Post by Katie on Jul 10, 2020 20:55:24 GMT -5
Influence
"The herd seek out the great, not for their sake but for their influence; and the great welcome them out of vanity or need."
-Napoleon Bonaparte
-Napoleon Bonaparte
We've created these Influence mechanics in hopes that an expanded Influence background will add depth and drama to the stories we all create together. This is a House Rule and a work in progress; it may be changed in the future to solve any problems we haven't foreseen.
What Influence Is
Cainites have long manipulated the affairs of mortals from the shadows. Kingdoms are created, religions spread, fortunes rise and fall through the ages all subtly pulled one way and another by various forces, including Cainites. Influence can be controlled by a Cainite, but it is always done so through a mortal intermediary. Everything your character can gain or accomplish through the use of Influence comes through the careful manipulation of the mortals involved. You need not totally describe these people, it is simply assumed that someone in a position of authority is under your sway.
The Influence Background in play in our chronicle differs from the rules in the Dark Ages corebook in a number of ways. First, there are seven categories: Intrigue, Nobility, Occult, Peasantry, Religion, Trade and Underworld.
What Influence Does
Each dot in an Influence sphere allows your character some level of control and benefit from that influence. You may gain certain items, affect local events, learn new information, suppress knowledge of events, and a number of other things. Some examples are listed below, based on a system written and provided by Discord User Queen of Roses with a few small changes. Many potential examples exist, so if something is not listed, please ask a Storyteller!
Intrigue
Intrigue is the control of information in the mortal world: Hearing Rumors before they break out, Spreading Rumors, Blackmail, colluding with the right people, and knowing who the players will be in upcoming squabbles.
Intrigue is the control of information in the mortal world: Hearing Rumors before they break out, Spreading Rumors, Blackmail, colluding with the right people, and knowing who the players will be in upcoming squabbles.
• Hear about the latest scandal before everyone else, spread petty rumors, know the major players in upcoming conflicts.
•• Be able to determine which rumors are genuine and which are fake somewhat accurately, suppress petty rumors, know which people to tell to get your stories out quickly and efficiently, knowing who's who friend and who's who enemies.
••• Be able to spread stories through jonguelers, hear petty rumors before they begin to spread, know who has the upper hand in political conflict, influence minor players to follow your advice.
•••• Silence a detractor, spread information through the town cryers, cause scrutinity about a potential scandal, cause a city wide announcement, influence major players to take your side.
••••• Arrange a political opponent to have an 'accident', 'lose' a city wide announcement, know political manouvers before they're made, ally with other major players, 'evoke' a confession, convince someone to commit high treason.
Nobility
Nobility is about pulling rank over everyone else. In the lower levels you are merely are above those beneath you, and they know it. At the upper levels, you are a titan to large to fall, and everyone who stands in your way is crushed underfoot by the machine you have built.
Nobility is about pulling rank over everyone else. In the lower levels you are merely are above those beneath you, and they know it. At the upper levels, you are a titan to large to fall, and everyone who stands in your way is crushed underfoot by the machine you have built.
• Obtain invitations to upper echelon parties and gatherings, know what's 'in fashion', settle disputes between peasents and serfs, invest in low risk low reward expeditions, being able to be granted an indulgence.
•• Arrange a marrige with someone of higher status, call upon a squire and two men-at-arms to aid you, grant a tutalage to upper status families, detain serfs for petty crimes, Settle minor disputes between merchants, arrange for invitations to minor feasts.
••• Have a judge settle a case in your favor, call upon a Knight, Two Squires, and 8 men-at-arms to assist you, arrange a marriage to a heir or heiress, invest in high risk high reward expeditions, arrange for a modest title and domain to be granted, settle major disputes between peasants, arrange for invitations to cordinal gatherings.
•••• Cause an annulment, be granted your own colors, arange for the vassalage of a knight, be inducted into a honorary society, syphon funds from tributes and taxes, settle major disputes between merchants.
••••• Grant a full pardon, cause a title to be revoked, be able to issue a livery, give a 'kings speach', sentence and rule major cases, delay a cordination.
Occult
Secret and fringe groups, libraries, experts and shops specializing in the paranormal.
Secret and fringe groups, libraries, experts and shops specializing in the paranormal.
• Contact common occult groups and practices, join a fringe religion, learn about new trends or dangers to the occult subculture, acquire candles, bones, crystals, etc. of decent quality, acquire common ritual components (galangal oil, tamarisk, feathers, shiny stones, etc...), hear rumors about 'outsiders' (Lupines, Fairies, Angels, Demons, etc)
•• Acquire uncommon ritual components (alchemically pure metals, specifically prepared woods, century old finger bones etc...), learn more detailed folklore about 'outsiders' (Lupines, Fairies, Angels, Demons, etc)
••• Acquire uncommon ritual components (objects gotten under very specific astrological/magical conditions, a "true" mandrake, etc...), occult tomes, and writings, research first-hand and accurate accounts of 'outsiders' (Lupines, Fairies, Angels, Demons, etc), gather rumors about rare Cainite bloodlines, receive writing on a Level 1 Ritual
•••• Know where to find certain supernatural entities, get a mortal witch to place a hex on a person or location, learn to summon a minor Demon, track down specific knowledge of 'outsiders' (Lupines, Fairies, Angels, Demons, etc), receive writing on a Level 2 Ritual
••••• Access minor magic items, receive writings on a Level 3 Ritual, arrange a meeting with a rare Cainite Bloodline, learn to summon a greater Demon, receive writing on a Level 3 Ritual
Peasantry
The lower class is downtrodden, over looked and merely the invisible population of the city. As such, they make excellent spies, informants, and wonderful aces when riled up into a frenzied mob.
The lower class is downtrodden, over looked and merely the invisible population of the city. As such, they make excellent spies, informants, and wonderful aces when riled up into a frenzied mob.
• Hear who's gotten arrested, hear when the town guard and militia are cracking down, identify gang territories, know your way around the local market, be able to easily get a read on a neighborhood, get a midwife, arrange for common wounds to be treated.
•• Live mostly without fear on the underside of society, access small time contraband, identify any illicit substance, know the Survival obstacles of any given neighborhood, know the quickest routes to get to sanctuary, gather two militia members, arrange for severe wounds to be treated.
••• Arrange some services from street people or the occasional gang, get farm equipment or other makeshift melee weapons, get a building staked out by young hooligans, put a rumor out on the street, get a sheriff's deputy to aid you, arrange for severe wounds to be treated quietly.
•••• Mobilize groups of serfs, hear of all gang operations before they're made, arrange for the protection of someone, plant contraband on someone with a pickpocket, gain access to maces, swords and armor, gather the militia.
••••• Initiate a major uprising, identify regular snitches, start a small two-gang war, use the peasantry as couriers/information networks/infiltrators on a whim.
Religion
Religion in the dark ages was a crucial and powerful force that could even rival the crowns of kings. It also was the primary source of education, medicine and unity in the medieval world.
Religion in the dark ages was a crucial and powerful force that could even rival the crowns of kings. It also was the primary source of education, medicine and unity in the medieval world.
• Identify secular members of a given faith in the local area, peruse public church records, use a church as a meeting place, contact a priest, grant or revoke indulgences, be granted sancturary at a monestary.
•• Identify higher church members, track congregation members; suspend lay members, meet with a priest wherever you want, arrange for the priests to aid the poor and needy, giving a sermon, aquiring a monk's servants.
••• Open or close a single church, access private archives of the church, meet with the Bishop, get a house ritually sanctified, aquire a bible, manipulate a church-owned charity, steal from the collection plate or dip into church funds, syphon off of indulgences and tributes to the church, persuade someone to take up oaths.
•••• Discredit or suspend higher-level members, find an average church-associated hunter or exorcist, manipulate a fanatic splinter group, start a heresy/witchcraft investigation, arrange for a monk's tutelage.
••••• Organize major religious outcry, arrange for excommunication, access ancient church lore, identify someone with True Faith or a church-associated hunter group without meeting them.
Trade
Controlling commerce is a wonderful way to manipulate others. A man cannot fight if he is starved, lacking weapons, and lacking will. A man well equipped and fed is confident, as well as the hints of fortune favoring the brave.
Controlling commerce is a wonderful way to manipulate others. A man cannot fight if he is starved, lacking weapons, and lacking will. A man well equipped and fed is confident, as well as the hints of fortune favoring the brave.
• Know what's commonly being imported and exported, have a general idea of who's going on merchant caravans, have a few days notice before they leave, know who has monopolies, know where to go to find the best prices, have a horse and cart available.
•• Syphon rations off of leaving caravans, arrange for common items to be brought into the city, hire a guide, track specific merchants and price patterns, arrange for a small caravan, delay an expedition by a few days, occasionally be granted insider information, arrange for a runner, arrange for a discount on a quality item from in the city.
••• Block an individual from leaving the city for a couple of days, syphon off of taxes to the lord, have a rare item imported every two months, arrange for a medium caravan, know routes relatively safe from mundane and supernatural harm, smuggle a parcel every two weeks, arrange for a professional messenger, be alerted to shortages and surpluses.
•••• Have a Lord grant a monopoly, initiate an investigation, shut down all travel in and out of the city for a day, smuggle a crate in every two weeks, arrange for a large caravan, import a quality item every month, interfere with another monopoly, manipulate the portions heirs get, be aware of market festivals months in advance.
••••• Have a Lord revoke a monopoly, Smuggle with impunity, arrange for a royal convoy, make someone fitting a description unable to travel out of the city, completely reroute inheritance, fix prices.
Underworld
Bandits, Ner-do-wells, the filth beneath society that do nothing to contribute to it and only take away from it. The gangs may be uncivil, but they certainly have their uses, however unsavory they may be.
Bandits, Ner-do-wells, the filth beneath society that do nothing to contribute to it and only take away from it. The gangs may be uncivil, but they certainly have their uses, however unsavory they may be.
• Syphon off of minor poachers, know who's been robbed, being robbed, and will be robbed, recognize gangs and their territories, know the local whores, access minor fence shops, arrange petty harassments.
•• Syphon off of major poachers, know who's robbing, know where to locate major fences, daggers, armor, and intoxicants, block someone from going to meetings, know where the pitfights are, send a whore to someone, know how to contact the local bandits.
••• Arrange for Vandalism, get 2 thugs to rough someone up, access the black market, have a horse hamstringed, poison livestock, be able to arrange for a bandit attack, arrange pitfights, get services from the local gangs, syphon from scam artists.
•••• Have a word in almost all gang operations, access a merchant's hoard, get a place immunized from crime, arrange for sabatoge, access 'professional' weapons, Get 4 thugs to kidnap someone, have a scam artist distract the guards, control a group of bandits for two weeks, have coins defaced.
••••• Get a place burned to the ground, arrange for a kings ransom, get 8 thugs to make a non-made man disappear, control the local bandits, gain access to a 'sorcerer'.
How to Use Influences
The Influence background will largely be handled through a Downtime Action. You may receive the benefits from your sphere of Influence total once a month. Think of this as “spending” and Influence pool. Once you've reaped all of the rewards of your Influence, you must wait a period of time before pushing it again, or else you may lose your careful grasp on the minds of the mortals you control.
For example, if your character has Influence: 5 (Religion), in any given month you may spend all five points on a single benefit at level 5, or you might spread out your benefits between a combination of level 1, 2, 3, or 4 benefits. Once you've spent your total, you must wait until the following month for it to refresh.
Other Influence Actions
You may decide to only spend your Influence dots to collect little rewards and benefits every month. However, you might also decide to use your Influence to oppose your rivals in a more direct way! The following are a list of actions you may take with your Influence via a Downtime Action. Every use of these actions effectively spends one of your Influence dots for the month.
The rolls for each action are described below. The difficulty for these rolls begins at 7, but may increase or decrease depending on narrative events and Storyteller discretion!
Hide and Seek
You may choose to investigate who is making moves in your sphere of Influence. Generally, Influence actions (like reaping the rewards of Influence) are hidden, but you can instruct your contacts in a sphere that you control to be “on the lookout” for these kinds of events. For this, a roll of Perception+Influence will be made as a Downtime Action.
If you are concerned that your use of Influence is being monitored, or if you are the paranoid type, you may instruct your mortal cohorts to make your uses of Influence secret. For this, a roll of Intelligence+Influence will be made as a Downtime Action. Every success will subtract from the successes of any Seek attempts against you.
Attack and Defend
If you know that one of your rivals is pulling strings in your sphere of Influence (perhaps as a result of an Seek action), you may choose to start severing the ties your rival has in this sphere! As a Downtime Action, the Storyteller will call for a roll of Manipulation+Influence. To negatively impact a rival's Influence dots, your roll will need to achieve twice the number of your rival's Influence in successes. You may choose to make an Attack action as an extended roll by expending further Downtime Actions. Successful attacks will reduce your rival's Influence rating.
If your Influence is under attack, it might be a good idea to start defending it! You could focus on Hiding your uses of Influence, or you could order your mortal contacts to prepare for espionage and treachery by better securing their positions. As a Downtime Action, the Storyteller will call for a roll of Manipulation+Influence. Every success you achieve on this roll will automatically subtract successes from the next attack on your Influence. Should you score even more successes, it is possible to rebuke your attacker in such a way as to lower their Influence rating!
If your Influence is under attack, it might be a good idea to start defending it! You could focus on Hiding your uses of Influence, or you could order your mortal contacts to prepare for espionage and treachery by better securing their positions. As a Downtime Action, the Storyteller will call for a roll of Manipulation+Influence. Every success you achieve on this roll will automatically subtract successes from the next attack on your Influence. Should you score even more successes, it is possible to rebuke your attacker in such a way as to lower their Influence rating!
Grow
You may choose to dedicate yourself to growing you Influence in a particular sphere. This amounts to using your sway over a particular area of influence to give your mortal contacts better positions of power, thus enabling you more access to the benefits of the Influence! For this, a roll of Charisma+Influence will be made. In order to increase your rating, you will need to achieve three times your current level in successes. (Example: Growing an Influence from 2 to 3 will require 6 successes.) This may be made an extended roll by expending further Downtime Actions. This is the only sure way to increase your Influence rating!