Influence
If you have played in the live action version of White Wolf's Vampire game you'll already be familiar with these rules. Dark Embrace plans on using these rules as well, as they are more robust and detailed than the overpowered background 'Influence'. Also note that areas of Influence doesn't necessarily mean there is an overlap. Church: Mormons is vastly different than Church: Roman Catholic. The site will have a limited number of influence points available for players to grab. So it will be possible that a character might not be able to grow their influence until certain problems are tackled.
Bureaucracy
Examples:
1. Trace utility bills.
2. Fake a driver's license or birth certificate; Disconnect a small residence's utilities; Temporarily close a small road
3. Fake a passport, green card, or death certificate; Close a public school for a day; Shut down a minor business on a violation
4. Initiate a phone tap; Fake land deeds; initiate department wide investigation
5. Initiate or alter a movement for a city-wide program or policy; Rezone areas; Obliterate city and county records of a person
Church
Examples:
1. Pass as a member of the clergy; Peruse general church records (baptism, marriage, burial, etc.)
2. Track regular congregation members; Suspend lay members
3. Open or close a single church; Look for the average church-associated hunter; Access to private archives of a church
4. Discredit or suspend higher-level members; Manipulate regional branches
5. Organize major protests; Access ancient church lore
Finance
Examples:
1. Learn about major transactions and financial events; Learn real motivations for financial actions; Raise capital
2. Trace an unsecured small account; Raise capital to purchase a small business
3. Purchase a large business
4. Manipulate local banking (delay deposits, credit alterations); Attempt to ruin a small business
5. Control an aspect of citywide banking (shut off ATMs); Purchase significant control of a major company
Health
Examples:
1. Access a person's health records; Fake vaccination records; Get blood
2. Access to some medical research records; Have minor lab work done; Get a copy of a coroner's report
3. Instigate minor quarantines; Corrupt results of tests or inspections; Minor alterations to medical records
4. Acquire a body; Institute large-scale quarantines; Shut down businesses for "health code violations"
5. Suggest special research projects; Have people institutionalized or released; obtain a license to practice medicine from the State Medical board.
High Society
Examples:
1. Learn about performance events well before the public; Obtain hard-to-get tickets; Get invited to parties Track celebrities and luminaries; Be a local voice in the entertainment field
2. Discredit promising rising careers; Hobnob well above your station
3. Minor celebrity status
4. Appear on a major talk show; Ruin a new club, gallery, or other high-society gathering
5. Too high for this setting
Industry
Examples:
1. Learn about industrial projects and movements
2. Have minor projects performed; Arrange small "accidents"
3. Organize minor strikes; Appropriate machinery for a short time
4. Revitalize or close down a small plant
5. Manipulate large local industry
Legal
Examples:
1. Get free representation for small cases
2. Avoid bail for some charges; Have minor charges dropped
3. Manipulate legal procedures (small wills, court dates); Get good representation
4. Issue subpoenas; Tie up court cases; Have many charges dropped; Cancel parole
5. Close down all but the most serious investigations
Media
Examples:
1. Learn about breaking stories early; Submit small articles
2. Suppress small articles or reports; Get hold of investigative reporting information
3. Initiate news investigations and reports; Access media production resources
4. Ground stories and projects; Write fake stories (local only)
5. Broadcast fake local/state stories
Military
The Military influence is not allowed.
Occult
Examples:
1. Contact common occult groups and know their practices; Know some of the more visible occult figures
2. Access resources for most rituals and rites
3. Know the general vicinity of certain supernatural entities; Access very rare material components, or occult tomes and writings
4. Research Rituals
5. Access minor magical items or rare rituals
Law Enforcement (Police)
Examples:
1. Learn police procedures; Get police information and rumors; Avoid traffic tickets
2. Have license plates checked; Avoid minor violations; Get "inside information"
3. Get copies of an investigation report; Have police hassle, detain or harass someone
4. Access confiscated weapons or contraband; Start an investigation; Have some serious charges dropped
5. Institute major investigations; Arrange setups; Instigate bureau investigations; Have officers fired
Politics
Examples:
1. Identify real platforms of politicians; Minor lobbying
2. Meet smalltime politicians; Have a forewarning of processes and laws
3. Sway or alter political projects (local parks, renovations)
4. Enact certain minor legislation; Dash careers of new and minor politicians
5. Get your candidate in a minor office; Enact more significant legislature
Street
Examples:
1. Has an ear open for the word on the street; Identify most gangs and know their turfs and habits
2. Keep a contact or two in most aspects of street life; Access smalltime contraband
3. Arrange some services from street people or gangs; Get pistols or uncommon melee weapons
4. Mobilize groups of homeless; Have a word in most aspects of gang operations; Get hold of a shotgun or rifle
5. Control a medium-sized gang
Transportation
Examples:
1. Travel locally quickly and freely
2. Track an unwary target if they use public transportation; Arrange passage safe from mundane threats (sunlight, etc.)
3. Seriously hamper an individual's ability to travel
4. Temporarily shut down one form of mass transit
5. Reroute major modes of travel; Smuggle with relative impunity
Underworld
Examples:
1. Locate minor contraband
2. Obtain pistols, serious drugs, stolen cars; Hire muscle to rough someone up; Fence minor loot
3. Obtain a rifle, shotgun, or possibly SMG; Distribute contraband
4. White-collar crime connections
5. Hire a hit man or firebug; Fully supply local drug needs of a small area
University
Examples:
1. Access to low-level university resources; Get records up to the high school level
2. Know a contact or two with useful knowledge or skills; Minor access to facilities; Fake high school records; Obtain college records
3. Faculty favors; Cancel a class; Fix grades; Discredit a student
4. Organize student protests and rallies; Discredit faculty members
5. Falsify an undergraduate degree
