Backgrounds – Towers of New Londinium

TowersMUX supports most (though not all!) of the World of Darkness Backgrounds; some of them, however, have significant differences from their book writeups.

General Backgrounds

General Backgrounds are Backgrounds that all characters generally have access to. Whether you’re a Garou, a Mage, a Vampire, or a normal human who happened to dip a toe into the supernatural, you are able to purchase these backgrounds without any penalty. However, there are some backgrounds that may be discouraged or restricted due to requirements or limitations due to tribe, sect, breed, kith, etc., that limit what can be taken at character creation, or if at all. Those will always apply.

Allies

Allies are people or organizations who will help you without an explicit quid pro quo. They’re willing to provide either active assistance or purely informational assistance, but the flip side is that they are usually less effective at both than Backgrounds focused on one or the other. Unlike Retainers, Allies will generally not fight or venture into dangerous situations on your behalf, even if they’re aware of — or part of — a supernatural sphere; if you want someone to help you out in a fight, consider Retainers instead.

Allies can be bought above 5 dots, to represent the ability to have a broad spectrum of friends and colleagues; no individual Ally can have more than 5 dots or fewer than one dot allocated to them, however. You can divide your dots in Allies up as many ways as you like within this restriction; in your explanatory +note for Allies, please specify a Realm of Influence and an Area of Influence for each.

Allies 0 – However many friends you have, the ones who are willing to stick their necks out for you aren’t particularly influential, and the ones who are influential aren’t willing to stick their necks out for you.
Allies 1 – You’ve got friends in low places — someone, or a small group of people, who have minor influence within their Realm and are willing to use it as long as it doesn’t inconvenience them much. They’re good friends to have when you need something they can help with, but getting any major or large-scale changes made with this level of Allies will be a slow and gradual process at best.
Allies 2 – A 2-dot Ally is someone of moderate power in their organization — a university professor, a police detective, the head of a small criminal crew. Anything they don’t think will come back to haunt them is something they’ll be happy to help you out with — just don’t expect them to risk their job, their reputation, or their life to do so.
Allies 3 – Someone with whom you have good relations holds a senior position that they’re willing to exploit for your benefit, and they’ll even take some heat for doing so if necessary. Perhaps they’re in the civil service and know much more about how things work than the elected official they nominally report to, or maybe they’re an officer in the British Army with responsibility for aerial reconnaissance, or hold a director-level post at a cutting-edge technology company.
Allies 4 – You have a long-term friendship with a major player, someone who knows the ins and outs of their Realm like the seasoned professional they are. You can be assured of cooperation from them or their organization even at considerable risk of backlash. Your old school friend who’s now a detective chief inspector with the Metropolitan Police will let you into crime scenes; your cousin who’s dean of one of a university’s colleges will find you a full scholarship to their school.
Allies 5 – One of the most powerful and well-informed people in their Realm views their interests as being closely tied to yours — a Member of Parliament, a crime lord, or the head of a major financial institution. They’re not afraid to throw their weight around on your behalf, and, at this level, they have little fear of retaliation from anyone less influential than themselves.

Alternate Identity

Alternate Identity provides you with documentation for a false name and life history. The more dots you have in Alternate Identity, the more solid that identity is, the more things it can be used for, and the less likely that any investigation will reveal it to be fake. An Alternate Identity can be useful whenever you might want to avoid having your actions traced back to you, or to do things that your normal identity might not be allowed to do. Alternate Identities provide legal documentation, but having some ability to disguise yourself or otherwise change your appearance is recommended so that your identities don’t look the same.

Alternate Identity is only required for a second (or third, or fourth) identity. You are assumed to have documentation and legal status under the identity you’re living as when you enter the game, even if it is not your birth name (excepting some Flaws that may prevent this). If, however, you’re living under an assumed identity and also want to be able to use your birth identity, you’ll need to buy Alternate Identity.

Alternate Identity 0 – You have no documentation for any alternate names. You can still give a fake name to the barista when ordering coffee, but that’s about the limit of who you can deceive.
Alternate Identity 1 – You have a fake photo ID that might stand up the scrutiny of the doorman at a nightclub, or to to any other indifferent inspection by someone not trained to recognize forgeries.
Alternate Identity 2 – A level of documentation that will pass basic inspection, most of the time. Your ID will satisfy the average police officer on the street as long as he doesn’t have any reason to call in to verify it — but if he does, it’s very likely to be exposed as a fake. Still, only the most punctilious shop owner might be able to find a reason to refuse to sell you alcohol or cigarettes.
Alternate Identity 3 – As long as you don’t draw the attention of the authorities, you can probably live comfortably under this identity indefinitely. You likely have a bank account and a credit history under your alternate name, and you could even hold a job that doesn’t require any extensive background checks. Travel abroad under your assumed name is still risky at this level, especially if you venture outside the visa-free Schengen area.
Alternate Identity 4 – Only truly determined investigation will reveal an identity of this level as false, and even then, it’s likely that enough of the supporting documents are real to keep the masquerade from falling apart completely. Provided the alternate identity doesn’t have any disqualifying offences, you could probably get a Firearms Certificate in their name, or pass a comparable level of scrutiny.
Alternate Identity 5 – For all practical purposes, this identity is indistinguishable from a real person. IDs and legal documents are actually valid; dates, names, and histories all match up; there are witnesses who will testify to that effect, whether they sincerely believe it to be true or are just willing to lie convincingly. Your alternate identity might be able to withstand investigation by a government intelligence agency.

Base of Operations

Base of Operations represents a place of relative safety, controlled by your character (or a group of like-minded characters), to which you can repair in times of need. Multiple characters can pool together their dots in Base of Operations to create an especially large or secure location, although the base loses dots invested by characters who leave the game — there’s no longer enough time or money available to fully maintain the security systems or the amenities, some rooms have to be closed off, and so on.

You do not need to have dots in Base of Operations to have a normal home; that’s covered by Resources. Base of Operations is for when you have a separate, secret (or at least secretive) bolthole that mundane authorities don’t know about, or at least don’t associate with you. Conversely, you can have Base of Operations without Resources, although this will make some types of base difficult to justify; maybe you’ve scrounged together a secret spot behind a fake wall in the basement of an abandoned building. Or you can have both, which could represent either having a whole separate place, or a panic room or hidden cellar in your home.

Unlike most Backgrounds, you can buy more than 5 dots in Base of Operations; in your explanatory +note, you should specify how the dots are divided up between Luxury, Security, and Size:

Luxury 0 – No amenities. There’s no furniture, no running water, no electricity, no nothing: the most you can expect is some straw to make sleeping on the floor less comfortable, like a cell in an especially primitive dungeon.
Luxury 1 – The base’s furnishings consist of an army cot or two, and perhaps a table and chairs that don’t match and were probably bought from a thrift store or else scavenged from what someone left by the side of the street. You might have running water or intermittent electricity; you certainly don’t have both.
Luxury 2 – The rough equivalent of living in social housing: yes, you have things that most Londoners take for granted, like flush toilets and electric light, but that’s about it. You probably still need space heaters if it gets cold, you won’t be cooking anything much beyond the basics, and if there’s a computer at all it’s a very old and slow model.
Luxury 3 – A pretty comfortable place to stay even for extended periods. You’ve got as many of the amenities typical of middle-class life as you can fit into the place, and while the decor is still very much mass-market, it’s looking more like a motel room than an underground bunker.
Luxury 4 – Your base is nicer than a lot of people’s homes. Your kitchenette (or kitchen, depending on size) has granite countertops, your living area has some genuinely nice art as well as widescreen TV, and if space permits you could have a hot tub or a gym or both.
Luxury 5 – It might not make the final cut for “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, but footage of your hideout would at least get looked at. Every amenity your heart desires and your square footage allows is on the table, and nothing’s been skimped on when it comes to quality, either.

Security 0 – Its existence, if not its nature, is obvious to anyone in the area; pretty much anyone who wants to can wander in and out if they decide to do so. Don’t expect more than an hour or two of safety, maybe less.
Security 1 – Hidden from casual view and locked against casual intrusion, but neither will stand up for long; if someone wants to find you and wants to get in, they will. As long as no one’s actively looking for you, that’s fine, but if they are, a good night’s sleep is about as long as it will take before your hideout is compromised.
Security 2 – A place that’s reasonably secure against low-level mischief. The entrance(s) won’t be immediately obvious to anyone in the right place, and the locks and bolts will keep out typical smash-and-grab thieves. Still, this is nothing that even a civilian couldn’t find and penetrate, and it wouldn’t be wise to expect it to remain secure for more than a day or so in the face of a determined search.
Security 3 – Your secret lair has video surveillance, keypad locks, an alarm system, and maybe even some basic traps to deter intruders — and it’s well-concealed enough that even people who live in the area may not realize it’s there. Unless something goes badly wrong, you can expect at least two or three days of safety from searchers, and if something does go wrong you’ll likely have some warning.
Security 4 – Very well-hidden and highly secure, your base should give you a week of safety. It’s extremely unlikely that someone who isn’t actively searching will be able to find it, and it would take a determined effort by knowledgeable personnel to actually get inside. Assuming someone’s watching the security systems, you should have plenty of warning before intruders get inside.
Security 5 – Unless you’re foolish enough to be followed there, your hideout is so well concealed that even Sherlock Holmes would have a hard time tracking you to it. It might be geographically isolated, or hidden somewhere not usually considered habitable (although be sure to have an explanation for how you get in and out), and is protected by every security measure imaginable. You can probably stay here for as long as your tolerance for isolation holds out.

Size 0 – There’s about the same amount of usable space as there would be in a cargo van. Even two people will need to be pretty friendly in order to fit with any semblance of comfort, and the semblance is probably pretty poor.
Size 1 – Someone used to living in a studio apartment will find this familiar. Everything’s cramped and there’s not much in the way of open space; trying to fit any more than two or three people will render it intolerable in short order.
Size 2 – A two- or three-bedroom apartment or a small house. You’ll have to make some hard decisions on what deserves space and what doesn’t, but at least you have a separate kitchen and more than one bathroom. As many 6-8 people could squeeze in in a pinch, but the space is more intended for 4-6.
Size 3 – A modestly-sized business, a large family home. There’s enough room for 8-10 people to live in reasonable comfort with some open space left over, or twice that number in extremely claustrophobic conditions.
Size 4 – A mansion, warehouse, or full-size department store worth of space. At this point the determining factor of how many people the base can accommodate is based more on how many beds and how much food you’ve stocked rather than how much square footage there is. You have enough room for some added facilities like a sauna, workshop, pistol shooting range, etc., as long as your base’s Luxury rating is high enough to provide them.
Size 5 – The equivalent of a sprawling estate or one whole floor of a large office building. Provided you can think of some way to hide them from observation, you could have your own swimming pool, a football pitch, rifle range, and so forth, Luxury dots permitting.

Contacts

Contacts are people or organizations who will generally only help you when they get something in exchange. Unlike Allies, their assistance has to be purchased every time you need something from them, but they are usually more effective than Allies at providing information or active assistance. In contrast to the book writeup, Contacts on TowersMUX are rated from 1 to 5 to measure their level of utility and influence.

Like Allies, Contacts should have both an Area of Influence and a Realm of Influence in their explanatory +notes. Also like Allies, Contacts can be bought above 5 dots to allow a character to have contacts in many different areas, although any individual Contact may have no more than 5 dots allocated to them.

Contacts always extract a price for their help. For minor assistance, this may be as simple as asking for a small favor, a donation to their cause, and so forth; however, larger requests may require the player of the character with Contacts to run a PRP scene that’s somehow connected to the Contact’s needs. Players who aren’t interested in running scenes like this may want to consider a different Background in place of Contacts.

Contacts 0 – None of your friends or acquaintances are plugged in to any particular area — or, if they are, you don’t know about it or haven’t figured out how to get information out of them.
Contacts 1 – You know someone at a low level in their organization — a political reporter with the Guardian, a Metropolitan Police officer, a small-time crook, and so forth. They generally won’t ask much of you in return for their help, but of course they can’t do all that much for you, either.
Contacts 2 – Your acquaintances include someone with at least a bit of authority. Were you schoolmates with someone who’s now the manager of a hotel, or did one of your childhood chums grow up to be a partner in a London legal firm? Whatever the case may be, you can get hold of them when you need to, and the favors they ask in exchange aren’t usually too onerous.
Contacts 3 – You’re on good terms with a person of significant authority — an officer in command of a Thames river-patrol boat, an influential figure in the London theatre scene, someone who’s well-connected in their own Realm of Influence. Although someone at this level will likely want something from you that represents a fairly serious inconvenience, they can in turn mobilize fairly serious resources on your behalf.
Contacts 4 – The favors you’ll owe to a Metropolitan Police superintendent (or someone else who can pull a lot of strings on your behalf) are beginning to shade into the possibly illegal, the potentially dangerous, and the definitely risky. In exchange you can expect to get up-to-date dirt on all but the most secretive figures.
Contacts 5 – Someone who’s extremely influential and powerful takes your calls — a High Court judge, a Murdoch-esque media figure, or the head of the London Stock Exchange. They know exactly how much their help is worth and will make sure you pay every penny of that price — still, having someone like this feeding you information or taking your side in a dispute is a tremendous boon, and they didn’t get to where they are by being unreliable, either.

Equipment

Equipment represents your access to in-character resources that the average Londoner doesn’t have — rare, expensive, or specialized tools and weapons — and also the knowledge and training needed to use them effectively. You don’t necessarily need to have dots in Equipment in order to have gear — if it’s something you can buy at a decent department store without needing a permit or a background check, that requires no specialized training, and that won’t strain your Resources, then it’s probably OK to assume you have it. Equipment is entirely mundane; objects of supernatural power are handled under the auspices of each character’s sphere.

Some items you might have access to can be obtained either legally or otherwise (c.f. Weapons in London for some particular examples). Both options have their own perils. Legal possession of something rare or unusual will certainly mark you out for questioning if such a thing ends up being used where the authorities notice. Illegal possession can cause serious trouble if you’re caught with the item(s), and the level of surveillance in London may make this more common than it sounds. The explanatory +note for Equipment should describe the nature of the gear you have access to and why, as well as whether any potentially illegal items are possessed legally or not.

Equipment 0 – You have some everyday items that aren’t too difficult to get hold of — a smartphone, a laptop computer, a bicycle, car, or motorcycle, etc. As far as weapons go, you’re probably limited to a hatchet (for camping, of course), knife, cricket bat, walking staff, a length of chain, or — thanks to the peculiarities of English law — a bow or crossbow. A biker jacket, leather duster, or reinforced clothing can serve as armor, or perhaps a set of cosplay mail if you don’t mind getting some strange looks.
Equipment 1 – Thanks to persistence, the demands of your job, or the right choice of friends, you have access to some things the availability of which is restricted or limited. Less strictly controlled prescription drugs like steroids, sedatives, or anaesthetics fall under this category. A small collection of re-enactor’s weapons — generally, one-handed swords, maces, axes, etc. — would qualify, as would modern collapsible police batons, lighter-weight armour with a rating of up to 3, or a stun gun or pepper spray (the latter two both being generally illegal for anyone other than law enforcement).
Equipment 2 – Someone at this level might have a Shotgun Certificate and one or more shotguns (see Weapons in London) along with their associated ammunition, or a considerable collection of ancient weapons including greatswords, great axes, polearms, and so forth. They might also have access to Schedule 3 drugs like Rohypnol and some mild opiods.
Equipment 3 – Schedule 2 drugs — which include heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and oxycodone — which have strict tracking and storage requirements fall under this category. You may have a Firearms Certificate and the appropriate rifles and ammunition, access to explosives, or the ability to get hold of armour with ratings of up to 4 (whether antique or modern).
Equipment 4 – This level of equipment is usually illegal to anyone who is not part of, or closely supervised by, the government — handguns, semi-automatic rifles, or Schedule 1 drugs such as DMT and LST, and other such items.
Equipment 5 – The highest levels of body armour (with ratings of up to 5), submachine guns, assault rifles and their ammunition.
Equipment 6 – This level of gear is not normally available to PCs, and includes things like rocket launchers, cannons, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, machine guns, and other military weapons. You should never assume access to items of this sort.

Fame

Fame measures the level of name recognition you have in a particular area, a particular segment of society, or, at higher levels, both. Fame is not exclusive to celebrities in the conventional sense: it’s appropriate not only for actors and artists, but also for widely-known businesspeople like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk; for underworld figures with street cred among criminals and gangs; for members of the aristocracy; or for military veterans who were highly decorated or members of a prestigious unit.

Fame can be a good way to push for change — the masses often put great stock in what people with high levels of Fame have to say; on the other hand, it’s not so great when it comes to gathering information, since the sheer mass of responses you get tends to make it difficult to sift the wheat from the chaff. When writing an explanatory +note for Fame, be sure to mention the Realm of Influence in which it applies.

Fame 0 – You’re not much known outside your own circle of friends or colleagues. If you had a military career, you did not achieve any particular rank or distinction; if you are a barrister or academic, you toil in obscurity; if you are a business executive, you work in a deeply un-sexy industry or in a non-public-facing post; if you’re an entertainer or artist, you are probably limited to occasional open mic night appearances or small exhibitions that attract little public attention.
Fame 1 – You’re known to people in a specific location who are interested in a particular subject. This level of fame is appropriate for a musician who performs regularly in a particular neighborhood of London, the best darts player in Croydon, a researcher known around Oxford as an expert on fashion in the 13th century, a small-time crook in Lambeth who has good drug connections, and so on. A military character might be a veteran of the Parachute Regiment, the Rifles, or a comparable unit; or have been awarded a DSO or CGC; or achieved a rank of captain, sergeant, lieutenant commander, etc.
Fame 2 – You’re either well-known among people in a particular location, or broadly known throughout London among devotees of a specific subject. At this level someone might be known as one of the best session musicians in London, respected by the musical community but mostly unknown to the general public; or, conversely, widely known as a great guitarist in one particular borough but who remains anonymous to the rest of the city. A character with 2 dots of Fame might also be a retired Army major or colour sergeant; a lower-ranked soldier with significant decorations or awards, or who served in the Household Cavalry; a civilian who has been awarded a knighthood in the Order of the British Empire or Royal Victorian Order; or a family member of a hereditary peer, as long as they’re not eligible to inherit that relative’s title.
Fame 3 – At this level, you may be known throughout the British Isles to people who follow your area of expertise, or, alternatively, be generally well-known throughout London. Lesser-known professional athletes, actors who’ve played supporting roles in a BBC television series, lower-tier e-sports streamers, and so forth fit roughly into this tier of fame, as do Army lieutenant-colonels or highly decorated lower ranks, ex-SAS soldiers, children of someone holding a barony or viscountcy who are eligible to succeed them, famous London divorce lawyers, and so forth.
Fame 4 – A genuine celebrity, widely known in the British Isles, or known around Europe to devotees of a particular subject. You may have starred in a popular BBC drama, played football with a Premier League team, or toured nationally with a band that’s had a hit single or two. Getting asked for a photo or an autograph is a regular — but not constant — occurrence at this level. An enlisted soldier who’s won the Victoria Cross is in this tier, as is a hereditary baron or viscount, someone in line to inherit an earldom, or the face of a nationwide advertising campaign.
Fame 5 – Someone known worldwide to people who follow their area of fame, or a widely-recognized name throughout Europe. You might be the singer for a Eurovision-winning band, a famous cricketer, or an actor who’s appeared in at least a handful of big-budget Hollywood films. You could be an earl or the spouse of one, the writer of a series of successful popular fiction books, or any number of other things. At this point, you no longer have much private life to speak of, and if you’re witnessed doing anything remotely newsworthy it will almost certainly be made public.
Fame 6 – A global superstar. Mick Jagger, Emma Watson, Daniel Craig, Adele, Kate Moss, David Beckham — someone whose name generates at least grudging recognition all over the world. You can’t go out in public without security and are guaranteed to draw a crowd anywhere you show your face. This level of fame is not normally available to PCs.

Influence

Influence is your ability to directly effect change in a particular sector or group of London society. Whereas Backgrounds like Allies, Contacts, and Spies represent your motivating other people to gather information or take action, Influence represents your own personal power. Sometimes this is preferable — after all, you never have to pay yourself back for help, and you can push as hard as you like for the action you want. Other times it’s not so great — using Influence tends to be very easy to track back to you, for instance, which you may not always be comfortable with. This Background is strongly recommended for characters whose backstory involves them being in a position of authority, e.g., in a corporation, secret society, or other organization.

As with other similar Backgrounds, you are not limited to 5 dots in Influence; you are, however, limited to 5 dots in any one particular type of Influence. Also, as with Allies, Contacts, and Spies, your explanatory +note should identify a Realm of Influence and an Area of Influence for each different type of Influence, as well as how your total dots are allocated among them.

Influence 0 – No one other than your close friends has much reason to care what you think. You have no particular authority or ability to influence any aspect of London society, business, or culture, beyond the limited sphere of your own personal persuasiveness.
Influence 1 – Maybe you’re an up-and-comer at the start of your career, or maybe you’ve suffered major setbacks to reduce your pull to a shadow of what it once was. Either way, your voice isn’t one that’s easy to make heard, even if — and often especially when — you have something insightful to say.
Influence 2 – Although you’re still fairly low in overall power — whether because you’re high up in a small and weak organization, or low down in a large and powerful one — people have begun to recognize you as someone to be taken seriously. It’s still an uphill struggle to push your agenda when it doesn’t coincide with that of someone more powerful, but your opinion is no longer easy to ignore, whether or not it’s ultimately adopted.
Influence 3 – Someone at this level might be the head of a moderately-sized organization, or a department head or director in the politics of a larger one. Whatever the reason, a lot of people know your name and listen to what you have to say, and, with enough time and persistence, you can bring about some real change … at least, provided there isn’t too much in the way of opposition.
Influence 4 – More than just a factor, you’re now a major player. If you aren’t at the top of your org chart, you have the ear of the person who is — and, more to the point, others in the field recognize you as someone who knows what they’re about and isn’t to be trifled with.
Influence 5 – Your word is law … at least, for as far as your reach extends. 5 dots is an appropriate level for the head of a London borough council, the CEO of a major corporation, the head of an entertainment conglomerate, or someone else whose name is instantly recognized by others in the same line of work.

Library

Library provides you with access to information beyond the ordinary — whether because of its superior depth and quality, or because it pertains to subjects not commonly found in bookstores. While the most obvious application of an extensive Library is in research on the subjects it covers, having information on hand can also be of use when trying to learn new skills and techniques, or as an inducement to those who are interested in the same subject.

A Library is restricted to a particular subject — typically nothing broader than a university major, and often significantly narrower when it deals with paranormal or occult topics. The explanatory +note for your Library should be sure to mention its subject, as well as the medium in which the information is stored (books, magazines, CD-ROM, etc.)

Information found in a Library will generally be filtered through the lens of the sphere the owning character belongs to. For instance, a mortal with a Library focused on vampires will have access to all sorts of obscure myths, legends, rumors, fictional and artistic depictions, and so forth that are related to vampires, but precious little, if any, useful data on vampires as they exist in the World of Darkness. A Garou or Awakened Mage with such a Library will have a bit more such information, primarily focused on those times in which vampires have crossed paths with their own groups — mages will know a good deal about the Massasa War. A Tremere, on the other hand, might have a Library focused on more specific aspects of Kindred existence and history, or might have a similarly generalist Library dealing with not only the aforementioned myths, legends, etc., but also with the real or theorized connections between them and Kindred history.

Library 0 – Cookbooks, magazines, Barbara Cartland paperbacks: there’s nothing on your bookshelves that a trip to W. H. Smith or even a quick internet search couldn’t turn up.
Library 1 – A shelf or two filled with mass-market paperbacks and some trade magazines — nothing obscure, but it’s a solid grounding.
Library 2 – Along with the basics, you have some books that delve into more specialized topics … although not all of them are completely reliable.
Library 3 – You’ve made an effort to get hold of serious works written by actual experts on the subject you’re interested in, and met with some success.
Library 4 – Some rare volumes coveted even by dedicated bibliophiles, along with a fairly comprehensive survey of more commonly available scholarly works.
Library 5 – Your collection is more extensive than that of some small universities, at least when it comes to this specific subject.

Patron

This Background is currently under staff review.

Resources

Resources measures both your disposable income and your overall assets — investments, property, savings accounts, and so on. The UK doesn’t have the same number of mega-rich as the United States, and the gap between the richest and the poorest may not be quite so large — but make no mistake, this is still very much a place of haves and have-nots, where the poor are crammed into crumbling, crime-ridden apartment blocks, while the rich enjoy luxury flats and country houses.

There is some flexibility in how Resources is interpreted in IC terms. You don’t necessarily need to have 3+ dots in Resources to have your own business — perhaps all your revenue goes toward expenses, paying the lease or mortgage on the property, etc., while you live in a tiny apartment with no free cash. Just take care to make it plausible — a character with Resources 0 having a fancy multi-million euro jewelry store in St. James’ is probably not going to fly.

Resources can be used in place of other Backgrounds in the influence system — however, because you’re doing so on a strictly monetary basis, this is less effective than using a dedicated Background. The people you’re paying have no long-term personal or ideological committment to your cause, so they’re not as motivated to do their best as people who are. On the other hand, you have more freedom in your ability to recruit and deploy these hired assets.

Resources 0 – If you’re not homeless, you’re only one small step above it. If you have a job, the pay just about stretches to cover your basic needs — most of the time. If you have a home, it’s a small, cheap flat in an undesirable part of London, and even then, you most likely share it with someone. Your clothes are secondhand when they aren’t outright scavenged, and if you can’t patch them yourself you know someone who does. Going to the movies or getting a kebab means you’ll probably go hungry the next day or two. You might have a rusty bicycle, but if so, it’s got some problems you can’t afford to fix, and walking is often a less stressful way to get somewhere. Your disposable income in pounds is somewhere in the single digits, and that’s if you’re having a good week.
Resources 1 – You’re keeping your head above water, but it’s not easy. A steady but not particularly well-paying job earns enough money to keep you housed, fed, and clothed — simply, rather than fashionably. You could have your own flat in a low-income area of the city, although roommates are still an attractive option at this level. You have enough money to get decent takeout once in a while, but probably still do a lot of your own cooking. Getting from place to place still involves a fair amount of walking, but you can take the Tube to and from work without stress, and have a bicycle or maybe a battered old Vespa for other trips.
Resources 2 – You’ve reached the cusp of a middle-class existence. At this level of Resources you no longer have to worry too much about day-to-day expenses — your clothes aren’t fancy, but were mostly bought new, and if you’re too exhausted after work to make dinner you can afford to eat in an honest-to-goodness restaurant without worrying about being able to make the rent. You’ve got your own flat, perhaps even with a separate bedroom rather than just a studio, and a moped, motorcycle, or a used economy car like a Vauxhall Corsa or a Ford Fiesta when the Underground won’t do. No, things aren’t great, but you’re doing all right.
Resources 3 – Stodgy respectability is yours! You have a flat large enough to raise a family in without losing your mind — or perhaps a small house — and you may even own, rather than rent, it. You can afford to take the occasional holiday in Brighton or the Cotswolds or even across the Channel in France, and no one will look twice at your outfits while you’re there. Best of all, you have enough savings that taking time off from your job is a real possibility — not too much, though; your employment isn’t that secure. You have your own automobile (even if you still take the Tube much of the time — parking is a hassle!) and enjoy conveniences of modern society like a recent-model computer and smartphone.
Resources 4 – Maybe you’re not ready to call yourself “rich”, but you’re definitely comfortable. You have your own flat or house and someone who comes by regularly to tidy up. You’re well-dressed and can afford to stay in style, with some pricey jewelry and accessories; your net worth is in the high six figures and climbing. When you go abroad, you stay in nice hotels and enjoy the better local restaurants. If you have a family, they’re comfortable and well-provided for; if you don’t, your own standard of living is that little bit better. Most of the world — and even a large percentage of London — would love to be in your shoes.
Resources 5 – Now you’re rich, with a net worth in the seven-figure range. You have a luxury flat or a quite nice house, along with a more modest holiday home somewhere away from the city, and you may well have someone to cook and clean for you on an everyday basis. You can afford a very nice sports car car or sportbike in addition to your everyday vehicle, and you even have a place to park. Someone at this level of wealth doesn’t do much that they don’t want to do, and money qua money is no longer much of a concern for them. No, you can’t afford to throw euros around willy-nilly, but all your reasonable desires and some unreasonable ones are met.
Resources 6 – At least when it comes to material things, you have almost everything you could ask for, and then some. You’re no Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, but your assets probably total somewhere in the low- to mid-eight-figures. You can afford to live in some of the most expensive parts of London, and probably have more than one residence in the city itself, not counting your country house. When you travel, it’s more likely to be by charter than by airline, although having your own jet is one of the few things you can’t readily afford. This level of Resources requires purchase of the Wealthy Merit in addition to Resources 5.

Retainers

Retainers are people — or animals — who have genuine and heartfelt loyalty toward you. That loyalty might be earned, bought, or supernaturally induced, but whatever the explanation might be, you have a devoted friend (or friends) who are willing to stand by you in tough times and take significant risks on your behalf. Of course, they aren’t mindless drones, and if you don’t treat them well — whatever that means to any individual Retainer — they may abandon you when the going gets tough. As long as you do treat them well, though, they’ll be reliable helping hands when you need them.

Retainers need not be human. A loyal guard dog, a ghoul, an allied spirit, or a friendly android are all potential Retainers, depending on the character’s sphere. While they may have remarkable abilities, however, a Retainer is never flawless; their strengths are always balanced out by weaknesses that in some way limit their usefulness. Each dot in Retainers represents a separate individual; dots cannot be combined to create a more-capable-than-normal Retainer.

In the near future, staff will provide a short list of character templates that can be customized for use as Retainers; players will be required to select a template for each.

Retainers 0 – You have no truly trustworthy companions or assistants.
Retainers 1 – One retainer.
Retainers 2 – Two retainers.
Retainers 3 – Three retainers.
Retainers 4 – Four retainers.
Retainers 5 – Five retainers.

Spies

Spies are people or organizations who are particularly skilled at information gathering, usually covertly. Their effectiveness depends on their remaining undercover, though, and so they have limited ability to effect change. Spies are not necessarily professional intelligence operatives; they may be blackmail victims, ghosts or spirits you’ve bargained with for aid, or just like-minded people who are willing to provide you with information in support of your (or their) agenda — an environmentalist with a job at an oil company, or an anarchist working at an investment bank.

In addition to gathering information, this Background can also be used to hide it from others who may be trying to uncover it — concealing the use of Allies, Contacts, or other Backgrounds, for example.

As with Allies, Contacts, and Influence, Spies can be bought above 5 dots; if you’re willing to devote enough time and effort to it, you can build up a vast network of informants, although no single spy or group of spies can be rated above 5 dots. Your explanatory +note should describe a Realm of Influence and an Area of Influence for each, and describe how your total dice in Spies are split up among them.

Spies 0 – You have no one to feed you information or secrets.
Spies 1 – A handful of agents in low-level positions keep you apprised of the latest gossip. Even though they don’t have access to the kind of really valuable information that could really give you an advantage, sometimes the data points they provide can give you warning of what’s on the way.
Spies 2 – Whether due to better positioning or increased numbers, your agents are starting to get glimpses of the big picture, but how it all fits together still eludes them.
Spies 3 – You’ve put together an effective team of spies, and they’ve been able to ferret out some interesting secrets. The information they collectively send back to you is more than enough to ensure that no major developments catch you by surprise.
Spies 4 – Keeping anything of significance hidden from your people is a major challenge.
Spies 5 – You have so many information sources, with so many different perspectives, that hardly anything happens in their purview that doesn’t make its way back to you sooner or later.

Vampire Backgrounds

Domain

Domain represents claim to an expanse of physical territory in the greater London area, one that’s recognized by Queen Anne herself and respected by other Kindred who are part of associated with the Camarilla. Within your domain, your word, at least insofar as other vampires go, is law under the Second Tradition … as long as Anne remains happy with you. The Camarilla will back up your claim if necessary, up to a point — the holder of a domain is expected to be able to see to its defense and security on their own, and someone who’s constantly requesting assistance or is unable to deal with minor matters may find themselves removed and replaced by a more capable Kindred.

Dots of Domain are divided between Size and Security; a dot assigned to Size makes it easier for you or invited guests numbering up to the total Size rating, to hunt on your territory (the exact mechanics will be clarified as part of the rollout of the hunting process). A dot assigned to Security makes it more difficult for other Kindred to hunt, hide their presence in, or take actions that affect the area.

Domains larger than three dots in Size are unlikely to be permitted for starting characters.

Domain 0 – You’re just one more among the many vampires of London, moving from place to place as whim and opportunity dictate, without any claim to territory that’s recognized by those of higher rank.
Domain 1 – You’ve claimed a single small building (a house, a bar, a boutique) as your personal turf.
Domain 2 – The Camarilla recognizes you as the holder of a significant landmark, like a factory, a church or cathedral, a small apartment building, or an expansive dance club.
Domain 3 – Your claim to an area as large as a city block or a high-rise apartment building has been judged as valid by the authorities. The Duke of the borough your territory lies in certainly knows who you are, and expects your support when necessary.
Domain 4 – At least several city blocks, and possibly a whole neighborhood, are under your authority. You’re a key supporter of the local Duke (if there is one), and Queen Anne herself probably knows who you are.
Domain 5 – You control a large chunk of one of London’s boroughs in the Camarilla’s name. If you aren’t the Duke of that borough yourself, you’re likely to be their right-hand person, and you have at least a nodding acquaintance with the Prince … which isn’t always a good thing.

Generation

Generation refers to how many vampires there are in direct line of descent from Caine … assuming that Caine even existed. While not everyone believes in there having been a single source of all vampires, the fact remains that potency of blood is something that all Kindred recognize, and Generation is the common way of describing it. A Second Generation vampire is a childe of Caine, a Third Generation a childe of a childe of Caine, and so on down to the Thirteenth Generation, who are twelve vampires removed from that semi-mythical figure. More dots in Generation increase a vampire’s maximum blood capacity and the rate at which they can spend blood, and also make it more difficult to use Dominate against them (see Vampire House Rules).

Because of its significance and value in Kindred existence, high levels of Generation have additional costs other than dots in the Background itself, as listed below.

Generation 0 – Thirteenth Generation.
Generation 1 – Twelfth Generation.
Generation 2 – Eleventh Generation.
Generation 3 – Tenth Generation; you must purchase the “10th Generation” Merit (2 points) in addition to three Background dots. This does not count against the normal 10-point limit for Merits. Requires two approvals (see Approval Scale).
Generation 4 – Ninth Generation; you must purchase the “9th Generation” Merit (5 points) in addition to four Background dots. This does not count against the normal 10-point limit for Merits. Requires two approvals.
Generation 5 – Eighth Generation; you must purchase the “8th Generation” Merit (10 points) in addition to five Background dots. This does not count against the normal 10-point limit for Merits. Requires majority staff approval.

Herd

A Herd, in vampire parlance, is a group of mortals from whom a vampire can feed safely and easily. They might be people who’ve grown to enjoy the ecstasy of the Kiss, or members of a cult in which the vampire is an authority figure. Dots in Herd can even represent access to a blood bank or other methods of acquiring blood that don’t necessarily rely on directly feeding from mortals. Whatever the explanation, the primary effect is to make hunting rolls easier (the exact mechanics to be detailed as part of the hunting system rollout); members of a Herd can also be used to perform various menial tasks that don’t require any particular level of skill or influence — if it’s something that you can be fairly confident any random person in the street can do, a Herd member is probably capable of it.

Herd 0 – You’re forced to take your chances feeding from likely-seeming candidates at the Rack or as you find them in the city.
Herd 1 – You have a small group of 2-5 vessels who are accustomed to providing you with sustenance, though you must take care not to take too much at once.
Herd 2 – About 6-12 people are willing (if not eager) to give you blood when you need it.
Herd 3 – A fair-sized circle of 15-20 partygoers or sensation junkies make up your herd — enough that you no longer have to worry too much about feeding as long as you watch out for them.
Herd 4 – You can call on some thirty-odd people whenever you feel peckish. Older Eastern European Kindred consider this “a good start.”
Herd 5 – This is bona fide cult leader territory; 50-75 people are eager to offer you their necks. You can afford to be downright lavish with Vitae expenditure, at least by modern standards.

Mentor

Mentor represents a character’s relationship with an older and more experienced vampire who, for whatever reason, has taken an ongoing interest in them and their career — often, but not always, the character’s sire. A Mentor will come to your aid in time of need, at least for as long as it suits their own interests; most often this means providing information, training, or influence. Almost all such relationships are an investment on the part of the Mentor rather than something done out of the goodness of their heart. Therefore, the more you ask of a Mentor and the more often you call on them, the less helpful they’ll tend to be.

The explanatory +note for a Mentor should provide a general outline of the Mentor and their personality and interests, along with what areas they can offer help in. While they’re significantly older and more powerful than you are, they aren’t infallible or omni-competent, and it’s quite possible for a Mentor to be unable to help in some situations. The more narrowly and closely a Mentor is defined, the more likely they’ll have something to offer on a subject they have interest in.

Having a Mentor is not a free pass to learn Spheres, Abilities, or Backgrounds without justification; rather, the Mentor should be used as an RP hook in scenes as part of the learning process. The requirements in XP and Advancement still need to be met, but a Mentor allows for at least some of that process to happen in a more controlled and safe environment.

Mentor 0 – You have no Mentor; what does this mean about your relationship with your sire?
Mentor 1 – Your Mentor is only a few decades older than you are at most, and your relationship is more collegial than teacher-student.
Mentor 2 – Your Mentor is an established ancilla who’s been around for at least a century.
Mentor 3 – Your Mentor has 200-300 years of unlife to their credit, and has significant connections among the Kindred community.
Mentor 4 – Your Mentor holds a Camarilla office as well as being experienced and powerful — they might be the Seneschal, or one of the Warders.
Mentor 5 – Your Mentor is one of the most influential vampires in the London area, a close associate (or rival) of Queen Anne.

Werewolf Backgrounds

Ancestors

To most people, ancestors and ancestral memories are pseudo-scientific nonsense, but for Garou with the Ancestors background, it’s as real as Luna floating in the night sky. Many Garou carry some of the memories of a distant ancestor, and some even have the capability to allow their forebears to take over their bodies. Points in this background allow the character to tap into their ancestors’ past experiences to increase abilities – Talents, Knowledges, or Skills – by one for each success for purposes of a single die roll. This increase stacks with any existing points in that ability to a maximum of 5. If they have no dots in the ability, these successes translate to a raw increase that has the added benefit of eliminating the penalty for not having the ability for that roll.

Once per session, a player may roll their Ancestors background (difficulty 8, or 10 if they’re trying to contact the spirit of a specific ancestor). Any successes can be applied to rolls specific to that ability for scene and any changes to the character’s dice pool will remain until the scene is over. Failure means that a helpful Ancestor isn’t willing to pitch in. A botch means that the character may be catatonic for the rest of the scene as thousands of past lives rush through them, clamoring for attention.

Ancestors 0 – You’ve heard of other Garou having visions of their ancestors, but to you, it’s only a story or a dream.
Ancestors 1 – Your visions are brief, hazy, and cryptic, when you do have them.
Ancestors 2 – You remember faces and places from past lives as you remember those of your early childhood.
Ancestors 3 – The faces you remember from your past lives have names and histories attached.
Ancestors 4 – Ancestors from the distant past converse with you on a regular basis.
Ancestors 5 – Your ancestors watch your adventures with interest, and they often come to counsel you.

Fate

The Fate background represents an omen or prophecy that accompanied the creation of a pack or, in this case, a Garou’s birth. A Fate is always something significant, but it’s just as likely to be dark and infamous as it is to be full of Glory and Renown. This can be constricting for a character, having some predetermined outcome that they may feel the urge to fight against, and may also bring fame or infamy and all that those entail. Characters with dots in Fate will almost certainly be called to action more, held up as an example – good or bad – for others, and put in situations where their fate can be realized or avoided. It is suggested that players taking any points in this background consult with Staff to come up with a suitable Fate for the character before approval.

Remember, Fate is not Plot Armor — most Fates should be somewhat equivocal, so they can be met in multiple equally valid ways. A character’s destiny, whatever it may be, will not protect them from foolish choices, like walking into the middle of the local Hive and punching the Alpha or revealing their enmity for Fae and Mages by hunting them mercilessly. Decisions like these will have their fate quickly changing to something that will more than likely be the end of that character’s time in London.

Once per session, a player may use this Background to add successes to any roll that either failed or achieved fewer successes than were required. They may roll their rating in this Background (Difficulty 8) and add any successes to the failed roll, potentially causing it to succeed. In that case, the player should describe what fortuitous event caused the success. The storyteller may decide that the players actions run counter to what they are destined to do and may disallow the use of this background.

Fate 0 – You are a faceless, nameless foot soldier in the war against the Wyrm. Whatever renown you gain will have to be at the expense of bravery and blood.
Fate 1 – You will be involved in an event that, while small, will make you known to the entirety of the Garou nation. For now, only your sept knows your fate.
Fate 2 – You will be part of an event that greatly impacts your sept. The Garou throughout the city and sept know your fate.
Fate 3 – You will be responsible for an event that impacts the Nation across the whole of Europe. Garou as far away as Russia and Egypt know your name and your foretold deeds.
Fate 4 – Your actions will affect the entire Garou Nation, such as the defeat of a great Wyrm beast, the massacre of dozens of Garou, or the cleansing of a hive. Most Garou, worldwide, will know of you.
Fate 5 – You will be a direct factor in the fate of the Apocalypse. There isn’t a cub that hasn’t heard of your destiny.

Fetish

Your character possesses a Fetish.

No, not that kind of fetish, but a Fetish – a physical object that has a spirit bound into it. The spirit that is bound grants a number of powers to a Fetish, so they are very significant to the Garou. Such things are quite valuable, so other Garou or supernatural beings may try to find a way to separate the character from their prized possession. See Magical Items for additional details.

Note that this Background is normally limited to five dots, which limits the number and power of Fetishes any single character can possess. This is intentional, and is done in order to avoid having characters festooned with whole bandoliers of items.

Fetish 0 – You’ve seen the fetishes the other Garou have and think they’re pretty neat.
Fetish 1 – Your character possesses one Level One fetish.
Fetish 2 – Your character possesses one Level Two fetish, or two Level One fetishes.
Fetish 3 – Your character possesses one or more fetishes with a total of three levels.
Fetish 4 – Your character possesses one or more fetishes with a total of four levels.
Fetish 5 – Your character possesses one or more fetishes with a total of five levels.

Kinfolk

Kinfolk are otherwise normal humans or wolves (or animals appropriate to the character’s type) who have descended from shapeshifters and have not inherited the spiritual duty of fighting the war against the Wyrm. Through this background, a Garou has contact with a number of Kinfolk who know the character, know that they are Garou, are immune to the Delirium, and are willing to help however they can. Most are not in positions of power (such people are considered Allies), but having a few Kinfolk under your belt is a good way to interact with Human society without risking frenzy or discovery. More kinfolk also mean more potential resources, more places to hide, and more places to get a hot meal.

Kinfolk 0 – ‘I am your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate.’
Kinfolk 1 – Two Kinfolk
Kinfolk 2 – Five Kinfolk
Kinfolk 3 – Ten Kinfolk
Kinfolk 4 – Twenty Kinfolk
Kinfolk 5 – Fifty Kinfolk.

Mentor

A Garou of higher rank has taken interest in the character and will look after them – to a point. The rating of this background quantifies how powerful your Mentor is within the sept and tribe, as well as the rank they have achieved. A mentor can teach skills, advise on the seemingly correct course of action, and be a voice supporting the character’s causes during Moot. They almost always have their own pack and their own duties, so being there to rescue the character from stupid decisions almost certainly won’t be a regular occurrence. However, this isn’t a purely altruistic relationship. A mentor will almost certainly expect something in return for taking the character under their wing, be it support in political wrangling, assistance in quests or duties, or just someone to go get a cuppa from the London Tea Exchange.

A powerful mentor does not have to be a single Garou – a pack or a group of elders might be considered a collective mentor but would be worth at least three or four dots due to their combined strength. It is suggested that players taking any points in this background consult with Staff to come up with a suitable Mentor for the character before approval, especially for the higher levels.

Mentor 0 – You watch from the sidelines as others are coached by the greats of the Sept. One day you’ll be there, though!
Mentor 1 – Mentor is Rank 2.
Mentor 2 – Mentor is Rank 3.
Mentor 3 – Mentor is Rank 4.
Mentor 4 – Mentor is Rank 5.
Mentor 5 – Mentor is Rank 6.

Pure Breed

Victorian England was known as the zenith of for good breeding amongst the landed gentry, but for Garou, Pure Breed goes far beyond that. This background represents your lineage, markings, bearing, and other features of birth. Like the Vanderbilts, the Windsors, or the Hapsburgs, a Garou who is descended from renowned forbears has a definite advantage in Garou society.

However, an advantage in Garou society does not equal advantage on the MUX. As written, Pure Breed gives an advantage of one dice per level of Pure Breed for all social rolls involving Garou, Ronin, or Black Spiral Dancers. If this were a tabletop where a group of friends could hash things out in the background, no problem, but when the game is PC dealing with other PCs? This background turns out to be extremely powerful. We, as staffers, believe that anything that strips agency from characters is a bad thing – particularly if it’s something like “This plan is stupid, but the Silver Fang Cliath rolled well to convince me, so I’m forced to abide.” As a result, we have limited the availability of Pure Breed to the first three dots; we may make the remaining two available in the future if we can come up with a mechanic that works well in the MUX environment.

Pure Breed 0 – Your father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. Your mother was a fifteen year-old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet.
Pure Breed 1 – One dice added your pool for social rolls involving Garou, Ronin, or Black Spiral Dancers.
Pure Breed 2 – Two dice added to your pool for social rolls involving Garou, Ronin, or Black Spiral Dancers.
Pure Breed 3 – Three dice added to your pool for social rolls involving Garou, Ronin, or Black Spiral Dancers.

Rites

Rites are an important part of Garou life. This background denotes how many rites and the level of rites that the character can know at the beginning of the game. To learn a rite, the character has to have the Rituals knowledge rating at least equal to the level of the given rite.

Rites 0 – You stand and watch, rarely taking part in the rituals of your people.
Rites 1 – You know one level of rites.
Rites 2 – You know two levels of rites.
Rites 3 – You know three levels of rites.
Rites 4 – You know four levels of rites.
Rites 5 – You know five levels of rites.

Spirit Heritage

The Garou are, for all intents and purposes, beings of both flesh and spirit, sharing kinship with those in the spirit world. For some Garou, that connection is much stronger, and this background represents that. Certain spirits have a more likely chance of reacting positively to the player. When players select this background, choose one specific type of spirit (Plant, Animal, Urban, Bane, etc.). When dealing with spirits of the chosen type, the player may add their Spirit Heritage rating to any Social rolls or rolls involved in challenges.

Spirit Heritage 0 – You’re a regular Garou with no spirit affinity to speak of.
Spirit Heritage 1 – Spirits can smell their scent on you, and may gather near you. No-one else notices this.
Spirit Heritage 2 – Spirits of the chosen type notice your arrival, and others get a sense of your chosen spirit when they look at you.
Spirit Heritage 3 – In the Umbra, you emanate an intangible, though noticeable, sense of your aligned spirit type.
Spirit Heritage 4 – In the Umbra, you have visible hints of your aligned spirit type. Tiny wings, twigs and leaves, etc.
Spirit Heritage 5 – In the Umbra, you have strong visible hints of your aligned spirit type. In the material world, some question if you were only half spirit.

Totem

Totem is a background that applies directly to a character’s pack and not the character itself. The more points in Totem an individual has, the more powerful interested spirits will be in aligning with that character’s pack. Each totem has a Background cost rating; the pack must spend that amount to ally with the totem and any additional points can be spent to augment the Totem’s power in some way. For a list of available Totems, check the Totems page for costs, boons, and bans of particular totems.

Fera Backgrounds

Den-Realm (Bastet only)

The Bastet has built or acquired their own Den-Realm. This is a sanctuary where the Bastet and the Land have become one. Similar to the Domain benefit in Vampire, the Umbral Glade of the Gurahl, or the Wallow of the Moloke, this is an Umbral sanctuary that other travelers cannot pass through without permission. A difficulty 8 Perception + Occult roll is required to recognize a Den-Realm for what it is, and entry without being invited requires a roll as though the intruder was stepping sideways (difficulty 9). No matter the result, the Bastet is alerted that an intruder is trying to get inside. Inside the Den-Realm, the Bastet has several benefits. They may step sideways at any time against a gauntlet of 3 and may teleport from one point inside the realm to another point inside the realm a number of times per scene equal to their Gnosis rating (difficulty 6). They can also peer through the Gauntlet from either side with no penalty.

A Den-Realm’s rating determines its size. The first rating is for London-based Den-Realms, while the second is for wilderness-based Den-Realms.

Den-Realm 0 – You don’t have a Den-Realm.
Den-Realm 1 – A house or apartment flat/one square mile.
Den-Realm 2 – A mansion/two square miles.
Den-Realm 3 – A city block/five square miles.
Den-Realm 4 – Two city blocks/10 square miles.
Den-Realm 5 – Five city blocks/20 square miles.

Mnesis (Mokole only)

Replacing the Ancestors background, Mnesis is the ability of the Mokole to journey deep into the halls of ancestral memory, determining how far back the Mokole may remember. This is similar to autohypnosis and often will last for hours at the very least, rendering the seeker oblivious to the outside world. For this reason, Mnesis is normally only used in areas of complete security, like a Wallow.

Mnesis 0 – Roughly a Century.
Mnesis 1 – Three to Five Hundred Years.
Mnesis 2 – A millennium or so
Mnesis 3 – The Impergium and the beginning of human civilization.
Mnesis 4 – The awakening of the Mammalian shapeshifters.
Mnesis 5 – The time of the Dinosaur Kings.

Wallow (Mokole only)

The Wallow background means you have ties to a Mokole wallow. It may have some history or other Mokole residents. Any Allies, Contacts, or Kinfolk the character has may live at the Wallow. It allows meditation in the sun to regain Gnosis, acts as a place to hold gatherings, and as a location to perform rites. If the character has few resources, it may just be a mud hole in the ground somewhere.

For obvious reasons, London-based Wallows are unlikely to exceed two dots, and even those will be rare. Please consult with staff before purchasing more than that.

Wallow 1 – A poor wallow. One Moloke calls this home.
Wallow 2 – A medium-sized wallow. A few Moloke or may call this home, with a handful of Kin.
Wallow 3 – A large wallow. Lots of land with lots of places to live.
Wallow 4 – A nice place. A village, isolated creek, or lake.
Wallow 5 – A temple, alligator farm, or large village.

Secrets (Corax and Bastet only)

The character possesses information that might be considered desirable – or damaging – by someone else. What the character does with these Secrets are up to them. Please note that secrets learned through this background will not directly concern existing characters unless there is written approval by that character’s player. Any secrets will need to be reviewed by staff.

Secrets 1 – A small, noteworthy secret. An affair, a minor crime.
Secrets 2 – A moderate secret. The human identities of a Garou pack, the location of a criminal on the run.
Secrets 3 – A substantial secret. Matters of life and death or utter ruination for someone.
Secrets 4 – A heavy secret. The location of an international fugitive, the location of a Gurahl, a vampire’s list of contacts.
Secrets 5 – An enormous, plot-centric secret. A high-level Pentex plot, the location of a legendary cursed fetish.

Umbral Maps (Corax only)

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.

Umbral Maps 1 – A few safe paths and refuges. -1 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra.
Umbral Maps 2 – Several routes to common places. Once per story, re-roll a failure or botch on a roll to navigate through the Umbra.
Umbral Maps 3 – Safe zones, routes almost anywhere. -2 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus one re-roll per story.
Umbral Maps 4 – Several safe places and refuges. – 2 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus two re-rolls per story.
Umbral Maps 5 – You know the Umbra intimately. -3 difficulty to rolls to navigate the Umbra, plus three (!) re-rolls per story.

Kinfolk Backgrounds

Garou Favor

The character has somehow earned a Favor from a Garou. Whatever was done was big in the grand scheme of things and, for that, the character can call in a favor from the Garou who owes the debt. The type of favor is up to the character, but will need to be reviewed with staff to ensure that it’s not under- or overpriced for the points.

Garou Favor 0 – You’re a kinfolk and you’ll be protected as usual, but nothing out of the ordinary
Garou Favor 1 – One favor from a Garou of low rank (0-1).
Garou Favor 2 – One favor from a Garou of medium rank. (2).
Garou Favor 3 – One favor from a Garou of high rank (3-4).
Garou Favor 4 – One favor from a Garou of the highest rank (5).
Garou Favor 5 – One favor from a tribal leader.

Renown

Very few Kinfolk ever gain Renown in the eyes of the Garou. A character’s Renown reflects her standing among the Garou as a result of their deeds and actions in relation to their Auspice and, since Kinfolk don’t have that, gaining Renown is a rarity. Still, sometimes a Kinfolk does something so brave, something so amazing, that the Garou feel that Renown is deserved. This background allows a character to begin the game with some Temporary Renown. Each point can be assigned to Honor, Wisdom, or Glory, and it should be worked out with staff what this amazing feat was and how the character actually pulled it off. No matter how much renown a Kinfolk gains, they may never receive the rank of a Garou.

Renown 0 – Kinfolk doin’ Kinfolk things.
Renown 1 – One temporary point of Renown.
Renown 2 – Two temporary points of Renown.
Renown 3 – Three temporary points of Renown.
Renown 4 – Four temporary points of Renown.
Renown 5 – Five temporary points of Renown.

Mage Backgrounds

Arcane

Arcane represents a character’s ability to, metaphorically speaking, slide between the cracks of reality, and therefore avoid notice. Somehow — the possible explanations are legion — people tend not to notice you, cameras tend to be panning the other way when you walk by, and your database entries tend to be the ones that get corrupted. At higher levels, this can be inconvenient — the cellphone company routinely disconnects lines in your name, or direct deposits get misrouted to someone else’s bank account. Arcane isn’t all positive.

Game mechanically, characters with Arcane subtract a number of dice equal to their dots in this Background from the Perception, Investigation, or other appropriate checks of people who are looking for them … as long as they’re trying to be inconspicuous. This is a change from the book rules, which both subtract dice from others and add dice to your Stealth checks. Making a fuss in public, firing weapons, and so forth will all nullify Arcane for the duration of the scene, although observers will still tend to get some of the details wrong after you’ve left the area.

Arcane is neither invisibility nor a mind-wiping power. If there’s no cover, no one else nearby, nothing to distract potential observers — say, if you’re trying to sneak down a completely empty, bare, and well-lit hallway — Arcane will not help you. Similarly, people who know and have befriended you won’t forget your face and name, although you can still go unnoticed by them if you don’t draw their attention, and they probably have trouble keeping track of your phone number. In essence, if wearing very plain, unremarkable clothes and having a very plain, unremarkable affect won’t help you get away with something, Arcane probably won’t, either.

Arcane cannot normally be turned on and off. Either the world tends to look the other way for you or it doesn’t, with all the benefits and inconveniences that brings. Characters may only have Arcane and Fame at the same time if their total in both combined adds up to 5 or less, and if their Fame is of a sort appropriate to someone who is not personally remarkable.

Arcane 0 – You’re no more unremarkable than average.
Arcane 1 – The clerk at the DMV might have failed to notice you, or they might just be ignoring you.
Arcane 2 – Restaurant waitstaff regularly forget about your order.
Arcane 3 – Police stations are a convenient source of free coffee and donuts.
Arcane 4 – When you wandered off from the White House tour, it took an hour for someone to notice.
Arcane 5 – You might be able to sneak into Area 51.

Avatar

Avatar represents the power, but also the intrusiveness, of a character’s Awakened self. Nearly all Mage characters will have at least one dot in this Background; think carefully and consult with staff before leaving it out entirely. Lower Avatar ratings make for a character who has difficulty with extensive and ambitious magickal workings, but also a character who can live their own life with relatively little interference from their spirit guide, patron deity, inner genius, or what-have-you. A character with a high Avatar, on the other hand, probably has an Awakened self with its own agenda, personality, and goals, in exchange for increased ease of working larger-scale magick.

The character’s actual magickal abilities — Arete, Spheres, and so forth — are not affected by Avatar; a character with a low Avatar can usually achieve the same effect as a character with a higher score if they’re willing to work at it to get the same difficulty modifiers that large Quintessence expenditures provide. Additionally, staff will expect significantly more from characters with a high Avatar when undergoing Seekings — they give more, yes, but they also expect more.

Avatar 0 – You can’t absorb or expend Quintessence at all (unless you have dots in Prime), making elaborate or large-scale magick quite a bit more difficult.
Avatar 1 – You can absorb enough Quintessence at a node to bring your pool to 1, and expend one point per turn. Your avatar is more of an eerie feeling or a series of flashes of intuition than a fully-realized entity.
Avatar 2 – A 2-dot avatar is likely to be a shadowy and somewhat nebulous ideal in the back of the character’s mind. You can absorb or expend two points of Quintessence.
Avatar 3 – You can absorb or expend three points of Quintessence; your avatar is a regular (and not always positive) presence in your life.
Avatar 4 – Your avatar communicates with you on a daily, if not hourly, basis, and its demands represent significant inconveniences. You can absorb or expend four points of Quintessence.
Avatar 5 – An avatar at this level is a near-constant presence in your life, and is likely to insist on pushing you toward situations that may cause you significant psychological discomfort or put you in physical danger, as a way of teaching you “lessons”. You can absorb or expend five points of Quintessence.

Blessing

Blessing represents a minor supernatural ability or characteristic, and an accompanying eerie quirk. The full rules for Blessings are too extensive to go into here; please consult the Mage core book, p.307-308, for more details. At a basic level, however, Blessings are non-combat, story-based (that is, they do not directly modify or enhance a character’s statistics) abilities that fit the character’s Focus and Paradigm and that come with a small, unusual special effect (an eerie breeze, bad luck with games of chance, etc.) that in some way relate to the ability.

A Blessing is usually connected in some way to a powerful figure — a god, mythic hero, or (for technomancers) a particularly influential inventor or creator — to whom the Blessing is tied. King Arthur is unlikely to provide a Blessing involving stealth or trickery, for instance.

Blessing 0 – You have no special Blessings.
Blessing 1 – A trivial benefit; you always season your food just the right amount for it to taste good to you.
Blessing 2 – A minor benefit; you never have trouble finding a parking space. Stores always have your size in stock.
Blessing 3 – A significant benefit; your knitting projects always fit the person they’re meant for.
Blessing 4 – A major benefit; you only need to eat and drink once a month.
Blessing 5 – A remarkable benefit; someone always recognizes you as an old friend and goes out of their way to help you, even if you’ve never met them.

Chantry

Chantry normally describes the resources and influence available to the PCs’ magickal organization, club, sisterhood, etc. TowersMUX does not use the Chantry Background per se; you should instead buy other Backgrounds that reflect the aspects of the chantry that you’d like to have access to — these might be either mundane (Allies, Contacts) or mystical (Node, Sanctum) — and describe them appropriately. Common resources available to all members will be determined by staff and noted in the chantry’s +roster entry.

Cult

TowersMUX does not use the Cult Background; see Ritual Magic for why. Since pretty much the entire purpose of Cult is to make ritual casting more powerful and effective, it’s very difficult to balance for MUX in a way that makes it worthwhile for the person who buys it, without making it excessively good. It’s possible we may allow it in the future if we can come up with a compromise solution we’re happy with, but for the time being it is not permitted.

Demesne

Demesne represents a Dream Realm associated with a particular person, almost always an Awakened Mage. This Realm can be large or small, beautiful or hideous, comforting or horrifying; it’s a place that comes from its creator’s imagination, and therefore the main limits on it are what their creator can imagine. Once established, however, it’s the number of dots invested into the Background that determine how much control its creator has over it. Since a Demesne reflects its creator’s state of mind, it’s a great place to engage in introspection and recollection, and time spend there may help remember things that your subconscious noticed but that you can’t consciously recall, or provide insights or clues on the things going on in your life.

A Mage can always enter their own Demesne with a Perception + Demesne roll (base difficulty 6, possibly modified by unfavorable circumstances), even if they lack the Spheres needed to make the trip. This is a limited form of astral travel (see Umbral Cosmology) that allows the character’s mind to travel exclusively to the Demesne and back. A Demesne has some additional benefits as well; consult the M20 Core Rulebook, pp. 310-311, for more details.

Demesne 0 – You can only venture into the Dream Realms through the Mind Sphere, and you have no special influence over any of them.
Demesne 1 – A dreamscape that’s familiar enough to be recognizable, but one that you’ve hardly begun to plumb the mysteries of.
Demesne 2 – By now you’ve spent enough time here to know the place pretty well as a surface level, and to know there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Demesne 3 – You’ve discovered some of the place’s secrets, and you’re nearly as much at home here as you are in the waking world.
Demesne 4 – Your knowledge of the Realm has few gaps in it; some of its deepest secrets are yours for the taking.
Demesne 5 – There’s very little about your Demesne that you don’t know and understand, no matter how well-hidden.

Destiny

Destiny represents the degree to which someone is fated to play a role (not always a positive one) in the ongoing war for reality. It’s not a guarantee — putting too much faith in prophecy is a great way to get unpleasantly surprised — but the knowledge that you’re meant for great, or at least significant, things can get you through some tight spots. Once per week (RL), if you’re out of Willpower and facing a challenge or stuck in a tight spot, you can roll your Destiny rating versus difficulty 8 and regain one point of Willpower per success.

At some point you may have to face your Destiny — generally, staff will give you the option if you’re part of a particularly momentous storyline, rather than unilaterally decreeing it. Thereafter, you can no longer make use of this Background, and, once the storyline concludes (one way or another) you can replace it with another Background instead.

With thanks to T.Rev:

Destiny 0 – Your Aunt Mildred.
Destiny 1 – Han Solo. You’re involved with a highly Destiny-laden story, but you aren’t a central figure. On the other hand, that means you mostly get to make your own decisions.
Destiny 2 – Conan the Barbarian. Yes, you’re fated to defeat the evil wizard Thoth-Amon and become king of Aquilonia, and yes, you’re the reincarnation of King Kull of Atlantis, but it rarely gets in the way of your drinking.
Destiny 3 – Leia Organa. You’re part of the central drama of your time, and you don’t get much in the way of choice when it comes to your involvement. Even though you may not have ghosts and spiritual gurus kibitzing at you the way your brother does, you’re still a potential Jedi — you just get an actual say in whether you end up meeting that potential or not.
Destiny 4 – John Constantine. You get Mythically Significant Things thrown at you by the universe on a regular basis, and while you can sometimes dodge them, you usually suffer when you do.
Destiny 5 – Luke Skywalker. You’re heir to amazing powers, the Forces of Good look after you personally, you have to do weird visionquest stuff, your arch-enemy is your own father, you’re the key figure in the overthrow of the Galactic Empire, and so on.

Dream

Dream represents the ability, whether through mystical or technological means, to tap into esoteric sources of knowledge — the Akashic Records, the collective unconscious, divine knowledge granted by the gods, or whatever fits your own particular Paradigm. If you can take a little time (generally ten minutes to a half hour) to concentrate on a particular situation, you can roll Perception + Dream versus a difficulty of 6; success allows you to substitute your rating in Dream for that of an Ability of your choice for the remainder of the scene. If you have any dots in that Ability already, your rating in Dream replaces them, rather than adding to them.

If you’re using this Background in a scene run by staff or by a Sanctioned Storyteller, the storyteller has the option to pick which Ability you get, rather than it being entirely up to your preference. In any case, this Background can be used at most once per day.

Dream 0 – You have only your own knowledge to rely on; if you need to learn something new, you’d better hit the books.
Dream 1 – Bits and pieces of information, barely enough to count as a beginner.
Dream 2 – Useful, though still mostly superficial, insights.
Dream 3 – You can connect with something, or someone, that has real expertise on the topic.
Dream 4 – Given a little time, you can draw on knowledge on the level of a respected authority.
Dream 5 – Your esoteric tutors know almost everything there is to know.

Familiar

A Familiar represents a companion of some sort — an animal, spirit, golem, robot, demon, mythical creature, or other being who accompanies you on your adventures, providing advice, assistance, and camaraderie in exchange for a regular diet of Quintessence. A Familiar isn’t a servant or a piece of equipment — it’s an intelligent creature (though levels of intelligence vary) with its own desires and agenda, and it can and will argue with its mage and flat-out refuse to do things it considers ill-advised or too dangerous. The more dots in Familiar, the more independent and outspoken the companion will be.

Both familiar and mage can sense one another’s emotional state. This isn’t telepathy (unless one or both participants have the ability to make it so), but it does let both know when the other is angry, sad, frightened, and so on. While it’s possible to conceal feelings (roll Manipulation + Subterfuge versus the other’s Willpower), it’s also very obvious when this is being done, and it may well corrode the trust necessary for an effective partnership.

Familiars are also highly valued for their ability to absorb or bleed off Paradox. These are nullified at a rate of one per week; the total amount they can absorb depends on the number of dots invested in the Background. Doing this is no fun for a familiar — it’s called “Feast of Nettles” for a reason — and constantly bleeding Paradox into them may cause them to turn uncooperative, or outright leave. The closeness of the bond — which makes Paradox absorption possible — also has severe negative consequences if the familiar is killed (c.f. M20 Core Rulebook, p.316).

Familiars are designed according to the rules in Gods and Monsters, p. 187, with the number of freebie points varying with the number of dots invested; the Bond Sharing ability is free and does not need to be purchased separately. The Abilities purchased for the Familiar replace the Core Rulebook’s “Advice” ability. However, they follow the Core Rulebook guidelines for Quintessence requirements and Paradox nullification, as outlined below; this also obviates the need or ability to purchase Paradox Nullification or Thaumivore. Generally, a PC buying Familiar should also purchase enough dots in Node to cover their Familiar’s diet.

We recommend also consulting the Mage House Rules for additional information on how Familiars on TowersMUX work — in particular if you plan to purchase Charms for your Familiar.

PC Familiars are not supported at this time.

Familiar 0 – You have no familiar, and must rely on your colleagues and mortal friends and their imperfect understanding of you.
Familiar 1 – A helpful familiar, but one of very limited ability. 10 freebie points; requires one Quintessence per week, can absorb up to five points of Paradox.
Familiar 2 – A clever creature or creation who gets into some occasional mischief. Can absorb ten points of Paradox, requires two Quintessence per week, and is built with 20 freebie points.
Familiar 3 – An impressive companion built on 30 freebie points. Requires three Quintessence per week and can absorb 15 Paradox.
Familiar 4 – This level of Familiar probably regards itself as at least your equal. They gain 40 freebie points, require four Quintessence per week, and can absorb up to 20 Paradox.
Familiar 5 – A truly epic Familiar built on 50 freebie points. Five dots indicates a Familiar who probably thinks they’re smarter than you (and may well be right), and at times may come alarmingly close to becoming the dominant figure in the relationship. Can absorb up to 20 Paradox and requires five points of Quintessence per week.

Legend

Legend represents the degree to which a character is linked to some important figure in the human collective imagination — a mythological character, a legendary historical figure, and so on. You might be a reincarnation, a clone, a spiritual heir, or just someone who looks an awful lot like them. The resemblence doesn’t always need to be overt, but anyone who spends enough time around the character should notice some correspondences, especially at higher levels of this Background.

Your connection makes you a little bit of a living Node — once per week you can roll a number of dice equal to your dots in Legend versus a difficulty of 8, and gain that many points of Quintessence (assuming you can store that many, either through a high Avatar rating or via having dots in Prime). This is a change from the book, which specifies varying difficulty. Other Awakened characters who take appropriate roles in your personal legend — a student of the reincarnated Socrates, someone who wallpapers Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s house, and so on — can likewise roll to regain Quintessence.

Also once per week, you can imbue items that are appropriate to your legend — a boat oar for Musashi, a knife for Alia Atreides — with Quintessence, effectively turning them into Tass. You can instill a number of dots equal to your Legend rating, either in multiple objects or all at once, but any Quintessence you use for this purpose must come from your own personal pool or from elsewhere — it’s not free! Any object imbued in this way will also carry appropriate Resonance, which may make it recognizable to people who know you.

Legend 0 – You have no particular connection to any figures of legend.
Legend 1 – An obscure or local legendary figure.
Legend 2 – A figure with some name recognition, but no great popularity.
Legend 3 – The average person on the street has probably heard of the figure you’re connected to, even if they don’t know a lot in the way of details.
Legend 4 – Most people know who this figure is and what they’re famous for.
Legend 5 – It’s hard to find someone in London who can’t tell at least a few stories of this figure.

Mentor

Mentor represents ties to a more experienced member of the Awakened community who is both willing and able to impart useful information. While almost every Mage has a mentor — a person who helped guide them into becoming a part of Awakened society — not all of those relationships continue beyond the original apprenticeship period. A Mentor is generally a member of the same Tradition as their student, and likely shares some, but not necessarily all, Paradigm elements, Practices, and Instruments; their personality and areas of interest should be defined at least loosely in the explanatory +note for this Background.

The number of dots in Mentor represents how helpful the Mentor is ultimately capable of being. A Mentor who cares little for you and won’t lift a finger to help unless bribed probably doesn’t warrant a very high rating even if they’re influential and powerful. On the other hand, “helpful” isn’t the same thing as “friendly” — a very helpful Mentor can still be cold, distant, demanding, and unpleasant.

Mentor 0 – You have no one who’s both willing and able to teach you.
Mentor 1 – A Mentor at this level might be a colleague who’s close to your own level, or a more senior willworker who’s not enthusiastic about teaching. Either way, they can’t or won’t be especially helpful on anything much other than trivial tasks.
Mentor 2 – Someone who’s prepared to lend a hand on minor problems, but lacks the interest or ability to do much more.
Mentor 3 – Your Mentor is experienced enough and invested enough to be able to teach you quite a bit, or offer good advice when it comes to magickal problems.
Mentor 4 – A highly knowledgeable Mentor with extensive influence, who’s also willing to deploy their talents on your behalf.
Mentor 5 – Your Mentor is a major figure in the Awakened community who takes pride in having well-trained and well-educated students.

Node

Node represents a character’s access to a place of power, somewhere they can regularly draw Quintessence from. As one of the primary targets in the Ascension War, nodes (particularly the larger and more powerful sort) tend to be the focus of conflicts between the Traditions and the Union, between the Traditions and other supernatural groups, and sometimes between one Tradition and another — even allies will quarrel over a site that’s powerful enough. Most nodes in the London are in somewhat out-of-the-way places; they will not usually be located in someone’s place of work or place of residence.

Under most circumstances, the Node Background represents a character’s share of one or more nodes that are owned by their chantry, rather than a node that is owned and controlled by the character alone. Privately owned nodes are extremely rare, are generally low-powered, and are likely to be located in even more inconvenient locations than the chantry-owned sort.

A node provides Quintessence and Tass on a weekly basis, although you will need to have a powerful enough Avatar — or dots in Prime — to absorb all of it. Please note that stockpiling of Quintessence and Tass is limited for game balance reasons; see Mage House Rules for details.

Node 0 – You have no regular access to any places of power, and must get by on what you can bargain for from others.
Node 1 – You have a small share of one of your chantry’s nodes; one Quintessence and one point of Tass per week.
Node 2 – Your chantry provides you with a modest stipend of two Quintessence and two Tass per week.
Node 3 – You have access to a moderately powerful flow of mystical energy. Three Quintessence and three Tass per week.
Node 4 – You’ve managed to earn, or bribe, your way into a large share of your chantry’s node(s); four Quintessence and four Tass per week
Node 5 – Chantry leadership clearly thinks your research or other activities warrant the highest level of support. Five Quintessence and five Tass per week.

Past Lives

Past Lives represents an ability to draw on skills and knowledge gained in a previous incarnation. A successful roll of your Past Lives versus difficulty 8 provides you with one bonus die per success, which — for the rest of the scene — you can apply to any Ability roll that’s appropriate for the memory you’ve accessed. Each bonus die can be used on only one roll; if you have to roll the same Ability again in the same scene, you don’t get the benefit of any bonus dice used previously — although you can use them all on the same roll, or split them up, as you prefer. If you botch the Past Lives roll, past memories temporarily overwhelm you, and you’re temporarily incapacitated until you can get hold of yourself.

Generally, Past Lives requires at least a brief meditation in order to use. In scenes run by staff or by a Sanctioned Storyteller, the Storyteller may opt to allow Past Lives to activate instantly in an appropriate situation if you have previously established (typically, in the +note for your Past Lives) a previous incarnation that would fit the bill. You may define up to one specific Past Life for each dot in this Background — although you can still access other, unlisted incarnations when the Background is not being activated instantly.

Past Lives 0 – Even if you believe in reincarnation, you can’t grasp enough of your previous existence to be useful.
Past Lives 1 – Sometimes, just sometimes, there’s a fragment of the past that’s clear enough to help you out.
Past Lives 2 – Things you’ve never seen before often look and feel familiar to you.
Past Lives 3 – Your memories of your past selves are clear enough that you’ve been able to identify some of them.
Past Lives 4 – You regularly notice errors in history books.
Past Lives 5 – Sometimes you’re not sure which incarnation of you is consulting which.

Sanctum

Sanctum represents a place where reality conforms with your character’s Focus (see How Magick Works). You and other characters whose Focus is similar (broadly, two Foci are “similar” if they have at least one common Paradigm element, two common Practices, and two common Instruments) treat any magickal effects cast within the Sanctum as coincidental; characters whose Focus is not similar treat any magickal effects cast within as vulgar. (Effects cast by other characters must use the Paradigm, Practices, and Instruments they have in common with the Sanctum’s owner to benefit from this.) A Sanctum takes some time to establish and requires regular maintenance; while the latter is generally handwaved, if you need to relocate your Sanctum or establish a new one during play, it will involve a wait of approximately one real-world month.

A Sanctum provides an Arcane (q.v.) rating to itself and its contents, equal to its dot rating; this is not cumulative with a character’s Arcane, if any. Additionally, Sanctums provide supplies suited to its associated style of magick, which reduces the difficulty ritual casting performed there. Due to all these benefits, Sanctum costs twice what most Backgrounds do — two dots for one, or 10 XP for one, depending on whether you’re purchasing them in chargen or afterward.

Sanctum 0 – You have no particular place established for working magic.
Sanctum 1 – A tiny Sanctum with a small stock of common ingredients. No difficulty reduction for rituals.
Sanctum 2 – A small Sanctum with a decent amount of common mystical or technical supplies; -1 difficulty to ritual casting.
Sanctum 3 – A modest Sanctum with an extensive stock of common ingredients. -1 difficulty to ritual casting.
Sanctum 4 – A large Sanctum that stocks most common supplies you might need and some rare or unusual ones. -2 difficulty to ritual casting.
Sanctum 5 – An expansive Sanctum that has almost any tool or ingredient you could think of. -2 difficulty to ritual casting.

Totem

Totem represents a pact of mutual assistance made with a powerful spirit of some type. A Totem is part Ally, part Contact, part Mentor, but it isn’t exactly like any of those things. The “Totem Spirits” section in the M20 core rulebook are a good starting point in finding a Totem, as are the Totems available to Garou packs, but neither of these resources are definitive — if you have an idea for something different, talk to staff about it.

The Totem Background is normally only available to Awakened characters whose Focus involves some sort of shamanistic or spirit-working Practices. Characters who rely on binding or compelling spirit entities don’t typically have the kind of mindset that lends itself to forming a Totem bond; neither do characters whose worldviews posit a strong division between the physical and spirit worlds. But, at the end of the day, the rationale for why a particular character should be able to buy this Background is more important to staff than checking boxes off on a list.

As with Sanctum (q.v.), dots in Totem cost twice what most other Backgrounds do, whether bought in chargen or with XP. The more dots, the stronger the bond between character and totem, and the more benefit the character reaps. But a Totem will also require a character to do, or not do, something specific that relates to its interests — the Bans of Werewolf totems are a good place to start — and expect them to complete various other tasks as well. A higher rating in Totem means a more inconvenient Ban and more difficult tasks.

In exchange, a totem spirit provides advice and counsel, often in confusing or elliptical ways; grants additional dice in a particular Ability, selected when the Background is first purchased; grants additional dice in Cosmology, Esoterica, or both; marks you in some way as a member of its extended family; and may possibly appear to help in particularly dire circumstances. Note that Totems as the Awakened know them are not necessarily the same spirits known to the Garou, and, even when they are, this is not a guarantee of good relations. The Get are not going to be friendly to a Mage who’s somehow bonded with Fenris; the most they might do, absent some other reason to be cooperate, is let them leave in one piece as long as they’re respectful about it.

Totem 0 – Whether because your worldview doesn’t support it, because you prefer independence, or because you haven’t found the right one yet, you have no bond with any totem spirit.
Totem 1 – A distant relationship that neither requires or provides much. You see your Totem mostly in visions that aren’t usually very clear, and gain one die in an Ability appropriate to the Totem’s nature. Even most shamans have difficulty in detecting you as someone with a patron spirit.
Totem 2 – Your Totem speaks to you regularly, although its communications are usually cryptic, metaphorical, or allusive. You get two extra dice on the Totem’s Ability. It takes a fair bit of work for even other spirit-workers to identify your Totem, and the average person in the street won’t have a clue.
Totem 3 – A Totem that regularly manifests in the Umbra nearby to provide advice, and sometimes sends its messengers to help you out on minor tasks. You get two dice on the Totem’s Ability, and one extra die in either Cosmology or Esoterica (chosen when the Background is purchased). People who work with spirits recognize you readily as a child of your Totem.
Totem 4 – Even ordinary people can sense something odd about you, and spirit-workers can tell you have a close relationship with your Totem. You gain three dice in the Totem’s Ability, as well as two dice in either Cosmology or Esoterica. Your Totem can manifest itself in the physical world, and in a dire emergency may be willing to aid you in a fight. Expect to spend a long time paying back that debt, if it does …
Totem 5 – Three dice in the Totem’s Ability, two in both Cosmology and Esoterica: you’re obviously favored by your Totem, and the relationship is plain to anyone who interacts with you more than momentarily. You can look forward to regular visits and assistance, but be warned that your Totem will also expect a great deal of you.

Wonder

Wonder represents an object of power. Wonders come in all shapes and sizes, and can be either mystical or technomantic — a vibrosword is just as much a Wonder as Excalibur. By convention, a Talisman is a magickal Wonder that produces Sphere effects on its own; a Device is a Technocratic or Technomantic Talisman; a Fetish is a Wonder that produces Sphere effects through the means of a bound spirit; a Trinket is a Wonder that has been improved or enhanced by Sphere magick but does not create effects on its own; and a Periapt (or Matrix, if technological) is a Wonder that stores Quintessence. This Background covers all five categories of Wonder.

The Magical Items section covers general information on Wonders and other similar objects. While each Wonder is an individual case, in general, Talismans, Devices and Fetishes have a cost equal to the number of dots in the highest Sphere they need to produce their effect, plus one for every additional Sphere needed. That is, a Talisman that creates a Forces 2 effects costs 2 dots; one that creates a Forces 2, Correspondence 2 effect costs 3. All effects of a Talisman/Device/Fetish must be paid for with Background dots; this is a change from the book rule, where such items can have multiple lower-level effects without additional cost. Wonders that create Sphere effects do so at an Arete equal to their dot rating.

A Trinket costs Background dots equal to either the number of dice it adds to a dice pool (magickally bulletproof clothes that add three dice to soak cost three dots), or the highest level Sphere effect required to create it (for Trinkets that don’t add to dice pools). This is a change from the book rule.

A Periapt costs one Background dot for each three points of Quintessence it can store. This is a change from the book rule, where the cost is one dot per five.

Note that the Wonder Background is normally limited to five dots, which places a limit on the number of magickal items a character can typically own. This is intentional and is meant to place the focus more on characters and less on gadgetry.

Wonder 0 – You don’t possess any items of power.
Wonder 1 – You have an object with one minor power.
Wonder 2 – A modestly powerful item that can have up to a two-dot Sphere effect.
Wonder 3 – Your Wonder has significant power, enough that it’s probably coveted by at least a few others.
Wonder 4 – An impressive Wonder with up to a four-dot Sphere effect. Other magi who have compatible Foci regularly pester you for the opportunity to study it.
Wonder 5 – A mighty Wonder that will tempt duelists and thieves who want it for themselves, once it becomes known you have such a thing.

Changeling Backgrounds

Chimerical Companion

Chimerical Companion represents a sentient chimera of some sort that accompanies you on your adventures and acts as a loyal friend and ally. It may be a relatively young chimera that you dreamed into existence yourself, or an ancient creature that has elected to befriend you. Particularly powerful chimera may have their own interests, and the stronger and more intelligent chimera will not necessarily follow your instructions if they think they know better. Still, as long as they’re well-treated, they will do their best to help out when needed, even if not always in exactly the ways you’d like.

Chimerical Companions can run the gamut of almost any type of creature; some are simple ornamental creatures, some are wise and knowledgeable advisors, some are dangerous opponents for anyone who might threaten you. Companions are built using the rules in the C20 Core Rulebook, p.320; please note that the point values for each dot have been adjusted from the book.

Chimerical Companion 0 – If you have a companion at all, it has no game ability worth mentioning.
Chimerical Companion 1 – You have a chimerical pet that can be of some help. (10 points.)
Chimerical Companion 2 – A clever creature with a useful power or two. (20 points.)
Chimerical Companion 3 – A strong ally with a mind of its own. (30 points.)
Chimerical Companion 4 – An impressive companion that likely know more than it admits to. (40 points.)
Chimerical Companion 5 – An old and powerful chimera that’s likely the subject of songs and stories in its own right. (50 points.)

Chimerical Item

Chimerical Item represents the possession of a particular chimerical object that has a significant game-mechanical effect. Chimerical clothes are generally considered part of a character’s voile, and do not require purchase of this Background, no matter how elaborate or showy they might be; chimerical jewels, costly fabrics, exotic beast hides, and so forth have no cost, nor do minor special qualities like a luminous glow, a fiery aura, and so on.

Armour and weapons equivalent to those listed under Equipment 0 are also free of cost — this means armour with statistics equal to reinforced clothing, a biker jacket, a leather duster, or a set of cosplay mail, and weapons with statistics equal to a hatchet, knife, cricket bat, staff, bow, or crossbow. As long as the items are described in ways that make sense (that is, armour should look like armour, and weapons that deal lethal damage should look lethal), they don’t need to appear the same as the items they have the statistics of.

This Background is meant to cover chimerical items above and beyond these basics — a full suit of Sidhe plate armor, a greatsword, a clockwork horse, and so on. Items are rated on the “Creating Chimerical Items” chart on the C20 Core Rulebook, p.317, one rank per dot.

Chimerical Item 0 – No special items beyond your voile.
Chimerical Item 1 – A simple but functional item; armour with a rating up to 3, or most one-handed weapons.
Chimerical Item 2 – A basic item with some additional decorative flourishes; most melee weapons of any sort.
Chimerical Item 3 – An advanced item with that shows considerable craftsmanship; armour with a rating up to 4.
Chimerical Item 4 – A complex item, elaborately crafted and impressive; armour with a rating up to 5, a mechanical unicorn.
Chimerical Item 5 – A masterwork item, like a chimerical airship or a clockwork dragon.

Dreamers

Dreamers represents a number of mortals that a character has cultivated so as to be able to draw Glamour from. The +note for this Background should explain what sort of people you’re drawing from, how it is you inspire them, and what your relationship with them is like. A Dreamer is normally someone you know quite well and have had extended contact with, and they will also usually be willing to help you out with various minor mundane matters, although they don’t rise to the level of a Retinue, Retainer, or Ally.

Your relationship with your Dreamers need not necessarily be a positive one; fear can be as much a source of inspiration as anything else, after all. Whatever the case, though, the game effect is the same: you may add the number of dots in Dreamers as automatic successes to your initial Perception + Kenning roll to initiate Reverie. Dreamers can also be targets for Ravaging in a dire emergency; however, this carries the risk of losing the Dreamer in question. Contact staff if you want to risk it.

Dreamers 0 – You don’t have any special relationships with mortal Dreamers.
Dreamers 1 – You benefit from one Dreamer.
Dreamers 2 – You benefit from two Dreamers.
Dreamers 3 – You benefit from three Dreamers.
Dreamers 4 – You benefit from four Dreamers.
Dreamers 5 – You benefit from five Dreamers.

Holdings

Holdings represents a character’s control over a freehold or portion of one, usually (in London) under a quasi-feudal arrangement with the approval and support of a more powerful landholder. While this does provide a regular income of Glamour, it also carries with it significant IC responsibilities. Even by Changeling standards, freeholds are very rare in the greater London area, and independent freeholds are rarer yet. Any character with significant Holdings is almost certainly a figure in local Kithain politics, whether they want to be or not; most characters who have Holdings, at least in traditionalist circles, will also have some level of Title.

TowersMUX does not currently support PCs with more than three dots in Holdings. Any non-zero level requires approval from two staff members, and three dots requires majority approval from active staff. Having Holdings is a position of OOC as well as IC responsibility, and the player of such a character will be expected to regularly run scenes for other PCs, provide storyline support and plot hooks, and so on. It’s okay if you’re not up for that, and we won’t hold it against anyone who isn’t able to follow through, but we will (regretfully) have to ask you to exchange the Background for another if so.

Holdings 0 – No territory.
Holdings 1 – A tiny freehold that produces one Glamour. Requires approval from two staff members.
Holdings 2 – A small freehold that produces two Glamour. Requires approval from two staff members.
Holdings 3 – A significant freehold that produces three Glamour. Requires majority staff approval.
Holdings 4 – A large freehold that provides four Glamour. Not supported for PCs.
Holdings 5 – A huge freehold that provides five Glamour. Not supported for PCs.

Mentor

A Mentor is a more experienced member of Kithain society who can help guide you through its complexities and puzzles, and perhaps pass along to you some of the knowledge they’ve accumulated. Most commonly, this is the changeling who was responsible for your education after the Chrysalis, but that’s not always the case: some Mentors prefer to wait until their prospective pupil has demonstrated that they can handle themselves among the fae before revealing themselves.

All Mentors have their own goals and interests, which may not perfectly align with yours; they may even be manipulating their students for their own benefit, rather than having genuine concern for them. The more dots in Mentor, the more influential the character is, but the stronger their own interests are as well. Most Mentors will expect something in return for their tutelage, even if that price is not immediately obvious (and if it isn’t, you should probably be at least a little uneasy). The explanatory +note for this Background should outline the Mentor’s areas of interest and expertise, along with their general personality.

Having a Mentor is not a free pass to learn Arts, Realms, Abilities, or Backgrounds without justification; rather, the Mentor should be used as an RP hook in scenes as part of the learning process. The requirements in XP and Advancement still need to be met, but a Mentor allows for at least some of that process to happen in a more controlled and safe environment.

Mentor 0 – You don’t have anyone to teach you, and must learn through trial and error.
Mentor 1 – A Mentor with little power or influence.
Mentor 2 – Your Mentor has some pull in the Kithain world, and has been around long enough to be considered a factor in changeling power games.
Mentor 3 – A figure of considerable knowledge and influence, one who may control a freehold or hold a comparable level of authority.
Mentor 4 – This level of Mentor is closely connected to (or perhaps is) a highly-ranked noble who is a major force in London’s political scene.
Mentor 5 – A Mentor of extraordinary wisdom and power, whose name is widely recognized among European Kithain.

Remembrance

Remembrance is a Changeling’s ability to remember parts of their previous lives, whether in Arcadia (for Arcadian Sidhe) or in the mortal world (for other Kiths). Most Kithain can remember little or nothing of any real use, but some can recall bits and pieces, and a lucky few have fairly clear memories. An Intelligence + Remembrance check (difficulty varying from 6-8) when encountering creatures or objects of the Dreaming can provide some additional information and detail about them.

Remembrance can also substitute for Abiilities, as the character recalls skills that their other selves once possessed. Once per RL week per dot in Remembrance, you can roll your dots in place of any mundane Ability. The explanatory +note for this Background should offer at least some detail on one or more of your previous lives, and what role you may have played in the history of the Kithain.

Remembrance 0 – You have a flash of deja-vu now and then, but can never seem to hold on to those memories long enough to truly grasp them.
Remembrance 1 – An occasional inchoate recollection with little in the way of context or detail.
Remembrance 2 – Periodic, incomplete memories that often raise as many questions as they answer.
Remembrance 3 – Everyday experiences regularly remind you of things you’ve seen or heard before.
Remembrance 4 – Even among others who witnessed some of the same events as your prior incarnations, your recall stands out as exceptional.
Remembrance 5 – You can remember whole previous lifetimes in great detail, making you a storehouse of Kithain history and lore.

Retinue

Retinue represents a group of loyal followers, usually Kinain and mortals (enchanted or otherwise), who you’ve charmed, magicked, or manipulated into your service. While they begin with an assumption of faithfulness, they’re only human (so to speak) and can potentially be bribed, cajoled, or persuaded into betraying you if the price is high enough, if you ask too much of them, or if you regularly mistreat them.

Each member of a Retinue is an individual character with strengths, weaknesses, and skills; the explanatory +note for this Background should include at least a sentence or two on each. As with Retainers (q.v.), expect staff to provide, in the near future, a short list of character templates that can be used to define each member of a Retinue.

Retinue 0 – You have no special servitors.
Retinue 1 – One loyal servant.
Retinue 2 – Two attendants.
Retinue 3 – Four members of your personal retinue.
Retinue 4 – Six followers of various types and expertise.
Retinue 5 – Ten servitors.

Title

Title represents a character’s rank in Changeling society. Unlike in the mortal world, titles are usually — though not entirely — awarded for actual accomplishments, although there are, unsurprisingly, cases where family ties or personal relationships carry the day over skill and a history of success. Most titles carry no Holdings along with them, but they do carry a certain social cachet among the upper echelons of the Kithain. Of course, aggressively egalitarian Changelings may well resent the titled character instead.

The great majority of titles among the fae are those of squire or knight; baronies and above are much less common. While it is most typical for Sidhe to be awarded titles (an additional source of resentment to the other Kiths), it is by no means required; however, acquiring a title does mean accepting the Boon and Flaw of whichever noble house a commoner is adopted into as part of the process.

TowersMUX does not currently support PCs with five dots in Title. Four dots requires majority approval from active staff; three dots requires approval from two staff members. Consultation with staff in advance is strongly recommended if you intend to apply for a character with three or four dots.

Title 0 – Like most Kithain, you hold no title.
Title 1 – A squire, squiress, or esquire.
Title 2 – A knight (sometimes the feminine ‘dame’ is used by traditionalists) or lady.
Title 3 – A baron or baroness.
Title 4 – An earl or countess (the masculine ‘count’ is not used in Britain).
Title 5 – A duke or duchess. Not currently supported for PCs.

Treasures

A Treasure is an item that can create a magical effects by virtue of the Glamour imbued within it. Unlike chimerical items, Treasures exist in both the mortal and the chimerical worlds simultaneously. Holding a Treasure prevents a changeling from forgetting their faerie nature due to Banality, and renders a mortal Enchanted for as long as they are in possession of it. Treasures are considered Magical Items and follow the rules outlined for them, as well as those give here.

The dot cost for a Treasure is based on the level of Art required for the specific effect it can evoke: an item that can evoke a Legerdemain 2 effect costs 2 dots, and so forth. Treasures have only the specific abilities defined at their creation; they lack the flexibility available to a Changeling who knows the Art at the same level, nor do they gain any of the benefits of the Art levels below that of their effect.

The C20 Core Rulebook, p. 324-325, give basic rules for creating Treasures; items that require actions and dice rolls to activate will be granted somewhat more leeway for approval than those that do not. Note that the Treasures Background is normally limited to five dots, which places a limit on the number of magickal items a character can typically own; this is intentional on our part.

Treasures 0 – You possess no Treasures.
Treasures 1 – A minor Treasure that evokes the first level of an Art.
Treasures 2 – An uncommon Treasure that evokes the second level of an Art.
Treasures 3 – A notable Treasure that evokes the third level of an Art.
Treasures 4 – A major Treasure that evokes the fourth level of an Art.
Treasures 5 – A legendary Treasure that evokes the fifth level of an Art.