Advantages

Advantages are things a character has rather than things a character is.

Wealth

Note that the price is the cost to buy that level from scratch; if a player begins with one level and later changes, they need only pay the difference in costs.
  • 0 points: The character has almost no disposable cash. Shops at wal-mart and is supported by their faction.
  • 1 point: The character has some disposable income. Shops at the mall.
  • 4 points: The character has a significant amount of disposable income. Shops at high end retail stores.
  • 10 points: The character has, within reason, an unlimited amount of disposable income. Can hire people to shop for them.

Mundane Credentials

This represents any sort of title or recognition in the mortal world which accords some kind of authority. A character can buy this multiple times to reflect having multiple credentials. The cost depends on how much authority the credential grants; costs are not cumulative, since credentials (usually) cannot be enhanced to a more useful credential. (If one is, the cost of upgrading is the difference between the costs.)
  • 2 points: A license to engage in some activity for which the character is otherwise qualified and which does not grant special privileges. For example, an MD or being a member of the bar.
  • 5 points: Either a position which gives authority over a small number of employees or a license which grants special privileges. For example, a store manager, an ordinary police officer, or a bounty hunter license.
  • 10 points: Either a position which provides both special privileges and a small number of underlings (like a police sergeant), a position which grants unusually significant special privileges, or a position with many underlings (like the regional manager of a chain of stores).

Favors and Connections

Favors and connections are two different kinds of advantages, both representing that a person has access to help and information from a group of mundanes. Connections represent job contacts, coworkers, and other people you deal with on a casual basis who may be willing to help you out; generally, your connections have to like you, at least enough to work with you, but don't have to be actively maintained beyond whatever background activity you did to get them in the first place. Favors represent people who owe you because you have some hold on them; it could be people you've done favors for in the past, or people you're blackmailing, for example. You need to actively maintain favors, and they may turn around and demand things of you when you ask them for help. Each of these advantages can be had at three levels in each area a character has it. The levels are:
  • 2 points: A few contacts who will do small favors that won't get them in trouble. You can learn anything that's common knowledge among this group. If you meet a random member of this group, it's almost certainly not someone you know.
  • 5 points: A larger number of contacts who are willing to get into temporary trouble for you. You hear the latest gossip, and you have a reasonable chance of knowing of random members of the group who you meet.
  • 10 points: Most people in the group know you, and you know almost all of them. They're willing to risk permanent trouble, like losing their job, for you, and you know everything going on in that area.
Reasonable areas to have favors or connections in are:
  • Retailers
  • An individual university
  • The major crimes unit of the Pittsburgh police
  • The narcotics and vice unit of the Pittsburgh police
  • The administrations side of the Pittsburgh police
  • Drug runners
  • Prostitution rings
  • Local thieves
  • Local gambling
  • Firefighters
  • An individual city agency

Fame

Very few people living through the cracks become famous. For 5 points, a character can be well-known in Pittsburgh, to the extent that their name comes up often in the paper, and random residents might recognize you, even if they're not sure from where. Players who want more than that should talk to the GM's about whether the concept is appropriate, and if so, how to arrange it.

Gate

While there are lots of public gates between the grim and the cracks, plenty of them aren't well known. Some people know about private gates, which they can use as shortcuts. This can be bought multiple times if you know about several gates.
  • 2 points: You know about a gate that others don't, but it's worse than a typical gate--perhaps it's small, or it goes to a dangerous place.
  • 5 points: You know about a normal gate that others don't
  • 10 points: You have the key to a "locked" gate (one that can only be passed with the key)

Estate

This represents where you live. You can buy this multiple times if you maintain multiple residences.
  • 0 points: You live in your faction compound
  • 2 points: Either you have a few private rooms in your faction compound or you have an apartment sized home in a pocket with other people (perhaps the same pocket as the faction compound)
  • 5 points: Either you have free reign in your faction compound, including a nice private area, or you have a small house (or the equivalent) in a semi-private pocket
  • 10 points: You have a small pocket to yourself

Security Forces

While any PC can get access to their faction security forces by going through the appropriate channels, each faction has a number of people who can directly issue orders to the faction security force, without having to justify to them. This privilege costs 10 points.

Relic

A relic is a magical item of some kind, usually created by a magical ritual (although often one long since lost). This advantage gives a character a relic; like knacks, an appropriate power should be invented and cleared with the GMs. This advantage must be bought for any relics at character creation, and may be bought later if the player would like their character to obtain a relic during play. It does not need to be bought for relics obtained through game (for example, if a PC makes an item with a ritual or finds one during a plotline); but if a player would like to obtain a relic with a particular effect, they can purchase this advantage and work out an explanation for where they find it. (For instance, in the faction treasury or while exploring areas outside of game.)

Costs are cumulative, and relics can be enhanced later (reflecting that the character has learned about new features).

  • 2 points: A petty relic (comparable to a first level knack)
  • 15 points: A minor relic (comparable to a second level knack)
  • 50 points: A major relic (comparable to a third level knack)
Note that having paid points for a relic provides no protection against theft.