Social Merits

**Allies** (Level 1 to
Level 5)

Effect: Allies
are people who are willing to help your character from time to time. They may
be associates, friends of convenience or people who owe your character a favor.
Each acquisition of this Merit is dedicated to one type of ally, whether in an
organization, society or circle. Examples include the police, City Hall,
criminals, unions, banks, university faculty and hospital staff. In order to
have alliances in more than one venue, you need to purchase this Merit multiple
times, each trait with its own levels. Thus, your character might have Allies
(Police) Level 2, Allies (Criminals) Level 3 and Allies (City Hall) Level 1, each acquired
separately at character creation or during play.

Each level that
your character has indicates how deep his influence runs in that group. One level
might mean he can ask for minor favors, such as being spared a parking ticket
if alliance is among police, or being allowed to see an article before it goes
to press if alliance is among reporters. Three levels garner considerable favors,
such as a building permit 'going missing' at City Hall, or a strike resolution
being wrapped up early among union leaders. Five levels allow for dangerous and
even overtly criminal favors, such as a stock being sabotaged on Wall Street or
the answers to an exam being shared by a university professor.

The kinds of
requests made of people in an organization typically have to relate to their
sphere of influence. Asking a criminal to slow down the bureaucratic process at
City Hall makes no sense, but asking him to pass along word of a drug buy does.
Favors might be minor and within the bounds of a person's job or role, such as
processing some paperwork more quickly than usual, or could be significant or
dangerous and outside what's allowed or even legal, such as allowing a civilian
access to the police evidence locker.

The Storyteller
has final say over what is an acceptable request and what is not. If there's
any doubt, the Storyteller could call for an Influence + Persuasion roll,
with a bonus equal to your character's Allies levels. Penalties might also apply
based on the importance or danger of the request. Asking someone to do
something already in the bounds of their role imposes no modifier, while asking
them to do something that could get them suspended imposes a -3 penalty, and
asking for something that could get them jailed or killed is -5. Frequent
favors asked of the same group also imposes a penalty as group members grow
tired of being called upon.

Similarly, a roll
of Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies levels could determine how many police
answer your character's call for help, or how many longshoremen turn up when
your character needs a show of force (one per success rolled).

Allies doesn't
have to be defined in terms of specific individuals over whom your character
has sway. He could simply know a variety of people among city reporters and he
can call upon them in general from time to time. You should, however, explain
why your character has influence in a particular body. Maybe he worked there
himself at one time and still has friends in the organization. Or he

has done a group
a favor and its members still owe him. Drawback: Allies are not automatons,
waiting for your character to ask for help. They have their own lives and
needs. An alliance is a two-way relationship. Calling for favors makes your
character indebted to his friends, and they are sure to call such favors in
when they need help. The Storyteller can use such debts as inspiration for

future stories.

**Barfly** (Level 1)

Effect: No matter
what town or city your character is in, he can find his way into the best
nightspots with a few quick words and a timely bribe. There isn't a velvet rope
made that can keep him out of a restaurant or club.

**Contacts** (Level 1 to
Level 5)

Effect: Contacts
provide your character information in a particular area of awareness. Each level
in this Merit represents one arena or circle in which your character has a web
of connections and from which he may draw information. If he has Contacts Level 3,
his levels might be assigned to computer hackers, couriers and big business,
respectively. Contacts can include individuals whom you

or the
Storyteller defines, but more likely they comprise an array of people from whom
your character can draw information with a phone call, email or face-to-face
query. Contacts is strictly information-gathering. Contacts do not come perform
services for your character or rush to his aid. Those actions are the purview
of other Merits such as Allies and Retainer.

Gaining
information from contacts requires a successful Influence + Persuasion roll, depending on the relationship between your character and the
people in question. Penalties might apply if the information sought is little
known (-1 to -3), confidential (-3), or if sharing it could get people in
trouble or harmed (-3 to - 5). Success doesn't guarantee exactly the
information for

which your
character looks. Contacts aren't all-knowing, and the Storyteller is perfectly
justified in saying that a particular contact simply doesn't know something.

Dramatic Failure:
The contact doesn't tell your character the full extent of what he knows, or
provides misleading information. Perhaps he's holding out for money or favors,
or simply makes an honest mistake.

Failure: The
contact doesn't have the information your character needs.

Success: The
contact is able to provide some information that's helpful to your character.

Exceptional
Success: The contact is able to provide a wealth of information to your
character, providing answers to questions that aren't even asked.

Suggested
Equipment: Gift (+1), small bribe (+1), large bribe (+2), an outstanding favor
(+1 to +3)

Possible
Penalties: Lack of bribe (-1), frequent and recent requests (-1 to -2),
information confidential (-1 to -3), information scarce (-2), information obscure
(-3).

**Fame** (Level 1 to Level 3)

Effect: Your
character has a measure of recognition in today's media-saturated society,
possibly as a performer, athlete, politician or other sort of public
personality. He's frequently identified and can often get star treatment. On
the other hand, it's difficult for your character to go places without being
recognized, and the media watches him carefully.

Each level adds a
+1 modifier to your character's Social
rolls among those who are impressed by his celebrity status.

Drawback: The
more famous your character is, the more easily he is recognized by the public.
The Storyteller should apply the same +1 modifier per level to a general Perception roll to see if he is recognized by anyone on the street. An
exceptional success indicates that one or more people are loyal fans who
approach him for autographs, pictures and long conversations.

**Mentor (**Level 1 **to**
Level 5)

Effect: This
Merit gives your character a friend and teacher who provides her with advice
and guidance. Your character's mentor acts on her behalf, although the
Storyteller determines exactly how. A mentor usually offers advice, allowing
the Storyteller to use him to help guide your character through tough
situations. A mentor may also use his influence or abilities to help your
character

out, although he
probably wants to see his charge do things for herself. A mentor is likely to
give up in disgust on a pupil who constantly asks for aid. Mentors may also ask
for something in return for their assistance, which can lead your character
into some interesting situations.

The number of
levels purchased in this Merit determines the relative power, knowledge and
experience of your character's teacher. One level indicates a mentor with one or
more specialized Skills and a small amount of experience in your character's
field of interest. Two levels indicate

a mentor with a
wide range of capability and experience in your character's field of interest.
Three levels indicate a mentor possessing a broad range of Skills, years of
experience and significant influence in your character's field of interest.
Four levels indicate a mentor who not only possesses a broad range of Skills and
decades (or in some cases, centuries) of experience, he is also a preeminent
figure with major influence in your character's field of interest.

Five levels indicate
a mentor with towering influence and power in your character's field of
interest. A five-level patron watches over your character and influences her life
in ways both obvious and subtle, and likely has an agenda in which your
character is pivotal.

**Resources** (Level 1 to
Level 5)

Effects: This
Merit measures your character's material resources, both possessions and
wealth. All characters are assumed to have a job or a source of income (trust
fund, parents) that is sufficient to cover their basic needs: food, shelter and
transportation. Levels in this Merit represent disposable income -- wealth and
assets that can be liquidated for more money in case of emergency. The number
of levels indicates your character's general level of wealth. One level suggests
low disposable income: $500 a month and approximately $1,000 worth of assets.
Two levels suggest moderate disposable income: $1,000 a month and approximately
$5000 worth of assets. Three levels suggest

significant
disposable income: $2000 a month and maybe $10,000 worth of assets. Four levels
suggest substantial disposable income: $10,000 a month and $500,000 worth of
assets. Five levels suggest significant wealth: $50,000 a month and as much as
$5,000,000 worth of assets.

Resources can be
used to determine if your character can reasonably afford a purchase or
expenditure. Equipment, weapons and items throughout these rules are assigned
costs in levels. The Storyteller can assign cost levels to other items during play
based on what's here. If your character has the same or more levels in Resources,
he can afford the item on his disposable income. That doesn't mean he has a
blank check with which to buy everything he sees. He might be able to afford
one or two items with a cost equal to his Resources levels in a single month.
Items with lower costs can be acquired more often. The Storyteller has final
say on what's too much or what's too often.

Your character's
Resources levels aren't spent and don't go away. They represent available cash at
any given moment. The only means by which your character's Resource levels might
decrease is if story events conspire against them. Perhaps your character's
fortune is wiped out, he loses his

job or his
company is subjected to a hostile takeover. The Storyteller therefore
influences how your character's levels might decrease, and whether they can be
salvaged.

**Retainer** (Level 1 to
Level 5)

Effects: Your
character has an assistant, aide, indentured servant or fanatical follower on
whom she can rely. You need to establish how this trusty companion was
acquired. He may be paid exorbitant amounts of money that buy his unwavering
loyalty. He might owe his life to your character (or to your character's
predecessors). Your character might blackmail this person or threaten his
family

with harm if
services are not rendered. Or your character might have a supernatural hold
over this poor person. Regardless of the circumstances, this person is
constantly loyal and follows almost

any order without
question.

A retainer can be
called upon to perform many duties without fail. A bodyguard might be willing
to hurt other people on a mere command. A dedicated street kid might hang on
your character's every word and get her information or contacts without being
asked. Unless your character has direct

control over a
retainer's mind, however, this person can't be made to perform any task. He
might not risk his own life unduly or perform a task that violates his own
morals. You or the Storyteller should detail your retainer with an identity,
background and character sheet of his own. The Storyteller usually plays your
character's retainer.

Each acquisition
of this Merit grants your character one follower. Levels spent in the trait
indicate the training, capability or flexibility of the aide. One level suggests
a child, an automaton or a madman with limited capabilities and freedom of
thought. Two levels indicate an ordinary person over whom your character has
sway. The servant is completely mundane and has no particular training above
the human norm (he has two levels in all of his Attributes and Skills). Three
levels represent a capable employee with a range of training at his disposal
(three or four of his traits have three levels). Four levels represent a valued and
irreplaceable assistant (someone with a handful of traits with four dots each).
Five levels indicate an extraordinary follower. He is exceptional in many ways
(five levels in a couple traits, and four in many others) or he may be capable of
supernatural feats.

Retainer is
different from Allies in that no roll is ever made to get results from an aide.
He performs the task requested, unless subjected to repeated abuse or an
utterly intolerable assignment (as decided by the Storyteller based on the
assistant's personality).

Drawback: If your
retainer is ever hurt he may be incapable of service while recovering. If he is

killed, he's lost
forever unless supernatural in origin. A retainer who possesses his own will
and who is forced to perform a duty that offends his sensibilities or defies
his morals may abandon your character, temporarily or permanently. Points spent
to acquire a retainer who is killed or driven off are lost.

**Status** (Level 1 to
Level 5)

Prerequisites:
Varies (see below)

Effects: Your
character has standing, credentials, authority or respect within an
organization, group, company or social body. He might have an official position
or title, or might simply be revered and honored within the group and therefore
accorded a degree of authority. Your character might be a company vice
president, a police sergeant or lieutenant, an army corporal or a nurse at a
hospital.

Or he could be a
lowly member of the group whom everyone likes or who has won some acclaim and
is allowed more standing than he is officially entitled.

Each acquisition
of this Merit is dedicated to one type of authority, whether in an
organization, society or circle. Examples include police, City Hall, criminals,
unions, banks, a university faculty and hospital staff. In order to have
authority in more than one venue, you need to purchase this

Merit multiple
times, each trait with its own levels. Thus, your character might have Status
(Police) Level 2, Status (Criminals) Level 3 and Status (City Hall) Level 1, each acquired
separately at character creation or during play. You would need to explain how
he reconciles all this authority in the setting.

The
aforementioned character might be a dirty police sergeant who has paid his dues
in civil elections and gained some recognition among city officials. Status
represents the privileges and liberties that your character is authorized to
take within the confines and definitions of his group. Increasing levels reflect
increasing clout. A cop with Status 1 can enter the suspect lockup and
interrogation rooms, while a cop with Status 4 can enter the evidence locker
without supervision or get involved in a crime scene investigation without
specifically being called in.

The phrase
'within the confines and definitions of his group' is emphasized above because
Status operates exclusively through official channels. A surgeon might have one
patient seen or operated on before another, because that's within the official
confines of his authority. Exceeding the

confines of
authority or proper channels transcends the limits of the Status Merit. Going
above and beyond -- to ask for favors rather than give orders or to requisition
an official request -- enters the realm of the Allies Merit. So, a police
detective who gets a lower-ranking officer to investigate a

case may do so
with Status. That request is conducted through proper channels. Meanwhile, a
police detective who asks another officer to overlook some evidence or to delay
an investigation does so with Allies. The favor is asked outside official
channels.

While Status
might allow your character to give orders to underlings, the Merit doesn't
automatically get results. Subordinates or co-workers might resent their
assignments, dislike your character or have personal agendas that interfere
with your character's needs. Efforts to get things done through official
channels still call for Manipulation + Intimidation, Persuasion or Socialize
rolls, whichever Skill is appropriate to the request, circumstances and your
character's standing within the organization.

Bonus dice equal
your character's Status levels. Penalties might apply if your character browbeats
someone (-1), uses threats (-2), skirts the limits of his authority (-2) or
exceeds his authority (-3 to -5). Some sample organizations and the basic
benefits, perks and privileges of standing in them are listed below. City
Police: A patrol officer has legal powers of search, seizure and arrest, is
permitted to carry a firearm at all times and has access to a wide range of
local databases.

High-ranking
officers (\*\*\*+) can initiate investigations, coordinate with neighboring county
or state police, and call in urban-assault teams.

Clerical
Standing: Your character is a licensed minister,

gaining access to
people and places such as accused criminals, hospital patients, crime and
accident scenes, and restricted areas in religious institutions. Prerequisite:
Academics Skill Specialty: Religion.

Corporate
Executive: A low-level corporate executive has access to much of the company's
resources, including corporate credit cards, vehicles, cell phones and computer
equipment. Depending on the company, he can also access sources of information
and influence not available

to the general
public. Executives (Level 3+) have larger salaries, expense accounts, and hiring
and firing powers, not to mention social perks and access to connected
political figures and/or celebrities.

Diplomat: Your
character is a registered diplomat for a sovereign country. If he works in a
foreign country he has free lodging, access to his country's embassy and
immunity from foreign criminal prosecution. Prerequisites: Politics \*\* and
Persuasion \*\*.

Licensed
Professional: Your character is licensed in a recognized profession that
affords him privileges unavailable to most civilians. He might be a private
investigator and authorized to carry a concealed weapon and to have access to
restricted databases and government files, or he could be a building contractor
and be authorized to own and use explosives for professional applications.
Prerequisite: Academics Skill Specialty: Law (private investigator), Science
Skill Specialty: Demolitions (building contractor).

Medical: Your
character is licensed to practice medicine. He can write prescriptions, access
medical records and gain access to restricted areas such as crime and accident
scenes. Prerequisite: Medicine \*\*.

Military: An
enlisted soldier has a monthly stipend, is permitted to possess military-grade
firearms and has access to restricted sources of information and equipment. If
he is an active-duty soldier he receives free room and board and medical care.
High-ranking soldiers (Level 3+) are officers who can command units, requisition
military equipment and perhaps even initiate foreign insurgencies.

Rotary Club: A
basic member in good standing has access to the local meeting hall and a
network of members who can provide club-related information or perform
club-related duties. A basic member can also benefit from the organization's
emergency fund in times of need. Highranking members (Level 3+)
have access to other clubs around the country, and have sway over connected
civic groups and
political figures. Drawback: Your character's standing in a given organization is dependent on
the fulfillment of his duties and on abiding by the regulations required of
members.

**Striking Looks**
(Level 2 or Level 4)

Effect: Your
character is exceptionally attractive by modern standards; heads turn and
conversations stop when she enters a room. For two levels, your character gets a
+1 modifier to all

Presence or
Manipulation rolls when she attempts to use her looks to entertain, persuade,
distract or deceive others. For four levels, your character's looks are angelic;
she gets a +2 modifier.

Drawback: The
more attractive your character is, the harder it is for her to avoid notice in
public. Witnesses to any criminal acts are much more likely to remember your
character's appearance, and easily recognize her in a lineup. Your character is
also likely to receive a great degree of unwanted
attention in social situations.