Backgrounds

Background Changes Backgrounds are rated one O to three OOO. Super Backgrounds. Super Backgrounds are binary. They represent a far more powerful version of the regular background and require far more actions/ freebies to be spent acquiring them, or freebies to be spent acquiring them. (They also require ST approval which usually will not be given.) There are limits on the number of people who can have some super backgrounds. You must have your characters maximum rating in a background before buying the super background. There may also be a story roadblock in your way to acquiring the super background.

Allies Allies can represent mortal contacts or membership into a supernatural organization. Allies are in general more powerful per-point than retainers but they will also expect things in return. Allies can be asked for a variety of things. The rating of the Ally will decide what they can and can't do. Allies give the player an additional action. However, this action will be accompanied by a cost or the ally asking for something in return.

O: Mortal Police Captain, Neonate Vampire with no real political power. OO: Connected Neonate, Low-Rank Garou. OOO: Connected Ancilla, Someone in the state government, Fledgling Mage. Super Background Elder Ally: Elder Vampire, National Government/ sect member, Important Garou. Grants a free Gather News action each month. Limits: None

Contacts Contacts represent a source of reliable information. The information may still cost something but the Contact will always answer. If you want to use a contact make a test. You have retests equal to your level of contact and the Staffer assigns a difficulty to the check (1-3) based on how likely your contact is to know the requested information. Each contact must be given a name and a short description. In addition, for each level of contact, you may grab a “ News” slip for an influence you don't have. O: Private Investigator, Member of Sabbat. OO: Important sabbat or camarilla official. OOO: Member of another supernatural group, Member of a national organization. Super Background Web of Influence: Your contacts are not just a single person but a whole web of people. Your level of contacts is doubled for tests and you may always grab all the News Slips. Limits: None.

Mentor Each Mentor can teach a variety of things. The things a mentor can teach are determined by the level of the mentor. The Mentor reduces the Exp cost by one, or two. The Mentor acts like an ally and will request things from the character in exchange for continued support. When using a Mentor you cannot apply labs, live fire, or expert teachers. O: Two Skills, Virtues, Willpower, One Core 8 Discipline, One Uncommon Discipline - Reduced by 1. OO: Three Skills, Virtues, Willpower, Two Core 8 Disciplines, One Rare Discipline - Reduced by 1. OOO: Five Skills, Virtues, Willpower, Four Core 8 Disciplines, One Rare Discipline - Reduced by 1 Super Background Coach: Your coach arranges for you to learn whatever you need at a -1 reduction. A note* Just because you don't have mentor doesn't mean you don't have clan contacts, faction contacts, or miscellaneous contacts who can teach you things, they just won't do it for free. In addition. Limits: none

Retainers Retainers are people who work directly for your character in exchange for some sort of payment or a sense of loyalty. Each Retainer must be classified as one of the following types. The type declares what the retainer can do. ( Note*: In general Retainers cannot show up to scenes because that is a pain for the staffers to run. Keep that in mind when setting up your retainers.) O- One Retainer OO - Three Retainers OOO - Five Retainers Knowledge Retainers: Knowledge retainers know things. They can provide you an additional skill retest on a check to know things. Guard Retainers: Guard retainers are charged with protecting an area. A sheet is required for them. Investigation Retainers: Investigation retainers can be sent to perform tasks separate from the player. A sheet is required for this type of retainer. When sent to do something they can die. Gives a +1 on the search for Action. Influence Retainers: Influence retainers can be assigned to an influence. They count as 1 extra dot when trying to grow. Only one ghoul can be assigned per influence. Blood Retainers: Blood retainers… go get blood for their master. They must be ghouls. Each blood retainer can produce one blood per month for her master. Research Retainers: Research retainer: Research retainers add an additional point to the research total when at least 2 actions are spent on research. A single research project cannot benefit from more than one retainer per month. A research retainer can also be used on the Search For actions. Management Retainer: Necessary if a vampire has Influence: Dominance. Manages businesses for the vampire. Also provides a +1 bonus on Defend and Attack actions. Banking Retainer: Grants an additional action that can only be used to take the Bank action. It still needs to be listed in your actions. Training Retainer: Grants a free Train Retainer action each month. Super Background Vassals: The Vassals Background, Doubles the number of Retainers the character can have. . An action must still be spent to acquire each individual.

Limits: Each person who has this in the game increases the number of hunters

Alternate Identity: Each dot represents a persona the kindred can take on. Each dot represents another persona complete with look, and government records.

Super Background Infinite Faces: You have records, licenses, and full identities that match to every ability you possess at 3 or above.

Limits: None

Insight: Only available to kindred 13th gen or higher. The Kindred can sometimes see visions of the future. The kindred can spend a point of insight for one of the following effects by spending a temporary point of Insight. If the kindred ever attains 12th gen or higher they lose all points of Insight. Insight into the future ( usually takes the form of unclear visions.) Extra skill retest (as per oracular ability) Asking the GM for a danger rating of something they are about to do ( Red, Yellow Green.)

Fame: The Kindred is famous. Fame has a variety of effects positive and negative. At levels one and 2 the kindred must select an influence in which they are famous. At level 3 they are well known everywhere. You may be recognized in scenes by npcs.

X: None: No one knows who you are. O: Local: Your influence actions have one extra dot of effectiveness when using influence from your chosen field. OO: City: Your influence can be applied to nearby cities with no loss of power. OOO:Regional: You can grow influence in other cities with no degradation. Also, you get two extra points worth of effect when using your chosen influence. Super Background: Celeb: You are known the world over. Any bluebook action that deals with the mortal populace gain one additional point of effectiveness from any action. Limits: None.. but there will be consequences.

Clan Prestige Clan Prestige: Clan Prestige represents respect and notoriety within your own clan. There are few mechanics to represent this but npcs from your clan will be more likely to listen to what you have to say. It also affects the Search For action.You can have Clan prestige in other clans but it must be built for you by someone in that clan. This is still mostly Soft with no real rules attached to it. Can also be purchased for a Sect. Your mileage may vary as to how much a given clan or sect cares. O: Respected OO: Honored OOO: Elite Super Background Luminary: You are trusted with the deepest secrets the clan has. Limits: One per Clan/ Sect per game.

Resources The amount of capital a Vampire has to burn in a month.These numbers are lower than you might expect. Resources is a representation of capital wealth, something the Camarilla has in spades and that the Anarchy is relatively lacking so the lowered Resources number is representative of that. X (None): You scrounge and scrape just enough to get by, whether it be a minimum wage job or panhandling, or one of those people who stand outside of WaWa needing just enough gas to get home. You have $100 available in spare cash. If you live in an apartment, you have roommates and you have a bus pass and bicycle for transportation needs. You can not perma-burn your resources. O (Moderate): You can display yourself as a member in good standing of the middle class. You maintain a modest living style and most modern convenience items. You have $1000 available in spare cash. You have your own apartment or condo and you have a motorcycle or a used car for transportation needs. You could perma-burn your resources for $10,000. OO (Comfortable): You are a prominent and established member of your community. You have $5000 available in spare cash. You own a house and a new car, and could even take a yearly trip to Disney World if you wanted to. could perma-burn your resources for $50,000. OOO (Rich): Most of your assets are more valuable and stable than paper money. You own an estate or multiple small properties furnished with many modern luxuries. You have $10,000 available in spare cash. You could perma-burn your resources for $100,000. Super Background Wealth: You have insane amounts of money. You could live in the penthouse of a five star hotel for as long as you want and throw a private yacht party for everyone in the domain for a week straight. You may spend $50,000 in addition to your regular resources each month. You may perma-burn Wealth for 1 million dollars.

Herd The amount of blood that a vampire can call on each month X You must run a feeding scene with a staff member and have no blood to draw on during sessions. O You have access to enough blood that you do not need to take feeding actions.but you have no additional blood to draw on during sessions. OO You have access to enough blood that you do not need to take feeding actions.and you have 3 additional blood that you can draw on during sessions. You also have enough blood to perform 2 rituals that require blood, during the month. OO You have access to enough blood that you do not need to take feeding actions and you have 5 additional blood that you can draw on during sessions. You also have enough blood to perform 4 rituals that require blood during the month Super Background Farm: You have access to numerous humans. You do not have to take feeding actions and you have 15 additional blood that you can draw on during sessions. You can perform up to 15 rituals that require blood during the month Limits: Each person who has this in the game increases the number of hunters

Library: A library represents a collection of books, scrolls, writings, and devices of occult or mystic significance. The effects of a library and what it can be used for vary with the number of dots. The effects are cumulative. The Library must be attached to a lore or skill when the first dot is purchased. In addition, if anyone ever breaks into your library they will have access to all of the things your character has researched.

( as a change all skill based knowledge tests will use the library instead of normal equipment.) O: Interesting: At this level your library provides bonus traits when looking up information about the subject that your library is about. The trait bonus is equal to level. OO: Incredible: when performing research actions. If you perform two in a month, the library causes that to count as three points instead of two so long as the library contains applicable information. OOO: Priceless: The Library counts as an additional skill retest whenever seeking information. Super Background Archive: Grants one additional skill retest and doubles the trait bonus for the attached Lore check. Limit: Is extremely dangerous to have. People will covet it and want to take it from you.

Haven: Haven represents the security and amenities of a Kindreds house. The difficult of all locks on the house and the difficulty to find the haven with search actions are increased as the rating raises X: You have no home, or quite possible a broken van down by the river: No actions to find, difficulty 0 locks. O:You have a house or apartment: 5 actions to find, difficulty 2 locks. Moderate security features ( Alarm, camera etc) OO You have a secure facility 15 actions to find. Difficulty 4 locks. High security.( Guards, Cameras, trick rooms, etc) OOO You have a fortress. 25 actions to find Difficulty 5 locks. Extreme security.

Super Background Compound: You may submit a custom floor plan to staff. Your locks are diff 6 and finding the place takes 50 actions. Security borders on fantastical. Limit: None

Influence Influence represents the kindred’s pull in the mortal world. There are 15 influences. Each one provides different benefits at each level. When you gain an influence you must define what area that influence is in.

Super Background Dominance: Represents command of a certain aspect of the city. The user gains an additional action each month that can only be used to do something concerning the influence they have dominance in.

Limit: A city can only hold so many people with Dominance at the same time. If someone tries to grow Dominance and it is already at cap then the action will fail. It is possible to grow the number of dominances that can exist in a city but it is hard. Finding out how many Dominances an influences can have is part of a monitor action. The number will usually be between 0-2.

2.1 Bureaucracy Influence ( Local government) 2.2 Religious Influence ( Traditional religions,) 2.3 Finance Influence ( Banking and stocks) 2.4 Health Influence ( hospitals and clinics) 2.5 High Society Influence ( Parties, Rich people) 2.6 Industry Influence (production of materials) 2.7 Construction Influence ( building and infrastructure) 2.8 Media Influence ( Television and Radio) 2.9 Occult Influence ( hedge magic groups, occult shops) 2.10 Emergency services Influence ( Police, Fire, ambulance) 2.11 Political Influence ( Politicians and legal) 2.12 Street Influence ( Non Violent crime low end bars and the homeless) 2.13 Transportation Influence ( shipping, roads, traffic) 2.14 Underworld Influence ( Handles all violent crime and drugs) 2.15 Resort Influence ( Amusement parks, Hotels) Resort is 5 separate influences

Disney

Seaworld

Universal

Busch Gardens Tampa

The Holy Land Experience

Rituals You know the ritae of the sabbat and how to perform them O You know the Vaulderie OO You know Five Ritae including the Vaulderie OOO You know all the Ritae.

Super Background: Rites Master You know all the Ritae and understand the underpinnings of them such that you can try and design your own.

Armory You have access to a plethora of weapons armor and equipment if you have time to go get it. You don't need to purchase individual pieces of equipment up to a certain level.

O You have one trait equipment for every skill you have at two. OO You have one trait equipment for every skill located in your car that can be lent to others. (Small weapons) OOO You have two trait equipment for every skill you have at two. ( Medium Weapons) You can arm up to 5 people out of your car. All of your ghouls have Equipment like this as well.

Super Background Military Arsenal You have three trait equipment for every skill you have at two. (Large weapons) You can arm up to 5 people out of your car. All of your ghouls have Equipment like this as well.