Background

A Background is a special trait used in the Storyteller System used to represent elements of a character's history or backstory. They establish a character's social status, history, or special tools that don't fall under the sway of supernatural powers such as Disciplines, Gifts, Magic, Arcanoi, etc.

Like other traits, characters can purchase Backgrounds with experience points in the course of a chronicle, though some are restricted, either available only at character creation or through in-character actions. Many Backgrounds are disallowed altogether for certain character types (such as certain Tribes of Garou), while Storytellers are advised to allow other only at their discretion.

In the Storytelling System, the traits that were traditionally Backgrounds became Merits.

Common Backgrounds

There are a few backgrounds common to almost all of the Classic World of Darkness game lines. These represent common resources a player could use in the course of a chronicle.

• Allies - Close companions who could be called on for most anything.
• Contacts - Those willing to help for a favor in return.
• Fame - How well-known the character is in society; its counterpart Notoriety generally carries negative connotation.
• Influence - A character's ability to affect mortal society.  Elder Vampires can enjoy influence around the world.
• Mentor - An experienced guide through the supernatural or everyday world.
• Resources - How much a character has to live on. How wealthy you are, your belongings.
• Status - Where a character ranks in a particular social structure.

Uncommon Backgrounds

Some of these merits are presented as merits for hunters or for supernatural beings, but could theoretically be available to anyone.

• Alternate Identity (just called Identity in the Trinity Players Guide)
• Animal Companion
• Archive
• Arsenal- Weapons and equipment at hand.
• Backers-Describes a secret, powerful and well-connected person or group outside of the agency you work for who pulls your strings.
• Certification
• Destiny - How important the character's destiny is.
• Detective License
• Equipment- Describes the character's initial access to high-tech government-issue items.
• Favors- Describes the number of favors you can call in, from getting yourself sprung from jailto covering up a murder.
• Health Insurance
• Home Base
• Library (a.k.a. Occult Library or Personal Library) - A collection of books or other sources that contain accurate occult and magical knowledge.
• Military Force
• Past Lives - The connection a character has with their past lives. Called reincarnate in Orpheus.
• Patron - A powerful party who is (perhaps secretly) aiding the character for their own reasons.
• Personal Trainer
• Rank - Your security clearance and status in your agency.
• Spies - People (or other creatures) that help gather information for the character.

World of Darkness

These are special backgrounds that have less-than-common origins, are special to that particular breed of supernatural, or otherwise require a bit more explanation.

Vampire: The Masquerade

• Age - A reflection of an Elder's accumulated experience. The more active years the more Freebie Points and loss of Humanity the vampire has at character creation.  (DSBH, ELY)
• Armory - A collection of weaponry the vampire has access to.
• Black Hand Membership (PGS)
• Clan Prestige
• Communal Haven - A group haven for multiple vampires (mostly used by Anarchs)
  • Luxury - How comfortable the haven is.
  • Size - How big the haven is.
  • Security - How secure the haven is
• Domain - An area the vampire controls for the purpose of feeding.
• Generation - How many generations a Kindred is removed from Caine. A variant version for elder characters is called Elder Generation, naturally.
• Elder Status - For Elder Vampires only (those vampires over 50 years of active unlife).  This determines your particular social order when you have achieved the venerable Elder level. (ELY)
• Haven
• Herd - A group of mortals from whom the vampire may regularly feed with relative ease.
• Insight - prophetic capabilities that only thin-blooded vampires possess.
• Pack Recognition (PGS)
• Position - How well a vampire is placed in vampiric society.
• Retainers - Mortal servants.
• Rituals - The ritae of the Sabbat

Ghouls

• Domitor

Kindred of the East

• Horoscope
• Jade Talisman - Yin or Yang
• Magic Artifact
• Rites

Kindred of the Ebony Kingdom

• Ancestor Spirit
• Artifact
• Membership
• Reliquary

Werewolf: The Apocalypse

• Ancestors (a.k.a. Past Life) - The spiritual link between a Garou and their ancestors.
• Fate - Prophecy of a Garou's destiny.
• Fetish - An object with a bound spirit inside.
• Kinfolk - Non-Garou allies with werewolf blood who may be immune to the Delirium.
• Numen or Familiar Spirit - a spirit guardian or companion.
• Pure Breed - How pure the blood and spirit of a Garou is.
• Rites - Special ceremonies used in the life of a Garou.
• Spirit Heritage - The strength of the connection between the Garou and the spirit world.
• Totem - A spirit that bestows power on a pack of Garou.
• Touched

Other Fera

• Ananta - a pocket realm in the Umbra shared by a clutch of Nagah.
• Batsu - the hengeyokai term for Allies.
• Clan - hengeyokai term for Kinfolk.
• Colony - the size of a Ratkin caern.
• Den-Realm - a Bastet pocket realm in the Umbra.
• Freak Factor - a Ratkin's level of Wyld-tainted deviancy.
• Go-en - hengeyokai term for Contacts.
• Jamak - a Bastet's personal totem.
• Mnesis - access to the shared memory of the Mokolé.
• Nushi - a hengeyokai pack totem.
• Plague - a Ratkin's extended family.
• Remora - a spirit-messenger that follows a Rokea.
• Secrets (a.k.a. Other People's Secrets) - the accumulated knowledge of a Bastet or Corax.
• Sempai - hengeyokai term for a Mentor.
• Trinket - a Bastet's magical collection (fetishes or wonders).
• Umbral Glade - a Gurahl's pocket realm in the Umbra.
• Umbral Maps - a Corax's knowledge of Umbral navigation.
• Wallow - a Mokolé realm in the Umbra.

Fomori and the Possessed

• Consecrated
• Cult
• Device - WeaverTech available to Drones or other servants of the Weaver
• Fetish/Equipment (a.k.a. Equipment/Fetish)
• Symbiosis

Mage: The Ascension

• Arcane - A mystical ability to go unnoticed. The Technocracy call this Cloaking.
• Avatar - A more powerful than normal Avatar which likely speaks to the mage more often and provides a personal source of Quintessence. Among Technocrats, this Background is called Genius. In Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade, this is called Daemon.
• Blessing - Some greater being has blessed the mage with some kind of benefit.
• Certification - Permits that allow the mage to do certain activities or get access to certain equipment that cannot be used by normal people.
• Chantry - An gathering point of mages. The Technocracy equivalent is called a Construct. In Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade, this is called Covenant.
• Cult - A group of Sleepers who believe in the mage and his magic and help him carry out rituals.
• Demesne - A Dream Realm created by the mage to help with meditation, study, reflection and memory.
• Dream - The mage is able to connect with the universal unconscious to acquire information. The Technocracy refer to this Background as Hypercram.
• Enhancements - Cybernetics, biomods or genetic modifications that enhances the mages traits and/or allows him to do things he could not done before. Mostly applies to Technocrats, but some others have lower quality versions of these enhancements.
• Familiar - A companion that travels with the mage and can give advice and nullify some of the mages Paradox. The Technocracy call them Companions.
• Legend - Humanity's collective imagination focuses on the mage, believing that the mage evokes a legendary figure on some level.
• Node - A natural upwelling of Quintessence to which the character has access. Called a Cray in Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade and Dark Ages: Mage.
• Past Lives - See Uncommon Backgrounds above.
• Sanctum - a place where the mage can study and research with safety greater efficacy. The Technocracy equivalent is Laboratory.
• Talisman - an object of power or item imbued with magic which the wielder can use. The Technocracy equivalent is Device.
• Totem - A shaman's or medical worker's connection to a spirit.
• Wonder - An item imbued with magical power. The Technocracy see all such things in terms of their Enlightened Science, and call them Devices.

Technocrats

• Backup - Sleepers who can aid the Technocrat.
• Companions - See Familiar above.
• Construct - See Chantry above.
• Device - See Talisman above.
• Enhancements - ""
• Laboratory - See Sanctum above.
• Requistions - Allows the Technocrat to request equipment and devices to aid them in their missions.
• Secret Weapons - Give the Technocrat access to the latest equipment and experimental technology.
• Spies - See Uncommon Backgrounds above.

Sorcerers

• Artifact
• Cholé - a channeler's or medium's ability to be ridden by a spirit
• Familiar (Lesser)
• Guide
• Mana
• Relic
• Sanctuary
• Totem - a personal totem spirit.

Wraith: The Oblivion

• Activity - Represents the Pasiphae's attitudes with regard to actions that grant the Ferryman Pathos.
• Artifact - An valuable object imbued with power and fueled with Pathos.
• Companion Group - A living group allied with a Renegade.
• Eidolon - The ability of a wraith to resist their Shadow.
• Ferryman Artifacts - Represents the Ferryman's relationship with the Fabricants and her willingness to explore the storehouses of Dis in search of useful odds and ends.
• Guild Status - Status within the shadowy organizations called the Guilds.
• Haunt - A spiritual refuge from the dangers of the Shadowlands.
• Legacy - The works of a wraith in life that continue on after their death as a tribute to their memory. Visiting these works can be used to heal damage to their Corpus.
• Memoriam - The memories that people hold of the deceased. Can be tapped into as a source of Pathos... though memories fade.
• Old Soul - The age of a wraith. While it does not give any rank, it does give the wraith certain experience.
• Relic - An object that passed through the Shroud with a wraith due to emotional resonance.
• Wealth - Wraithly Resources.

Spectres

• Shadowlands

Yellow Springs

• Living Family
• Magisterial Office
• Wraith Family

The Quick & The Dead

Ghost Hunter

• Talismans
• Personal Library
• Home Base
• Sidekicks

Changeling: The Dreaming

• Chimera - A chimerical object owned, or chimerical creature befriended, by the Changeling.
• Companion
• Dreamers - Mortal artists who serve as a source of Glamour.
• Holdings - A Freehold to which the character has access or owns.
• Remembrance - The Changeling's memories of her previous life in the Dreaming. Called "Gremayre" in Changeling: The Dreaming First Edition.
• Retinue - Mortal allies who have been Enchanted and are thus able to interact with the world of the fae.
• Title - The Changeling has a noble title.
• Treasures - An item imbued with Glamour that has magical properties. Called "Auspicious Treasure" by hsien.
• Trod - Access to a path or highway of the Dreaming.

The Enchanted

• Allies
• Chimera Companion - A chimerical object owned, or chimerical creature befriended, by the Kinain.
• Dross - Access to Dross.
• Faerie Blood - A Kinain's closeness to her fae side determines how close to the Dreaming and Glamour she is.
• Faerie Mentor - Taken under the wing of a changeling mentor.
• Fame
• Feth Fiada - The Mists cloak your presence.
• Influence
• Kenning - Ability to detect Glamour.

Nunnehi

• Household
• Spirit Companion
• Totem - a personal spirit totem.
• Vision (analogous to Remembrance/Gremayre)

The Shadow Court

• Prestige

Adhene

• Destiny
• Title

Dark Ages: Fae

• Holdings- Faerie strongholds or realms.
• Oaths - Pre-established relationships of duty and responsibility between humans and fae that negate the effects of Echoes
• Retinue
• Sprites - Fae servants whose minor oaths protect against Echoes, and whose magical energy can be tapped.

Hunter: The Reckoning

• Arsenal - Determines what weapons your character has access to, possibly even military utilities.
• Bystanders - Allies who witness the unknown but do not become imbued.
• Exposure- Previous contact with the supernatural now useful as a weapon.
• Patron -

Unusual Hunter Backgrounds

• Animal Companion
• Berserk
• Cenaculum - Society of Leopold
• Continued Exposure
• Cult
• Database
• Everyman (mechanically identical to Arcane)
• Fraternity
• Grace Under Pressure
• Iron Willed
• Mob - Society of Leopold
• Pawn
• Relic - Society of Leopold
• Roots
• Soulmate
• Steel Nerves
• Stronghold

Dark Ages: Inquisitor

• Chapter-house - A secure base of operations.
• Exposure - Encounters with the enemy before joining the Inquisition.
• Flock - Other Christians willing to support your cause.
• Holy Relics - Weapons and items imbued with the power of Faith.
• Rank - Authority and status among other inquisitors.

Mummy: The Resurrection

• Arcane
• Artifact (in World of Darkness: Mummy Second Edition)
• Ba - The power of your ba to return you to life.
• Companion- The spirit of an animal that was buried with your tem-akh in its First Life accompanies you in Duat.
• Journal
• Ka - The power of your Ka to protect your dead body.
• Legacy - Something that remains from your First Life to give you inspiration.
• Memory - Your recollections from your First Life.
• Neteru - Gathered followers who revere a character as a divine spirit, a saint or even a god.
• Tomb- You have a resting-place for your khat.
• Vessel- You have an item that stores Sekhem.

Other Mummies

• Ayllu (roughly, the Teomallki version of Neteru)
• Contemplation (the Wu T'ian version of Ba)
• Illi (the Teomallki version of Ka)
• Joss (the Wu T'ian version of Ka)
• Samapa (the Teomallki version of Ba)

Demon: The Fallen

• Eminence - A Fallen's rank among other Fallen.
• Followers - Those who make Pacts with and freely follow a Fallen.
• Legacy - A Fallen's memories of Paradise and the War of Wrath.
• Pacts
• Paragon - The ability of some Fallen to use their central Lore more reliably.

Earthbound

• Codex - Determines how successful the Earthbound has been in learning the True or Celestial Names of other demons.
• Cult -
• Hoard - Measures how much temporary Faith a reliquary can hold at any one time.
• Mastery - Measures how much extra Faith the character can spend on enhancing its evocations.
• Thralls - Replaces the Followers Background, which is available to normal Demon characters.
• Worship - Determines how many worshipers of the Earthbound participate in each ritual.

Thralls

• Attentive Master

Orpheus

• Anchor - An object that can be used to bolster Vitality. Similar to a Fetter from Wraith.
• Artifact - An item a character could call on in spirit form. It is known as Gauze Relic in Wr20. Similar to Wraith's Background of the same name.
• Fast Reflexes -
• Ghost Insight -
• Haunt - A refuge a character can hide from Spectres in. Similar to Wraith's background of the same name.
• Memorial
• Library
• Passion
• Shield
• Veil -
• Visage -

Street Fighter

• Animal Hybrid
• Arena
• Backing
• Cybernetics
• Elemental
• Manager
• Sensei
• Staff

Trinity Universe

• Backing
• Cipher
• Followers
• Requisition

Aberrant

• Attunement
• Dormancy
• Eufiber
• Node

Trinity/Aeon

• Citizenship
• Clearance
• Devices

Adventure!

• Gadget
• Menagerie
• Nemesis
• Sanctum

Exalted

• Artifact
• Backing
• Command
• Connections
• Cult
• Face
• Familiar
• Followers
• Manse
• Reputation

Dragon-Blooded

• Arsenal
• Breeding
• Family
• Henchmen
• Retainers
• Sorcery

Sidereals

• Acquaintances
• Celestial Manse - the Sidereal version of a Manse
• Favor
• Heavenly Favor
• Salary
• Savant
• Sifu

Lunars

• Heart's Blood
• Renown
• Solar Bond
• Taboo
• Tattoo Artifact

Abyssals

• Abyssal Command - similar to Command, save that it affects the dead
• Liege
• Necromancy
• Underworld Cult
• Underworld Manse
• Whispers

Alchemicals

• Charms - extra Charms held on retainer in the vats
• Class - social status in Autochthonia
• Eidolon
• Vats

Infernals

• Demonic Inheritance
• Demonic Patron
• Familiar (Demonic)
• Past Life
• Unwoven Coadjutor

Fair Folk

• Birth
• Freehold
• Gossamer
• Style

Ghosts

• Ancestor Cult - living descendants who make burnt offerings to the ghost regularly
• Grave Goods - the clothing and panoply the character entered the Underworld with

God-Blooded

• Inheritance
• Patron

Mortals

• Destiny
• Esoteric Knowledge
• Experience
• Knowledge

References

• WTO: Wraith: The Oblivion Rulebook, p. 131-135
• WTO: Wraith: The Oblivion Second Edition, p. 86, 127-132
• WTO/cMET: Oblivion, p. 134-138
• WTGW: Wraith: The Great War, p. 110-114

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