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Backgrounds |
Allies
This represents the character's clients. Unlike cannon Allies, these
clients can start the game blood bound, if you wish, or be easily blood
bound once the game starts. Clients are not at the character's beck and
call though. They are mortal personages of some importance, and so have
their own duties to perform if they are going to remain useful. Allies,
being clients, are protected by immortal custom. This is not a perfect
protection, but does provide a good defense, even for neonates. Kindred
clients are not covered by this trait, nor any trait. They must be
acquired and maintained by roleplaying. A character's rating provides a
single client per dot.
Fame
Mostly similar to cannon. Someone's fame in the Provinces can only
spread so far. Only by becoming known in one of the great cities of the
empire can one achieve a Fame of 4 or 5.
Influence
Mostly similar to cannon. This influence represents
your clients' clients, or simply personal and supernatural connections
you have. Influence is generally more effective per point than Allies,
but your Influences are not protected by immortal custom in the way that
Allies are. Influence represents control of the mortal world only,
control over Kindred can occur only by role-playing.
Library
This is a new Background. This represents the resources a character
can bring to bear when investigating a problem. So a Library does not
have to consist of only books. A history library might have busts as
famous historical figures as well as history books. Much like certain
Abilities, the Library score is specialized in a single area. Outside
that area of expertise the Library score acts as if it were two lower,
with a minimum of zero. A library can specialize in any Knowledge or
Lore, with specialization if needed. So a Library could specialize in
Politics, or Academics(History), but not Academics in general. Library
adds its rating to Knowledge and Lore rolls, but it takes time to use
the maximum Library rating. For each dot of Library that a character
wishes to use 2^dots days are used. So someone with a Library
(Philosophy) of 4 but with limited time could spend 4 days to add two
dice to a Philosophy roll. The same character could also spend 4 days to
add two dice to a History roll. The same character could take more time
and spend 16 days to add four dice to a Philosophy roll. Finally, the
same character could not ever add four dice to a History roll, as his
or her Library (Philosophy) score is 4.
O: You have collected a few works. 20 Books.
OO: You have a library similar to those of the Rome's aristocracy, or a
Provincial public library. 100 Books.
OOO: Your library rivals Rome's greatest public libraries. 500 Books.
OOOO: The great schools of Greece envy your library. 2000 Books.
OOOOO: Only the library of Alexandria could have exceeded your
collection. 10,000 Books.
Resources
Mostly similar to cannon. The general guidelines of poor, middle
class, and rich apply here, but the exact amount of money is, obviously,
in Roman terms. The divisions between the rich and the poor are more
dramatic than in modern times as well. Not that they aren't pretty darn
dramatic in modern times. The below values are correct for Gaul, and
most of the Provinces, but not Rome. In Rome its generally much more
expensive to be rich and the income of the poor is much less (but it is
supplemented by the bread dole). Renting a large apartment in a
Provincial city might cost 400 sesterces a month. Upkeep on a manor
house in a Provincial city is 1000 sesterces a month and up. Keeping a
horse in the city is also about 1000 sesterces a month.
O: 100 sesterces a month, no holdings
OO: 250 sesterces a month, holdings of 1000 sesterces.
OOO: 500 sesterces a month, holdings of 5000 sesterces.
OOOO: 1000 sesterces a month, holdings of 50,000 sesterces.
OOOOO: 5000 sesterces a month, holdings of 500,000 sesterces
Retainers
This represents the character's servants (mostly slaves). Servants
are at the character's beck and call, but they do not have any inherent
importance. Increasing this rating could seem as simple as buying
slaves, and it is, but note that slaves are expensive, between 500 and
1000 sesterces for an untrained slave. All of a character's retainers
are protected as his or her clients are. A character's rating provides
both trained and untrained servants. Untrained servants have average
attributes and a rating of one in most common abilities. Trained
servants have mostly average attributes with two or three attributes at
three. They have a rating of one in most common abilities, except for
their specialty ability, which has a three. A trained servant might
serve as a guard (Str 3, Sta 3, Wit 3, Melee 3) or a scribe (Dex 3, Int
3, Academics 3) or just about anything the player can imagine. The
character receives 2^(dots) mortals who act as untrained servants and a
number of mortals equal to plain dots who are trained servants.
O: 2 untrained servant, 1 trained servant
OO: 4 untrained servants, 2 trained servants
OOO: 8 untrained servants, 3 trained servants
OOOO: 16 untrained servants, 4 trained servants
OOOOO: 32 untrained servants, 5 trained servants
Status
This Background is significantly changed from cannon. First of all, Status
cannot be bought at character creation, though certain Merits and Flaws increase
or decrease Status. Second, Status is recorded as two separate scores, permanent
and temporary Status, in the same way Garou Glory is recorded. Status can be
written as permanent/temporary. Temporary status may range from 0 to 9. When
10 or more temporary status is achieved a new point of permanent Status is gained,
plus any left over points of temporary Status. When temporary Status falls to
a negative number, the permanent Status is decreased. In other words Status
functions as a decimal number. The default starting Status is 1 permanent Status
and 0 temporary Status. So a two point increase to temporary Status would increase
the starting Status score to 1/2. A two point decrease, on the other hand, would
reduce the starting Status to 0/8. The permanent Status value has the same meaning
as the cannon Status score. Differences in permanent Status as always immediately
apparent to Kindred. The temporary Status value represents the constant jockeying
for power between vampires. Small differences in temporary Status may not be
immediately apparent to Kindred. A difference of more than a point, however,
will be apparent. Temporary status can fluctuate a fair amount over time with
several points being gained or lost in a single year. On average though, the
net temporary Status gain is about a point every ten years.
O: Neonate
OO: Ancilla
OOO: Elder
OOOO: Praetor
OOOOO: Legate