ELDER BACKGROUNDS

INFLUENCE
When a vampire has more than five (5) dots in Influence, they have a reach far beyond just one country. They have the ear, or perhaps control, of some of the most influential people in the global political circus. Although other Kindred may think it ridiculous that they spend so much time on mortal affairs, they devote a great deal of their efforts to maintaining their position as the power behind one or more thrones. They know the importance of controlling the flighty affairs of the kind as key moments in history and do not plan to be caught unaware at any such moment.

MILITaRY FORCES
When a vampire reaches Elder status, they have a chance to gain control of human institutions that prevail through force. This include local police, troops, FBI, street gangs, crime bosses, biker packs and bands of thrill-seeking young people.

Direct control of human mobs is always frightening to Elder vampire, who remember the Inquisition as if it were only yesterday. As a result, they often band together to curtail such aspirations in their fellows. This makes attaining and maintain a large military force very difficult. Usually and Elder can only keep a small force before his rival close in to stop his power grab.

The player must define who a character�s forces are and where they train. They could be a subset of the U.S. Military, or any of the groups listed above. At Level Six and above, the military force will usually require some sort of government sponsorship.

RESOURCES
Certain Elders have gone beyond concern over their own wealth and now concentrate on the power of their wealth brings. While one human may become a billionaire during their lifetime, a vampire may have control over hundreds of billions (or even trillions) of dollars, though they do not necessarily belong to them. More than five (5) dots in this background represent that degree of wealth. A character with this sort of control can have any possession or amount of money they desire.

When attempting to change the direction of world commerce in an area in which a character has Influence, the player will make a Manipulation + Resources roll. The difficulty will be determined by a Storyteller, depending on the extent of the desired change, tenacity and skill of opponents, etc.

A botch indicate that character has per their Influence over the section of global economy at risk, either through corporate takeovers, the collapse of the industry, or any other major disaster. Their global resource level may drop accordingly.

STATUS
You are well known among the Elders who are the backbone of Kindred society. Even among the jaded elite you have carved out a name for yourself, whether in the halls of Elysium or the political arena. This trait reflects a combination of factors including your sire�s Status, your pedigree, your own actions and how well you have managed to keep the attention of other Elder Kindred.

The more Status you have, the more willing other Elders are to treat you as an equal, or even to defer to your judgement and tastes. Status is sometimes used with Social traits when dealing with other Elders, and it reflects your prestige in such instances. Elders without this trait are often considered minor nobles in the eternal court that is Kindred society.

Younger Kindred are almost always unaware of the subtle nuance of unseen power plays and alliances that make up Elder Status and are thus unaffected by it, instead recognizing only yout general Status among Kindred.

This it is possible for an Elder to be seen as of little importance by most Kindred infants, but to actually have tremendous influence among the Elder of the vampiric community.

MERITS & FLAWS
Information concerning Merits & Flaws for Elder characters ONLY can be located here.