Draft
Pooling Backgrounds
Sources: W20 Core, pg 140
Some Backgrounds can relate to the pack/et, rather than the individual. Specifically, the members of a pack may choose to pool their individual Allies, Contacts, Fate, Kinfolk, and Resources. Totem as a Background already applies to the pack rather than the individual character, thus is not a candidate for pooling.
A character can draw on a pooled Background even if that Background is normally restricted for her type.
The Anchor
The players should choose one Background as the anchor that links their characters' shared assets together. For example, the players of a pack of Glass Walkers might choose Resources, with the money and property placed in joint ownership to the pack explaining how the pack can access skilled people, connect to Kinfolk around the world, and even serve their destiny as a pack of moneyed werewolves. Any of the poolable Backgrounds can serve as an anchor: packs with grand Fates often find their destinies include other people and resources.
No pooled Background can have more dots assigned to it than the Anchor Background does at any time. If that Background is damaged by events during play or in downtime, the other assets drift out of the pack's control and it takes effort to win them back.
Any character contributing to a pool may withdraw his stake at any time, but extracting personal assets from a pack causes some damage and bruises relationships: he gets back one less dot than he put in.
Example: The members of the Irregulars build their shared Background pool around the pack's Allies: a group of ex-squaddies and political agitators in London who can put them in touch with a people in almost every field, and through whom the Irregulars can call on Kinfolk for assistance. They put a total of five dots into the Allies pool. Members of the pack add four points of pooled Contacts and two points of pooled Kinfolk.
A pack of Black Spiral Dancers wants to make life difficult for the pack, and slaughters the people the Garou relied on for help. Their Allies rating drops from 5 to 3. With so many people dead, the Irregulars cant get in touch with many of their old Contacts, so that Background also drops from 4 to 3. Fortunately, the Black Spiral Dancers didn't kill anyone who knew about the Kinfolk, so that pooled rating doesn't change.
Sustained effort by the Irregulars to help people out and forge new alliances and friendships in new areas can repair the damage. Who knows who their new friends will be able to introduce them to?
As the Anchor Background rating rises again, so do the ratings of those anchored to it, as a result of storytelling directed towards the goals of improving the lost Backgrounds.
Under normal circumstances, a pack cant change its Anchor Background, nor can it acquire a new one. While it may choose to abandon the assets represented by a given Background over the course of a chronicle, and thus free itself from the limitations of the backgrounds pooled to that Anchor, the fact that most Backgrounds can change value only as a result of the story's events means that the pack must acquire new Backgrounds in this manner. The only exception among pooled Backgrounds is Fate, and even then experience points should be used to improve it when discovering more about what the world has in store for the pack.
While some want to pursue their personal goals, the majority pull together and act as a pack against any hardships. It can be hard for a pack to accept pooling their Backgrounds when they don't necessarily know or trust one another, but as time moves on, most packs see the utility in holding assets as a pack rather than an individual. It makes sense on a fundamental level - the pack, not the individual, is the fundamental unit of Garou society.
Using Pooled Backgrounds
Pooled Backgrounds represent the pack's communal property. Anyone who contributes to any aspect of the pool has equal access to the full resources. Even a character who donates only one dot of Contacts still has equal access to all the backgrounds in the pool. Not everyone can use the pool at the same time. A pool of seven Allies represents the same seven people. Who is available to help which members of the pack depends on circumstances and agreements among the pack. Drawing on a pack's Fate has certain limitations that go beuond this; see the Background's description below for more information.
Example: Four Glass Walkers form a pool around their shared Resources - their investments and the property and assets of their wholly-owned corporation. They wish to get dots of Contacts (people in the business world), Allies (specialists each werewolf has met in her travels), and Fate (the pack is prophesied to shake the Garou Nation from a pillar of wealth). Beth contributes three dots of Resources and one of Contacts; Danny adds two dots of Allies and one dot of Resources; Laura can contribute two dots of Resources and three dots of Fate; Chuck is short on dots, but can contribute a dot of Fate and a dot of Contacts. This makes the pool Resources 6, Allies 2, Contacts 2, Fate 4 (with a pack Fate limit of 3 and a personal fate limit of 1). Everyone can tap this pool equally: Chuck can draw on all the pack's Resources if necessary, while Beth and Danny can both ddraw on the pack's Fate for their own ends - despite not having anhy Fate of their own.
Some packs may agree to place an individual access limit on shared Backgrounds, to reflect any agreements between the packmates, at the Storyteller's discretion. These arrangements are more common among packs who do not yet trust one another.
Upper Limits
Packs can get Backgrounds that surpass the normal five-dot limit through pooling their points. This is normal, and reflects the many advantages of a pack working together - a pack can keep in touch with more people, or maintain tighter control over a range of investments than one werewolf can. Pooled Backgrounds don't have any absolute upper limit, but things get outright bizarre if you aren't careful - the world's 20 richest people aren't all members of the same pack. It's usually best if the Storyteller sets a 10-dot limit on the Anchor background.
Some Backgrounds work best if they scale differently in a pool to the individual scale, especially when they break through the normal five-dot limit. If an average pack of four players each adds one or two dots of Resources to end up with a shared pool of 6, the effect isn't that they're secret billionaires. Instead, they're of modest means but it's damned near impossible to tear the pack's fiscal assets from them. As with all questions of balancing player expectations with elements of the story, the players and Storyteller should talk through the issue and set out some guidelines for what each sharedd background represents before the chronicle begins.
General Backgrounds
Allies
W20 Core, pg 135
Allies are people who help and support you, either out of love or common interest. They can be family, friends, or even organizations that are friendly to you. Some allies have useful skills - doctors, hackers, and soldiers, for example - while others have community inflience, with contacts or resources they can use on your behalf. Although allies aid you willingly, without coaxing or coercion, they are not always available to offer assistance; they can only ignore so many of their own concerns for the sake of your relationship. Except in special circumstances, your allies don't usually know you're a supernatural creature (that knowledge would probably alter the relationship for the worse), but they may know that you have contacts and skills that most people don't, and they will come to you for favors. After all, friends help each other out, right?
You've got a closer relationship with your allies than with contacts - they're your friends, and they'll listen to you. Convincing your fishing buddy that a local refinery is spilling toxins into a major fishery can do wonders for your cause when he's an aide in the govenor's office. Of course, just as your allies are more loyal and directly useful than your contacts, they can also require more in return. But you'd help your buddies out, right?
You should work out who your allies are at the beginning of the game, as well as how you know them. Maybe they're old brothers-in-arms or friends from a local environmental socciety. Maybe (if your Allies rating is 5) you're an old hunting buddy of the govenor. Allies may be pooled among a pack/coterie/etc.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
  |
One ally, of moderate influence and power (doctor or veterinarian, local activist) |
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Two allies, both of moderate power (district ranger, deputy sheriff, popular blogger) |
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Three allies, one of them quite influential (newspaper editor, local philanthropist) |
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Four allies, one of them very influential (city countilman, military base commander) |
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Five allies, one of them extremely influential (mayor, senator's aide) |
- Ratkin generally don’t have much in the way of Resources or Allies, and don’t have Ancestors or Pure Breed at all.
Armory
Your character has managed to amass a functional armory along with the ability to maintain all of the weapons within it. Each level of the Armory Background yields access to more potent weapons (along with proper ammunition) and the resources to properly maintain and clean them.
The scope of this Background varies a bit by region, as weapons-control laws differ. What an American can buy in a department store, for example, might be the sole domain of the military in Eastern Europe and available only via the black market in Brazil; players who wish to invest dots in Armory should consult with their Storytellers to determine how it will work in the chronicle’s locality.
The Storyteller may require you to invest a few points in another Background (such as certain types of Influence or legal or military Allies) to prevent the Armory’s confiscation by the authorities. An Armory can vanish in a fraction of the time it took to amass it, especially if it ends up on the news or video-sharing sites with footage of a VAMPIRE BLOOD GANG MASSACRE down by the warehouses.
For more details on specific weapons, including game mechanics, see V20 Core, pg 280-281.
Players may opt to pool Background points for a shared Armory. See pp. 118-119 of V20 for more information on pooled Backgrounds.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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You have an excellent starter armory that includes many legal weapons commonly available on the street, as relevant to your regional culture. |
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You have access to enough legal weaponry to outfit a street gang of 10. |
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You could start your own small militia. In addition, you can outfit five individuals with weaponry that exists in a legal gray area for the region, which most civilians would have a difficult time obtaining. |
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You have an armory appropriate to a SWAT team in a major city, including some military-grade hardware. You have enough gear to outfit a 10-man team with advanced weaponry, which is a cut above that provided by the lesser levels of this Background. Be careful where you use it, because without other appropriate Backgrounds, you may find yourself under official scrutiny for possessing illegal weaponry. |
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Your armory is the envy of paramilitary forces around the world. You have the tools to clean and repair almost any personal weapon manufactured in the world. You have access to a significant quantity of weapons that are illegal in most countries, and enough of them to field your own platoon. If this Armory were discovered by authorities, your Anarch would be a pile of greasy ash. |
Contacts
W20 Core, pg 136
Contacts are the people you know from all walks of life. They're acquaintances, drinking buddies, or friends who don't mind letting you know what's going on, but wouldn't take a bullet for you. In addition to a general network of people who you can con or bully information from, you havve a few major contacts - people you trust to feed you accurate information in their area of expertise. You should come up with a name and a field for your major contacts, either at the start of play, or as you use them.
You also have a number of minor contacts around the area. They are not quite as friendly or reliable in a pinch, but they work in a whole range of different areas and you can bribe, intimidate, or manipulate them into telling you what you need to know. To get in touch with a minor contact, make a roll using your Contacts rating (difficulty 7). Each success means that you have located one of your minor contacts. Because major contacts are closer to you (they're usually good friends), they're easier to find.
Contacts may be pooled among a pack/coterie/etc.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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One major contact |
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Two major contacts |
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Three major contacts |
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Four major contacts |
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Five major contacts |
Fame
You enjoy widespread recognition in mortal society, perhaps as an entertainer, writer, or athlete. People may enjoy just being seen with you. This gives you all manner of privileges when moving in mortal society, but can also attract an unwanted amount of attention now that you’re no longer alive. The greatest weapon fame has to offer is the ability to sway public opinion — as modern media constantly proves. Fame isn’t always tied to entertainment: A heinous criminal in a high-profile trial probably has a certain amount of fame, as do a lawmaker and a scientist who has made a popularized discovery.
This Background is obviously a mixed blessing. You can certainly enjoy the privileges of your prestige — getting the best seats, being invited to events you’d otherwise miss, getting appointments with the elite — but you’re sometimes recognized when you’d rather not be. However, your enemies can’t just make you disappear without causing an undue stir, and you find it much easier to hunt in populated areas as people flock to you (reduce the difficulties of hunting rolls by one for each dot in Fame). Additionally, your Storyteller might permit you to reduce difficulties of certain Social rolls against particularly star-struck or impressionable people.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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You’re known to a select subculture — local club-goers, industry bloggers, or the Park Avenue set, for instance. |
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Random people start to recognize your face; you’re a minor celebrity such as a small-time criminal or a local news anchor. |
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You have greater renown; perhaps you’re a senator or an entertainer who regularly gets hundreds of thousands of YouTube hits. |
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A full-blown celebrity; your name is often recognized by the average person on the street. |
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You’re a household word. People name their children after you. |
Influence
You have pull in the mortal community, whether through wealth, prestige, political office, blackmail, or supernatural manipulation. Kindred with high Influence can sway, and in rare cases even control, the political and social processes of human society. Influence represents the sum of your opinion- or policy-swaying power in your community, particularly among the police and bureaucracy. In some cases, cultivating Influence is a path to generating Resources. Some rolls may require you to use Influence in place of an Ability, particularly when attempting to sway minor bureaucrats. It’s easier to institute sweeping changes on a local level than a worldwide scale (e.g., having an “abandoned” building demolished is relatively easy, while starting a war is a bit more difficult).
Influence can be used with pooled Background points.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Moderately influential; a factor in city politics |
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Well-connected; a force in state politics |
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Position of influence; a factor in regional politics |
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Broad personal power; a force in national politics |
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Vastly influential; a factor in global politics |
Resources
W20 Core, pg 138
The Resources Background describes your character’s access to and control over a range of valuable assets. These assets may be actual cash, but as this Background increases, they’re more likely to be investments, property, or earning capital such as stocks and bonds. A character’s Resources depend upon the standard of living she’s comfortable with — a lupus in the Yukon isn’t likely to get a wire transfer from her broker each month. A character with no dots in Resources can have enough clothing and supplies to get by, or she may be homeless, sleeping in a den in her lupus form.
You receive a basic allowance each month based on your rating, so make sure to detail where this money comes from. The Storyteller will determine how much this is based on the area your game takes part in and the cultures you’re in contact with. A werewolf’s fortune can run out if she’s fighting in the Amazon rather than managing her stock portfolio. You can also sell your less liquid resources if you need the cash, but this can take weeks or even months, depending on what exactly you’re trying to sell. Art buyers don’t just pop out of the woodwork, after all. Resources can be pooled among a pack.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Sufficient. You don’t get many spending sprees, but you’ve got a decent place to live, a car that doesn’t crap out every week, and a decent standard of living for the working class. |
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Moderate. You’re thoroughly middle-class in income, and can afford the odd indulgence. You can hire specific help as necessary. You have enough available cash, portable property, and valuables that you can maintain a one-dot standard of living wherever you are for up to six months. |
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Comfortable. You own a house and some land outright, which you may let the sept use or keep for your pack, and you’ve a reputation that gives you easy access to credit at good terms. More of your assets are tied up in property than in cash, and if needs be you can maintain a one-dot standard of living wherever you are for as long as you like. |
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Wealthy. You have serious financial power, and are one of the richest people in your country. You don’t deal much with actual cash, using more valuable and stable assets to pay off debts as they arise. When you can’t focus on maintaining your level of Resources, you can live at the three-dot level for up to a year, or a two-dot life indefinitely. |
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Extremely Wealthy. You’re one of the richest people on Earth. You have multiple homes, many forms of luxury transport, and frequently show up in glossy magazines and on gossip websites. You have assets everywhere, and can hobble the Wyrm’s activities with a ten-minute phone call. You can live at the three-dot level indefinitely if you ignore your fortune; higher if you put a little effort in to it. |
- Owing to their rarity, Gurahl rarely amass much in the way of Resources
- Ratkin generally don’t have much in the way of Resources or Allies, and don’t have Ancestors or Pure Breed at all.
Retainers
Not precisely Allies or Contacts, your retainers are servants, assistants, or other people who are your loyal and steadfast companions. Many vampires’ servants are ghouls (V20 Core, pg 496) — their supernatural powers and blood bond-enforced loyalty make them the servants of choice. Retainers may also be people whom you’ve repeatedly Dominated until they have no free will left, or followers so enthralled with your Presence that their loyalty borders on blind fanaticism. Some vampires, particularly those with the Animalism Discipline, use animal ghouls as retainers.
You must maintain some control over your retainers, whether through a salary, the gift of your vitae, or the use of Disciplines. Retainers are never “blindly loyal no matter what” — if you treat them poorly without exercising strict control, they might well turn on you.
Retainers may be useful, but they should never be flawless. A physically powerful ghoul might be rebellious, inconveniently dull-witted, or lacking in practical skills. A loyal manservant might be physically weak or possess no real personal initiative or creativity. This Background isn’t an excuse to craft an unstoppable bodyguard or pet assassin — it’s a method to bring more fully-developed characters into the chronicle, as well as to reflect the followers for which the Kindred are notorious. Generally, retainers are more like Renfield than Anita Blake. (If the player and Storyteller agree, a player may create a more competent single Retainer by combining more points in this Background, putting more eggs in one basket, as the saying goes.)
Players can spend pooled Background points on Retainers.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
One retainer |
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Two retainers |
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Three retainers |
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Four retainers |
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Five retainers |
Changeling Backgrounds
Mage Backgrounds
Fount
In modern nights, a grand conspiracy of mages channels magic (or “true magick,” as they call it) through modern Spheres of power. Idran sorcerers and other extremely isolated cults follow an older path. A disproportionate number can be found within the True Hand, so the following systems demonstrate how to create such characters and determine how their eldritch Art functions.
The strength of the sorcerer’s mystic Self (called a Fount by ancient magi and the Atman by Itarajana) determines the amount of Quintessence she can hold within herself, and how easily she channels it.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Store 10 Quintessence, spend one per turn. |
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Store 12 Quintessence, spend two per turn. |
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Store 14 Quintessence, spend three per turn. |
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Store 16 Quintessence, spend four per turn. |
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Store 18 Quintessence, spend five per turn. |
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Store 20 Quintessence, spend six per turn. |
Shifter Backgrounds
Ancestors
Sosurces: W20 Core, pg 136
Ancestral memory in humans is no more than pseudoscientific nonsense. To the GGarou, who can contact the spirits of their ancestors, it's a fact of life. Many werewolves carry some of the same memories of a distant ancestor; some even allow their forebears to take over their bodies.
Once per game session, the player of a Garou with this Backgroundd may roll his Ancestors Background (difficulty 8, or 10 if he's trying to contact the spirit of a specific ancestor). Each success allows the character to increase any Ability by one for the purposes of a single die roll, even if he has no dots in the Ability - and he doesn't suffer the penalty for not having the Ability. For example, young Emil, a pire flatlander, must scale an immense cliff to come to the aid of his embattled pack. Emil has an Ancestors rating of 4 and Athletics 0. He calls on his forebears to guide him, and Emil's player rolls four dice at difficulty 8. He scores three successes. Emil contacts his great-great-great granduncle Cragtamer, who guides him over the sheer face and over the top. Now the player has an effective Athletics rating of 3 to make his climbing roll. If the Garou had an Athletics rating of 2, then his effective dice pool wouldd be 5. All effects last for the rest of the scene.
While it is more difficult to contact a specific ancestor, successful contact provides either useful advice or precognitive visions at the discretion of the Storyteller.
Botching an Ancestors roll may indicate that the character becomes catatonic for the remainder of the scene as he's overwhelmed by the memories of thousands of lives. Alternatively, the ancestral spirit refuses to relinquish the body. How long the ancestor stays depends on the Storyteller.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
You have brief, hazy visions from the distant past. |
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You remember faces and placces from past lives just as you remember those of your early childhood. |
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You put names to faces among your ancestors. |
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Ancestors converse with you on a regular basis. |
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Your ancestors watch your adventures with interest, and they often come to counsel you. |
- No Ananasi may have Ancestors or Pure Breed; Ananasa doesn’t want her children dwelling on the past.
- Bastet use most of the same Backgrounds as Garou, eschewing only Ancestors (with the exception of Swara).
- Mokolé do not possess the Ancestors Background, replacing it with Mnesis instead.
- Ratkin generally don’t have much in the way of Resources or Allies, and don’t have Ancestors or Pure Breed at all.
- The timeless Rokea don’t have Ancestors, and don’t concern themselves with Pure Breed.
Fate
Sources: W20 Core, pg 137
The Fate Background represents a prophecy that accompanied your birth or the creation of your pack. A Fate is always something significant, but it's as likely to be dark and infamous as it is to be full of glory. In these times of Apocalypse, the Garou cannot afford to sacrifice even one warrior, no matter how dark the portents surrounding them are. However, even those with terrible fates often prove to be some of the greatest Garou, perhaps because they try so hard to defy their fate. Some even succeed.
In addition to the fame or infamy these prophecies garner you, once per game session you may use this Background to add successes to any roll that either failed or achieved fewer successes than were required. The player rolls his rating in this Background (difficulty 8) and adds any successes to those that were achieved in the original failed roll. If this means the action succeeds, the player should describe what his fortuitous events caused him to succeed. If the storyteller feels the player's actions run against what he is destined to do, she may choose to disallow the use of the background.
When Fate is pooled among the pack, each member may call on this Background, each member may call on this Background once per game session. If the action failed involves the entire pack in some way, then the player may draw on an amount of Fate up to the highest individual Fate in the pack. If the character is acting on her own, the player can only draw on an amount of Fate up to the lowest individual Fate in the pack (to a minimum of one). In a pack with pooled Fate, any character can raise her personal Fate with experience points, much like the totem background. However, she can only raise it up to the same level as the highest Fate in the pack - if no member of the pack starts with more than three dots of Fate, no pack member can ever buy up to four or five dots.
Packs tend to garner prophecies of greater proportions than individuals. This is not only because of the greater weight a pack can swing compared to a single werewolf, but also because the Garou tend to see a pack's accomplishments as more legitimate than those of just one person. For roleplaying purposes, consider the pack's Fate to be equal to that of the highest Fate rating in the pack.
Fate may be pooled among a pack/etc.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Your pack will be involved in an event that will make you known to the entire Garou Nation. For now, though, only those in your sept know of this prophecy. |
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Your pack will be the cause of an event that greatly impacts your sept, such as the destruction of a long time enemy or a highly admired Garou. The Garou throughout the city or local geographical area in which you reside might know your fate. |
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Your pack will be responsible for an event that impacts werewolves across the continent, perhaps singlehandedly saving (or destroying) a caern. Any Garou in your hemisphere might know of the prophecy. |
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The actions of your pack will affect the entire Garou Nation, such as the defeat of a great Wyrm enemy or the massacre of dizens of Garou. There might be a cub or two that hasn't heard of your destiny, but don't count on it. |
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You, or your pack, will be a direct factor in the fate of the Apocalypse, one way or another. There isn't a cub that hasn't heard of your destiny. |
Fetish
Sources: W20 Core, pg 137
You possess a fetish - a physical object into which a shapeshifter has bound a spirit. The spirit grounds a number of powers to a fetish, so they are very significant to shifters. Such things are valuable, and other garou or other supernatural beings may covet them.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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You possess one Level One fetish |
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You possess one Level Two fetish, or two Level One fetishes. |
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You possess one or more fetishes with a total of three levels. |
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You possess one or more fetishes with a total of four levels. |
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You possess one or more fetishes with a total of five levels. |
Kinfolk
W20 Core, pg 138
Kinfolk are otherwise normal humans and animals who descended from shifters without inheriting their spiritual duty. Through this Background you are in contact with a number of Kinfolk. While Kinfolk are normal members of their species in most respects, they are immune to the Delirium, giving them the dubious advantage of looking upon a Crinos-form werewolf. They know that you are a Garou/Bastet/etc, and they are willing to help you however they can, although most are not in positions of power (such people are considered Allies). Networks of Kinfolk are a valuable way for werecreatures to deal with the human world without rishing frenzy or discovery. Some Kinfolk may be related to you directly while others are contacts you have made through your sept. Kinfolk may be pooled among a pack.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Two Kinfolk |
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Five Kinfolk |
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10 Kinfolk |
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20 Kinfolk |
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50 Kinfolk |
- Rokea can have at most a single dot of Kinfolk, as their shark Kin are spread so far across the seas, and their human relations are so very few.
Mentor
Sources: W20 Core, pg 138
A shifter of higher Rank has taken a keen interest in you, and will look after you - to a point. The rating of your Mentor background quantifies how powerful your mentor is within the tribe and what rank he or she has achieved. A mentor can teach you skills, advise you, or speak on your behalf at a council fire. He has a pack of his own, and his own duties, so he wont be present to save you whenever you bite off more than you can chew. Of course, your mentor will expect something in return for his assistance, he it good company, an occasional gofer, a champion, or perhaps a supporter in sept politics. His demands can make an excellent source of story hooks. In general, however, you will receive more than you give. Other werecreatures may wonder what your mentor sees in you - the two of you deel as individuals, rather than as members of your respective packs.
A powerful mentor doesn't have to be a single person; a pack or council of elders might be considered a collective mentor. The latter would almost certainly have a raging of four or five digs, even if no one on the council is above Rank 5.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Mentor is Rank 2 |
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Mentor is Rank 3 |
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Mentor is Rank 4 |
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Mentor is Rank 5 |
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Mentor is Rank 6 |
- Corax rarely stick with any single Mentor for an appreciable length of time, and dismiss Pure Breed as elitist nonsense.
Pure Breed
W20 Core, pg 138
Garou take great stock in ancestry, and the werewolf who is descended from renowned forebears has a definite advantage in Garou society. This Background prepresents your lineage, markings, bearings and other features of birth. Other Garou revere werewolves with high ranks in Pure Breed as heroes of yore come to life - and such werewolves are expected to act the part. The higher your Pure Breed score is, the more likely you are to impress elder councils or receive hospitality from foreign tribes. Each point of Pure Breed adds an extra die to formal challenges (such as Rank challenges) and to Social rolls involving other Garou (even Ronin or Black Spiral Dancers).
Pure breed is a nebulous combination of bloodline and spiritual inheritance. A character with high Pure Breed looks and carries himself like an archetypal member of his tribe - however, if he does not join that tribe, any benefits of Pure Breed are removed by the tribe's totem. Many werewolves with Pure Breed can trace their ancestry directly, while others resemble distant ancestors who cannot be connected without a degree of genealogical exactitude that is lost to the Garou.
Some tribes place more value on good breeding than others, but Pure Breed is almost universally respected. It's a mystical trait, and werewolves can tell instinctively whose blood is particularly pure. Of course, Garou expect those of pure blood to live up to the standards set by their noble ancestors. They frown on those who cant or wont accept the challenge.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
You have your father's eyes. |
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Your grandfather made a name for himself at the Battle of Blood Ford, and you carry that name with pride. |
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Your pedigree is blessed with pillars of the Garou Nation, and the blood tells. |
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You could be dressed as a beggar and still command respect. |
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The greatest of heroes live on in you. |
- Ajaba use all of the same Backgrounds as the Garou, although high Pure Breed becomes increasingly rare as the Ajaba scramble to shore up their decimated numbers.
- No Ananasi may have Ancestors or Pure Breed; Ananasa doesn’t want her children dwelling on the past.
- Corax rarely stick with any single Mentor for an appreciable length of time, and dismiss Pure Breed as elitist nonsense.
- Kitsune use many of the same Backgrounds as the Garou, eschewing only Pure Breed as redundant — werefoxes are all of the purest blood, after all.
- Ratkin generally don’t have much in the way of Resources or Allies, and don’t have Ancestors or Pure Breed at all.
- The timeless Rokea don’t have Ancestors, and don’t concern themselves with Pure Breed.
Rites
We do not use the Rites background here, so you can spend your points on other things! Instead, if you buy the Rituals Knowledge, it will work the same: One level of rite per point of Rituals.
Spirit Heritage
W20 Core, pg 139
The Garou are creatures of duality - torn between man and wolf, and between flesh and spirit. The Garou share a kinsship with inhabitants of the spirit world, but some have a stronger connection than others. For some reason, perhaps an ancestral tie to a household of spirits, certain types of spirits react more positively to you than others. This doesn't need to be a friendly relationship - spirits may be fearful and respectful of you, in awe of you, or feel a sense of duty to you. No matter what the relationship, one group of spirits is more likely to cooperate with you.
When you select this background, choose one type of spirits. Examples of possible groups are animal spirits, plant spirits, elementals, urban spirits, and even Banes. When dealing with spirits of this type, the player may add his Spirit Heritage rating to any Social rolls, or rolls involved in challenges. Spirits whom you are attuned to view you, to some degree, as one of their own - a daunting prospect for those attuned to Banes, when other Garou discover their heritage. If you act against such spirits or ignore their plights, you may be seen as betraying them
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Spirits can smell their scent on you, though no one else can. |
|
The spirits note your arrival. You bring your chosen spirits to mind in others when they look at you, though few understand why. |
|
In the umbra, you emanate an intangible, though noticeable, sense of your aligned spirit type. |
|
In the Umbra, you have visible hints of your aligned spirit type. Those attuned to nature spirits may have tiny twigs emerge from their fur, for example. |
|
Some question if you really are only half spirit. |
Totem
W20 Core, pg 140, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 212
Totem is a Background that applies directly to the character’s pack, rather than the individual. Unlike other pooled Backgrounds, the pack spends all of the points that members have invested in this Trait to determine their totem’s power.
Each totem has a Background cost rating; the pack must spend that amount to ally with that totem. Some totems are willing to lend great powers to their adherents; their point costs are correspondingly greater. See Pack Totems (W20 Core, pg 373) for a list of possible totems. In addition to their Totem bonuses, all beginning totems have a base of eight points to divide among Rage, Willpower, and Gnosis. The totem also begins with the Airt Sense and Re-form Charms. Apart from bestowing power, totems start out somewhat aloof from the pack, and they have little influence among spirits, unless the players buy a closer connection with Background points. With time, roleplaying, and experience points, pack totems can grow in power as their pack grows in Rank and influence. Some totems can even become the totems of whole septs or — in legendary circumstances — even tribes.
Most of the powers that totems bestow are available to only one pack member at a time. At the end of each turn, the Garou with the power declares who the power may be given to next turn (assuming that she doesn’t keep it). After spending the initial cost of the totem, the players can spend any remaining Background points to add to the totem’s strength and abilities.
A multi-Fera pack may pool its Background points to buy its Totem in the same fashion as a Garou pack. Owing perhaps to some similarity to the rites used by the hengeyokai, even Corax and Gurahl are able to participate in the rite, giving up Raven or Bear’s favor in exchange for that of the pack totem. The inclusion of a Nuwisha still guarantees that the totem attracted will be a trickster of some variety, however. In the incredible event that an Ananasi or Nagah participates in the rite, they gain only the ability to participate in pack tactics and the totem spirit’s favorable regard; Queen Ananasa will not relinquish her children to another, while the Nagah remain outside of the Pact that facilitates congress between the spirit world and the other Fera.
| Cost | Power |
|---|---|
| 1 | Per three points to spend on Willpower, Rage, or Gnosis |
| 1 | Totem can speak to the pack without the benefit of the Gift: Spirit Speech. |
| 1 | Totem can always find the pack members. |
| 2 | Totem is nearly always with the pack members. |
| 2 | Totem is respected by other spirits. |
| 2 | Per charm possessed |
| 3 | Per extra pack member who can use the totem’s powers in the same turn |
| 4 | Totem is connected mystically to all pack members, allowing communication among them even at great distances. |
| 5 | Totem is feared by agents of the Wyrm. Either minions of the Wyrm flee from the pack, or they do their best to kill the pack. |
The listed cost is in Background points, which can be bought through experience (see Spending Experience Points, p. 244) at the rate of two experience points per Background point. (Therefore, three points of Rage would cost two experience points.) The Storyteller should allow increases in totem powers only when it fits in to the story, such as when pack members gain a higher rank, a new member joins the pack, or when pack members gain new insight into the nature of their totem. When the totem is affiliated with a more powerful spirit, the greater spirit might grant the strengthening of its servant (pack totem) in return for a great service done it by the pack.
- As social creatures, werehyenas are much more likely to have pack totems than personal ones.
- Queen Ananasa also serves as the totem for all werespiders, granting Occult +3 and Enigmas +2 while the werespider meditates in his Sylie. In return, they must obey her laws.
- Bastet often use personal rather than pack totems, however (calling such patrons “Jamak”).
- Corax have no pack or personal Totems, either; Raven claims each Corax for his own, granting them one free dot of Athletics, Enigmas, and Subterfuge. In return he asks only that they whisper each secret they learn into the air, that he might hear it as well.
- All Gurahl have an aspect of Bear as their personal Totem.
- Those not associated with a sentai or other pack-group may have either a personal totem or no totem at all.
- Virtually all Nuwisha have a personal totem, inevitably a trickster spirit of some sort. Rarely, a Nuwisha will bind herself into a pack of other Fera — but only if the pack is united under a trickster totem.
- Some wererats establish themselves under a permanent Totem, while others use a special rite to temporarily assume a Totem for the duration of only a single mission or quest, dissolving their bond to the spirit once their task is done.
Den-Realm
W20 Changing Breeds, pg 210
The Bastet has built or acquired (either by inheritance or duel) her own Den-Realm, a sanctuary where she and the land have become one. In the Umbra, a Den-Realm resembles a Domain, one which other travelers cannot pass through without permission. The appearance of this Domain is up to the Bastet who owns the Den-Realm — a proud Khan’s Den-Realm may resemble a maharaja’s fortress, while a Balam’s might resemble an impenetrable forest.
A difficulty 8 Perception + Occult roll is necessary to recognize a Den-Realm for what it is, and penetrating its walls uninvited requires a roll as though the intruder were stepping sideways (difficulty 9). This automatically alerts the Bastet that an intruder is coming in.
A werecat inside of his Den-Realm enjoys several benefits: He may step sideways at any time within his Den-Realm, against a Gauntlet of 3. A number of times per scene equal to his Gnosis rating, the Bastet may make a Gnosis roll (difficulty 6) to blink between two points in his Den-Realm without crossing the intervening space. Any attack on the Den-Realm (whether by banes in the Umbra or bulldozers in the Gaia Realm) registers as a cold bolt of pain in the werecat’s heart. The Bastet can freely peer through the Gauntlet from either side within her Den-Realm. Finally, the Bastet can lead any others she chooses across the Gauntlet while in her Den-Realm as though they were packmates.
A Den-Realm’s rating determines how big it is. The first rating is for urban Den-Realms, while the second is for the much larger Den-Realms possible in the wilderness.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
The size of a house/one square mile. |
|
The size of a mansion/two square miles. |
|
A city block/five square miles. |
|
Two city blocks/10 square miles. |
|
Five city blocks/20 square miles. |
Umbral Glade
W20 Changing Breeds, pg 210
A Gurahl with this Background possesses a Den which opens into a Glade in the Umbra, serving as a “mini-caern” or wellspring of Gnosis. The size and location of the Umbral Glade determines how much Gnosis is available for the resident Gurahl. If more than one Gurahl remains within the Glade in order to regain Gnosis, the total Gnosis available must be shared among those wishing to partake of it.
In addition to providing Gnosis for the Gurahl, an Umbral Glade gives the werebear an instantaneous doorway into the Umbra without the need for a rite.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
A 20 x 20 foot area, supplying one Gnosis per day. |
|
A 50 x 50 foot area, supplying two Gnosis per day. |
|
A 100 x 100 foot area, supplying three Gnosis per day. |
|
A 500 x 500 foot area, supplying four Gnosis per day. |
|
A 1,000 x 1,000 foot area, supplying five Gnosis per day. |
Mnesis
Any Mokolé (even one without this Background) may place himself into a Mnesis quest — a sort of autohypnosis in which the character journeys deep into the halls of ancestral memory, much like the Umbral vision-quests of the Garou. Because a Mnesis quest can easily last for hours and renders the seeker oblivious to the outside world for its duration, most Mokolé will only enter Mnesis while in the safety of their wallows. The rating of the Background determines how far back the Mokolé may remember.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
| None | Roughly a century. |
|
Three to five hundred years. |
|
Roughly a millennium. |
|
The Impergium and the beginning of human civilization. |
|
The awakening of the mammalian shapeshifters. |
|
The time of the Dinosaur Kings. |
Wallow
The Wallow Background means that you have ties to a Mokolé wallow, one with some history and other Mokolé residents. If you are a homid, this may be a village, rural homestead, or isolated island such as Komodo. If you are a suchid, it may be an ancient temple, jungle swamp, zoo, or gator farm. Any Allies, Contacts, or Kinfolk you may have likely live at the wallow. The wallow is a place where you can meditate to regain Gnosis in Sun’s light, hold gathers and perform rites. You may live there all the time; of course, if you don’t have Resources, your home might not be very luxurious.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
A poor wallow. One Mokolé lives there or perhaps only Kin. |
|
No palace. A few Mokolé and Kin live there. |
|
The wallow has lots of land (maybe a national park) or places to live. |
|
A nice place: a village, isolated creek, or lake. |
|
A temple, alligator farm, or large village. |
Secrets
The character possesses information that would be considered desirable — or damaging — by someone else. While such knowledge can sometimes place the character in danger, mostly it gives her leverage and advantages. What the character does with these secrets (bartering them for favors or cash, using them to take down minions of the Wyrm, or something else entirely) is up to her.
The player and Storyteller should work together to determine what sort of secrets the character possesses. The Background’s rating determines the value and number of secrets the character knows. This Background is normally the province of Corax and Bastet, though other Changing Breeds (and even the odd Shadow Lord!) occasionally pick it up as well.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
A small but noteworthy secret — a secret affair, a hidden sexual orientation, a minor crime. |
|
A moderate secret. The human identities of a Garou pack, the whereabouts of a criminal on the run, a significant crime, or evidence of two Garou sleeping together. Alternately, a few minor secrets. |
|
A substantial secret, or equivalent amount of lesser secrets. A matter of life and death or utter ruination for someone. The location of a lost fetish that someone needs to stay lost. The identity of a murderer of one or more Fera. |
|
A heavy secret, or equivalent amount of lesser secrets. The location of a national fugitive, a vampire’s “little black book” of contacts, the location of a Gurahl. |
|
An enormous secret, or equivalent amount of lesser secrets. A high-level Pentex plot. The location of a legendary cursed fetish. The secret weakness of an Incarna. |
- Bastet and Corax both have access to Secrets.
Umbral Maps
The character possesses a wealth of experience and received information about Umbral navigation. These “Umbral maps” are not physical objects, but rather the collected lore of symbolic navigation among spirit paths, the entry methods for safe havens and refuges, the cycles of natural spirit paths, and reliable methods to bypass various obstacles along the way.
This Background is normally the province of Corax and Nuwisha, though other Changing Breeds occasionally pick it up as well.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
A few safe paths and refuges. The character enjoys –1 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra. |
|
Several routes to common destinations. As Level One, plus once per story the character can re-roll a failed attempt to navigate through the Umbra. |
|
Safe zones, routes to virtually any place, and knowledge of where not to go. –2 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus one re-roll per story. |
|
Several safe places and refuges, extensive knowledge of Umbral paths and dwellers in those areas. –2 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus two re-rolls per story. |
|
No one knows the Near Umbra like the character. –3 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus three re-rolls per story. |
Vampire Backgrounds
Anarch Information Exchange
Anarchs have learned to coordinate their efforts, owing largely to the technological advantages of computers and social networking with which they are proficient. This has led to an unparalleled advance in the exchange of information within the Anarch Movement. (By contrast, Kindred information about mortal society typically comes from Contacts — see V20 Core, pg 112.)
Characters with this Background may use this network to contact other Anarchs in order to learn information about specific vampires, local secrets, domain politics, or general rumors about the movements of other sects. The advantage of the Exchange is that it allows Anarchs to tap into information sources from a global reach. Each dot of this Background allows you to ask a single question once per game session. The Storyteller determines what amount and quality of information the Exchange can offer at a given time.
In some cases, the Kindred who make up the Information Exchange may not possess a given bit of information, or may not know it immediately. For example, the Exchange might know about the Prince of a domain, a number of rumors about her past, and even how to contact her, but it’s unlikely to have a detailed schematic of her haven.
Extremely rare tidbits of lore or information might be known by a member of the Exchange, but could be considered to be too valuable to simply share. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and brotherhood and reputation can take you only so far. Under such circumstances, Anarchs may attempt a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll to mediate a deal for desired information. Alternatively, the Storyteller may allow you to spend two of your per-session usages of this Background for such rare or sensitive information.
Types of information that can be found via the Anarch Information Exchange include:
- General information or rumors about a Kindred, such as contact information, general age, known clan and notable lineage, how long said Kindred has dwelled in a city, political affiliations, general reputation, and generation (or a general estimate, such as neonate, ancilla, or elder).
- Information about specific topics, such as basic and brief overviews on a subject relating to Kindred (What is Thaumaturgy? Who are the Setites? What happens when you diablerize? What does a black crescent moon mean?) or personal characteristics of certain Kindred (Why does Prince Vaclav hate the color yellow?).
- Significant status or events in sect politics (What’s happening with the Movement in a Naples? What is the Sabbat interest in Sao Paolo? Who has the Prince of Chicago placed under blood hunt?)
Example: Flynn Bishop witnessed a strange Kindred named Nixx kill an Anarch by engulfing him in flames. Bishop has three dots of Anarch Information Exchange and her player decides she wants to see if Nixx has appeared on the Anarch Movement’s radar recently. She learns via the Anarch Information Exchange that recently there was trouble between the Tremere and the Anarchs that led to the death of two Tremere Neonates in Colorado.
Seeking further information, Bishop’s player decides to ask about what invoking mystical fire might mean in terms of Disciplines that could be used against her. Bishop learns that it is a type of blood magic called the Lure of Flames and that some of the local Tremere might be willing to trade some of its secrets for those of another Discipline.
Anarch Status
You have a reputation within the local community of Anarchs. Status among the Anarchs reflects memorable deeds and general popularity. Despite the intention of the Status Perfectus and other early Anarch manifestos, a hierarchy of who’s calling the shots has emerged in many Anarch domains, representing a maturing of the sect’s ideals (or a betrayal of them, depending on which Anarchs you’re speaking to).
You may have occasion to roll your Status in conjunction with a Social Trait; this reflects the positive effects of your prestige.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Known: You’ve started making a name for yourself. You might be a rising tough working for a gang or this week’s darling hacker, fighting for the cause behind a computer screen. |
|
Respected: You’ve become known for being able to hold your own on the streets and in the backrooms where the real decisions are being made. |
|
Influential: Anarchs listen to your opinion. You might have led a minor skirmish or exposed some shitbag Ivory Tower lick in a scheme to put more money in his pockets. Perhaps you’re the author of a well-received Anarch manifesto, or you call the shots for a respected crew. Whatever the case, there are few in the domain or across a Free State territory who don’t know about you. |
|
Powerful: You have a great deal of influence over your city. You might be a leader of a powerful known crew or one of the few Anarch elders. |
|
Luminary: You are the acknowledged leader of your Anarch domain, or well-placed among them. You might be the Baron (or a backer behind a figurehead Baron). |
Black Hand Membership
This Background is for Sabbat characters only. You are a member of the feared Black Hand, the body of soldiers and assassins that serves the Sabbat fervently. Having this Background indicates that you are a full-fledged member of the organization, and you have all the responsibilities and benefits that accompany membership.
You may call upon members of the Black Hand to aid you, should you ever need it. Of course, this ability is a two-way street, and other Hand members may call upon you to aid them. Thus, you may find yourself assigned to perform assassinations, lend martial aid, or even further the political ends of the Hand as a diplomat or spy. You may also be required to attend crusades that take you away from your pack. All members of the Black Hand must heed the call of another Hand member, especially the superiors of the faction.
Being a member of the Black Hand is a prestigious matter, and other members of the Sabbat respect the organization. When dealing with other Sabbat, should you choose to reveal your affiliation with the Hand, you may add your rating in this Background to any Social dice pools, even after Status or other Abilities have been taken into account. Most Hand members, however, choose not to reveal their allegiance. The Black Hand is also remarkably adept at hunting down Sabbat who claim membership in the Sect but do not truly belong — liars, beware.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
You are a grunt; you may call upon one Black Hand member once per story. |
|
You are known and respected in the Black Hand; you may call upon two Black Hand members once per story. |
|
You are held in the Black Hand’s regard; you may call upon five Black Hand members once per story. |
|
You are a hero among members of the Black Hand; you may call upon seven Black Hand members twice per story (but you’d better have just cause — if it seems you’re becoming soft, you may lose points in this Background). You may also lead large numbers of Hand members into action should it ever become necessary. |
|
You are part of Black Hand legend; you may call upon 12 Black Hand members twice per story (but see the preceding caution). You may also lead large numbers of Hand members into action should it ever become necessary. The Seraphim may even seek your counsel on matters of import. |
Communal Haven
Elders are often too selfish to consider the benefits of “cohabitation”; centuries of betrayal naturally generate a certain suspicious nature as it pertains to other vampires. Anarch packs that have learned the value of mutual cooperation and enlightened self-interest, however, sometimes establish Communal Havens for mutual security and comfort.
A Communal Haven is a secure location controlled and owned by the coterie. This is a place an Anarch who invests Background dots in it can lie low, train, and plan her next move. A Communal Haven could be as simple as an unfurnished apartment, as flashy as a mafioso’s penthouse, or as complex as a military base.
Of course, social conventions for the shared space might be complex or simple, depending on the personalities of the Kindred involved. Vampires sharing a Communal Haven can easily come into conflict unless some custom exists. Is it cool for Licks sharing the Communal Haven to offer it as crash space for others? Is it okay to bring blood dolls there? If something goes wrong, who’s in charge of disposing of the bodies or cleaning up the mess? Who takes care of keeping the location secret in the event that someone opens her goddamn mouth?
Note that this Background is different from the Domain and Resources Backgrounds. Typically, Domain is “turf,” while this is an actual Haven (which may well stand on contested domain...).
Players who elect to purchase this Background must divide their points among three different categories, described below.The purchase of this Background may be pooled as per the Background pooling systems on pages 118-119 of V20 Core.
Luxury
Luxury is a measure of the quality of appointments inside the haven. The level of Luxury ranges from spare to opulent, corresponding closely to a Resources Background of equal value (see pg 115-116 of V20 Core).
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
What passes for furniture probably fell off the back of a truck or was liberated from a dumpster. |
|
The place has been decorated and outfitted modestly. It has the basics expected of modern First World lifestyles (where appropriate). |
|
The haven offers relative comfort, with a host of amenities. |
|
The haven is a luxurious oasis in the midst of the Jyhad, unique in both design and appearance. |
|
Only the extremely wealthy or celebrities usually enjoy the opulence of a place like this. |
Size
Size represents the amount of living space in the Communal. While the following breakdown gives suggested sizes and room counts, players are encouraged to be creative if they so wish — imagine an open warehouse layout of no true “rooms,” or a network of “under repair” blacked-out skywalks that have access points to various locations downtown.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
A small apartment or underground chamber: 1 to 2 rooms. |
|
A large apartment or small family home; 3 to 4 rooms. |
|
A warehouse, church, or large home; 5 to 8 rooms, or a large enclosure. |
|
A mansion or network of tunnels; 9-15 rooms or chambers. |
|
A sprawling estate or vast network of subway tunnels; 20+ rooms. |
Security
Security represents how tough it is to breach the haven. Each dot of Security either adds one to the difficulty of any roll made to penetrate the haven or adds one to the number of successes required to gain access. (Players and Storytellers should agree on this function before the story begins.)
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Cheap locks on the doors, but not much else. |
|
You’ve reinforced every door and barred the windows, or you may have a dog that barks to warn you when someone comes too close to the haven. The place is relatively secure from commonplace threats. |
|
The haven is secure but not impenetrable, relying on a modern set of locks, physical protection such as bars over the windows, electronic security measures such as alarm systems, and standard electronic monitoring such as security cameras. It may be remote or accessed only by protected routes, such as a high-rise with a security guard who watches the elevator. |
|
Your haven is protected by all of the security features for the previous level and then some. On par with restricted governmental buildings or even prisons, your haven has reinforced walls, sectionalized access throttles, and perhaps even several panic rooms or hidden chambers. You have invested a considerable about of time and effort to keep people out of your base. |
|
Your base is protected by all of the security features offered by the previous levels. Additionally, it is protected by one or more unique features, such as being far off the beaten path, incorporating a geographical boundary like being built on an island, and/or possible occult protections, like being visible only to Kindred. (Players and Storytellers should come to an agreement on the nature of such one-of-a-kind protections.) |
Cult
You are the leader or otherwise have control over a cult of your own. Due to their broad membership, Cults as a Background act as a combination of Allies, Contacts, Herd, and Influence, but when called upon are effectively one dot lower in each of those categories (a rating of 1 is effectively 0) and require twice the effort to build or accumulate.
Lastly, members of the Sect have a minimum one dot in True Black Hand Membership, which is mechanically identical to standard Black Hand Membership, though indicative of belonging to the Tal’Mahe’Ra and not Sabbat-specific. The following Backgrounds are restricted or altered for Tal’Mahe’Ra character creation.
Domain
Domain is physical territory (usually within the chronicle’s central city) to which your character controls access for the purpose of feeding. Some Kindred refer to their domain as hunting grounds, and most jealously guard their domains, even invoking the Tradition of the same name to protect their claims. As part of this Background, the character’s claim to the domain is recognized by the Prince or some other Kindred authority in the city where it is located.
The Kindred who claims the domain can’t keep the living inhabitants from going about their business, nor does she exercise any direct influence over them, but she can keep watch herself and mind their comings and goings. She can also have Allies or Retainers specifically look for unfamiliar vampires and alert her when they find some.
Domain refers specifically to the geography (in most cases a neighborhood or street) and properties on it, as opposed to the people who may dwell there (which is the emphasis of Herd). Domain plays an important part in Kindred society — vampires who lack significant Domain seldom earn respect — but it isn’t an automatic entitlement to status among the Damned.
You may designate one or more dots in Domain to increase the security of your character’s territory rather than its size. Each dot so assigned to security provides a +1 difficulty penalty to efforts to intrude into the domain by anyone your character hasn’t specifically allowed in, and a -1 difficulty bonus to efforts by your character to identify and track intruders in the domain. A Domain of one dot’s size and two dots’ security, for instance, is small but quite resistant to intrusion, as opposed to a Domain rating of three dots’ size with no extraordinary security.
Each level of Domain reduces the difficulty of hunting checks by one for your character and those whom the character allows in. It also adds to your starting (not maximum) blood pool. If you use the domain security option, each dot of domain security raises the difficulty of hunting checks by one for uninvited vampires. See V20 Core, pg 259 for more information on hunting.
Domain (both size and security) can be used with pooled Background points.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
A single small building, such as a single-family home or a social establishment — enough for a basic haven. |
|
A church, factory, warehouse, mid-rise, or other large structure — a location with ready but easily controllable access to the outside world. |
|
A high-rise, city block, or an important intersection — a location or area that offers areas for concealment as well as controlled access. |
|
A sewer subsection, a network of service tunnels, the enclave of homes on a hill overlooking the city — a place with inherently protective features, such as an isolated mountain road, bridge-only access, or vigilant private security force. |
|
An entire neighborhood, an ethnic subdivision like “Chinatown” or “Little Italy,” or a whole suburb. As noted previously, characters in a coterie can share their domain resources for better results. Six to eight dots secure all of a small town or a distinct city region as a domain. Ten to 15 dots secure an important but not geographically huge city sector, such as “the docks,” or “Highland Park.” A large city itself might be a hundred-plus Domain points, as with Atlanta, Dallas, Geneva, or Baghdad. A city such as New York, London, Paris, Rome, Sao Paolo, or Shanghai would require many hundreds of Domain points. |
Generation
This Background represents your Generation: the purity of your blood, and your proximity to the First Vampire. A high Generation rating may represent a powerful sire or a decidedly dangerous taste for diablerie. If you don’t take any dots in this Trait, you begin play as a Thirteenth Generation vampire. See V20 Core, pg 270 for further information.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Twelfth Generation: 11 blood pool, can spend 1 blood point per turn |
|
Eleventh Generation: 12 blood pool, can spend 1 blood point per turn |
|
Tenth Generation: 13 blood pool, can spend 1 blood point per turn |
|
Ninth Generation: 14 blood pool, can spend 2 blood points per turn |
|
Eighth Generation: 15 blood pool, can spend 3 blood points per turn |
Herd
You have built a group of mortals from whom you can feed without fear. A herd may take many forms, from circles of kinky clubgoers to actual cults built around you as a god-figure. In addition to providing nourishment, your herd might come in handy for minor tasks, though they are typically not very controllable, closely connected to you, or particularly skilled (for more effective pawns, purchase Allies or Retainers). Your Herd rating adds dice to your rolls for hunting; see p. 259 for further details.
Players may purchase pooled Herd with Background points.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Three vessels |
|
Seven vessels |
|
15 vessels |
|
30 vessels |
|
60 vessels |
Mentor
This Trait represents a Kindred or group of Kindred who looks out for you, offering guidance or aid once in a while. A mentor may be powerful, but his power need not be direct. Depending on the number of dots in this Background, your mentor might be nothing more than a vampire with a remarkable information network, or might be a centuries-old creature with tremendous influence and supernatural power. He may offer advice, speak to the Prince or Archbishop on your behalf, steer other elders clear of you, or warn you when you’re walking into situations you don’t understand.
Most often your mentor is your sire, but it could well be any Cainite with an interest in your wellbeing. A high Mentor rating could even represent a group of like-minded vampires, such as the elders of the city’s Tremere chantry or a Black Hand cell.
Bear in mind that this Trait isn’t a “Get out of Jail Free” card. Your mentor won’t necessarily arrive like the cavalry whenever you’re endangered (and if she does, you’re likely to lose a dot or more in this Background after rousing her ire). What’s more, she might occasionally expect something in return for her patronage, which can lead to a number of interesting stories. A mentor typically remains aloof, giving you useful information or advice out of camaraderie, but will abandon you without a thought if you prove an unworthy or troublesome protégé.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Mentor is an ancilla of little influence, or a Ductus or Pack Priest. |
|
Mentor is respected: an elder or highly-decorated veteran, for instance. |
|
Mentor is heavily influential, such as a member of the Primogen or a Bishop. |
|
Mentor has a great deal of power over the city: a Prince or Archbishop, for example. |
|
Mentor is extraordinarily powerful, perhaps even a Justicar or Cardinal. |
Memento de Morte
Death leaves its mark on the world around it. Cold spots, places where the light seems too pale, the colors washed out and faded. Sometimes, something seeps into the items surrounding a death in such a way that it taints them forever. The fainting couch in a Victorian serial killer’s parlor, or the portrait that hung on the wall of his abattoir, for example. The blackened wood floorboards at uncle Vittorio’s estate, reclaimed from a plague ship lit aflame to cleanse its still-living passengers. Books wrapped in the flesh of the monk who inscribed them, carved from his still living body, and bound by him in his last moments of life. But the most common mementos of death are murder weapons. The scalpels of serial killers and the sabers of war criminals. Bludgeons and .38 Bulldogs, nooses and punchbowls. The more death that has drenched the item, the more power it absorbs.
This Background gives you one or more of these mementos of death, allowing you to benefit from the ambient energies when using Necromancy. You must have the relic (or relics) with you to receive the bonus. Many necromancers have a special sanctum set aside for their ritual work for this reason.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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You have one minor relic. +1 bonus die to Necromancy rolls. |
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You have a relic of middling power or two minor ones. +2 bonus dice to Necromancy rolls. |
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You have a few reasonably powerful relics. +3 bonus dice to Necromancy rolls. |
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You have a very powerful relic, or a couple of less powerful items. +4 bonus dice to Necromancy rolls. |
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You have an incredibly powerful relic, or a couple of powerful items. +5 bonus dice to Necromancy rolls. |
Rituals
This Background is for Sabbat characters only.
You know the ritae and rituals of the Sabbat, and you can enact many of them. This Background is vital to being a Pack Priest — without this Background, ritae will not function. This Background is actually a supernatural investment, drawing on the magic of the eldest Tzimisce sorcerers. Sabbat vampires who are not their pack‘s priests should have an outstanding reason for acquiring this Background, as Pack Priests are loath to share their secrets with more secular members of the Sect. Some example rituals include the Vaulderie (V20 Core, pg 288), as well as those presented in the Appendix (V20 Core, pg 507).
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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You know a few of the auctoritas ritae (your choice). |
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You know some of the auctoritas ritae (your choice) and a few ignoblis ritae (your choice). |
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You know all of the auctoritas ritae and some ignoblis ritae (your choice). Also, you may create your own ignoblis ritae, given enough time (consult your Storyteller for development time and game effects). |
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You know all the auctoritas ritae and many ignoblis ritae (your choice). You may create your own ignoblis ritae, given enough time (consult your Storyteller for development time and game effects). You are also familiar with the functions of numerous regional and pack-specific ignoblis ritae, even if you cannot perform them. |
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You know all the auctoritas ritae and dozens of ignoblis ritae (your choice). You may create your own ignoblis ritae, given enough time (consult your Storyteller for development time and game effects). You are also familiar with the functions of almost all regional and pack-specific ignoblis ritae, even if you cannot perform them; if it’s been written down or passed around in lore, you’ve heard of it. |
Spirit Slaves
This trait represents a hold you have over a ghost, or several ghosts. Usually this hold is in the form of catene, or fetters — either something that the ghost valued highly in life, or possibly a random object or place to which the spirito has been attached via a necromantic ritual. Regardless, you have a hold over the spirit and can bully it by threatening its fetter. Alternatively, you might have information about the spirit’s goals and can control it by aiding or impeding it.
All Spirit Slaves are assumed to have statistics similar to a recently deceased ghost (V20 Core, pg 385). However, higher levels of this Background might reflect more powerful spirits at the Storyteller’s discretion.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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You have a hold on one weak spirito. |
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You have influence over two minor ghosts, or one of greater power. |
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You’re the boss of three lesser ghosts, or fewer who can do more. |
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Four ghosts are under your sway, or fewer who are stronger. |
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You have mastered five weak ghosts, or fewer who are more talented. |
Status
You have something of a reputation and standing (earned or unearned) within the local community of Kindred. Status among Camarilla society is as often derived from your sire’s status and the respect due your particular bloodline as it is by personal achievement. Among the Sabbat, status is more likely to stem from the reputation of your pack or the zeal of your outlook. Elders are known for having little respect for their juniors; this Background can mitigate that somewhat.
High status within the Camarilla does not transfer to Sabbat society (and will most likely make you a notorious target for your Sect’s rivals), and vice versa. Similarly, Autarkis generally have zero Status, unless they have somehow garnered so much power and attention that they are considered forces to be reckoned with. You may have occasion to roll your Status in conjunction with a Social Trait; this reflects the positive effects of your prestige.
Note that Caitiff characters may not purchase Status during character creation. Caitiff are the lowest of the low, and any respect they achieve must be earned during the course of the chronicle.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Known: a neonate/Pack Priest |
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Respected: an ancilla/respected Ductus |
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Influential: an elder/Templar |
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Powerful: a member of the Primogen/a Bishop |
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Luminary: a Prince/Archbishop |
Ghouls and Revenants
Domitor
You are already Bound to a vampire and have been her ghoul for a time. While the influence of the blood bond makes it challenging for you to tell the difference between love, loyalty, and feigned interest, you suspect your master is concerned about your continued well-being and safety.
This Background introduces tiers that reflect the power of your domitor, which influences the resources you have access to and the number of Disciplines your ghoul might learn. The more ancient and powerful your master is, the less likely he is to care about your welfare. Conversely, higher Generation vampires might take better care of you, because they are more tied to their humanity than an elder vampire. Thus, the more dots you take in the Domitor Background, the more powerful you can become, but the less cared for you’ll be. Due to the effects of the blood bond, however, you might not realize how your master feels about you — until it is too late.
Used by: Camarilla ghouls. Independent ghouls, some Sabbat ghouls, and most revenants would not benefit as much from Domitor Background.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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Your domitor is Eleventh Generation or higher, and considers you a valued confidant. |
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Your master is Ninth or Tenth Generation, and has a passing fondness for you. |
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Your domitor is Eighth Generation, and will sometimes let you get a word in edgewise. |
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Your domitor is Seventh Generation, and expects you to do your job — nothing more. |
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Your master is Sixth Generation, and remarkably has not yet grown sick of the sight of your face. |
Double Life
Some ghouls walk a tightrope between maintaining a tenuous connection to the world of mortals and serving their domitor to the exclusion of everyone and everything else. Not all ghouls are able to handle the effort required, and those who do find their charade exhausting and more complicated than they initially expected. Very few ghouls can maintain both positions perfectly, and usually it is the role of the ghoul’s former self that suffers the most.
Typically, Camarilla domitors wish for their ghouls to maintain a Double Life, because it helps ensure that the Masquerade is protected. Ghouls who retain strong ties to their former selves could be spies or sleeper agents, provided they are aware of what they have become. In order for the Double Life to be useful to your ghoul, you should have the awareness required to flip between your job as a mortal and your designated position as a ghoul for your domitor.
This Background pairs well with Alternate Identity. They are different due to the fact that Double Life requires less subterfuge. Your job interferes with your life more than other folks, though doctors, police officers, and other on-call professionals would certainly sympathize with your situation. Complications might arise when other Kindred domitors or ghouls learn of the people involved in your character’s life, because they could use these innocents as pawns or hostages. After all, any personal connections your ghoul has is a potential weakness that can be exploited and used against you or your master.
The advantages to having a Double Life will vary depending upon your character’s concept. Your family, friends, co-workers, and existing contacts might be a powerful, positive force in your ghoul’s life, but they might also ask questions you struggle to answer. By choosing this Background, you gain the benefits and drawbacks from being allowed to maintain your life as it was before you became a ghoul, at your Storyteller’s discretion. Unlike other ghouls, you’ll need to further flesh out who your character was prior to becoming a ghoul if you take this Background.
Used by: The majority of new, Camarilla ghouls tend to have a tenuous tie to their former lives. This Background ensures that their connection to their former selves, along with their relationships, remains intact.
Most independent ghouls, Sabbat ghouls, and revenants would not use this Background. Should you decide to select this Background for your character, talk to your Storyteller about your character concept. You’ll want to address how you envision your ghoul or revenant will be able to maintain a Double Life, and how you feel your role will benefit your character.
The dots in Double Life reflect how closely-tied you are to your life before you became a ghoul. They do not, however, represent how much other people know about your new role or your connection to vampires.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Keeping up Appearances: You keep in contact with people you once knew, but you keep yourself distanced from them unless you need to ask someone you know for a favor. You might need to keep up appearances because your master ordered you to, or you might have done so naturally to help keep you sane. |
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Maintaining Friendships: You are part of a group of friends who meets every so often for dinner, coffee, or a movie. You might get together once a month to celebrate a birthday, or you might throw a big dinner party for them to show them how great your new “job” is. While you might not ask them for a favor related to your job, you know you can call on them in an emergency situation. |
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Keeping a Lover: You are in love with another person, and your master has allowed you to maintain this relationship in exchange for your service. You would do anything for each other, and your master knows it, too. |
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Staying Close to Your Family: Your master has granted you permission to remain a member of your family, and has helped you devise a cover so your activities are not suspicious. In exchange for your service, you may maintain your connection to your family, but you may not be allowed to live with them. While some domitors might use your family as leverage to get them to do their bidding, others want you to feign a sense of normalcy. |
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Possessing a Mortal Life: Though you’ve become a ghoul, your master has decreed that you may keep your job, your relationships, and your apartment. From an observer’s perspective, you may seem smitten with a new love interest or stressed about your new high-powered job. |
Family Elder
The Family Elder Background refers to your revenant’s role as a leader in your family. Becoming a Family Elder not only affords you added respect and perks, it may also signal additional responsibilities your revenant is assumed to have. Your reputation, however, is often limited to your family. Outsiders may not know or care that you are a Family Elder, while your immediate family treats you differently than your relatives.
Revenant Family Elders are trusted individuals who tend to make decisions on behalf of the family. A Family Elder might broker a deal with a Clan, ranking members of a Sect, or other revenant families. Elders might assign one or more family members to a given task, and may receive gifts, boons, or favors to distribute them as they see fit. Elders might often be directly responsible for, or consulted frequently, on matters pertaining to the education and guidance of younger family members.
The requirements of being a Family Elder are not standardized. A Family Elder has the power to address and nurture their charges as they see fit, and often do in accordance with their hopes and dreams for the future of their family. Because of their rank, however, they are often drawn into political matters and deadly rivalries involving other revenant families or Clans. While only the family’s Matriarch or Patriarch may make final decisions, other Family Elders may offer their opinions for consideration.
Due to the size of most revenant families, each is likely to have multiple Family Elders which are often tied to a specific location, such as an estate, or based on the number of charges involved in multiple locations. For example, a revenant family might have so many children running about, that it’s impossible to have “a” Big Sister or Brother, so multiple revenants in that role share the burden of responsibility. In most cases, however, the requirements of what a Family Elder does, and how those actions are carried out, will be specific to the needs of a particular revenant family. After all, what is best for the Bratovich family, is not necessarily the same as what’s best for the Grimaldi clan.
Just as the term “Uncle” is used as a title of respect for friends of a mortal family, the titles in the Family Elder Background do not necessarily imply a direct blood tie or connection to those in the revenant’s care. Given the fact that many revenant families are close-knit and tend to dissuade outsiders from interfering in their business, however, it is likely that the revenant would be a blood relative of their charges.
Used by: Revenants
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
|
Big Sister/Brother: You keep your younger brothers and sisters in line, and pass along orders from higher-ups. You are the most likely candidate to be sent on errands or missions for the family. |
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Aunt/Uncle: You supervise the Brothers and Sisters, and check in with them from time to time. If your family is attacking or defending itself, or is ordered to carry out a mission, you will be asked to lead your charges. |
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Mother/Father: You are an advisor who passes along advice and guidance to younger family members, and help shape your charges’ futures. You are empowered to intervene in matters pertaining to the health and strength of your family, and while you are aware of missions and errands you do not directly intervene unless there are problems. |
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Grandmother/Grandfather: You stick close to the family estate, and you are charged with overseeing the other Family Elders to report to your Matriarch or Patriarch. While you might leave the grounds, your responsibility is to keep things running smoothly on the family compound. This might include dealing with visitors and intruders, but it also may involve smoothing other small disagreements, managing resources, or currying favor from potential allies. |
|
Matriarch/Patriarch: You are the head of your estate, and the primarily representative of your revenant family. You decide what orders to give, who to give them to, and when they make sense to be carried out. You immerse yourself in politics and strategic maneuvers for the benefit of your revenant family, and are well-versed in knowing the identity of your rivals, allies, and enemies. As the ultimate arbiter, you are also recognized by your family’s Clan sponsor as the only spokesperson and legitimate authority. |
Majordomo
A Majordomo is a special role designed for a ghoul who typically serves his domitor as the chief steward of her estates and affairs. The Majordomo will do his master’s bidding by doling out assignments and orders ranging from hiring outside services to keeping other ghouls in line. Even among Camarilla domitors, the Majordomo is a rare type of ghoul, because he’s earned enough trust or respect to be able to conduct her affairs by having Retainers of his own. Ghouls with the Majordomo Background often hire, screen, and maintain these Retainers, so that they never meet their masters and remain unaware of who it is they’re working for.
The Majordomo will have his master’s ear, and may recommend rewards, punishments, and tasks that need to be done. While the master will choose to act as she sees fit, the position of this ghoul means that she’s not as paranoid about her servant as she might otherwise be. Instead, she might even rely on the Majordomo for news and rumors, expecting to hear tidbits that might be of use to her.
In any household that contains a Majordomo, it is made clear to other ghouls that this servant, favored and trusted above all others, speaks for his domitor when she is not present. As long as instructions are carried out and orders are followed, few masters care about the details. It is the Majordomo’s role to manage the people required to maintain his master’s domicile, as well as oversee any tasks necessitated by the upkeep of his master’s estate.
The benefits of taking a Majordomo Background are due to the fact that such a ghoul offers a domitor the freedom to allow her servant to do as he wishes. Thus, if the Majordomo arranges for a specific person to be hired or fired, his master can reasonably claim to know nothing about how her ghoul conducts his affairs. Because of a Majordomo’s greater responsibility, these ghouls are also given greater latitude than any other servants. This translates to a different type of relationship between master and servant than most other ghouls experience.
Though the Majordomo is a lofty position in any domitor’s household, if that ghoul’s loyalty is in question, this ghoul is not immune to punishment or harsh treatment. Because of their connections, a domitor will probably not remove or replace this ghoul without significant forethought and prior arrangements to insure a seamless transition from one to the other. However, the Majordomo is not immune to his master’s desires and wishes, for despite all of the freedom he’s given, he’s still in the service to a vampire and addicted to the Blood.
A Majordomo is a Background that benefits both the ghoul and the domitor, because the burden of maintaining a complex household falls on the Majordomo’s shoulders. Thus, your ghoul will be caught up in the night-to-night requirements of your vampire in a more authoritative way than other ghouls. The use of such a ghoul greatly depends upon the personality, Clan or bloodline, and Sect of your domitor.
Used by: A Majordomo is far more common among Camarilla domitors and ghouls than they are in the Sabbat. Among Cainites, a Majordomo may not be as valued or treated as well, but will be held responsible for any missteps. The role of a Majordomo is unheard of among revenant families, unless that revenant has voluntary resigned herself to a life of serving her family. For independent ghouls, becoming a Majordomo is an impossible feat, for no vampire would trust a ghoul that could not be subjected to the blood bond.
The Majordomo Background is a variant of the Retainers Background found on page 116 of V20 Core. Dots in Majordomo reflect the power and influence you have in your master’s household over other servants.
After selecting this Background, work with your Storyteller to identify which characters you may command on behalf of your master and what their role is. A servant may either be a ghoul or a mortal, and the term does not reflect that character’s specialty or profession.
| Points | Description |
|---|---|
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One Servant |
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Two Servants |
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Three Servants |
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Four Servants |
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Five Servants |