Influences:
As a singular character you may only buy up to level 3 in any Influences, unless with express permission from a Storyteller. However you may as a group within the MC pool your influences together in order to reach the effects of the higher levels of influences. You must clear ALL Influence actions with storytellers before you RP them in game. Some actions may need you to test, others may require time to complete.
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Bureaucracy
You know the ins and outs of the government, how to deal with red tape. By knowing who to call and which palms to grease, you can bypass rules and regulations or manipulate bureaucratic systems to your advantage. This sway can be useful with zoning concerns, permits, identification papers, or public utilities and facilities. Government clerks at the city and county level, utility workers, road crews, surveyors and other civil servants are potential contacts or allies.
Level Effects
1 Get utility information
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2 Fake a birth certificate or driver's license (basic ID)
Cut off all utilities to a small residence
Close a small road or park for 'construction'
Make some cash disappear ($250)
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3 Fake a death certificate, passport or green card (more advanced ID)
Close a public school for a single day
Shut down a minor business on a zoning violation
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4 Initiate a phone tap
Fake land deeds
Initiate a department-wide investigations
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5 Start, stop or alter a city-wide program or policy
Shut down a big business on a violation
Rezone large areas
Obliterate records of a person on a city or county level (destroy someone's ID)
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Church
The modern church is not as directly in control of the world as it was in the Middle Ages, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have pull. Knowing the appropriate people allows insight into mainstream religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinuism, Shinto, Buddhism). Fringe and alternative groups, such as Scientology or cults, fall under the purview of Occult. Your sway among the church allows you to change religious policies, transfer clergy, and possibly access lores and resources. You may be dealing with ministers, rabbis, priests, bishops, Church sponsored hunters, holy orders, and other various members of the church structure.
Level Effects
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1 Identify most secular members of a specific given faith in the local area
Pass as a member of the clergy under casual perusal
Peruse general church records (baptism, bar/bat mitzvah, confirmations, marriage, burial, etc.)
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2 Identify higher ranking church members by sight or name
Track regular church members
Suspend lay members
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3 Open or close a single church temporarily
Find the average church-associated hunter
Dip into the collection plate ($250)
Access private information and archives of a church
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4 Discredit, transfer or suspend high-level church members
Manipulate regional branches of the church
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5 Organize religious support for major protests
Access ancient church lore and knowledge
Get in touch with church-associated hunter groups
Direct average church-associated hunter towards targets
Finance
The stock market, investment portfolios, and creative accounting are important to a number of organizations. This influence represents your ability to move money around and keep wealth hidden. Your actual available money is a function of your Resources, but Finance influence can be used to start or smother businesses, crush or support banking institutions, alter credit records, or create shell companies. Fortunes are made and destroyed with this sort of pull. CEOs, CFOs, bankers, stockbrokers, loan agents, venture capitalists, and bank tellers are the main sources of contact within this influence.
Level Effects
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1 Follow the local market trends, particularly about major transactions and financial events
Raise some 'extra capital' ($1,000)
Learn about general economic trends
Learn real motivations for many financial actions of others
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2 Trace an unsecured small account
Raise capital to purchase a small business (single, small store)
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3 Purchase a large business (a few small branches or a single large store or service)
Fund a small business
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4 Manipulate local banking (delay deposits, some credit rating alterations)
Ruin a small business
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5 Control an aspect of city-wide banking (shut off ATMs, arrange a bank “holiday”)
Ruin a local large business
Purchase a major company or a percentage of a local corporation
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Health
Garou can heal from virtually any wound, but Health Influence can still help to repair the Veil or to help human Kinfolk (who can't heal as well). Most medical research and development falls under the purview of Health Influence, as does hospital policy and veterinary medicine. People in this field might include coroners, doctors, lab workers, therapists, pharmacists, forensic workers and other specialists.
Level Effects
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1 Access to a person's public health records
Fake vaccination records and other minor medical details
Use public functions of health centers without your insurance premiums going up
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2 Access some medical research records
Have a minor lab work done without raising questions
Get a copy of a coroner's report
Instigate minor quarantines
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3 Corrupt results of tests or inspections
Alter or create medical records
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4 Completely rewrite or destroy medical records
Abuse grants for personal use ($250)
Have minor medical research performed on a subject
Institute large-scale quarantines (call in the CDC)
Shut down businesses for “health code violations”
5 Have special research projects performed
Have people institutionalized against their will or released against recommendation
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High Society
The rich and the pretty move in their own circles. Few Garou find interest in such positions, though there are a few rare exceptions that indulge in the passions and decadence of the rich and famous. Knowing the right people to get into the right clubs, to know what is in style, and being able to sway such things can go a long way. A bit of influence among High Society turns a Garou into a member of the tightest and most exclusive social circles. Contacts in this influence include artists, models, old money, sports figures, rock stars, performers and other trend setting jetsetters.
Level Effects
1 Learn what is trendy and in style
Be 'on the list' for even exclusive shows
Learn about concerts, shows or plays well before they are made public
2 Track most celebrities and luminaries
Be a local voice in the entertainment field
“Borrow” idle cash from rich friends ($1000)
Set minor trends
3 Crush promising careers before they get off the ground
Hobnob well above your station
4 Minor celebrity status, being famous for being famous
5 Get a brief appearance on a talk show that's not about to be canceled
Ruin a new club, gallery, festival or other posh gathering
Be able to declare somewhere the new 'in' place
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Industry
Everyone, from the mafia boss to the corporate management, knows how powerful a union can be. While blue-collar workers are treated and often act like drones, grinding away their lives to make the lives of others more convenient, someone who can mobilize those workers wields a hefty power. Control over Industry Influence sways the actions of the unions, the creation and maintainence of work projects, the safety regulations of factories and the product of manufacturing concerns. Union workers, assembly workers, foremen, engineers, construction workers, manual laborers and all manner of blue-collar workers exist among these ranks.
Level Effects
1 Learn about industrial projects and movements
Learn the important issue to the unions at this time
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2 Have minor projects performed
Dip into union funds or embezzle petty cash ($500)
Arrange small 'accidents' or sabotage
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3 Organize minor strikes or push negotiations off track
Appropriate heavy machinery for a short time
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4 Close down a small plant
Revitalize a small plant
5 Manipulate large local industry
Open a small plant
Legal
Garou rarely have a need for legal representation, but that doesn't mean the world of the law is useless to them. When it does come up, a bit of pull in the legal system can mean the difference between a rend in the veil and a minor incident soon to be forgotten. It can also be useful to helping out kinfolk, or for harassing an enemy and their assets. This influence could be among law schools, firms, judges, DAs, public defenders, paralegals, or even court officers.
Level Effects
1 Get free representation for minor cases
2 Avoid bail for some charges
Have minor charges dropped
Avoid being held in contempt
3 Manipulate legal procedures (minor wills and trusts, court dates)
Access public or court funds ($250)
Get representation in most court cases
4 Issue subpoenas
Tie up or drag out court cases
Have most legal charges dropped
Cancel or arrange parole
5 Close down all but the most serious investigations
Have deportation proceedings held against someone
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Media
One of the most important ways to protect the Veil is to make sure that stories don't get out. When Garou have connections among the media, they can make sure that eyes do not go to the wrong places, that stories disappear, or that certain details are left out of stories that are told. This influence can be used to alter or crush news stories, sway public opinions, or control the operations of local news stations. Contacts in Media can include DJs, editors, reporters, camera or boom mike operators, photographers, writers, and on-air personalities.
Level Effects
1 Learn about breaking stories early
Submit small articles such as editorials or minor investigations (within reason)
2 Suppress (but not stop) small articles or reports
Get hold of investigative reporting information
3 Push a reporter towards a specific investigation or report
Get a hold of an expense account ($250)
4 Stop stories and investigations
Broadcast fake stories (local only)
5 Kill small local articles or reports completely
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Occult
There is more in the world than is dreamed of in the modern mind. Garou, being part of that world beneath the world, are aware of the many strange things, but separating fact from fiction can be difficult, and a function of Abilities. Influence among the Occult can help you gain more knowledge, have an ear into the hidden sects, cults, and fringe groups in the area, or find unusual components for rituals. This could include cult leaders, religious groups, charlatans, occult bookshop owners, and a few of the more dangerous types.
Level Effects
1 Contact members of common occult groups and learn their practices
Know some of the more visible occult figures
2 Know and contact some of the more obscure occult figures
Access resources for most rituals and rites
3 Know the general territory staked out by certain supernatural entities and (possibly) contact them
Access vital or rare material components
Milk impressionable wannabes for bucks ($250)
Access rare occult tomes and writings
Research a Basic rite
4 Research an Intermediate rite
5 Unearth Advanced rites
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Police
The police do not protect or serve the Garou; more often than not, their as much a hindrence as a help. However, pull among the police can help protect the Veil, to harass enemies, or to get access to investigations and evidence. Contacts among the Police can include officers of all ranks, clerical staff, prison guards, special divisions, even dispatchers or highway patrolmen.
Level Effects
1 Learn police procedures and miranda rights
Hear police information and office rumors
Get traffic tickets 'taken care of'
2 Have license plates checked
Avoid minor violations (first conviction)
Get “inside information”
3 Get copies of an investigation report
Have police hassle, detain or harass someone
Find bureau secrets
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4 Access confiscated weapons or contraband
Have some serious charges dropped
Start an investigation
Get money, either from the evidence room or as an appropriation ($1000)
5 Institute major investigations
Arrange setups
Instigate bureau investigations and internal affairs
Have officers fired
Political
Garou don't like vampires; they don't like the bloodsucking creatures of the night that get into office either. Sometimes, though, a little nudge in party policy or a few favors from the city coroner can be endlessly helpful. Political influence allows for blackmail, bribery, vote shaving, calling in favors, or gentle reminders of those unrealeased photos to shift the local political climate. Some contacts within this influence might include pollsters, election judges, lobbyists, activists, spin doctors, mayoral aides, party members, or even people in the governer's office.
Level Effects
1 Initiate or prevent minor lobbying
Separate the true aims of local politicians and parties
Be “in the know”
2 Meet small-time politicians, get invited to fund raising parties
Garner inside information on process, the passage of laws and the like
Use a slush fund or get a hold of the results of the fundraiser ($1000)
3 Sway or alter political projects (local parks, renovations, small construction)
4 Enact minor legislation
Dash careers of minor politicians
5 Get your candidate in a minor office
Enact encompassing legislation
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Street
Life on the street is hard, and those who manage to survive there tend to support one another. They protect each other, keep one another aware of potential threats; they know where to go, where not to go, and all the little tricks it takes to survive on the cold hard streets. Connections in this Influence could include the homeless, gang members, petty thieves, prostitutes, drifters, panhandlers, residents of slums or even members of the "deviant" cult
Level Effects
1 Keep an ear out for the word on the street
Identify most gangs and know their turfs, calling cards, colors and habits
2 Live mostly without fear on the underside of the city
Keep a contact or two in most aspects of street life
Access small-time contraband
Be able to survive on the street and off the grid
3 Get insight into other areas of Influence
Arrange some services (graffiti, minor harassment, etc)from street people or gangs
Get pistols or uncommon melee weapons
4 Mobilize groups of homeless
Panhandle or hold a “collection” ($250)
Get hold of a shotgun, rifle or SMG
Have a word in almost all aspects of gang operations
5 Control a single medium-sized gang
Arrange impressive protests by street people
Begin or end local gang turf wars
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Transportation
The flow of goods and people within and between cities is the purview of Transportation. Sway in this area can mean the difference between crossing a city unmolested or ending up in a fight with the leeches and fomori that call the city home. It allows for smuggling contraband and causing travel delays as well. Uses of this influence are accomplished by working with bus drivers, truckers, pilots, railroad workers, taxi dispatch, road construction workers and the like.
Level Effects
1 Procure transportation routes and shipping schedules
Travel quickly for free, locally
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2 Track a target who's using public forms of transport
Ensure travel safe from ordinary threats, like violent gangs
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3 Interfere with a particular target's ability to get places
Ensure travel safe from extraordinary threats, like hostile vampires
4 Temporarily close down an entire form of transportation locally (buses, the airport, light rail, etc.)
Procure a fare box ($500)
5 Reroute or reschedule major shipping lanes or public transportation
Fearlessly smuggle any kind of contraband
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Underworld
Out of the law's sight, a community thrives on its own brutal codes of honor and revenge. Organized crime, gambling, weapons, prostitution, drugs and hit men are the province of this influence. It takes an iron will, subtlety and brutality in turns to manipulate these circles with skill.
Level Effects
1 Locate minor contraband (pot, knives, small-time gambling, counterfeit tickets, etc.)
2 Procure hard drugs, unregistered handguns, and stolen vehicles
Get a thug to beat someone up
Sell stolen goods or obtain illicit cash ($1000)
3 Obtain any illegal firearm - rifles, shotguns, submachine guns
Contract a minor assassination
Arrange a meeting with a local organized crime family
4 Connect with a player in white-collar crime
5 Arrange arson or major assassinations
Become the local drug dealer
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University
Hallowed halls of higher learning and research comprise the University Influence. By talking with the right academics, you can translate ancient languages, dig up obscure historical information, examine experimental research, and manipulate impressionable student organizations. University covers not only colleges, universities and technical schools, but also fraternities and sororities, respected academic associations, and elementary through high schools.
Level Effects
1 Learn policies and layouts of campus
Access minor school resources
Obtain high school transcripts
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2 Find an expert in an unusual Ability
Fake high school documents
Get college transcripts
Use university facilities for a private project
3 Get the faculty to do you a favor
Reschedule or cancel a class
Fix or destroy a student's grades
4 Agitate students, organizing protests or rallies
Advance or destroy a professor's career
5 Forge a degree