User:Deacon
Influence System
Influence System Basics
This system is designed to allow players to utilize certain stats to influence the world around them and to gather information. The background stats impacted by this system are:
- Resources
- Contacts
- Allies
- Spies
- Backup
- Retainers
- Domain/Territory
The system below will explain how to utilize each background in the system, but the basic idea of this influence system is that you act through your agents – retainers, contacts, allies, and spies to influence the world. Your actual influence rating allows you to exercise your personal power to aid in your own or your assets efforts. Your Influence score represents your personal influence and ability to manipulate situations in the world and your assets are tools to exercise control over ares of society.
Purchasing Influence
The Influence Background can be purchased at x3 cost and goes from 1-5.
Areas of Influence
A player can have a maximum Areas of Influence equal to their Influence score. Areas of Influence determine where the player can have assets. Players cannot purchase assets outside of the Areas they have influence.
For example, Kilroy has Influence 2, Contacts 2 and Allies 3, Resources 3. He can select two Areas of Influence that he can purchase assets in. He chooses Media and Medical. He can assign any of his Contacts and Allies assets in Media and Medical. He could not have one of his Allies be in the Underworld. If he had Influence 3, he could add Underworld and then add another contact who was Underworld. If he uses Resources 3 to purchase assets, he only can purchase those in Medical or Media.
Areas of Influence and Backgrounds
Influence can be useful for aiding in the efforts of your Retainers, Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup.
There are a couple of stipulations on how Influence dice are used:
- You gain as many Influence dice as you have Influence background each Influence Cycle.
- These Influence dice can be assigned to actions taken by Retainers, Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup.
- Dice can only be assigned to Contacts and Allies within their Areas of Influence. For example, if a PC has Community and Religion Areas of Influence, they could not assign any Influence dice to a Transportation Contact (but they could purchase that type of contact).
- Players can divide up their Influence dice however they wish between Influence actions.
- Spies, Retainers, and Backup do not have Areas of Influence and can be freely assigned Influence dice. The ST may decide that those dice do not apply depending on the situation.
For example, if your Underworld Influence ally goes out to gather some intel on the streets, and you have Influence 3. You could choose to give them up to 3 more dice to roll for that for that Influence action they are taking. If you had two Underworld allies, you could choose to split the 3 dice between two actions how you like. If you also had an Academic ally but did not have Academics as one of your Areas of Influence, you could not assign any dice to that ally (but you still could have it).
This system is designed to encourage players to select Contacts and Allies assets that generally align with their chosen Areas of Influence. In this way, players can get the maximum benefit out of them. It is possible for a player to have Media and Medical influence, as Kilroy, and still buy a Legal Contact. However, that player would not be able to use their Influence dice to help in its actions.
Influence on Player Rolls
The Influence background is useful beyond giving dice to your Retainers, Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup. It’s possible to have Influence dice and not have a single asset background.
Instead of allocating dice to their assets, the player can use the extra dice to aid either their efforts or the efforts of their Retainers in some way. These extra dice can be applied to any dice roll that the Storyteller determines is valid for that Influence to apply. The player can only tap into Areas of Influence they already have and must explain to the Storyteller exactly how they are using their Influence. There is no limit on how many Influence dice can be used but it only be used once per scene.
There are a couple of stipulations on how these dice are used:
- The dice from Influence can only be assigned to rolls that ‘make sense’ in the context of the player or retainer’s action or the scene. High Society influence is unlikely to be useful on a break-in.
- Players can divide up their Influence dice however they wish between actions but only be able to use up to their total Influence rating in the scene.
- There is no limit to how many times a Influence dice can be used in a specific Area of Influence. For example, a player with Influence 4 in Underworld and High Society could split their Influence die pool in half to aid on two different actions, both actions related to Underworld or High Society, or, if it applies to the scene, one die pool in each area.
For example, Moe wants to break into a building and decides to tap his Influence to aid him. He has Influence 3 and one of his Areas of Influence is Government. He decides that he will pull strings with Public Works get the power cut to the location he wants to break into. The Storyteller calls for a Wits + Security roll for Moe to successfully break in but because Moe pulled some strings to get the power cut, he can add up to 3 additional dice to that roll. He cannot use Influence again in that scene as his pool is used. If he had Influence 5, he still would have 2 dice to use for another action.
This part of the system is roughly designed to give characters a potential edge in areas that they have Influence, especially if their personal skills and dice pools line up with places they can help. A person skilled in Streetwise and Larceny will get more help from the Underworld than one who is not.
Power Brokering
The Power Brokering ability allows characters to break the rules and assign up to their stat in Power Brokering to another Area of Influence that they don’t own. The following stipulations cover the use of this ability:
- Power Brokering can happen once per Influence Cycle.
- Influence dice in an Area of Influence can be converted with this ability.
- As much or as little Influence can be converted up to your Influence and/or Power Brokering ability.
For example, if a PC has Influence 2 in the Areas of Influence of Occult and Transportation, but they need to have access to Underworld Influence to pull off a heist. They can use their Power Brokering 3 to generate 2 Underworld Influence dice for use during that Influence Cycle. The PC can now use these dice for personal dice rolls or even give those dice to an Underworld agent they might have or acquire. One way a PC can acquire assets in Areas of Influence which they don’t have is Resources.
Influence and Resources
The wealthy and powerful can often just purchase what they need at any given time. This background allows player to purchase the use of Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup during an Influence Cycle. This resource can change each Influence Submission Cycle depending on the PC’s needs. The following chart indicates what level of background stats that someone with money can buy:
Resources 1: None
Resources 2: None
Resources 3: 1 Level 1
Resources 4: 1 Level 2
Resources 5: 1 Level 3 or 2 Level 1s
Resources 6: 1 Level 4 or 2 Level 2s
Players can use Resources to purchase Contacts, Allies, Spies, and Backup of the levels listed above. The PC can pick the Area of Influence and Allies and Contacts and Areas of Expertise if they qualify.
For example, if a PC has Level 4 Resources, during an Influence Cycle, they can purchase 1 Level 2 asset. If they purchase an Ally, they can select the Area of Influence for that Ally. This Ally would not qualify for an Area of Expertise, but if they had Level 5 Resources, they could purchase a Level 3 Ally, which would allow that Ally to have 1 Area of Expertise. They also could acquire a Spy or Backup, in the form of guns for hire. All of these assets disappear at the end of the Influence Cycle, but it is also possible for a PC to hold a resource from cycle to cycle if they still have need of that type of asset.
Areas of Influence
The following are the Areas of Influence that exist on the game:
Academic – This is influence among the schools, universities, and educational bureaucracy. This type of influence can be used to gain access to information and facilities to acquire knowledge. This can also be used to manipulate the educational bureaucracy to do what a player wishes and even gain access to records that are not publicly available.
Areas of Expertise: Sciences, Academic Bureaucracy, Research, Records, Field Work, Engineering, Cultural Studies, Economics, Mathematics, Teaching, Field Work
Underworld – Underworld influence is power in crime and illegal activities. This area deals with everything from petty crime, such as pickpocketing, to drug smuggling operations and assassination. A person with this type of influence can lend their influence to help their people perform any manner of illegal deeds, from purchasing illegal goods to acquiring forged documents.
Areas of Expertise: Sex Work, Information Gathering, Illegal Weapons, Fencing, Theft, Gangs, Illegal Drugs, Street Politics, Hits, Scrounging, Forgery, Assault, Kidnapping
Business & Industry – Business and Industry influence is how much pull you have in the corporate world and how much control you have over local business and industry. This area deals with the business world at more than the small business level. A person with this influence can manipulate markets, gain access to prototypes or research, manage corporate buyouts and raids, execute corporate and financial research, or make use of assets that a typical big business has access to.
Areas of Expertise: Investments, Buyouts, Insider Trading, R&D, Records, Stock Markets, Takeovers, Laundering, Accounting & Analysis, Corporate Assets, Money Laundering
Law Enforcement – This is law enforcement influence that can range from local police to federal agencies. Local law enforcement is far easier to manipulate and manage than big agencies like the FBI and CIA. Those with law enforcement influence can launch investigations, execute warrants, steal and manipulate evidence, call for surveillance on a target, and even go so far as to have someone arrested. This is a powerful influence and while many may want it, it can be a double-edge sword; law enforcement tends to be also good at rooting out any type of influence in its ranks.
Areas of Expertise: Investigations, Surveillance, Raids, Evidence, Records, Forensics, Arrests, Assassinations, SWAT, Rumors, Internal Affairs, Law Enforcement Bureaucracy
Legal – Legal influence represents the ability for someone to manipulate the wheels of law and justice. This influence is directly connected to law enforcement and the court. With this influence, someone can arrange to get a lawyer, fight a court case, gain insight into and potentially even influence ongoing court cases, research legal records, and arrange for contracts and agreements. This influence can also be used to tie up others’ efforts in all manner of legal proceedings and red tape.
Areas of Expertise: Corporate Law, Prosecution, Defense, Courts, Litigation, Contract Law, Copyright Law, Real Estate Law, Criminal Law, Tax Law, International Law, Federal Law, Records
Media – Media influence is control over local papers, journalism, news, and other publications. This does not really apply to the internet in the mid-90s, as it was still in its infancy, but there are many more print publications in circulation. With this influence someone can arrange to have a story run or quashed, it can gain access to investigative journalism, interviews, photographs, and videos. This influence is useful for gaining access to certain places and tracking down historical events.
Areas of Expertise: Blackmail, Local News, Advertising, TV, Movies, Newspapers, Conspiracy, Spin Control, Scandals, Investigative Journalism, Interviews, Press Access
Medical – Medical influence represents a connection to the healthcare and medicine community. This can represent connections to local doctors, hospitals, and clinics and even industries that are peripheral to those such as pharmaceutical companies, medical supply, blood banks, and research. With this influence someone can gain easy access to medical care, records, drugs, forensics, and even get research or testing performed. Medicine is often one of the front lines of the battle to suppress information getting to the public and this influence can be used to suppress that.
Areas of Expertise: Forensic Pathology, First Aid, Pharmaceutical, Blood Banks, Clinics, Hospitals, Medical Records, Diseases, Surgery, Paramedics, Medical Testing, Psychiatry
Transportation – Transportation influence is the ability to move goods and people from place to place. This can be via road, rail, plane, or boat. This subtly powerful influence allows for all manner of shipping of products to be done, both legal and illegal. It can ensure that existing shipments have no red tape or excessive red tape. It can also find records on past and current shipments, arrange travel, know when others are travelling, intercept shipments, and ensure that shipments disappear.
Areas of Expertise: Shipping, Rail, Trucking, Aviation, Documentation and Certification, Travel Arrangements, Shipping Records, Smuggling, Shortcuts, Area Knowledge, Getaways
High Society – This area of influence involves the ‘good and the great’ of any given community. The wealthy, famous, and well-positioned of society. This type of influence is deeply tied to the ability to hob nob among those of influence, making friends among their ranks and then ensuring that doors are opened you that may not be to others. This influence can often clear up blockages in other areas, gain admittance to exclusive opportunities, meeting people who are difficult to meet, and gaining favors from the rich and powerful. This influence is also often deeply tied to philanthropy.
Areas of Expertise: Parties, Negotiation, Making Friends, Exclusive Access, Philanthropy, Power Brokering, Hot Gossip, Favors, Social Chameleon, Local Culture, Foreign Culture
Arts & Community – This area of influence deals mostly with the local arts community as well as the local populace of small businesses, people, and neighborhoods of the city. This influence is power at the neighborhood level, allowing the person who wields it to influence the communities in a city, gain information from them, tap local businesses for aid and influence who goes to them. This also applies to the local art community from painting to poetry and includes areas like music, theater, and even movie productions. This kind of influence can arrange for shows or gain access, make or break a local performance, and arrange access to local and even international celebrities.
Areas of Expertise: Performances, Charity Events, Neighborhoods, Area Knowledge, Local Gossip, Theater, Music, Visual Arts, Neighborhood Watch, Celebrities, Small Businesses
Government – Government influence represents a connection and influence over the local city government. This influence does not apply to state or federal government. This includes many of the city offices, including the mayor, city council, and other city offices such as public works, including sewage and city lights, parks, emergency management, budget office, auditor, and the city inspector. Police and Attorneys are covered under Law Enforcement and Legal influence. This kind of influence can allow the person who wields it to do anything from moving forward policies that are favorable to them, to disabling power and services, and having businesses shut down.
Areas of Expertise: City Council, Mayor’s Office, Public Works, City Records, Inspections, City Finance, Parks and Rec, Red Tape, Emergency Management, Fire Department, Auditors
Religion – This type of influence focuses on keeping one’s fingers on the pulse of the local spiritual communities. This can include influence in any faith from Catholic, to Protestant, to Hindu, to Satanic Temples. Those with this influence can influence the communities that are associated with those faiths. This can gather followers and then have those followers act on suggestions. There is often a great deal of knowledge to be gained from many of these faiths on spiritual and esoteric topics. Also, faiths often wield a great deal of temporal power and influence in communities and in governments. The head of a church leaning on officials or local community members can effective.
Areas of Expertise: Religious Scriptures, Community Outreach, Theology, Religious Activism, Religious History, Rites, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism
Occult – Occult influence covers the ability to tap into the world of esoteric and alternative studies. The occult community is mostly researched based though it can wander into the world of cults and societies as well. Most of this influence deals with more mundane topics and not with the actual world of the supernatural. This influence can be used to uncover knowledge, do research on topics, sway local societies and groups, such as paranormal investigators, and even seek out and acquire rare texts or other objects of occult relevance. Unlike some other influences, this can be dangerous for supernatural beings to wield as the people they are influencing are vaguely aware of their nature.
Areas of Expertise: Metaphysics, Mythology, Folklore, Cults, Rare Objects, Occult History, Conspiracy Theories, Secret Societies, Mystic Lore, Parapsychology, Alternative Sciences
Technology – Though this is only the mid-90s, the field of technology has been around for decades and is only now beginning to experience a true growth spurt. Computers and the internet are still in their infancy but someone with this influence is on the cutting edge of these fields. This influence can be used to gain access to technology as well as computer hardware and software, access to research and development as well as people who can utilize this technology. This includes people like engineers, coders, hackers, and technicians. This influence can also be used to curtail others’ efforts in this area through sabotage and efforts aimed and controlling access to certain technology.
Areas of Expertise: Programming, Hardware, R&D, Networking, Security Systems, Hacking, Robots, Electronics, Communications, Jury-Rigging, Industrial Espionage, Data Encryption
Areas of Expertise
Area of expertise is used on certain levels of contacts, allies, and spies. When a player purchases level 3, 4 or 5 of one of these backgrounds, they gain access to an especially powerful background. When this ally, contact, or spy is +noted, the Areas of Expertise they have should be written on that note. In general, Level 3 background stats get 1 Area of Expertise, Level 4 get 2, and Level s get 3.
An Area of Expertise does two things:
- It gives the contact, ally, or spy +2 dice on any rolls to which their Area of Expertise applies.
- Any 10s on rolls are counted as 2 successes.
Areas of Expertise are applied logically and adjudicated by the ST. For example, if a street thug ally had an Area of Expertise in Kidnapping, if I assigned them to abduct someone, they would get the +2 dice and the extra successes on 10s. If they were assigned to sell stolen goods, it wouldn’t apply to that.
A couple of notes:
- Areas of Expertise do not apply to players. Players use specialties for their rolls.
- Areas of Expertise do not apply to Retainers background. Retainers use specialties for their rolls.
Influence Submissions & Cycles
Influence Submissions are taken approximately every 3 weeks. Staff will post the Influence Submission windows. All Influence Submissions must be submitted via +request in the format listed below before Midnight on the last day of the window. Any Influence submitted past the window will not be honored by staff. Players must also submit their own influence requests, and they cannot submit influence requests for other players stats or using other players’ statistics.
Influence Submission Format
Title of +Request: <Character Name> Influence Submission
Player Name: Joe Schmo
Influence Submission Window: mm/dd/yyyy – mm/dd/yyyy
Power Brokering Used: Y/N?
Explanation: Explain here how you are using your Power Brokering, if at all.
Resources Used: Y/N?
Explanation: Explain here if you are using your Resources, and how. Explain in detail which contact/ally/spy you are hiring with your Resources, their Areas of Influence and Expertise.
Action 1:
Resource Name: Name of the resource taking the action
Type of Resource: Ally/Contact/Retainer/Spy
Area of Influence: Their Area of Influence
Area of Expertise: Their Areas of Expertise
Action: Explain in detail the action that you would like this resource to be taking.
Expected Dice: How many dice you expect to roll. Include Area of Expertise and Influence dice.
Action 2:
Resource Name: Name of the resource taking the action
Type of Resource: Ally/Contact/Retainer/Spy
Area of Influence: Their Area of Influence
Area of Expertise: Their Areas of Expertise
Action: Explain in detail the action that you would like this resource to be taking.
Expected Dice: How many dice you expect to roll. Include Area of Expertise and Influence dice.