Contacts

Overview

• Found In: V20, page 112 (Contacts is also described on M20 page 309, but we do not use the M20 rules)
• Available To: All characters
• In Character Generation: Purchased as a standard Background
• After Character Generation: Raised through methods below (IC actions reflected through downtime spends and RP + XP purchase)
• Purchasable When Becoming: No
• Limitations: Contacts can be taken multiple times but each instance of Contacts may not exceed 5 dots.

Using Contacts

V20 and M20 contradict their Contacts mechanics. We have a house ruled system.

For each dot of Contacts, you get a pool of minor contacts and 25 XP with which to specifically make a major contact. It costs 25 XP to make a major contact.

• Minor Contacts: Minor contacts refers to an abstract pool of NPCs without names or faces that you generically know, from whom you can get information and the occasional minor favor. For each dot of contacts, you can designate a certain field/group to have contacts in, like 'lawyers' or 'drug dealers' or 'doctors'. You can invest multiple dots in the same group or spread them out. This works just like in V20. When reaching out to minor contacts, roll Contacts vs 7 to get into contact with these individuals.
  • Example: Jimmy has Contacts 4. He puts 3 in "motorcycle gangs" and 1 in "skip tracers". One day, he needs to pull on his motorcycle gang contacts for information, so he rolls 3 dice vs 7, and if he gets a success, he gets into contact with the right guy with the right info.

• Major Contacts: Major contacts refers to an individual NPC with a name, a sheet, and a small writeup. For each dot of contacts, you get 25 XP with which to make a Major Contact (in addition to the minor contacts aspect described above).

Contacts are normal mortal human beings who are NOT supernaturally aware in any way. They will perform tasks for you if they are compensated in some fashion (which may be reflected by a Downtime spend, a scene in which you run a favor, being paid to do something, et cetera). Storyteller fiat may stand in the way of your requests if you are expecting the contact to do something that is not reasonable in-character. Contacts will not actively act against you, but they will not put their careers, resources or health at risk for you ICly.

An NPC that represents a contact can be a contact for multiple characters. Any player who has that contact may pay to raise their stats.

In Character Generation

For your Minor Contacts, decide the fields that your passing acquaintances are in, like 'doctors' or 'tech' or an organization. Make a note on yourself called 'contacts' with the notes code ("+note/write contacts=<content>). The note should designate how many dots of contacts you are allocating to which fields. For example, "Jim has 2 dots of contacts in Lawyers and 3 dots of contacts in Doctors.".

Then, it's time to make the Major Contacts. Remember, for each dot of contacts, you get 25 XP, and making a new one costs 25 XP. So, if you only have 1 dot of Contacts, you get a starting level NPC as described below and no extra XP. If you have multiple dots, you can either create separate NPCs, or make fewer and spend XP on raising stats.

Background Rating	XP above base sheet
0	0
1	0
2	25
3	50
4	75
5	100

A Starting Level NPC has 2s in all 9 Attributes, 2s in all virtues, willpower 3, and the following defaults:

• Talents: Alertness 1, Empathy 2, Streetwise 1, Hobby Talent 1
• Skills: Professional Skill 3
• Knowledges: Academics 1, Expert Knowledge 1
• Backgrounds: None. None are required unless you intend to benefit from them having said background(s).

These starting stats may be sold for XP and respent on different things or kept as-is on a starting level character. There is not a requirement to keep the point spread "5/3/2". For example, perhaps you have an accountant, and you wish to re-assign 'professional skill 3' to 'finance 3'. That's perfectly acceptable.

The maximum amount of XP a single NPC can have spent is 100 XP.

NPCs with Influence

NPCs expressed by dots of Contacts, Allies and/or Retainers can hold Influence on your behalf. However, the following requirements apply:

At a rating of 1 the NPC in question requires a rating of 1 in Politics and an Affinity Skill.

At a rating of 2, the NPC in question requires a rating of 1 in Politics, Leadership, and an Affinity Skill.

At a rating of 3, the NPC requires a rating of 2 in Politics, Leadership, and an Affinity Skill

At a rating of 4, the NPC requires a rating of 3 in Politics, Leadership and an Affinity Skill.

At a rating of 5, the NPC requires 3s in Politics, Leadership, and both Affinity Skills.

Affinity Skills:

• Government Influence: Law or Finance
• Financial Influence: Finance or Technology
• Occult Influence: Occult or Academics
• Medical Influence: Medicine or Technology
• Transportation Influence: Finance or Technology
• Academic Influence: Academics or Technology
• Legal Influence: Law or Investigation
• Police Influence: Investigation or Law
• Criminal Influence: Streetwise or Intimidation
• High Society Influence: Expression or Empathy
• Media Influence: Expression or Investigation
• Industrial Influence: Finance or Technology
• Political Influence: Law or Expression

For example, if you had a Ghoul who was a crime boss and you wanted said crime boss to be Mr. Super Connected, with Influence 5, then he'd need Politics 3, Leadership 3, Streetwise 3, and Intimidation 3.

NPCs with Resources

NPCs expressed by dots of Contacts, Allies and/or Retainers can hold Resources on your behalf. Other NPC types (Herd, Mentor, Cult) cannot do so.

When giving Resources to your NPC, that NPC needs to hold a job that makes sense with their Resources score. We aren't here to play Accountant: The Checkbookening, but if your NPC has a Resources score of 4 and they work at a bakery, we're going to tell you to make it make sense.

An NPC with Resources 0 is not considered to be homeless, they're just considered to not have any extra money to spare. It is up until the point that you want to gain benefit from that NPC's funding that we require you to buy Resources for that character.

So, if you have a Contact who you just use as, say, a drug dealer, you don't need to add Resources to that character. It's when you want to use that NPC as an actual source of money that you need to buy Resources. So, for example, you are a Vampire and you want to use your ghoul's money. In this case, you would need Resources.

When buying dots of Resources, please make sure to note on that NPC what their source of income is. You also will need to make sure your NPC has some dots in skills that adequately reflect the situation you describe. For example, if you buy Resources 5 on an NPC, and say this is due to wise and aggressive investing, then this character should at least have a Finances score.

As general advice, find 2 skills that make sense for the job you pick. Make 1 of those a rating of 3, and the other a rating of 2. For our stock market example, Finances 3, Investigation 2.

After Character Generation

When you want to acquire Contacts, decide if you want to buy a bundle of minor contacts, or a major contact. A 'major contact' is a sheeted NPC. A bundle of 'minor contacts' is just an increase in your Contacts score and an adjustment to your Contacts note.

Major Contacts

Each roll in this process (the Research Rolls and the Courting Rolls above) consume 1 point of Downtime for buying a Contact.

Your Contacts background score on your sheet will remain as-is.

Minor Contacts

Minor Contacts refers to an abstract pool of contacts that belong to a certain category or field, which is abstract. For example, "doctors", "lawyers", "drug dealers". You don't know any of them closely, you just have an abstract network. You can invest multiple dots into the same field, or into different fields. So, if you had Contacts 3, you could have 2 levels in "journalists" and 1 level in "motorcycle gangs".

Raising your Minor Contacts level is to raise your overall Contacts score. It will cost an amount of XP equal to [3 x current level of Contacts].

Raising On-Screen

• Staff Run Scenes: Put in a +request describing your goal! Tell us what your goal is and how your character is going to get started in pulling it off. The storyteller will coordinate with you. Once you achieve your goal, you request staff to update your sheet.
• PRPs: Have someone else run a PRP for you. The PRP runner needs to submit a request to have it approved but once it's approved they may run it. Once your goal is achieved, you and the PRP runner tell staff about it so we can review it, and then we will update your sheet.

When acquiring a stat through role play, you must still pay with XP.

Don't forget about Karma! Whether you are getting something through PRP or Staff run scenes, when you pay 10 Karma you can buy a story beat that puts your character into a favorable position that makes whatever your goal is easier. A storyteller will hook you up with a story beat. Your success is not guaranteed, but you will have the wheels nice and greasy.

Raising Off-Screen

Send in a +request with the following information:

• Contact Pool Concept: Who are you looking to network with? Doctors? Lawyers? The glitterati? Hobos?
• IC Method: How is your character networking? Going to parties? Sending out letters? Attending meetups?

The ST will then have you roll some dice vs 6 (+/- appropriate modifiers) to represent the act of networking and meeting a pool of people within that particular social circle. Each roll costs 1 Downtime. You need [3 x contacts rating] in successes.

Once you have acquired the required amount of successes, you will be able to purchase the next level of Contacts, and then your +note will be updated to add a level of contacts to whatever it was you requested. Since this is a Background, the cost is [3 x current Contacts].