dot in a Skill or Fighting Style Merit will usually require the use of a Resolve action. Also note, Merits that require multiple dots but do not have a benefit at each dot can be purchased up to the first tier with a power without using a resolve action.
For example, If your character wants to learn the Merit, Holistic Awareness (3 dot only), you may spend 12 Experience Points to purchase all three dots (2 for the first dot, 4 for the second, and 6 for the third) without using a resolve action specifically because only the third dot has a benefit.
Please speak with a Head ST before purchasing a Merit not found in the World of Darkness or Vampire: The Requiem books.

Keep in mind that the ST Staff might require that your character have a teacher or mentor to teach you certain Merits or powers. It is also possible that the ST Staff will simply deny your character's ability to acquire a particular item for reasons particular to our chronicle (such as game-balance or incompatibility with the Dark Seattle setting). If you have questions about how a particular item might be acquired, it is suggested that you discuss such with a Head ST before putting it into your downtime.