Backgrounds
Allies
It’s always good to have friends, and you’ve got a few worth knowing. They
may be mortals, animal companions, nightwalkers, or even spirits, but in
any case, they’re fairly reliable and helpful to boot.
Allies should be characters in there own right, with
wants, needs, personalities and agendas. They might be loyal enough to die
for you, but they won’t do it for nothing. The “cost” of their friendship
(are they family, lovers, drinking buddies?) can drag you into a scrape just
when you thought life was going smoothly for a change. Friendship is a double-edged
sword, and nothing comes for free.
Each dot in this Background gives you one additional
Ally, or increases the power of an existing one. Thus, five dots may reflect
five moderately powerful friends, or one or two extraordinary ones. They need
not be human. Many dolls number creatures, ghosts and other weird beings
among their loves ones.
0 One Ally of moderate
strength.
0 0 Two friends, or
a fairly powerful one.
0 0 0 Three stout
fellows, or one or two supernatural friends.
0 0 0 0 Four followers, or a really
grand mate.
0 0 0 0 0 Five Allies, or a smaller
but more powerful group.
Contacts
You know people from many different walks of life; together, these disparate
persons form a network of information and help that may well prove useful.
Your contacts are not only the people you can manipulate
or bribe to get information, but also friends whom you can trust implicitly
(Major Contacts) to provide you with accurate information (in their areas
of expertise). You should describe your Major Contacts as complete characters,
either as the chronicle progresses or beforehand. You also have a number
of Minor Contacts, make a roll using your Contacts rating (difficulty 7).
Each success means you have successfully located one of your Minor Contacts;
of course, you will need to bribe or charm her into giving you needed information.
0 One Major Contact.
0 0 Two Major Contacts.
0 0 0 Three Major
Contacts.
0 0 0 0 Four Major Contacts.
0 0 0 0 0 Five Major Contacts.
Mentor
This trait describes one or more elder dolls that look after you. Each
rating point of Mentor you posses quantifies how powerful your mentor is
within the dollhouse, and how old he or she is. Your mentor can advise you,
protect you, speak to the other elders on your behalf, teach you things,
and provide you with inform you about opportunities to leave the house.
Mentors may expect to receive some thing in return for
aid they provide. Though they may simply enjoy the company of the character,
in times of need they may call upon their “apprentice.”
0 Mentor is 100
years old.
0 0 Mentor is 200 years
old.
0 0 0 Mentor is
300 years old.
0 0 0 0 Mentor is 400 years old.
0 0 0 0 0 Mentor is 500 years or older.
Past Life
The process of becoming a doll is a traumatic one. And fortunately the
subject is knocked unconscious before it happens. When awaking the new doll
can’t remember any thing about whom they once were in their flesh life and
are given a new name. However some new dolls can remember who they once were.
0 You can remember
your name.
0 0 You can remember
your birthday and parts of your childhood.
0 0 0 You can remember
your family and some important dates.
0 0 0 0 You can remember what you
did for a living.
0 0 0 0 0 You have perfect recollection
of your entire life.
Doll Pass
Some dolls while living in the dollhouse can begin to grow restless in
time and want to see the outside world. And Mother will some time grant
leave to some of her children so long as they write home once in a while.
0 A day pass.
0 0 A week pass.
0 0 0 A month pass.
0 0 0 0 A year pass.
0 0 0 0 0 Indefinite leave from the
dollhouse.
Toy Box
Every doll that is made is given two toys, one melee and one firearm. With
this Background you can start the game with more than one toy, or a toy
with power equal to the points spent on this trait.
0 One extra toy.
0 0 Two extra toys
or one of minor power.
0 0 0 Three extra toys
or one of moderate power.
0 0 0 0 Four extra toys or one powerful
toy.
0 0 0 0 0 Five toys or a toy of legendary
power.
Relic
There are some things almost like toys but more like strange antiques in
the dollhouse that hum with power; and some times Mother or Grandmother
gives them out to the children of the house.
0 A relic of little
power.
0 0 A relic of
minor power.
0 0 0 A relic of
moderate power.
0 0 0 0 A relic of great power.
0 0 0 0 0 A legendary relic the likes of which
are rarely ever seen.
Destiny
Destiny is an ephemeral thing; each doll has his or her role in destiny.
This trait, however, signifies a doll that has or is supposed to have a
very special part in future events. In game terms , this Background earns
the doll the respect of her peers and an extra Willpower boost when things
get bad.
A character with a high Destiny rating is a chosen one;
perhaps a vision, prophecy or a simple “sense of greatness” follows her.
Dolls who can recognize such things will treat the doll with some respect.
Her actions, however, will often be watched and sometimes criticized if she
appears “unworthy” of whatever Fate has planed for her. The exact nature
of the doll’s Destiny is left up to the Player and the Storyteller. It should,
however, remain mysterious and enigmatic, rather than a testament, i.e.,
“you will bring the dolls and flesh world together.” Dolls with Destiny rarely
die ignominious deaths. They may die young, but they perish with style and
importance. This certainty can carry the doll through hard times. Once per
story (not each game session), if something threatens her with a bad end,
she may roll her Destiny rating against difficulty 8. Each success she scores
allows her to regain one spent Willpower point. She may use theses points
to avert a cheap death; Destiny reaffirms her inner faith.
Remember, though, that the Destiny rating means just
that the doll is destined to accomplish some great feat, die valiantly facing
overwhelming odds or even turn to the forces of evil. One day, the Storyteller
will call the Destiny due….
0 Doll of merit;
roll one die.
0 0 A creditable doll;
roll two dice.
0 0 0 Doll of promise;
roll three dice.
0 0 0 0 A respected doll; roll four dice.
0 0 0 0 0 A revered doll; roll five
dice.
Dream
Dolls with this trait can tap the universal unconscious. Through focus
and mediation, the doll may learn things he does not yet know and access
a general stream of information for a short period of time.
In story terms, the doll enters a trance of some sort
and opens him self to the great unknown.
In game play, Dream allows a character to access information
he does not normally have. He must go into some form of trance (perception
+ meditation or enigmas, if a roll is needed) and concentrate on the form
of information he wants to gain. If he already has the ability, this is
easier than if he does not. After a time (Storyteller’s option, the harder
the task, the longer the time), he emerges with lore he sought. Maybe.
The universal unconscious is not a library; sometimes
the knowledge the doll seeks is not the kind he comes out with. From time
to time, a character with Dream should manifest a different skill than the
one he wanted to find. This ability should still be useful (perhaps in a
way the doll does not expect) and related to the one the doll sought. Dream
is a chancy talent, however, and does not always work according to plan.
While the dream-lore lasts, the character may substitute
his Dream rating for one chosen ability, weather he has the ability or not.
If he needed Medicine to save his friend, say, but didn’t have the knowledge,
he would roll Intelligence + Dream instead after returning from his trance.
This Background cannot be used to add to his dice pool for an ability he
already has, he either uses the dream-lore rating or his own. The doll’s
insight lasts until the character next sleeps; when he awakens, it is gone.
Only one ability can be used per day.
0 Hazy bits if
information can be gleaned.
0 0 Respectable lessons
can be learned.
0 0 0 Worthwhile
lore is available.
0 0 0 0 Remarkable knowledge can be accessed.
0 0 0 0 0 Astounding insights are
possible.
Influence
Influence reflects your ability to produce results when attempting to sway
or convince others. It is the ability to compel other dolls to take action
on your behalf.
0 Moderately influential;
a factor among your peer.
0 0 Well-connected;
adults will listen to you.
0 0 0 Position of influence; elders listen
when you have some thing to say.
0 0 0 0 Broad doll of power; high elders
mind your words.
0 0 0 0 0 Vastly influential; when you speak Mother and
even Grandmother will listen.
Age
This trait is a measure of how long you have been a doll.
NOTE: this Background is for playing an Elder Doll.
0 60 years old;
starting Freebie Points (21)
0 0 80 years old;
plus one Life Force.
0 0 0 100 years
old; plus two Life Force and plus one Manna.
0 0 0 0 200 years old; plus three Life
Force and plus two Manna.
0 0 0 0 0 300 years old; plus four Life
Force and plus three Manna.
Resources
This trait describes your financial resources or access to such resources.
Your Resources are not completely liquid assets, but you can often sell
them to gain money. It may take weeks or even months to do so, depending
on how much you need sold.
This trait assumes that the character gains a basic
allowance each month appropriate to the level of resources. The source of
this income must be detailed, however, as it could easily “dry up” depending
on the circumstance of the chronicle.
NOTE: Resources can only be bought in game or at Storyteller discretion.
0 Small savings; you have an apartment and perhaps a
motorcycle. If liquidated, you would have $1000 in cash. Allowance of $500
a month.
0 0 Middle class; you have an apartment or condominium.
If liquidated you would have $8,000 in cash. Allowance of $1200 a month.
0 0 0 Large savings; you own a house (or at least have some
equity). If liquidated you would have $50,000 in cash. Allowance of $3000
a month.
0 0 0 0 Well off; you own a large house, or perhaps a
dilapidated country manor. If liquidated you would have $5000,000 in cash.
Allowance of $9000
0 0 0 0 0 Fantastically rich; you are easily a millionaire
many times over. If liquidated, you would have at least $5000,000,000 in
cash. Allowance of $30,000 a month.
Mage backgrounds
These can only be purchased if the merit awakened or mage has been taken.