Pulling Strings
Pulling Strings represent special connections that a character has cultivated. They provide abilities that require certain authorizations, unique contacts, or restricted resources. Pulling Strings are granted to a character from his employment or his chosen Profession, a secret society membership, or his personal background. The Handler has the final call whether any given character can use any given Pulling String. It is important to remember that Pulling Strings are specifically tied to an employment sector, a job, a secret group, or a personal history — if a person loses his job, is shunned by colleagues, or “disappears” from society, those Pulling Strings may no longer be accessible.
In most cases, a skill check must be made before the character can access the Pulling String. This signifies the process of making calls, convincing people to helping, or just filing the necessary paperwork so as not to arouse any suspicion. When making any of these rolls, those with greater Influence get things done that much more easily and gain step easements as follows, 1-2 No Step Modifier, 3 - 6 one step easement, 7 -10 two step easement, 11+ three step easement. Handlers may also add step penalties to this roll based on adverse circumstances. If a character is outside his normal area of operations, if cell phone coverage is spotty, if desired facilities, equipment, or resources are unusual in the area, or if personality clashes are present, a one to three step penalty can be applied.
When accessing a Pulling String, a dice roll of twenty indicates a drastic failure. Not only is the requested assistance denied, but the agent loses access to the Pulling String for D6 x 2(6) months. This could be due to accidentally exposing the connection, triggering an internal investigation into resource management, losing the trust of a confidant, ruffling feathers in a particularly egregious way, or any other reason the Handler may decide on. The agent can re-establish the connections required through weeks of paperwork and glad-handing (see Downtime ), but another failure as drastic as this results in losing the Pulling String permanently.
The costs listed are for purchasing the Pulling String as a Quality separate from those granted with a Profession package. If the Pulling String normally requires a certain type of Influence Quality or a specific Profession package, that is indicated.
In most cases, a skill check must be made before the character can access the Pulling String. This signifies the process of making calls, convincing people to helping, or just filing the necessary paperwork so as not to arouse any suspicion. When making any of these rolls, those with greater Influence get things done that much more easily and gain step easements as follows, 1-2 No Step Modifier, 3 - 6 one step easement, 7 -10 two step easement, 11+ three step easement. Handlers may also add step penalties to this roll based on adverse circumstances. If a character is outside his normal area of operations, if cell phone coverage is spotty, if desired facilities, equipment, or resources are unusual in the area, or if personality clashes are present, a one to three step penalty can be applied.
When accessing a Pulling String, a dice roll of twenty indicates a drastic failure. Not only is the requested assistance denied, but the agent loses access to the Pulling String for D6 x 2(6) months. This could be due to accidentally exposing the connection, triggering an internal investigation into resource management, losing the trust of a confidant, ruffling feathers in a particularly egregious way, or any other reason the Handler may decide on. The agent can re-establish the connections required through weeks of paperwork and glad-handing (see Downtime ), but another failure as drastic as this results in losing the Pulling String permanently.
The costs listed are for purchasing the Pulling String as a Quality separate from those granted with a Profession package. If the Pulling String normally requires a certain type of Influence Quality or a specific Profession package, that is indicated.
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