Table of Contents

Unlike Attributes and Abilities, Backgrounds are the mechanical representation of all the external things a character has: relationships, material wealth, social status, and so on. Because of this, there has to be a rational reason as to why they came to have them. Who are they pretending to be with an alternate identity? What made them famous among a certain circle of people? If your character concept is fleshed out enough, these shouldn't be hard to come up with.

Of course, Generation isn’t exactly bound by these rules. While Kindred of higher generations are generally younger and vice versa, that doesn’t always have to be the case. You would, however, still have to explain why a couple centuries old 7th gen vampire would embrace a 20-something in the modern nights.

Unlike other Traits, Backgrounds can’t be bought with experience, and are instead raised through roleplay and downtime . If you’re interested in increasing a Background rating, contact a Storyteller to discuss the requirements and set up an extended roll. Allies are close friends, family, and others you can rely on without coercion. Although they might not always be able to assist you, they’re generally willing to, as long as you keep your relationship on good terms.

A single dot in Allies represents a single person, mortal or vampire, although more dots can be pooled together to represent someone more influential. Each dot allotted towards a single ally represents two background dots at their disposal. Within the range of their dots, these allies can be almost anything: your best friend from college (Contacts 1, Resources 1), the local PD’s sheriff (Contacts 2, Influence 2), your clan’s Primogen (Status 2, Contacts 2, Resources 2), or greater still. Of course, having an Ally significantly above your own paygrade definitely takes some explaining to do, and if you aren’t genuinely friends/family, they’d probably make more sense as a Contact.

It’s important to note that these background dots don’t contribute to your own pool; they aren’t freely accessible. Constantly begging for money from your best friend is a great way to lose said friend, like how running afoul of someone higher up the chain can easily cost more than your pride.

Allies can be taken in any combination up to your Generation Maximum. Thus, you might have Allies 4 for four individual retainers, two Allies each worth 2 dots, or two Allies worth 3 dots and 1 dot respectively.

An ally of negligible influence (2 background dots)
An ally of notable influence (4 background dots)
An ally of greater influence (6 background dots)
An ally of impressive influence (8 background dots)
An ally of renown influence (10 background dots)

You go by another identity, whether to partake in organized crime, infiltrate an opposing Sect, or merely to keep those closest to you safe. The dot rating of your Alternative Identity determines how well documented it is; a single dot might reflect an informal identity such as a seperate name, while three implies impressively thorough records, including official government documentation and specialized licenses.

Whenever someone attempts to investigate your identity, or find information about your true identity, you apply a dice penalty to their roll equal to your dots in Alternative Identity. You also might be asked to add your Alternative Identity to dice pools that require you to socially maneuver with the identity in question.

You can still possess Alternative Identity dots in combination with other backgrounds such as Status, Influence, and Fame. However, in order to attribute these Traits to your alternative persona instead of your true identity, your Alternative Identity rating must be equal or higher. Thus, an Alternative Identity rating of 2 would be enough to shroud Fame 1 or 2, but not 3 or higher.

A few people know you by a different name.
You have a reasonably done fake ID and a few simple records in that name.
As far as the government is concerned, you are who you claim to be.
Your identity is iron-clad, with an expansive paper trail, and a convinced social circle.
Witness Protection wishes they could afford the same level of security.

You know people, and these people can supply what you need provided you work them correctly. While Allies represent trusted friends and family you can rely on, Contacts are largely those you can buy, bribe, or make bleed to get information or resources.

Each dot in Contacts gives you one major contact, mortal or Kindred, within one of the spheres of Influence (Corporate, Education, Faith, High Society, Law Enforcement, Media, Online, and Political). These individuals should be detailed before play begins: who they are, how you know them, and what they can provide. While it’s assumed they’re somewhat competent in their field, they might not necessarily be the most well-known or liked—both of which being prime routes for exploitation. Sure, having the ear of the deputy sheriff isn’t as great as the sheriff himself, but that deputy might do just about anything to secure that title…

While you can have contacts in Spheres you don’t possess (that’s what they’re there for, after all), being able to pull your own weight does come in handy. A Storyteller might permit the addition of your Sphere dots to rolls when attempting to gain from related Contact as you dangle your status above them.

You also have a number of minor contacts. These are the clerks, beat cops, and bouncers that are street-level passing acquaintances you know by virtue of getting around. To interact with them, roll Contacts + Influence of the corresponding Sphere (difficulty 7), getting into contact with one per success.

One contact
Two contacts
Three contacts
Four contacts
Five contacts

Unwaveringly loyal and unquestioning, both urban and rural Kindred alike have good reasons for making use of their wilder counterparts. Distinct from Retainers, Critters encompass the animals your character keeps, whether ghouled or otherwise.

The vast majority of average retainers, such as ghouled dogs, vermin, and certain birds, are worth a single dot each. When creatures start getting larger (horses), unusual (alligator), or more difficult to train (bears), their individual rating increases. Because of the difficulty associated with keeping such animals, you cannot possess a Critter with a higher rating than your Animal Ken.

Multiple dots can also be spent on improving individual, lower-rated animals, representing both in-depth training and the age of older ghouls. For each dot above the animal’s normal rating, bonuses starting with the first dot can be added. The adjustment to their stat blocks is to be noted on their domitor’s sheet.

Each ghouled animal always possesses one discipline dot. Animals are only eligible for Physical disciplines (Celerity, Fortitude, Potence), as they lack the mental faculties required to comprehend anything more advanced. Critters all have a maximum Discipline rating of 3 dots, and cannot exceed 5 in any Attributes or Abilities.

Much like Retainers, so long as your Generation Maximum isn’t exceeded, Critters can be taken in any combination. Thus, a normal 13th Generation character could have multiple Critters, as long as their total combined ratings don’t exceed 5 dots.

Characters can possess ghouled animals that aren’t represented by the Critters background, but these animals will exist exclusively in a narrative manner. They won’t be able to be used for any mechanical purposes, such as scouting or fighting.

Normal pets (dogs, rats); +2 ability dots
Large domestic animals (horses, oxen); +1 discipline dot
Wild animals (wolves, most bears); +2 attribute dots
Exotic animals (monkeys, big cats); +1 discipline dot
Unique animals (polar bears, komodo dragons); +1 Willpower dot, +1 attribute dot, +2 ability dots, certain merits at Storyteller discretion

Example: Rufus the Gangrel has a faithful ghouled hound, Rusty. Rusty on his own is worth Critters 1, and is able to take Potence 1 as his discipline dot. However, to represent the many years of training and vitae, Rufus has decided to dedicate three total background dots to Rusty. The two additional Critters dots give Rusty two extra ability dots, and one extra discipline dot, which are devoted to Brawl, Survival, and Fortitude. This is notated on Rufus’ sheet as: Rusty (large dog; Potence 1, Fortitude 1, Brawl +1, Survival +1).

Domain is physical territory which your character controls. As small as a large building, and up to as large as entire city regions, this area provides your character with influence, resources, and potentially even other Kindred to support their nightly activities. Domain cannot be taken at character creation and must be earned throughout play.

To earn Domain, a character must make an extended claim roll. The number of dice rolled is equal to the number of PCs (Kindred, ghouls, and dhampir significantly active in Kindred society) actively supporting the character’s claim, while the base difficulty is 3 + the Domain’s rating. Domain claims don’t need to start at 1, but a character can’t claim a Domain of a size that exceeds their Leadership rating. A Domain with a difficulty of 10 is considered impossible to claim.

A block/building (a large warehouse)
Several blocks or buildings (part of an industrial park)
A neighborhood (Skid Row)
A district (Chinatown)
A small city/region of a city (Santa Monica, Downtown LA)

This difficulty is further modified by other circumstances (and can be reduced to a minimum of 2):

• Merits and Flaws
• High population area (+1)
• Encompasses a landmark (+1)
• Unfamiliar with area (+1)
• Multiple supporters are owned by the player claiming territory (+1)
• Reclaiming a previously lost domain (+2)
• Low population area (-1)
• Haven located in area (-1)

This roll is made once per night by the character claiming the Domain, with a goal of the Domain’s rating x 5 successes. Willpower is applicable.

Upon reaching the success goal, the character gains the following:

• Dots of Domain equal to it’s rating
• Rating x 2 dots to distribute to Domain-specific backgrounds. These backgrounds must logically represent what already exists in the Domain, and are submitted for approval by a Storyteller.
  • Community — the number of NPC Kindred living inside the Domain; uses the same numbers as Herd. Cannot exceed Domain rating.
  • Influence — the character’s stake in mortal affairs within the Domain, such as the local police department.
  • Resources — the amount of usable assets or sources of income in the Domain, such as morgues for blood or racketeering rings.
  • Renown — the Domain’s personal fame/reputation around Kindred society. Cannot exceed Domain rating.

Upkeep

After a Domain is established, the character must continue to maintain it. This is represented by a roll made once per week, with the player choosing between Charisma + Leadership or Manipulation + Intimidation. The difficulty of this roll is their Domain rating + their Domain’s Community rating. This difficulty can be lowered by half their number of PC supporters (rounded up, to a minimum of 2). A scene written week-of that details the character actively tending to their Domain in some capacity further reduces this difficulty by one.

Willpower is not applicable for this roll, but merits, flaws, and specialties are at Storyteller discretion. Any roll reduced to a difficulty of 2 or less automatically succeeds, and a roll doesn’t need to be attempted.

Failing or forgetting this roll increases the difficulty by one for the next week. Once the difficulty exceeds 10, the Domain starts to suffer a serious complication, which can lead to the loss of the Domain or worse if action isn’t immediately taken to resolve it. As successful rolls are made, the difficulty lowers by one per week until back to its normal rating.

If a player is going to be absent, this roll can be taken over by another appointed character. The absent PC must be removed from the dice pool calculation until the player is once again active.

Increasing Domain Size

To increase a Domain’s size beyond its original rating, a new set of claim rolls will be required at the new difficulty. The success goal starts over at 0, not at whatever was previously achieved by their last set of claim rolls. Once the goal is met, the difference in background dots is awarded.

Should an effort to increase a Domain’s size be abandoned, the Domain persists at its previous rating. Nothing is lost in the attempt to increase a Domain’s size.

Supporter Bonus

While supporters themselves won’t be able to take Domain dots, they’ll still be able to benefit from them.

• Hunting within their Domain reduces the difficulty by an amount equal to half the Domain’s rating (rounded up).
• Add Domain rating as additional dice to certain Ability rolls inside the Domain (Streetwise, Survival, Stealth, Investigation, etc.) at Storyteller discretion.

You enjoy widespread recognition among mortal society, whether for good or for ill. You might be a professional athlete, a known actor, trending internet personality, an accredited researcher within your scientific community, or even a heinous criminal in a high-profile trial.

Regardless of the source of your Fame, people know of you. This can have a variety of benefits, from generating Influence or Resources, to making hunting easier, however it can also boast a host of challenges for someone trying to maintain the Masquerade.

At this time, characters are ineligible to start with or earn Fame beyond the third dot.

You’re a name in specific subcultures; a locally renown punk band, or numbering among the city’s one-percent.
You’re a minor celebrity; a local news anchor, or a college athlete.
The paparazzi doesn’t give a shit about you, but Debra certainly does; you likely have a couple million subscribers on social media.
A full-blown celebrity, the paparazzi absolutely give a shit about you.
There are few people who’ve never heard your name or what you’ve done.

Generation represents the purity of your blood, and how closely you descend from the first of your kind, determining how powerful you are compared to your peers. Your Generation is always one less than your sire’s, unless you’ve taken to unscrupulous means of thickening your vitae.

All characters begin at the 13th Generation, with a Blood Pool Maximum of 10, and the ability to spend 1 Blood Point per turn. Each dot in Generation lowers your effective Generation by one, increases your Blood Pool Maximum by one, and can even permit you to spend multiple points of blood per turn.

Rarely, there are characters that exceed the normal rating for Generation, reaching seventh and even lower. Such powerful Kindred are capable of feats no normal vampire would ever dream of, with their Generation Maximum (the maximum rating of each of their Traits) increasing by one for each dot above five.

Twelfth Generation: 11 blood pool, can spend 1 blood point per turn
Eleventh Generation: 12 blood pool, can spend 1 blood point per turn
Tenth Generation: 13 blood pool, can spend 1 blood point per turn
Ninth Generation: 14 blood pool, can spend 2 blood points per turn
Eighth Generation: 15 blood pool, can spend 3 blood points per turn

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

Three vessels
Seven vessels
15 vessels
30 vessels
60 vessels

Vampires have long pulled the strings behind the scenes, making a marionette out of mortal society. Influence is a measure of how much influence you have over the human population at large, and narrows down which specific pies your fingers are in.

In order to more accurately define where your influence lies, whenever you take a dot in Influence, you must decide which area of mortal life you’ve stuck your claim. These areas are known as Spheres of Influences. Your total Influence dots, regardless of whether or not they’re spread among different Spheres, can’t exceed your Generation Maximum.

Regardless of where your Influence applies, whenever wanting to exercise your control, rolls will require you to roll with Influence in place of an Ability (such as rolling Manipulation + Influence (Education) to try and waive someone’s UCLA tuition fee).

Influence easily goes hand-in-hand with Contacts, and might be the way you explain your amount of sway in different areas. It can also lead to dots in Fame, since the ultra-successful are those the media tend to focus on. Generally, those with three or more dots in a single Sphere should have some dots in Fame unless they purposefully kept out of the limelight (such as through Alternative Identity).

At this time, characters are ineligible to start with or earn Influence beyond the third dot.

Currently, the available Spheres are Corporate, Crime, Education, Faith, High Society, Law Enforcement, Media, Online, and Political.

District influence
City influence
State influence
Regional influence
Global influence

This Trait represents someone who looks out for you, offering guidance or aid as they see fit. Most often, mentors come into play when teaching you something, but not always. They may also offer advice, speak to authorities on your behalf, steer others clear of you, or warn you when you’re walking into situations you don’t understand.

Most often your Mentor is your sire, but it could be any person with an interest in your wellbeing. A high Mentor rating could even represent a group of like-minded individuals, such as an Anarch gang, or the executive suite of a particularly affluent corporation.

The actual relationship between you and your Mentor is determined by the player, and in some small part by the mentor’s rating. A doting sire might not be very impressive in a literal sense, but their accessibility might rate them higher than a powerful, centuries-old creature that occasionally graces their charge with cryptic, nonsensical advice.

Mentors below a rating of three don’t typically have much to offer, as their lack of power, dubious accessibility, or fleeting interest render their aid negligible in your night-to-night existence. At three dots or higher, your Mentor has a vested interest in keeping you safe, and very well may have the strength or resources to do so. As a general rule, a Mentor is able to offer direct assistance a number of times per story equal to their rating. Direct assistance can be anything from instruction in a discipline, to a donation of funds, or pulling you out of a threatening situation. How well they can provide is likewise up to their dot rating (such as providing ritual texts up to a level equal to their rating), although exceptions may exist at Storyteller discretion.

A mentor of little importance or with only a fleeting interest in you; a young neonate or a bored elder.
A mentor of greater importance or mild interest in you; an established Kindred or a professional mentor within your trade.
A mentor of notable power or a vested interest in you; a well-known name around the city or a helicopter sire.
A mentor of significant power or a dedicated interest in you; a fascinated, clingy elder, or a seasoned gang of Anarchs.
A mentor of extreme power or an excessive interest in you; the Baron of a significant domain, or one of the wealthiest individuals in the region.

For beings that can exist without food and other such necessities, a vampire’s wants quickly overshadow their needs. Whatever they have, Resources governs it: their haven, what things they keep around, how much money they’re making off their exploits (or lack thereof), and personal staff at their disposal.

Most characters with a single dot in Resources have enough to get by for their given locality. They can maintain a shoddy Haven, have clean changes of clothes, and maintain an active data plan, even if additional luxuries are few and far between. Additional dots imply nicer havens, personal vehicles, other properties, and more. Conversely, characters with no dots in Resources might not be entirely destitute, but they aren’t exactly going to have what they need readily available.

Aside from basic necessities, Resources also assumes you have a certain amount of disposable income available for your nightly escapades, removing the need for any minute bookkeeping. However, particularly large purchases might still be outside their reach, requiring the liquidation of assets and savings, represented by the expenditure of a Resources dot.

Sufficient: You’ll make rent and keep the lights on, and might even have a beater of a car to drive around. Only the smallest nightly purchases fit inside your budget.
Moderate: You’re firmly in the middle class, with an average haven, a functional vehicle, and newer model accessories. Moderate nightly spending won’t break the bank, with a few larger indulgences throughout the year sustainable with a little foresight.
Comfortable: Better off than most, you likely own a home and the land it sits on as opposed to an apartment. Your car is newer if you drive, but rideshares are just as affordable, as are most expenses that crop up throughout the night. Only larger purchases will have a noticeable impact.
Wealthy: You have little need for cash, with much of your wealth stored in much more stable, tangible forms. A large, impressive haven, or multiple smaller properties, isn’t an impossibility, and neither are hiring a handful of staff to tend to them. If you don’t have a driver, your vehicle is certainly new; if it isn’t, buying a new one wouldn’t put you out much at all.
Absurdly Wealthy: Money is no object. Even between your countless homes and luxury modes of transportation, you always have the funds for whatever you might desire. Even the most extravagant purchases won’t threaten your positions, much to the shock, awe, and speculation of the average joe.

Retainers are the loyal human or ghoul assistants that aid you nightly. Unlike Allies and Contacts, these individuals have a vested interest in serving you, although their reason for doing so is usually due to the Blood Bond eroding their choice in the matter. Others might be Dominated into compliance, Entranced, or simply paid a salary to continue working in your favor. Of course, keeping a Retainer without some means of control is possible, but ill-advised, given the problems that may arise from an unchecked mortal knowing where you daysleep.

Dots in the background can be spent on individual retainers, or combined to represent a stronger retainer. Each dot beyond the first allows their sheet to be more fully realized, with the fifth dot being as well-rounded as a genuine PC, if you’re a fan of putting all your eggs in one basket…

Retainers can be taken in any combination up to your Generation Maximum. Thus, you might have Retainers 4 for four individual retainers, two Retainers each worth 2 dots, or two Retainers worth 3 dots and 1 dot respectively.

Regardless of dot rating, Retainers are unable to spend Willpower for automatic successes on rolls they make.

Chump: A statblock for a mortal, ghouled or otherwise
Average: a mortal or vampire sheet without any freebies or experience
Adept: a sheet with the standard amount of freebies for the character type, no experience
Skilled: a sheet with standard freebies and 25 experience
Prized: a sheet with standard freebies and 50 experience

You have something of a reputation and standing within the local community of Kindred. Within the Free State of LA, this normally signifies some sort of clout or title within the Anarch Movement, although not always. Status can only be taken at character creation at Storyteller discretion, and should normally be earned throughout play.

To earn Status, the character must first achieve Domain 3 with a Community 2 rating, and have scenes demonstrating their commitment to their territory, and leading those who reside within. Once a player believes they qualify for an acquisition of, or an increase in, Status, they must first contact a Storyteller. If the agreement is mutual, a scene must then be opened to contextualize this growth of their reputation. This scene will be written as a solo, unless the Storyteller decides to run it for the player in question.

At a narratively appropriate moment during the scene, the player makes their capstone roll. This is either Charisma + Leadership or Manipulation + Subterfuge (whatever they use for their upkeep rolls), but may differ at Storyteller discretion. The difficulty of this roll is 4 + their intended new Status rating. Willpower may not be applied, but certain merits, flaws, and specialties might. Non-Anarch aligned (Camarilla or Independent) characters suffer an additional +1 to their roll difficulties due to how heavily the Movement dominates the landscape of the Free State.

A success means they’ve qualified for their increase in Status, but can only apply for it once their capstone scene is approved of by a Storyteller and properly logged. Failure means they haven’t yet qualified, while a botch actively harms their current reputation. After failed or botched attempts, the Storyteller will determine the period they must wait until trying their capstone again.

Earning Status as a Supporter

Supporters of Domains can still earn Status, although they have an additional requirement. On top of their Domain needing to be well-established (Domain 3, Community 2), the owner of their Community will need to have earned their own Status. A supporter can’t earn a Status rating that exceeds their Domain’s owner, which might necessitate some shake-ups for Kindred that’ve become particularly ambitious.

Earning Status Independent of a Domain

Individuals not supporting a Domain can still gain Status at Storyteller discretion.

Known: You’re an up-and-comer, although not everyone sees it yet. You’re afforded minimal respect by some Kindred.
Respected: By now, you’ve proven you can make things happen and hold your own. Your name hasn’t spread far, but those who’ve heard it consider you reliable.
Influential: Your opinion has started to carry weight to greater numbers of Kindred, even if said Kindred aren’t happy about it. You’re a moderately-known figure, and Kindred close to you look to you for direction.
Powerful: You have a great deal of influence within the city. Even Kindred you don’t directly oversee afford you some manner of respect and your opinions consideration, looking to you for guidance. There’s few within the city who haven’t heard your name.
Luminary: You’re one of the leaders of the community, whether official or otherwise, and there isn’t a lick in the city that hasn’t heard something or other about you. Many consider your word to be law, and few would risk earning your ire.

A custom background to LA in Anarchy, Viscosity is a measure of how much thicker your vitae is beyond its natural Generation. Most often this is due to Diablerie, but Los Angeles is known to have some odd, spontaneous effects on the blood of local Kindred.

Functionally, each dot in Viscosity acts as a single dot in Generation, potentially lowering them below the 8th Generation, alongside some other benefits. While these benefits increase with rating, the penalties get steeper, including flaws, the Methuselah’s Thirst, and worse.

At this time, Viscosity cannot be taken at character creation. It exists as exclusively as an event reward.

Lower your Generation by one, assign one discipline dot, and take a one point Flaw from the list below.
Lower your Generation by two, assign two discipline dots, four ability dots, and take two points in Flaws from the list below.
Lower your Generation by three, assign four discipline dots, six ability dots, two points of Flaws from the list below, and either Methuselah's Thirst or Diablerie Addict.
Lower your Generation by four, assign six discipline dots, eight ability dots, three points in Flaws from the list below, and both Methuselah's Thirst and Diablerie Addict.
Lower your Generation by five, assign eight discipline dots, ten ability dots, take four points in Flaws from the list below, both Methuselah's Thirst and Diablerie Addict as Flaws, and decrease your Conscience/Conviction by 2. (Those reduced to zero must buy at-least the first dot back to be considered playable.)