Acquisition: 7 actions + 5x current level in actions to increase. Acquisition also requires an Intelligence + Computer roll at difficulty 7, requiring a number of successes equal to the level you wish to acquire.

Maintenance: 1 action per level per month is required to maintain. No further rolls needed.

Special: The above system is for creating a mortal Alternate ID. To create a new ID in the Vampire world is an entirely different process relying far more on others vouching for you as well as word of mouth. This process must be handled by story.

Acquisition: Character creation or through story only.

Maintenance: None

Special: Arcane makes it more difficult to interact with the mortal world as people tend to ignore and forget the character. The character with Arcane must multiply the number of downtime actions required to maintain or acquire any mortal backgrounds by his Arcane rating.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only.

Maintenance: None (see Special)

Special: The Faction will from time to time call on you much as you call on them. While there is no automatic maintenance cost for this background, the resulting missions gained from them will likely take much of the time of a Faction member. Each faction has different ways of measuring their membership, so please see your faction page to figure out how yours works.

Acquisition: 40 actions + 35x current level in actions to increase. Also requires a Int + Finance roll at difficulty 8, requiring a number of successes equal to the level being increased to. It also requires putting down capital equal to the requirements for the business you are growing to, or utilizing a finance ally to get a loan via influence:

Level 1: One month, 1 success, 10,000 or Finance 1 (Strip mall store, small workshop)
Level 2: Two months, 2 successes, 50,000 or Finance 2 (Botique outlet, Sawmill)
Level 3: Three months, 3 successes, 150,000 or Finance 3 (Destination store with thriving E-Business, Iron Foundry)
Level 4: Four months, 5 successes, 500,000 or Finance 4 (Franchised big box, Shipyard)
Level 5: Five months, 7 successes, 5 million or Finance 5 (Ubiquitous All Purpose Retailer, Industrial megacomplex)

Maintenance: 1 action per month to maintain. Each maintenance requires an Int+Finance roll, Difficulty 6, with successes equal to the Business level, or it degrades.

Business Basics

Businesses range from 1 to 5 dots. All new businesses begin at 1 dot, but already existing mortal enterprises may be able to be acquired in game with appropriate story.

As the owner or the controller of the business, you are able to gain a benefit from having it. That benefit comes either in the form of money taken off the top after operating expenses, or a special perk unique to the format of the business. You can choose one or the other at the top of the month when Resources refresh. The perk can either be one unit (which may be more than one actual item) of what the business provides per rank of the business, or you can combine them together for one higher quality or more useful result,

For example, if the business is an Automotive Factory, it may produce one basic car per level of the businesses. A Rank 3 Factory could produce 3 cars that you could take home with you, OR one car with two steps toward masterwork features like higher Top Speed or Armor.

Alternately, if the perk isn't needed that month, you can simply take cash, as prescribed by the level of the business.

A Business on an item card looks like this:

Perks and Payout

Every business has a Perk which it can provide you. Selecting a perk is a largely open ended process and can be whatever you and the storyteller agree upon, but here are some examples:

J&B Construction
Perk: Construction jobs - It can provide one small project per level (residential home or smaller) or larger projects and jobs (Office Park at 3, Skyscraper at 5)

Mafia Cleanup service
Perk: Corpses - For all your necromantic needs

Nine Circles Nightclub
Perk: Blood - Easy access to blood provides the level in blood points per month to use any time.

Forgery Outfit
Perk: Alternate ID - Justification for levels of Alt ID

If skipping the perk, business pays an amount in cash:

1: $500
2: $1,000
3: $3,000
4: $15,000
5: $35,000
--
Here are some examples of perks currently in play:

Eyes and Ears: High traffic and popular hangout location hears a lot of news. Acts like a level 1 Watch in X Spheres, changeable once per month.

Blood: An increasing amount of mortal blood per level of the business. Replenishes at the top of the month.

1: 5 blood
2: 10 blood
3: 20 blood
4: 40 blood
5: 80 blood

(Specific) Blood: An increasing amount of blood based on the level of the business, providing blood specific to a certain kind of need, such as for a Ventrue's feeding restriction, or owl blood used for rituals.

1: 3 blood
2: 5 blood
3: 10 blood
4: 20 blood
5: 40 blood

Specific Background Justification: This business' practices allow for the easy justification for a specific background, such as Herd, Occult Library, or Resources. Once per month, it can act as justification for a new character to purchase this background with exp up to the level of the business.

Secrets and Rumors: The business puts its clients in a compromised or revealing position and produces X secrets or rumors from the mortal world at the beginning of the month. These can be storyteller driven or player driven, and are largely drawn from the events of various influences and mortal ally actions going on the previous month or in progress.

Special Training: Special Training: Rigorous training, special diets, even drugs or other experimental practices can produce better performance for a select group of individuals, and this business represents laboratories and training compounds to produce excellent results. Once per month this business can add 5 freebies per level of the business to one Retainer character through special training. A Retainer cannot benefit from more than one such business (though a higher level business of the same kind can still give him the additional benefits).

Recruitment Source: The businesses serves as a breeding ground for just the right kind of person you can draw your special support and assistants from. The type of business determines the specific kind of individuals produced here, such as soldier types from a Private Military Contractor, or young hotshots from an aggressive high end law firm, and the Retainers will reflect that. For each level of this business, you may get or replace one Retainer at dots equal to the business for no exp cost, though the limits on total dots of the background still apply.

Production: The business generates 2x its level in successes to produce items of one specific related kind (weapons and ammo, computers and software, cars and vehicle parts, etc). Each business level also allows a higher maximum quality. These businesses cannot produce Masterpieces.

Mass Production: The business can produce multiple copies from a prototype model. At each level of the business, a use of the Crafting system produces more than one item instead of just a single item.
1: 1 extra Common item
2: 2 extra Common, 1 extra Uncommon
3: 4 extra Common, 2 extra Uncommon, 1 extra Rare
4: 8 extra Common, 4 extra Uncommon, 2 extra Rare, 1 extra Ultra rare
5: 16 extra Common, 8 extra Uncommon, 4 extra Rare, 2 extra Ultra Rare.

Business Growth Support: Marketing, service contracts, and legal aid help additional business grow more quickly and easily. Like any Perk, this happens only once per month.
1: Reduces Business Grow for Level 1 Business to 30 actions.
2: Reduces level 2 and 1 to 20 actions.
3: Reduces level 3 grows to 50 actions.
4: Reduces Level 4 Grows to 85 actions, and level 3 to 40 actions.
5: Reduces Level 5 to 110 actions, and Level 4 to 70 actions.

Businesses are persistent in the world once created unless destroyed through plot and story. They do not cost exp, and their ownership can be transferred IC to another character simply by giving them the item card that represents control of the business. See your Paper ST to get your monthly payout the first game of each month, or simply inform us of which benefit you'd like to gain normally and it will be in your Player Folder.

Acquisition: 7 actions + 5x current level in actions to increase. Also requires a Charisma + Expression roll at difficulty 8, requiring a number of successes equal to the level being increased to.

Maintenance: 1 action per month per level. Each maintenance action requires a roll related to the reason for the fame at difficulty 6 with a number of successes equal to the character’s Fame rating.

Special: This background carries with it the additional risk of the attention of interested mortals and mortal authorities. It is best suited on an alternate identity, as to keep it away from harming the vampire’s supernatural life.

Fame and Feeding

Fame adds a point of blood to every feeding action you take during downtimes. If you spend 3 actions to feed with a fame of 3, you will get 9 blood plus whatever style of feeding you used.

Fame and Influence

Fame allows a vampire to get in to see the people she wants to see. It is considerably easier to make mortal contacts and allies with the fame background. A vampire can arrange, once a month, a meeting with a mortal of equal power to her dots in fame.

Downsides: This background carries with it the additional risk of the attention of interested mortals and mortal authorities. If your character is anything but a Neonate, you must have a mortal Alternate Identity of equal level as this background to use it without the risk of undo attentions into your private business and activities. Even with that background, however, issues may still arise from time to time if you are in a very public situation. Maintaining this background also requires that you make at least token appearances in public from time to time, either in person or on camera, and adds the amount of blood necessary for your character to masquerade as human one time to your character's Blood Debt.

Acquisition: Character creation and/or story only.

Maintenance: One downtime action per month in chiminage negotiations. Specific requirements of chiminage are unique to each fetish.

Acquisition: 7 actions + 5x current rating in actions to increase.

Maintenance: 1 action per level per month.

Herd represents ready access to blood, be it from mortals or preserved containers, and adds 1 Blood Point per dot to your character's starting pool each game. The extra blood from Herd can be given to others if the owner of the Background wishes.

The Herd background greatly increases one’s efficiency and ability to feed. Herd allows the vampire to feed a number of times per week equal to his Herd rating without taking a downtime action to do so. However, Herd can only be used so often before it is damaged. For more information on feeding, look here

You can only use your herd a number of times per month equal to your herd x medicine score before you begin to cause your herd members to get anemia and start getting seriously sick.

Acquisition: 7 downtime actions + 5x current level in actions to increase. Without sufficient in game story as to source of Library, this background requires an Intelligence + Investigation roll at difficulty 8, requiring a number of successes equal to the level being grown to.

Maintenance: 1 downtime action per month.

A lab or library is a collection of books and items to assist a single knowledge ability. The background in the new V20 Giovanni clan lore, "Relic" is part of an Occult Lab and is therefore obsoleted by this background existing. These backgrounds are fully transferrable, and can be used by anyone you give access to them. In each lab there are collections of books AND items to assist in physical useage. In example: An occult lab/library has both books and basic ritual components, as well as quills and empty flasks for research. To use a lab in game takes 25 minutes out of game, as you are researching and taking advantage of the entirety of its benefit.

1: A few books: +1 die to Occult dice pools.
2: A modest Collection: +1 die to dice pools, -1 to difficulties
3: Many noteworthy titles: +2 dice to dice pools, -1 difficulties.
4: A wide variety of lore: +2 to dice pools, -2 to difficulties.
5: A veritable magical encyclopedia: +3 dice to dice pools, -2 difficulties on checks.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only to acquire the first dot. 2x current rating in actions to increase.

Maintenance: 1 action per month.

Special: Personal relationship backgrounds with specific people like Mentor may be lost through character actions that displease the individual and cause them to cut ties.

Acquisition: 7 downtime actions + 5x current level in actions to increase.

Maintenance: 1 downtime action per level per month to maintain. Also requires payment of a minimum of $50,000 per level per month to maintain as well as a Charisma + Leadership roll at difficulty 7, requiring a number of successes equal to the current level each month.

Acquisition: 3 downtime actions + 2x current level in actions to increase.

Maintenance: 1 downtime action per month to maintain. Also requires payment of a minimum of $10,000 per month per level to maintain, as well as a Charisma + Leadership roll at difficulty 5 requiring a number of successes equal to the current level each month.

This day in age, Kindred need a few good people to protect them while they sleep, to perform complicated tasks the Kindred may have little to no skill in, to provide competent back-up to win a battle; the Minions Background are not these people. These are the uneducated, easily dominated folk who are trained only a small array of Abilities, always non-combat. These are the mortals who tend your household chores, ride around trying to make it seem like your neighborhood is being patrolled, and other mundane tasks that are beneath a Kindred - or even a Ghoul. They may be capable of temporarily taking arms should your house come under attack, but it is unlikely that even that brave minority would survive long against those trained to fight.

The Minions Background represents a larger number of less skilled, less unique NPCs than what the Retainer background gives. For skilled lackies who are combat-ready or more capable, please use the Retainers Background.

The Minions Attribute spread is 5/4/3 with Attributes capped at 3. Three main Abilities may be at 2 and another 5 may be at 1. The available abilities exclude brawl, dodge, firearms, and melee. They all have a Willpower of 3. All of the minions selected have the same "sheet," with the same abilities and attributes for uniformity, and exp and freebies may not be spent to customize them. For specific exceptional characters amongst your group, use Retainers.

Here you can see the breakdown of minions. If you'd like, each dot may represent a different group. Each group shares one sheet.

• 10 minions.
•• 20 minions.
••• 30 minions.
•••• 40 minions.
••••• 50 minions.

• Separate groups of Minions may have a different spread of Abilities and Attributes (Perhaps one group representing a Street Gang with Streetwise or Intimidate while your character also maintains a Research staff focusing on Academics and Science)
• Minions may not steer and grow Businesses, but they may be used in conjunction with Leadership to be trained assistants any task for yourself or one of your Retainers that they have the appropriate Abilities for.
• A given character may only have 5 dots of Minions.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only. Special – must be built up from a Mortal Contact which must be acquired first. Conversion from Mortal Contact requires 3x Contact rating in actions as well as sufficient story to justify change in relationship.

Maintenance: 1 action per level per month. Allies don’t like it when they are ignored.

Special: Allies count you as their ally as well and may ask things of you.

Mortal Contacts and Allies are people of significant influence in the mortal world that you have some hold over, whether close or not. They are defined as belonging to an 'influence', and can assist your character with these skills.

Allies will do things without asking for payment, but are harder to secure, and will also expect that your character will work toward their own ends, as well.




For Examples of what a Mortal Ally might be able to do within their sphere of Influence, click here

Acquisition: Character creation [Costs 1 point for 2 dots, half as much as normal backgrounds] or story only. Contacts cannot be increased in rating save through story as their rating represents their power and standing as well as how much they can help you. Acquisition time is 5x the desired Contact level in actions.

Maintenance: 0 action per month.

Special: Contacts will always want direct payment for services they give you.

Mortal Contacts and Allies are people of significant influence in the mortal world that you have some hold over, whether close or not. They are defined as belonging to an 'influence', and can assist your character with these skills.

Contacts will expect payment up front.

Acquisition: 5 downtime actions + 3x current rating to increase. Also requires an amount of money equal to the liquidated value of the desired level to increase as well as an Intelligence + Finance roll at difficulty 6, requiring a number of successes equal to the desired level. Large amounts of money may be acquired through story, but Resources dots rarely are.

Maintenance: 2x level in downtime actions per month to maintain.

Special: Resources represents a reliable source of continuing income. In addition to all of the character’s basic bills (food, appropriate housing, vehicles, insurance, etc.), Resources gives an amount of money each month depending on level as per the chart below.

Resources 1 $1,000
Resources 2 $2,000
Resources 3 $6,000
Resources 4 $25,000
Resources 5 $75,000

Resources may be liquidated for larger amounts of money immediately, however doing so decreases your Resources rating by 1. The amounts gained from resource liquidation are as follows.

Resources 1 $5,000
Resources 2 $15,000
Resources 3 $50,000
Resources 4 $500,000
Resources 5 $5,000,000

Acquisition: Character creation or by story only.

Maintenance: 1 downtime action per month.

Special: Each retainer is purchased on its own rating of 1-5 depending on its power level. A 1 dot retainer is assumed to be an ordinary mortal. For each additional dot spent in a Retainer, that Retainer gains an additional 10 Freebie points. Retainer dots may also be spent to give it supernatural advantages. 1 extra dot may be spent to make a retainer into a minor supernatural such as a Ghoul or Sorcerer (Only 2 starting dots in Numina). 4 extra dots may be spent to make a Retainer a major supernatural such as a Vampire or Werewolf. In general, merits and flaws with rarity point costs will not be accepted on npc retainers, although exceptions may be made.

Retainers are always considered to be loyal to their master as a baseline, though neglect or mistreatment may change this.

Character sheets for Retainers acquired in game are not made by the player. The Storytellers will provide the player with a character sheet for the newly acquired Retainer as well as informing him how many points it is worth when he acquires it.

A player may spend his own experience points to enhance his Retainers as he wishes.

Animal Ghouls
Animals require a negligible amount of your vitae's power to maintain, and are represented in item cards. They can only have physical or instinctual disciplines that they manifest.

Feeding Your Ghouls
Each ghoul you keep, animal or otherwise, costs you a blood a month to maintain. Every month you lose blood equal to your ghouls, and you must make that up through extra feeding actions. Each time they would spend vitae in your defense, they must be given vitae from your pool. In order to keep paperwork simple, we assume you keep your ghouls fully fed. In example: if Timmy the ghoul blows for his potence, you will give us blood as if Timmy spent it.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only.

Maintenance: Story.

Special: This background functions very similar to Status, save that it represents prestige within a single Clan. Each trait is still represented by an adjective in the same manner as Status, but there is usually a less robust system around its use. There is no formalized system for lending or Prestige as there is for Status.

Prestige may be gained and lost in different ways for different sects (usually by a superiour within the organization) or by the following system much like the Status system. A character may gain or lose Prestige by a number of people in the organization, all of whom have at least 1 dot of Prestige, equal to the new level of prestige being gained or the current level of prestige (whichever is higher) to grant or strip Prestige. At least one of these people must have a Prestige rating equal to or higher than the desired rating of the target or his current rating (whichever is higher). Unlike Status, increasing or decreasing someone’s Prestige does not require that anyone burn a Prestige trait of their own. Unless specifically permitted to by an internal position, a single individual may not lead the action of granting or stripping of prestige of a single individual more than once per 3 months.

Prestige by its very nature must be publicized in some way and all characters within the organization in question are assumed to be up to date on all Prestige changes. To find out someone’s Prestige in any organization, a player must roll Intelligence + Politics at difficulty 6. The character must have the appropriate Specialty in that clan to make this roll at all. 1 success gives the amount of personal Status possessed by the individual, while 3 successes gives each of the associated traits. 5 successes gives the circumstances in which each trait was acquired.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only.

Maintenance: Story

Special: Status is an entirely IC system that is not handled through the usual background systems. Status represents a broad reputation over the Sabbat as a whole. For reputation among smaller subgroups, see the Clan Prestige background.

As this is a LARP, Status is being run out of the Mind’s Eye Theatre books and not by the usual tabletop background. An explanation of the basic system is presented below, though a full description of the intricacies of Sabbat Status is explained in its own page.

For Status, each point taken in the background is linked with an adjective trait representing something you are known for. Some examples are Strong, Dedicated, Loyal, Cunning, Deadly, Undefeated, etc. There are additional Status traits awarded based on membership in the Sabbat as well as other conditions such as being on an approved Path or holding Court positions these additional traits are not considered personal status and do not count towards the cap. A character may have a maximum of 5 personal Status traits at any given time.

A character may also gain negative status traits. These also have adjectives associated in the same way such as Brutish, Naïve, Fool, Coward, etc. These traits subtract from the character’s overall Status score, though do not count toward the cap of 5 personal Status. Negative Status traits may be taken at character creation as Flaws, worth one point each.

Status traits may be loaned to another person or a specific course of action. This represents backing that person or action by literally putting your name behind it. Once status has been loaned to a person, he may treat that loaned status as his own in all respects save that the actual owner may recall it at any time prior to that Status being lost. A character may loan a maximum of one status to each individual, but may loan them indefinitely. A character may loan as many status traits as he wishes to a given course of action in support, but beware that if that course fails, some or all of those status traits loaned to support it will likely be lost.

A character may gain or lose status by another person gathering a number of Status traits equal to double the character’s current or desired status level (whichever is higher). That person then burns one of his own status traits (or one of the loaned ones) to grant or strip the target of status.

Additionally Status may be granted by those in court positions. For specifics, see the Status page.

Status by its very nature must be publicized in some way and all characters within the Sect in question are assumed to be up to date on all Status changes. To find out someone’s Status in any Sect, a player must roll Intelligence + Politics. If the character has the Specialty relating to that Sect, the roll is difficulty 6. If he does not, the roll is difficulty 10. 1 success gives the amount of personal Status possessed by the individual, while 3 successes gives each of the associated traits. 5 successes gives the circumstances in which each trait was acquired.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only.

Maintenance: 1 downtime action per month. Also requires a successful Manipulation + Leadership or Intimidation at difficulty equal to 5+ Spirit Slave rating to maintain. If maintained through Necromancy, all normal maintenance requirements are waived in lieu of the cost of a Permanent Willpower point per year per Spirit Slave.

Special: Spirit Slaves is treated similar to Retainers in that each Spirit Slave is given its own rating of 1-5. For each additional dot spent in a Spirit Slave, that Spirit Slave gains an additional 10 Freebie points. Spirit Slave dots may also be spent to give them advantages as well.

Spirit slaves are not often the wraiths of old. In the modern nights, they are more common to be shells of the former glory of wraiths and their once large guilds. While some wraiths do maintain the power that once was, few are so lucky.

1pt - You may create a spirit slave with 2 powers that are equivalent to level 1 disciplines, these must be taken from the list of disciplines below. The creation is the same as a ghoul. They still act on the other side of the shroud and can only peek, they cannot manifest on this side--they are too weak. On the other hand, they are always invisible and intangible.
2pt - You may add 10 freebies to the 1pt spirit slave, and they may go up to level 2 disciplines. They may manifest to effect people on the other side of the shroud.
3pt - You may add 20 freebies to the 1pt spirit slave, and they may go up to level 3 disciplines.
4pt - You may create a starting wraith from the 2nd ed book Wraith: The Oblivion.
5pt - You may add 10 freebies to the 4pt Wraith or create a Spectre.

Eligible Disciplines: Vicissitude (Only usable on wraiths), Dementation, Movement of the Mind, Flight, Lure of Flames, Chimerstry

Spirit Slaves maintained with Necromancy are always loyal to their masters through the compulsion of that magic. Spirit Slaves held by coercion or intimidation are not particularly loyal and only serve to avoid punishment.

Character sheets for Spirit Slaves acquired in game are not made by the player. The Storytellers will provide the player with a character sheet for the newly acquired Spirit Slave as well as informing him how many points it is worth when he acquires it.

A player may spend his own experience points to enhance his Spirit Slaves how he wishes.

Acquisition: Character creation or story only.

Maintenance: 1 action per level per month. Allies don’t like it when they are ignored.

An ally is a character that cares about your well being and will proactively stick their neck out to pull you out of a jam. The relationship with an NPC Supernatural normally begins as a Contact and may upgrade to an Ally. Consider how such relationships arise:

Let's say your character wants to hire some muscle for some sort of conflict, and he wants to get the help of a local gang. As a PC, this usually looks like going up to the gang and stating your case, to which they usually reply "What's in it for us, man?" And you offer them some sort of recompense. Maybe cash, maybe you can use your Police influence to get one of their guys out of lock-up, whatever, but these guys aren't your friends and they want to be paid. At best, if you don't freak them out and you seem cool, now you've got someone who will take your calls if you need him. Someone you can get in Contact with. That's realistic. One scene of RP with an NPC that goes well and you have grounds to buy that guy as a Contact. It's not until later that these guys would even dream of sticking their neck out for you if you were in a jam. That's what Allies do.

Consider another example: As part of a plot, an Archon rolls into town and starts asking important people uncomfortable questions. He's looking for, say, a Sabbat infiltrator, and because the bad guy has Vis, he can be anyone so the Archon has to do a witch hunt. During his stay, you provide him with some useful intel that leads to the capture of the bad guy. On his way out of town you stop him and say "Hey, it was good working with you. I'd like to do so again sometime." He nods at you, and gives you his card with his info. He knows who you are, and he'll take your calls if you call him,(Ie, you are in "Contact") but he isn't flying back to Seattle because some Malkavian used some Dementation on you. He's a busy dude. But if it's convenient, and worthwhile for him, he might help here or there. If you work with him over time or somehow gain his true trust, you might be able to buy him as an Ally.

If that happens, the Contact leaves your sheet and he becomes an Ally.

Supernatural NPCs rating in dots is a fixed value based on the approximate power of that character.

1 Point: Neonate, Well-placed ghoul
2 Points: Ancilla, Rising star,
3 Points: Average Primogen, Well placed ancillas, Average Court Positions
4 Points: Harpies, Exceptional Primogen, Seneschals, Sherrifs, Regents
5 Points: Leader of a city such as a Bishop or a Prince, Lords, or well-placed elders such as Archons

If an NPC changes station due to storyline, everyone with that NPC will automatically have the dots adjusted for no cost.

Acquisition: Character creation [Costs 1 point for 2 dots, half as much as normal backgrounds] or story only.

Maintenance: None.

A Contact is a character that you can get in Contact with and will deal with you fairly. See Supernatural Allies, above for all relevant information.