"Our history is a litany of tragedy. Be wary of whom you wrong, for the dead have a long memory." – Damien Spectre, Assamite Anarch

This chapter outlines Background traits that players may purchase to round out their characters with Mortal Connections. These may be people in their lives who help them, increase their income streams, provide steady sources of blood, or assist in other ways. Mortal Connections may be improved or weakened by Advantages and Disadvantages, which modify the Mortal Connection they are attached to. The chapter also sets out the Spheres of Influence that organize the mortal world in Vampire: The Masquerade.

Mortal Connections may be used during a game session and as part of the three Downtime Actions provided monthly. They do not provide additional Downtime Actions (see Downtime Actions, pages XX). When used during a game session, your Storyteller determines how many tasks can be accomplished based on the in-character time span of the game session and the time it takes to accomplish the task. Between game sessions, each use of a Mortal Connection requires the use of a Downtime Action. They range from one to three dots, with more dots representing a more capable mortal or a stronger connection. In brief, Mortal Connections can exist as the following:

• Allies: Mortals who will carry out activities on the vampire’s behalf.
• Familiar: An animal ghoul who assists the vampire.
• Contacts: A mortal who is a source of information for the vampire.
• Resources: A vampire’s disposable income and lifestyle.
• Fame: The level to which the vampire is exceptionally well-known in public.
• Herd: Mortals who are sources of stable feeding.
• Haven: A vampire’s safe haven and resting place.
• Mask: A vampire’s cover for their true identity as an undying creature of the night. Here are key rules for Mortal Connections:
• During character creation, the character gains seven free dots of Backgrounds of the player’s choosing. These can be used to purchase Mortal Connections and Advantages and are in addition to any Background traits given for free by the character’s selected Predator Type.
• Characters may purchase Mortal Connections and Advantages for 3 XP per dot at any time with Storyteller approval.
• You may have more than one Contact, Ally, Haven, or Mask. Fame may be applied to a character’s real identity or a Mask and may be purchased once per Mask. Resources and Herd may only be purchased once.
• Some Mortal Connections, Advantages and Disadvantages may be shared within a coterie (see Coteries, pages XX).
• A character may select any number of Disadvantages for free. A character that selects dots of Disadvantages gains an equal number of dots of Advantages for free, divided as they choose. Characters may not gain more than five dots of Advantages by selecting Disadvantages.
• Disadvantages provided by your Predator type do not give additional free Advantages.
• Unless otherwise noted, you cannot purchase the same Advantage or Disadvantage more than once. Unless the text indicates otherwise, benefits from Advantages and Disadvantages are not cumulative: if you purchase two dots of an Advantage, you do not get both benefits combined. Instead, refer to the highest dot level purchased for your benefit. For example, if you choose to apply the ●● Level 2 Diversity Advantage to an Ally, your Ally is able to work in three Spheres of Influence, not five.
• If a Disadvantage is no longer appropriate, a Storyteller may instruct a player to remove it from their sheet. Additionally, a player who has demonstrated appropriate in-character efforts may remove a Disadvantage at their Storyteller’s discretion. If the player received free Advantages from the removed Disadvantages, they must either spend the necessary XP or take a new Disadvantage as appropriate to keep the character sheet XP balanced.
• Sometimes, a character may lose access to a Mortal Connection, either temporarily or permanently. This includes any gained from a Loresheet Advantage. For example, one of their Allies may be hospitalized or their Contact may be killed. In such an event, the Storyteller may set conditions that make sense for the Mortal Connection to be replaced. If the Ally is hospitalized for a month, then they return after a month. If the Contact is killed, then the character must spend a number of Downtime Actions equal to the dots in the Mortal Connection to cultivate a replacement. At their discretion, the Storyteller may elect to simply refund the XP spent, but this should be done rarely. Replacing a lost Mortal Connection can make for an interesting story. Once a Mortal Connection has been restored, you automatically regain any Advantages associated with it.
• Allies, Contacts, and Enemies (see page XX) must be assigned to a Sphere of Influence (see page XX).
• It is possible for the same NPC to be an Ally, Contact, or Enemy for multiple Player Characters. Player characters may not necessarily know of this. Advantages and Disadvantages chosen for an Ally, Contact, or Enemy only apply to the characters that have chosen them. For example, an Ally may only be Paranoid when accomplishing tasks for Griff the Ravnos, but they might be Flaky when working for Jeffrey the Ventrue.

Spheres of Influence

There are myths and rumors of vampires changing the course of humankind through subtle manipulation and influence since the time of antiquity, at times manipulating thousands of people through a vast network of mortal connections. As the world’s population has grown more connected through digital media, and the Masquerade has become increasingly difficult to uphold, these complex and vast machinations pose a great threat of exposing vampires to the mortal world. Along with the disappearance of almost all the vampire elders, such large-scale Machiavellian strategies have begun to vanish as well. In the modern era, most vampires have a small number of Contacts and Allies they interact with and manipulate for personal gain.

In this edition of Vampire:The Masquerade, mortal influence is represented by 15 different Spheres. Each Contact or Ally whom a character purchases must belong to one of the 15 Spheres of Influence. The total scope of these Spheres is not limited to the examples provided. If a player has an idea for a Mortal Connection that is not clearly set out in one of the Spheres, the Storyteller can put the NPC in the Sphere with themes that they match most closely.

The specifics of the Contact or Ally can be defined with a greater focus, but Chris the Lawyer is part of the Legal Sphere of Influence as much as Justine the County Judge or Chuck the Farmer. This helps the Storyteller categorize the various Mortal Connections in the city using the Relationship Chart (see Storytelling, page XXX). It also helps for connected chronicles to maintain separation between the mortal connections of each game location. For how Contacts and Allies work in connected chronicles, see below.

Church

Influencing the Church is dangerous, second only to trying to influence the Federal Government. However, cautious manipulation at the local level can dissuade, distract, and mislead more dangerous members of the broader Church Influence Sphere. Mortals found within this Sphere are members of a broad range of organized religious beliefs, from Judaism to Islam to Catholicism and its many subsects. Other groups, perhaps less well known, may also constitute an organized set of religious beliefs. Contacts and Allies within this Sphere of Influence may not be part of the Second Inquisition, nor can they interact directly with them.

Example Contacts and Allies: Ministers, rabbis, bhikkhus, priests, activists, evangelists, and nuns.

Finance

“Money makes the world go round” is an old adage. Influencing mortals who control the currencies of the world is the next best thing to having stacks of money to spend. Mortals in this Sphere are able to move large quantities of money above and below boards, manage stock investments over centuries and through changes in personnel and identities, bribe officials and even drain bank accounts if requested.

Example Contacts and Allies: CEOs, bankers, tellers, stock brokers and loan agents. Health

Blood bags do not appear out of nowhere. Not only can the Health field provide restricted pharmaceuticals and quick emergency access, but there is often an ample supply of blood that can be influenced into your possession. This Sphere also covers access to morgues, ambulances, first responders, and even the administration of hospitals and clinics. Health is not limited to the mortal health field, either, as veterinarians, lab researchers, and animal care professionals can provide valuable services as well.

Example Contacts and Allies: Doctors, nurses, therapists, lab workers, and pharmacists. High Society

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous – few people really know them, but nearly everyone wants to be like them. People within this Sphere are used to power, money, and the adoration of the masses; they know which ears to whisper names or rumors in, can make or break upcoming media or stars, and even draw attention from otherwise suspicious nightly activities with their presence. Within this Sphere, a skilled character can influence the influencers.

Example Contacts and Allies: Movie stars, rock stars, dilettantes, legacies, trust fund inheritors, and fashion models.

Industry

Most people know someone in Industry, the blue-collar jobs that keep mortal society from collapsing down on itself. Having influence over such workers is often underrated, b...