General Influence Info
Okay folks, here’s a little heads up on the most forgotten aspect to the WoD game systems, Influence. Most players don’t even think about it as their characters do their thing. So here goes a brief explanation of how it will be handled.

Influence is broken down into a series of spheres and each sphere has a rating of one to five. A one is like dipping your char’s toes into the sphere, while a five means your char is like, “The Man,” in that particular sphere. There are several ways to gain it, many more for losing it, and a whole lot of ways to use it, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

As the character gains higher levels of Influence, it will be inevitable that he/she will walk on someone else’s toes. Especially if they happen to have Influence there as well. Just a warning that it can lead to things more…interesting than you may think. Its like a unseen battle as characters use this to act against others and/or secure a stronger foothold on things in the city. Alright then, on to the gaining, etc…..

Gaining Influence:
Influence can be gained or garnered by several methods. I’m just listing the methods I have witnessed thus far in my time as a gamer. These are not the end all be all, so if you have an idea or two feel free to let me know. I am open to all suggestions. And yes I will be asking for rolls from time to time to determine if the char succeeds or not. And copied scenes can be of help to me making a decision. I may ask for that or talk to another player/Staff for confirmations before you hear from me so be patient please.

The first way is by simply doing good old fashioned role play. It takes a while and a bit of hard work,but it usually pays off. Depending on what you do in the interim. The character’s actions can either lower or raise the difficulty of gaining it. When you decide to have him or her go after some, please let me know beforehand so it doesn’t take me by surprise. Or send me your request and a copy of the scenes, if done IC, or point me to the correct forum thread if it is after the fact. Sometimes the char gains influence without the player even realizing it, so I may be sending you an email with a surprise.

Next is Contacts and Resources.Both of these can lead to the gaining of Influence. If used properly. By establishing contacts, you become a known name in that sphere of activity. Resources also can pave a pathway to not only making contacts, but gaining influence within a sphere. Sometimes, money speaks loudest. Especially when dealing with corruptible persons….

Trading favors or boons is another method. Vampires in particular have made use of this within their individual Sects or Clans. Being known as one who holds markers on your fellows, especially those of higher status than yourself can gain unofficial Influence or even Status.

Now we come to what seems to be a preferred method to most vamp gamers: Ghouling. Okay, yes it is easier to ghoul someone than working to gain it by another method. But understand it is a double edged blade. Here’s my take on this particular method. Yes, by ghouling you CAN gain Influence…Don’t expect to get gobs of it automatically though. A ghoul does have to obey its Domitor/Regnant, but it also has to maintain a positive relation within that sphere. So it can get pretty dicey if misused. Not to mention the ramifications it poses on the said Domitor. Blood expenditures being only the beginning of it. Plus it makes for a trail that leads back to the Vamp in question….Sometimes not too healthy a thing. But enough of that, On to the loss of it all.

Losing Influence:
Losing influence is a whole lot easier than gaining it. Earning Influence can take weeks, sometimes months of hard work IC and otherwise. It can be lost in an instant….Unfair? Yep. Realistic? Darn straight. Welcome to the World of Darkness. Here goes a few examples….

NPC/PC death or even removal. If you have a ghoul or contact that is killed or pulled, you automatically lose the influence gained through that character. If you feel this is harsh, feel free to contact me but know it will take exceptional circumstances, with copied scenes, and talks with the system admins, other players involved, etc., before I decide to not keep this as a standing rule.

Influence misuse or abuse is another means. If your character does something or has someone do an action that would be detrimental, it can lead to a loss of Influence as he/ she could be seen by outsiders as trying to undermine someone or something….If caught.
Loss by another’s actions. It’s a cutthroat world and a character can lose Influence when another gains it. If that is their intent. Or if the second undermines the first and their efforts without getting caught by said first.

Like I said, these are a few examples. I’m not gonna list them all out. If you happen to do something or see someone do something that you feel would cause a loss of Influence, contact me with a copy of said instance. It will handled appropriately after reviewing the COMPLETE scene and talking with all who are involved as well as the appropriate admins.

Using Influence:
Basically use common sense. Influence can do a lot of things for and against your character or another‘s. If you want to use Influence be sure you have the right level within that sphere before you attempt it. With the right levels, you can get certain tasks done, of course. You can also do things like hide the actions of another, supress information to protect or hide someone’s involvement. It can be used to Monitor things and attack another’s Influence as well. Contact me if you plan to use your Influence for anything, especially if you should have any questions about said use or its ramifications if it backfires, etc.