How to Raise Existing Influences:

Let's say you have University 2 and you want University 3:

1. Write out your plan, and take it to a ST.
2. The ST will read your plan and then RP the scenario with you.
3. You'll either get the new level or you won't depending on how you role-play.

How to Steal Influences:

It can be done, but it's damned difficult. Work out a plan on your own, write it down and then see a ST. Sorry, no hints on this one.

How to Combine Influences:

1. Get all the involved people together and find a ST.
2. Follow the system below to arrive at your new temporary Influence level.
3. RP with the ST/explain what you want to accomplish. If you're combining to purposely attack another player's influence (and therefore make your new level permanent - remember, only one person can control the influence at this point, and all combined levels will be lost), be prepared to have it take a long time. If you're combining to do one thing, then go back to your individual levels, it probably won't take as long.

The process is pretty simple: For every 2 traits of the SAME level (see example below) you go up to the next trait level. Ex. Two people with Street 4 combine their influences and have the equivalent of Street 5 temporarily. If you want to make it permanent, role play will be involved, and only one of you can have control over that new influence level.

Now, you have a bunch of people and there aren't multiples of 2 involved. How do you combine those? We developed the following system: You round up as above, but anything left over becomes a decimal in descending order after the highest number. I know it sounds confusing, but here's our example:

10 people with Street influence want to combine to get something done. They have the following levels: 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1. The 1 combines with nothing. 2 of the 2's combine for a 3, the other 2 combines with nothing. You now have four 3s. Those become two 4s. The four 4s become two 5s. You now have three 5s. Two of those combine to 6, the other combines with nothing. SoŠto recap, you now have a 6, 5, 2, 1. This becomes a 6.521.

If you are trying to beat out someone with a 6 Street, you've probably done it. If you're trying to beat out someone with a 7, you'll have to work a little harder. Remember, good role playing can be a deciding factor in who wins an influence battle. If the 6.521 goes up against a 7, and the 7 does nothing, the 7 loses. But if the 6.521 goes against a 6 who role plays incredibly well, the 6 may still win.

**Finally, you can only "boost" 2 levels above the highest influence in the pool. In the example above, those 10 characters cannot go higher than a 7.0, regardless of the respective levels used that are less than 5.

Backgrounds:

Because of the way some of these influences are now written up, we are instituting some backgrounds from tabletop. You can have the backgrounds without having the influence it corresponds to in certain circumstances, but you may need the influence to raise the background above a certain level. This is decided by staff on a case by case basis. Your starting money will now be determined by your Resources level, not your Finance Influence or Ability.

Example: You are a successful Toreador fashion model. You don't have to have the Finance influence to be wealthy. So, you have the background Resources at a 3 to represent your cash flow. Now, if you want to have more Resources, you will either have to get some Finance Influence or the Finance Ability to raise it to a 4. The Influence would represent investing wisely to make a profit, the Ability would indicate you manage what you do have well enough to keep earning more. The following backgrounds are now in effect:

Resources: (How much cash you have at the start of the game. STs will have rules detailing how much money you can pull together.)

1. $1,000 in cash
2. $2,000 in cash
3. $3,000 in cash
4. $4,000 in cash
5. $5,000 in cash

Contacts:

Each Influence you have (not each level) is now represented by a contact. (The person you go to in order to use an influence) You should have a purple index card with your contact's basic information on it. Since they are directly linked to Influences, Contacts can be lost as you spend or use Influences.

Fame: (How well known you are in Mortal society. Directly linked to Entertainment Industry, but can be gained with other Influences. If you want to attempt to gain Fame, talk to a ST.)

1. You are known by a select sub-culture of society in the city.
2. You are a local celebrity, recognized by a majority of the populace.
3. You are fairly famous. Your name & face are known by many.
4. You are quite renowned. Everybody knows something about you.
5. You are a national celebrity.

Herd: Some Influences or merits may grant you a number of people you can feed from without worry. If you want to get a Herd, talk to a ST. Not everyone in the game can have a herd. Please don't ask for it unless you think something about your character really merits it.

1. 3 vessels
2. 7 vessels
3. 15 vessels
4. 30 vessels
5. 60 vessels

Allies: Some influences, or something in your background may give you an Ally (or a couple of them). Allies are generally trustworthy or loyal, and are not as easilly lost as Contacts. Allies are Mortals who, for whatever reason, help you out, or lend you support. They are also harder to come by than Contacts, and it may hurt more if they're lost. Allies are given on a scale of 1-5, which represents how many you have, and how powerful they are in Mortal society.

Retainers: This background is in no way associated with Influences. We decided to initiate it because some characters do have Ghouls or other people who are extreamly loyal and supportive. Unless discussed with and approved by a Storyteller, no one may start the game with a Retainer. Retainers are also given on a scale of 1-5, which represents how many you have. Note: This may also include ghouled animals for certain clans.

So...now that you've read the system for Influences, take a look at the complete list of Influences available at our game.