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==== Backgrounds ====

=== The Certification Background ===
With this Background, your character has official papers that allow her to pursue some regulated activity.
Unless your character has managed to obtain a permit without the proper training, you’ll need at least one dot in a related Ability for each dot in this Background.
One can pursue this ability without it, but Certification grants a bonus on it when related to legal matters
For small permits one can also purchase merits to show a singular permit while certification is a general legal status that your character has X The usual stuff – driver’s license, government ID card, nothing special.\\
• Concealed weapons permit, Hunting license, business license, passport to an open country, Surge Tech \ Aid etc.\\
•• Teaching certificate, bodywork license, PADI certification, CPA, trucker’s or motorcycle license, basic firearms permit, LPN \ Paramedic etc.\\
••• HAZMAT disposal license, church-ordained clergy, lifeguard certification, private investigator’s license, private pilot’s permit, RN, PA, NA etc.\\
•••• Class C weapons permit, board-certified medical or legal professional, professional aircraft pilot’s license, government intelligence operative, Medical Dr,  etc.\\
••••• Diplomatic immunity, license to kill, Surgeon, .\\

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=== The Arcane Background ===

This has been brought up again, and it's time to finally put this issue to bed, about what can or can't defend against this, and how it can or can't affect your character. First and foremost, we are taking Arcane as a background, as written in Mage 20. Yes, we're aware that it also exists as a merit for Vampires in Black Hand: Guide to the Tal'Mahe'Ra. Non-Mages who want this will take the Background and not the Merit (it's not like it makes a difference in Freebie point cost). Yes, we're allowing non-Mages to take it, at ST discretion. For whatever reason it's more common among Mages than other types of supernaturals, so in other splats, it should be rare.\\

First and foremost: Arcane is not a Mental effect. Even Mages don't fully understand how it works, only that it's something much more metaphysical in nature, affecting the strands of reality itself. What is known is that Mind Shield does not protect against it. No other form of mental protection will work against it, either. Not the innate Mind Control Immunity of Demons, not Conviction for Hunters, nothing. Nobody understands why this is, but for whatever reason, at the higher levels of Arcane, the memories just will not take root.\\

But this comes at a cost: Anyone with the higher levels of Arcane are a ghost in the wind. Nobody remembers their faces or their name. Even records of them disappear. They live a very lonely existence, devoid of interpersonal relationships or even evidence that they ever existed. In a place like the World of Darkness, that could very well be a fate worse than death. Keep in mind, Arcane doesn't have an 'off' button. And no, the Mind Sphere can't turn it off, either, just like it can't be used to protect against its effects.\\

Starting at Arcane 4, people will have extreme difficulty remembering you. Paper records of you start to disappear. You vanish from photographs. It's as if you don't exist. This means that you cannot take the Enemy flaw, Wanted by Law Enforcement flaw, Hunted flaw, or anything similar (at character creation; you can still earn these flaws through in-game actions, even if your enemy will have trouble actually finding you). But that also means that the following Backgrounds are forever beyond your grasp:\\

  * Contacts: Nobody is going to give sensitive information to a random stranger. And as far as these people you know, that's exactly what you are.
  * Allies: Who? I don't know them. They're not a friend of mine.
  * Mentor: Unless this mentor is the most generous person in the world and will teach anyone with a pulse (in which case they're not long for this world), you're not their student.
  * Retainer/Followers/Bystanders/Any equivalent in other splats: For the same reason as the above. You can't be loyal to someone you don't remember.
  * Certification: No paper records means no certification.
  * Rank/Status/Eminence/etc.: I'm supposed to report to who, now?
  * Influence: You can't fear or respect somebody you can't even remember.
  * Fame: Seriously?
  * Chantry: You can't join a group if they can't remember that you're a member. This applies to Chantries as much as it does to Sects, Septs, Courts, etc.

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=== The Fame Background ===

First and foremost;; **fame is //not// to be confused with Status**. Fame is how well-known you are amongst //mortals//, not necessarily other supernaturals (though there's a good chance they'd know of you, too, for the same reasons). 

Fame is very much a double-edged sword in the World of Darkness. On one hand, having a high Fame rating is in and of itself justification for Influence, as the two often go hand-in-hand (though not always;; contrary to popular belief, there //is// such a thing as bad publicity). Local politicians will want photo-ops with you, local businesses will want your endorsements (and might even be willing to pay for it, granting justification for Resources), and people will know who you are and love you for it.

On the other hand, of course, that becomes a problem when upholding the Veil/Masquerade is key to your survival. At Fame 1 and 2, the risk of this is relatively low. But once you reach Fame 3, and average people start recognizing you on the streets... well, would //you// want to be caught with your fangs in someone's neck or casting spells, and not only did somebody witness it, the witness recognized who you were?

Basically, the higher your Fame rating, the more opportunities for Influence or Politics-heavy plots become available to your character, at the cost of increased scrutiny from mortals, which means an increased risk of breaking the Veil in public places if you aren't careful. Note, also, that fame breeds haters. If someone doesn't like what you're using your fame and fortune for, it could lead to enemies...


  * **Fame •••**:  Local celebrity. While not everyone will recognize these people on the streets, anyone familiar with their line of work and are active in the local community will, unless they are taking measures to disguise themselves.
  * **Fame ••••**: National celebrity. Anyone who doesn't live under a rock will recognize them or at least know who they are if mentioned in casual conversation. If they are not disguising themselves, they can expect to be swarmed by fans and possibly paparazzi, and thus are at increased risk of breaking the Veil.
  * **Fame •••••**: International celebrity. They WILL be recognized by EVERYONE, and nothing short of supernatural attempts to disguise themselves will prevent swarms of fans and paparazzi everywhere they go. These people are considered by Veil hard-liners to be active Veil risks because of their fame, and really, if you're at this level, it's time to start thinking about retirement. I mean, what are you doing in Florida instead of, say, New York or Hollywood, anyway? Note that while we won't FORCE you to retire, staying in the game at this level is going to make life very, very difficult for you, Veil-wise.
  * **Fame ••••• •+**: NPC level. At this point, there are Umbral entities that unironically love your work, and much like Elvis Presley, Leonardo da Vinci, and Homer, people will be talking about and referencing your work decades, centuries, and possibly even millennia after you're gone. No PC may ever have this without immediate retirement as it would severely unbalance the game (and be all but unplayable for both the player and the STs).

Note that characters with a high Fame rating are //not// automatically known to be supernaturals, even by the supernatural community. If you don't actually know the character personally and they are not breaking the Veil, you may //not// use their Fame rating to know that they're actually a Vampire, Mage, or what have you. **This will be considered metagaming.** Again, Fame is //not// Status.

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=== The Resources Background ===

The cap for resource dots at character creation is 4, and to get 4 dots you have to REALLY sell us.  5 is explicitly impossible at character gen, don't ask, no you can't explain it, no you can't justify it.

Further, keep in mind that increasing Resources in-game becomes exponentially more difficult to justify with each dot. For reference's sake:

  * **No dots**: Below poverty level. You have a roof over your head (cheap rental at best), but not much else. (Note that actual homelessness is resources 0 plus a certain flaw.)
  * **Resources •**: Working class. You can afford a semi-decent apartment and you have a car that runs, but you're living paycheck to paycheck and have few luxuries to speak of.
  * **Resources ••**: Middle class. You can live in a decent neighborhood and can afford to save for retirement, but you'll be saving for quite a long time.
  * **Resources •••**: Upper-middle class. You can easily afford to raise a family and live comfortably. Save for a while, and you can even afford a vacation or two.
  * **Resources ••••**: Affluent. This is where it starts getting very difficult to have justification. You can afford a big house, multiple cars, and unless you do something monumentally dumb, you're probably not at any serious risk of financial ruin. 
  * **Resources •••••**: Welcome to the one percent. At this point you're a millionaire several times over. You didn't just get a good job to get here, you've also made several smart financial decisions and had more than a bit of luck. 
  * **Resources ••••• •+**: There's no point in even recording it anymore. You're in the billionaire class, you have more money than you'll ever be able to spend in your lifetime, and your grandchildren will never have to work a day in their lives. Very, very few characters, if any, will ever have justification for this.

Going from Resources 1 to 2 can be as simple as getting a better job. Going from 2 to 3 will not only require getting a better job, but you'll also need some other dots to justify it, such as Academics, Finance, or some other marketable Ability (Art, Craft, Performance, Computers, etc.), Fame can help with that too but only if your actually selling something. Going from 3 to 4 will require all of the above, plus your character having their 'lucky break;' this can be anything from that big promotion at work to making a few smart financial decisions (hint: take the Finance Knowledge). And finally, going from 4 to 5 will require an even luckier break, and will probably require a plotline in and of itself to get. For reference, one character who reached Resources 5 only did so after not only becoming the CEO of his company and owning a hotel, but having personally negotiated not one, but two contracts with major multinational corporations //in-character//.

Anything above that would require the conclusion of an entire character arc. By the time you get it, you'll probably be close to retirement. Also, keep in mind that having very high Resources is like having high Fame: It can be a double-edged sword in that you may attract attention, make enemies, and breed envy and jealousy. Last but not least, it only reflects your level of 'mundane' resources. As in, U.S. Dollars and other assets, //not// any sort of supernatural currency like Tass.

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__**The following Backgrounds will require extra justification:**__


**Resources:** You can't have a bank account without paper records of some kind. The only way you can keep a large amount of money is by storing cash somewhere, which is risky for many different reasons. You also can't own property that requires records to be kept, such as a home, a gun, or a car. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't just squat on property or keep a car or firearm illegally...

**Backup/Spies/any equivalent:** Technically, these guys don't have to know their employer to work for them... at least, on a temporary basis. You could always go for a 'shadow broker' route, in which case even they don't know who's paying them in cash, so long as the cash is green. What you won't be able to do is employ them on a permanent (or at least, official) basis.

Note that this will also apply to certain Merits, too, particularly any Merit that relates to another character, whether it be PC or NPC. STs are asked to use common sense when making that judgment call.

**TL;DR:** Yes, Arcane works on everybody and there are no known defenses against it. But is it really worth it? You're objectively harming yourself in the long run by taking this background. Think very carefully before taking it at high levels.

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=== The Status Background ===

This Background is a special Case. It cannot be purchased and has to be earned ICly. Also each splat may have different definition of the Status level.

Still here's a Status scale that is applicable to Council Members:
  * Status 0: You never took part to missions voted by the Council nor did anything to help the community
  * Status 1: You already participated to one or two missions voted by the Council but without notable contribution.
  * Status 2: You participate to most missions voted by the Council and you already had a major role or contributed in a notable way to the life of Starke's community.
  * Status 3: You're a Seat of the Council.
  * Status 4: You're a Throne of the Council, you have some contacts among most other factions.
  * Status 5: Your influence goes beyond your own faction. Other factions reach out for you for advice, help or noticeable events.
  * Status 6: You're a founder of the Council/a Legend of the Council => Only 3 PCs have reached that status so far: Altair, Joy and Michael [[pc:main_stage_characters]].
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