Cerberus
The Hunter Faction of the Hounds of Hell MC
Using Influences:
To use Influence, you should explain to the Narrator what sort of effect you wish to create with your Influence. The Narrator then decides the Trait cost, the time involved (both real and in-game) and any tests required to achieve the Influence effect. Influence Traits used this way are temporarily considered to have been expended and are not recovered until the next session. The effects of using Influence can be instantaneous and brief, or slow to manifest and permanent, depending on the nature of the manipulation and
the degree of power the character wields
The difficulty of a task is set by a Narrator, and it equals the number of Influence Traits that must be expended to accomplish the task. A given chore’s difficulty can be subject to sudden change, depending on circumstance. The suggested guideline listed along with each area of Influence can change dramatically between chronicles or even between sessions. After all, you may not be the only person attempting to Influence something.
Sometimes a Narrator will require a challenge of some sort to represent the uncertainty or added difficulty involved when exercising
Influence. Some uses of Influence may not actually cost Influence Traits to use, but rather require that the character simply possess a certain level of the Influence in question.
In practice, the use of Influence is never instantaneous and rarely expedient. While a character may be able to, say, condemn any building in the city, it will not be tom down that night. For sake of game flow, a Narrator may allow trivial uses of Influence to only take half an hour. Major manipulations, on the other hand, can become the center of ongoing plots requiring several sessions to bring to fruition
The guidelines below by no means limit the number of Influence Traits that can be spent at one time or the degree of change a character may bring about. They are merely an advisory measure to help Narrators adjudicate the costs of certain actions.
Loaning Influences:
Characters can trade Influences with each other much like exchanging possessions. These trades may be permanent or temporary. In the case of permanent trades, the old owner erases the Trait from his sheet and turns over the appropriate Influence card (if your chronicle uses these) to the new owner. The new owner then records her newly acquired Influence Trait on her character sheet. Temporary trades of Influence occur when someone is merely doing a favor or loaning her Influence to someone else. In this case, the owner does not erase the Trait, but instead makes a note that it is no longer in her possession. The holder of the Influence Trait may use it immediately or hold onto to it until she feels she needs it. However, the original owner of the Influence Trait may not regain the Trait until the
current holder expends or voluntarily returns it. Some chronicles dictate that the Trait reverts to its original owner after a certain time. A good rule of thumb is to say that one month is the maximum duration of any loan of Influence. Always discuss with the storyteller.
Conflicting Influences:
Sometimes characters may wish to try to counteract the Influence of other characters. In such cases, it generally costs one Trait per Trait being countered. The character willing to expend the most Influence Traits (assuming she has them to spend) achieves her goal. All Traits used in this sort of conflict are considered expended.
Influences
Bureaucracy
The government exists not as a single entity, but as a mass of departments and organizations and independent agencies. The trick is to
know which of these to contact in any given situation, and how the interaction between them can accomplish (or stall) certain tasks. A
character with this Influence has some sway in one or more local, state or federal agencies. This may be anything from the Building Commission to the Parks Department to the local morgue.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Trace utility bills*
Level 2: Fake a birth certificate or driver’s license; Disconnect a residence’s utilities; Close a small road or park; Get public aid ($250)
Level 3: Fake a death certificate, passport or green card; Close a public school for a single day; Turn a single utility on a block on or off; Shut down a minor business on a violation
Level 4: Initiate a phone tap; Initiate a department-wide investigation; Fake land deeds.
Level 5: Start, stop or alter a city-wide program or policy; Shut down a big business on a violation; Rezone areas; Obliterate records of a person on a city and county level
Church:
Founded before many of the world’s governments, organized religions hold a vast amount of power, much of it behind the scenes. Even
these spiritual institutions are not without politics and personal intrigue, and you may be able to manipulate the personal agendas of those in the hierarchy to your own ends. This Influence applies only to the mainstream faiths, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam or Buddhism. More esoteric religions fall under the Occult domain. Contacts can include ministers, priests, bishops, activists, evangelists, witch-hunters, nuns, monks, laity and various church members.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Identify most secular members of a given faith in the local area; Pass as a member of the clergy*; Peruse general church records (baptism, marriage, burial, etc.)
Level 2: Identify higher church members; Track regular members; Suspend lay members.
Level 3: Open or close a single church; Find the average church associated hunter; Dip into the collection plate ($250); Access to private information and archives of a church
Level 4: Discredit or suspend high-level members; Manipulate regional branches.
Level 5: Organize major protests; Access ancient church lore and knowledge.
Finance:
Money talks, and you are fluent in its language. You can follow audit trails, perform and verify accounting tasks, and understand such concepts as mutual fund investments, leveraged buyouts and the like. This Influence allows you to alter financial records, arrange for loans or ride the waves of economic trends to your best advantage. In many chronicles, the number of Traits in this Background may even augment your character’s income. CEOs, bankers, corporate yes-men, financiers, bank tellers, stock brokers and loan agents populate Finance’s ranks.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Earn money through a steady source of income; Learn about major transactions and financial events; Raise capital ($1000): Learn about general economic trends*; Learn real motivations for many financial actions of others
Level 2: Trace an unsecured small acount; Raise capital to purchase a small business (single, small store)
Level 3: Purchase a large business (a few small branches or a single large store or service)
Level 4: Manipulate local banking (delay deposits, some credit rating alterations); Ruin a small business.
Level 5: Control an aspect of citywide banking (shut off ATMs, arrange a bank “holiday”); Ruin a large business; Purchase a major company.
Health:
At heart, most sorcerers are just people, human and subject to the limitations of that mortality. Many organizations exist which research
and monitor the vast spectrum of health and illness, both physical and mental. A character with this Influence has ties to the medical community, from the institutions (such as hospitals, clinics and asylums) to the people who staff them (doctors, nurses, specialists, lab workers, therapists, counselors and pharmacists).
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Access a person’s health records*; fake vaccination records and the like; Use public functions of health centers at your leisure.
Level 2: Access to some medical research records; Have minor lab work done; Get a copy of a coroner’s report.
Level 3: Instigate minor quarantines; Corrupt results of tests or inspections; Alter medical records.
Level 4: Acquire a body; Completely rewrite medical records; Abuse grants for personal use ($250); Have minor medical research performed on a subject; Institute large-scale quarantines; Shut down businesses for “health code violations’’
Level 5: Have special research projects performed; Have people institutionalized or released.
High Society:
There exists a clique of people which, by virtue of birth, possessions, talent or quirk of fate, holds itself above the great unwashed masses. High Society allows the character to direct and use the energies and actions of this exceptional mass of talent. Among the ranks of the elite, one can find dilettantes, the old rich, movie and music stars, artists of all sorts, wannabes, fashion models and trend-setters.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Learn what is trendy*; Obtain “hard to get” tickets for shows; Learn about concerts, shows or plays well before they are made public.
Level 2: Track most celebrities and luminaries; Be a local voice in the entertainment field; Borrow idle cash from rich friends ($1000)
Level 3: Crush promising careers; Hobnob well above your station*
Level 4: Minor celebrity status.
Level 5: Get a brief appearance on a talk show that’s not about to be canceled; Ruin a new club, gallery, festival or other gathering
Industry:
Civilization reached its peak with the Industrial Age, when machines took over the menial labor required to run the world. From manufacturing to marketing, automobiles to toasters, technology and labor are interwoven into what is commonly referred to as the Industrial Complex. Industry is composed of union workers, foremen, engineers, contractors, construction workers and manual laborers. A character with Influence in this area can keep track of current trends, control the flow of natural resources and perhaps even affect the lab results when new products are being tested.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Learn about industrial projects and movements
Level 2: Have minor projects performed; Dip into union funds or embezzle petty cash ($500); Arrange small accidents or sabotage
Level 3: Organize minor strikes; Appropriate machinery for a short time
Level 4: Close down a small plant; Revitalize a small plant.
Level 5: Manipulate large local industry.
Legal:
There are those who quietly tip the scales, even in the courts, law schools, law firms and justice bureaus. Inhabiting these halls are lawyers, judges, bailiffs, clerks, district attorneys, public defenders and ambulance chasers. A character with this Influence may postpone (or speed up) court dates, arrange for bail or even get minor charges dropped entirely.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Get free representation for minor cases
Level 2: Avoid bail for some charges; Have minor charges dropped.
Level 3: Manipulate legal procedures (minor wills and contracts, court dates); Access public or court funds ($250); Get representation in most court cases
Level 4: Issue subpoenas; Tie up court cases; Have most legal charges dropped; Cancel or arrange parole.
Level 5: Close down all but the most serious investigations; Have deportation hearings held against someone.
Media:
The media serves as the eyes and ears of the world. While few in this day and age doubt that the news is not corrupted, many would be
surprised at who closes these eyes and covers these ears from time to time. The media entity is composed of station directors, editors, reporters, anchors, camera people, photographers and radio personalities, and (if the Storyteller deems it appropriate) the myth-makers of Hollywood (special effects, foley artists, cameramen, sound technicians and other technical aspects of film and television - actors, directors and writers are the province of High Society).
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Learn about breaking stories early"; Submit small articles (within reason);
Level 2: Suppress (but not stop) small articles or reports; Get hold of investigative reporting information.
Level 3: Initiate news investigations and reports; Get project funding and waste it ($250);
Level 4: Access media production resources; Ground stories and projects.
Level 5: Broadcast fake stories (local only)
Occult:
Most people are curious about the supernatural world and the various groups and beliefs that make up the occult subculture, but few consider it anything but a hoax, a diversion or a curiosity. This misconception could not be further from the truth. The occult community contains cult leaders and followers, alternative religious groups (such as Wicca or Santeria), charlatans, would-be occultists, antiquarians and New Agers. Some sorcerers use this to seek assistance, information or potential acolytes.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Contact and make use of common occult groups and their practices; Know some of the more visible occult figures.
Level 2: Know and contact some of the more visible occult figures. Access resources for most rituals and rites.
Level 3: Know the general vicinity of certain supernatural entities (Kindred, Garou, wraiths, etc.) and possibly contact them; Can access vital or very rare material components; Milk impressionable wanna-bes for bucks ($250); Access occult tomes and writings; Research a Basic ritual
Level 4: Research an Intermediate ritual
Level 5: Access minor magic items; Unearth an Advanced ritual.
Police:
“To protect and serve” is the motto among the chosen enforcers of the law. These days, however, everyone can have reason to doubt the law’s ability to enact justice. Perhaps they should wonder whom the law defends, whom it serves and why. The Police Influence encompasses the likes of beat cops, desk jockeys, prison guards, special divisions (such as SWAT and homicide), detectives and various clerical positions.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Learn police procedures; Hear police information and rumors; Avoid traffic tickets.
Level 2: Have license plates checked; Avoid minor violations (first conviction); Get “inside information”
Level 3: Get copies of an investigation report; Have police harass, detain or hassle someone; Find bureau secrets
Level 4: Access confiscated weaponry or contraband; Have some serious charges dropped; Start an investigation; Get money, either from the evidence room or as an appropriation.
Level 5: Institute major investigations; Arrange setups and stings; Instigate bureau investigations; Have officers fired
Politics:
Nothing ever gets done for straightforward reasons anymore. It’s all about who knows who and what favors can get paid off in the process. In other words, it’s politics as usual, and there’s a whole class of people who thrive in this world of favors and policy flacks. Some of these individuals include statesmen, pollsters, activists, party members, lobbyists, candidates and politicians themselves.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Minor lobbying; Identify the real platforms of politicians and parties; Be in the know.
Level 2: Meet small-time politicians; gamer inside information on processes, laws and the like; Use a slush fund or fund-raiser ($1000)
Level 3: Sway or alter political projects (local parks, renovations, small construction)
Level 4: Enact minor legislation; Dash careers of minor politicians
Level 5: Get your candidate into a minor office; Enact encompassing legislature
Street:
Disenchanted, disenfranchised and ignored by their “betters,” a collective of humanity has made its own culture and lifestyle to deal with the harsh lot life has dealt out. Gang members, the homeless, street perfomers, petty criminals, prostitutes, the forgotten and subcultures that stay close to the streets all reside in the dark alleys and the slums.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Have an ear open for the word on the street; Identify most gangs and know their turfs and habits.
Level 2: Live mostly without fear on the underside of society; Keep a contact or two in most aspects of street life; Access to small-time contraband.
Level 3: Get insight on other areas of Influence; Arrange some services from street people or gangs; Get pistols or uncommon melee weapons.
Level 4: Mobilize groups of homeless; Panhandle or hold a “collection” ($250); Get hold of shotgun, rifle or SMG.
Level 5: Have a word in almost all aspects of gang operations Control a single medium-sized gang; Arrange impressive protests by street people.
Transportation:
This world is in constant motion, its prosperity relying heavily on the fact that people and productions fly, float or roll to and from every comer of the planet. Without the means to perform this monumental task, our “small” world would become a daunting orb with large, isolated stretches. The forces that bridge these expanses include cab and bus drivers, pilots, air traffic controllers, truckers, travel firms, sea captains, conductors, border guards, airport ground crews and untold others.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Know what goes where, when and why; Travel locally quickly and freely.
Level 2: Track an unwary target if he uses public transportation; Arrange passage safe (or at least concealed) from mundane threats (robbery, terrorism, etc.)
Level 3: Seriously hamper an individual’s ability to travel; Avoid most supernatural dangers when traveling (such as werewolves)
Level 4: Temporarily shut down one form of transportation locally (bus lines, ships, planes, trains, etc.); Route money your way ($500)
Level 5: Reroute modes of travel; Smuggle with impunity
Underworld:
Even in the most cosmopolitan of ages, society has found certain needs and services too questionable to accept. In every age, some organized effort has stepped in to provide for this demand, regardless of the risks. This Influence covers hitmen, the Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, Yakuza, Tong gangs, bookies, fences, launderers and the Chinatown triads.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Locate minor contraband (knives, small-time drugs, pettygambling, scalped tickets)
Level 2: Obtain pistols, serious drugs, stolen cars; Hire muscle to rough someone up; Fence minor loot; Prove that crime pays (and score $1000)
Level 3: Obtain a shotgun, rifle or SMG; Arrange a minor hit; Know someone in “the family”
Level 4: Make White-Collar crime connections
Level 5: Arrange gangland assassinations; Hire a demolition man or firebug; Supply local drug needs.
University:
In an age when the quest for learning and knowledge begins in schools, colleges and universities, information becomes currency. This Influence represents a certain degree of control and perhaps involvement in these institutions. In this sphere of Influence, one finds the teachers, professors, deans, students of all ages and levels, Greek orders, and many young and impressionable minds.
Cost Desired Effect
Level 1: Know the layout and policies of local schools; Have access to low-level university resources; Get records up to the high school level.
Level 2: Know a contact or two with useful knowledge or skills; have minor access to facilities; Fake high school records; Obtain college records.
Level 3: Call in faculty favors; Cancel a class; Fix grades; Discredit a student.
Level 4: Organize student protests and rallies; Discredit faculty members; Acquire money through a grant ($1000)
Level 5: Falsify an undergraduate degree.
