Vampire Backgrounds

### **Communal Haven**

Although only the most powerful vampires claim regions of domain, most vampires tacitly claim small areas of personal influence. Of course, many princes allow vampires to claim only their havens and immediate surroundings as domains.

A vampire's domain is the area in which she is the authority - king of the castle, as it were. This does not necessarily mean that she has any "control" or vested interest in the domain, merely that it is nominally her "turf." Other Kindred who wish to visit must ask permission of the Kindred who claims it as domain.

Few young vampires claim domain other than their havens; elders have already taken the city's prime areas under their own aegis. This is a great bone of contention among many cities' Kindred, as the increasing numbers of undead must make do with the dwindling resources offered by the finite area in which they find themselves. Sometimes, open revolt or subtle usurpation is the only way to acquire new domain.

#### Luxury

Luxury is a measure of the quality of appointments inside the haven. The level of Luxury ranges from spare to opulent, corresponding closely to a Resources Background of equal value (see pp. 115-116 of V20).

> • What passes for furniture probably fell off the back of a truck or was liberated from a dumpster.
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> •• The place has been decorated and outfitted modestly. It has the basics expected of modern First World lifestyles (where appropriate).
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> ••• The haven offers relative comfort, with a host of amenities.
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> •••• The haven is a luxurious oasis in the midst of the Jyhad, unique in both design and appearance.
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> ••••• Only the extremely wealthy or celebrities usually enjoy the opulence of a place like this.
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#### Size

Size represents the amount of living space in the Communal. While the following breakdown gives suggested sizes and room counts, players are encouraged to be creative if they so wish — imagine an open warehouse layout of no true “rooms,” or a network of “under repair” blacked-out skywalks that have access points to various locations downtown.

> • A small apartment or underground chamber: 1 to 2 rooms.
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> •• A large apartment or small family home; 3 to 4 rooms.
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> ••• A warehouse, church, or large home; 5 to 8 rooms, or a large enclosure.
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> •••• A mansion or network of tunnels; 9-15 rooms or chambers.
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> ••••• A sprawling estate or vast network of subway tunnels; 20+ rooms.
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#### Security

Security represents how tough it is to breach the haven. Each dot of Security either adds one to the difficulty of any roll made to penetrate the haven or adds one to the number of successes required to gain access. (Players and Storytellers should agree on this function before the story begins.)

> • Cheap locks on the doors, but not much else.
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> •• You’ve reinforced every door and barred the windows, or you may have a dog that barks to warn you when someone comes too close to the haven. The place is relatively secure from commonplace threats.
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> ••• The haven is secure but not impenetrable, relying on a modern set of locks, physical protection such as bars over the windows, electronic security measures such as alarm systems, and standard electronic monitoring such as security cameras. It may be remote or accessed only by protected routes, such as a high-rise with a security guard who watches the elevator.
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> •••• Your haven is protected by all of the security features for the previous level and then some. On par with restricted governmental buildings or even prisons, your haven has reinforced walls, sectionalized access throttles, and perhaps even several panic rooms or hidden chambers. You have invested a considerable about of time and effort to keep people out of your base.
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> ••••• Your base is protected by all of the security features offered by the previous levels. Additionally, it is protected by one or more unique features, such as being far off the beaten path, incorporating a geographical boundary like being built on an island, and/or possible occult protections, like being visible only to Kindred. (Players and Storytellers should come to an agreement on the nature of such one-of-a-kind protections.
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### **Herd**

You have built a group of mortals from whom you can feed without fear. A herd may take many forms, from circles of kinky clubgoers to actual cults built around you as a god-figure. In addition to providing nourishment, your herd might come in handy for minor tasks, although they are typically not very controllable, closely connected to you or even highly skilled (for more effective pawns, purchase Allies, Henchmen or Retainers). Your Herd rating adds dice to your rolls for hunting.

• Three vessels.

•• Seven vessels.

••• 15 vessels.

•••• 30 vessels.

••••• 60 vessels.

### **Anarch Status**

You have a reputation within the local community of Anarchs. Status among the Anarchs reflects memorable deeds and general popularity. Despite the intention of the Status Perfectus and other early Anarch manifestos, a hierarchy of who’s calling the shots has emerged in many Anarch domains, representing a maturing of the sect’s ideals (or a betrayal of them, depending on which Anarchs you’re speaking to).You may have occasion to roll your Status in conjunction with a Social Trait; this reflects the positive effects of your prestige.

• Known: You’ve started making a name for yourself. You might be a rising tough working for a gang or this week’s darling hacker, fighting for the cause behind a computer screen.

•• Respected: You’ve become known for being able to hold your own on the streets and in the back rooms where the real decisions are being made.

••• Influential: Anarchs listen to your opinion. You might have led a minor skirmish or exposed some shitbag Ivory Tower lick in a scheme to put more money in his pockets. Perhaps you’re the author of a well-received Anarch manifesto, or you call the shots for a respected crew. Whatever the case, there are few in the domain or across a Free State territory who don’t know about you.

•••• Powerful: You have a great deal of influence over your city. You might be a leader of a powerful known crew or one of the few Anarch elders.

••••• Luminary: You are the acknowledged leader of your Anarch domain, or well-placed among them. You might be the Baron (or a backer behind a figurehead Baron)

### **Spirit Slaves** - Necromancers only.

This Trait represents a hold you have over a ghost, or several ghosts. Usually this hold is in the form of catene. Neither something that the ghost valued highly in life, or possibly a random object or place to which the spirito became attached during the maelstrom. Regardless, you have a hold over the spirit and can bully it by threatening its fetter. Alternatively, you might have information about the spirit's goals and can control it by aiding or impeding it.

A Vampire with the Spirit Slaves Background starts play with one or more spirits already doing her bidding. The number of spirits and their power depend on how many dots the character has in the Background. Obviously this is a Background only open to Kindred with the Necromancy Discipline.

Each individual spirit costs one dot. Wraiths' skills and attributes are built using the rules for neonate vampires, but with no additional Disciplines (except as described below), Backgrounds or freebie points. Each starts with a Passion Pool of 5.: Every spirit automatically has Auspex 1 and one dot in another common power. Spending another Background dot on a spirit can give it an uncommon power (or one common power at uncommon levels). Spending two dots on a spirit can give it rare levels of power.

Example: Brent chooses to have three dots in the Spirit Slaves Background. That means he could have three spirits doing his bidding, each with Auspex 1 and one other common power. Alternatively, he could choose to have two servants: a weak one and one who also possesses an uncommon power. Finally, he could choose to have a single servant with a rare power, or with two uncommon powers.

• You have a hold on one weak spirito.

•• You have influence over two minor ghosts, or one of greater power.

••• You're the boss of three lesser ghosts, or fewer who can do more.

•••• Four ghosts are under your sway, or fewer who are stronger.

••••• You have mastered five weak ghosts, or fewer who are more talented

Things you can do with spirit slaves:

* Monitor locations
* Defend haven
* Spy on others
* Provide "otherworldly" information

### Armory

Your character has managed to amass a functional armory along with the ability to maintain all of the weapons within it. Each level of the Armory Background yields access to more potent weapons (along with proper ammunition) and the resources to properly maintain and clean them.

The scope of this Background varies a bit by region, as weapons-control laws differ. What an American can buy in a department store, for example, might be the sole domain of the military in Eastern Europe and available only via the black market in Brazil; players who wish to invest dots in Armory should consult with their Storytellers to determine how it will work in the chronicle’s locality

The Storyteller may require you to invest a few points in another Background (such as certain types of Influence or legal or military Allies) to prevent the Armory’s confiscation by the authorities. An Armory can vanish in a fraction of the time it took to amass it, especially if it ends up on the news or video-sharing sites with footage of a VAMPIRE BLOOD GANG MASSACRE down by the warehouses.For more details on specific weapons, including game mechanics, see V20, pp. 280-281.Players may opt to pool Background points for a shared Armory. See pp. 118-119 of V20 for more information on pooled Backgrounds

• You have an excellent starter armory that includes many legal weapons commonly available on the street, as relevant to your regional culture.

•• You have access to enough legal weaponry to outfit a street gang of 10.

••• You could start your own small militia. In addition, you can outfit five individuals with weaponry that exists in a legal gray area for the region, which most civilians would have a difficult time obtaining.

•••• You have an armory appropriate to a SWAT team in a major city, including some military-grade hardware. You have enough gear to outfit a 10-man team with advanced

weaponry, which is a cut above that provided by the lesser levels of this Background. Be careful where you use it, because without other appropriate Backgrounds, you may find yourself under official scrutiny for possessing illegal weaponry.

••••• Your armory is the envy of paramilitary forces around the world. You have the tools to clean and repair almost any personal weapon manufactured in the world. You have access to a significant quantity of weapons that are illegal in most countries, and enough of them to field your own platoon. If this Armory were discovered by authorities, your Anarch would be a pile of greasy ash.

## See Also

* Backgrounds
* General Backgrounds
* Hunter Backgrounds
* Other Backgrounds
* **Vampire Backgrounds**

 **Rules** | Backgrounds • Flaws • Merits