Territory System
E
very person or even some groups of people want to have their own safe place to call home. On City of Shadows we have a system setup to help defend and raise more space. While this is not a replacement for the various Lair-Type Merits, this is used in conjunction with them to make sure the area around the lair is safe and in the control of the appropriate groups. Why does someone want territory? While there as many justifications for wanting territory as there are Cadres who claim it, the simple fact is that, for the inhuman denizens of the world forced to live a shadowed life, often pretending to be human, that they need it. Few creatures can survive alone, and none do so in a vacuum. The most hardened, isolated Gangrel Elder still needs blood to subsist on, even if the draw of city lights left them centuries prior. What does territory do? Territory provides a Cadre with protection, in the form of myriad defenses. Hardened walls and pit traps are equally important as zoning commissions and a press of bodies. In game terms, there are four bonuses to every territory:
- Unique Bonus
- This is a bonus available only to those who claim a given territory, such as unique knowledge or access to a rare resources.
- Cost Reduction
- This is a trio of merits which, when purchased by a Cadre member, refund 1 beat.
- Specialty
- A specialty that Cadre members can access.
- Superiority
- When within a territory they control, Cadre members receive +2 Dice to react to surprises and ambushes.
H
ere is a list of the common terms used in the system that we use to maintain and control the Claimed Territories of various Cadres.
- Cadre
- A blanket term for Packs/Coteries/Motleys/Cabals
- Territory
- A geographically contiguous area that can be controlled, either physically, legally, socially, or spiritually.
- Location Value (LV)
- A numerical representation of the difficulty and energy needed to secure an area.
- Clout
- The sum total of money, mystic power, physical prowess, social support and mental trickery a Cadre can devote to claiming and maintaining territory. Clout is the total of all relevant social Merits, Mental Merits, Discipline Dots, Renown, Arcana Dots, Contract Dots, Rites, and Coins available to a Cadre. This creates a die pool that can be used to enhance Territory Actions, both offensive and defensive. This is an abstraction of a groups total power, not an exact measure.
How do I get territory?
O
btaining territory is not simply as easy as moving in to an unclaimed neighborhood, even if you killed the previous residents. To obtain territory, a Cadre must invest time and resources in relation to the value of the territory. Territories have an LV, whether claimed or not. While a vigorously defended territory will have a much higher LV than a neglected, or even abandoned one, all territories have an LV that is needed to be overcome to claim the territory. The hows and whys of an LV are abstractions designed to cover everything from bribing local politicians, haggling with local gangs, bartering or intimidating local spirits and simple construction and renovations.
T
o attempt to claim a territory is an Extended Action with a difficulty equivalent to the LV of an area. The dice pool is chosen at the beginning of the action, and becomes the mean of the attribute and skill among all Cadre members (rounded up). Dice from the Cadre's Clout pool can be added on a one for one basis to a given roll. Coins instead add successes to a roll which succeeds, akin to Weapon Damage. The number of rolls is determined by the base die pool, and is NOT impacted by ANY other traits - these are accounted for in the Clout pool. The time between rolls is 2 days, which CAN be halved on an exceptional success.
T
o obtain an unclaimed territory simply requires the acquisition of successes equal to the LV. To take over a territory from another Cadre becomes a Contested and Extended Roll, unless the present owners are unwilling to defend their claim. Both parties choose their die pools in secret, as well as any Clout dice they wish to add. Each roll represents two days of maneuvering. After the rolls, the Cadres are informed who won and who lost. The first Cadre to accumulate Victories equal to ⅕ of the LV (Round up) of the territory claims the territory. The defending Cadre is considered to have one banked victory for every month they have already claimed the territory.