Influence Spends
| About Influence Spends | |
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Influence is a set of spends which involves getting to know people and rubbing a few shoulders... it doesn't always mean being liked, but it does mean making an impact here and there. Along the way, you'll gain a few rivals. Most of Influence's abilities occur within your Sphere. For what a Sphere is, see Descriptions, below.
There are two basic "levels" of influence spends in the game. That is:
These different "levels" are offered because every PC's tale is going to be different. |
Influence Spends
 General Influence Spends
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| Reward | Benefit | Cost |
| Transfer Sphere | Sometimes, life leads you a different direction. If this happens, you may let your old connections wither and die...and move on to make new friends. This transfer is not immediate, and should involve some roleplay and storytelling as appropriate. The particular story and the form it takes is up to you. | Known Face or Connections |
| Upgrade from Known Face to Connected | Sometimes, some things just feel right. As an option, you may upgrade from a Known Face to Connected (if you do not already possess an Exclusive spend). At T1 this costs 5 points, at T2, 10. You do not have to do this: you may possess both Known Face in one area, and Connected in another. One is an Exclusive and the other a Limited; they are different types of spends. | See text |
  Limited Influence (A Known Face)
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| Tier | Benefit | Cost |
T1 |
Recognized Influence: Select an area of influence, using the Sphere guidelines, below. Through reputation, cunning, or otherwise, you mix socially, at least on occasion, with its general members. You are able to call upon these members in a social setting. In addition, you receive a +2 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy rolls with NPCs associated with the area. Note that calling upon them is subject to storyline; for example, if the local Althean temple is busy seeing to a crisis, it may reasonably take a little longer to arrange an audience. However, you'd have an advantage over most. | 5 RPP |
T2 |
Lingering Words: You've a sort of way to make words linger. Whether inspiring or just talent with an earworm, it has its effect a little longer than normal. When you gain this ability, choose one skill: Diplomacy or Intimidate. When using this skill to influence NPCs, its effects last three times longer. If you selected Diplomacy, your Influence Attitude lasts for 3d4 hours instead of 1d4. If you selected Intimidate, you may force an NPC to act friendly towards you for 3d6x10 minutes instead. This has no effect on PCs.
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5 RPP |
| Exclusive Influence (Influencial Connections)
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| Tier | Benefit | Cost | |||
T1 |
Sphere of Influence: You gain your first Sphere of Influence. You will work out the details with staff. See guidelines, below.
Local Voice: People in your Sphere of Influence start at one category friendlier towards you for purposes of diplomacy and similar social effects. This does not always mean you're well-liked; more, you're more "local" or just more well-known in the area and they're more willing to listen. Rival: You gain a rival! This rival has taken notice of your work and is going to be a pain in the--. Well, there's no success without challenge, is there? You'll work with staff to flesh out your rival and their basic storyline. As you grow and develop, so does your rival.
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10 RPP | |||
T2 |
Promotions: You are able to use your influence and connections to throw events. Despite the name, this need not be a festival--it merely needs to be reflective of your Sphere of Influence. That is, once a month you may choose to run a PrP or a Meetup tied to your Sphere of Influence. You receive a 25% bonus in rewards for this PrP or Meetup. PrPs must be pre-approved by staff, though this is is not an extensive review and is usually in the way of a heads-up.
For example, if your Sphere of Influence is the Society of Progressive Arcanists in Alexandria, you might run an event showcasing others' magical creations--hosted at the Academy, of course. Or, an expedition on behalf of the Academy and subsponsored by some modest official. Without this ability, you can still run PrPs tied to or based around different areas in the game. However, someone with this spend will do it with more support and flair, and gain additional bonuses for doing so. Just a Favor or Two: You gain access to favor tokens! Tokens are optional abilities and opportunities available to you as part of Connections. You gain one free token at this time. You must fully qualify for any token you select. See the table below this one for items you can choose from. The token must be selected when you advance to this tier. If do not select the token, you cannot advance. This is to keep paperwork easier, and also because a 'wildcard token' would be a powerful ability on its own.
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10 RPP | |||
T3 |
Depending on if your primary sphere is geographic-social or more strata-social (for example, Alexandrian Docks versus Alexandrian Lower Merchants), choose one of the following. If you want to earn both, the second may be purchased for 20 RPP.
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10 RPP | |||
T4 |
Hard to Pin: You're slick. If you're imprisoned or fined for crimes either within your Sphere of Influence or a reasonably neighboring locale (DM's discretion), there's little chance you'll see jail time. You pay no fines and escape sentencing if you can make a Diplomacy check (DC 15 for petty crimes, 20 for serious crimes, or 25 for capital crimes). You may use this ability without penalty once per week. Thereafter, the DC raises by 5 for each additional attempt...until you lay low for a while and let scandalous events run their course (a week's cooldown). Over-use, after all, tends to make your contacts sweat, and you a target...or in more social circles, a source of horrible scandal...
Sphere of Influence: You gain a second sphere of influence. This should be related, storywise, to your first sphere.
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10 RPP | |||
T5 |
Loyalies and Exchanges: You owe favors, and collect them along the way. Most of all, you keep track of them. When within your own Spheres, you may call upon one social favor owed to you. This enables you to borrow any item of up to 50g per Tier in this spend. This item must be returned within 1 week. If you fail to return the item, you must return its value to the owner before this ability may be used again.
You may also use this ability to contract a service for free of up to this amount (GM's discretion). This service may not put the NPC in danger in any way, may take no longer than one day, and the NPC's maximum CR is equal to 1/2 of yours. Finally, your loyal allies are willing to cover for you in cases of trouble--to a degree. This has the effect of increasing the DC of Diplomacy checks to gather information about you, as well as Survival checks to track you by an amount equal to a number of two times your tiers in this spend. Second Rival: Maybe you both publish in the same journals. Sparred too often and wanted the eye of that famous hero. Or really, REALLY wanted that shipping contract. Whatever the reason, you gain a second rival! This rival has taken notice of your work and is going to be a pain in the--. Well, there's no success without challenge, is there? You'll work with staff to flesh out your rival and their basic storyline. As you grow and develop, so do your rivals. Accomplice: You gain a lacky. See description, below.
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10 RPP | |||
T6 |
Easy Friends: After spending 4 hours in an area, greasing palms and generally getting to know the locals, you may temporarily apply the benefits of either Local Voice or Knowing Your Way to the area for up to one week. Only one such area may be designated in this way at a time. The DM has final say.
Sphere of Influence: You gain a third sphere of influence. Under My Wing: Perhaps you want to pass on your legacy. Anyone you mentor may gain Influential Connections in one of your spheres for 5 RPP, or Known Face for free. In addition, you receive a 5 RPP bonus which may be spent on any spend of your choosing. If the trainee is at least 1 level tier lower than you, you also both receive the value of a PrP at your level. Level 20 PCs receive a slightly reduced award, as they are basically at the end of their leveling. |
10 RPP | |||
Influential Connections Token Spends
As you gain in tiers, you gain access to Favor Tokens. Tokens are a type of unlimited spend, that may be used once per purchase (unless specified otherwise) and are only available to characters who advance in Influence Tiers. Remember that if Tokens or Tier abilities specify a Sphere, this does not include Spheres gained under A Face About Town at this time.
 Influential Connections Token Spends
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| Reward | Benefit | Cost |
| Forbidden Knowledge | With this boon and by rubbing shoulders with a few spellcasters in your Sphere of influence, you gain a limited ability to prepare and cast a few weak arcane spells. With their aid, you can prepare 4 cantrips or one 1st-level spell from the wizard school. You cast these spells as a caster of that type, and must have the minimum attribute stat to prepare these spells. You can't select this award if you're already a full caster. After 24 hours, you take 1d3 temporary points of damage to your intelligence and lose any prepared spells you didn't cast.
At T3, you gain a more advanced option. You can prepare one 2nd-level spell, instead, by spending 1 more RPP.
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Connections T2+, At T2, this costs 2 RPP and only the first option is available. At T3, the second option is available for 3 RPP. After 24 hours, this ability is expended. |
| Open Doors | You've learned a few tricks here and there. You may use Trapfinding as a rogue 1/2 your level. This is a permanent ability.
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Connections T2+, 10 RPP |
| Make Me an Offer | Within any of your Spheres, you know people. Not only do you know people, but you know merchants...and perhaps a fence or two. With a little legwork, and by spending RPP, you may enact a sale through an NPC fence, increasing the sale price of the item by 10%. This has no effect on items normally sold at full value and may not reduce an item below half market price. This may be combined with other RPP discounts.
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1 RPP, Connections T2+ |
| Modest Title | You receive a modest title which functions within your Major Sphere. This title may be a minor noble's title or an invented one. For example, within the Academy, you might receive an Honorary Professor of Arcane Studies. This title confers a +2 untyped bonus to social checks when working with others in your sphere. It does not confer any other bonus, nor may others be argued. This is a permanent ability which is earnable once. When you purchase this ability, your rivals also receive titles, and they will probably try to make theirs more impressive-sounding.
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10 RPP, Connections T4+ |
| Local Expertise | You poke your nose into too many things. You gain a +2 competence bonus when making any Knowledge/local and Knowledge/history rolls on topics related to your Sphere. This is a permanent ability. Earnable once.
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10 RPP, Connections T2+ |
| Upstanding Membership | Whatever the title of it, you're an upstanding member of a certain club or lodge. While the lodge is part of a greater organization, you locally are a well-known face with an upstanding reputation. These ties could be more social or more practical, but regardless, within your area it's part of being well-represented. This comes with a few benefits.
First, you become a Sworn Member of an organization at Tier 1. In addition to the basic benefits this offers, you gain the following: Once a month, you may request the aid of "character witnesses" should you ever have need of them. The club or lodge vouches for itself, after all. You do not need to be within your Spheres to use this ability, but someone from the local lodge (not the greater organization) must be able to reach you. This may reasonably incur a travelling fee, as the opulent merchant arrives via caravan to extol your virtues in prose, accompanied by an orphan's chorus, for example. In addition, you receive a +2 competence bonus to a particular skill related to the group's focus. For example, a member of the cartwright's guild would receive the +2 competence bonus to the appropriate craft skill. Do not forget that craft and profession skills may be used in place of history and social rolls within their area of expertise. When you take this spend, please state the skill you would like the boon associated with in the +request. Permanent ability once purchased.
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10 RPP, Connections T2+, Ability to become a Sworn Member |
| Truthspinner | Sometimes, what people believe as the truth is more important (or more interesting) than the actual truth, especially when it works towards your interests or favor. While an NPC attempts to give an account of an event, you may make an opposed Diplomacy check to deftly interject comments or statements over the course of the storytelling that cause the individual to muddle his ability to recall accurate or specific details. If you succeed, your target remains unaware that your interjections caused the confusion. However, if you fail, the target is allowed a Sense Motive check (DC equal to your failed Diplomacy check) to figure out that you made deliberate attempts to confuse the story. This is the rogue talent, Obfuscate Story. Permanent ability once purchased.
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10 RPP, T2+ |
| What an Honest Face | If you happen to find yourself in trouble with authorities as a result of accusations, you are able to convince a trustworthy-enough looking person to vouch for your honor. You can use this award once per purchase. You do not need to be within your Spheres to use this ability, but someone from one of your Spheres must be able to reach you. This may reasonably incur a traveling fee, as the opulent merchant arrives via caravan to extol your virtues in prose, accompanied by an orphan's chorus, for example. You pay the RPP cost per use of this ability.
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2 RPP, Connections T2+ |
| Worth too Much to Die | You owe people, and they owe you. It's probably a beneficial relationship. Regardless...you've accrued a little personal capital. A 'mysterious benefactor' will cover up to 50% of your Raise Dead and subsequent Restoration fees. Whether this leaves you in hot water afterwards is up to you and the story. Once purchased, this is a permanent ability.
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10 RPP, Connections T2+ |
| Palm Greaser | You're familiar enough with bureaucracy and social structures that you have become adept at sniffing out corruption. With just 4 hours of footwork work in an area, you are able to uncover a corrupt official. While you may not necessarily know how they are corrupt, you have a general idea how how you might work with them--for example, you may have put the pieces together to determine they may be open to specific sorts of bribes. This knowledge gives you a +2 insight bonus to diplomacy and intimidate checks with that official. The level of corruption and what type is up to the DM. Permanent ability once purchased.
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10 RPP, Connections T3+
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| Lingering Words | You've a sort of way to make words linger. Whether inspiring or just talent with an earworm, it has its effect a little longer than normal. When you gain this ability, choose one skill: Diplomacy or Intimidate. When using this skill to influence NPCs, its effects last longer. If you selected Diplomacy, your Influence Attitude lasts for 3d4 hours instead of 1d4. If you selected Intimidate, you may force an NPC to act friendly towards you for 3d6x10 minutes instead. This has no effect on PCs. Permanent ability once purchased. | 5 RPP, Connections T2+
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| Minor Guise | You've cobbled together a second identity, of sorts. This identity is not anyone important. A farmer, laborer, or peasant is appropriate. You receive a +10 circumstance bonus to Disguise checks to appear as this individual, and a +10 circumstance bonus on bluff checks to play the role. Permanent ability once purchased. | 10 RPP, Connections T2+
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| Major Guise | Your bonuses from Minor Guise increase to +20. In addition, you possess a 60% chance of fooling any divination abilities used to discern your true identity. That is, these abilities will suggest you really are the alternate, peasant/etc. identity you have established. Permanent ability once purchased. | 10 RPP, Minor Guise, Connections T4+
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| A Well-Regarded Expert | You are known as an expert in a number of fields, including areas and topics that you haven't actually taken the time to study! As a result, you are skilled at encouraging others to discover solutions to difficult problems themselves by asking probing questions, while appearing to give the information yourself. In system terms, you may take 10 when attempting to aid another on Appraise, Craft, and Knowledge checks.
In addition, you gain a bonus equal to twice your tiers in this spend on Bluff checks to appear knowledgeable in Appraise, Craft (all), and Knowledge (all). Finally, a creature that has already failed a Knowledge check on a specific subject can attempt one additional check to gain information on the same topic if it receives an aid another bonus from you while doing so. You expert, you! Permanent ability once purchased. |
10 RPP, T4+ |
Descriptions
Accomplice
An accomplice is a minor lackey and skilled worker who helps you with a certain skillset, which is determined at purchase. Accomplices tend to be a 3rd level adept, commoner, or expert with 3 ranks in the appropriate skills and the basic NPC ability score array. This gives them a +8 for class skills, and a +5 for non-class skills. Unless otherwise allowed by the DM, an accomplice may not accompany you on adventures. That is, they are not meant to replace PCs. However, at the DM's discretion, they often provide indirect assistance. An accomplice will not place themselves into situations of obvious danger or bodily harm.
When chosen, you will work out the accomplice's skills with staff, as well as their specific role. Examples of types of accomplices include, but are not limited to:
- Forger (linguistics, knowledge/local, knowledge/history, knowledge/nobility)
- Fence (appraise, knowledge/history, stealth, bluff) *You will still need to use the RPP spend to get a better sale price--this just represents having a fence more or less 'on staff'.
- Lockpick (craft/locksmithing, disable device, skill focus/disable device, perception)
...and so on.
What May Be Chosen as a Sphere for the Purposes of Influence?
Spheres are social areas the PC is involved with. They are local communities of up to 1,500 individuals. This is enough for a small to medium town, or a neighborhood within a large city. Alternately, it can be the local chapter of an organization. Spheres are localized and represent shaking hands, rubbing shoulders, and getting to know others face-to-face. In contrast to the Organizations spend, you get to select more than one Sphere, and may tailor them around your PC.
For example, a PC might become involved in Alexandria's Society for Progressive Arcanists. They'd become a known face there--but not say, the broader network of mage guilds. If they visited these guilds, they'd be seen as associated with the Arcanist Society of Alexandria. Influence is local. Travel in a world such as Alexandria exists within is easily measured in weeks or months. Airships exist, but are not usually for day-to-day travel. Thus, areas of influence should have a "hometown" feel to them.
Other areas are possible in other countries and outside Alexandria.
A sphere's social connections can usually be inferred by its locale and focus. For example, the Alexandrian Silver Merchants would probably socialize with jewelry crafters, and so on.
| Example Sphere | Details |
| Alexandrian silver merchants | Important trading guild in Alexandria. They work with the gnomes of Happy Valley, and sell to jewelers in the larger city. |
| Alexandrian spice merchants | Another important trading guild in Alexandria. Since spices are valuable, they likely are used to hiring guards and various carvaneers. They also sell to high-dollar restaurants, and well-to-do merchants. |
| Guild of the Sly | Local thieves' guild. See their organization entry for details. |
| All merchant houses in the Docks District | All merchants concentrated within the large Docks' neighborhood. There are a lot of politics that go on here, with the competing underworld guilds. The merchants do the best they can, and work trade as they can. |
| All poor of the Lower Trades | A large population of beggars, destitute, and even the working poor. There are of course, poor in other areas of the city. This is just one of the larger areas. |
| A noble house | Any houses are available except House Telenil and the Ruling Council, and similar bodies in other countries. Taking Spheres in this area throws you into the local politics of who likes who, and who doesn't, and who's associated with what other person. If one family likes you, another is bound to have issues! |
| More ...? | Many more options available! Put an idea together of what you'd like, and just talk with staff. Popular choices are local factions of organizations, city districts, and so on. |
What Sorts of RP are Appropriate for Gaining Influence?
Appropriate RP depends on the organization. For instance, you could RP running errands for a guild, attending meetings, being an influential Reporter at the Alexandrian Tribune and ferreting out stories (and posting them to the +bboard).
Influence in Ea is represented as "knowing people" or having an active reputation within your area. It does not equate a high position or an ability to "lord it over" others. In other words, it is a big world and there should be room for everyone.
What are Rivals?
Rivals are the bane of your existence. They see you gaining in influence, and naturally, they want a piece of the pie as well. Rivals are NPCs who may feature in RP and who may occasionally show up in a scene. Their goal in life is to outdo you and to make you miserable, just like any rival would. Likewise, you're welcome to make them miserable, too. You, and they, may not always be successful; rivals are intended to be a true challenge and flavor for your character. Posing them in a scene as incompetent or buffoonish in order to make yourself look good is considered a breach of intent. This does mean you're welcome to pose them to a degree--by describing in roleplay terrible things they've done to you, for example, or have them show up and toss some insults your way. For example, a rival at the Academy could have gotten published just a few days before you did...again. AAUUUGH! But you'll get them. YOU WILL.
Rivals never truly go away, even if killed. That is, there's always someone ready to step into a vacuum.
Rivals may not be another PC, as Tenebrae is not a PvP game. Rivals are ultimately under the control of staff.
When you gain a new rival, you and staff will work out the basic details. Note that rivals advance in level, influence, and capability, just as you do...
Character Page Badges
Want to show off your Influence on your Character Page? Use the following wikicode! (More badges here!)
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{{Badge}}
{{Badge-Icon|Influence01.jpg}}
{{Badge-Content}}
{{Badge-Title|(RPP) Influence PC Badge}}
{{Badge-Entry|Major Spheres}}Your major spheres of influence.
{{Badge-Entry|Minor Spheres}}Your minor spheres of influence.
{{Badge-Entry|Rival}}About your rivals.
{{Badge-Entry|Apprentice}}Do you have an apprentice or assistant? If so, describe them.
{{Badge-Entry|Other Landmarks}}What landmarks have you accomplished as part of your influence?
{{Badge-End}}