This is the list of all Backgrounds ever.

If a Background is a functional reprint, I will organize it by the background I first and foremost
know it as but I will use the latest printing of rules-text across all splats. If there is specific text
for a specific game line I will include it. I will only mention the latest source and any sources for
functional reprints.

Some Backgrounds will have the [ADVERSARY BACKGROUND] tag to them.

These should be seen as Negative Backgrounds where they give freebie points back that can
only be invested in Backgrounds. These are separate from Flaw Points.

Age​ [Two Versions; Dhampyr Only for one version; Almost 100% Kindred Only for the
second]
Dhampyr Version: (Half-Damned Dhampyr 57)
Each dot in this background lowers your Maximum Humanity by 1 and raises difficulty for a
Dhampyr’s Cannibalistic Hunger by 1. If you have this you cannot use the Ignorance of Self
Flaw.
•101-150 Years: Shintai Discipline Maximum is 2
••151-200 Shintai Discipline Maximum is 2; +1 Free dot in a Demon Art.
•••251-300: Shintai Discipline Maximum is 3; +1 Dot in Demon Art;- 1 Physical Attribute Dot
(pick one)
••••251-300: As Age ••• but also +1 Discipline Dot, -1 Bruised Health Level, +1 Difficulty of Wave
Soul from Aggravated Damage.
••••• 301+ Years Old: Shintai Discipline Maximum us 4; +2 Demon Arts; +1 Discipline; -1
Bruised Health Level; -1 Mauled Health Level; -3 Physical Attribute Points; +2 Diff on Wave Soul
vs Aggravated.
Vampire Version (Clanbook True Brujah)
•: 200 Years Active: +30 Freebies; -1 Path Rating
••200-350 Years Active: +55 Freebies; -2 Path Rating
••• 350-500 Years Active: +75 Freebies: -3 Path Rating
••••: 500-750 Years Active: +90 Freebies; -4 Path Rating
•••••: More than 750 Years Active: +100 Freebies; -5 Path Rating

Allies​ [Anybody]
(Earthbound Page 77; Special Note that Allies of Earthbound Demons are peers and beings of
Similar Power; Lesser beings fall under the Thralls Category)
(Mage 20th Core 304)
• One ally of moderate power, or two minor sidekicks.
•• Two moderate allies, four sidekicks, or a single, more powerful one.
••• Three moderate allies, or a combination of lesser and greater ones.
•••• Four moderate allies, six minor sidekicks, or a combination of all three types.
••••• Five moderate allies, or an assortment of lesser and greater ones.
••••• • Six moderate allies, a small gang of sidekicks, or one or two really powerful friends.
••••• •• Seven moderates, a staff of sidekicks, or a handful of strong companions.
••••• ••• Eight moderates, a bunch of followers, or a few major badasses.
••••• •••• Nine moderates, a private militia, or a pack of major friends.
••••• ••••• Ten capable allies, a small army, or a truly deadly gang.

Alternate Identity​ [Anyone]

(Mage 20th 305)
To Penetrate an Alternate Identity they will need to roll a (Wits or Intelligence) + Investigation at
a Difficulty (3+Levels in Alternate Identity).
Each Identity is bought seperately.
Each Odd Dot adds +1 to dice pools to maintain your identity.
Every Dot also adds 1 Dot in a background linked explicitly to that Identity (and if that Identity is
destroyed, those backgrounds are lost)
• A fake driver’s license that kinda looks like you.
•• A passable fake ID, plus a few supporting documents.
••• Respectable identification papers and support documents that’ll pass casual inspection.
•••• An established alternative identity.
••••• A fully supported identity with complete history, support documents, witnesses, fake family
photos, alternate homes and so on.

Ancestors​ [Garou/Fera, not Mockery Breeds]

Ancestral memory in humans is no more than pseudoscientific nonsense. To the Garou, who
can contact the spirits of their ancestors, it’s a fact of life. Many werewolves carry some of the
memories of a distant ancestor; some even allow their forebears to take over their bodies.
Once per game session, the player of a Garou with this Background may roll his Ancestors
Background (difficulty 8, or 10 if he’s trying to contact the spirit of a specific ancestor).
Each success allows the character to increase any Ability by one for the purposes of a single
die roll, even if he has no dots in the Ability — and he doesn’t suffer the penalty
for not having the Ability.
For example, young Emil, a pure flatlander, must scale an immense cliff to come to the aid of his
embattled pack. Emil has an Ancestors rating of 4 and Athletics 0. He calls on his forebears to
guide him, and Emil’s player rolls four dice at difficulty 8. He scores three successes. Emil
contacts his great-great-great granduncle Cragtamer, who guides him over the sheer face and
over the top. Now the player has an effective Athletics rating of 3 to make his climbing roll. If the
Garou had an Athletics rating of 2, then his effective dice pool would be 5.
All effects last for the rest of the scene.
While it is more difficult to contact a specific ancestor, successful contact provides either useful
advice or precognitive visions at the discretion of the Storyteller.
Botching an Ancestors roll may indicate that the character becomes catatonic for the remainder
of the scene as he’s overwhelmed by the memories of thousands of lives. Alternatively, the
ancestral spirit refuses to relinquish the body. How long the ancestor stays depends on the
Storyteller.
• You have brief, hazy visions from the distant past.
•• You remember faces and places from past lives just as you remember those of your early
childhood.
••• You put names to faces among your ancestors.
•••• Ancestors converse with you on a regular basis.
••••• Your ancestors watch your adventures with interest, and they often come to counsel you.

Anchor​ [Orpheus/Wraith]
(Shades of Gray 111)
An Anchor provides the character with a link to her past, a means of maintaining her strength
when all appears hopeless. It can bolster her Vitality, calling on thoughts of better days to
reinforce her incorporeal body. In many ways, Anchor is the antithesis of Spite, though a
character’s Anchor points do not vary (though once they have been spent, Anchor points cannot
be used again in that game session). Each Anchor point spent in this manner regains the
character a point of Vitality. Anchors usually link to objects that serve as mementos, triggers for
the points each contains. If the character is not in the presence of the anchor object, she cannot
draw upon the points it represents.
X You have no particular mementos.
• You have one small keepsake (e.g., a locket or picture) that is worth three Vitality points.
•• You have one significant keepsake (e.g., a book) or two smaller ones that are worth six
Vitality points in total.
••• You have one substantial keepsake (e.g., a large item of clothing such as a coat) or several
smaller ones that are worth nine Vitality points in total.
•••• You have one large keepsake (e.g., a car) or several smaller ones that are worth twelve
Vitality points in total.
••••• You have one massive keepsake (e.g., a house) or several smaller ones that are worth
fifteen Vitality points in total

Animal Companions​ [Any]

(Hunter Book Hermit 84)
You have a collection of animal companions that you care for and have trained. You may take
as many useless turtles and guinea pigs without paying for them. This covers truly useful pets
and/or work animals. You want a Fanatically Loyal Pit Bull that can crush soup bones with it’s
jaws? That’s an Animal Companion.
These are normal, well trained and cared for companions.
Each Animal can be taught one trick per dot of Animal Ken (Attack, Retrieve, and Run are tricks;
Roll Over and Shake are for free). Encouraging them to perform a trick they know is
Manipulation + Animal Ken Diff 4.
•You have a housecat with a really loud voice. As in the legend the cat is sensitive to the
supernatural (counts as having 4 Perception and 4 Awareness)
••You have a ‘Big Mean Dog’
•••You own a Horse raised from a colt
••••You have a Horse and a Big Mean Dog, or Several Dogs, or the Equivalent
•••••You own a stable or kennel.
Big Mean Dog Sample: Str 4, Dex 3, Stam 3, Perception 4, Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3,
Dodge 3, Empathy 2, Intimidation 3, Stealth 2. Health Levels (OK, -1. -1. -2. -2. -5, Dead), Str+1
Bite, Str+0 Claws. Willpower 5
Well-Trained Horse sample: Str 5, Dex 2, Stam 4, Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Empathy 2,
Intimidation 2. Health Levels (OK, OK, -1, -1, -2, -2, -5, Incap). Trample Str+1, Kick Str+1, Bite
Str-2. Willpower 3

Apprentice​ [Anybody; Mostly Mages] ​[ADVERSARY BACKGROUND]

(Guide to the Traditions 225)
The Apprentice Background measures the sort of magely millstone with which your mage has
found himself saddled. The value of the apprentice varies according to her skill. A reasonably
competent initiate isn’t as much trouble as a totally wet-behind-the-ears and psychologically
dysfunctional student. If your mage is extremely solicitous (and he lives his life around the
pupil’s education) add one dot to this negative Background. If the apprentice is an ungrateful
little bastard who kicks your mage in the shins and sets fire to his cat, add another point. That is,
your character gets extra points if the apprentice is always underfoot or causes lots of problems
(beyond the usual trouble that a novice mage causes). If you are distant and you begrudge the
apprentice his time, deduct a point. (If you only tutor your apprentice occasionally, he’s less of a
drain on your time and resources.)
Like Allies, Enemies and Mentors, Apprentices should not be collections of dots on a sheet.
Though he should not overshadow the player’s character, an apprentice should be a colorful
person in his own right. Take Merlin and Nimue or Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi as
examples. Their influence was more important than their presence, and they all had personality
to burn. This Background is not a free ride or free points: Apprentices have motivations like
anybody else, and they may refuse certain training, fail to grasp the consequences of magical
actions or just draw down danger on the heads of their trainers. This danger could be as simple
as screwing up a library order or as dangerous as bringing down the attention of the
Technocracy. An Apprentice may occasionally be helpful, perhaps as a ritual assistant or to
accomplish some banal task. In general, though, an Apprentice takes far more time from a
mage than she gives back. Remember, also, that Tradition heritage demands that a mage treat
an Apprentice appropriately and see to education — now more than ever, with the Traditions
needing all the help they can get. An Apprentice who winds up dead or worse may turn into
Adversarial Background dots in Enemies and Notoriety.
• Fellow Student of the Arts
•• Bright-Eyed Acolyte
••• Precocious Kid
•••• Rank Amateur
••••• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Arcane​: ​[ANYBODY; Not Just Supernaturals]

(The Enchanted 72: As Feth Fiada)
(Land of Eight Million Dreams 92; as Pakua)
(Hunter Book Innocent 75; as Everyman)
(Mage 20th 305; Arcane, Technocracy call it Cloaking)
Each of these backgrounds can be purchased individually if you qualify for them (Everyone
qualifies for Arcane if they’re a Supernatural of any type, Everyone qualifies for Everyman,
Anybody with sufficiently advanced Technology qualifies for Cloaking; Others check the splat by
splat)
Each dot in this background adds +1 die to Stealth related rolls (mundane or supernatural)
Each dot in this background reduces 1 die from all Perception or Investigation related rolls in
trying to track / find /detect you while you try to remain unnoticed (entering combat ends it for
the violent actions for individuals but recording devices still are fooled).
• You blend into crowds.
•• Your presence slides out of memory.
••• You’re that person no one easily recalls.
•••• Records, pictures, even memories of you are few and hard to find.
••••• You’re like a ghost in this world, known only to the folks you want to trust.

Archive​ [Anybody]
(Hunter Player’s Guide 56)
You have a collection of newspaper, magazines, photos and other physical documentation that
goes back a period of time. This might be very general information covering a wide array of
things, or very specific (decide with your storyteller). Your character has information on these
things, but the Archive is only as useful as often as you keep it up to date. You can expand
upon the Archive by collection documents to widen the scope. You know your Archive well
enough to take no more than an hour to find information
•You have a small collection of books or clippings covering events from the past five years
••Your Archive is a moderate collection of materials taking up a corner in your attic spanning ten
years
•••Your collection takes up several bookshelves or boxes to cover an entire wall going back
twenty-five years.
••••The Archive fills a spare room of your house or apartment, it spans fifty years.
•••••Museums and private dealers have made offers for your collections which reach back
multiple centuries.

Armory ​[Anybody]
(Hunter the Reckoning Core 120; Hunters call it Arsenal, not to be confused with Demon Hunter
X)
(Orpheus Core 182; Called Arsenal)
You have at your disposal weapons and equipment, particularly relevant to your work with
Orpheus. If you need some hardware that you don’t own, you can obtain it, legally or illegally,
through your connections. This provides a character with access to heavy firepower and gear,
like night-vision goggles or SWAT body armor, but bear in mind that anyone with this hardware
is likely on Orpheus’ go-to list for black bag operations.
X You aren’t even sure how to buy a gun.
1 Modest gun collection.
2 Substantial firearms, including rifles, shotguns, pistols and other items like police scanners.
3 Serious weapons collector with military surplus items, including military camouflage gear and
night-vision binoculars.
4 Gun Show Regular, able to open a booth at any local gun show with weapons like assault
rifles, sniper rifles and possibly a heavy weapon.
5 ATF Nightmare! You can get your hands on just about anything up to a tank.

Attentive Master​ ​[Anybody Bound to a Demon or Earthbound; Thralls]

(Damned & Deceived Page 63)
X Your master has no interest in you at all. If you die, he’ll just find someone else to draw Faith
from.
• You are a resource, and not much more. Your master likely keeps an eye on you, if only to
keep you away from his enemies.
•• Your master takes active steps to keep you safe, and perhaps you have some access to him
and his resources. He ravages you for Faith only when absolutely necessary.
••• You are actively involved in the worship of your master, inspiring others to do the same. You
keep a respectful distance, but you know he’s looking out for you. If your master possesses high
rank, lesser demons give you some deference if they realize whom you serve.
•••• Your master has a deep interest in keeping you alive and healthy, not only for your Faith but
as a friend (or at least a treasured pet). Other demons treat you respectfully if they want to keep
on your master’s good side.
••••• You are a trusted servant, perhaps even an advisor to your master. In addition, his own
rank in demon society gives you reflected prestige. You can convey his orders, screen his
contacts and have lesser demons seek your favor.

Aura​ [Angel/Infused Only]

(Angel The Revelation 36)
Purity of lineage. Those with Life-sight like effects (such as Auspex for Vampires, or Lifesight for
Ghosts/Wraiths) see this as an intensity of glittery gold. Otherwise it is a sort of celestial energy
that gives off a feeling that something special is about you.
N/A: You're Infused.
•: It's there, all it takes is for anyone to be next to you.
••: Anyone within five feet of you will notice.
•••: Anyone who is in seeing distance of you is affected.
••••: Same as three, but it also applies to hearing. (Being on videos counts.)
•••••: Your aura is so strong that those that even if you're online or mentioned in a newspaper, it
counts.

Avatar​ ​[Mage]
(Mage 20th 306; Technocracy call it Genius instead)
The Mage’s Awoken self, the strength of the Avatar dictates the strength of the mage.
• A notable presence that lets you absorb or expend one point of Quintessence.
•• A dynamic presence that lets you absorb or expend two points of Quintessence.
••• A discernable entity that lets you absorb or expend three points of Quintessence.
•••• A potent spirit that lets you absorb or expend four points of Quintessence.
••••• A powerful force of Enlightenment that lets you absorb or expend five points of
Quintessence.

Ba​ ​[Mummy. Maybe others?]

(Mummy the Resurrection 64)
Each mummy possesses am ba portion of his being, but not every ba performs the duties that
are necessary to ensure a timely and proper resurrection with the same skill. A mummy’s Ba
rating determines a number of important factors in his cycle of life. Each point grants an extra
die on the resurrection roll for mummies. Each point also adds approximately 10 years to the
average 60-year life span that a renewed mummy has. The rating also represents how adept
the ba spirit is at interacting with those ethereal forces it needs in order to gain new life.
Therefore, it determines the minimum time that the mummy must spend in the deathstate before
resurrection.
A mummy may remain dead for far longer than the minimum time as he performs his duties in
the underworld.
x Your ba must enjoy staying in Duat. You must rest a minimum of one year between lives.
• Each death is at least as painful as birth to you. You must rest at least nine months. One
additional resurrection die and +10 year life span.
•• The attention of your ba to Egyptian ideals is impressive. The traditional 70 days of funerary
practices serves as the minimum time for which you must remain dead. Two extra resurrection
dice and +20 years average life span.
••• The blessing of Khonsu is upon you. Your rest requires at least 29 days. Three extra
resurrection dice and +30 years life span.
•••• Death is sometimes merely an inconvenience for you. Only three days minimum must be
spent in the underworld. Four extra resurrection dice and +40 years life span.
••••• Your spirit hearkens to the divine cycle of Ra. The sleep of death may last as little as one
day for you. Five extra resurrection dice and +50 years life span.

Backup​ [Anybody]
(Mage 20th 306)
Choose a Category to dictate your type of Backup.
Backup typically has 1-3 in one or two notable Abilities (more elite versions have 3-5 in their
abilities). Either way have 2-3 in their respective Attribute.
[Suggested Types]
• All: Students, drivers, receptionists, couriers, lab techs, political activists, merchants, manual
laborers, EMTs, cult members, thugs.
• Agents of Authority: Cops and detectives, military personnel, reporters, EMTs, cleanup crews.
• Celebrities: Fans, roadies, personal assistants, photographers, road-crew, journalists, makeup
artists.
• Clergy: Acolytes, lesser and lay clergy, healers, devotees of your religion.
• Cyborgs: Mechanics, technicians, soldiers, cybernetic “temps”.
• Feral folk: Animals, healers, medicine people, tribal elders, natives of the appropriate region.
• Gangsters and Vigilantes: Gang members, hookers, allied cops, street people, junkies,
journalists, petty crooks.
• Hackers:Technicians, bloggers, hacker “temps,” political activists, anarchists, transhumanists,
IT specialists.
• Martial artists: Healers, philosophers, martial arts students, “temp” fighters, devotees of your
spiritual path.
• Ritual magicians:Occultists, cultists, acolytes, academics, fearful assistants, aspiring
apprentices, minor imps, or spirit “temps.”
• Scholars: Research assistants, librarians, bloggers, academics, former students, grad
students.
• Scientists: Techs, research aides, robots, misshapen or enhanced assistant “temps.”
• Shamans: Devotees, minor spirits, animals, activists, or armed defenders of your culture.
• Spies and Assassins: Informants, gang members, sleeper agents, cleanup crews.
• Subculturists: Artists, neotribalists, musicians, healers, bloggers, psychoactive specialists,
badasses from your subculture.
• Tycoons: Corporate subordinates, flunkies, toadies, office personnel, journalists, security
guards.
• Witches: Animals, devotees, New Agers, Pagan activists, healers, minor spirits.
• Two typical agents.
•• Four basic agents or two skilled “temps.”
••• Six agents.
•••• Eight agents or four “temps.”
••••• 10 agents.
••••• • 12 agents or six “temps.”
••••• •• 14 agents.
••••• ••• 16 agents or eight “temps.”
••••• •••• 18 agents.
••••• ••••• 20 agents, or 10 “temps.”

Base of Operations​ [Any]

Also known as Communal Haven.
Each Dot gives 3 Points to divide into the Sub-Backgrounds
● Luxury
○ Luxury •: What passes for furniture that falls off the back of a trump
○ Luxury ••: Decorated modestly for first world
○ Luxury •••: Offers relative comfort
○ Luxury ••••: Luxurious oasis. Unique in design/appearance
○ Luxury •••••: Only the extremely wealthy or celebrities are like this
 ● Size
○ Size •: Apartment/Underground Chamber: 1-2 Rooms
○ Size ••: Large apartment/family home: 3-4 Rooms
○ Size •••: Warehouse or Church: 5-8 Rooms
○ Size••••: Mansion or network of tunnels: 9-15 Rooms
○ Size •••••: Sprawling estate: 20+Rooms
● Security
○ Security •: Cheap locks on doors, not much else
○ Security •• You’ve Reinforced Every door/barred windows/etc
○ Security •••: The haven is secure but not impenetrable, relying on the best of
modern set of physical mundane security
○ Security ••••: On par with government buildings
○ Security •••••: Protected by all security features mundane, magical, and one
unique.

Batsu​ [Technically Anyone; Usually Garou/Fera/Hengeyokai]

A collection of close and powerful friends. They might have been people who tagged along for
your first change, other Shen, your beloved teacher.
These are close and powerful (relatively equal to you) good friends (who are not fellow player
characters). They will do as much for themselves
As they say, “Friends help you move; good friends help you move bodies”
•One damn fine friend.
••Two bosom buddies
•••: Three: You’re the fourth member of the Heroic Trio
••••: Four; you spend nights arguing which is the lout, which the kid, which the girl-type
•••••: Five soulmates. What a nice person you must be.

Berserk​ [Technically Anyone]

(Hunter Book Avenger 67)
Deep seated Rage. Whenever exposed to things involving this rage make a Willpower Roll (on
a success you can control yourself. On a Failure, willing or otherwise you can perform one
action of ultra-violence at the trigger). The next time you strike somebody with a
muscle-powered attack (melee, brawl, etc) you add your Berserk rating to the dice pool for
damage. This is not added to Firearms attacks, but can be added to other rolls involving feats of
strength (snapping handcuffs for example). However, after this action is done you must roll
Soak vs Bashing damage based on your Berserk level. You must use all Berserk bonus dice
and suffer the full drawback each time you invoke this, but cannot invoke this more than once
per scene.
•No one messed with you on the playground after that one incident. (One Bashing Backlash)
••Your self-control count rarely makes it to “10” (One Bashing Backlash)
•••You’ve worked as a bouncer just for the chances to vent (Two Bashing Backlash)
••••You’ve probably done time for assault (Two Bashing Backlash)
••••• “Mr. McGee, don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” (Three Bashing
Backlash)

Blacklisted​ [ANYBODY] [ADVERSARY BACKGROUND]

(Guide to the Traditions 225)
While a few lucky mages manage to have regular careers — as doctors, lawyers, truckers,
what-have-you — a few manage to really get on society’s bad side. Some actually are criminals.
Others ran afoul of the Technocracy. Either way, some nasty paperwork makes life difficult for
the mage. Your Blacklisting indicates that you’re barred from certain practices and, furthermore,
known for your ineptitude, illegal practices or general stupidity. Hell, they’ve got papers to prove
it. The value of the Background depends on exactly how bad your Blacklisting is; at the high
levels, your mage could suffer serious social consequences.
• Trivial Blacklist: Prior traffic offenses; banned from a local union
•• Minor Blacklist: Misdemeanor criminal; suspended license
••• Moderate Blacklist: Disbarred lawyer or AWOL military
•••• Major Blacklist: Felon (can’t vote or own firearms) or unlicensed doctor for malpractice
••••• Overwhelming Blacklist: Convicted sex offender or legally insane

Blessing​ [Anybody technically]

(Mage 20th 307)
Blessings gives you a single, minor, storybased benefit. This benefit seems to come from an
element in your character history, one that’s tied into the beliefs that focus your magick. An
Akashic, for example, could consider herself blessed by the wind-god Fei Lian because she’s
always cooled by a faint breeze; a Sister of Hippolyta never gets lost (a blessing of Athena),
whereas a one-eyed Syndicate boss with an unsettling sense of physical and energetic
androgyny also seems to know little things no one should know about. (No one actually calls the
boss Odin, but that picture of two ravens on the boss’s wall hints at a certain familiarity…)
• Life gives you small favors: your clothes always look clean and pressed, your kitchen never
gets filthy, you find dollar bills on the ground, etc.
•• Little things go your way: You always find a parking space, win small amounts whenever you
play the lottery, score someone’s phone number whenever you ask for it, etc.
••• You possess a strange affinity for certain things: your cooking always tastes good, you never
get lost or lose your keys, babies fall asleep as soon as you start rocking them, etc.
•••• Your knack gets downright uncanny: kids shut up as soon as you tell them to, your
suggestions always sound reasonable, you score with whomever appeals to you, etc.
••••• A major blessing follows you: your wallet and bank account always have one dollar left,
your gun has one final bullet, you know secrets no one should be able to know about, etc

Blood Stock​ [Technically Anyone]

Represents types of Vitae and blood you have on hand. Most useful to Vampires.
•Common Quality: Basic Humans and Animals. You have it stockpiled, nothing more.
••Medium Quality: Blood From Ghouls, Rare Human Types, Fledgling Vampires
•••Good Quality: Blood from Old Ghouls, Neonate Vampires, Young Lupines, Low-Tier
Sorcerers, Kinain, Kinfolk.
••••Highest Quality: Rank 1 Garou Blood, Ancillae Vampires, Ancient Ghouls, Mages,
Changelings, Demons, Fledgling Kuei-Jin.
•••••Rare: Elder Vampires, Arch-Mages, Ancient Sorcerers, Fallen, Powerful Changeling, Rank 2
Garou, Neonate Kuei-Jin, Wraith, Spirits.
••••• •Luminary: Methuselah Vampires, Rank 3 Garou, Ancillae Kuei-Jin.
••••• ••: Rank 4 Garou, Mummies, "Antediluvian" Vampires, Elder Kuei-Jin.
••••• •••: Rank 5 Garou, Methuselah Kuei-Jin, Unique "Magical" Monsters.

Bystanders​ [Any]
(Hunter the Reckoning Core 121)
Competent Mortals who mean a great deal to you and lend sympathetic aide to you and your
cause.
• - •••••: You gain one Bystander per dot

Certification​ [Any]
(Mage 20th 308)
Unless your character has managed to obtain a permit without the proper training, you’ll need at
least one dot in a related Ability for each dot in this Background; a medical license, for example,
would demand at least four dots in Medicine. Assuming that your character has the appropriate
skills (or has paid the appropriate bribes), you can get certifications for alternate identities (see
Alternate Identity) to reflect a character with the right papers under various names.
Official certifications carry a degree of visibility.
Certifications can be checked by the authorities, and although a heavy-weapons permit might let
you own some serious hardware, it also assures that you’ll be one of the first people the cops
look for when someone commits a crime with such weaponry!
X The usual stuff – driver’s license, government ID card, nothing special.
• Hunting license, business license, passport to an open country, etc.
•• Teaching certificate, bodywork license, PADI certification, CPA, trucker’s or motorcycle
license, basic firearms permit, etc.
••• Concealed weapons permit, HAZMAT disposal license, church-ordained clergy, lifeguard
certification, private investigator’s license, private pilot’s permit, etc.
•••• Class C weapons permit, board-certified medical or legal professional, professional aircraft
pilot’s license, government intelligence operative, etc.
••••• Diplomatic immunity, license to kill

Changeling Companion​ [Lycian’s only]

(C20 Player’s Guide 161)
• You’re friends with a weak changeling who only rarely has Glamour to spare.
•• Your changeling is moderately powerful and can provide Glamour occasionally.
••• You know a strong changeling who gives you a steady supply of Glamour.
•••• Your friend is influential and lets you use her freehold whenever you need.
••••• Your changeling friend is extremely powerful with an almost limitless supply of Glamour.

Chantry​ [Any?]
(Dark Ages Mage 83)
Mage Version: A home base for Mages , similar to Vampires and their ‘Domain’. Points in
Chantry are divided between ​Size​, ​Security​, ​Aura​, ​Guardians, Library, Research, Sanctity,
Stores, and How Well it Blends in​. Each Point adds 5 Sub-background points
Stores:
•-•••••: Each dot equates to an effective dot in resources to support this Chantry.
Sanctity
•-•••••: Each Dot increases the difficulty of any Security/Larceny roll an infiltrator might need to
make to break into or find your chantry.
Research
•-•••••:Each Dot Adds dice to incepting and researching new rituals/powers (and every dot
indicates 20% of your total occupants that have a lab exclusively to them)
Library
•-•••••: Add Your Rating to research with the Library and dictates the level of Rituals you have in
your Library
Guardians:
•-•••••: Each Dot adds either 5 Ghouls Loyal to the Chantry or One Supernatural creature (such
as a Gargoyle)
Size: (AT LEAST ONE POINT MUST BE INVESTED)
•: Small home / farm: Enough for 1-2 Characters to live comfortably
••: Relatively spacious building: larger farmhouse and a barn, workshop in a city. 3-4 Characters
•••: Noble’s Cottage, country home, several buildings together: 5-7 Characters
••••: Church Sized building. 8-10 people
•••••A Veritable Castle: Enough for a score of mages to study.
Security:
•-•••••: +1 Diff per point in Security for people to break in
Aura:
•-•••••: Diminish the Aura as if they had one less dot in their foundation (to a minimum of
Foundation 1). Only members of the Cabal benefit
Blending In
•-•••••: How well you blend into the community and normalize (how well your community just
accepts what goes on in The Chantry) and reduces the type of gossip about it.

Chimerical Companion​ ​[Only People who can deal with the Dreaming]
(C20 Core Page 169; See Page 320 for Specifics on Creation)
(CtD: Player’s Guide 144 for Spirit Companion, which is mechanically the same but a separate
background except it must be related to some Spirit.)
(Kithbook Nockers Page 55: Another version of this is called ‘Golem’ to reflect buildable
Chimera with the Infusion Art)
You have a Chimerical Companion.
• You have a simple chimerical pet (20 points). Add 8 Attributes if a Golem
•• Your chimera is semi-intelligent and able to communicate (25 points). Add 15 Attribute Points
if a Golem
••• The chimera is able to speak clearly and often has a mind of its own (30 points). Add 22
Attribute Points if a Golem
•••• You have a highly intelligent chimera that is often a great help (40 points). Add 29 Attribute
Points if a Golem
••••• Your friend is an ancient and/or powerful chimera that is a legend in its own right (60
points). Add 36 Attribute Points if a Golem

Chimerical Item ​[Only People who can deal with the Dreaming]
(C20 Core Page 169; See Page 317 for Specifics on Creation)
• You own a chimerical memento or conversation piece (Basic crafting).
•• Your chimerical item conveys some useful benefit (Advanced crafting).
••• You have a moderately powerful chimerical item (Complex crafting).
•••• You own a powerful chimerical item (Masterwork crafting).
••••• Your chimerical item is legendary (Legendary crafting)

Circle​ [Nunnehi Changeling focused; Any Supernatural Allowed]

(CtD: Player’s Guide 144; Called Household)
(C20 Core Page 408; Called Circle)
Members of a mortal household you are close to. They look to you as a special person and may
or may not know of your true heritage. They are not under your direct control (that is reflected in
backgrounds such as Retainers and Retinue) but will usually follow your influence as you are
important to their lives.
(should have 2 in Attributes and 2 in abilities they are known for).
•You have two members in your household
••You have four members in your household
•••You have eight members in your household
••••You have sixteen members in your household
•••••You have thirty-two members in your household.

Companion​ [Mummy; Maybe others?]

(Mummy The Resurrection 64)
Egyptian mortuary priests did not restrict their practices to human beings. They mummified
hordes of animals to attend their masters into the afterlife. Some temples housed literally
thousands of beasts that had been preserved carefully for eternity. In those ancient times, your
tem-akh spirit was buried with an especially loyal beast. Amazingly, the spirit of your companion
survived the ravages of the centuries to attend you in the present day.
Create a companion animal using the templates for Restless Souls (Mummy the Resurrection p.
207). The companion animal is one respected by the Egyptians for its connection to the gods.
A companion animal displays a level of intelligence that exceeds that of its living counterparts,
and it can even communicate with its Amenti master. The companion animal is immaterial,
gifting him with minor blessings and acting as the mummy’s spiritual guardian during his life. In
the Amenti’s death cycle, the spiritual beast accompanies the mummy into the underworld. Each
level of this Background lists a traditional companion animal of appropriate power. The
Egyptians commonly mummified ibises, cats, crocodiles and baboons, but anything with
religious significance was fair game, regardless of its size. At the Storyteller’s discretion, you
may substitute a different animal for your character as long as its capabilities are
commensurate. You may use the dice pool bonus listed for each level once per game session.

x Either no one buried any animals with your tem-akh long ago, or those animals have all
perished during the intervening millennia.
• Ibis: Thoth, the god who created writing, was pictured with an ibis head. Able to fly, although
not particularly speedily, the ibis makes a useful underworld ally. The wise bird further provides
one die for any attempt to understand or express anything involving the written word.
•• Cat: Egyptians held the delightful children of Bast in high regard. Cats guarded against
disease by keeping the rat population under control, and they were supposedly privy to their
patron goddess’ wisdom. Some say that one of the Judges of Ma’at gives special regard to
those who walk with the holy creatures of Bast. Your character may add up to two dice on
attempts to learn secrets.
••• Falcon: The swift falcon traces its beautiful arc across the sky in imitation of its patron Ra.
From high above, the falcon’s penetrating gaze can spot the smallest desert mouse. Your
character may add up to three dice to one or more Perception related rolls.
•••• Crocodile: The mighty crocodile is associated with the god Sobek, and it acts to guard its
partner against harm. Unfortunately the beast is often slow and lazy, and it commonly chooses
to rest in one place. Therefore, a mummy who wishes to benefit from its protection must stay
with it. Your character may add up to four dice to soak rolls.
••••• Lion: This noble beast was associated with the power of the goddess Sekhmet and with the
Pharaohs. As mighty and proud as the lion is, it encourages its partner to dominate any social
situation. Few creatures wish to risk its wrath in the underworld. Your character may add up to
five dice to one or more Social rolls or interactions with animals.

Codex​ [Earthbound Demon ]

(Earthbound Page 76)
Determines how successful you are in learning True Names of other demons. When you
encounter another Demon (physical or in a body): Intelligence + Codex (Diff 8) to identify with 2
successes also knowing their Celestial Name, 4 Successes giving their True Name. Fallen who
become Earthbound in a Chronicle cannot purchase this background. This represents gathering
of knowledge over hundreds of years of scrutiny.
X You have never paid attention to others of your kind, so you have learned a scant handful of
True Names over the millennia of your existence.
• You’re aware of the Names of a few of your former brethren, but you haven’t actively sought
out further Names.
•• Your agents and slaves have searched Creation for clues and information on other demons,
and you know the Names of a significant number of them.
••• Finding out the True Names of other demons has been an important priority for you, and you
know the spiritual identities of hundreds of them.
•••• You know the True Names of perhaps thousands of demons, and you can identify and
control almost any demon you encounter.
••••• Legends tell of a great book, older than any mortal can imagine, that records the True
Name of every demon and angel. You are its author.

Connection​ [Angel/Infused only]

(Angel the Revelation Page 35)
Your link and strength of link to a specific Divinity (see Page 35 of Angel The Revelation for
specifics)
N/A: No connection means you're definitely an Infused.
•: You'll get a flashback that is only a few seconds long or has a sentence long answer.
••: Flashbacks last for one minute or you can get a few-sentence response.
•••: You can get up to ten minutes worth of information. Or in the case of the Chari and Aasama,
can talk normally.
••••: Flashback can last as long as half an hour as long as your concentration isn't broken.
Charon's voice can be heard as long as he desires or until the PC shuts it off. A Grigori can
faintly appear in front of their child.
•••••: Flashbacks last up to an hour with proper concentration (hopefully they wouldn't be too
disturbing). Chari can receive images if Charon wishes it. And Grigori can manifest in ghost
like-form and touch his or her child as long as no one else is looking. (If a mundane Mortal does
come across, the Grigori immediately vanishes.)

Consecrated​ [Fomori and Wyrm Infused only]

You were infused with a terrible Wyrm rite upon birth. This will act as additional points of Status
in certain circles, Infamy in others. The more powerful the spirit affixed to you, the less direct the
aide and more distant they will be.
•A Bane Gaffling or Wyrm Servitor (Rank 1-3 Black Spiral Dancer)
••A Bane Jaggling or a Powerful Wyrm Servitor (Rank 4+ Black Spiral Dancer; 7th Generation
Secret Organization Leader)
•••A Powerful Bane (Nexus Crawler) or Very Powerful Wyrm Servitor (Pentex Board Executive)
••••A Maeljin Incarna or Urge Wyrm
•••••One of the Triatic Wyrms (Defiler, Eater of Souls, or Beast of War)

Contacts​ ​[ANYBODY]
(C20 Core Page 169; Is printed in every 20th Anniversary Core Book)
Each Dot represents a Major Contact and the player should spell out the type of person this
contact is.
In Addition you can roll (Wits + Contacts Diff 7) for Minor Contacts that you can bully/bribe/deal
with to get other things
• One contact.
•• Two contacts.
••• Three contacts.
•••• Four contacts.
••••• Five contacts.
••••• • Six contacts.
••••• •• Seven contacts.
••••• ••• Eight contacts.
••••• •••• Nine contacts.
••••• ••••• 10 contacts
Go-en [Usually Kitsune]
Another version of contacts that represents actually a large network of minor contacts. This
counts as dots of Contacts for the Minor Contacts roll and applies a -2 difficulty modifier to that
roll.
•You know what’s going on in your home town.
••The affairs of your prefecture are at your fingertips.
•••You have contacts across the country and a few in other lands.
••••The Middle Kingdom if your rumor mill.
•••••Wherever you go, you know somebody.

Continued Exposure​ [Hunter; maybe others]

(Hunter Book Innocent 74)
You have ongoing and relatively peaceful association with another Supernatural. They are not
powerful and are not your close friend, but you have a sort of uneasy truce. At a Storyteller’s
discretion, you can have multiple smaller ones at higher rating.
•Contact with a barely civil creature once a month or less
••A Nocturnal (and sometimes) dangerous acquaintance every few weeks
•••You feel relatively safe in your encounters every couple of weeks or so
••••You have clear understanding with the contact, ensures mutual safety in encounters every
week
•••••You consider the creature a friend and see it every few days.

Cray ​[Mage]
(Dark Ages Mage 84)
Natural outwelling of quintessence. To withdraw Quintessence from a Cray you must perform a
harvesting ritual (unique to each location; Usually not a test, when it is a dire-situation it might
be a Wits + Foundation Roll with a Difficulty of 10-Cray Rating and get 1 Quintessence per
success; But you MUST absorb all quintessence absorbed this way)
A Cray regenerates 1 Quintessence each day it remains unused, up to it’s maximum amount.
If you attempt to draw Quintessence while it is empty you may do so (drawing up to background
rating). If you do, permanently reduce the Cray Rating by 1 (and then roll the new Cray Rating
diff 8. On a Pass it will work as normal and begin refilling as if a cray at it’s new rating. If it fails it
becomes dormant and regenerates 1/year. If it botches, the Cray is destroyed).
Mages do not know how much a Cray truly holds.
You may put points into Cray Potency. Each point of Cray Potency allows it to store 5
Quintessence (you must invest at least one point here)
You may put points into Cray Potency, each point invested her increases the difficulty attempts
to find or sense your Cray by 1.

Couriers​ [Anybody]
Like a spider, you’ve cast a net of communications throughout a city, region or even
countryside. You can courier messages through any known Nosferatu means — whether with
caravans, Gangrel scouts or homing pigeons — and know they’ll be reliably transmitted to other
Nosferatu in your area of influence. These communications are not entirely secure, however.
Your messages can travel far and wide because they pass on the lips of those who aide a
variety of Nosferatu — so another who has earned their trust could well catch wind of what you
are conveying. Although Lepers value the clan’s secrets, they also must make deals with
outsiders. A Magister’s coterie-mate may well pass on your plan to steal into his haven.
Dots in the Background represent how trusted and connected the character is in the local
network of couriers, and so how far and wide a message is reliably conveyed. This also
determines how easily the vampire can tap into others’ messages. The Storyteller can ask the
player to make a Charisma + Subterfuge roll (difficulty 10 - dots in Couriers) to find out if
anything interesting is being passed along by local couriers. A player who wishes her character
to have a very secure way of relaying information might purchase the Retainers Background to
represent a personally loyal courier.
• The communication web extends over one city.
•• The web touches upon two cities.
••• The player now has a choice of reaching three cities or a country’s district like Aquitaine in
France or one of the Papal States.
•••• The character’s message can reach four major cities or affect a geographic area like the
Carpathians, the Seine’s shores or the Alps.
••••• The character can communicate with up to five cities or an entire country like France,
England or Bulgaria.

Cult​ [Various Versions]

Demon Version​ (Earthbound Page 75) ​[Earthbound Only]
A Cult of Worshippers, background rating dictating size, how often they meet, etc.
X You have no worshippers, or perhaps just a handful of dedicated thralls. You have no source
of Faith to draw upon, and you risk falling into stasis.
• You have a small cult — perhaps three or four priests and a few dozen worshippers. The
group is able to perform a ritual in your service only once a month.
•• Your cult is not large, but it is of a manageable and controllable size — perhaps 10 priests
and 20 or 30 followers. The cult is able to perform rituals in your honor twice a month.
••• Your cult is large and probably has branches in several different cities, with more than 100
members. The cult is large enough so that a ritual is performed in your name once a week.
•••• Your cult is huge, with tentacles of control in several different countries. Several hundred
mortals obey your every whim. A ritual is performed for you twice a week.
••••• Your followers are everywhere, and temples to your unholy power are hidden in almost
every nation. More than 1,000 mortals live and die for your name, and black rituals are
performed for your glory almost every day. Not a day goes by without your worshippers
performing rituals, and you gain Faith thus once per day.
Hunter Version​ (Hunter Book Avenger 68; Anybody May Take this)
You become the focus of a new religion. While your Cult isn’t making waves and probably never
will in relation to the established Religions, you have an organization to draw upon as long as
they protect you. You may draw upon your cult for Assistances, Goods, Services or Money.
These people you’ve attracted, however, are the dregs of society in one way or another.
•: Two believers, remarkable only for their faith
••Four followers, one of whom is a little less hapless than the others, almost a normal person
•••Six Followers: One is exceptional in some way compared to the average person (Smarter,
Richer, More Dangerous)
••••Either Followers, one is extraordinary compared to the average person and might even be a
Bystander (A Hunter who flinched and did not become Imbued)
•••••Ten Followers, and a leader (your right hand) who has the skills and belief to recruit more
members.
Mage Version​ (Mage 20th 310)
• Tiny cult: 3-7 people. Add one die to the dice pool of a ritual cast with that group’s assistance.
•• Small cult: 8-12 people. Add two dice to rituals cast when that group is gathered.
••• Moderate cult: 13-17 people. Add three dice to rituals cast in the presence of the whole
group.
•••• Large cult: 18-22 people. Add four dice to rituals cast with that group behind them.
••••• Huge cult, between 23-30 people. Add five dice to rituals cast when the entire cult has
gathered.
Vampire Version 1​ (Ashen Cults 74 onwards)
Each Dot in this background (which is limited by your generation) provides 1 Cult Point. Cult
Points buy up the Sub-Backgrounds. If you pool your Cult background those points buy up
different sub-backgrounds
● Cult Size
○ Size 0: No more than 10 Members
○ Size 1: No more than 20 Members
○ Size 2: No more than 50 Members
○ Size 3: No more than 100 members
○ Size 4: No more than 250 Members
○ Size 5: No more than 500 Members
○ Size 6: No more than 1,000 Members
○ Size 7: Greater than 1,000 members. These are extremely rare and the
Storyteller may not want players to have cults of this size.
● Cult Influence
○ Influence 0: None. It has no influence over anyone outside of their members.
They might be outcasts, escaped slaves, cut off from the world, presumed dead,
or otherwise without influence.
○ Influence 1: Modest Influence, small influence in a particular area: A town,
monastery, etc.
○ Influence 2: Well Entrenched: A factor in the politics of a city or equivalent arena.
Might strongly influence a particular faction within your city such as beggars,
monks, masons, etc.
○ Influence 3: Influential: The cult can exert influence over an area the size of a
barony, drawing attention of lesser nobles (and influencing their decisions)
○ Influence 4: Strongly Influential: A Power to be reckoned with in an entire country
or diocese.
○ Influence 5: Vastly Influential: Can be felt over an entire Nation or the whole of
The Church.
● Cult Loyalty
○ Loyalty: -2: +2 Points to spend in other sub-backgrounds in this Cult. Divided:
Deeply divided into factions and beset with internal strife. Coups, betrayal and
rebellion are all likely even the cult leaders can’t entirely trust one another.
○ Loyalty: -1: +1 Point to spend. Opportunistic: Most of the members of the cult
have a cynical, self-serving attitude toward it and its leadership. They will better
themselves at the expense of the cult.
○ Loyalty 0: Fairly Loyal. Loyal to the cause but wont seriously endanger
themselves. Will obey the dictates to their best of their abilities
○ Loyalty 1: Moderately Loyal: Cult’s followers keep its secrets under most
conditions and do as commanded by leadership unless it risks physical or social
harm
○ Loyalty 2: Devoted: Willing to take dire risks in the name of the cult and will fight
to defend it if needed.
○ Loyalty 3: Zealous: The cult members keep its secrets under any conditions
except torture or supernatural coercion. Always ready to defend the cult, it’s
members, and particularly its leaders. Willing to take any risk for the cult.
○ Loyalty 4: Fanatical: True Fanatics, possibly conditioned by disciplines. Will die
before betraying the cult or willingly giving away its ideals. Will give lives for cult
gladly.
● Cult Resources
○ Resources -1: +1 Point to spend. None. The cult has no resources of its own and
has none to offer. It meets in abandoned/out of the way places
○ Resources 0: Scant: Can support itself and its members with little to no leftover
each month. Peasant folk or beggars. Cults when it can it meets.
○ Resources 1: Modest: Has access to a structure to a cottage. It has a small
income above and beyond the upkeep of the needs of it’s members.
 ○ Resources 2: Comfortable: Has a permanent house or structure and small
income and beyond upkeep.
○ Resources 3: Great Wealth: Controls a manor or entire village, or may control a
merchant house/similar business. Has a small treasure for necessary expenses.
○ Resources 4: Vast Wealth: Considerable prosperity similar to a castle or 10-20
entire villages, or a huge trading empire
● Cult Secrecy
○ Secrecy: -2: +2 Points to SPend. Existence is known to potentially dangerous
people such as Clergy/nobility. Known to most cainites. Constantly on it’s guard
against infiltrators/attacks
○ Secrecy -1: +1 Point to Spend: The cult’s existence is known to most of the
Cainites in it’s area, who may seek to undermine/manipulate the cult for their
own.
○ Secrecy 0: Cult’s existence is not generally known, but not difficulty to discover
(Diff 6 Perception + Investigation extended test for 5 successes for basic; more
based on how much more)
○ Secrecy 1: The cult manages to hide from routine investigation. Extended
Perception + Investigation (Diff 7; 6 successes) for basic information
○ Secrecy 2: Cult uses secret signs/passwords (Perception + Investigation Diff 8; 7
Successes)
○ Secrecy 3: Most people doubt this cult exists. (Perception + Investigation Diff 9;
8 Successes)
○ Secrecy 4: No one except cultists really knows this as anything more than a
legend. (Perception + Investigation Diff 10; 9 Successes)
● Cult Arcana
○ Arcana 0: Entirely mortals with no supernatural abilities
○ Arcana 1: Has a Dot or two in Sorcery for SOME Members maybe access to
occult knowledge
○ Arcana 2: Has some Vampires (10% or less) or Sorcerers with up to 3 Dots in a
path
○ Arcana 3: 25% of your CUlt is Vampires or Sorcerers with up to 4 Dots in paths.
○ Arcana 4: ½ Cult are Vampires or Sorcerers with up to 5 dots in paths
○ Arcana 5: Entirely made of Vampires/Sorcerers.
Cult [Other Version; Any]
•-•••••: You count as if having an effective rating of (Background-1) in Allies, Contacts, Herd,
Influence (and any other background the ST deems appropriate), however you may only have
one background gained this way active on any given night.

Cultus​ [Anybody]
For each dot of Cultus you have choose one of the following: Allies, Contacts, Domain Security,
Herd, Mob, Resources, Retainer, or Spies. Other backgrounds can be chosen as prescribed by
the ST You gain an effective rating in those Backgrounds equal to ½ your Cultus Rating (round
up).
•Vampires add their Cultus rating to any Awakening rolls (as per v20 pg 262).
•Vampires emerge from involuntary torpor with vitae equal to your Cultus rating.
Upgrades​:
•Revenant Caretakers: +3 Dots (ignore gencap for this upgrade): You have a Revenant Family
in your Cultus and they can act as your proxies using your backgrounds as if they were you
unless they have no access to them (such as Alt ID), or Status (unless they are recognized as
your proxy). This also gives +1 Dot of Domain Security
•Ghostly Attendant: +3 Dots (Ignore gencaps) You have Ghosts in your Cultus. They count as if
they have Auspex (equal to your dots in Cultus) while keeping track of people in your Domain.
Should you be in Torpor in while away from your Domain your Cultus can find you and direct
others to you
•Acolytes: +3 Dots (Ignore genaps): Cultus also add it’s rating in dice to Blood Magic based
rituals as well as to Occult or Occult related rolls.

Dark Reputation​ [Shadow Court Changelings]

(C20 Player’s Guide 54)
• New Blood: You’re a full member of the Court and have just started to make a name for
yourself. Changelings seeking sponsors or in their year of sponsorship jump to help your cause.
•• Veteran: You’ve been around, and suffered some for the sake of the Court. New initiates
seeking to gain experience are eager to help you.
••• Revolutionary: Your name is starting to circulate beyond the regional level, and others often
look to you for leadership if none is already established. Well-established members of the
Shadow Court are willing to lend you a hand for some quid pro quo. The Black Court has
noticed you, but is unlikely to have approached you yet unless you seem like you would a
sympathetic ally – or useful pawn.
•••• Mastermind: You’re a major player in a significant aspect of Court business, whether that
means a specific geographic region or a certain type of activity (e.g., public relations or
sabotage). Leaders of the Shadow Court are eager to hear what you come up with next and
help you fuel your machinations. You probably know at least a bit about the Black Court at this
level, though you may not know the full extent of their influence, and they definitely have
designs on you (for better or worse).
••••• Icon:Only the newest and most clueless recruits don’t know your name, and you can set
Court policy in motion just by showing up and saying a few words. Any member of the Shadow
Court and many allied Unseelie fae are willing to do your bidding, up to and including dukes and
duchesses, just to be in your good graces. It’s all but certain you know about the Black Court,
which in turns means you’re either a partner to their agenda or their sworn foe within the
Shadow Court – you’re too influential for them to simply let you stay on the sidelines.

Database​ [Any]
(Hunter Book Judge 72)
You have access to the right information at the right time, reflected in access to databases of
varying degrees.
•You have access to a local database that provides basic personal information (Phone
COmpany with unlisted phone numbers, cross-referenced list of numbers and addresses)
••You can enter local government databases such as DMV, Property Records, City Police.
•••You have connections to databases with sensitive personal data, such as credit histories,
bank statements, social security information
••••With time, you can call upon nationwide resources such as FBI’s criminal database,
LEXUS-NEXUS (which can provide SSN, Bank Records, transactions, medical histories on a
nationwide basis). Can take up to 4 to 48 hours for response time.
•••••You can enter a variety of state/federal databases which cover everything from ATM history
to sealed military records. This could reflect things such as INTERPOL or Llyod’s of London.
Results can take 1 to 5 days but always provide a wealth of information.

Debts​ [Any]​ ​[ADVERSARY BACKGROUND]

(GUide to the Traditions 223)
Although it’s easy to make money with just a few simple magic tricks, it is also possible for a
mage to be in Debt, whether to student loans, loan sharks, Technocratically-tampered records
or ridiculous credit card bills. Debts require monthly payments equal to the allowance that the
character would get with the same level of Resources and a total sum equal to the liquidation
value of the same rank of Resources to pay them off. The mage could have Resources and
Debts both, with money coming in one hand and going out the other, or he could be destitute
and on the run from creditors. A mage who doesn’t pay debts can face legal actions,
leg-breakers or just the problems of living on the street. As with any adversarial Background,
overcoming this Background isn’t easy. Even if the mage coughs up the money to clear up the
debt, he may have to fill out interminable paperwork, explain himself to some
less-than-upstanding loan organization or just be haunted with bad credit. Therefore,
overcoming Debt requires good roleplaying, hard work and the expenditure of experience.
• Trivial debt: Pay $50 per month. Clear debt for $1,000.
•• Moderate debt: Pay $1,200 per month. Clear debt for $8,000
••• Major debt: Pay $3,000 per month. Clear debt for $50,000.
•••• Crushing debt: Pay $9,000 per month. Clear debt for $500,000.
••••• On the run: Owe $30,000 per month. Clear debt for $5,000,000. Good luck

Demesne​ [Any?]
(Mage 20th 311)
Cosmologically, a Demesne exists in the Maya as a semipermanent Dream Realm inspired by
your dreaming mind. This Realm might be something you created intentionally with the Talent:
Lucid Dreaming, or it might exist in a place conjured by your subconscious imagination. Either
way, it follows cues from your consciousness and features elements of personal significance for
you. Your mind might build a temple that no one can defile, a field of flowers in honor of your
beloved, a gallery of pictures that immortalize people or places you wish to remember… if you
can dream it, you can create it… though you might not actually control your creation once the
Demesne exists.
This Demesne might not be a pleasant place. Nightmares, Quiets, suicidal thoughts, or other
dark neuroses can spawn a Demesne too. Maybe you want to craft a nightmare realm, either a
testing-ground, a purgatory, or a reflection of your love for horror films. Pleasant or otherwise,
the Demesne could be small, impressive, or vast. You yourself might not know just how
expansive it can be. Our minds, after all, are full of surprises… In game terms, the Background
rating reflects the degree of control you have over this place once it’s established. At low
ratings, you can visit the Realm but not command it, while at higher levels you determine almost
every detail of your Realm.
Figure out your Demesne’s appearance and nature, probably in collaboration with your
Storyteller… who’s bound to add a few elements of her own.
When dreaming or meditating, your character can go visit his Demesne with a successful
Perception + Demesne roll. The difficulty depends upon your situation: directing yourself there
under normal circumstances would be difficulty 5 or 6, whereas trying to reach it under
distressing circumstances (say, while enduring torture or other challenges) would range from
difficulty 7 to 9. Once he’s arrived, the character’s consciousness is free to wander around the
Demesne. Although physical or mental distress can disrupt the Realm, it’s still a familiar – if not
always welcoming – space.
X No Dream Realm to speak of.
• Occasional visitor to the Realm. You have a name for it and recognize a few significant
features.
•• A regular visitor, you’ve traveled extensively through the Demesne.
••• In your dreams, you know this place quite well.
•••• This is your Realm, and though you don’t command its every feature or resident, they know
and recognize you as someone of authority there.
••••• Lord or Lady of the Demesne, you know and command this Realm as if it were your
kingdom… because it is.

Den-Realm​ [Bastet Only]

A den-realm that a Bastet builds, a pocket of the Umbra. It is designed to your specifications in
appearance. Finding the way into the Den-Realm is automatic for you, but for unwanted guests
it is a Difficulty 8 Perception+Occult to find it and then must Step Sideways as if Difficulty 9 (this
automatically alerts the Bastet).
You always Step-Sideways in or out of your Den-Realm opening at Difficulty 3. Up to (Gnosis)
times per scene you may step-sideways into your Den-Realm without going to the opening with
a Difficulty 6 Gnosis test.
Attacks on the Den-Realm (physical or spirit realm) are a bolt of phantom pain to the Bastet and
they know what has happened, freely peering into/outside of the Den-Realm.
The Bastet can lead others into their Den-Realm freely. There are two figures reflected in the
dots. The first figure is for an Urban den-realm, the second is for one in the wilderness
•Size of a House/One Square mile
••Size of a mansion/two square miles
•••A city block/five square miles
••••Two city blocks/10 square miles
•••••Five city blocks/20 square miles
Ananta [Nagah Only]
The Nagah comparison to the Den-Realm. This has no physical presence, only a small space
nominated as their doorway, almost always at the bottom of a source of fresh water. Other
Nagah can detect the presence of the doorway but it is otherwise safe from outside detection.
Stepping sideways into the realm is as the normal Gauntlet but -1 diff per 2 Dots you have in
this background (to a min of -1 diff; cannot reduce below diff 2). Once created you can swallow
your realm to move it and regurgitate it at any time to enter it again. While it is inside of you, you
can step-sideways like a Garou does. If the Ananta is destroyed you lose one Permanent Rating
of Gnosis (can be repurchased as normal for raising Gnosis)
•Small and meagerly appointed Ananta, no refreshments.
••Modest Ananta, roughly the size of a guest bedroom, enough food and drink to entertain a
visitor or two.
•••An Ananta well-suited to a nest, roughly the size of a townhouse, or hotel suite. Enough food
and drink for the whole nest.
••••A spacious nest, about house-size, with abundant food.
•••••A luxurious Ananta, the size of a small mansion, with gourmet delicacies for all.

Detective​ [Any]
(Orpheus Core 184)
Orpheus offers detective licenses to any agent willing to undergo the training. This allows
Orpheus to investigate matters publicly and legally, thus giving its agents legitimacy. Orpheus
uses its many contacts to bypass some of the more difficult requirements of obtaining a license,
like potentially thousands of hours working in a private investigative service or three years
without a criminal record. Anyone with Detective License can access information for
investigative or research purposes. This reduces by one per dot the difficulty of an Investigation
roll, indicating he’s pursuing various leads or information channels. This bonus only applies at a
rate of one against the difficulty for every hour the character spends investigating (up to this
Background’s maximum dots). Additionally, the information must be accessible in some
capacity. DMV records are, but NSA-classified information is not.
X You haven’t pursued the training.
1 You have the license but probably don’t deserve it.
2 You know the basics and the license is earning you the experience.
3 The police respect your work.
4 Everyone wants to know when you’re going to apply to the FBI or CIA.
5 You’re a modern day Sherlock Holmes

Domain​ [Any]
This background actually has multiple sub-backgrounds, but a Domain is any territory that you
control that is politically recognized by another supernatural community (typically the one you
belong to but not always). Note, you can physically control a piece of land and still not be the
recognized leader politically.
Each Dot in Domain gives 3 Sub-Dots.
 ● Domain Area: ​You Must Invest At Least One Dot Here​:
○ Area •: A single tower, tiny hermitage, or fortified cottage: the smallest structure
that could support an impoverished knight or prior. 10 residents could squeeze
into such a place. This includes fields and other means of supporting its
inhabitants.
○ Area ••: A keep with one or two towers, a small abbey or some other structure
capable of supporting 50 inhabitants, including servants. It stands at the heart of
fields and other means to support its residents
○ Area •••: A significant castle, monastery, or other structure, and outlying fields
and trade capable of supporting around 100 residents total
○ Area ••••: A large structure including multiple outbuildings and areas for
agriculture and/or industry. Unless it’s kept secret, the manor is a major hub for
trade/culture and support up to 500 inhabitants
○ Area•••••: A walled town/district/vast complex supporting up to 1000 residents
● Domain Defense
○ • - •••••: Each Dot imposes a +1 difficulty penalty to intrude by stealth / direct
assault. These apply to your Haven/Base of Operations if it is in your Domain.
● Domain Prosperity
○ • -•••••: Each dot includes a -1 difficulty adjuster to Commerce Rolls and you can
buy up Resource backgrounds equal to ½ the prosperity rating (round up) at
standard Background / Maturation Rates
● Domain Secret Ways
○ •-•••••: Each dot includes a -1 difficulty adjuster to remaining hidden/avoiding
attention within your domain. These apply to your Haven/Base of Operations if it
is in your Domain.
● Domain Security A:
○ •-•••••: +1 Diff per dot to intruders to access restricted areas or ot hunt in your
Domain. These apply to your Haven/Base of Operations if it is in your Domain.
● •Domain Security B
○ •-••••• -1 Diff per dot to residents tracking or identifying intruders. These apply to
your Haven/Base of Operations if it is in your Domain.

Double Life​ [Ghouls/Revenants Only]

• Keeping up Appearances: You keep in contact with people you once knew, but you keep
yourself distanced from them unless you need to ask someone you know for a favor. You might
need to keep up appearances because your master ordered you to, or you might have done so
naturally to help keep you sane.
•• Maintaining Friendships: You are part of a group of friends who meets every so often for
dinner, coffee, or a movie. You might get together once a month to celebrate a birthday, or you
might throw a big dinner party for them to show them how great your new “job” is. While you
might not ask them for a favor related to your job, you know you can call on them in an
emergency situation.
••• Keeping a Lover: You are in love with another person, and your master has allowed you to
maintain this relationship in exchange for your service. You would do anything for each other,
and your master knows it, too.
•••• Staying Close to Your Family: Your master has granted you permission to remain a member
of your family, and has helped you devise a cover so your activities are not suspicious. In
exchange for your service, you may maintain your connection to your family, but you may not be
allowed to live with them. While some domitors might use your family as leverage to get them to
do their bidding, others want you to feign a sense of normalcy.
••••• Possessing a Mortal Life: Though you’ve become a ghoul, your master has decreed that
you may keep your job, your relationships, and your apartment. From an observer’s perspective,
you may seem smitten with a new love interest or stressed about your new high-powered job.

Dreamers​ ​[People with Glamour Pools]

(C20 Core Page 169)
People to harvest glamour for. Each dot adds a die to Perception + Kenning rolls to initiate
Reverie or Ravage.
•One Dreamer
••Two Dreamers
•••Four Dreamers
••••Six Dreamers
•••••Eight Dreamers

Dream
(M20 Core 312; Technocracy calls it Hypercram)
In story terms, your character takes a short period of time to concentrate on a particular
situation. The more elaborate the situation, the longer it takes to meditate upon it. The form of
concentration depends on the person’s focus, and can range from a BDSM session to a hard
night at the library. A scholar could hit the books and lose himself in study for an upcoming
exam; a Pagan seer might walk through the woods, reaching out to the spirits of that place.
Spider Chase might spin fire while Zafira Angelita prays for the guidance of God.
In game terms, roll Perception + Dream (difficulty 6) to gain insights into the question at hand.
As long as your character hasn’t been interrupted during his meditative practice, she can draw
upon a certain amount of free-floating knowledge that deals with the situation. If the Perception
+ Dream roll succeeded, you get to substitute your Dream rating for another
Ability that’s related to the subject of her concentration. If the character doesn’t normally have
that Ability, she can still use it to address that situation for a single uninterrupted task, assuming
that she meditated upon a related subject that day; if she does have that Ability, she can use the
Dream rating instead of that Ability – one Trait does not add on to the other.
• You catch hazy bits of related information. One die for the task.
•• Helpful insights present themselves during a trance. Two dice for the task.
••• Your meditations produce serious results. Three dice for the task.
•••• From a trance, you can pull amazing bits of knowledge. Four dice for the task.
••••• You’ve got a direct line to the collective consciousness. Given time to focus, you can pick
up phenomenal things. Five dice for the task.

Dross
(The Enchanted Page 71)
A location that is a natural upwelling of crystalized Glamour, known as Dross
• Can harvest 1 dross/week
•• 2 Points/week
••• 3 Points/week
•••• 4 Points/week
••••• 5 points/week

Eidolon​ [Wraith]
(Wraith 20th Core 143)
Eidolon is a measure of spiritual fortitude. It is an indication of special potential in a particular
wraith to resist the temptations, assaults, and insults of the Shadow. While it does not
necessarily suggest that a wraith is objectively good or even moral, it does reveal a wholesome
knack for metaphysical resistance. Eidolon is tied to a wraith’s Psyche, and some Eidolons are
so strong as to manifest occasionally as a separate entity, much like the Shadow does. Most,
however, are firmly integrated into a wraith’s Psyche. A wraith with a high Eidolon rating does
not necessarily possess special insight into the workings of her Shadow (although she may), but
may instead have some special ability to stave off the Shadow’s attempts to drag her to
Oblivion. Each point of Eidolon represents one extra die per session that a player can add to
any roll which resists some intent, plan, or ploy of his Shadow (including the Shadow’s Thorns).
A player may use one, some, or all of his Eidolon dice in any roll but not more than his total
Eidolon rating each session. Eidolon can also be used during a Harrowing to exercise some
control over the course of events.
None: Like most of the Restless, you face your Shadow alone.
• You can sometimes second guess your Shadow.
•• You can mount a successful resistance to one of your Shadow’s ploys.
••• Spiritually tough; your Shadow must work hard to influence you.
•••• You see through all your Shadow’s stratagems, and occasionally counter them.
••••• Your Shadow must choose its moment carefully or waste all its efforts.

Enemies​ [Any]​ ​[Adversarial]

(Guide to the Traditions 226)
Enemies simulate favors owed and offenses to be repaid. For example, one point of the
Enemies Background represents one newborn ghost who’s haunting your mage constantly, two
werewolf cubs who beat him up whenever they find him but don’t make it a priority, 10 important
favors owed to 10 different starting-level characters or two master magicians who have him
down on their “naughty” list. Enemies gained and favors owed after character creation may be
recorded in the same fashion, but you don’t get points except possibly as another Background.
(That is, if your mage steals an Etherite’s five-point ether Wonder, he’ll probably have a very
angry scientist as an Enemy.) Storytellers should also note that Enemies have different beliefs
in what makes a proper revenge. A vampire might believe death to be a perfectly suitable
revenge, while a rival mage would settle for nothing less than a mage’s absolute ruin in terms of
Tradition society. A teenage runaway, however, might have particularly persistent parents,
who’d be far more trouble than your average werewolf. At least a werewolf might listen to
reason….
• One enemy of strength similar to your own; or, two starting level characters as
occasional antagonists; or one opponent somewhat above your capabilities as an occasional
enemy; or about five major favors owed by you (or minor grudges held against you).
•• One individual somewhat above your own capabilities as your mortal enemy; or two of
the same as occasional antagonists; or around ten major favors owed by you (or minor grudges
held against you). Or mix and match options from the list.
••• One significantly dangerous individual as your mortal enemy; or, two of the same as
occasional antagonists; or around 15 major favors owed by you (or minor grudges held against
you). Or mix and match.
•••• One very potent individual as your mortal enemy; or two of the same as occasional
antagonists; or about 20 major favors owed by you (or minor grudges held against you).
••••• One legendary opponent as your mortal enemy;or two of the same as occasional
antagonists; or about 25 major favors owed by you (or minor grudges held against you). Or take
your pick from the list.

Exposure​ [Anybody Bound to Demons/Earthbounds; Thralls; Hunters]

(Damned & Deceived Page 65)
Exposure to the Supernatural has led you to not being nearly as awestruck by other
supernaturals and can lead you to understanding what’s going on (Wits + Exposure Diff 6 test).
X No previous contact. This all came as a great surprise.
• You accidentally stumbled onto some freaky shit once, but you got out fast.
•• You have an abiding interest in the supernatural and have even performed your own white
magic spells or rituals. So, maybe they didn’t do anything that could persuade a skeptic, but you
felt the potential for power.
••• You have undertaken extensive religious training, including study of the theory and cases of
demonic possession and manifestation. You didn’t necessarily take it all literally, but you have
some ideas of the tools to use when it all becomes real.
•••• You have witnessed the summoning of demons or the manifestation of other major
supernatural powers. Perhaps you were an instigator, a victim or a third-party investigator. You
saw a lot of what was happening, both in theory and in practice, and you have some idea of
what worked and what didn’t.
••••• You grew up in a culture where interaction with the supernatural was taken for granted.
Although all those beliefs might not be quite correct, they give you a solid background for
understanding and coping with your situation.

Eminence [Demons Only]

(Demon The Fallen Core Page 154)
Your Rank within Fallen society.
X You’re down at the bottom of the ladder with most of the fallen, just another of the rabble from
the Pit.
• You were somebody once, maybe before the Fall or during the rebellion, and that counts for
something with some demons.
•• You’ve got a measure of influence, either an up-and-comer or a significant talent.
••• You’ve got significant influence, enough to get lesser demons to do what you tell them (if only
to avoid angering you).
•••• You’re one of the movers and shakers of the local scene. Everyone knows who you are.
••••• You command the local court and have influence on a worldwide scale. You may have
been a famous figure from the rebellion or earned your reputation since then.

Enhancement​ [Anybody with Contacts with Techoncracy]

(M20 Core 313)
Technocratic Biomods. Just read M20 312-313
• +1 Attribute dot, or 3 points for Devices. One Paradox point or Genetic Flaw.
•• +2 Attribute dots, or 6 points for Devices. Two Paradox points or Genetic Flaws.
••• +3 Attribute dots, or 9 points for Devices. Three Paradox points or Genetic Flaws.
•••• +4 Attribute dots, or 12 points for Devices. Four Paradox points or Genetic Flaws.
••••• +5 Attribute dots, or 15 points for Devices. Five Paradox points or Genetic Flaws.

Face​ [Any Non-Kuei-Jin; Usually only Dhampyr]

Without this background: -4 all Social Dice Pools vs Kuei-Jin
•: -3 SOcial Dice pools. Might hold a very minor position in a local kuei-jin court. Better Seen
than heard
••: -2 Social Dice Pools. Might be allowed to have Menial but noticeable job (like first assistant to
the Mandarin’s Secretary)
•••: -1 Social Dice Pools. You get a modicum of respect from your “betters”
••••: No Penalty to dice pools. You do your job well enough in court to be noticed and even
respected. Treated as a young Kuei-Jin Disciple (as if Status 0)
•••••: No Dice Pool penalties. You r reputation is spread through multiple courts, even as not an
official member of Kuei-Jin Courts you might be seen as an ally (Can earn Status with the
Kuei-Jin)

Faerie Blood [Kinain Only]

(The Enchanted 71)
(C20 Core Page 461)
--: You may have up to one unique Art (of up to any level).
•A Faint Trace of Faerie Blood, most likely a distant ancestor that skipped many generations.
You may learn up to two Arts.
••A stronger glimmer of Glamour from a grandparent or great-grandparent. You may learn up to
three Arts.
•••Enough Faerie Blood to draw attention of Changelings (Kenning Diff 7 to detect you). You
may have up to four Arts
••••Faerie Blood from a Changeling or Kinain parent..You can learn up to five Arts.
•••••FIrst-Generation Kinain, born of one or two Changeling parents. (Diff 5 Kenning to detect
you). You can learn up to six Arts

Faerie Mentor [Kinain Only]​:

(The Enchanted 71): Faerie Mentors introduce a Kinain to Kithain society and can teach you
Arts/Realms up to the level you have in this background
•The Mentor is not of significant status or ability. They are willing to teach you One Art.
••The mentor has some valuable pieces of information and has fair involvement in changeling
society. They are willing to teach you Two Arts.
•••The mentor is a good teacher and can tell you basic information on Changeling society, can
name major Kithain (nobles, etc). Willing to teach you up to Three Arts.
••••Your mentor has great knowledge or influence and may be a Noble or Advisor to the Court.
They are willing to teach you up to Four Arts.
•••••Your mentor is of great influence and knowledge. Can teach you up to Five Arts.

Fame​ [Anybody]
(Demon The Fallen Core 155)
X Who? You might get your 15 minutes like everyone else, but they haven’t come yet.
• You’re well known to a small circle or subculture, like the elite or the occult crowd of a
particular city.
•• You’re a local celebrity like a TV or radio personality. Most people in your area recognize you.
••• You’re known statewide or in a large subculture, such as science-fiction fans or academics.
•••• You’re nationally famous, most people have at least heard of you. Many recognize you.
••••• You’re internationally famous, a mega-media star, known (and mobbed with fans) wherever
you go.

Familiar​ [Mage and Blood Sorcerers with a Ritual]

(M20 Core 315)
A spirit you’ve made a pact with and bound to an animal body.
A Familiar is built as a Retainer version of the designated animal and then gain the following
-Communication: Telepathic, unlimited range, communication between Familiar and Master and
knows how to verbally speak your native language.
-Immensely loyal, immune to blood bonds and acts as if you were a Vampire who fully blood
bound your familiar.
-Connection: Anything your familiar touch is considered touched by you.
Afterwards each dot you invest in the following
•Backlash Negation: 1/story per dot invested you may negate one Backlash/Paradox for mages
or Botch for Blood Sorcerers
•Countermagic: Each dot invested acts as one dot of automatic Countermagic
•Communication: One Dot invested in this allows them to telepathically communicate with
anyone in line of sight
•Knowledge: Each dot is 3 Dots in a Knowledge you don’t have and can act as a mentor;
•Resilience: Normally a Familiar has statistics and health intrinsic to its shell. You can buy up
health levels at 1 Bruised box per Dot and Attributes at 1 Attribute per 2 dots. A Familiar
automatically has your Intelligence as it’s intelligence (you can choose for it to be dumber),
raising as yours raises.
•Size: No Dots indicates something the size of a small cat. For one dot you can have something
up to the size of a horse.
•Spiritual Knowledge: 1/story/dot you may ask one question of The Spirits (as in Umbral Spirits).
If no spirit is to be found or the Spirit does not know, the use is refunded.
•Protection: One Dot investment lends the master +1 die to dice pools to Soak, dodge, parry,
block, counterspell, or any action to avoid harm. Two Dot Investment the familiar can give up it’s
action to grant it’s master an extra action, this action can only be used for self-protection
(avoidance, parrying, dodging, etc). Three Dot Investment: 1/story Familiar can transport you to
safety as long as you are touching your familiar and You spend 1 Quintessence/Vitae.
Other abilities such as Magic/Disciplines can be given at 1 Dot per Point invested

[SAMPLES]
• Charismatic megafauna: Wolves, bears, alligators, eagles, hawks, apes, big cats, oxen, bison,
horses, stags, reindeer, etc. (Shamans, nature witches, martial artists, clergy, wizards, and so
forth.)
• Small but capable animals: Mice, rats, domestic cats and dogs, rabbits and hares, ravens,
owls, foxes, pigeons, parrots, monkeys, snakes, etc. (Urban or rural witches, street folks,
suburban mystics, mad scientists, academics, saints, and so on.)
• Attack Beasts:Large dogs, domesticated big cats, raptors, serpents, spiders, etc. (Witches,
Black Suits, agents of authority, military personnel, war mages, etc.)
• Machines: Robots, androids, and other mechanical assistants. (Various types of
technomancer.)
• Servitors: Clones; weird servants; incredibly strong, attractive, or capable “people” who seem
unusually obedient and a bit more, yet less, than human. (Executives, celebrities, criminals,
mad scientists, urban witches, seers, cult leaders, decadent tempters, Infernalists, etc.)
• Dead Things: Zombies, animated skeletons, disembodied yet “living” body parts – heads,
hands, etc. (Necromancers, wizards, cult leaders, gutter kids, and other dark- side mages.)
• Constructs:Golems, cyborgs, technologically augmented animals, monsters stitched together
from previously dead bodies, etc. (Mad scientists and other technomancers; old-school ritual
magicians make them out of clay, stone, and so forth.)
• Hybrid Beings: Mermaids, centaurs, satyrs, unicorns, and so on. (They’re attracted to
high-mythic mystics, wizards, nature witches, mad scientists, Marauders, etc.)
• Aliens: Greys, Bug-Eyed Monsters, Horrors From Beyond Space and Time. (Void Engineers,
Etherites, mad scientists, crazed cultists, lone geek weirdoes, Black Suits, etc.)
• Imps: Little devils, demonic beasties, scary little critters, etc. (Infernalists, wizards, scary
witches, cult leaders, etc.)
• Spirit Servitors: Elementals, invisible servants, minor ghosts, nature spirits, epiphlings, etc.
(Shamans of all types, seers, wizards, witches, etc.)
• Data Beasts: Incarnated programs on the Digital Web. (Internet-based technomancers of all
kinds.)
Whatever form your associate takes, the Familiar/ Companion has a mind and consciousness of
its own, with agendas and desires you might assume but never truly know. There’s always
something vaguely alien about them, and not even the greatest Mind-based Arts can completely
penetrate the thought process of such entities. In game terms, this Background – like Allies and
Mentor – reflects a character affiliated with the player and yet created and run by the Storyteller.
Beyond companionship, that character confers several other benefits onto his mage:
• Advice: The Familiar/ Companion has access to certain types of information and can lend
insights to his associated mage. Generally, this works as a handful of Knowledges –
Cosmology, Enigmas, Occult, and possibly some others – from which the Familiar/ Companion
can offer suggestions to his mage. The dice pool for that Trait equals one die for each dot in the
Background. Say, for example, that Spider Chase has a Familiar 3 blue tarantula. Spider needs
some advice about a riddle, the Storyteller rolls three dice, and the tarantula spins some advice
into a web.
• Empathy: The mage and her Companion share an emotional bond and each can sense what
the other is feeling. In order to conceal those feelings, a character must make a successful
Manipulation + Subterfuge roll, using the other character’s Willpower as the difficulty. Even then,
the other partner will realize that the character’s trying to hide something.
• The Feast of Nettles/ Paradox Nullification: When an impending Paradox backlash threatens
the Companion’s mage, or when that mage absorbs dangerous amounts of Paradox energies,
the Familiar can absorb a certain amount of those energies. So long as the Companion stays
close to his mage, usually within 10 yards (30 feet) or so, he can bleed off a few points from a
mage’s Paradox trait or consume a pending backlash.
The Familiar can hold up to five points of Paradox for each dot in the Background; Spider’s
spider, then, could retain up to 15 points of Paradox. The Familiar nullifies those points at a rate
of one point per week. If Paradox exceeds the familiar’s capacity – say, 15 Paradox for Spider’s
spider – then the whole amount of Paradox explodes in a horrific backlash that affects both the
mage and the Familiar equally. See Physical Backlash, a.k.a.“the Burn” under The Paradox
​ hapter Ten​, (​ p. 551)​.
Effect in C
By the way, Familiars don’t enjoy this sort of thing at all, and they may get fed up (so to speak)
with a mage who makes them “eat nettles” very often. A Familiar gets quite cranky when he’s
stuffed with Paradox, and he may break the bond or otherwise act up if his mage keeps using
him like a Paradox battery.
Quintessence Feeding: ​In return for those benefits, the Familiar requires a certain amount of
Quintessence or Tass per week. Mystic critters devour magickal energies by suckling on the
mage, bathing in her aura, or otherwise sharing physical or metaphysical contact. Technological
Companions eat Quintessence-rich snacks (that is, Tass), absorb Quintessence through
physical contact (affection, mind-melds, sex, and so on), or get powered up by the mage’s
hypertech machines. In game terms, it’s all the same thing: the mage offers Quintessence and
the Companion feeds on it. No Quintessence, no Familiar; the disgruntled Companion
disappears and the mage loses all of the benefits associated with her Companion.
Familiars also crave gifts, favors, affection, and so on. The nature of those offerings depends on
the individual Companion and might be weird, arbitrary, or outright horrifying. Smart mages are
protective of their Familiars… and with good reason. If a Familiar dies, the associated mage
automatically loses all benefits of that relationship, plus one point of permanent Willpower plus
two points of Quintessence for each level in the Background Trait. If that costs more
Quintessence than the mage has to offer, then the additional points of Quintessence become
points of Paradox instead.
Should someone squash Spider’s tarantula, for example, she’d lose six points of Quintessence;
if she has only two points to begin with, then she also gains four points of Paradox. Moral: don’t
let anyone squash your Familiar!
A Familiar/ mage bond begins with an appropriate summoning ceremony. Shamans have vision
quests, witches call forth a helpmeet, mad scientists make their Companions through
unorthodox technologies, and so forth. Regardless of the specifics, the mage and her
Companion agree to share a close bond with one another. So long as both parties survive and
honor the terms of that agreement – terms that demand certain commitments and sacrifices
from the mage – the bond remains intact.

• Your Companion has access to a few scattered bits of helpful information. (Requires one
Quintessence point per week and can absorb up to five points of Paradox.)
•• You’ve got a pretty cool Companion. (Requires two Quintessence points per week and can
absorb up to 10 points of Paradox.)
••• A magnificent Companion shares its wisdom and loyalty with you. (Three Quintessence
points per week and up to 15 points of Paradox.)
•••• You’re favored with the presence (if not always the good behavior) of a smart and
miraculous creature. (Four Quintessence points per week with up to 20 points of Paradox.)
••••• Your Familiar probably knows more than you do, can be quite demanding, and has a very
outspoken personality. (Five Quintessence points per week, may retain up to 25 points of
Paradox, and will give you lots of shit about both.)

Familiar Spirit​ [Anybody who could earn the Totem Background]

You have a special relationship with a spirit who freely and without compunction is your
companion. This could be an animal spirit (perhaps linked to your totem) or an affiliated spirit
(such as a spirit of war), or a faerie spirit. It follows you through the Umbra and always waiting
for you when you step sideways. It acts as a “battery” for extra resource points that you can give
to your spirit to hold onto later.
•Your spirit is the smallest Gaffling and not too bright. The only ways to speak with it are Gift
Spirit Speech (or similar effects) in the real world, or directly in the Umbra. It can store up to 3
Points of one energy source (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower, Mana, One Type of Chi, Glamour,
Quintessence, etc). It normally can’t peek through the Gauntlet so it rarely knows what is going
on in the real world (The Realm)
••Your familiar is a decent-sized Gaffling and almost intelligent. It can now store 5 points of one
energy source. It instinctively knows where you are and can Peek across The Gauntlet from
time to time.
•••Your familiar is a Jaggling with average intelligence. You can speak aloud to it easily through
the bond you share as long as it is nearby. It can store up to 5 points of two different energy
sources. It instinctively knows where you are, can see through your eyes, and can Peek through
The Gauntlet.
••••Your familiar is a bright Jaggling. Can speak telepathically to you as long as it is nearby.
Always knows where you are. You and it can borrow each other’s sight. Can store 5 points of
three energy sources It knows instinctively where you are. It can Peek into and Manifest into
The Realm.
•••••Your familiar is a very intelligent Jaggling affiliated with a specific Incarana. You can
telepathically communicate with each other regardless of distance. You both always know
where the other is. You both can share all senses with one another and knowledge from any
Gift. It can store up to 6 points of three different energy sources.

Family Elder ​[Ghouls/Revenants]

• Big Sister/Brother: You keep your younger brothers and sisters in line, and pass along orders
from higher-ups. You are the most likely candidate to be sent on errands or missions for the
family.
•• Aunt/Uncle: You supervise the Brothers and Sisters, and check in with them from time to time.
If your family is attacking or defending itself, or is ordered to carry out a mission, you will be
asked to lead your charges.
••• Mother/Father: You are an advisor who passes along advice and guidance to younger family
members, and help shape your charges’ futures. You are empowered to intervene in matters
pertaining to the health and strength of your family, and while you are aware of missions and
errands you do not directly intervene unless there are problems.
•••• Grandmother/Grandfather: You stick close to the family estate, and you are charged with
overseeing the other Family Elders to report to your Matriarch or Patriarch. While you might
leave the grounds, your responsibility is to keep things running smoothly on the family
compound. This might include dealing with visitors and intruders, but it also may involve
smoothing other small disagreements, managing resources, or currying favor from potential
allies.
••••• Matriarch/Patriarch: You are the head of your estate, and the primarily representative of
your revenant family. You decide what orders to give, who to give them to, and when they make
sense to be carried out. You immerse yourself in politics and strategic maneuvers for the benefit
of your revenant family, and are well-versed in knowing the identity of your rivals, allies, and
enemies. As the ultimate arbiter, you are also recognized by your family’s Clan sponsor as the
only spokesperson and legitimate authority.

Fast Reflexes​ [ANYBODY]

(Shades of Gray 113)
Whether with a quick comeback or a fast punch to the jaw, some people are born ready. The
Fast Reflexes Background reflects this. A rating in this Background indicates that the character
is hard to surprise and trusts himself to react instinctively, thus avoiding much of the intellectual
process that slows most people down. This fast reaction time can also, at the Storyteller’s
discretion, lower the difficulty on certain Wits rolls, allowing the character to avoid being conned
or simply embarrassed in conversation. In game terms, the player adds any dots in Fast
Reflexes to the character’s Initiative rating
X Huh?
• You can guess the next line in the movie.
•• You win card games such as “War” every time.
••• Your family doesn’t bother trying to throw surprise parties.
•••• You could dodge a sniper’s bullet.
••••• You don’t dodge bullets — you dodge gunmen.

Fate​ [Any]
Hunter/Changeling/Mage call it Destiny
Garou/Fera call it Fate
(Denizens of the Dreaming 72)
(Hunter The Reckoning Core 122; Hunters call it Destiny)
(Dark Ages mage 85)
1/story: You may roll your Destiny/Fate rating (Diff 7) to regain 1 point of Willpower per success.
You may then spend any number of these regained willpower points on one roll as automatic
successes to escape/survive/succeed at their current situation (breaking the normal rule of 1
willpower)
You may re-roll any roll (Rating)/chapter times but only one re-roll for any given action.
At some point, however, you will finally face your final destiny. On that day, the Storyteller
declares, “It’s your Moment of Destiny. Face THIS crisis on your own!” At that point, you’re out
of special rolls. Whatever Fate has in store for you, it’s up to you to fulfill that destiny. If you
happen to survive that encounter and achieve something memorable, this Background goes
away, perhaps to be replaced by another Background (Storyteller’s option) that reflects the
dramatic change of life you’ve endured. If you fail, you get stuck with the knowledge that Destiny
came calling and you weren’t up to the task.
•You have a certain funny feeling about your future
••You are bound to make an indelible impact on the lives of others
•••Your destiny is powerful perhaps as a respected innovator or leader.
••••Your destiny is one of Arthurian Legend.
•••••The course of the world may be shaped by your fate.

Flashbacks​ [Orpheus]
(Terrel & Squib 52)
The process of ghostbreaking strips most subjects of all vestiges of their former identity, leaving
them a blank slate for T&S to mold as they wish. However, some ghosts retain a few memories
of their life and afterlife, in spite of the best efforts of the ghostbreakers. A broken ghost with this
Background occasionally recalls details of his or her previous existence. When confronted with
a situation that might spark memories of the character’s past, the player may roll the broken
ghost’s Flashbacks rating as a dice pool (difficulty 8); each success allows the ghost to recall
one detail from their past, or one dot of a Knowledge they once possessed but have forgotten;
Knowledges recalled in this way last for one die roll only. Because the degree of recollection is
intimately tied to the ghost’s remaining sense of self, no character may have more dots in
Flashbacks than his or her Willpower rating. Naturally, T&S is wary of any broken ghost that
demonstrates too much self-awareness, so those possessing this Background should be
cautious with whom they choose to share their insights...
X Your past is a complete mystery.
• Sometimes a name or place seems familiar to you.
•• You have vague, dreamlike memories of minor incidents.
••• A few important details stand out.
•••• Entire days sometime come back to you with clarity.
••••• You can remember you past as well as most adults remember early childhood.

Flock​ [Any]
(Dark Ages Inquisitor 156)
Christianity is not a solitary experience. It is in the fellowship of other Christians that one grows,
as St Paul taught. The ability to pray together and to share the teachings of the Bible with one
another is invaluable in the growth of the inquisitor’s belief.
For an inquisitor, a group outside the Inquisition with whom he can pray and worship can be an
invaluable link with the world he has left behind. It is easy to become entrenched in the fight
against monsters and lose touch with the realities of life for most people. Worse, one can lose
sight of God’s Commandments when fighting the enemy becomes one’s sole focus. The
inquisitor’s flock can often root him in the mundane world once more and remind him of the
people whose souls he is fighting for.
A flock will not actually work for the inquisitor in his cause by confronting the enemy or
researching its ways, and neither would an inquisitor willingly expose them to such dangers.
Instead, they are a group of people who act as a bulwark for his belief, remind him of the
reasons for his inquisition and who can actually boost his Conviction through joint prayer (see p.
160).
• You have a few friends you pray with occasionally.
•• A small village looks to you for spiritual guidance.
••• You are one of the most respected preachers in your region, and many people turn up to
listen to you teach.
•••• Word of your preaching has spread far and wide, and news of a visit by you excites the
faithful and worries the sinful.
••••• Your preaching shapes the beliefs of a nation. Had you not been called to the Inquisition,
you would be renowned as a bishop or founder of a monastic order.

Followers​ [Demon]
(Demon The Fallen Core 155)
(Earthbound Page 77; Earthbound Demons instead call this ‘Thralls’ except they are much more
competent and powerful, and can include having Supernaturals as your thralls)
X No followers — you work on your own.
• One follower.
•• Two followers.
••• Three followers.
•••• Four followers.
••••• Five followers.

Fount​ [Mage]
(Dark Ages Mage 86)
Increase Quintessence Capacity and usage per turn
• -•••••: Each dot adds +2 to Max Quintessence and +1 to Quintessence per turn.

Fraternity [Hunter; Maybe ANyone]

(Hunter Book Defender; 70)
Your character has secret or mysterious supporters. A supernatural agency might guide these
hands to some extent but the actual supporters are human, or appear to be. You may have
direct or indirect contact with your support network, however reaching out never guarantees a
reply. The Storyteller determines the true nature of the relationship, how the supporter
operates, and why.
•Someone comes up with enough money to cover your rent from time to time.
••You sometimes receive funding or supplies to replace equipment important to your hunt.
•••Someone provides you with fake documents
••••Perhaps you need to leave town and plane tickets and a visa arrive.
•••••Someone outfits your hunt, but who and why?

Gargoyle Creatures​ [Gargoyle Clan Vampire, Having a Gargoyle Retainer, or somebody

with Visceratika 6+; ST Discretion for others]
All monsters are As Per Vampire: The Dark Ages. Book of Storyteller Secrets Page 77-79
•: 3 Razor Bats
••: One Stone Dog or two Dot 1 options
•••: One Rock Cat or combination of lower options
••••: 4 Points divided of lower options
•••••: 5 Points divided of lower Options

Gargoyle Humors​ [Gargoyles Only]

Ability to learn Thaumaturgy rituals as if you had an effective Thaumaturgy Rating equal to
ranks in this background.

Gargoyle Servant​ [Gargoyle Clan Vampire, or Somebody with “At Our Command It
Breathes”]
You have sired (if a Gargoyle) or created (if the ritual) a new gargoyle. It is loyal and under your
command. Create the Gargoyle as normal (standard creation rules as defined by the ST). The
Dots in the background dictates the starting Gargoyle’s Generation as if dots in Generation. If
sired it must be 1 generation thinner than you. If it is created it is the generation of the thinnest
blooded component.

Generation​ [Vampire]
Each dot in this lowers your Generation by 1 from the default generation for the time period
Domitor​: As Generation but instead dictates your Domitor’s Generation for a Ghoul

Ghost Insight​ [Any]

(Shades of Gray 113)
The character has some link to the dead that allows him to better understand the motivations
and reasoning of ghosts, whether they are hues or spirits. Like Cole in the Sixth Sense or
Carlito in The Devil’s Backbone, ghosts seek the character out as a means of expressing
themselves in order to free themselves of the ties that bind them to the material world. This is
particularly appropriate when attempting to “save” Drone- and Blip-class ghosts (see p. 258 of
Orpheus). Characters with Ghost Insight stand out as beacons to the dead. Add the character’s
Ghost Insight rating to his Vitality to determine his effective Vitality (and thus visibility) to ghosts.
This effect does not apply to Spectres, however — they see the character as they normally
would. Furthermore, the player may add the character’s Ghost Insight rating to any Empathy or
Intuition rolls when seeking to gain information from ghosts.
X You have no special insight into a ghost’s needs and desires.
• You can pick up on some of the clues.
•• You’re right more often than you’re wrong.
••• You have a solid insight into what makes them tick.
•••• Spirits call you in when a mystery needs solving.
••••• Their lives — and deaths — are open books to you

Grace Under Pressure​ [Any]

(Hunter Book judge 73)
You can keep calm under pressure.
Anytime you roll (on the die) less than or equal to your rating in this background for Initiative,
taking the better result between the two
•Calm: Re-roll 1’s on initiative
••Laconic. Re-roll 2’s or less on Initiative
•••Tranquil: Re-roll 3’s or less on Initiative
••••Possessed of great sang-froid. Re-roll 4’s or less on initiative.
•••••Unshakeable Equanimity. Re-roll 5’s or less on initiative.

Gremlin​ [Any] ​[ADVERSARY BACKGROUND]

(Guide to the Traditions 227)
Persistent Gremlins are merely familiars gone bad — the goblin that ruins your mage’s
experiments; the spectral hound that howls outside his door; the Nephandic imp who keeps
trying to tempt him to the Dark Side; the clumsy and maliciously destructive robot that he can’t
bear to dismantle because it was his first science fair project and he has sentimental feelings for
it (even though it doesn’t have the same for him). Gremlins may be taken as an Adversary at
character creation. With long roleplaying — and Storyteller approval — a Gremlin may be turned
around, possibly even becoming a Familiar, while with neglect and mistreatment, a Familiar can
become a Gremlin.
Gremlins are built on the same point scales as Familiars, but they work against the mage in
question. Obviously, you can’t take familiar advantages like Paradox Nullification for a Gremlin
Background, unless the Storyteller can think of a clever way to make it work against you.

Haunt ​[Any]
(Shades of Gray 113)
Any character with sufficient Resources or Allies might have a haven in which to hide from
mundane problems like the police, but Spectres don’t follow the rules about warrants. This
Background, however, grants the character a place where Spectres cannot follow her.
The area is so attuned to the character’s own personal Vitality that the Spectres lose sight of
anyone within as though they were staring at a bright light or lost in fog. Any number of spooks
can take refuge in a Haunt, provided that the Haunt’s owner is present (and provided they can
all fit). Without the owner, it’s just another room, no safer than anywhere else. Spirits and hues
often discover that places that they looked on as safe or comforting in life become haunts, but
sometimes, a great deal of time goes by after the character’s death before she discovers the
effect. Skimmers and sleepers can have haunts, but as they aren’t truly dead, they usually have
to build their own safe havens. This is accomplished by spending time while projecting in the
area meant to be a haunt and “tuning” the area to resonate with the character. Different Shades
accomplish this in different ways: A Skinrider might momentarily possess anyone who walks
through the haunt, a Banshee might spend hours there singing, a Haunter would simply inhabit
the entire area, and so on. The character must spend a number of hours in the haunt-to-be
equal to 20 times the desired Haunt rating (so a level two Haunt would require 40 hours of
haunting), and the player must spend (desired rating x 5) in Vitality to acclimate the area. Spirits
and hues have a somewhat easier time developing a haunt: They must spend only 10 hours per
dot of Haunt and (rating x 3) Vitality. Once a haunt is completed, restarting the process requires
the player to spend a permanent dot of Willpower. The character may then begin the haunting
process again. In this manner, the character might begin haunting a single room and progress
out to make an entire house her haunt.
X You’ve got no safe port in the storm.
• A small haunt, no larger than a walk-in closet.
•• A passable haunt, about the size of an efficiency apartment.
••• A comfortable haunt, roughly the size of a one floor house.
•••• You might haunt the hospital wing named for you or the tiny apartment building you used to
own.
••••• An entire university, a high-rise hotel, or perhaps you have a number of smaller haunts
scattered across the city.

Health Insurance​ [Any]

(Orpheus Core 184)
Most companies provide Health Insurance, but with Orpheus agents it means a little more.
Orpheus covers the cost of medical expenses, regardless what incurs the injury, and offers
large payments upon death of the insured party, which are paid out annually. Considering the
range of potential injuries characters receive in the line of duty, Health Insurance is a necessity.
Amusingly, Health Insurance covers many things, including extended Beach time, massages
and other “character” luxuries for the benefit of preventative treatment (offering characters
vacations and small considerations to head off physical or mental breakdowns). Essentially,
Orpheus treats health concerns with a holistic approach… preventing the problems before they
arise.
X You elected not to take out insurance or you haven’t been with the company that long.
1 You have basic coverage; $50,000 in life insurance, massages every two-weeks, a free
weekend at a local spa once a year and two weeks personal time. You also earn a $3,000 dollar
bonus annually if you survive the year without requiring hospitalization.
2 You have universal coverage, including $150,000 in life insurance, massages once a week,
two free weekends at a local spa and two weeks personal time. You also earn a $5,000 bonus
annually if you survive the year without requiring hospitalization.
3 Your health insurance is almost an investment. You have $500,000 in life insurance and make
a $10,000 annual bonus if you survive the year without hospitalization. You also earn weekly
massages, three free spa weekends and three weeks personal time.
4 You have enough health insurance to call in an emergency airlift for yourself due to injury
during a mission. You carry $2 million in life insurance and earn a $20,000 annual bonus for
avoiding hospitalization. You also have bi-weekly massages, a week in any resort in the
Western Hemisphere and three weeks personal time. At this level, however, you are either a
celebrity agent with public appearances, running black ops missions or bringing Orpheus a
constant stream of new clients.
5 Rare anti-venom needed? No problem. Hyperbaric chamber? Piece of cake. If there’s a
treatment available, you can get it and more. Your life insurance is worth over $10 million, while
your annual bonus is $50,000 a year. In addition to the biweekly massages and two-week
vacation to any resort in the world, you also receive three weeks personal time. At this level,
you’re damn near a spokesman for Orpheus or one of their most effective wetworks agents.

Herd​ [Technically Any; Useful only to people who feed off of mortals]​:
You Add +(Background Rating) to dice pools to feed off of mortals and have a number of unique
individuals who come to you exclusively for you to feed off of them
•: Three Vessels
••Seven Vessels
•••Fifteen Vessels
••••: Thirty Vessels
•••••: Sixty Vessels
••••• •: 120 Vessels
••••• ••: 250 Vessels
••••• •••: 500 Vessels
••••• ••••: 1000 Vessels
••••• •••••: 2000 Vessels
Upgrade to Herd: Tended Her: +2 Points (Ignore gencap): 1/night: Roll herd at Diff (10-Domain
Security Rating) if somebody poaches in your territory (+1 die per person the Poacher kills).
When you roll 1 or more successes you are alerted of the poacher and know their exact
location.
Servants​: Similar to Herd but these are also people who do your bidding. In addition to their
printed abilities they also act as if equal dots in Herd
• You have a few servants to deal with light, routine tasks. They can’t handle emergencies.
Some of them attend you part time, working elsewhere to support families. You can call three of
them together for a trip or dedicated task.
•• Your servants can keep a small manor or settlement running smoothly, and even provide
comforts for a small number of guests. You can wrangle seven of them to work on some
unusual task or travel with you.
••• Your servants manage all aspects of a large manor, and at least one stands on hand to
receive your commands. You might gather as many as 15 to travel or work on an unusual
project.
•••• Your servants could keep a large castle running smoothly. Multiple attendants stand by to
anticipate your needs and obey your commands. You can be assured that taking a retinue of 30
on the road wouldn’t bring estate business grinding to a halt.
••••• A veritable legion stands by to ensure your estate functions. They stand in every room, and
to get some privacy you’ll have to send them away. You can take a retinue of 60 servants with
you.

Hoard​ [Earthbound Demons]

(Earthbound Page 77)
Stockpile of Faith in Temporary format in your reliquary.
X Your reliquary is small and particularly shoddy, and you have not honed its spiritual
properties. You can hold a maximum of 10 points of temporary Faith.
• Your reliquary is small, and formed of simple materials, such as iron, stone, glass or plastic.
You can hold a maximum of 15 points of temporary Faith.
•• Your reliquary is larger, perhaps the size of a chest or casket. It is made from fine but not
exceptional materials with only minor affinities to your nature — perhaps crude crystals, steel,
marble and obsidian. You can hold a maximum of 20 points of temporary Faith.
••• Your reliquary is either quite large, made of particularly fine materials or composed of
material well attuned to your nature — perhaps rubies and volcanic stone to align with your
mastery of fire. You can hold a maximum of 25 points of temporary Faith. This is the maximum
Hoard rating possible for Earthbound in improvised reliquaries.
•••• Your reliquary is both large and valuable, a finely crafted object of precious and appropriate
materials nearly the size of a man. You can hold a maximum of 30 points of temporary Faith.
••••• Enormous and jaw-droppingly valuable, a king’s ransom of precious materials have gone
into making your reliquary, an object larger than a man that is worth a fortune in its own right.
You can hold a maximum of 35 points of temporary Faith.

Holdings​ [Anybody who can access the Dreaming]

(Land of Eight Million Dreams: Page 91; Called Dragon Nest; Produces 1 “Yugen” / Glamour
each day per dot)
(C20 Core Page 170 for Freehold and Glades; Dictates Size and produces Rating points of
Glamour each day)
(C20 Player’s Guide 110; Sometimes Glade is called ‘Country’ instead)
(C20 Book of Freeholds Page 25 For Freeholds; Page 50 for Glades)
Freeholds Gain 3 Freehold points per Dot in this background invested to divide between
Balefire, Size, Sanctuary, Resources, Passages, and Powers​. (See Page 25 of C20 Book of
Freeholds)
Glades gain 3 Glade points per dot in this background invested to divide between ​Passage,
Resources, Sanctuary, Size, Wellspring, and Powers.​ (See Page 50 of C20 Book of
Freeholds)

Horoscope​ ​[Kuei-Jin Only]

(Kindred of the East 86)
You were reborn under especially auspicious — or baleful — stars. Particularly in the Quincunx,
such omens are taken very seriously; newly reborn vampires often undergo extensive
astrological analyses, courtesy of their adoptive families. Some vampires even have their
astrological signs or data tattooed on their bodies.
Once per story, you may roll a number of dice equal to your Horoscope rating. For each result
that corresponds to either your Dharma’s or your direction’s “lucky number” (North 6, West 9,
Center 5, East 8, South 7; Devil-Tiger 2, Resplendent Crane 1, Shadow Song 4, Thrashing
Dragon 3, Thousand Whispers 0), you gain one extra and automatic success on an action
attempted next turn. In less concrete terms, a vampire’s Horoscope rating often serves as a
rough indicator of destiny. Vampires with high Horoscope ratings occasionally find themselves
beneficiaries (or victims) of odd coincidences, dei ex machina, and other strangeness, which
can provide ideal story hooks.
•The gods took passing interest (one die)
•• The gods paused to take note (two dice)
••• The gods spoke briefly of you (three dice)
•••• The gods inscribed your name in the heavenly scrolls (four dice)
••••• The gods take notice of you still (five dice); may you live in interesting times

Husk​ [Inanime Only]

(C20 Core Page 445)
 The Inanimae’s Husk or body and how well it can pass itself off
•Very Minor Changes (skin tone, human shape)
••Minor Changes (Hair becomes more human like, facial features less broad)
•••Human Appearance (Can pass under casual observations)
••••Near Perfect (passes except under detailed examinations)
•••••Undetectable (it takes advanced diagnostic techniques to determine that the Husk is not
Human)

Infamy​ [Any]​ [Adversary]

(Guide to the Traditions 227)
Your mage enjoys widespread recognition in mortal society, but not in a good way. People do
not send free theater tickets to Charles Manson or the I.R.A., and your character is in the same
class. If you are also wanted by the law, this makes it that much more difficult to hide. Though
rare, it is also possible to have both Fame and Infamy. O.J. Simpson, for example, would have
four or five points of both. The Storyteller might use a roll of a Social Attribute + Infamy to
determine if your ill reputation comes to bear.
• You’re known to a select subculture —the local PTA or animal rights activists, for
instance. Or your ill deeds are old news, like a child felon twenty years later or a junior officer of
the SS.
•• A majority of the populace recognizes your face and chuckles, like a former mayoral
candidate with a sex scandal or an actor who’s known for some curious peccadilloes.
••• You have statewide renown, like the acquitted-on-a-technicality real estate swindler or
the bimbo of the year from Jerry Springer.
•••• Nationally infamous; everyone knows something about your ill deeds.
••••• You’re an internationally infamous media icon, the latest crooked politician or
philandering archbishop.

Influence​ [Anybody]
(Demon the Fallen Core 155)
(Earthbound Page 78; Earthbound Demons can only use Influence through Mortal Agents they
establish, usually Thralls)
Exercising Influence is (Chosen Social Attribute of ST) + Influence rolls. Appropriate
abilities/backgrounds/circumstances can adjust the difficulty or add dice.
You must choose a specific area of influence.
X You’ve got no more influence than the average person on the street.
• Folks within your profession recognize you.
•• You’ve got various associates and a small degree of clout.
••• People within your field respect your abilities.
•••• You’ve got quite a bit of clout.
••••• You’re a force to be reckoned with.
••••• • You command influence within your nation’s political affairs.
••••• •• Your actions influence various allied nations.
••••• ••• You command vast respect across whole cultural regions.
••••• •••• Your dominance extends across whole sociopolitical spheres. (The EU, UN, ANC, etc.)
••••• ••••• Your influence extends across the mortal world, with some respect granted even in the
Otherworlds.

Information Network​ [Anybody]

Ask One question per dot in this background of the network you link it to and they must answer
the question as honestly and best of their ability they can.
Nosferatu Information Network​: Usually Nosferatu Only; Can also be asking individuals for
minor favors
Shreknet Information Network​: People who have access to Shreknet; Can also be asking
individuals for minor favors
Anarch Information Network/Exchange​: People in the Anarch Movement; Can also be asking
individuals for minor favors
Archives​ (not to be confused with Archive): For Occult Circles
Coven​: For Blood Sorcery Organizations; Can also be asking individuals for minor favors
Students​: For Research Organizations; Can also be asking individuals for minor favors
Cambridge Security​: Vampiric Knowledge; ; Can also be asking individuals for minor favors for
Masquerade Breaches
Lightning Network​: Vampiric Knowledge; COmputer Knowledge; Can also be asking
individuals for minor favors for Masquerade Breaches

Insight​ [See Below]

Insight [Usually Thin-Bloods]
• The occasional odd feeling
•• Intuitive
••• Visionary
•••• Uncanny
••••• You see more of the Jyhad’s movements than anyone but the Ancients themselves.

The spontaneous dreams, hunches and visions occur at the Storyteller’s discretion. The
Storyteller can use spontaneous Insight to feed information to the character and lead her into
trouble (er,stories). The Storyteller decides when spontaneous Insight occurs. On these
occasions, she rolls one die per dot of Insight the character has, at difficulty 6. The number of
successes determines the clarity of the information:
Botch Convincing but completely false information.
Failure Nothing
1 success A vague sense of hidden significance.
2 successes Knowledge that a person, object or event is important. A name, face or symbolic
image of a person, but without explanation.
3 successes Hints to hidden plots, but in puzzling symbols and riddles. At least one significant
detail is clearly revealed.
4 successes Significant information clearly revealed — but not completely. Perhaps one short
scene about an Ancient’s activities, or someone’s fate when Gehenna comes.
5 successes Dangerous detail. One person’s motives revealed in full. Major participants in a
conflict identified, but without explanation.
Someone with Insight can also deliberately try to provoke a hunch or vision about a person or
situation. This usually provides less detailed information and may well fail completely. In rules
terms, the player of the character can make an Insight roll (one die per point of the Background
she possesses), but at difficulty 8. It’s all too easy to deceive oneself and mistake some stray
thought for a psychic flash.
If the Insight roll gives disappointing results, the player can roll again in a later scene — but at
difficulty 9. The player can try again in scenes after that, but at difficulty 10. At this point, rolling
a botch becomes as likely as rolling a success. A seer can’t keep begging the Great Beyond for
clues about another vampire. The difficulty for deliberate Insight drops back to 8 only when a
new chapter of the story begins.
A seer’s player can make deliberate Insight rolls for as many subjects as she wants — so long
as the subjects have no relation to each other. The Storyteller has final say over whether two
queries are genuinely distinct, or just an attempt to approach a single subject from different
angles.
If a character fails or botches two Insight rolls in the same scene, she becomes exhausted and
unable to call upon the powers of Insight for the remainder of the story (not the scene). Also,
only vampires of the 14th and 15th Generations may possess Insight.

Malkavian Insight [Malkavians Only]

As Insight, but for Malkavians only.

Iron Willed​ [Hunter; Maybe Anyone]

Your character doesn’t let pain slow them down. Every dot in this background you can ignore
the effects of one wound level and effects of any lesser levels. To activate this you roll
Willpower (Difficulty 6 +1 per previous turn you’ve ignored it this scene), with a success letting
you ignore wound penalties for the turn. Once you fail a Willpower check you may not use this
background again this scene.
At level 5 you can stave off Incapacitated by making Willpower Rolls as if ignoring wound
penalties. You can’t attack, run, or perform physically demanding actions but anything else is
fair game.
•Ignore Hurt Wound Penalties
••Ignore Injured Wound Penalties
•••Ignore Wounded Wound Penalties
••••Ignore Mauled Wound Penalties
•••••Ignore Crippled Wound Penalties. Keep moving under Incapacitated.

Jade Talisman
[Land of Eight Million Dreams 91]
[Kindred of the East Core 87]
These Talismans can hold up to (Background rating) in Chi and act as batteries you charge.
Depending on the type of jade dictates the maximum of each type of chi you can hold (For
Hsien and Changelings: Chi is converted into two glamour of the appropriate type. If your
Arts/Realms do not have specifications, it can use either)
Black Jade: Can hold only Yin Chi
Blue or Green Jade: Can hold no more than 3 Yang Chi and no more than 2 Yin Chi
Red Change: Can only hold Yang Chi
White Jade: Can hold no more than 3 Yin Chi and no more than 2 Yang Chi
Yellow or Gray Jade: Can Hold 5 Yin and 5 Yang Chi.
Perfect Jade (Golden with red striations): Can Hold 10 Yin and 10 Yang Chi.

Jinx​ [Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

(Guide to the Traditions 225)
A mage may take a Jinx (or Infernal Contraption); that is to say, a magical or technological
object that is more trouble than it’s worth. A Jinx may be nothing more than a pile of Flaws,
negative Backgrounds and other curses, but the more interesting Jinxes are the ones that have
some useful powers — though over twice as many Flaws to balance them out. To calculate up a
Jinx, a Storyteller should total up the Merits and special advantages the player desires, then
secretly add twice that or more in Flaws, adding in special wrinkles like having the object be a
unique focus or something that the owner can’t just throw in the trash bin, like a clan sword. Or
the Jinx may be mixed with the Wonder Background, making it some mighty wonder of magic
that unfortunately has a few drawbacks. Jinxes, unfortunately, will attract min-maxers, who will
try to use Flaws like Heirloom and Conditional Magic in particular to create items like
flamethrowers that only work in their hands and don’t burn members of their own Tradition or
small children and puppies. A Jinx, however, is intended to be more trouble than it’s worth.
If a player designs such a flamethrower, the Storyteller should require that it be a unique focus,
then let him deal with rivals in his own Tradition and their children and packs of rabid Pitbull
puppies. Storytellers should not let characters simply ditch a Jinx when it becomes inconvenient
or hide it in the back of the closet. Such items either have great personal importance (It may be
haunted by demons and eating your soul, but it’s your Phylactery), social significance (You do
not toss the sword of your ancestors into the nearest trash dumpster just because you realize
it’s cursed and haunted by the ghosts of your enemies), moral responsibility (God gave you this
item as a cross to bear, and you can’t leave it where it might corrupt some innocent), or the item
may be subject to carefully worded Geasa (You cannot be rid of the cursed doohickey until you
sell it to someone for less than you paid for it…and give them full knowledge of the curse); You
can’t ditch the damned thing until you complete the task that is its Destiny; the Dark Fate will
only befall you after you lose the item, etc.). The rating for a Jinx varies with its total power. A
two-point Wonder that has four points of problems is effectively a two-point Jinx.

Ka​ [Mummy]
(Mummy the Resurrection 65)
In ancient times, the ka spirit stood guard over the physical body and ensured that no one
bothered or harmed it. Such protection varied from shrewd misdirection to outright attacks, and
it is likely the source of many of the “mummy’s curse” stories that arose over the centuries. With
the unification of the soul under the new Spell of Life, some of the ka’s power to act
independently has been lost, but in return, it has gained the ability to draw from the power of the
entire soul. When a mummy is dead, no matter where in the underworld he travels, his ka still
watches over his body. Even on the most fundamental level, the Amenti’s khat remains
incorruptible. It does not decay, scavengers do not eat it, and it is not affected by the natural
elements. The body effectively remains in stasis unless some significant force acts upon it. By
purchasing levels in this Background, your character’s ka provides even more protection. As the
ka grows in power, it can manipulate the physical realm around the Amenti’s corpse subtly to
protect it from harm. The Ka Background rating acts as a dice pool for your character to oppose
any action taken against the khat. Any actions taken thus become resisted actions (Vampire:
The Masquerade, p. 194). Your character’s body also receives a soak roll against all damage
equal to his Stamina + Ka. The protection offered always translates to some coincidental
real-world effect. Subtle as that influence is, it can still pose real danger for an opponent who
does poorly on the resisted roll. A villainous tomb robber might slip while climbing a treacherous
wall or find the cadaver strangely heavy at exactly the worst moment. A more intellectual thief
might feel an annoying tickle at the back of her throat as she tries to bluff past the border patrol,
or she may discover that a leak in her canteen has blurred all the ink on her map that
supposedly leads to the dig site.
x Your khat remains incorruptible, but you should build a secure tomb and retain the services of
trustworthy allies to protect your khat when you are dead.
• Your ka inflicts minor difficulties on those who interfere with your corpse. Apply one die to
resist actions against your character’s khat.
•• Lesser or common dangers to your body are old news. Two dice to apply against efforts to
harm your character’s khat.
••• Your grave is safe from all but the highly skilled, persistent or lucky. Apply three dice to resist
actions against your character’s khat.
•••• Those who seek actively to injure your corpse rue the day they invoked the mummy’s curse.
Four dice to apply against efforts to harm your character’s khat.
••••• Those who bother you in death often join you. Apply five dice to resist actions against your
character’s khat

Kenning [Kinain Only]​:

(The Enchanted 72)
This used to be a background for Kinains to reflect the ability Kenning.
As Kenning is now an Ability for anybody who has a Glamour Pool, this background is defunct.

Kinfolk​ [Garou/Fera; Not Mockery Breeds]

Those who breed true some of the traits of the Garou/Fera but do not undergo the first change
Hengegoykai have a similar one called ​‘Clan’​. They act the same. Only 1 in 10 of Children of
Garou breed true to ‘Garou’ breed true to Garou, the rest breed Kinfolk.
•: 3 Members
••: 5 Members
•••: 10 Members
••••: 25 Members
•••••: 50 Members

Kinain
(The Fool’s Luck: Way of the Commoners: Page 75)
Kinain are Mortals with a little bit of fae blood / touch in them. They have the smallest bits of
glamour and power on their own and can be enchanted. If you desire a Kinain who has to do
what you say, look at the Retainers background.
• One Kinain
•• Three Kinain
••• Five Kinain
•••• Seven Kinain
••••• Nine Kinain

Laboratory​ [Any]
A Lab for your own experiments:
1/story: Roll Intelligence + Occult + (Dots in this Background) (Diff Level+4): to learn a ritual.
Upon 5 successes you master the ritual. You cannot learn rituals higher than your dots in this
background.

Labyrinth​ [Spectre]
(Wraith 20th 375)
• You have walked some of the shallower corridors, but never dared go deep.
•• You have journeyed into the deeper maze once or twice, and you could probably find your
way out if you had to.
••• You have explored extensive sections of the Labyrinth, and can find your way around them.
•••• You’ve stood at the mouth of the Void and seen Oblivion’s beating heart, and could find your
way there from anywhere in the Underworld.
••••• The great maze holds no secrets from you, from the lairs of the Malfeans to the secret ways
none dare tread.

Legacy​ [Mummy/Wraith]
(Mummy the Resurrection 66)
(Wraith 20th Core 144)
[MUMMY]
You left some significant mark on the world in your First or Second Life from which you still draw
strength. It might be a structure, a great historical deed or even an idea. A mummy’s legacy
could even be the mummified khat from his First Life on display in a museum. To receive the
benefits of this Background, the legacy must still exist, it must be remembered by mortals (not
just the Reborn), and it must represent Ma’at in some way. Therefore, an infamous deed is not a
legacy, unless it somehow led to greater balance and justice.
The legacy’s inspiration fills your character with newfound hope and energy, but he must be in
its presence to benefit from it. If the legacy is a physical thing, your character must go wherever
it is. If the legacy is an intellectual construct, your character must be in a place strongly tied to or
powerfully representative of it. (Not surprisingly, Alexandria is the site of many such legacies.)
Once per game session, while your character is in the presence of the legacy, roll his Balance
score (difficulty 6). Each success grants your character a point of Sekhem. A successful roll also
allows him to recover one (and only one) point of Willpower.
If your character’s legacy is ever destroyed or forgotten, the Amenti loses this Background. This
threat provides mummies yet another reason to fight to preserve the sacred places and ancient
ideas of the Lands of Faith. Ironically, a legacy must be exposed to others to be effective,
making it in constant danger of harm and destruction. A legacy kept hidden away is soon
forgotten and lost.
x Everything from your First Life has long since turned to dust.
• Your legacy is a small item — a piece of jewelry, an obscure scroll or the like — that is on
display in a museum or private collection.
•• Your legacy is of strong interest to a particular group of people, like Egyptologists, occultists
or perhaps a family line.
••• People see your legacy every day, like a mummy on display in a museum or a significant
event in the history books.
•••• Your legacy is widely known. Perhaps you designed a pyramid or other great monument.
••••• Your legacy changed the course of history. It is still widely taught and spoken of.
[WRAITH]
It might be the desire of every living person to be remembered, but human memories are the
very lifeblood of wraiths. Some individuals are remembered by few, some by many (this is
covered by the Background Memoriam), but there are cases where a wraith’s works are
remembered long after her name has been forgotten. The Legacy Background covers this sort
of memory, representing a wraith’s creations that have lived on after her death. A Legacy can
represent a variety of different things, from hard objects — buildings, statues, 1,000 planted
trees — to less tangible things such as an art collection, a political theory, or a word that has
become common usage. Once per story, a wraith can try to gain focus and comfort from her
Legacy. To do so, the wraith must travel to the site of the Legacy (or some important place
associated with it in the case of intangible Legacies) and roll a number of dice equal to the level
of the Background (difficulty 7). The number of successes represents the number of levels of
damage the wraith can heal. Normal damage is regenerated instantly; aggravated damage
takes approximately one hour of attendance upon the Legacy per Corpus Level healed. This
represents a process of confirmation and affirmation for the wraith, the physical manifestation of
which is healed Corpus.
None: No trace remains that you ever lived.
• A painting of yours hangs somewhere on the wall of an obscure gallery.
•• You funded a building on a college campus.
••• You reseeded a devastated forest area through which people pass every day.
•••• You designed the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty.
••••• An important idea in modern life is attributed to you. Perhaps you founded a religion or a
political movement, or created a popular social media app.
Legend​ [Technically anyone?]
(M20 Core 317)
Humanity’s collective imagination focuses on you. Although you might not actually be a
reincarnation of King Arthur or Biggie Smalls, you evoke those figures on a primal level. People
see you as a legend, and so they expect legendary things from you. As a result, you function as
a walking Node, able to recharge your own Quintessence – and possibly the Quintessence of
other people too – by living up to your associated legend.
In story terms, pick a legend and then model your character off some familiar elements of that
figure. Little Red would wear a crimson hoodie and wander off where she’s not supposed to go;
Popeye would talk weird, eat spinach, and get into lots of fights. Our media age manufactures
legends, so your model could be a pop-culture character, though the power of such legends
doesn’t run very deep.
The more you live up to the legend, the more energy it lends to you. In game terms, you can roll
your Legend Background no more than once per story. Each success refreshes one point of
Quintessence in your pool. (It’s wise to choose a high Avatar rating if you’ve got this
Background.) The difficulty of that roll depends on how well-known that legend is in your current
location; embodying Sun Tzu might score you major props in a Chinese military academy, but
the average U.S. citizen would be like, “Sun WHO?” The roll’s minimum difficulty is 6; if your
Legend is obscure, that can go as high as 9.
Once per story, you can also instill items with Quintessence – turning them into Tass – if they’ve
had something to do with you living up to your legend. A Colt .45 used by a modern Jesse
James, for instance, would acquire a certain energy through association. Such items have a
potent feel to them; even Sleepers sense something special about Jimi Hendrix’s guitar.
Characters who can use Quintessence may access that Tass for their own purposes. Each dot
in this Background allows you to either instill a single object with the entire Background rating’s
worth of Quintessence, or you can imbue one item with a single point of Tass for every dot in
the Background. Legend 5, then, would either fill a single item with five points of Quintessence
or imbue one point of Quintessence into five separate items.
Once that Tass is used, it’s gone until the next story.
• An obscure legend (Clever Gretel, Abou Hassan) or minor pop culture figure (Betty Boop,
Grumpy Cat).
•• A minor legend (Sinbad the Sailor, Don Quixote) or significant pop culture figure (Janis Joplin,
the Cheshire Cat).
••• A famous legend (Guy Fawkes, Shaka Zulu) or pop culture icon (Batman, Elvis).
•••• A major legend (George Washington, Geronimo, Red Riding Hood).
••••• A universally popular legend (Cinderella, King Arthur, the Mona Lisa)

Library / Occult Library​ ​[Anyone]

(Dark Ages Mage 87)
This background costs 2 points per Dot.
Intelligence + Library (Difficulty based on the type of book in relation to your type of collection)
dictates if a book is in your library.
Library (Diff 8) when trying to increase a Pillar (for Mages) or Path of Blood Magic (for Blood
Mages) reduces the experience cost by 1 per success. Can only be done once for any given
rating of a Pillar/ Path of Blood Magic (So once for Dot 1, Once for Dot 2, etc)
• You’ve got a few New Age paperbacks.
•• Lots of fiction, little substance.
••• There’s some useful stuff in there when you go digging for it.
•••• Your collection of arcane data is respectable.
••••• You’ve got a pretty decent collection of diverse lore.
••••• • You enjoy a huge personal archive.
••••• •• Your database features extensive written, recorded, and virtual information.
••••• ••• You’re got full access to a national archive.
••••• •••• You enjoy unrestricted access to personal, national, and classified databases.
••••• ••••• Given enough time (and assistance), you can access almost anything that’s been
written down and stored. You might not understand it (damn those codes, lost languages, and
foreign tongues!), but you could probably find it.

Mana​ [Sorcerer/Hedge Mage; Technically Anyone]

(Sorcerer Revised 53)
You have a Mana Pool
•-•••••: You have your Background Rating added to your Mana Pool

Mastery​ [Earthbound]
(Earthbound Page 76)
Dots in this allow you to spend extra Faith on your Evocations
X Your character has not mastered his lore, so he cannot spend any Faith on enhancing
evocations.
• You can spend one point of extra Faith to enhance an aspect of an evocation.
•• You can spend two points of extra Faith to enhance an aspect of an evocation.
••• You can spend three points of extra Faith to enhance an aspect of an evocation.
•••• You can spend four points of extra Faith to enhance an aspect of an evocation.
••••• You can spend five points of extra Faith to enhance an aspect of an evocation.

Memory​ [Mummy]
(Mummy the Resurrection 66)
Most mummies can recall vague impressions and images from the First Life of their tem-akh.
You have clearer memories of your life in ancient Egypt and your time in the afterlife of Duat,
and you can sometimes draw upon those memories to help you. The rating in this Background
determines how vivid these recollections are.
The Storyteller may call for an Intelligence + Memory roll to see if your character can recall a
particular piece of information, such as how the traps on a tomb were set or what the mystic
phrase was to activate an artifact. How obscure and specific the information is determines the
difficulty.
Also, your character can meditate on his past-life memories once per game session to gain an
Ability that he has since forgotten from his First Life. If your character makes a successful
Meditation attempt, he gains a rating in the Ability equal to his dots in the Memory Background.
The recalled skill replaces any rating that your character normally has in the Ability, and it lasts
for one scene. Among other things, this Background is useful in translating Egyptian
hieroglyphics (assuming that your character was literate in his First Life).
For example, an Amenti faces a sword duel with a nomad leader. He doesn’t have the Melee
Ability, but his tem-akh was a great warrior. The mummy meditates before the duel, calling up
memories of the battles that the tem-akh fought long ago. The Amenti can then use Melee at a
level equal to his Memory rating to combat the nomad leader.
x Your recollections of your First Life are spotty and vague, like a dream.
• You can pick out particular images and moments from your memories.
•• You can recall brief events and particular items of information like names and places.
••• You can remember short scenes and associations.
•••• You can recall entire events vividly, and you often make connections simply upon seeing
something that reminds you of them.
••••• You can recall almost all of your First Life, as if it happened yesterday rather than
thousands of years ago.

Memoriam​ [Wraith]
(Wraith 20th 144)
The essence of the dead is hard to define, but Pathos stems directly from emotion, and the
emotion that the living feel for the dead is expressed as memory. After all, memory is the way in
which the living interact with the dead. People have a tendency to remember those who are lost
in strange ways, or to project thoughts and feeling onto those who are no longer there to
represent themselves.
Some wraiths can take comfort from the fact that they are remembered by many people (though
not necessarily fondly). Others are recalled by few, one, or even none. There is an argument
among the dead as to whether it is better for one person to remember you well than for an entire
nation to recall your life with hate, envy, or resentment. However, Memoriam makes no
judgments.
Memoriam allows the wraith to access extra Pathos. By invoking the feelings the living have for
her, once per session a wraith can roll her Memoriam rating (difficulty 8), with each success
granting one point of Pathos. If a botch is rolled, one point of Memoriam is permanently lost, as
the inevitable process of forgetfulness and myth obscures memories of the wraith.
None: You lived and died alone. Few, if any, even remember your name. Alternatively, you lived
so long ago that all memories of you have faded.
• One person remembers you. Perhaps you have a roadside memorial somewhere.
•• A handful of people remember you on occasion.
••• A stretch of highway is named after you, or perhaps a beloved local park.
•••• A community, organization, or company has you on its roll of honor — or curses your name.
••••• You have legendary status in an entire nation (or more). This level of recognition is far
easier to achieve in a negative light than in a positive.

Memento De Morte​ [Anybody with Necromancy or similar]

•-•••••: Relics you own add (background rating) as bonus dice to Necromancy Path/Ritual rolls.
Blasphemous Shrine​: Same as Memento De Morte but for Setite Sorcery (Akhu). For Akhu
Users you are required to have (Akhu Rating) dots in this background to use Akhu.

Mentor​ [Literally anybody]

(C20 Core Page 170; Every 20th Anniversary Corebook has a Mentor Background)
Dots in this background both dictate the level of investment and the level of influence they have
in your Community you belong to (Vampire, Changeling, Werewolf, etc). Here is the
Changeling’s examples.
At the End of Each Story if you have spent time with your Mentor (determined by the ST), the
ST rolls (Pick one: Charisma, Intelligence, Manipulation, or Wits) + (Dots in Instruction) + (Dots
in this Background) at a Difficulty of (10-Your Intelligence) with each success giving you 1
experience in progress towards something your Mentor wants to teach (Dots in Abilities,
Disciplines, Gifts, Arcanoi, Path Rating, etc).
• Your mentor is earnest, but either knows little of import or is not well connected.
•• Your mentor knows some noteworthy information or people.
••• Your mentor has significant secrets and knows well connected changelings.
•••• You mentor has extraordinary knowledge and has the ear of the Duke.
••••• You mentor knows the secrets of the Dreaming and can arrange an audience with the High
King
Sempai [Usually Kitsune]
This is Kitsune, Hengeyokai, or other member of a Middle Kingdom Mentor specifically
•: A Kiko or Iron-Rank official; an inexperienced or very distant sentai.
••A Koryo or Steel-rank official; a moderately accessible and experienced sentai.
•••A Reiko or Gold-Rank Hengeyokai; an influential courier; a capable and often accessible
sentai
••••A five-tail Fox; a Gai’nan; a powerful and friendly sentai
•••••A Fox with six or more tails; a Gai’nan to an important court; Luna Beast Sentai Gaimon

Military Forces​ [Literally Anybody]

• Surly mob: 15 poorly organized and untrained thugs.
•• Militia: 25 functionally trained "security guards"
••• SWAT team: 40 capable fighters
•••• Veteran troop: 75 combat seasoned Soldiers
••••• Elite company: 100 battle hardened troops

Mnesis​ [Mokole only]

Any Mokole can put themselves on a Mnesis quest (even those without this background), a sort
of autohypnosis into the distant memory of the breed in which they are oblivious to the outside
world. Rating in this background lets you determine how far back you can look for specific
information
X: Roughly a century
•: 3 to 5 Centuries
••: Roughly a millennium
•••The Impergium and the beginning of human civilization
•••• The awakening of the mammalian shapeshifters
•••••The time of the Dinosaur Kings

Mob​ [Any]
Gain a number of Henchmen (5/4/3 Attributes. three abilities at 2 dots and 5 abilities at 1 dot, 4
Willpower)
•+: Rating x10 in Henchmen. To issue orders to your mob you must make a Charisma +
Leadership (Diff 4+Dots in Mob background)

Node​ [Mage]
(M20 Core 319)
In a world where magick seems scarce, you’ve got access to a miracle: a Node where you can
meditate to restore your inner Quintessence or gather solid-energy Tass in various forms. You
may have to fight to keep this place to yourself, though – werewolves, spirits, and rival mages
are always looking to add such places to their collections. The Node might not be obvious as a
magical site; most of them are not. To folks who understand such things, though, Nodes stand
out as beacons of energy desired by mystics and Technocrats alike.
• A tiny site of minor significance. (Level One caern.)
•• A small trickle of metaphysical energy. (Level
One caern.)
••• A steady flow of Quintessence. (Level Two caern.)
•••• A pulse of energy, plus generous quantities of materialized Tass. (Level Two caern.)
••••• A powerful wellspring of energetic abundance. (Level Three caern.)
••••• • A focused Node, with both Tass and ambient energy refined by Prime Arts or sciences.
(Level Three caern.)
••••• •• A considerable force of metaphysical power. (Level Four caern.)
••••• ••• A rare and wondrous place, brimming with incarnate Prime Force. (Level Four caern.)
••••• •••• One of the grandest sacred spots, or most potent refineries, in the material world.
(Level Five caern.)
••••• ••••• One of the rarest and most precious sites on Earth… and a certain battleground for the
forces that would tap its power. (Level Five caern.)

Notoriety​ [Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

Your mage is well known in her chosen mystic social circles, but not in a good way. She may
have had an infamous, insane, or diabolical Mentor, belonged to an unpopular Chantry (or even
have attended the Devil’s infamous Black School), come from an infamous family (“How nice to
meet you, Miss Borgia”), had a former Apprentice try to assassinate the Council, or be an
Awakened creation (“I’m sorry, but toasters are not allowed to address the Symposium”). She
may have earned this reputation herself via crackpot theories, accusations of plagiarism or
going Rogue. Perhaps she got a bad rap from something really flamboyant, like being a former
Marauder or recanted infernalist, or just having the reputation of being a former Marauder or
recanted infernalist. (Fly one dragon over the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and people will
never let you live it down. And that cloven-hoofed guy whom you were kissing on the park
bench was a satyr, dammit, not the Devil, and no, you’re not going to produce him to prove it.
He was an asshole anyway, and you broke up, so good riddance.)
At the higher levels, this rep also extends to the spirit world, and the mage still has to deal with
the mystical gunslingers, not because she’s the best-of-the-best and the woman to beat, but
because she’s the worst-of-the-worst and everybody’s favorite whipping girl. Besides these
problems, she also has to fend off Nephandic recruiters, Marauder talent scouts and even more
dangerous types. Old chums from the Black School may come sniffing around, or worse yet,
relatives — it’s hard to keep Wicked Uncle Frederick from coming to your wedding, and you
really don’t want to slight him.
It’s incumbent upon you to flesh out how the mage acquired a Notorious reputation. The
Storyteller may well bring down harsh consequences on a player who tries to duck out on it!
These things have a way of coming out.…
• The village idiot
•• Rube Goldberg’s apprentice
••• Damon Hellstrom
•••• Alumnus of the Black School
••••• Sauron

Occult Library​ [Any]

Collection of rare and interesting texts.
Each Odd Dot is +1 to Dice Pools involving the Occult knowledge
Each Even dot is -1 difficulty to dice pools involving the Occult Knowledge

Occult Tome​ [Any]

Any content enclosed in a tome allows you to learn it’s contents without a tutor (spend
experience as normal) and -1 difficulty to rolls with it IF you have the book on hand when you do
it.
•: 2 Tome Points
••: 6 Tome Points
•••: 12 Tome Points
••••: 20 Tome Points
•••••: 30 Tome Points
••••• •: 42 Tome Points
••••• ••: 56 Tome Points
••••• •••: 72 Tome Points
••••• ••••: 90 Tome Points
••••• •••••: 110 Tome Points
Building a Tome After the fact is 2 exp per Background point it is worth (so a 10 dot tome is 20
exp)
Each Dot of a Lore is 1 Tome point per dot.
Each Dot of a Primary Knowledge is worth ½ a tome point
Each Dot in a Secondary Knowledge (Except Lore) or Point in the Merit “Language” is ¼ a tome
point
Each Dot in Thaumaturgy (the disicpline, no paths for free): is 4 Tome Points
Each Dot in a Thaumaturgy Path is 3 Tome Points
A Ritual is 1 Tome Point per level of the ritual
•If the item does not provide the previous levels, divide the tome point cost in half, round up.
BUILDING A TOME
•Takes (½ Tome point value) in weeks. Each success is beyond the minimum required reduces
the time by 1/2 . Each day is 8 hours of work each day.
•Creating a Tome is Intelligence + Calligraphy (Artistic Expression with the Specialty of Magical
Texts): Diff of (2 + [TP / 5]) - (1 per additional book) Min Diff 3, Max Diff 10, with a minimum of
(Number of Books required) successes required
•Number of Pages required: 5 pages per Tome Point.
•Full Sized Books: 4 pounds (400 Pages)
•Pocket Sized Books ½ Pound (100 Pages)
•Additional Books: +2 Weeks time and -1 Diff to roll for the full ‘Tome’.

Oubliette​ [Anybody with Abyss Mysticism, 3+ Dots in Occult, 3+ Dots in Obtenebration]

Vampires who possess at least three dots in Obtenebration and one Abyss Mysticism ritual can
construct an Oubliette within a subterranean structure. The darkness within the Oubliette drains
Intelligence from mortals immersed within it, at a rate of one dot per night. This
Intelligence is not recoverable.
Nightmarish visions constantly beset vampires within the Oubliette, often leading to the swift
arrival of Derangements.
The player of any vampire immersed in an Oubliette must roll against the character’s current
Willpower each night; the character may not recover any temporary Willpower points while
within the dark. Failure reduces the current Willpower by two points, inducing a Derangement in
the vampire once the rating reaches zero. Willpower then resets, and the procedure begins
again until the vampire’s extracted or discovers an exit. Vampires who enter the Oubliette
willingly, and those on the Road of the Abyss or Road of Sin, lose one Willpower point per night.
The darkness within the Oubliette is unnatural and therefore impossible to see through unless
the vampire possesses the Darksight Merit. Entities summoned with Obtenebration or Abyss
Mysticism within the Oubliette remain permanently, and cannot be dismissed unless they,
or their summoners, are destroyed.
Any Cainite who braves and survives 20 consecutive nights within the Oubliette and doesn’t
succumb to torpor has the cost of learning Abyss Mysticism rituals reduced by
one experience point for the remainder of the year.
The greater the Oubliette Background rating, the greater the volume of the underground
structure that is filled with foul darkness. Points in Oubliette are bought at character creation, or
earned through roleplay.
• Coffin or cupboard-sized chamber
•• Single-room chamber
••• Dungeon containing up to five rooms
•••• Multi-level structure, containing up to 15 rooms
••••• Labyrinthine complex, containing multiple
structures

Pacts​ [Demon]
(Demon the Fallen Core 157)
Number of Unique pacts you have with mortals granting them their desires to harvest their faith
each day. You do not need to have dots in this background to form pacts in play, this only
dictates ones you start with
•-•••••: You have (background rating) unique pacts (each pact produces 1 faith/day)

Paragon​ [Demon]
(Demon The Fallen Core 157)
• - •••••: You may re-roll evocation rolls up to (background rating) times per Chapter (session)
for your Primary Lore

Parasynthetic Tolerance​ [Any technically]

(Terrel and Squib 52)
Parasynthetic implants are Terrel & Squib’s most advanced application of ghost-based
technology, creating miniaturized implants that infuse the subject with ferroanimus matter once
the implant has been surgically inserted into their body. This can create a wide range of effects.
The body, however, will often reject the invasive ghost material, and studies show that upwards
of 95% of all viable subjects will suffer severe side-effects from having parasynthetic implants of
any kind in their systems.
Taking dots in Parasynthetic Tolerance designates the character as one of the 5% of individuals
who can in fact support parasynthetic implants in their bodies without adverse effects. For every
dot in Parasynthetic Tolerance, the character’s body can safely support an additional implant.
(For more information on the Parasynthetic Implants system, see page 80.)
X Like most people, you have no tolerance for the implants in your system.
• Your body can tolerate one parasynthetic implant.
•• Your body can tolerate two parasynthetic implants.
••• Your body can tolerate three parasynthetic implants.
•••• Your body can tolerate four parasynthetic implants.
••••• Your body can tolerate five parasynthetic implants.

Passion​ [Orpheus]
(Shades of Gray)
Spite is one of the gravest threats facing both projectors and ghosts, the dark side of their
nature that threatens to override their consciousness and turn them into Spectres. Reducing
Spite is a very difficult task (outlined on p. 193 of Orpheus), but characters can take steps to
control the increase of their Spite. Focusing on the positive aspects of their lives can help,
building up a Passion for items, people or memories that can keep negative emotions in check.
This allows a character to reduce the difficulty of any rolls that may increase Spite (e.g., tapping
Spite to regain Vitality). Each point of Passion reduces the difficulty of one roll by one. Such
points may be spent individually or together, but each point may be used only once per day.
Passion does not, however, cancel out the effects of Spite. Rather, it reduces the chances of an
increase occurring, provided at least that the challenges aren’t too frequent. Whenever a
character gains a dot of Spite, she loses a dot of Passion.
X Your outlook provides no extra defense against Spite.
• You have some happy memories.
•• You are rarely given to negative thought.
••• You have a sunny outlook.
•••• Your buoyant mood is difficult to overcome.
••••• Your bright disposition keeps your dark side in check.

Patron [Anybody]
(Nobles: The Shining Host 74)
(Hunter the Reckoning 124; This is explicitly in relation to the Power that Imbued them)
The Changeling Version: This shows relative strength of each dot. Apply similar logic to for any
splat that uses this.
•Knight/Lady
••Baron/Baroness
•••Count/Countess
••••Duke/Duchess
•••••King/Queen

Pawn​ [Hunter; Maybe Anyone]

You’ve attracted a spirit who is willing to help you hunt down and kill paranormal creatures.
However they want you to kill people for them as well, usually enemies and rivals. Every
eveasy kill it sets up for you is cementing it’s power. Your Patron sets up kills indirectly and
might even haul you out of the fire. However the instant you become a threat to THEIR
existence they might turn on you.
•Your “Master” is more smart than powerful. You’re its best pawn, and it might have to play you
personally.
••You have attracted the attention of a modestly powerful creature. It has at least one or two
other catspaws, roughly as powerful as you (but not always in the same way)
•••You’re one of many pawns in the mastermind’s game, so it can probably keep you at a safe
distance. It can offer you some protection from other creatures and the police, as long as some
other powerplayer back it.
••••Learning even the name and nature of your icy manipulator is an epic task. It can covertly
supply you with money, weapons and political leverage as long as it decides you’re valuable.
•••••You’re just one shiny cog in a vast probably ancient machine. The powers that propel you
may be hidden rules of your city if not your state.

Personal Equipment​ [Any]

(Terrel & Squib 53)
Terrel & Squib has all the best toys when it comes to dealing with ghosts. But Management
doesn’t always give you what you need when you need it. This Background reflects a personal
cache of parapsych gear you’ve acquired and can use whenever you want. Like an Arsenal
(page 182 of the Orpheus™ corebook), you have to maintain this Background if you want to
keep it; ghostshot bullets don’t grow on trees.
Because parapsych gear is so expensive — especially if you’re getting it through the black
market — you can’t have more dots in Personal Equipment than you have in Resources (unless
you steal your gear, but that’s a whole other problem in itself). This Background doesn’t let you
requisition extra equipment from T&S for use on operations; you have to have Influence for that
(page 185 of the Orpheus™ corebook).
X You are totally dependent on what T&S issues you.
• You have a cheap Kirlian camera, or maybe a single clip of ghostshot ammo.
•• You own a pair of Kirlian goggles, and maybe some clips of ghostshot ammo.
••• You can outfit a single person in full parapsych gear.
•••• You can equip a small team (3-5) well enough to hold their own.
••••• You could start a small projection firm if need be

Personal Trainer​ [Any]

(Orpheus Core Book 187)
A personal trainer works with a character to improve her physique, techniques (such as Melee
or Brawl) or aptitudes (Athletics, Drive, etc.). A personal trainer is different from someone you
grab at the gym or an ordinary Orpheus instructor because the trainer is usually out of house.
He knows your strengths and weaknesses and can help you target your soft spots or
vulnerabilities. In fact, the training is all personalized and geared toward your assets and
capabilities. For each dot in Personal Trainer, your character can target one Attribute or Ability,
purchasing a Trait for one less experience point (2 points instead of 3) or minus 1 to a multiplier
(current rating x 3 for Attributes and current rating x1 for Abilities). To gain this, however, the
character must allocate at least one hour per day for training for each dot or Trait he wants to
improve. Otherwise, he doesn’t gain the bonus. Additionally, the player must tell the Storyteller
what he’s trying to accomplish, instead of springing it on the Storyteller at the last minute.
X You prefer learning on your own.
1 A personal trainer focusing on a single Attribute or Ability.
2 A trainer capable of instructing you in two separate areas.
3 This trainer is well versed in three areas.
4 Your personal trainer can help you concentrate on improving four different Traits.
5 You’ve got your own guru, capable of instructing you in many different Traits (five plus one per
trait they have in: Instruction, Charisma, and Intelligence)

Political Connections​ ​[Changeling Only]

(Nobles The Shining Host 74)
This background represents your actual political power within the Kithain ruling body of
Concordia. It is different than Title as Title is social standing and perceived power, while this is
wielded power.
•You represent a very small freehold (or a medium sized mew, aka motley controlled freehold)
••You represent a small freehold (or large mew)
•••You represent a medium-sized freehold (or huge mew)
••••You represent a large freehold
•••••You represent a huge freehold (or group of freeholds)

Rank​ [Anybody]
(M20 Core 321)
You hold a title of some distinction among the masses – perhaps a military rank, a religious
office, an executive position with a powerful corporation, or some similarly influential post. That
position grants you a degree of respect, certain perks related to the job, and probably the
immediate deference (and obedience) of lower ranking personnel. Naturally, this rank demands
responsibility to that office too; a head of state can’t just run off and have adventures when she
pleases! Ranks above the ones shown below certainly exist, but they’re not suitable for player
characters because they demand too much time and responsibility.
• Minor rank: Army sergeant, squire, deacon, school board member, novice journalist, junior
manager, university instructor.
•• Low rank: Junior officer, knight, prior, city councilor, staff reporter, senior manager, professor.
••• Medium rank: Captain, baron, abbot, mayor, local columnist, corporate middle management,
tenured faculty.
•••• High rank: Major, count, bishop, governor, syndicated columnist, junior VP, department
head.
••••• Command staff: General, prince, archbishop, senator, international correspondent,
corporate VP, dean.

Receipts​ [Any]
Normally for Vampires
You have information of some blackmailable material over people . The amount of the
background reflects the importance of the information and who you have it over.
•You have something on one of the local Ancillae or Ducti
••A certain Keeper of Elysium has some interesting hobbies....
•••The Sheriff certainly has a dark side
••••The Primogen has been very busy indeed.
•••••Oh my Prince...What have you done?
Relic​ [Wraith]
(Wraith 20th 145)
Relics are things that once existed in the Skinlands, and that persisted in the Shadowlands after
their destruction. The reasons for this psychic durability vary, but all invoked strong enough
emotions while they existed to cross the Shroud on the strength of those memories. Some relics
were important things in themselves, such as national treasures or badges of office. Others
were articles that were acutely important to one person and acquired enough emotional weight
from that individual to persist in the Shadowlands — wedding bands, stuffed animals
and the like. A relic need not have belonged to the wraith in life or even to have had some great
significance to her; property can be acquired by the Restless as well, and there is a huge
market in buying, selling, and scavenging relics across the Underworld.
Characters who take this Background can purchase it more than once with each purchase
representing one relic of the appropriate level.
None: You have nothing. Are you a recent escapee from Thralldom, or just not attached to
material things?
• A seemingly insignificant relic, like the keys to a treasured car.
•• A minor relic, perhaps a small work of art.
••• A relic with some usefulness, such as a telescope or knife.
•••• A major relic with moving parts, often powered by Pathos.
••••• A huge or invaluable relic, a sophisticated device or famous object.

Remembrance​ [Changelings / Demons / Mages]

(Land of Eight Million Dreams PAge 92)
(C20 Core Page 170; Called Remembrance)
(M20 Core Page 320; Called Past LIves)
Used to help remember past lives . To interact with Changelings, creatures/locations of the
Dreaming, or other triggers as the ST deems fit roll Intelligence + Remembrance (Diff 6 for
commonly known, while locations of pre-shattering freeholds is Diff 8). You may substitute your
rating in Remembrance for rating in any Ability involving a Mundane task up to (Rating) times
per story. Demons can do similar with Legacy.
[CHANGELING/MAGES]
•Basic: You may remember hazy bits of information when triggered by current events or places;
deja-vu
••Minor: If prompted or guided by another you can glean some information from the scattered
images
•••Useful: You remember some details of past lives, have dreams of your life before The Wall
••••Significant: You remember many details of your most recent lives, and have glimpses of your
life before The Wall
•••••Incredible: You remember almost all details of your most recent life, and have strong flashes
of memory of your past lives. You even have fragments of memory of your life before The Wall.
(Demon the Fallen 156; Called Legacy)
X You have only the barest recollection of your former existence.
• You can remember some details of the war and those you fought with.
•• You can remember a fair amount of information about the Fall.
••• You remember the war and your exploits with some detail.
•••• You remember a great deal about the war and the time before the Fall.
••••• You have a wealth of detailed memories of your past existence

Requisition​ [Technocracy]
(M20 Core 321)
Cool Technocracy Gear. To make a Requisition test you roll your rating in the background to get
a piece of gear, difficulty based on your perceived loyalty.
Doubtful Loyalty Diff 9
Questionable Loyalty Diff 8
Assumed Loyalty Diff 7
Assured Loyalty Diff 6
Total Loyalty Diff 5
X No dice: “Get out of my office.”
• One die: They don’t take you seriously.
•• Two dice: “There might be something left over here for you…”
••• Three dice: You’ve earned their trust.
•••• Four dice: Q Division likes you.
••••• Five dice: You’re a trusted and valuable operative.
••••• • Six dice: A squad of proven agents.
••••• •• Seven dice: A trusted team of loyal ops.
••••• ••• Eight dice: A team of specialists.
••••• •••• Nine dice: An elite strike force with the utmost confidence from above.
••••• ••••• Ten dice: Maximum clearance, trust, and favor from above

Resources​ ​[Anybody]
(C20 Core Page 170; Every 20th Anniversary has a copy; Check your corebook if using a period
specific setting such as Dark Ages or Victorian Era)
(Earthbound Page 78; Earthbound Demons can only use Resources through Mortal Agents they
establish, usually Thralls)
X Working poor: You live paycheck-to-paycheck, and that’s about it
• Slightly ahead of the game: You’ve got a small apartment and perhaps a cheap vehicle. By
local standards, a working-class income.
•• Lower middle class: You’ve got a condo or apartment, plus a vehicle, some savings, and
enough money for occasional indulgences.
••• Middle class with property: You either own or have decent equity in some property, plus a
vehicle, investments, and savings. You could maintain a one-dot standard of living indefinitely.
•••• Well-off: You own a large house, some property, and at least two vehicles, as well as
notable levels of savings and investments. By local standards, you’re a millionaire, and although
that’s not worth as much as it once was, it’s still nothing to sneeze at.
••••• Welcome to the 1%: As a multimillionaire, you’ve got substantial holdings, investments, and
savings.
••••• • Hollywood money: Whatever you want, you’ve got it.
••••• •• Billionaires’ club. You can influence an entire business or industry.
••••• ••• Bruce Wayne level wealth. You own companies.
••••• •••• Tony Stark level wealth. You own industries.
••••• ••••• Bill Gates level wealth. You own governments.

Retainers​ [Anybody]
(Dark Ages Mage 87; Called Servants)
Mage has a unique background called Servants (not to be confused with the OTHER servants
background) and this can reflect the Common Man or a magical creature
made/conjured/summoned. Ideally each Servant / Retainer should be purchased individually to
reflect competency.
Number: • One rather mediocre (Level 1) servant. 7/5/3, 13/9/5, Potence +2 Discipline standard
ghoul, 5 Backgrounds. 21 Freebies. 7 Virtues if Applicable. -Disciplines can be replaced with
Additional Freebies (7 freebies per dot) if not building Ghouls.
Number••: Two Mediocre Servants.
Level••: Apply to one Servant: [Pick One]: +1 Discipline Dot, +4 Ability Dots, +3 Background
Dots, or +2 Attribute Dots
Number•••: Three Mediocre Servants
Level•••: Apply to One Servant: [Pick 2; can pick the same]: +1 Discipline Dot, +4 Ability Dots,
+3 Background Dots, or +2 Attribute Dots
Number••••: Four Mediocre Servants:
Level ••••: Apply to One Servant: [Pick one]: +3 Discipline Dots, +12 Abilities Dots, +9
Background Dots, or +6 Attribute Dots
Number•••••: Five Mediocre Servant
Level •••••: Apply One Unique Ability to Servant (Work with ST) or Two picks as of Level Four to
that Servant
Spirit Slaves​:
Those with Necromancy or means to control Wraiths can also take Spirit Slaves with is a
different background that operates in the same fashion as Retainers, but only for ghosts.
Number: •+: Each dot is 1 Basic Servant at Strength 1.
Strength •: 7/5/3, 13/9/5. Auspex 2, Flight 2, 1 Common Discipline. Passion Pool 5 (Acts as
Vitae)
Strength ••: [Pick One]: +1 Discipline Dot, +4 Ability Dots, +3 Background Dots, or +2 Attribute
Dots
Strength •••: [Pick 2; can pick the same]: +1 Discipline Dot, +4 Ability Dots, +3 Background
Dots, or +2 Attribute Dots
Strength ••••: [Pick one]: +3 Discipline Dots, +12 Abilities Dots, +9 Background Dots, or +6
Attribute Dots
Strength ••••• [Pick one]: One Unique Supernatural Ability (work out with ST)
Major Domo [Ghouls/Revenants Only]
Each Dot in this background allows a ghoul to command another of your Domitor’s ghouls.

Retinue​ [Changeling Useful; Anybody]

(C20 Core Page 170)
These are moderately skilled mortals you can rely upon (should have 3 in Attributes and 3 in
abilities they are known for).
•: One Member
••: Two members
•••: Four members
••••: Eight Members
•••••: Sixteen Members

Rites/Rituals​ [Kuei-Jin/Fera/Garou; Sabbat have a different version]

[Kindred of the East 87]:
Learn Unique Rites. Kuei-Jin can only learn Kuei-Jin Rites on their own. Garou/Fera can only
learn Garou/Fera on their own. Highest level of any one Ritual known is limited by dots in
Rituals Knowledge
•-•••••: Know (Background rating) in levels of Rituals/Rites

Rival House​ ​[Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

The Rival House Background refers specifically to rivals of a given Chantry, not of an individual
mage. Thus, to take this Background, your character must already have the Chantry
Background as well. The Rival House defrays the cost of the Chantry and thereby increases its
power, but also that of the Rival House. Rival Houses may be at war, or on terms of uneasy
peace, but will never be friendly to one another, and members who “fraternize with the enemy”
will have to deal with the fallout at their own Chantry when they get back. The Rival Houseis
built just like any other Chantry; if multiple characters in the group take the Chantry Background
and the Rival House Adversary, then the enemy Chantry could be just as potent as the
characters’ Chantry, and out to get the Cabal, too

Roots​ [Any]
(Hunter Book Innocent 75)
Your character has ties with local community, neighbors see you as a benefactor and protector
even if they don’t know your true nature. This represents a broad ties to a community (and a
corresponding obligation) not specifically useful people in the right place at the right time.
•You watch over a small group, such as a single family or group of friends
••You protect a specific community, such as the residents of a housing complex or the students
at a high school
•••You are the patron of a small neighborhood, no more than a few blocks square.
••••You are the patron of a large neighborhood of several dozen blocks square, or a small social
or ethnic group
•••••You watch over a significant ethnic or social group in your city.
Sanctum​ [Mage; Maybe anybody]
(Mage 20th Core 324; Technocracy call it Laboratory)
2 Points Per Dot:
In game terms, this Trait provides several benefits:
• A relatively private space to conduct experiments, meditate, practice your arts, and so on.
Again, this privacy is relative; Technocratic operatives rarely have such places to themselves.
Unless a group or individual is extremely wealthy and connected, a Technocratic Laboratory is
actually owned and managed by the Union, not by the operatives themselves. Thus, your
superiors have their eyes on you even within your sanctuary, and its privacy is more of a
courtesy than an absolute.
• A stock of materials you can use – herbs, cauldrons, diagrams, elaborate glyphs carved into
the floors, martial arts practice weapons, chemistry arrays, telescopes, microscopes, whatever.
This stock depends upon the Background rating and allows you constant access to whatever it
is (within reason) that you need.
• A Sanctum’s specially prepared ritual space (or a Lab’s experimental space) reduces the
difficulty of rituals or experiments performed in that area. That reduction depends on the
Background trait’s rating, as shown below.
• A cloaking effect safeguards the place’s location. Essentially, the Sanctum/ Laboratory has an
Arcane/ Cloaking rating based on the place’s Background rating. You could consider this effect
a result of protection wards, concealment fields, an aura of ordinariness… that sort of thing. As
long as they stay within the protected area, characters enjoy the protection of this Arcane effect
too. (A character who already has the Arcane/ Cloaking Background gets whichever Arcane
rating is highest – the rating of the Sanctum or the rating of her Arcane rating – not a
combination of both.)
• All Effects cast within the Sanctum are considered coincidental magick, so long as those
Effects follow the definition of reality within that sanctuary. Cloning would be coincidental within
an Iteration X or Progenitor lab; spirit-summoning would be coincidental on a shaman’s sacred
ground; a witch could conjure imps or heal gaping wounds within his Sanctum; but the Black
Suit busting down the door would find himself at a distinct disadvantage there because…
• The Effects of rival mages are considered vulgar in your space. That Man in Black’s
procedures go against the prevailing reality within that witch’s sanctuary, whereas the witch’s
spells run counter to the established reality of a NWO Construct. Rivals who use the same style
of magick would be considered equally at home in a Sanctum – two Verbenae, for example,
who hate each other’s guts but who employ the same paradigms and tools would both be
considered coincidental within the same sanctum; an Etherite, however, would find that her
weird science is vulgar within that witch’s sacred ground, even if she was allied with one of the
rival Verbenae.
• Mystic Sanctums have an additional benefit over technological Laboratories: the Gauntlet
rating is one level lower in a place that’s been dedicated to magick than it is in a similar place
than has not been so dedicated. The Gauntlet in a technomagickal Laboratory, on the other
hand – like those used by the Society of Ether or Virtual Adepts – is one level higher than it
would be otherwise. And a Technocracy Laboratory has a Gauntlet rating of 9 except with
regards to Dimensional Science procedures, whose Effects are considered coincidental in an
appropriate Technocratic Lab.
.
•A Tiny sanctum the size of a pantry or small clearing; Cannot Backlash/Paradox. A tiny stock of
goods; no reduction of ritual difficulties, though your magick is coincidental here. One dot in
Arcane.
••A small room or copse of trees; -1 difficulty of all magic rolls in sanctum; Small stock of goods;
Two dots in Arcane
•••A workshop and perhaps adjoining bedroom/closet; -2 difficulty of magic rolls; Decent stock of
goods; Three Dots in Arcane
••••A small house or cottage or a suite of rooms in a larger building; Regain 1 Quintessence per
8 hours you sleep in your Sanctum; Fine stock of materials; Four Dots in Arcane
•••••An entire mansion or large wing of a castle, perhaps a forest; You know immediately of any
incursion onto your lands; +1 die to Foundation while in your Sanctum; Excellent stock of
Materials; Five Dots in Arcane.

Secrets​ [Technically anyone; Usually Garou/Fera]

The character possesses information that would be considered desirable — or damaging — by
someone else. While such knowledge can sometimes place the character in danger, mostly it
gives her leverage and advantages.
What the character does with these secrets (bartering them for favors or cash, using them to
take down minions of the Wyrm, or something else entirely) is up to her.
The player and Storyteller should work together to determine what sort of secrets the character
possesses.
The Background’s rating determines the value and number of secrets the character knows. This
Background is normally the province of Corax and Bastet, though other Changing Breeds (and
even the odd Shadow Lord!) occasionally pick it up as well.
• A small but noteworthy secret — a secret affair, a hidden sexual orientation, a minor crime.
•• A moderate secret. The human identities of a Garou pack, the whereabouts of a criminal on
the run, a significant crime, or evidence of two Garou sleeping together. Alternately, a few minor
secrets.
••• A substantial secret,or equivalent amount of lesser secrets. A matter of life and death or utter
ruination for someone. The location of a lost fetish that someone needs to stay lost. The identity
of a murderer of one or more Fera.
••••A heavy secret, or equivalent amount of lesser secrets. The location of a national fugitive, a
vampire’s “little black book” of contacts, the location of a Gurahl.
••••• An enormous secret, or equivalent amount of lesser secrets. A high-level Pentex plot. The
location of a legendary cursed fetish. The secret weakness of an Incarna

Secret Weapons​ [Anybody with Technocracy Links]

(Mage 20th 325)
As a prized guinea pig for the Technocratic Q Division, you get access to experimental
technology. When a new Device reaches the prototype stage, you get a briefing from your
friends(…?) at Q, then get sent out to see what the thing will do in the field.
A Background that applies ONLY to Technocratic field operatives, this Trait periodically gives
you goodies to play with. The Trait rating reflects the sorts of goodies you get access to for a
given mission. As with Requisitions, these Devices do not belong to you – Q Division wants
them back, preferably intact, along with a full report about how the Device functioned in your
hands. Hopefully, you’ll have good things to say; if things go badly… well, at least Q Division will
know what not to do next time out.
Favored agents get better gear. Trouble, is, you’re not always sure just how favored you really
are. When you prepare for a mission, your Storyteller makes a Social Trait + Secret Weapons
roll. (The Trait in question depends on the sort of relationship your character has with the Q
Division rep: Charisma in most cases, Manipulation if the agent tries to game the system, and
Appearance if the agent looks especially attractive to the Q Division rep.) The difficulty depends
on how the Q Division rep feels about your agent. A failed roll means that the rep’s got nothing
for you this time around; one or two successes get you something of dubious value, and three
successes or more score you some choice goodies.
A botch reflects a flawed gadget – either slipped to you on purpose by a disgruntled rep or
something sent into the field before all the bugs have been worked out. Because this is a secret
Storyteller roll, you won’t know how things turned out until you use the gadgets in the field.
Obviously, it pays to be on good terms with your local Q Division representative!

X Typical agent – no goodies for you!

• You can get small items of trivial value: pens, lamps, nutrition bars, etc.
•• They send out small items with limited utility value: sensors, power sources, energy pills, etc.
••• You start to get the good stuff: small weapons, body armor, medical supplies, etc.
•••• A trusted agent, you know the quirks of various Q Div weaponsmiths because they come to
you when their special toys need to be tested. These items tend to be useful but plagued with
finicky and perhaps dangerous bugs.
••••• You get all kinds of cool, expensive stuff: armor, weapons, advanced transportation gear,
and so forth. Now do be careful, 007!

Shadowlands​ [Spectre]
(Wraith 20th 375)
• You have heard stories about the Shadowlands, but have yet to see them for yourself.
•• You have visited the Shadowlands a few times. You know no more about them than would a
wraithly Enfant.
••• You have considerable experience in the Shadowlands, equal to that of a Lemure.
•••• Your knowledge of the Shadowlands is legendary, but there are still secrets that you have
not yet fathomed. You know as much as a Domem would.
••••• None know more about the Shadowlands than you — its backwaters, secrets, and
mysteries. Your understanding is akin to that of a powerful Gaunt, and doubtless rivals that of
most Malfeans
Shield​ [Orpheus]
(Shades of Grey)
Sleepers and skimmers must beware leaving their bodies unattended, lest passing Spectres
attempt to take them over. For whatever reason, however — be it strong will, a powerful balance
between mind and body or just plain, old-fashioned good luck — some projectors’ bodies are
inviolate (or nearly so). Characters with the Shield Background are much more difficult to
possess when projecting, and some can actually inflict damage on Spectres who try. Any time a
character with even one dot in this Background is the target of a possession attempt, the player
rolls Perception + Awareness (difficulty 8 - the character’s Shield rating). If the roll succeeds, the
character is aware of the situation (and probably snaps back to her body post haste, if possible).
In addition, the Storyteller adds the Background’s rating to the difficulty of any attempt to
possess the character’s body while projecting.
X You take your life in your hands whenever you project.
• A Spectre has to work to possess you.
•• Your body is a temple.
••• Your body fights back if invaded; any Spectre attempting to possess it suffers one die of
lethal damage.
•••• You know if anyone gets too close to your inert form; two dice of lethal damage to any
Spectre trying to possess you.
••••• Any Spectre who messes with your body is asking to be sent back to Hell; three dice of
lethal damage to anyone trying to possess it.

Skeptics​ [Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

When taken in as the reverse of a Cult, the Skeptics Adversary means that your mage has
attracted the attentions of a group of Skeptics, who not only think she’s nuts, but actively go out
of their way to convince everyone that she is. If she attempts a ritual while they’re around, they
give you (the player) an automatic botch for each point that your mage has in the Adversary.
Because of whoever they happen to be, they are not easily avoided. They may be co-workers,
members of your mage’s congregation, fans, or even (gasp!) friends or family members.
Alternately, they may be the Cult of a rival mage who does believe in your willworker’s brand
of magic, but whose cultists actively pray that she won’t be able to pull it off (with the same net
effect as regular Skeptics). Whatever the case, they’re not easily avoided, and they cause real
problems with willworking. The rating in Skeptics corresponds to the number of Skeptics who
tend to trouble your character, as per the Cult Background. Note that you only suffer the
penalties for however many Skeptics are about — if your mage happens to find herself trapped
alone in a basement, then she can at least do her magic without worrying about them.

Special Effects Training​ [Any]

(Terrel & Squib 53)
The customer is always right, even when they’re wrong. Whenever a “haunting” turns out to be
noisy pipes, it’s the Special Effects guy’s job to make T&S look good. In the old days, people
faked ghosts by using slanted mirrors, trap doors, and double-exposed photographs. The tools
of the trade have changed, but the basic idea is the same.
Your specialty may be in sound effects, costuming, holographics, or Photoshop, but whatever it
is, you do it well. Add your dots in this Background to the relevant Ability when attempting to
fake ghostly effects (Subterfuge for sleight-of-hand, Technology for sound systems, Computers
for digital image editing, Performance for “possession,” etc). You must take a specialty in this
Background, but can buy additional specialties for 1 freebie point or 3 experience apiece.
X The limit of your “special effects” is a guy wearing a sheet.
• Your bag-of-tricks is good enough to scare the trick-or-treaters.
•• Your FX skills are good, but they wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny
••• John Carpenter keeps your resume on file, just in case.
•••• You could keep Houdini, Copperfield, and Penn & Teller on their toes.
••••• Even seasoned investigators think it’s the real thing.

Spirit Mentor​ [Any]

(Masters of the Art 82)
For a mage who’s outgrown her mortal mentor, there’s the possibility of acquiring a spirit
mentor. This Background represents a mage’s communion with a specific spirit. The spirit’s form
and area of influence should be chosen when the Background is taken. Note that a spirit
mentor, unlike a Totem, does not directly assist the mage with magical Effects; it simply gives
advice or information when the mage studies strange magic or deals with denizens of the
Umbra. Although it seems that an Archmage could gain direct access to an Incarna or Celestine
via this Background, this is far from the case. An Incarna almost always works through an
intermediary, and even if five dots are taken in this Background, the Archmage probably doesn’t
realize that he is communicating with a Celestine. (For more information on spirits, see Axis
Mundi or The Spirit Ways.)
Note to Storytellers: The Resonance of the mage involved determines what sort of spirit mentors
him. This does not mean that a weaver spirit attempts to calcify its student and bring him directly
to the weaver. In fact, many spirits allied with Pattern are not totally “Pattern mad,” and some
Primordial spirits are not wholly concerned with corruption. But if a death mage needs a
Celestine for a mentor, this may mean that the Wyrm has taken personal notice of the mage
(assuming that you use the Triat in your games).…
• A minor spirit of little consequence, typically a Gaffling
•• A Gaffling of some ability
••• A knowledgeable Gaffling with several powers
•••• Independent Jaggling of limited scope and responsibility
••••• Jaggling of moderate knowledge and power
••••• • Jaggling associated with an Incarna/Independent Jaggling of great responsibility
••••• •• Minor Incarna/Totem spirit
••••• ••• Incarna associated with a Celestine
••••• •••• Aspect of a Celestine or powerful Incarna
••••• ••••• Celestine
Soulmate​ [Any]
(Hunters Book Judge 72)
True love with a Soulmate. 1/session you may add (background rating) to one action and it’s roll
only if it involves the well-beaing of your beloved. If your True Love is threatened you must do
everything in your power to protect them. If they are lost you will spend days, months, perhaps
your entire life consumed by this depression (Willpower reduced by rating of this background to
a min of 1; If the loss of the Soulmate is permanent, this background can be reinvested after a
sufficient mourning period). Failing to prevent harm to your Soulmate is trigger for a
Derangement.
•You and your beloved have just embarked on your grand amour. You’re still in the giddy
romantic stage.
••You’ve been with your lover for up to a year, and you’ve started believing this love is true
(even though it seems too good to be true)
•••You and your lover are probably living together and have been for a while. Their flaws are no
longer cute but you’ve gained a rich appreciation of virtues that more than offset foibles.
••••You and your beloved have been together so long that you rely on each other the way you
count on the sun rising. This doesn’t mean you take each other for granted, any more than you
take a beautiful sunrise for granted.
•••••Words Fail.

Spies​ [Any]
(Mage 20th Core 325)
A collection of little birds in various nests keeps you well informed. These informants aren’t
necessarily your friends – they may, in fact, hate you with the burning intensity of a thousand
fiery suns. For the moment, though, you have something they want: money, sex, drugs, magick,
whatever. In return for that indulgence, they’ll tell you what they know. Spies come in many
different forms: disgruntled associates, dismayed staff, jaded groupies, desperate addicts, loyal
acolytes of your cause, folks who owe you favors, people who’d be in very deep trouble without
you, opportunists who like the color of your money, lovers who want to stay on your good side…
Certain mad scientists and Technocrats even have special critters or tiny robots who report back
to them. Whatever your relationship to these spies might be, however, they could turn against
you if you’re not careful. Money, magick, better drugs, the threat of torture – all these things and
more might flip your spies into someone else’s service. And even if they do remain loyal to you,
your spies can be misled with false data or mistaken impressions of what’s really going on. They
know only what they’re able to see.
Systems-wise, this Trait lets you ferret out information (Intelligence + Spies); circulate
misinformation, diversions, and lies (Manipulation + Spies); impress people from a distance
(Charisma + Spies); or note potential threats before they solidify (Perception + Spies). A true
spymaster can command well above five dots in this Trait, which explains the frightening
influence of certain Hermetics, Technocrats, vigilantes, and criminal minds.
X No special informants.
• One or two spies in helpful places – the police, the Mob, Wall Street, etc.
•• Four to six informants in various helpful areas.
••• A handful of spies in helpful places, plus a few in hard-to-reach areas (the Pentagon, the
CIA, the UN, etc.), or one or two in highly secure areas (a Technocratic Symposium, a Tradition
Chantry, a classified government bureau, etc.).
•••• Infiltrators in a whole sphere of influence (the underworld, a nation’s government, the
international stock market, etc.), or a handful in a Construct, Chantry, vampire clan, werewolf
tribe, and so forth.
••••• Eyes and ears throughout the Sleeper world, or several contacts in the supernatural realm.
••••• • You’ve got a small news industry or intelligence agency on your payroll, and it has some
perspective on supernatural affairs as well.
••••• •• Beyond the hundreds of contacts you have in the mortal world, you’ve got plenty of
“friends” scattered throughout the supernatural realm.
••••• ••• You’ve got an entire intelligence agency fielding and processing information for you.
••••• •••• Big Brother.
••••• ••••• Big Brother on a global scale.

Spirit Heritage​ [Garou/Fera; Not Mockery Breeds]

The Garou are creatures of duality — torn between man and wolf, and between flesh and spirit.
The Garou share a kinship with inhabitants of the spirit world, but some have a stronger
connection than others. For some reason, perhaps an ancestral tie to a household of spirits,
certain types of spirits react more positively to you than others. This doesn’t need to be a
friendly relationship — spirits may be fearful and respectful of you, in awe of you, or feel a sense
of duty to you. No matter what the relationship, one group of spirits is more likely to cooperate
with you.
When you select this background, choose one type of spirits. Examples of possible groups are
animal spirits, plant spirits, elementals, urban spirits, and even Banes.
When dealing with spirits of this type, the player may add his Spirit Heritage rating to any Social
rolls, or rolls involved in challenges. Spirits whom you are attuned to view you, to some degree,
as one of their own — a daunting prospect for those attuned to Banes, when other Garou
discover their heritage. If you act against such spirits or ignore their plights, you may be seen as
betraying them.
• Spirits can smell their scent on you, though no one else can
•• The spirits note your arrival. You bring your chosen spirits to mind in others when they look at
you, though few understand why.
••• In the Umbra, you emanate an intangible, though noticeable, sense of your aligned spirit
type.
•••• In the Umbra, you have visible hints of your aligned spirit type. Those attuned to nature
spirits may have tiny twigs emerge from their fur, for example.
••••• Some question if you really are only ​half​ spirit.

Stash​ ​[Any]
(Terrel & Squib 54)
Eidolon addiction is a powerful force, and some T&S agents don’t quite trust the company to
keep them supplied. With this Background, you’ve got a cache of Eidolon and/or street pigment
stored away for a rainy day. It might come from street vendors or simply be swiped from the
company lockers, but it’s enough to last you for a while.
You lose dots in this Background if you dip into your Stash frequently without replenishing it (be
careful; T&S keeps strict records of its Eidolon stores). If you’re in a financial bind, you can
always sell you Stash on the street (the Storyteller determines the exact amount gained.)
X You might have a slap-patch hiding in your coat pocket.
• You can last a week without T&S giving you your fix.
•• You have enough pigment and Eidolon stored to last a month.
••• You can meet your own needs for six months, or multiple users for less.
•••• You can last a year without T&S, and have the stash of a minor drug dealer.
••••• Street dealers envy your stash, which could supply your entire team for a year
Stash [Non Terrel And Squib]
Items you have squirreled away in dead drops
•A hidden backpack containing some essentials, space enough for a laptop
••A buried safe, with some souvenirs from old days, nothing larger than a rifle
•••You buried a large combination safe to hold a person in it
••••A panic room, or small vault space for two large people and a sofa
•••••Only you could hope to access the room where you keep your treasures, it can fit a Minivan

Status​ [Any]
(M20 Core 326; Every 20th anniversary edition has some version of this)
Choose a Sub-Faction (Camarilla, Technocracy, Silver Fangs, etc). Your Status applies to this
group. Add (Background rating) to Social Dice pools when dealing with this group or those who
respect or recognize this group.
• Acknowledged; your peers recognize your name if it comes up.
•• Credible; you’re considered noteworthy.
••• Respected; your word carries weight.
•••• Admired; most people in your group look up to you.
••••• Revered; you’re considered a paragon of your group’s principles.
Sept Standing​ [Those who belong to a Garou/Fera Sept]
Specific titles confer specific benefits and are paid for specifically. Generalized Sept Standing
acts as additional dots of Status.
Generalized Sept Standing
• Known: You have established yourself as capable of pulling your own weight.
•• Respected: You are viewed as more then competent. Your septmates ask for your advice and
the elders invite you to take on responsibilities.
••• Valued: You are a resource to your sept. The sept does its best to make sure you are
comfortable and appreciated so you don’t seek a place elsewhere.
•••• Honored: Formally or informally, you are one of the sept’s leaders, with much of the sept’s
resources at your disposal.
•••••Lauded: You are one of your sept’s greatest heroes
Sept Ranks
Caller of the Wyld (Sept Standing •)
Responsibilities: It is the Caller of the Wyld’s responsibility to summon the sept’s totem spirits —
including the spirit of the caern itself — to most moots. This requires knowledge of Garou rites,
to perform that actual summoning, and Umbral politics, to ensure that a spirit is not summoned
out of turn or accidentally snubbed. The Caller of the Wyld is only needed during moots, so this
is a good position for a young Garou whose quest for glory and honor could take her far from
the sept. Young werewolves, especially ambitious Theurges, also enjoy this position because it
helps them build a relationship with the sept’s local spirits.
Most Kinfolk cannot interact with the spirit world, which makes it impossible for them to serve as
Caller of the Wyld, even in the most embattled sept. However, the rare Kin who have developed
the skill to summon spirits occasionally fill this position.
Benefits: The Caller of the Wyld gains a +3 to Social dice pools involving interaction with the
sept’s totem spirits, and a +1 to Social dice pools involving other Gaian spirits in the region.
Keeper (Sept Standing •)
Responsibility: The Keepers do the maintenance work and heavy lifting around the sept. Most
Keepers are young Garou trying on serious responsibility, or those convicted of minor crimes
trying to avoid a worse punishment. Keepers must spend some part of each day in the sept,
looking for ways to contribute, but they have plenty of time to pursue their own business.
Keepers work under the Keeper of the Land and assist her with her duties.
Kinfolk frequently become Keepers. Even the most conservative Garou agree that Kin can
perform petty, but necessary, work for the sept. In conservative septs, Kin gain much more
respect for taking on this job than they do for ambitiously claiming a responsibility that some
Garou believe should be for werewolves alone.
Benefits: The spirits of the sept understand that the Keepers are the minions of the Keeper of
the Land, and grant them some respect. Keepers enjoy a +2 bonus to Social dice pools
involving spirits that live in the sept’s Umbral reflection
Master of the Howl ​(Sept Standing •)
Responsibilities: The Master of the Howl is a largely ceremonial position, often given to a young
Garou as a gateway to greater responsibilities. The Master of the Howl is responsible for
leading the sept in howls and songs, including the howl that formally begins and ends every
meeting. Young Garou also covet this position because its public nature gives them an
opportunity to showcase their skills and earn the respect of the community, but it is still a
position that leaves them plenty of free time to pursue their own agendas.
Only Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus forms have the anatomy to make the sounds necessary to fulfill
the Master of the Howl’s responsibilities. Human kin have the wrong bodies, and wolf kin lack
the intellectual complexity. As a result, the Caller of the Wyld is always Garou.
Benefit: A character fulfilling this role reduces all difficulties to express himself through howls by
2, thanks to the constant practice. He also gains +1 die to Social rolls with anyone who attended
a moot for three days afterwards, provided his performance was adequate, thanks to feelings of
fellowship towards the Garou who led the community in howl and song.
Because the Master of the Howl has procedural duties, he also wields great power over the way
the sept meets. A Master of the Howl can, in theory, convene a meeting at any time — or refuse
to convene a meeting when called upon by the leaders. Abusing this power or using it politically
will probably result in the Master of the Howl being replaced, but sometimes the sacrifice is
worth it.
Gatekeeper (Sept Standing •)
Responsibilities:The Gatekeeper maintains the caern’s moon bridges, opening and closing them
for certain rituals or at the request of Garou who wish to travel through the Umbra to another
sept. The Gatekeeper also keeps and defends the caern’s Pathstone. Not all Gatekeepers are
Theurges, but all must know the Rite of the Opened Bridge and the Rite of the Opened Caern,
at least. The Gatekeeper is usually tied to the caern, especially when the moon bridge is in
demand, making this an unattractive position for most young and ambitious Garou. Like the
Caller of the Wyld, the Gatekeeper’s responsibilities are primarily spiritual. As a result,
Gatekeepers are rarely Kin.
Benefit:The position of Gatekeeper conveys three bonus dice to Social dice pools when dealing
with the sept’s totem spirit. Although the Gatekeeper doesn’t enjoy a bonus when dealing with
the Garou of his sept, many Garou seek his favor, since he can either expedite or delay their
requests to use the moon bridges.
Guardian (Sept Standing •)
Responsibilities: All of a sept’s Garou are ready to lay down their lives to defend it on a
moment’s notice, but the sept’s Guardians have made it their personal responsibility.
Guardians act as a sept’s sentries, patrolling its borders and responding to threats. They do not
take the offensive or investigate potential danger, at least not in their capacity as
Guardians. Most septs have between five and ten Guardians — the equivalent of one or two
packs — and it isn’t at all unheard of for an entire pack to collectively take on this duty. In times
of war, the Guardians are on duty at all times and cannot leave the sept. In times of relative
peace, a Guardian might be able to work out an arrangement that lets her leave the sept to
pursue her own agenda. Most septs view it as an unforgiveable shame for their Kinfolk to take
up arms. Even though almost every sept has armed its Kinfolk at one point or another, only a
sept on the edge of extinction would actually name its Kinfolk as Guardians. Some progressive
septs dodge this issue by giving their Kinfolk warriors some other title, like “commandos” or
“support squads.”
Benefit: A Guardian’s constant training and familiarity with the terrain allow her to reduce all
difficulties by 1 when fighting within the sept grounds.
Keeper of the Land (Sept Standing ••)
Responsibilities: The Keeper of the Land maintains the sept’s physical appearance. However,
she is more than just a glorified janitor — not only do the Garou deeply respect someone who
takes responsibility for protecting and beautifying the natural environment, Gaian spirits find a
well-kept sept more attractive. Thus, the Keeper of the Land is a combination gardener, park
ranger, and shaman. In an urban caern, the Keeper of the Land makes sure that the caern
reflects the wishes of the local spirits. She spends a lot of her time rearranging piles of trash,
moving dumpsters, and planting small gardens. Instead of shrines in secluded caves and hollow
tree trunks, urban spirits prefer things that resemble community memorials to the victims of car
accidents and gang violence, except with strange sigils replacing photographs and the addition
of an offering bowl.
The result looks like a strange combination of urban renewal and modernist feng shui. The
Keepers, described above, assist the Keeper of the Land in her duties, giving her plenty of free
time to leave the sept and pursue her own goals with her pack.
The Keeper of the Land has limited interaction with spirits. It’s possible, though difficult, for a
Kinfolk to fulfill the Keeper of the Land’s responsibilities, though she might have to rely on Garou
to let her know if the spirits needs are neglected.
Benefit: The Keeper of the Land is beloved by all the sept’s spirits and can count on their advice
and help. A Garou who fulfills this position well enjoys a +4 bonus to all social dice pools when
dealing with spirits associated with the sept, including the sept’s totem.
Talesinger (Sept Standing ••)
Responsibilities: Technically a minor position, the Talesinger is honored far above her station.
The Talesinger takes the stage during moots and tells stories that serve a variety of purposes,
from entertaining and educating with stories of the past, conferring news of the wider Garou
nation, and keeping the wider sept aware of the great deeds — and embarrassing failures — of
its packs. Like the other positions related to the moot, the Talesinger is a good position for a
young Garou who wants the freedom to come and go from the sept as she pleases. Because
the Talesinger’s responsibilities are mostly social, Kinfolk can theoretically fill this position.
However, most septs have found that this usually ends badly. One of the Talesinger’s jobs is to
mock Garou who make mistakes. That’s hard enough for some prideful Garou to bear, and
almost impossible if the Talesinger were Kin. Worse, a Kin Talesinger would have a hard time
defending himself if a Garou flies into a frenzy at his words. As a result, most Talesingers are
Garou, even in septs with low Garou populations.
Benefit:The greatest benefit of this position is its political capital. Many Garou want to court the
Talesinger’s favor, since the Talesinger decides how to interpret their packs achievements and
relate them to the rest of the sept. The Talesinger gains a +3 bonus to Social dice pools when
dealing with all Garou of her Rank and lower.
Master of Challenges (Sept Standing •••)
Responsibilities: Given how prone the Garou are to internal fighting and disputes of honor, the
Master of Challenges is possibly most important member of the sept. Her responsibility is to
oversee challenges of all kinds. She protects the elders against distraction by meaningless
challenges, and is the first line of defense for young Garou against being humiliated by their
betters. The Master of Challenges must be a powerful and respected Garou, with the strength of
arm and personality to enforce order on impassioned werewolves.
Unlike other members of a sept’s judiciary, like the Truthseeker or the Council of Elders, the
Master of Challenges must remain at or near the sept at any time. When passions run hot,
sometimes only the rituals of Garou society stand between a relatively normal conflict and a
sudden frenzy that ends in tragedy.
Benefits: The Master of Challenges is widely respected and gains a three extra dice to all Social
dice pools when dealing with septmates. In fact, the position of Master of Challenges is
regarded so highly that even outsiders will bow to her will, granting her a +2 bonus to Social
dice pools when dealing with outsiders in sept territory.
Finally, long practice dealing with the dangerous passions of the Garou grants the Master of the
Challenge a special benefit. As long as she is acting in her capacity as Master of the Challenge,
she does not need to make Rage rolls due to frustrating or infuriating trigger situations.
Master of the Rite (Sept Standing •••)
Responsibilities: The Master of the Rite is the sept’s chief shaman. Almost always a Theurge,
the Master of the Rite is responsible for overseeing all the rites and rituals performed in the
sept. The Caller of the Wyld, the Gatekeeper, and to a lesser extent, the Talesinger and the
Keeper of the Land are subordinate to the Master of the Rite. In addition to performing many
important rites himself, the Master of the Rite must act as the sept’s repository of spirit lore,
whether this means memorizing extensive lists of local spirits and their preferences or
maintaining a written library. When other Theurges and Umbral questers need advice, they
come to the Master of the Rite. Although he needs to be available to the sept’s members and
leadership and must attend all moots, the Master of the Rite does not need to stay at the sept at
all times. However, his knowledge and expertise is an important resource. The rest of the sept
would see it as a sin against the principles of Wisdom for the Master of the Rite to risk himself
unnecessarily.
Benefits: The aid and advice of the sept’s various spirits counts as three dots of the Allies and
Mentor backgrounds, which the Master of the Rite can call on at will. These Background dots
are only available from the sept itself, and the spirits aren’t as willing to aid a Ritemaster who
spends too much time away from the sept. The Master of the Rite is known and greatly
respected by the spirits of the sept, which grants him three extra dice to Social dice pools when
dealing with the sept’s totems and local spirits.
Wyrm Foe (Sept Standing •••)
Responsibilities: The Wyrm Foe’s responsibilities are partly practical, partly ritual. At the end of
each moot, the Wyrm Foe leads the sept in declaring its solidarity with the Garou Nation and
readiness to do battle with the Wyrm. More practically, the Wyrm Foe is the offensive
counterpart of the Warder, in charge of coordinating the sept’s packs in their assaults against
the Wyrm. When the sept needs to defend itself, the Wyrm Foe works under the Warder to
make sure that the sept’s packs are armed and positioned for defense, instead of offense.
Because he must submit to the authority of the Warder, the Wyrm Foe is seen as a position of
lesser status, and many Wyrm Foes aspire to replace the Warder, either by serving honorably
and receiving a promotion when the Warder steps down, or through scheming and challenges.
Benefits:The Wyrm Foe is the focus of the sept’s martial fury and discipline. He urges the Garou
to make use of their inner beasts, but to do so constructively. All Garou who hear the Wyrm Foe
speak before a battle require an extra success on Rage rolls to give in to frenzy for the duration
of the fight.
Truthcatcher (Sept Standing ••••)
Responsibilities: The Truthcatcher is a combination judge and jury, charged with settling
disputes between members. In some septs, the Truthcatcher may also serve as a lawyer,
advising and representing Garou when they stand before the sept’s elders. The Truthcatcher
needs to be intelligent, persuasive, and possess an exhaustive knowledge of the Litany. The
Truthcatcher needs to hold court at every moot, and should make herself available at regular
intervals between moots, but need not be available at all times. Any dispute that can’t wait a day
or two is probably the domain of the Master of Challenges, rather than the Truthcatcher.
Benefits: Everyone wants to court the Truthcatcher’s favor, because no one knows when they
might be called upon to defend themselves or stand in accusation of a Garou who has wronged
them. The Truthcatcher has a three-die bonus to Social dice pools when dealing with the Garou
of his sept. He also gains three extra dice to all Enigmas and Law dice pools when investigating
a crime.
Warder (Sept Standing ••••)
Responsibilities: The Warder is the highest military position in the Sept. The Wyrm Foe,
martially inclined packs who follow her authority, and the Guardians all bow to his authority.
When the sept is under attack, the entire community defers to the Warder to defend the safety
of the sept’s resources, including Kinfolk and other non-combatants. The Elders have final say,
but the Warder is usually the first to declare martial law, suspending the laws of challenge in
favor of uniting against a common foe. When the sept is not under immediate attack, the Warder
coordinates the efforts of the Guardians and makes final decisions about how much of the
sept’s military resources can be put at the Wyrm Foe’s disposal.
The Warder can only rarely afford to leave the sept — no Garou community can ever be
completely sure that they are not about to be attacked — and when he does he usually
deputizes his responsibilities to either the Wyrm Foe or his most veteran Guardian.
Benefits: The Warder can bring a great deal of social might to bear. In times of relative peace,
the Warder is still a highly respected member of the community and enjoys a three-die bonus to
all Social dice pools when dealing with members of the sept. The Warder has nearly unlimited
discretion to draw resources from the sept when need be. This translates to a pool of three dots
of the Fetish or Resources backgrounds for personal use, provided he spends most of his time
in the sept. He can also draw on an additional three dots to equip his Guardians or other packs
under his command. The Storyteller should keep an eye on the resources the sept has on hand
— no amount of authority can cause a klaive or a cache of landmines to materialize where none
existed before.
Elder (Sept Standing •••••)
Responsibilities: The Elders are the leaders of the sept, though what that means varies from
one sept to another. In some septs there is an alpha and his second, in some just an alpha, and
in some large septs a council of seven, nine, or even thirteen Elders makes decisions. In some
septs, the Elders are representatives of tribes or major political factions. In some septs, the
Elders must be respected as warriors and are mostly Ahroun, in others they must be mediators
and are overwhelmingly Philodox, and in others they are the sept’s boldest and wisest shamans
and magicians.
Benefits: The Elder is the leader of the sept. Her power is only limited by the Litany itself and the
power of the sept to unseat her if she proves herself corrupt or incompetent. This translates as a
+5 bonus to all Social dice pools when dealing with the Garou, Kinfolk, and spirits of her sept.
Even outsiders will accord an Elder great respect, granting a smaller (+3 dice) bonus to social
dice pools. The Elder also has the ability to marshal every resource the sept has at its disposal.
The Elders can theoretically call upon every spirit ally, financial resource, and fetish the sept has
to offer. The Storyteller should judge what is appropriate, since different sized septs have such
radically different resources to offer
Pack Status​ [Garou/Fera Packs]
Less permanent and more fluid like a social currency. It is used like the “Resources”
background when dealing with others who recognize this Pack. These can be rewards anytime
Renown could be awarded instead (1 Pack status per 2 renown) unless they are Sept Duties.
Note these costs should not be charged if done for in duties to the Sept. If you have insufficient
pack status you will be asked to do favors for the Sept to achieve the requisite amount. Garou
respect packs who give to the Sept without asking for in return.
Costs
•Crash for a night in a tent on sept grounds
•Borrow a sept’s vehicles
•Gain a Talen from Sept stores
••Spend a night in a cabin at the Sept
••Take up permanent or semi-permanent residence in a tent on sept grounds
••Borrow common tools and supplies from the sept stores
••Borrow a minor (1-2 dot) fetish for a week or two
•••Borrow rare or specialized tools from sept’s stores
•••Take up permanent or semi-permanent residence in one of the sept’s cabins
•••Borrow a large quantity of cash (enough for a single Resources Resources 4 purchase) from
the sept
•••Borrow a significant (2 to 3 dot) fetish for a week or two
•••Become the owner of a minor (1-2 dot) fetish
•••Permission to open the Caern and benefit from it’s blessings
••••Live comfortably as guests of the sept for several months
••••Borrow magical tools and supplies from the sept’s stores, of the sort needed to craft klaives
and other major fetishes
••••Borrow a major (4-5 dot) fetish for a week or two
••• to ••••• Benefit from the expertise of one of the sept’s high ranking experts (custom fetish by a
shaman; combat training from the Master of Challenges, etc)
•••••Live comfortably as guests of the Sept indefinitely
•••••Become the permanent owner of a significant or major fetish (3 to 4 dots) of the Sept.

Steel Nerves​ [Any]

(Hunter Book Judge 73)
Any time you would be sent into shock from stress, anger ,fear, from mundane or supernatural
sources or anytime you would suffer a derangement roll this background at Difficulty 8, if you do
you may instead ignore the trigger/effect
•Gruesome Horror movies don’t even make you blanch.
••You could watch autopsy films unfazed.
•••You could eat a chilidog at a murder scene.
••••You could endure torture without losing your wits.
•••••You could cope with the death of a family member at monstrous hands, at least for the short
term.

Stronghold​ [Any]
You have invested time and resources into the ultimate workroom for plans and protection.
Filled with maps, tools, books, computers, etc. Serves a supernatural bomb-shelter, rigged with
traps and food/supplies/etc to outfit the Hunter and other people.
Design one Trap per dot in this background.
You also has a dice pool to draw upon should this place be attacked to harm/repel any intruders
in the scene (Dice pool that makes sense) that can be used once for scene (Perhaps you have
early warning security systems so Stronghold adds to your Initiative as you respond quickly?).
You must assign all dice at the same time but can be divided up as you see fit.
•You work room is located in your house, it might have fiber internet connection with sufficient
protection to keep out mid-level hackers. You have supplies to last one or two people a few
days
••Your citadel can feed and supply two to five people for a week
•••You have a state-of-the-art security equipment and enough supplies to last six to eight people
for two weeks
••••Your hideout has a sealed environment and is the size of a large house. It can withstand
assault for a few months, if it’s you alone under siege. A dozen people can be protected for a
month but times are lean and cramped.
•••••Your fortress is a bunker. It has multiple rooms, secret entrances. You and a handful of
others could live there for months.

Supernatural​ [Any?]
(Mummy 1e 21)
Assigning Points to the Supernatural Background dictates the strength or age bracket of the
supernatural in question. These could be Vampires/Kuei-Jin, Mummies, Garou/Fera,
Mages/Sorcerers, Changelings, Wraiths.

Tainted​ [Orpheus]
(Terrel & Squib 54)
The line between light and darkness is filled with shadows, and spooks with this Background
can get a bit too close to the darkness. For each dot, you can spend 15 experience points (or 10
freebie points) to learn a Spectral Horror. Most hues can get two dots easily, while Bright Hues
(page 85 of Crusade of Ashes) and normal people can only take one. Each Spite rating above a
spook’s starting Vitality allows you to take an additional dot. Even though few people can ever
naturally learn more than one or two spectral Horrors, an infusion of distilled Eidolon (not
pigment) almost always taints the soul enough to learn more. Company scuttlebutt holds that
projectors who learn to use Spectral Horrors get surreptitious salary raises.
You should be careful which Horrors you choose. Hive-Mind is arguably the most useful — and
most dangerous — choice (page 268 of the Orpheus™ corebook). Virus has the potential for
incredible Spite buildup if the character uses it to overwrite innocent blips, while any character
who tries to use Rend to step through the Stormwall will likely be shredded in the process.
X You may not be a saint, but you’re not going to the dark side anytime soon, either.
• Yeah, you’re a little evil. But who isn’t?
•• You’ve dabbled with the dark side, and you like it.
••• Spectres have trouble deciding whose side you’re on.
•••• Your fellow investigators are afraid to turn their backs on you.
••••• Friends? What friends?

Talisman​ ​[Anyone]
(M20 Core 328; Called Talisman, Fetish, Device, Wonder)
(Kindred of the East 87; Called Magic Artifact)
(Werewolf the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition; Called Fetish)
(Changeling the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition; Called Fetish)
Magical Items. Dots in the Talisman Background indicates having, owning, and knowing how to
use the item.
For Making Talismans, the strength of the power used to make it should dictate the cost of it as
a background (A level 3 Pillar mage made item is a level 3 talisman for example).
Always check the corebook of your specific game for specifics on your Talisman type.
• A minor Talisman; an attuned focus or a one-use only item (such as a potion).; A Wonder with
one small power – that is, a Wonder worth 1-3 points
•• An impressive Talisman; a Hermetic Tome with the secrets of Corona Forma ••; A Wonder
with one or two powers, probably with some Quintessence and an Arete of its own. (4-6 points.)
.••• A true wonder; enchanted armor (+3B/+3L); A Wonder with a few notable powers or one
respectable one. (7-9 points.)
•••• An awe-inspiring Talisman; a flying carpet.; AWonder with impressive powers or a powerful
Effect. (10-12 points.)
••••• The stuff of legends; Excalibur.; A Wonder with mighty powers or a single devastating
Effect. (13-15 points.)

Throwback​ [Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

(Guide to Traditions 226)
The Avatar keeps memories of former incarnations, but it doesn’t necessarily discriminate in
favor of useful or pleasant memories. The Throwback Background illustrates insane, unpleasant
or just plain nasty people your mage used to be, whose traumatic deaths, nefarious deeds,
and/or outdated worldviews (“Adulteress! Stone her!”) come back to haunt him and make his
current life a living hell. This Background may also be used to simulate the misspent centuries
of incredibly old mages. (Rape and pillaging were de riguer back in the days you went a-Viking.)
If your character has a problem with old memories, then once per game your Storyteller may roll
your character’s Throwback rating, difficulty 8. Your Storyteller will give you bad advice or
unpleasant memories from a past life of your character. (You love Evelyne, even though
she killed you, and you’d do it all over again!) The more successes the Storyteller scores on the
roll, the more he skews your character’s current perception of what’s going on — and with a
particularly nasty flashback, you might have to use Willpower to suppress a reaction.
• An occasional disturbing flashback to a single event
•• Occasional flashbacks to several troubles
••• Regular memories of misery
•••• Entire lives of brutality and horror
••••• Hundreds of years of utter damnation

Title​ [Changeling/Inanimae Specific]

(Inanimae The Secret Way 67; Inanimae call it ‘Regard’ and it’s a broader viewpoint than rank)
For Changelings: The exact names of each title rank varies on region and group (Kithain,
Gallain, Thallain, etc)
(Kithbook Eshu Page 84: They call it Royal Lineage)
(C20 Core 170; Hsien on Page 425 call it ‘Influence’, not to be confused with the OTHER
Influence background)
• Squire / Esquire
••Knight / Lady
••• Baron / Baroness
••••Count /Countess
•••••Duke / Duchess

Totem​ ​[Changeling/Werewolf/Fera/Kuei-Jin Specific]

(Kithbook Eshu Page 84: called Orisha Bond for certain Changelings)
(C20 Core Page 485)
(M20 Core Page 327)
(Kindred of the East 87; Called Nushi)
A Totem bound to yourself and companions if you pool this background.
•One Totem Point
••Two Totem Points
•••Three Totem Points
•••• Four Totem Points
••••• Five Totem Points

Tomb​ ​[Mummy]
(Mummy the Resurrection 66)
Your khat resides in a safe resting-place between lives while your spirit recovers in the
underworld. It might be a hidden sub-basement, an isolated cave in the mountains, a secure
storage area of a museum or even an undiscovered tomb in the Valley of Kings. Anywhere that
your khat can rest without being disturbed for months or even years at a time qualifies under
this Background. The number of dots your character has in this Background represents the
luxury and relative security of the tomb.
If you choose, you can divide your character’s dots in this Background to represent multiple
tombs of lesser value. Four dots can provide a single well-protected tomb within the Web of
Faith, two Spartan yet secure tombs, four simple tombs or any other combination adding up to
four dots. The Egyptian tomb was intended to do more than protect the earthly body, however.
Various tools, provisions and even representations of helpers, pets and assistants were
included to help the deceased during his sojourn through the Fields of A’aru. The spiritual
mirrors of these treasures can aid the mummy.
Once per game session, your character can apply a dice pool equal to his Tomb Background
rating toward certain tasks in the underworld. The type of roll to which you can apply these dice
depends on the contents of the tomb. A tomb that contains great wealth may grant extra dice on
Social rolls as the mummy bribes inhabitants of the underworld. A tomb that contains a
mummified crocodile may grant extra dice on Stamina rolls. You must provide the Storyteller
with a description of the tomb and its contents, along with an explanation of which dice pools
you expect the items to enhance and why.
x You must secure a new place of rest or rely on your allies each time death takes you.
• A simple tomb: a sarcophagus in a secret basement or warehouse.
•• A simple tomb with a modest degree of security (locks, basic alarm system).
••• An isolated, out-of-the-way tomb with decent security measures, possibly including living
guards.
•••• A luxurious, well-protected tomb with strong security measures.
••••• A tomb in an auspicious place like the Valley of Kings, which is hidden from living memory
and protected by the best security available.

Treasures
(Land of Eight Million Dreams Page 90, it’s called Auspicious Treasure, acts like Changeling
Treasure but must be built out of Jade)
(Kithbook Eshu Page 83; They are called Ceremonial Tattoos and are tattooed versions and
you may only have Permanent Glamour rating unique tattoos. Tattoos do count against
maximum amount of Treasures you can maintain)
(C20 Core Page 171)
•-•••••Changeling Versions of Treasures hold their Rating in usable Art.

Trod​ ​[Restricted to people who have regular access to The Dreaming]

(Book of Lost Dreams 45)
Trods are access points that lead from one point to another through the dreaming (either end of
the trod can be in the real world or the dreaming). It can be within a Freehold or exist on it’s
own. Trods being tied to cycles are only open at certain times
•1 Local destination: Accessible ¼ the time
••1 local destination and 1 regional destination ½ the time; or 2-3 local destinations ¼ the time;
or 1 local destination all the time
•••2-3 local destination and 1 regional destination ½ the time; or 2-3 local destinations, one
regional destination and one Near Dreaming destination ¼ the time; or 2-3 local destinations all
the time
••••4-5 local destinations, two regional, one national, and two Near Dreaming ½ the time; or 4-5
local, two regional, one national, one Near Dreaming, One Far Dreaming all ¼ the time; or 2-3
local and 1 regional all the time; or 2-3 local, one regional, one Near Dreaming ½ the time.
•••••4-5 Local, 3-4 regional, 2 National, 2 Near Dreaming, 1 Deep Dreaming ½ the time; or 4-5
Local, 4-5 Regional, 4 National ,2 Near Dreaming, 2 Far Dreaming, 1 Deep Dreaming (maybe
as far as Arcadia Gate) ¼ the time; or 2-3 local, 1 regional, 1 Near Dreaming all the time.

Umbral Glade​ [Guhral Only]

Acts as a Mini-Caern for Guhral. It is a natural upcropping of Gnosis just like a Caern. If more
than Guhral occupies the same Glade they must share the daily Gnosis provided (divided in
whatever portions). The Guhral can always instantaneously provide a doorway into or out of
their Glade from anywhere without the need of a rite
• 20 by 20 ft area; 1 gnosis/day
••50 by 50 ft area; 2 gnosis/day
•••100 by 100ft area; 3 gnosis/day
••••500 by 500 ft area; 4 gnosis/day
•••••1,000 by 1,000 ft area; 5 gnosis/day

Umbral Maps​ [Anybody; Useful to those with Access to The Umbra]

The character possesses a wealth of experience and received information about Umbral
navigation. These “Umbral maps” are not physical objects, but rather the collected lore of
symbolic navigation among spirit paths, the entry methods for safe havens and refuges, the
cycles of natural spirit paths, and reliable methods to bypass various obstacles along the way.
This Background is normally the province of Corax and Nuwisha, though other Changing
Breeds occasionally pick it up as well.
•A few safe paths and refuges. The character enjoys –1 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra.
•• Several routes to common destinations. As Level One, plus once per story the character can
re-roll a failed attempt to navigate through the Umbra.
••• Safe zones, routes to virtually any place, and knowledge of where not to go. –2 difficulty to
rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus one re-roll per story.
•••• Several safe places and refuges, extensive knowledge of Umbral paths and dwellers in
those areas. –2 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus two re-rolls per story.
••••• No one knows the Near Umbra like the character. –3 difficulty to rolls to navigate the
Umbra, plus three re-rolls per story.

Uncanny​ [Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

(Guide to Traditions 227)
For every mysterious mage, there is another one who is strange or spooky or surrounded by
weird occurrences, whose mere presence causes talk and whispers long after he’s left the
room. Your character might be Uncanny because of your appearance — being unusually tall or
having startling witch green eyes or a hunchback. It could be something about his aura that
gives people the creeps or makes them take notice, the eerie presence of a vampire or the
surreal quality of the fae, or perhaps just some strange otherworldly taint of sorcery, marking
him as other from the rest of humanity no matter how normal he looks. Or the mage may be
perfectly ordinary and unremarkable, but whenever he comes around, strange, uncanny and
(worst of all) memorable things occur — often echoes of his spells or experiments — and
everyone talks about the day the magic man walked into their lives and made it so much more
interesting.
Uncanny people will always be remembered and remarked upon, and not necessarily in a good
way. This won’t make a sorcerer any more noticeable in combat, but it will make him the one
that witnesses remember and describe first and that strangers go out of their way to talk to.
Those who look for the mage will have an easy time tracking him down, and he may have to
become a recluse to avoid this, though everyone will know where he lives. Stories get traded,
children sing songs, and tabloid reporters have leads just dropped in their laps. These effects
just occur as well.
Whatever effect the Uncanny curse takes — outlandish appearance, otherworldly aura or
supernatural manifestations — it adds its dot rating to any Perception or Investigation Dice Pool
used to find the mage.
It also subtracts its rating from the character’s Stealth attempts — the purple-haired giant with
the peg-leg is not going to be as unnoticeable as the average Joe and neither is the ordinary girl
being followed by the pink, winged kittens. However, Uncanny characters may roll Intelligence +
Subterfuge to disguise their uncanniness for one scene, difficulty 5 + their rating in Uncanny —
witch green eyes are easily covered up with sunglasses, but it’s hard to keep people from
noticing a ten-foot-tall cyborg. However, Uncanny does not detract from die rolls in Social
interactions; after all, the purple-haired peg-legged giant may be quite handsome and
personable or even have strong animal magnetism. Uncanny by itself merely implies weird,
freaky and memorable. If you want your Uncanny aspect to also be hideous and/ or disturbing,
take the Disfigured, Deformity, Monstrous or Horrifying Flaws. If you want it to be beautiful
and/or striking, take some degree of enhanced Appearance.
This Background is often used for Familiars as well.
A black cat is typically Arcane but a pet dragon is notably Uncanny.
• Hard to miss
•• Whoa! Check him out!
••• Damn! Is the circus in town or what?
•••• Quick — someone call the Guinness Book of Records!
••••• Shit! I thought the Weekly World News made this stuff up!

Unseen Masters​ [Shadow Court Only]

(C20 Player’s Guide 55)
Congrats! You’re a part of the Black Court in some way.
• Someone on the inside is looking out for you. You receive advice and the occasional minor
favor.
•• Someone has declared himself your mentor. You reliably receive minor aid and equipment.
••• The head of a large network has taken you under their wing, and shares her knowledge with
you.
•••• A spy installed as the leader of a court favors you, and offers the resources of their kingdom.
••••• The Black Court are your peers; anything you wish to know is yours … if you stay loyal.

Vassalage​ [Any]
You serve a lord of more than usual importance and get more opportunities to mingle with the
high and mighty than most knights. You also get more scrutiny from troubadours looking for
targets of satire, priests seeking evidence of sin in chivalry and ambitious commoners
who’d like to take your prerogatives for themselves. You can substitute Vassalage for
Intimidation or Leadership when acting on behalf of your lord or in an assigned official capacity.
• You serve a lord with notable power in your area. He may occupy a castle in a contested
border zone or, as bishop, organize campaigns against heretic enclaves. As his regular
companion, you share in some of whatever glory or blame comes his way. When introduced to
gatherings within a few days’ travel, you can expect others to know who you are and what
you’ve been doing lately.
•• You serve a lord who holds substantial power through out your region, one of the principal
players in several counties or active in directing several diocese. You feature in local homilies
as an example of virtue or vice; if you’re particularly good or bad at chivalric activities, your
deeds attract local comment.
••• You serve a lord who plays a role in the affairs of your kingdom or the Church: a well-known
count or bishop, most likely. You join your lord at important gatherings several times a year, and
special assignments may take you far and wide.
•••• You serve one of the most significant lords in your kingdom, a prominent duke or perhaps
one of the cardinals with extensive holdings. Anyone who deals regularly with your lord knows
who you are, as do many of those who serve your lord’s other vassals.
••••• You serve one of the great lords of the Dark Medieval world, a king or one of the most
powerful dukes or warlords. Your name appears in poems and tales about the exploits of your
lord and his court.

Vehicles​ [Any]
Rating indicates the Fastest / Largest you can achieve. You get one of each level
•Medium Motor Bike/ Micro Car
••Fast Motorbike / Regular Sized Car
•••Sporty 2-seater / Station Wagon
••••Fast Sports Car / Minivan
•••••Supercar / Stretch Limousine.

Veil​ [Orpheus]
(SHades of Gray)
A spook’s Vitality plays a significant role in her visibility to other ghosts. Too high and drones
see them but Spectres don’t, too low and the opposite is true (see p. 190 ofOrpheus). A
character cannot easily alter her Vitality to suit her circumstances, but she can learn to control
the perceived brilliance of her aura and, thus, the reaction of other spooks. A character with Veil
may add or subtract a value up to her Veil rating from her current Vitality to determine her
effective Vitality and, thus, her visibility. Her underlying Vitality does not change with the use of
Veil, but if her Vitality changes while Veil is in effect, her effective Vitality likewise changes.
Example: A character with Veil 2 and Vitality 5 can choose to appear as a spook with Vitality 7.
If that character loses two points of Vitality, she can only appear as though she had Vitality 5
(even though her actual Vitality score is 3).
X You have no control over your Vitality aura.
• You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by one point.
•• You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by up to two points.
••• You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by up to three points.
•••• You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by up to four points.
••••• You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by up to five points.

Vessel​ [Mummy; Maybe Others?]

(Mummy the Resurrection 67)
You have an item that is capable of storing Sekhem that you can draw upon at a later time. A
Vessel can be virtually anything, but most have been within the Web of Faith for a long period
— most likely dating back to ancient Egypt — attuning to the energies of Sekhem. It may be a
piece of jewelry, a stone from an ancient tomb or temple, a scarab amulet or a relic such as a
bone from an ancient corpse. The following list indicates the maximum amount of Sekhem that
a Vessel can hold depending on the Background level. The Vessel’s size has no bearing on the
amount of Sekhem it can hold. While within a Web of Faith node, your character can make a roll
for the Vessel, with a dice pool equal to the Background rating. The difficulty of this roll equals
the local Shroud rating + 3. For each success, the Vessel absorbs one point of Sekhem, up to
its maximum capacity.
By touching the Vessel and concentrating for one turn, your character can draw Sekhem from it.
The Sekhem works as if it were the mummy’s own. Udja-sen and characters with the Lifeblood
Flaw (p. 70) cannot take this Background or use another’s Vessel.
• 3 Sekhem point
•• 5 Sekhem points
••• 7 Sekhem points
•••• 9 Sekhem points
••••• 15 Sekhem points

Visage​ [Orpheus]
(Shades of Gray 116)
To some extent, a character’s conscious thoughts control his appearance as a spook. Spite can
modify this, leading to Stains twisting the character’s features and body, but a sufficiently aware
character can reshape his appearance and conceal his Stains. Doing so is a conscious act and
ends when the character no longer focuses on maintaining his modified appearance or
deliberately stops doing so. The Visage Background determines how great a modification the
character can make — making minor changes (e.g., altering hair or eye color) or concealing one
or two Stains pose few problems, but vast changes or hiding multiple Stains are more difficult.
Visage only modifies a character’s spook appearance or that of his manifested form. It does not
modify the character’s physical body (if he has one), nor does it change the number of dots in
Attributes or Vitality level (and, thus, “visibility” to Spectres).
X You cannot alter your appearance.
• You can change one physical feature or hide one Stain.
•• You can change two physical features or hide two Stains.
••• You can change three physical features or hide three Stains.
•••• You can change four physical features or hide four Stains.
••••• You can change five physical features or hide five Stains.

Visions​ [Nunnehi Only]

(CtD: Player’s Guide 145)
This used to be a background for Nunnehi to reflect the ability Greymare.
As Greymare is now an Ability for anybody who has a Glamour Pool, this background is defunct.

Wallow​ [Mokole Only]

Unique home for Mokole. Sufficient for all types/breeds of mokole and their kinfolk
•A poor wallow. One mokole lives there or perhaps only kin
••No palace. A few mokole and kin live there
•••The swallow has lots of land (possibly a national park) or places to live.
••••A nice place: A village, isolated creek, or lake
•••••:A Temple, alligator farm, or large village.

Wards​ [Any]​ ​[Adversary Background]

(Guide to Traditions 228)
Wards are people whose welfare is your character’s responsibility, whether they are her
children, her elderly parents, her clueless roommate or her brother — or even her employer if
she happen to be a chauffeur or bodyguard.
Wards make your mage’s life more complicated, expecting you to pick them up from soccer
practice and so on, and moreover are easy targets for your Enemies. A Ward has a tendency to
get underfoot and isn’t particularly competent or helpful (if the Ward were helpful, he wouldn’t be
a problem). Like Retainers, Wards can vary in competence; one Ward may be fairly
independent but also a troublemaker, while another may be quite sedate but also
totally helpless. You should come up with a story-related reason that your mage can’t simply
dump the Ward and be done with it — otherwise she’d have done so long ago. You take the
disadvantage, you get the points, but you have to stick with the responsibility.
• One Ward
•• Two Wards
••• Three Wards
•••• Four Wards
••••• Five Wards

Wardrobe​ [Any]
Spare clothing for any situation. If your background doesn’t explicitly cover by it’s rating
Perception + Etiquette (Diff 6) (or Style at Diff 5). The Difficulty is reduced by 1 per dot of
Wardrobe. If reduced to 2 or less, you succeed.
•Only one or two designer pieces, but enough to dress for most situations.
••A handful of high-end items. You can dress yourself for almost any event.
•••Whatever the occasion, you have something to wear for you and a similarly-sized friend.
••••Your vast collection includes dozens of designer garments, and some uniforms
•••••You have a costume, uniform, or outfit to suit any purpose, or person.

Worship​ [Earthbound Only]

(Earthbound Page 77)
How Earthbound gain faith is through the Worship of their Cult . Each time they complete a ritual
they gain 1 Faith per person in the ritual.
X Your followers have yet to create any worship or veneration rituals, and they cannot offer their
Faith to you or assist your evocations.
• Two followers at a time perform private, relatively short rituals. You gain two points of Faith
from each ritual. Veneration rituals can last up to two hours and provide up to two extra dice.
•• Four cultists perform a longer ritual that last several hours. You gain four points of Faith from
each ritual. Veneration rituals can last up to four hours and provide up to four extra dice.
••• Six cultists form the core of a ritual that lasts many hours. You gain six points of Faith from
each ritual. Veneration rituals can last up to six hours and provide up to six extra dice.
•••• Eight cultists take turns performing complex rites over the course of more than a day. You
gain eight points of Faith from each ritual. Veneration rituals can last up to eight hours and
provide up to eight extra dice.
••••• Ten supplicants engage in a long, incredibly complex ritual that goes on for many days.
You gain 10 points of Faith from each ritual. Veneration rituals can last up to 10 hours and
provide up to 10 extra dice.