Below are our modifications to existing backgrounds.
Mentor
The Mentor background does not assist in learning disciplines. It can offer advice and information.
Retainers
Retainers cannot be used in combat. They can investigate, be sent out on errands and be your eyes and ears in the daytime, but you can't call up your 5-dot posse and throw down.
Allies
We have modified the Allies background to make it more useful. Allies represent a large group of people that your character can rely upon to do tasks for them. While not as trustworthy as a retainer, they are generally not aware of the character's supernatural nature. Each dot of Allies represents a group of roughly five people your character can go to for assistance. Examples include reliable employees of a company your character owns, a street gang, a union local or a law office. Like Retainers, they cannot be used in combat.
All Contacts and Allies must be specified on your sheet at character creation. If you create a character with dots in Contacts and/or Allies, it is your responsibility to specify on your sheet who these people are and what they do.
Should any character be approved with unspecified Contacts and Allies, you will not be allowed to specify them after creation and you will lose the dots. Period.
Resources
Adjusted for modern standards of living:
Resources 1: Small savings: a small apartment and maybe a motorcycle. If liquidated, you would have about $1,300 in cash.
Allowance of $650 a month.
Resources 2: Middle class: an apartment or condominium. If liquidated, you would have at least $10500 in cash.
Allowance of $1600 a month.
Resources 3: Large savings: a homeowner or someone with some equity. If liquidated, you would have at least $65000 in cash.
Allowance of $4000 a month.
Resources 4: Well-off: a member of the upper class. You own a very large house, or perhaps a dilapidated mansion. If liquidated, you would have at least $650,000 in cash.
Allowance of $12000 a month.
Resources 5: Ridiculously affluent: a multimillionaire. Your haven is limited by little save your imagination. If liquidated, you would have at least $6,500,000 in cash.
Allowance of $40,000 a month.