Backgrounds

Abridged Corebook Backgrounds

Orpheus Backgrounds

Arsenal

You have at your disposal weapons and equipment, particularly relevant to your work with Orpheus. If you need some hardware that you don't own, you can obtain it, legally or illegally, through your connections. This provides the character with acess to heavy firepower and gear, like night-vision goggles or SWAT body armor, but bear in mind that anyone with this hardware is likely on Orpheus' go-to list for black bag operations.

Modest gun collection.
Substantial firearms, including rifles, shotguns, pistols and other items like police scanners.
Serious weapons collector with military surplus items, including military camouflage gear and night-vision binoculars.
Gun Show Regular, able to open a booth at any local gun show with weapons like assault rifles, sniper rifles and possibly a heavy weapon.
ATF Nightmare! you can get your hands on just about anything up to a tank.

Detective License

Orpheus offers detective licenses to any agent willing to undergo the training. this allows orpheus to investigate matters publicly and legally, thus giving its agents legitimacy. Orpheus uses its many contacts to bypass some of the more difficult requirements of obtaining a license, like potentially thousands of hours working in a private investigative service or three years without a criminal record. Anyone with Detective License can access information for investigative or research purposes. This reduces by one per dot the difficulty of an Investigation roll, indicating he's pursuing various leads or information channels. This bonus only applies at a rate of one against the difficulty for every hour the character spends investigating (up to this Background's maximum dots). Additionally, the information must be accessible in some capacity. DMV records are, but NSA-classified information is not.

You have the license but probably don't deserve it.
You know the basics and the license is earning you the experience.
The police respect your work.
Everyone wants to know when you're going to apply to the FBI or CIA.
You're a modern day Sherlock Holmes.

Patron

A patron is a specific individual who contacts the character for help, hires her for assignments and protects her when possible. In exchange, the patron returns the character's help through various rewards, paying her money, giving her temporary contacts to use, places to hide, some weapons, etc. The patron offers a character a fluid barter system, limited only by the character's willingness to do work and the affluence of the patron. Thus, a Patron Background might supply the character with an equivalent level in Allies, Arsenal, Contacts, Resources, etc. for the current mission only. Storytellers can also mix-and-match the patron's benefits, offering a dot here and there on condition they don't cumulatively exceed this Background's tiers in dots.

You have a patron with a small business who is willing to provide what he can, particularly in his field. He is known within his community.
Your patron has money and influence, plus a few homes and businesses to call her own. She is a known figure within the city.
Your patron has significant contacts as well as resources, spread out over a large area -- multiple businesses, for example. He is known throughout the state or province.
When your patron calls, people listen. She is one of society's movers and shakers, capable of ruining lives with a single phone call. Your patron has national recognition.
You have a contact with one of the wealthiest, most powerful people in the country, if not internationally. He's a spider at the center of a large web of resources and influence.

Personal Trainer

A personal trainer works with a character to improve her physique, techniques (such as Melee or Brawl) or aptitudes (Athletics, Drive, etc.). A personal trainer is different from someone you grab at the gym or an ordinary Orpheus instructor because the trainer is usually out of house. He knows your strengths and weaknesses and can help you target your soft spots or vulnerabilities. In fact, the training is all personalized and geared toward your assets and capabilities. For each dot in Personal Trainer, your character can target one Attribute or Ability, purchasing a Trait for one less experience point (2 points instead of 3) or minus 1 to a multiplier (current rating x 3 for Attributes and current rating x 1 for Abilities). To gain this, however, the character must allocate at least one hour per day for training for each dot or Trait he wants to improve. Otherwise, he doesn't gain the bonus. Additionally, the player must tell the Storyteller what he's trying to accomplish, intead of springing it on the Storyteller at the last minute.

A pesonal trainer focusing on a single Attribute or Ability.
A trainer capable of instructing you in two separate areas.
This trainer is well versed in three areas.
Your personal trainer can help you concentrate on improving four different Traits.
You've got your own guru, capable of instructing you in many different Traits

Status

Some people command more authority in Orpheus than others. Status is a measure of clout within the company. For some characters, it stems from rank, while for others it's a degree of admiration; a well-respected agent, for exapmle, may have more Status within the company than his immediate superior. Status also reaches beyond Orpheus' boundaries to special clients and other organizations. If an agents has Status, he may call in special one-time “favors” from previous clients or groups outside of Orpheus, as well as receiving more assistance from within the company. Status dots add to any Social rolls involving Orpheus members, and may help when “officially” dealing with other organizations.

Newbie or rookie, though a few people have heard of you.
Accomplished operative; everything knows your name if not your face.
Respected veteran; everyone knows you and tries staying on your good side.
Essential personnel; when you have an opinion, it goes to the highest levels.
You are Orpheus.

Normal Backgrounds

Allies

Allies are people who help and support you, either out of love or for their own reasons. They can be old friends from life before Orpheus or organizations with ties to you. They may have skills of their own, but more often they have influence in their community with resources beyond your own. Allies are generally trustworthy, but the relationship is a two-way street. If you neglect them, then they will be less likely to aid you, and while Allies don't necessarily know the truth about Orpheus or the hereafter, they may have their suspicions. No matter what, however, these are the people who are there for you. What are friends for, anyway?

Before the game, players should determine who their allies are with the Storyteller, as well as their relationship to the character. How do you know these people? Did you go to school with the local FBI chief? Did you date a top scientist back in high school?

One ally of moderate power and influence (a doctor, a police officer).
Two allies of moderate power (a local politician, a crime reporter).
Three allies, one with great influence (newspaper editor, wealthy real estate investor).
Four allies, one of them very influential (city mayor, star athlete, military base commander).
five allies, one of them extremely influential (governor, TV star, general).

Artifact

Somehow the character finds himself in possession of a lost item or object of power that materializes in gauze form when he needs it. Orpheus reserachers know that some artifacts appear to have supernatural powes, while others are simply useful by virtue of their function (like a gun that fires an endless supply of gauze bullets). By all accounts, however, the artifact was once real before its destruction but possessed enough of a psychic investment by its onwers (or victims) that it still exists in gauze form. Characters with this Background possess a single artifact of power, with the artifact's potency increasing according to the number of dots assigned to the Background. Storytellers are the ultimate authority on artifacts and the extent of their powers, though a safe rule of thumb is that each dot in the Background represents an equivalent die in effect. Artifactws appear only to ghosts and projected entities, and they never appear to the living, nor do they affect the living, even int he hands of a manifesting ghost.

You have a small artifact, like the spiritual version of a mundane, melee weapon.
Your artifact is of moderate power, possibly a good luck charm.
This level of artifact could be a mystical weapon like a holy blade or blessed bullets.
An artifact of this power level may have multiple minor abilities or one kickass major power.
You possess a powerful talisman, something with international fame or notoriety.

Contacts

Characters with Contacts have direct access to information, and while they arent' as reliable or trustworthy as allies, they are well informed. And what they don't know, they can find out. Contacts are essentially the shortcut to research. By calling on contacts, a character can glean information that he usually needs within a few hours. He may spend a few dollars or promise a favor or two in the process, but the character will end up with the required information.

Each dot represents a primary contact, though if these acquaintances are unavailable, the character may still find other information networks. Players must determine the identity of a character's primary contacts with the Storyteller. For any rolls involving Contacts, a player should roll Manipulation + Contacts.

One primary contact
Two primary contacts.
Three primary contacts.
Four primary contacts.
Five primary contacts.

Destiny - Special Note : There are ST secrets and hidden rules regarding this background. Take this background at your own risk.

Some people have a particular role to play in a life. They are destined for a higher purpose, possibly leading to a heroic sacrifice or terrible tragedy. Characters with this Background live under the protection of this “charmed life,” heading relentlessly on their path to their ultimate fate. For each point of Destiny, a character's player may re-roll one die roll per session. The player may only re-roll a set of dice once, however; the second result stands.

One re-roll.
Two re-rolls.
Three re-rolls.
Four re-rolls.
Five re-rolls.

Influence

Influence measures a character's power in society. Influence is rarely an overnight phenomenon, but instead requires years to cultivate. People follow the lead of a character with Influence as long a they believe the individual is working in their best interests. If a character uses Influence to push a group to act contrary to their nature, he'll encounter problems and possibly lose some Influence. Players and Storytellers should agree on the exact nature of a character's Influence. A well-respected gang member might stop a riot but have no chance of talking his way into CIA headquarters.

You look like an authority on matters and your name or title sounds important.
A few movers and shakers consider you an acquaintance.
People know your name and take you seriously.
You are one of society's notables.
You held high political office or have the power to create trends.

Memorial

Good begets good. Memorial is more than just the memories of the living invigorating the dead; Memorial reflects one's positive impact upon the lives of others and how that good spreads. This Background represents the positive influences the character exerted over people in his life, the ones that drive friends and family left behind to accomplish a greater, selfless good in honor of the character's memory. Memorial can be anything, from plaques and statuary commemorating a location named after the character, to pictures at a makeshift shrine to even a simple legacy of one person naming his daughter after the character befcause of her actions. The qualifier is that the Memorial must celebrate the character by perpetuating good will or by benefiting others. In exchange, the character's player can draw upon this positive vibe each session to reinvigorate himself with Vitality.

Whether for a photo someone carries to give him strength or for someone naming her child after you, you can regain one Vitality.
You were known in your community. Several people remember you enough to donate money to your favorite charity in yoru name or even place your name on the AIDS quilt; regain two Vitality each session.
You achieved citywide recognition. Your name and actions are in print somewhere, inspiring others to better lives. Regain three Vitality each session.
You have a nationwide legacy. People built you a memorial, one that honors you by helping others. You regain four Vitality each session.
The anniversary of your death is a day of mourning for many people, and your actions still serve as a beacon of hope. With this almost international recognition, you gain five Vitality each session.

Mentor

You have a friend in the business, a more experienced Orpheus operative or ghost who decided to take you under his wing. Mentors provide advice and assistance, helping haracters move up in the world whether out of love or a sense of responsibility. They may be trying to find a replacement so they can move on to other things, or they sympathize with the character (seeing themselves in the misfortunes of the young and inexperiences). Mentors make demands of characters, asking them to go on missions or testing them with challenges, though characters should always end up learning from a mentor. Unlike a patron, a mentor cares about the character and understands the challenges he faces. Mentors teach characters new Abilities, can help them toward new Backgrounds or even learning a Horror. It is not within the mentor's interests, however, to simply hand the character new experiences on a silver platter. In this capacity, a mentor is a Storyteller's tool to guiding the character into situations that'll teach him the important lessons. Please note, however, that while mentors are teachers, they can't teach what they don't know. For convenience's sake, assume the mentor is capable of teaching or imparting most Traits up to a character's dots in this Background. Thus, generally, a one-dot Mentor Background will teach only up to one dot in any Trait the character is studying. This doesn't reflect the mentor's range of expertise, but rather, the mentor's interest level with the character. Mentors can also offer advice when the Storyteller needs to feed the player information.

A distant or unimportant mentor.
Helpful but eccentric mentor.
Notable mentor with time.
Well-respected mentor.
Powerful and influential mentor.

Reincarnate

Many cultures believe in reincarnation, and whether or not your character does, his death has opened up more memories than he should rightly have. How he deals with such revelations is up to the player, but regardless, because death lays ghosts bare the filtering effects of flesh, their dormant memories of past lives resurface in images, impulses and, sometimes, even passing familiarity with matters the character never realized he knew. This allows him to draw upon previous experiences to assist him in Ability rolls for this one instance. The dots in this BAckground operate as a free dice pool, which the player may use each game session to supplement his existing dice pool or even roll on Abilities he doesn't normally possess. One caveat in this matter, however, is for Storytellers regarding players who use the Background to jump around the scene and intrude on everyone else's specialties. The Storyteller may rule instead that each dot in the Background represents one predetermined Ability that the character may draw from at a one dot effect, thereby restricting the player from stepping on everyone's toes.

You have hunches that allow you to draw upon one additional die.
You remember quick flashes that allow you to draw upon two additional dice.
You see enough to remember some past friends, and ou even know their names. This allows you to draw upon three additional dice.
You remember portions of your past life the way an adult remembers his early childhood. This enables you to draw upon four additional dice.
You remember everything like an adult remembering Elementary or High School, and can draw on five additional dice.

Resources

This describes your personal financial resources and access to those resources. It reflects your standard of living rather than liquid assets, and even if you have enough dots for a million dollars, it may take weeks or months for you to come up with hundreds of thousands in cash. of course, Orpheus pays its agents, but if you want more than the agency provides, it's best to have a few dots in this Background. Please note, however, that Resources not only implies having money and owning property, it also means having some way of maintaining that capital.

Small savings. In a pinch, you could draw up $1000 in cash, possibly from a 401k. You ahve an extra $500 to spend in a month.
Middle class. You have a condominium and a car. You could liquidate for close to $10,000 in a pinch. You have $1,500 extra spending money a month.
Large savings. Maybe you got lucky or just invested well, but regardless, your'e a homeowner with equity. You can liquidate and come up with around $50,000 cash. You have $2500 extra to spend a month.
Well off. Money's not an issue for you. You belong to an exclusive country club and have a nice mansion and vacation home. You can spend $10,000 a month without any effort and can liquidate to the tune of five million.
Fabulous wealth. You'd have to check with an accountant to determine your real net worth, but you report several millions to the IRS each year. You could get your hands on over a million dollars within a week and casually spend $30,000 a month without noticing.

More Backgrounds

All Backgrounds presented here are considered normal Backgrounds instead of Orpheus Backgrounds, for purposes of Character Creation. The following backgrounds are permitted only with special permission from the ST.

Anchor

An Anchor provides the character with a link to her past, a means of maintaining her strength when all appears hopeless. It can bolster her Vitality, calling on thoughts of better days to reinforce her incorporeal body. In many ways, Anchor is the antithesis of Spite, though a character's Anchor points do not vary (though once they have been spent, Anchor points cannot be used again in that game session). Each Anchor point spent in this manner regains the character a point of Vitality. Anchors usually link to objects that serve as mementos, triggers for the points each contains. If the character is not in the presence of the anchor object, she cannot draw upon the points it represents.

You have one small keepsake (e.g., a locket or picture) that is worth three Vitality points.
You have one significant keepsake (e.g., a book) or two smaller ones that are worth six Vitality points total.
You have one substantial keepsake (e.g., a large item of clothing such as a coat) or several smaller ones that are worth nine Vitality points in total.
You have one large keepsake (e.g., a car) or several smaller ones that are worth twelve Vitality points in total.
You have one massive keepsake (e.g., a house) or several smaller ones that are worth fifteen Vitality points total.

Fame

Fame is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is easier for others to recognize characters with this Background, and people may be predisposed to help an idol, either in exchange for a favor or simply to be able to say “Guess who I met today?” On the other hand, it is difficult for a character with Fame to escape notice, often drawing unwanted attention from the starstruck or others. Indeed, some poeple may single the character out simply because she is famous, irrespective of the actions of others in the vicinity. A character with Fame adds his Background rating to any Social rolls involving those who are aware of his reputation (the Storyteller might assess a Wits + Alertness roll for someone to recognize the character on looks alone). However, his rating also adds to the difficulty of any rolls that involve concealing the character's identity.

You once appeared on a TV show.
Remember that reality TV show? Well, you were on it and had your 15 minutes of fame.
Most people recognize you, but they may not be exactly sure why.
You are moderately famous, either well known in your field or a mino media celebrity.
You're a household name, probably a Hollywood star or a major sports personality.

Ghost Insight

The character has some link to the dead that allows him to better understand the motivations and reasoning of ghosts, whether they are hues or spirits. Like Cole in The Sixth Sense or Carlito in The Devil's Backbone, ghosts seek the character out as a means of expressing themselves in order to free themselves of the ties that bind them to the material world. This is particularly appropriate when attempting to “save” Drone- and Blip-class ghosts (see p. 258 of Orpheus). Characters with Ghost Insight stand out as beacons to the dead. Add the character's ghost Insight rating to his Vitality to determine his effective Vitality (and thus visibility) to ghosts. This effect does not apply to Spectres, however -- they see the character as they normallly would. Furthermore, the player may add the character's Ghost Insight rating to any Empathy or Intuition rolls when seeking to gain information from ghosts.

You can pick up on some of the clues.
You're right more often than you're wrong.
You have a solid insight into what makes them tick.
Spirits call you in when a mystery needs solving.
Their lives -- and deaths -- are open books to you.

Haunt

The character with this Background has a place of her own. It might not be much -- maybe no bigger than a closet -- but it's the character's, and no one can take it away from her.

Any character with sufficient Resources or Allies might have a haven in which to hide from mundane problems like the police, but Spectres don't follow the rules about warrants. This Background, however, grants the character a place where Spectres cannot follow her. the area is so attuned to the character's own personal Vitality that the Spectres lose sight of anyone within as though they were staring at a bright light or lost in fog. Any number of spooks can take refuge in a Haunt, provided that the Haunt's owner is present (and provided they can all fit). Without the owner, it's just another room, no safer than anywhere else.

Spirits and hues often discover that places they looked on as safe or comforting in life become haunts, but sometimes, a great deal of time goes by after the character's death before she discovers the effect. Skimmers and sleepers can have haunts, but as they aren't truly dead, they usually have to build their own safe havens. This is accomplished by spending time while projecting in the area meant to be a haunt and “tuning” the area to resonate with the character. Different Shades accomplish this in different ways: A Skinrider might momentarily possess anyone who walks through the haunt, a Banshee might spend hours there singing, a Haunter would simply inhabit the entire area, and so on. The character must spend a number of hours in the haunt-to-be equal of 20 times the desired Haunt rating (so a level two Haunt would require 40 hours of haunting), and the player must spend (desired rating x 5) in Vitality to acclimate the area. Spirits and hues have a somewhat easier time developing a haunt: They must spend only 10 hours per dot of Haunt and (rating x 3) vitality. Once a haunt is completed, restarting the process requires the player to spend a permanent dot of Willpower. The character may then begin the haunting process again. In this manner, the character might begin haunting a single room and progress out to make an entire house her haunt.

A small haunt, no larger than a walk-in closet.
A passable haunt, about the size of an efficiency apartment.
A comfortable haunt, roughly the size of a one-floor house.
You might haunt the hospital wing named for you or the tiny apartment building you used to own.
An entire university, a high-rise hotel, or perhaps you have a number of smaller haunts scattered across the city.

Library

Whether in books or on computer, decent reference material is vital to any research effort or for learning new Knowledges. Characters with the Library Background possess such reference materials or have access to an otherwise off-limits source of information (for example, a law firm's archives or a faculty library). A library might even represent contacts on online mailing lists or other Internet contacts. In general, such resources aren't easily portable, though it is possible to access a DVD-ROM archive in the field with an appropriate laptop (and, of course, a DVD likely has the added advantage of being searchable). The player may add her character's Library rating to any research roll and may, at the Storyteller's discretion, add it to other Knowledges (most likely Academics, Law, Medicine and Science). Ghosts can possess the Library Background but must manifest or find some other creative way to interact with it.

You have a few reference volumes.
Your collection covers most of the obvious subjects.
You have an impressive collection of tomes.
In addition to the obvious works, your collection includes some of the most esoteric books.
You have a massive collection of books or access to the best libraries.

Passion

Spite is one of the gravest threats facing both projectors and ghosts, the dark side of their nature that threatens to override their consciousness and turn them into Spectres. Reducing Spite is a very difficult task (outlined on p. 193 of Orpheus), but characters can take steps to control the increase of their Spite. Focusing on the positive aspects of their lives can help, building up a Passion for items, people or memories that can keep negative emotions in check. This allows a character to reduce the difficulty of any rolls that may increase Spite (e.g., tapping Spite to regain Vitality). Each point of Passion reduces the difficulty of one roll by one. Such points may be spent individually or toegether, but each point may be used only once per day. Passion does not, however, cancel out the effects of Spite. Rather, it reduces the chances of an increase occurring, provided at least that the challenges aren't too frequent. Whenever a character gains a dot of Permanent Spite, she loses a dot of Passion.

You have some happy memories.
You are rarely given to negative thought.
You have a sunny outlook.
Your buoyant mood is difficult to overcome.
Your bright disposition keeps your dark side in check.

Shield

Sleepers and Skimmers must beware leaving their bodies unattended, lest passing Spectres attempt to take them over. For whatever reason, however -- be it strong will, a powerful balance between mind and body or just plain, old-fashioned good luck -- some projectors' bodies are inviolate (or nearly so). Characters with the Shield Background are much more difficult to possess when projecting, and some can actually inflict damage on Spectres who try.

Any time a character with even one dot in this Background is the target of a possession attempt, the player rolls Perception + Awareness (difficulty 8 - the character's Shield rating). If the roll succeeds, the character is aware of the situation (and probably snaps back to her body post haste, if possible). In addition, the Storyteller adds the Background's rating to the difficulty of any attempt to possess the character's body while projecting.

A Spectre has to work to possess you.
Your body is a temple.
Your body fights back if invaded; any Spectre attempting to possess it suffers one die of lethal damage.
You knowi f anyone gets too close to your inert form; two dice of lethal damage to any Spectre trying to possess you.
Any Spectre who messes with your body is asking to be sent back to Hell; three dice of lethal damage to anyone trying to possess it.

Veil

A spook's Vitality plays a significant role in her visibility to other ghosts. Too high and drones see them but Spectres don't, too low and the opposite is true (see p. 190 of Orpheus). A character cannot easily alter her Vitality to suit her circumstances, but she can learn to control the perceived brilliance of her aura and, thus, the reaction of other spooks. a character with Veil may add or subtract a value up to her Veil rating from her current Vitality to determine her effective Vitality and, thus, her visibility. Her underlying Vitality does not change with the use of Veil, but if her Vitality changes while Veil is in effect, her effective Vitality likewise changes.

Example: A character with Veil 2 and Vitality 5 can choose to appear as a spook with Vitality 7. If that character loses two points of Vitality, she can only appear as though she had Vitality 5 (even though her actual Vitality score is 3).

You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by one point.
You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by two points.
You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by three points.
You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by four points
You may increase or decrease your effective Vitality by five points.

Visage

To some extent, a character's conscious thoughts control his appearance as a spook. Spite can modify this, leading to Stains twisting the character's features and body, but a sufficiently aware character can reshape his appearance and conceal his Stains. Doing so is a conscious act and ends when the character no longer focuses on maintaining his modified appearance or deliberately stops doing so. The Visage Background determines how great a modification the character can make -- making minor changes (e.g., altering hair or eye color) or concealing one or two Stains pose few problems, but vast changes or hiding multiple Stains are more difficult. Visage only modifies a character's spook appearance or that of his manifested form. It does not modify the character's physical body (if he has one), nor does it change the number of dots in Attributes or Vitality level (and, thus, “visibility” to Spectres).

You can change one physical feature or hide one Stain.
You can change two physical features or hide two Stains.
You can change three physical features or hide three Stains.
You can change four physical features or hide four Stains.
You can change five physical features or hide five Stains.

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