Backgrounds

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Reference Lists
Archetypes	Abilities	Attributes
Flaws	Merits	Powers

General

• Home Base: See 'Chantry' in the Mage section

Resources
	$500/month - $1,000 if liquidated - small savings - tiny apartment, cheap vehicle
	$1,200/month - $8,000 if liquidated - middle class - apartment or condo, sturdy vehicle
	$3,000/month - $50,000 if liquidated - large savings - small house, mid-sized vehicle
	$9,000/month - $500,000 if liquidated - well off - large house, luxury vehicle
	$30,000/month - $5,000,000 if liquidated - rich - mansion, limousine

• A +note is required when taking Resources at 4 or above.

Fame Subculture City State National Global A +note is required when taking this background. Describe how you are famous.

Influence City State Regional National Global Influence dots can be allocated to multiple areas via +note (e.g. 3 total = 2 media + 1 criminal) A +note is required listing the type of influence. See Influence for much more detail on how to use this background

Alternate Identity

"Alternate Identity (background)" Fake driver's license One supporting document Reasonable set of supporting documents Established identity Fully supported identity with history, government documentation, alibis and witnesses

The Alternate Identity background (1 to 5 dots, The Bitter Road 113) is for presenting an alternate identity to mortal society. Mundane research into the supporting paperwork requires Intelligence + Investigation vs (3 + background level) to identify it as fake. The Alternate Identity merit (3 dots, Guide to the Camarilla 76) is for presenting an alternate identity to a supernatural faction. (House rule: 2 dots to pass as a different clan/etc. within your actual faction, 1 dot if passing as something low-status like Caitiff/Pander.) This is NOT GUARANTEED to hold up under the scrutiny of other PCs, and if it doesn't then you will not receive a refund of any sort. Some factions, including but not necessarily limited to the Camarilla and Gaian Garou, pro-actively investigate every single new PC as a matter of course. You may not need either of these. See Alternate Identity house rules for full details.

NPCs

• Allies: One NPC per dot, or fewer but more powerful NPCs. Allies can have influence, besides jobs/hobbies/nefarious things that they can do. You should list them with following:

1) Who are they?

2) What do they do for a living?

3) What do they do that is specifically of interest to you? List any specific abilities.

4) How did they become your Ally?

5) How do you keep them as one? (i.e.: Do you pay them by the job? Do you have leverage? Were they your sister's brother's cousin's ex-roommate? Were you on the same t-ball team for 3 years? Did you save them from drowning once?)

6) Do they have a specific influence and what level?

**DO NOT MAKE HUGE PARAGRAPHS TO NOTE YOUR ALLIES. Just the bullet points with relevant details.**

• Only one Ally can be called upon per month. Allies cannot be set for watch actions.
• When you wish to engage one of your Allies to do something, please list in the +request which Ally, and how you will approach them/pay them/make the ask to do what you need done. Depending on that, staff will decide whether a +roll will be needed.
• Unlike Retainers, Allies can just refuse to do something, and can be lost. Use of their actions can also be caught by others, if engaging in some sort of influence back and forth.
• What happens when using an Ally is subjective to the situation and is all up to Staff Discretion.

• Contacts: One major NPC per dot, plus some minor NPCs (need not be detailed in advance)
• Mentor: The more dots, the more powerful they are
• Retainers/Followers: One NPC per dot (Not Available to Wraiths)

For race-specific types of NPC, see Background NPCs.

Bygone

• Years (Bygone Bestiary p. 106)

Changeling

Details: Changeling/Backgrounds

• Chimera (WW92041 Changeling: the Dreaming (20th Anniversary) pg.#169)
• Companion (WW92041 Changeling: the Dreaming (20th Anniversary) pg.#169)
• Dreamers (Changeling: The Dreaming, 2nd Ed. p. 147)
• Dross (+rules Dross)
• Fae Steed
• Holdings (Changeling: The Dreaming, 2nd Ed. p. 148)
• Retinue (Changeling: The Dreaming, 2nd Ed. p. 148)
• Title (Changeling: The Dreaming, 2nd Ed. p. 149 for Western Kithain, Land of Eight Million Dreams p. 92 for Hsien)
• Treasure (Changeling: The Dreaming, 2nd Ed. p. 149)
• Trod (Book of Lost Dreams p. 45)

Shadow Court

• Political Connections (Nobles: The Shining Host p. 74)
• Prestige (Shadow Court p. 76)

Boggans

• Warren (Kithbook: Boggans p. 76)

Eshu

• Orisha Bond (Kithbook: Eshu p. 84)
• Royal Lineage (Kithbook: Eshu p. 84)

Nockers

• Golem (Kithbook: Nockers p. 55)

Sidhe

• Scathach Status (Book of Lost Houses p. 104, 111)

Kinain

• Feth Fiada (The Enchanted p. 72)

Inanimae

• Husk (Inanimae: The Secret Way p. 67)
• Regard (Inanimae: The Secret Way p. 67)

Demon

• Eminence (Demon: the Fallen Core, p. 153)
• Legacy ((Demon: the Fallen Core, p. 156)
• Pacts (Demon: the Fallen Core, p. 156)
• Paragon (Demon: the Fallen Core, p. 157)

Mage

Details: Mage/Backgrounds and House_Rules/Mage#Backgrounds

• Arcane/Cloaking (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 118)
• Avatar/Genius (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 118)
• Blessing (Guide to the Traditions 212)
• Chantry (Guide to the Traditions p. 215)
  • Construct: Use 'Home Base' instead.
• Cray
• Cult (Guide to the Traditions p. 214)
• Demesne (Guide to the Traditions p. 216)
• Destiny (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 119)
• Dream/Hypercram (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 120)
• Familiar Companion/Companion (Forged by Dragon's Fire)
• Legend (Guide to the Traditions p. 219)
• Library (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 121)
• Node (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 122)
• Past Lives (mage) (Guide to the Traditions p. 220)
• Sanctum/Laboratory (Guide to the Traditions p. 220)
• Spirit Ally (Traditionbook: Dreamspeakers, Revised p. 61)
• Wonder/Device (Mage: The Ascension, Revised Ed. p. 123)

Sorcerer

• Chole (Sorcerer, Revised Ed. p. 51)
• Guide (Sorcerer, Revised Ed. p. 52)
• Mana (Sorcerer, Revised Ed. p. 53)
• Sanctuary

Technocracy

• Backup (Guide to the Technocracy p. 179)
• Enhancement (Guide to the Technocracy p. 180)
• Patron (Guide to the Technocracy p. 182)
• Requisitions (Guide to the Technocracy p. 182)
• Secret Weapons (Guide to the Technocracy p. 183)
• Spies (Guide to the Technocracy p. 184)

Progenitors

• Cephalomorph (Progenitors Revised p. 76)
• Cetaceomorph (Progenitors Revised p. 78)
• Dracomorph (Progenitors Revised p. 79)
• Sauromorph (Progenitors Revised p. 80)

Shifter

• Ancestors (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Revised Ed. p. 120)
• Familiar Spirit (Werewolf Players Guide, 2nd Ed. p. 34)
• Fate (Player's Guide to the Garou p. 169)
• Fetish (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Revised Ed. p. 121)
• Kinfolk (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Revised Ed. p. 121)
• Numen (Player's Guide to the Garou p. 170)
• Pure Breed (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Revised Ed. p. 121)
• Rites (background) (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Revised Ed. p. 123), Note: Only available in character generation. Must also have Rituals (Primary Knowledge) at level of highest Rite. See the character generation cheat sheet for additional details.
• Spirit Heritage (Player's Guide to the Garou p. 169)
• Spirit Network (Book Of Auspices p. 58)
• Totem (Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Revised Ed. p. 123), see also house rules
• Touched (Player's Guide to the Garou p. 171)

Kinfolk

• Equipment (Kinfolk: Unsung Heroes p. 49)
• Renown (Kinfolk: Unsung Heroes p. 51) - chargen only, requires +note describing IC circumstances

Kinfolk can also take most shifter backgrounds. Exceptions:

• Fetish (must buy Fetish merit instead or have a PC give you one)
• Rites (only shifters have this level of connection to the spirits)

Possessed

• Consecrated (Possessed: a Player's Guide p. 102)
• Cult (Possessed: a Player's Guide p. 103)
• Symbiosis (Possessed: a Player's Guide p. 105)

Fera

Bastet

• Den Realm (Player's Guide to the Changing Breeds p. 160) - requires Shifter Rank 3+
• Jamak (Breedbook: Bastet p. 84)
• Trinket (Breedbook: Bastet p. 85)

Corax

• Other People's Secrets
• Umbral Maps

Gurahl

• Umbral Glade (Breedbook: Gurahl p. 88)

Kitsune

• Batsu (Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East p. 161)
• Go-en Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East p. 161)
• Sempai (Hengeyokai: Shapeshifters of the East p. 162)

Mokole

• Mnesis (Player's Guide to the Changing Breeds p. 162)
• Wallow (Breedbook: Mokolé p. 54)

Ratkin

• Colony (Breedbook: Ratkin p. 64)
• Freak Factor (Breedbook: Ratkin p. 65)

Rokea

• Remora (Breedbook: Rokea p. 63)

Vampire

• Black Hand Membership (Guide to the Sabbat p. 93)
• Clan Prestige (Vampire: The Masquerade First Edition Players Guide, p. 58)
• Generation (Vampire: The Masquerade, Revised Ed. p. 131)
• Herd (Vampire: The Masquerade, Revised Ed. p. 131)
• Information Network (Clanbook: Nosferatu, Revised Ed. p. 69)
• Occult Library (background) (Blood Magic: Secrets of Thaumaturgy p. 89)
• Rituals (background) (Guide to the Sabbat p. 94)
• Spirit Slave (Clanbook: Giovanni, Revised Ed. p. 67)
• Status (Vampire: The Masquerade, Revised Ed. p. 133)

Ghoul

• Domitor (background) (Ghouls: Fatal Addiction p. 82)

Kuei-jin

• Artifact
• Horoscope (Kindred of the East p. 86)
• Jade Talisman (Kindred of the East p. 86)
• Nushi (Kindred of the East p. 87)
• Rites (Kindred of the East p. 87)

Wraith

• Artifact (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 128)
  • Can be bought any number of times (total goes on +sheet, XP cost is per item currently being acquired, '+rules magical items' caps apply as usual)
• Eidolon (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 129)
• Haunt (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 129)
• Legacy (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 130)
• Living Family (Dark Kingdom of Jade p. 126)
• Magisterial Office (Dark Kingdom of Jade p. 127)
• Memoriam (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 131)
• Notoriety (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 131)
• Old Soul (Wraith Players Guide p. 39)
• Relic (Wraith: The Oblivion, 2nd Ed. p. 132)
• Remembrance
• Wraith Family (Dark Kingdom of Jade p. 127)

Please file

• Backers (Project Twilight p. 17)
• Military
• Past Elder Status
• Past Weapons
• Royal Title
• Secret Pure Spirit