Backgrounds

General Kings of New York allows characters to gain backgrounds from story and role-play interactions with the game, in lieu of the need to spend experience points on it. All such approvals will be done by the Storyteller for the player. Depending on your pack maintains territory, you may gain certain free levels of backgrounds based on the following:

• Manhattan: 1 Free Level of Resources
• Brooklyn: 1 Free Level of Allies
• Bronx: 1 Free Level of Armory
• Queens: 1 Free Level of Contacts
• Staten Island: 1 Free Level of Herd

Retainers/Spirit Retainers/Spirit Slaves

• You may take the retainer background multiple times. Each background reflects 1 NPC that you can have up to level 5 based on ST approval.
• Each retainer should have a sheet with a note that included the level of retainer, the ST who approved the sheet and the date approved.
  • As your background in retainer increases you can make adjustments to the sheet based on the Retainer Creation section of the rules rules but you must have those changes approved by an ST.
  • Upon request an ST can assist you with retainer creation and/or provide a template
  • Retainers may not be semi-supernatural and supernatural creatures other than humans or ghouls
• For each retainer that is a ghoul you have you are down 1 blood trait at the beginning of game. This represents you feeding them. If you want them to have more blood to fuel their abilities or disciplines you must declare giving them more.
  • If your retainer is not a ghoul (Revenant, Hellhound human, Spirit or Wraith) they do not need blood.
  • Only Tzimisce may take Hellhounds, Revenants, and Szlachta at creation. These specialty ghouls
• Regardless of the Type of Retainer they are built using the same rules with the following restrictions:
  • Human retainers gain no supernatural powers
  • Ghouls may take Potence, Celerity, Fortitude, and the inclan disciplines of their owner only.
  • Revenants may take disciplines from their in clan list of discplines
  • War Ghouls and Hell Hounds may only take Potence, Celerity, or Fortitude
  • Wraiths and Spirits may take any discipline fitting with the theme of the creature to better represent them. However these are specifically created and approved on a case by case basis by the Storytelling Staff.
• Retainers do not get Backgrounds themselves but they do increase your Influence Maximum by 1 to a total maximum plus of 5.
• The chart below details the creation rules used for making Retainer NPCs. The level is the power level of the creature in question and rating in the Background possessed by the character. Attributes are the total the creature bids in each attribute category. Abilities are the number of Abilities it has to assign to whichever abilities the Storyteller sees fit. Willpower is its number of Willpower traits. Power is the substitute for Blood Traits system if they are a Spirit/Wraith, all Ghouls and Revenants have a max of 10 blood traits (for revenants +1 for every century alive) and can spend 1 blood trait a round. Disciplines are the number that may be assigned to appropriate disciplines to represent the creature. Lastly the number of health levels these creatures have are equal to its Willpower before they are dispelled, banished, or destroyed (decided by the storyteller).

Spirit Chart

Level	Attributes	Abilities	Willpower	Power	Disciplines
1	10	5	2	10/1	2 Basics
2	15	10	4	12/1	4 Basics
3	20	20	6	14/2	6 Basics, 2 Intermediates
4	22	30	8	18/3	12 Basics, 4 Intermediates, 2 Advanced
5	25	50	10	20/5	15 Basics, 8 Intermediates, 4 Advanced

Resources: Each level of resources produces 10x the printed amount from Laws of the Night. Similarly, any ability or background that produces money similarly produces 10x the printed amount.

Rituals: You know the ritae and rituals of the Sabbat, and you can enact many of them. This Background is vital to being a Pack Priest — without this Background, ritae will not function. This Background is actually a supernatural investment, drawing on the magic of the eldest Tzimisce sorcerers. Sabbat vampires who are not their pack‘s priests should have an outstanding reason for acquiring this Background, as Pack Priests are loath to share their secrets with more secular members of the Sect. This background replaces the system as presented in the MET Guide to the Sabbat book.

Ritae

Level	Total Ritae Known
1	3 Auctoritas
2	9 Auctoritas, 3 Ignoblis
3	13 Auctoritas, 9 Ignoblis
4	13 Auctoritas, 20 Ignoblis
5	13 Auctoritas, 40 Ignoblis

Cult: The each level of the Cult Background can spent once a month for the following effects:

• Gain 1 Blood Trait
• Use a Single level of the Influence: Occult Background per level of the background spent.
• Use as per a single level of the Occult Library Background per level of the Background spent.

Domain: Each level of the Domain background as the following effects as per the chart presented below.

Domain

Level	Size	Effect
1	Your Haven	+1 Blood you may claim at any time in the night, once per night. Characters using influence to affect your territory are considered to have 1 level less than they actually have for the action.
2	The Street of your Haven	+2 Blood you may claim at any time in the night, once per night. Characters using influence to affect your territory are considered to have 2 levels less than they actually have for the action.
3	Your Block	+3 Blood you may claim at any time in the night, once per night. Characters using influence to affect your territory are considered to have 3 levels less than they actually have for the action.
4	Your Neighborhood	+4 Blood you may claim at any time in the night, once per night. Characters using influence to affect your territory are considered to have 4 levels less than they actually have for the action.
5	Your Borough	+5 Blood you may claim at any time in the night, once per night. Characters using influence to affect your territory are considered to have 5 levels less than they actually have for the action.

Haven: Each level of the Haven background as the following effects as per the chart presented below.

Haven

Level	Size	Effect
1	Apartment	+1 Bonus trait on all challenges when in your haven, all intruders have a single forced retest to attempt to break in.
2	Small House	+2 Bonus traits on all challenges when in your haven, all intruders have a single forced retest to attempt to break in.
3	Large House	+3 Bonus trait on all challenges when in your haven, all intruders have a two forced retest to attempt to break in.
4	Mansion	+4 Bonus trait on all challenges when in your haven, all intruders have a two forced retest to attempt to break in.
5	Estate	+5 Bonus trait on all challenges when in your haven, all intruders have a two forced retest to attempt to break in, and you haven may have a supernatural quality to it decided by the Storyteller.

Influence As per Dark Epics with the additional Stacking Rule listed below.

• Stacking Backgrounds (As per Laws of Ascension)

This rule only works if you need a way to more realistically manage the combination of various Background factors.

When multiple characters get together they sometimes want to combine their Background benefits into a lump sum, especially for large and impressive actions. For instance, several individuals with Resources x3 might go in together to purchase an expensive estate.

Backgrounds do not add. Instead they require cumulative outlay. Resources x2 plus Resources x2 is not equal to Resources x4; it's about two and a half.

The total value for combined Backgrounds equals the highest Background, plus a sum half the value of the other Backgrounds. Then, if this is equal to or greater than the highest Background, add one to the total. If the remaining levels are still higher than the now increased Background, add one again. Continue until no additional levels remain.

For example, if a character with Resources x3 wants to perform something with the equivalent of Resources x4, he'd need the support of three people with Resources x2 (total six levels, halved equals his 3) or two other people with Resources x3, or some other combination that added up to six levels.

Note that a character's still limited to handling Influence no greater than his total Attribute Traits. Donated Influences count against this limit, making it very difficult to coordinate large-scale multi-Influence actions

Players may gain Influences in the following methods:

• Earned Influence
  • Earned Influence is down through the "Growing Backgrounds, Downtime Action

• Retainers and Influence:
  • A humanoid Retainer may not possess Influence.

Age: This background may only be purchased by PC revenants. It represents only their in character age of how old they have been as a revenant. It does not grant additional XP, it is simply a system to determine their character maximums based on age. Please see the chart below. All revenants have a willpower maximum of 10.

Age

Level	Age	Attributes	Blood	Disciplines
1	100	11	11/1	Up to Second Basics
2	200	12	12/1	Up to First Intermediates
3	300	13	13/1	Up to Second Intermediates
4	400	14	14/1	Up to Advanced
5	500	14	15/1	Up to Advanced

Occult Library: This background represents a collection of Occult tomes collected and owned by the character. This background as the following mechanical effects as presented below when in their Occult Library:

Occult Library

Level	Effects
1	+1 Bonus traits on all Occult Ability Related challenges
2	+1 Bonus traits on all Occult Ability Related challenges, +1 One retest on Occult Ability Related challenges
3	+2 Bonus traits on all Occult Ability Related challenges, +1 One retest on Occult Ability Related challenges
4	+2 Bonus traits on all Occult Ability Related challenges, +2 One retests on Occult Ability Related challenges
5	+3 Bonus traits on all Occult Ability Related challenges, +2 One retests on Occult Ability Related challenges

Information Network: This background is for Nosferatu and Nosferatu Antitribu characters only. Additionally, every level of this background allows for a single retest per night that may be called upon in any plot related scene and only in challenges against a storyteller. This is effectively a PVE retest.

Arcane: A vampire’s Arcane score puts a 1 traits penalty per level on any challenge used to actively search for her — most often Perception or Investigation pools. A Kindred may choose to “turn off” Arcane if she so wishes, thereby enabling others to find her, as is sometimes beneficial. This is a passive Trait, not an active one; it does not help on Stealth challenges or other overt attempts to hide from others. It simply makes the vampire hard to find, whether she’s lying in the back seat of a car or hidden in a crypt three continents away. No character may take the Arcane background if she has any Status, Clan Prestige or Fame, or vice versa. Likewise, Arcane does not have any effect for Kindred of the Eighth Generation or lower — elders are simply too unnatural to slip so easily from the minds of others.

Martial Training: Each level of this background creates a corresponding number of Bonus Traits that may be used. Each level of this background must be assigned to the Brawl, Melee, Archery, Dodge, or Firearms abilities. You may choose to mix and match these Bonus Traits as you see fit, but each individual level of this background is assigned to one of these abilities.. You may not take this background more than once. This background does not extend beyond yourself.

Blood Storage: This is a new background. This background represents the maximum amount of blood traits the character can have in storage at any given time. This can be achieved by the character purchasing large refrigeration equipment or other means to store vitae for themselves and others. Anything over this maximum is spoiled and wasted. Characters with the Blood Magic Ritual, Sanginus Phial, may double the effects of this background.

Blood Storage

Level	Effects
1	The character may store up to 15 blood traits at a time.
2	The character may store up to 25 blood traits at a time.
3	The character may store up to 40 blood traits at a time.
4	The character may store up to 75 blood traits at a time.
5	The character may store up to 100 blood traits at a time.