INTRODUCTION: There are five different types of influences: Business, Government,
Herd, Occult, and Underworld.
All characters start with 3 influences except Tremere, who start with
2, and Toreador, who start with 3 or 4. Influences may be purchased for
1 xp or freebie each.
All influence types may be used to build or attack havens, attack others'
influences, or investigate characters or actions.
Business, Government, Underworld, and Occult (to a lesser extent) may
be used to acquire items.
Herd may be used as sources of blood (normally 3 points of blood per
herd, this amount may decrease if in-game events have broken or threaten
the masquerade).
Occult may be used for research and development of new rituals.
CONCEALMENT:
Blue cards are jacket concealable.
Yellow cards are trenchcoat concealable.
Red cards cannot be concealed. They might be able to be obfuscated, depending
on the size of the item.
IN-GAME/OUT OF GAME COST: All item prices listed below are doubled when the player attempts to
get the item during the game.
LAYAWAY CARDS: All influence actions that are discrete events that are continued over
several months (partially buying an item, researching a ritual) will be
given out on "layaway cards". The layway card should be signed by an ST,
dated, list the influences used, and list the task working toward. These
cards can be given away or sold by the owning character. If the player
loses the card, then that work is lost.
PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPES: Any of the five influence types not specified as a primary type is
considered a secondary type. Herd and cash are secondary types for all
items. If the primary type is "any", any of the five types and/or cash
may be used. The total influence expenditure must be at least 50% primary
influences.
Example: An item that costs 4 influences can be obtained by any of
the following ways:
4 primaries.
3 primaries and 1000$.
3 primaries and another influence of any type.
2 primaries and 2000$.
2 primaries and 2 more influences of any type.
2 primaries, 1000$, and 1 more influence of any type.
REPAIRING AN ITEM: If an item is broken (such as armor that has all of its boxes marked
or a melee weapon that had too much Potence used on it) or has reached
its expiration date, it can no longer be used. The item may be restored
to full working condition by spending half its original cost (using the
original item's primary category). Any item may be repaired at any time
(such as to refresh the item's expiration date before it expires or partially
restore armor) but the repair costs the full amount.
Examples: A 3 trait, 2 wound gun is would cost 7 (15/2, round down)
influences to repair. The same rifle with a silencer would cost 15 (15
for the original rifle + 15 for the silencer/2) to repair.
TIME COST: If an influence expenditure (including use of herd) uses 10 or less
influences, that task takes 10 minutes. Otherwise, the task takes 30 minutes.
Reinforcement and ritual research can only be performed during downtime.
ARMOR: PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPES: Business, Government.
Each point of armor is a box on the item card. For each hit received
in combat, the victim may mark off a box to automatically ignore one wound
level of damage. Exceptions: aggravated wounds, the first wound level of
damage caused by a staking attempt, and the damage caused by Cauldron may
not be soaked by armor. Armor does not regenerate after a scene - once
a box is marked off, the armor must be repaired before it is marked again.
A character may only wear one armored item.
15 influences- +3 trait, 2 wound generic firearm, red card.
Silencer: firearm modification.
Silencers are permanently affixed to a gun (that is, the STs write 'silencer'
on the gun card and sign it again). They cannot be detached from the gun
once affixed. Certain gun types cannot be silenced: revolvers and shotguns.
Silencers cost whatever the original gun cost. So a silencer for a 0t,
1w pistol would cost 1 influence; a silencer for a 3t, 2w rifle would cost
15 influences.
MELEE/MISSLE/STAKES: PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPES: Business, Occult, Underworld.
Stakes cannot be reinforced. Melee weapons other than stakes can also
be used as missle weapons.
REINFORCEMENT: PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPES: Business, Underworld.
There are two levels of weapon reinforcement. Reinforcement is needed
if potence is used to more than double the original wound capability of
the weapon. Reinforcement can only be performed during downtime. Stakes
cannot be reinforced.
1 wound weapons can be reinforced to Potence 2a and then Potence 3a.
2 wound weapons can be reinforced to Potence 3a.
Cost of reinforcing to Potence 2a: 10 influences.
Cost of reinforcing to Potence 3a: 20 influences.
OTHER ITEMS: PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPES: Any.
Cell phone- 1 influence, blue card.
Pager- 1 influence, blue card.
Deactivating a cell phone or pager- 1 influence.
Trenchcoat- 1 influence, yellow card.
Voice activated tape recorder- 3 influence- blue card.
Video camera- 3 influence, yellow card.
Small video camera- 4 influence, blue card.
There will be no whisper microphones, white noise generators, grenades
(smoke or otherwise), or items that naturally cause aggravated damage (without
the use of a ritual).
For every two influences spent by any character to diminish another character's
influence, the victim loses one point off the back end of their spending.
Herd cannot be diminished. Both influences lent by that character and influences
lent to that character are diminished. The victim cannot have their influences
reduced below zero. If an attack occurs during downtime, the victim will
get a message that his influences are under attack. If an attack occurs
at the game, the victim will be notified as he spends or transfers any
influence.
Examples:
Bob and Doug (does not matter if they cooperate or are working
independently) spend a total of 1 underworld, 3 business, and 10,000$ to
diminish Jeriko's influences this month. Bob and Doug have spent 14 points,
so Jeriko loses up to 7 points of his spending.
If Jeriko only had herd, nothing happens. Bob and Doug have wasted their
attack.
If Jeriko was lending his 3 underworld (say he has underworld instead of
herd) to someone else, that person does not get any influences from Jeriko
(that person does not get a message that Jeriko's influences were under
attack, they just know that Jeriko didn't give them anything). Bob and
Doug wasted 4 points of their attack.
If Jeriko was cashing his 3 underworld in, he gets no cash. Bob and Doug
wasted 4 points of their attack.
If Jeriko was using his 3 underworld and his packmates lent him 17 more
(which may have included secondary influences and/or cash) to get firearms,
then he loses 7 of them, for a total of 13 influences spent on firearms.
If Jeriko was using his 3 underworld to paint his haven, he does not get
his haven painted this month, but the haven is not otherwise effected.
If Jeriko was using his 5 occult (say he has occult instead of underworld)
to do research on ward vs. everyone, he gets no research done this month,
but his previous research is not hurt.
HAVEN BUILDING AND ATTACKING: PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPES: Any.
For haven information, see the Links section.
Information can be retrieved at the game or downtime, going back one month
only. There are three targets of an investigation: an influence area, a
character, or an action.
Investigating an area - choose a single influence area or all influences
in general, a ranking from 1 to 3, and spend one influence to investigate
that area. The results of this investigation is the character (or characters
if there is a tie) that has the most (if ranking 1), second (if ranking
2), or third (if ranking 3) most influences.
Investigating a character - choose a character and spend any number of
influences to investigate them. If any of the victim's actions cost less
than or equal to half of the investigation's cost, the investigator finds
out what his actions were.
Investigating an action - choose an action and spend any number of influences
to investigate it. For all victims that have done such an action AND the
victim's actions cost less than or equal to half of the investigation's
cost, the investigator finds out most (but not as much as investigating
a character) of what that person was trying what and the results of that
action.
Covering up- anytime any character wants to make an action more difficult
to investigate, they may overspend on that particular action (for example,
spending 17 on a +3, 2 wound gun means that an investigator must spend
at least 34 to find that fact).
Framing- there is no way currently to frame someone.
Examples:
Vincent the Ventrue wants to know what Tammy the Tremere is up to. Vincent
spends 6 influences to investigate her. Tammy happens to have given 1 herd
to Todd, 2 occult to research ward vs. spirit, and 3 underworld to get
a big gun. Since 6 is two times all of the actions Tammy has done, Vincent
finds out exactly what she was doing and the results of each action (gave
1 herd to Todd, 2 occult to research ward vs. spirit, and 3 underworld
for layaway on a +3, 2 gun). Note that Vinnie does not find out what Todd
did with the herd or how close Tammy is to getting the ritual or gun.
Vincent is flush with success, so wants to find out who has been buying
any guns anywhere. He spends 20. Bob spent 4 to buy a +3, 2 wound gun;
Chuck spent 5 to buy a +0, 2 wound gun; and Dave spent 15 to buy a +3,
2 wound gun. Since 20 is more than two times 4 and 5 but not 15, Vinnie
finds out that Bob and Chuck are buying guns. Note that Vinnie does not
find out that Dave was buying a gun, nor does he find out what kind of
gun or how close they are.
RITUAL RESEARCH: PRIMARY INFLUENCE TYPE: Occult.
Research Points = ((researcher's occult ability / 3 ) + 1 + (1 if researcher
is Tremere, 0 otherwise)) * influences spent.
Ritual research can only be performed during downtime.
The researcher does not need occult ability to do research, though it helps.
Researchers cannot collaborate but influences may come from anyone.
The desired ritual must be specified.
When enough research points for a particular ritual is acquired, then those
cards should be taken to the influence desk. The character learning the
ritual must have enough occult ability or thaumaturgy and then spend the
XP for the ritual. The research points are then destroyed (the cards are
taken by the STs). That character may then teach the ritual per the main
rules.
Research points needed to learn a basic ritual that is already in the rules:
100.
Research points needed to learn an advanced ritual that is already in the
rules: 150.
Research points needed to learn a basic ritual that is not in the rules:
300.
Research points needed to learn an advanced ritual that is not in the rules:
450.
Examples:
A tremere with 8 occult ability, 3 occult influences, and 5 other influences
does research toward apport object. Research points = ( ( 8/3 ) + 1 + 1
) * 6 = 30. Note that at least 50% of the influences spent must be occult,
so only three of the five other influences can be used for research. At
this rate, it will take that researcher 4 months to accumulate 100 points
for apport object.
A caitiff with no occult ability, 5 occult influences, 1 other influence,
and spending 4000$ does research toward deflection. Reseach points = (
( 0/3 ) + 1 + 0 ) * 10 = 10. At this rate, it will take that researcher
10 months to accumulate 100 points for deflection.
