Convention: Primacy

## What's a Primacy?!

As a brief preamble, use Damnation City (pages 232-244) as your guide. Damnation City is a Vampire: the Requiem supplement, but the specific rules for Primacy are being adapted, in an ongoing process, to serve as the political framework for influence for multiple spheres that have interest in manipulating the mortal world as well as their own varied supernatural courts.

Plain and simple, Primacy is about rulership. Those powerful characters directly engaged in manipulating the events of the city and its surrounds will, in theory, drive story at their own lofty level as well as for those characters at street level. It's a sort of butterfly effect where a Primacy turn occurs and its effects ripple through the rest of the troupe.

Each player character involved in a Primacy story should use the Primacy room in the NWoD nexus (type +ooc, 5, pr to get there) to set their influence and define their various assets. These are new stats that will appear on the character sheet.

Classic WoD characters can also use Primacy (and the same room to set up stats). Primacy actions will have NWoD rules and then conversions to CWoD defined in their respective entries.

## Influence

This is a new advantage available to all power players that stands as linchpin to this system. Influence will rise and fall 'rapidly' during play and is controlled by the outcomes of Primacy turns through the Storyteller. Most Primacy players will start their rise to power at Influence: 3, however the ST can set this number higher or lower as the needs of the story demand, allowing for a range of upstarts to the tremendously powerful at the start of the game. NPCs will generally fall into the realm of ST fiat, here, though player characters can also benefit, depending on the needs of the troupe. Influence cannot be purchased with experience points; ne'er the twain shall meet.

The table below gives the ranges and capabilities of Influence, in general:

### **But What Does it All Mean?**

I'm glad you asked. In this section, we will define the terms set in the table above.

#### **Influence**

This is the core stat that rules the rest. Influence is a generalized, overall measure of your power within the city and your organization. Influence dots are your permanent stat, but they can be spent like Willpower to make things happen. The book calls these spendable points 'Juice'.

Spend 'Juice' to:

* Gain one automatic success on a contested or extended political action. Note: Unlike Willpower, you can spend multiple points in this fashion on the same task.
* Grant success to another character's political action (a favor).
* Make use of an additional asset.
* Activate an Agent for a chapter.

#### **Input**

A Primacy character can affect the powers that be within his or her own spheres of influence using Input. A Vampire might attempt to manipulate the Prince or the Consortium. A Corporate can influence the Consortium. And so on. Who one can influence in this fashion is up for interpretation and the troupe's ST will have the final say as to whether or not the input target is valid.

Input is added to the dice pool to manipulate said powers. Characters may not contribute Input to a single character's roll, but each may attempt to influence the powers that be with separate rolls using their own Input.

One action per Primacy player per Primacy turn can occur in this fashion.

#### **Resources**

This is simply your resource dots. Obviously, Resources 5 is your requirement for entry. The first number on the table is the NWoD version of the stat and the second is the CWoD version. Note: Primacy characters should NOT use experience points to raise their Resources, but rather this system.

#### **Assets**

This is where the rubber hits the road. Assets are NPCs and smaller organizations that you will use to make things happen. The table above lists a number of points that are to be distributed among the assets you control. They represent the apex skill/ability of your particular asset and are also the means of rising and falling in Influence as the game progresses. Assets can be gained and lost through political actions during the Primacy turn. They are your pawns. Use them wisely.

#### **Protection/Loyalty**

Assets can be protected or declared as loyal to you beyond the standard measure of loyalty and control. The number of assets that can be protected/declared loyal is the number listed on the table above.

#### **Agent XP**

Agents are actual characters, a sort of right hand man or henchmen to the Primacy character. In fact, you can play an agent (your own or someone else's), flying in the face of the game's 'alts can't help each other' rule. Agents begin with the listed amount of XP on the table above and can then gain XP through the normal means. Use higher XP agents for Primacy characters who start out at higher Influence, not as a measure of progression for existing agents. A Primacy character may only have one agent.

Additionally, should the player wish, Agent XP gained through play (not the starting amount indicated on the table) can be transferred to the Primacy character at the ST's discretion.

## Taking Action

These are the actions a Primacy character will engage in during the Primacy turn. All Classic WoD difficulties should be the default of 6 unless otherwise determined by the ST.

### **Attack an Asset**

NWoD Dice Pool: *Intelligence/Presence + Brawl/Firearms/Weaponry Asset (select a single attribute and a single Asset skill)*

CWoD Dice Pool: *Intelligence/Manipulation + Brawl/Firearms/Melee Asset*

This is an *extended action* and can be contested if the target has Protection. Each roll represents one night's attack. The target number of successes is the target Asset's dots + Stamina or Composure (1/2 Willpower for CWoD). When the number is reached, the target is killed or otherwise removed from play. This has an effect on the affected Primacy character's Asset dots and, thus Influence score which takes effect directly following the current Primacy turn.

When an Asset with the appropriate combat skills is attacked with this action, the roll is contested rather than extended. In this fashion, the attacking Asset can be damaged and removed, so Primacy players beware: you can hurt your own influential standing if you aren't careful.

Note: Assets CAN be attacked by player characters at the street level, but in the spirit of the system, an Asset removed in this fashion is simply replaced by a similar Asset by the controlling Primacy player. A permanent removal can only be achieved by the Attack an Asset action.

### **Defend an Asset**

NWoD Dice Pool: *Intelligence/Presence + Asset's Rating*

CWoD Dice Pool: *Intelligence/Manipulation + Asset's Rating*

This is an *instant action* with successes reducing the current accumulated successes to kill the target Asset by one until you reach zero.

### **Coerce an Asset**

Dice Pool (NWoD or CWoD): *Strength/Manipulation + Intimidation/Persuasion/Subterfuge Asset skill (if you do not have an Asset with the appropriate skill, you can still attempt the action with the attribute dice alone as your pool.)*

This is an *extended action* (contested if the target Asset has Loyalty). Each roll represents one night's coercion. The target number of successes is equal to the target Asset's dots + the master's Resolve or Composure (1/2 Willpower) plus any modifiers for Loyalty. Once the target successes are reached, the target Asset's control is transferred to the coercing Primacy player.

When an Asset is contested by a target with Loyalty, it may be coerced by the target's master and and may be lured away, if the defender succeeds in the contest. If that happens, the attacking Asset is then transferred to the target master's service.

### **Rally an Asset**

Dice Pool (NWoD or CWOD): *Strength/Manipulation + Asset’s Rating*

This is an *instant* *action* with each success reducing the current accumulated coercion successes to a minimum of zero.

### **Investigate an Action**

Dice Pool (NWoD or CWoD): *Wits/Manipulation + Asset (Select a single Attribute and a single Asset Skill.) - the difference in the investigator's and the target's Influence score (positive or negative, it will be a penalty. Primacy players close to the same level of Influence will be more aware of each others' actions.) Every roll that has been made by the attacker in an extended action adds one die to the investigator's pool.*

This is an *extended action* with each success representing one night of investigation. Success will reveal the master behind the action being investigated. The number of successes required equals the attacking Asset's dots + the master's Influence score.

Once the requisite successes have been achieved, the attacking Asset and associated master will be revealed.

### **Investigate an Asset**

Dice Pool (NWoD or CWoD): *Wits/Manipulation + Asset (Select a single Attribute and a single Asset Skill.)*

This is an *extended action* with each roll representing one night of investigation. Success reveals the rating and description of one Asset in control of the target master.

The target number of successes required is equal to the Asset’s dots plus the Influence dots of the Kindred master. The rating of the target Kindred’s best Stealth or Subterfuge Asset penalizes the investigator’s dice pool.

A specific Asset Skill must be targeted for investigation and once the target number of successes is reached, the Asset is revealed to the investigator, unknown to the Asset's master. By continuing the action, additional Assets of the same skill can be revealed.

A failed roll at any point during the investigation does not end the investigation, but does alert the master of those Assets being investigated that they ARE being investigated. In turn, the target master can then initiate an "Investigate an Action" turn to find out who is sniffing at his or her gates.

### **Gain Influence**

Dice Pool (NWoD or CWoD): *Any Attribute + Any Asset*

This works like a vampire feeding. There is no specific method or dice pool. The ST will go with what makes sense based on the Primacy player's description of how Influence is to be gained. To be clear, this action does not allow a player to gain permanent Influence, but to replenish their supply of spent 'Juice' from current or previous Primacy turns. This represents promises, favor-trading, posturing, and other social maneuvers happening in the background.

Other Primacy players MAY spend Influence to affect your dice pool with penalties up to a maximum of -5.

This is an *instant action* with success gaining you 1 point of Influence and an exceptional success gaining 3 points. If you botch, you gain no Influence and all Primacy players contributing to your downfall will gain 1 Influence.

For CWoD characters, 1 Influence is gained on one or more successes with 3 Influence instead gained on five or more successes.

### **Activate an Agent**

While you can play your Agent at any time, once an Agent is officially activated, experience points gained by the Asset are ALSO gained by the Primacy player (not split). Please remind your ST when this happens and the amounts in question so the XP can be set appropriately.

### **Influence "the Prince"**

The powers that be can be influenced by the power players in the city as a political action. This is a special action that can change the course of events within the city. The players can submit ideas for actions and the ST is also encouraged to participate on various levels, allowing everyone to cast their final votes for action wherever they'd like along the lines presented by all.

Dice pools are formed to support the arguments using the Primacy players' appropriate attributes and skills/abilities (NOT ASSETS') as well as Input dice. Characters may not team up to make these rolls. The character with the most successes wins and the action supported will indeed, happen. This, however, does not preclude other actions from happening at the ST's discretion, but rather gives the Primacy players a real stake in those actions they WANT to happen.