All new characters start with 5 free points to put into influences, except humans who start with 10. No one may start with a level higher than 3 (in any one trait) without storyteller permission.

Some areas of influence will have a cap on the total number of traits available. The caps will be determined after all character concepts have been approved so they will not affect character creation, though they may affect character that join the game at a later date. We do not plan to announce which influences will have caps. If you wish to purchase an influence trait in an area where the cap has been reached, you will have to take over someone else's influence as explained below.

The influence catagories remain the same, but you will now divide your influence into specific traits. (See the character generation packet for specific influence traits.) So, for example, if you put all five freebie points into Underworld, you may have Mob 3 and Drug Dealers 2.

Spending Influence

So, you've got Mob 3 and Drug Dealers 2, and you want to get a gun. You would, for example, spend one Mob trait and do a test with a Storyteller against a static trait that would depend on the kind of gun you were trying to get. If you win, congratulations, you've got a gun. If you lose, you don't get a gun.If you tie, you compare your total amount of Mob influence (3) to the static traits assigned to the gun. NO matter what happens that trait has been spent and will not be available again until the next game (which means you can't use again it between games.)

If you only have 3 Mob traits and you want to increase your chances of getting a gun, you may spend a trait in an additional (but appropriate) category. So you can spend one Mob trait and one Drug Dealers trait, and then if you tie, you compare your total in both (5) to the staic number assigned to the gun.

If you have Resources (the merit), you may spend a point of Resources to increase your total by one, where appropriate. This represents throwing money at your influences to sweeten the deal, so to speak. If you win the challenge the Resources level is gone for two weeks. If you lose however, you did not spend the Resources.

Destroying Influences

This works mechanically the same as above, only instead of testing against static traits you are testing against an opponent. So your opponent has Politicians 2 and Media 3. You want your Drug Dealer contact to frame their Politician. So you initiate an influence challenge (see below about when influence challenges can be conducted.) You spend one Drug Dealer trait to attack one Politician trait. If your opponent does not defend, it is a test of your two Drug Dealer traits versus their 2 Politicians traits.

But, your opponent may defend by spending a Media trait to counter the effects of your Drug Dealer. Then the challenge would be your Drug Dealer (2), versus their Media (3). You can up the ante by spending a Mob trai to help out your Drug Dealer, then the challenge is your 5 versus their 3. All bids must be made before teh challenge is done, but that will not prevent retaliatory strikes.

If you win, you have destroyed one of their Politicians traits for the next two weeks. This trait is now free and may be bought. If the trait is not purchased by someone else, it will automatically be restored to your opponent at the end of two weeks. (Spending an influence trait of your own accord does not put that trait at risk of being bought by someone else.)

If you lose, your opponent has successfully defended their Politicians trait.

When to Initiate an Influence Challenge:

If you plan to attack someone else's influence, it must be written in your post mortem and all influence challenges will be done at the beginning of each game, affecting that game and the following two weeks.There will be an exception to the post mortem rule if your influences are attacked and you wish to retaliate.

Use of influences to personal gain (i.e. getting a gun) can be done at anytime with a Storyteller.