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Monday, December 5, 2011

Areas of Influence

Vampire: the Masquerade broke down mortal influence into a number of categories (Bureaucracy, Church, Finance, Health, High Society, Industry, Legal, Media, Occult, Police, Political, Street, Transportation, Underworld and University), however, the new World of Darkness doesn't have such "cut-and-dried" delineations, and instead let's the Storyteller further define the scope of capacity of a particular NPC or group of NPC's.

That being said, here are a number of various areas of mortal society that are effective at being part of your grand scheme, along with the reasons. Note that this is a far from complete list, and I'm sure that a clever individual can come up with a few ideas of their own. This also doesn't include some of the more obvious potential candidates, such as police officers, doctors, lawyers, and union leaders.

Clerk - clerk of the courts, or at the tax collector's office generally have a large amount of information at their fingertips, depending on their department. They can also conveniently lose information filed, slowing down projects or losing someone in the system.

Chop Shop Mechanic - illegal car modifications, or cars that have no identification numbers are the hallmark of a good chop-shop mechanic. They might be able to get their hands on a vehicle that won't be traced back to anyone for illicit dealings.

Coroner - need a corpse for a sinister ritual, or a John Doe to plant on someone's property to lead authorities to asking very pointed questions? The coroner can also hide a vampire in a light proof, semi-secure area should the need arise.

DMV Clerk - making license plates or car registrations appear legitimate, or tracking down information on a particular person is what makes the DMV clerk useful. They can also invalidate a license plate, which could cause major hassles for an unfortunate target.

Emergency Dispatcher - simply be relaying an incorrect address, a dispatcher can condemn a building to burn, or for reports of screaming to go unanswered as emergency services report to the wrong place.

Engineer/Surveyor - not only can they provide you with information about where freshly cleared lots are about to have a concrete slab poured over them (thus sealing any evidence away for years or decades), but they can also slow down a construction project considerably, or even make copies of construction projects that they were previously involved with.

Fence - these purveyors of black market and stolen goods can often get their hands on almost anything, for a price.

Health Lab Technician - a lab tech might notice particular trends, or be able to obscure certain problems, such as anemia or various blood-borne diseases.

Homeless - the homeless see all sorts of things, because most people have tuned them out, allowing their suffering to become invisible simply because it's inconvenient. Thus, homeless people are often very good sources of information, as well as convenient spies. They are also cheap to maintain, as a few warm meals a week maintains their loyalty. Ghouls even has a ghoul family known as "The Alley Men".

Janitor - these often ignored custodians hold the keys to some of the most secure places, and are able to slip people in after hours, or through back doors.

Loan Shark - need a nice lump of cash quick? A loan shark "friend" can let you borrow it. Or you can get them acquainted with someone else you need some leverage on, such as the local politician with a gambling problem, or the lackey of another vampire that needs a loan to keep his business from going under.

Local Musician - even a local musician is sure to have groupies, and will often be able to part velvet ropes and get you in touch with influential people, making the musician is a handy gatekeeper.

News Editor - even though a journalist can write an expose on an individual, an editor can shut it down, or remove particularly damning bits of information that would threaten the Masquerade. They can also shuffle stories to pages that nobody reads, effectively burying a article.

Railroad Worker - very few people remember the elaborate rail system that is still in use and criss-crosses this country, because airplanes have largely replaced them for commuter transportation. Thus, hiding a coterie of Kindred that want to enter or exit a city nearly undetected has a good chance of doing so through the rail system, especially because they don't need to breathe, allowing them to be hidden in such places as liquid filled compartments.

Taxi Driver - need to get around the city in a hurry? A taxi driver will know the shortest and longest routes. Few people question the presence of a cab in a neighborhood, as they assume someone called for a ride. More faithful drivers can also deposit intoxicated individuals to your doorstep for easy feeding.

Utility Worker - a damaged electrical line or backed up sewage can ruin a grand opening, close down an Elysium, or make things generally uncomfortable. Such is often better used to flush a target out into the open, or force them to make a last-minute change of plans. They can also gain access to a variety of places simply by showing up in uniform and stating that there's a problem they need to check out.


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