Backgrounds fill out your character almost as completely as do Attributes and Abilities, but in a different way. Whereas the latter two define your character's potential and what she can do, the former determines her history in terms of memories, people and possessions. Be sure to explain why you put points into a given Background and make sure it suits your character concept. A street punk with 4 Resources? Not impossible, but a story is required to make it plausible. Make your character's Background Traits a natural extension of her concept.
You may occasionally have to make rolls with Background Traits to obtain goods, services or information. For example, the Storyteller may rule that you have to make an Intelligence + Exposure roll to understand that the bat with the glinting red eyes isn't after mosquitoes.

 

ALLIES
Your character has friends in high and low places and can occasionally call upon them in times of need. Depending on the number of dots assigned to this Background, your character might have a childhood friend in Homicide or perhaps he saved the governor's life back in Nam. Allies can't always help directly, but they may have their own resources that they can call upon. Unlike contacts (see below), allies don't need to be coaxed or manipulated into helping your character, but they are probably unaware of his struggle against the supernatural.
Like any friends, allies do not enjoy being used. Your character may have to interact with them outside of simply asking them for help. Additionally, granting favours is a two-way street: A friend in the FBI may call upon your character unexpectedly for assistance. Paying the piper can put a real dent in his personal agenda, but can be the stuff of which adventures are made.

 

O One ally of moderate influence and power
O O Two allies, both of moderate power
O O O Three allies, one of whom is quite influential
O O O O Four allies, one of whom is very influential
O O O O O Five allies, one of whom is extremely influential

 

ARSENAL
Your character may never have been a boy scout, but "be prepared" has always been his motto. He always knew evil was at work, he just didn't know what form it would take. Government agents, UFOs or demons straight from hell: he was ready for anything. So when he was Called, he brought the hard stuff to bear. They used to call your character "gun nut," "survivalist" or just plain "paranoid." Now they call him "saviour."
Your character may not have much money, but over the years he has collected an impressive assortment of weapons and equipment valuable to his newfound calling. If he doesn't have a particular weapon or piece of gear on hand, he knows where to get it, whether legally or illegally. Legal possession of firearms probably means the government has a record of every weapon your character owns; illegal ownership may mean a prison sentence if he's caught. More dots in this Background increases the volume, firepower or rarity of the collection. The Storyteller has final say on what items may be available, and should establish the contents of a stash before play begins.

 

O You might own or have inherited a modest collection of rifles, shotguns and a few handguns. Equipment could include army-surplus rucksacks,         rations or first-aid kits.
O O You own a substantial collection of firearms: pistols and long guns, possibly including vintage semiautomatic military rifles (Civil War, WWl                 or WWIl). Equipment could include high-power binoculars, urban camo fatigues or a police scanner.
O O O You're a serious collector, owning various pistols, shotguns and even semiauto assault rifles. The gear in your basement could easily outfit                    a group of "rough-it" campers, and your supplies could include night-vision goggles, body armour or military-surplus radios.
O O O O You're a fixture at local gun shows and you make your neighbours nervous. Your sizable collection includes fully-automatic weapons                               (including submachine guns) and might contain exotic types such as sniper rifles or rare antiques. Equipment could include police-issue                         sap gloves, electronic eavesdropping devices or lightweight tactical radios used by special forces.
O O O O O People like you give the ATF nightmares. Your large collection includes heavy weapons - vintage machine guns, mortars and grenades.                            They're old but serviceable. Modern equipment might include SWAT-team body armour, military-grade GPS navigation hardware or                              even surplus military vehicles.

 

BYSTANDERS
Allies are your character's associates. Contacts are her eyes and ears. Yet both groups must be kept in the dark about your character's real life and agenda; they wouldn't understand if she told them the truth, and they might even unwittingly reveal her to the enemy. However, bystanders are your character's companions in her lonely vigil. Like her, they were exposed to the Message when it was delivered, but unlike her they failed to act at the scene. They haven't forgotten what they witnessed, though. They've seen the evil, too. Some are prepared to make amends for past indecision or fear, and they want to help your character directly. Others can be goaded into offering aid, but they never want to face that kind
of horror again.
Although most bystanders are sympathetic to your character's cause, they have various reasons for helping her. Some stand with her out of love, for a debt unpaid or for the resources she can provide. Their camaraderie is not unflagging, though, and poor treatment drives them away. Additionally, bystanders may seek aid that they know your character can provide. Generally, bystanders are not as powerful as hunters in head-on battles with the supernatural. They have no second sight or edges and should not be expected to participate, except in dire circumstances. Help from bystanders typically takes the form of aid your character could expect from her own family.

 

O One bystander
O O Two bystanders
O O O Three bystanders
O O O O Four bystanders
O O O O O Five bystanders

 

CONTACTS
Your character has developed a steady base of people who can provide him with a stream of information and services. These contacts are rarely friends, more often people who know your character and may offer help if properly bribed, coerced or manipulated. There are two types of contacts: major and minor.
Major contacts have some degree of standing within their respective fields and, with the right offer, can provide helpful information regarding those areas. Minor contacts are informants spread throughout the city. Minor contacts can be used as eyes and ears, but they aren't as informative as major contacts. Newsstand vendors, bouncers, bartenders, security guards, police dispatchers and paramedics are all good examples of minor contacts. If your character wants to get in touch with minor contacts, roll Contacts rating (difficulty 7) with each success representing a minor contact found. They still require the proper incentive to help, though.
Neither type of contact - major nor minor - recognises your character as a hunter, and would probably be frightened away if they did.

 

O One major contact and a handful of minor ones.
O O Two major contacts and a few minor ones scattered about the area.
O O O Three major contacts and minor ones in every club or police precinct.
O O O O Four major contacts and minor contacts spread throughout the city.
O O O O O Five major contacts, and you seldom go anywhere without seeing a minor one.

 

DESTINY
Everyone has her role in shaping the future, but people with Destiny seem to have an enormous part to play. Perhaps your character has been selected from among all other imbued for some purpose. Maybe only she has insight into the way the monsters really are. Your character may be aware of her importance in time's procession, or she may be ignorant of the fact until someone points it out. Nonetheless, she carries her destiny like a standard and may be respected, feared or envied by those who recognize her significance. A "blessed one" may be watched closely and criticized when she doesn't seem to follow what is believed to be her true path. Others may even try to utilize your character's higher calling to their own ends.
Destinies are enigmas, though, and no one has a clear idea of what awaits your character.
Yet Fate is not unwavering. Destined people have been known to die before fulfilling their roles. Such deaths are seldom inglorious and never unimportant. For each dot your character possesses in this Background, you can make one re-roll per game session. If a single roll fails or does not achieve the successes that you hoped for, you can roll again. Only one re-roll is allowed for any given action. Re-rolls are even allowed for Conviction-invested edge rolls, perhaps avoiding the loss of any risked Conviction points.
The Storyteller must decide what your character's destiny is and he can work it into his chronicle. He may or may not make you privy to your character's fate. You have a certain funny feeling about your future. You are bound to make an indelible impact on the lives of many others. Your destiny is powerful, perhaps as a respected innovator or leader.

 

O You have a certain funny feeling about your future.
O O You are bound to make an indelible impact on the lives of many others.
O O O Your destiny is powerful, perhaps as a respected innovator or leader.
O O O O Your destiny is one of Arthurian legend.
O O O O O The course of the world may be revolutionized by your fate.

 

EXPOSURE
Your character had a run-in with the supernatural before she was imbued. Maybe she saw a pack of wild dogs tear through the shopping mall or was part of a cult based on something more tangible than deluded faith. She never understood the encounter fully and shut it out, rationalised it desperately or simply dismissed it. Now that she has been chosen, your character understands her past experience for what it was. This information gives her insights into the supernatural from time to time. But be forewarned that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Some perceptions are deceptive. Your character may know just enough about the supernatural to get into trouble, but not enough to survive it.
Detail the past event or circumstances. When your character identifies a supernatural creature, the Storyteller may make a Wits + Exposure roll on your behalf to see if your character can draw upon her previous experience in regard to this new encounter. As far as your character can tell, not all monsters are the same, so some abominations may still be baffling to her. The Storyteller should always make Exposure rolls in secret and feed potentially lethal misinformation after botches.

 

O You frequently went dancing at some notorious spots.
O O You can now explain that unexplainable encounter you had as a kid in the spooky old mansion.
O O O You've seen miraculous coincidences occur that are starting to seem less and less coincidental.
O O O O One of your patients always used to arrange after-dark meetings. You realize that your initial diagnosis for the cause of his neuroses                               was  all wrong.
O O O O O You lived in a community - perhaps Gypsy or Native American - that took the supernatural for granted. You now understand                                                  something of what you've seen and heard.

 

FAME
Your character is recognized and widely respected by people for something. Fame often walks hand in hand with fortune, as many famous writers, athletes and actors can attest. It doesn't always, though; without accompanying points in Resources, your character's fame may be the fleeting kind usually brought on by the media. Fame certainly has its benefits. People want to be seen with your character, he may wield significant influence, and he might receive prestigious invitations and privileges.
Fame can also be a nuisance, especially for hunters who want to stalk their prey unseen. Yet enemies may not be able to eliminate your character outright; they may not want to reckon with the attention and inquiries his death would bring. At the Storyteller's discretion, Fame may also reduce the difficulties of Social rolls against particularly impressionable people.

 

O You're a regular at a certain club or the host of a cable-access show.
O O You're a local celebrity among a certain set, maybe a college-sports phenomenon or a morning-TV-show host. People recognize your face.
O O O You're known to almost everyone in the area, perhaps as a figure in a popularized trial.
O O O O Your name is known across the nation - almost everyone has heard it.
O O O O O Your name turns up at least once on any given evening of television.

 

INFLUENCE
Your character is able to direct political and social processes and some authorities including the police by any of several means, such as wealth, political office, prestige or manipulation. This Background is a measure of the weight he can throw around in his community, particularly through the justice and executive systems.
There are times when you may have to roll Influence in lieu of another Ability, such as Bureaucracy or Politics, especially when dealing with the public mindset. Naturally, it is much more difficult to effect changes on a national level than on a local one. (Note: Politics has been used as an example below, but an area of influence must be chosen when this Background is taken. The Background may be taken multiple times in separate areas of influence.)

 

O Moderately influential; a factor in local politics
O O Well-connected; a force in city politics
O O O Position of influence; a factor in regional politics
O O O O Broad personal power; a force in state politics
O O O O O Vastly influential; a factor in national politics

 

MENTOR
Slaying otherworldly creatures is a skill learned through hard knocks, if at all. Some lucky hunters learn what they know with guidance. Your character has a teacher, whether in the tricks of destroying zombies or in life overall.
A high Mentor rating suggests a fellow hunter, perhaps one of the first, who teaches your character to survive, too. A low Mentor ratings indicates a "mundane" teacher, someone learned in the world, even if it's not the same terrible one your character knows. The latter may be an excellent teacher of combat skills or common sense, but can be difficult to call upon in touchy situations. Some mentors maintain an aloof teacher-student relationship, others become friends and even lovers. No mentor, however, has an inexhaustible amount of patience. A mentor who feels burdened by an ungrateful or troublesome apprentice soon seeks a more worthy charge.

 

O Your mentor is able to train you in one or two general Abilities and offer some advice.
O O Your mentor is moderately influential and connected, and often provides helpful advice.
O O O Your mentor is probably another hunter.
O O O O Your mentor is a gifted hunter with considerable experiences, insight and connections.
O O O O O Your mentor is a relatively legendary hunter; she may even be known and feared by the enemy.

 

PATRON
The Messengers keep visiting your character, even after his imbuing. An otherworldly hand continues to shake him and confront him with warnings or horrific visions. The signs are often short and enigmatic, arriving with little warning. Your character may feel something akin to what epileptics experience just before an episode - a brief haziness or unfamiliar smell - then it hits. Contact is seldom pleasant; it's disorienting, nauseating or infuriating. Any messages are shrouded in a miasma of images and emotions that don't immediately make sense. Otherworldly voices and bizarre dreams are obvious choices. Other, more eerie messages include billboard lines that scramble into cryptic warnings or ATM machines that urge or advise your character.
Before he understands what's happening, your character may be presumed sick or insane, whether by himself or by others. Even if he understands the meaning of the messages, he may attribute them to deities, aliens or psychic powers. Most characters with Patrons tend to keep the nature of their messages to themselves. After all, they burned Joan of Arc for less.
Storytellers may use this Background as an opportunity to offer clues to players and to foreshadow events to come. The Storyteller may also decide the reason your character is contacted relatively frequently.

 

O You are contacted now and again, perhaps three or four times since you were imbued.
O O You are contacted a few times a season or so, apparently with dire messages only.
O O O You receive messages a few times every month.
O O O O You are contacted at least once every week, with information of seemingly various import.
O O O O O You are contacted so frequently that you take precautions against mishaps by refusing to swim or drive alone, for example.

 

RESOURCES
Resources describes your character's standard of living rather than his liquid assets. Almost everyone has at least a point or two in this Trait - otherwise your character has a small apartment, a beat-up car and can afford only basic hunting tools, such as an illegal gun and
some ammo. Alternatively, a character without a Resources rating is practically penniless: a bum on the street or still living with his parents. Detail whence any income derives; neglect or wanton spending can quickly reduce it to nothing. Your character can liquidate possessions for more cash, but the faster he wants to do this, the less money he gets. Many hunters reduce their assets to almost nothing in the wake of being imbued, when money can become meaningless compared to destroying evil personified or protecting loved ones.
Note that Resources may provide cash for weapons and paramilitary equipment, but your character probably doesn't start with any, nor does she necessarily know how to acquire such items.

 

O You live in a condo or apartment in a clean part of town. You have the money for a few splurges, such as a computer or a nice car. Alternatively,          you might live in squalor and support a number of people or are able to afford a variety of weapons and gear.
O O You have a "real" job and your first home. You may have one nice car or two old ones. Supporting a family and maintaining the hunt puts a                     real  strain on your finances. Alternatively, you live in a cheap apartment but can afford good equipment for the mission.
O O O You own some property and perhaps a second nice car. You can afford to take frequent overseas vacations and build a stock portfolio. You                  can support a family and pay for the tools of your secret trade.
O O O O You own an enviable house or perhaps several small pieces of property. You can afford a membership at a prestigious country club, even                       though you don't golf much. Fellow hunters look to you to outfit the group.
O O O O O You are a multimillionaire. There's almost nothing (and no) one out of your Rolex-clad arm's reach. Be careful: Such wealth often                                        engenders dangerous envy. You can afford almost any weapon or armament, provided you can get your hands on it.