Are merits unique to the splat they are provided in?

Question

I am aware that some merits are by their nature tied to their splats, examples of this would be merits such as 'Prestigious Sire' and 'Avatar companion' but merits such as 'Concentration' that reads as:

By shutting out all distractions, your mage can focus intently on the task at hand. Your character is never affected by adverse situational and environmental circumstances that don't actually cause damage. Thus, you take no penalty if your mage is distracted, disturbed, pushed, jostled, hanging upside down, working in the rain or otherwise inconvenienced.

This is normally in the Mage The Ascension book but I can see this being appropriate for any splat.

Answer 1

Not generally.

Usually, they'll be repeated in the core rulebook or the player's guide for the game you're using, but if there's no variation that's specific to a given game, they're typically transferrable.

Answer 2

Yes and no

There are many merits that are tied to a specific splat and can not be taken by other splats.

Most supernatural merits/flaws fall under this, such as Cat/Fox Magic is explicitly only for Kitsune and Bastet while Winged is a Changeling only one. Another group of merits and flaws that is tied to specific splats are many of the social ones. Among the social merits are many that reflect supernatural group standing, and those require that you are a specific splat. For example, Fallen Noble only affects Changelings and requires you to be a Changeling.

Social merits that describe your connection to mortal people are the easiest to pick from other books.

Keep in mind that some merits appear in multiple books for different prices! One of the examples would be Sex Appeal. It's in Changeling for 3 points granting 3 points of difficulty reduction, it's in W20 Changing Breeds for 4 points granting 2 difficulty reductions and limited to some sub splats, it's in M20 Book of Secrets it is effectively reprinted as Animal Magnetism for 2 points. Those all are effectively the same merit.

Ask your Storyteller

If a merit/flaw is in your book, or has a facsimile/nigh identical one there, you can and should take that one as long as you fulfil the requirements. If you play in a mixed group game, the Storyteller might tweak the costs of the different merits/flaws that have nigh identical effects.

If a merit/flaw requires a specific species or is tied to a splat tightly, then you can't take it normally.

If a merit/flaw is free from a specific background, like social merits/flaws that relate to mortal people, then you should discuss this with your Storyteller. Most STs I met would be willing to adapt it if it makes sense.