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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 12:31:56 AM

Title: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 12:31:56 AM
So here's the skinny,  I play a white court vampire who feeds on fear.  He's a runaway from the White Court, he's been around for a very long time during which he's made a lot of Friends(and enemies) and Money.  (Resources and Contacts are both at +5) Recently my GM has charged me with the task of developing a short(ish) list of some contacts I've made over the years.
 So what kind of contacts would a SUBMERGED 120 year old White Court Runaway turned Crimelord(specializing in white collar crimes especially during the later years) turned Philanthropist turned...Bad JUJU hunter... have? 
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Darkshore on October 05, 2011, 12:34:00 AM
Lawyers...lots and lots of lawyers.  ;)
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 12:42:06 AM
Lawyers are already on the list, but good suggestion. A good way to think about the character , I've found, is to put yourself in Lex Luthor, Xanatos, Oliver Queen, Tony Stark, and Bruce Wayne's shoes.  He's got a massive company or rather several of them, essentially a WayneCorp dealing with everything.  But he also has a very underground criminal empire and very strong pulls in some of the seedier supernatural circles. 
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Darkshore on October 05, 2011, 12:44:46 AM
Smugglers, Body-Guard types, Hit-men, Drivers, Suppliers, Money Launderers, etc. You know think Mafia type stuff. That's what comes into my mind at least. Want to make them a bit on the spooky side? Maybe they're like Bender or they're Werewolves, Goblins, Modern minded Fae, etc.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 12:49:13 AM
Those are very helpful.  I was thinking a Master Forger..a fey with true glamors would be pretty cool for that.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 01:01:52 AM
I guess it would also be useful to note what kind of contacts he already has.  He has a spirit of intellect, much like Bob, who knows a lot about different vampire types, and is essentially a cryptozooligist. A getter, Jenkins, he can get anything you need, for a price, and its usually not money he's asking for. An old family friend (of his mothers side) essentially BUTLER think Alfred but physically immune to a lot.  A technomancer who can create a lightningrod/ faraday cage for electronics to shield them from magical energies.  An agent of chaos, the one and only Babayaga, and a recently discovered old friend, a raven named Shade, who happens to be one of Odin's own.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 01:10:11 AM
He's recently been "hired" by an unnamed group of very powerful individuals who are aimed at maintaining the status quo. Keeping the supernatural fairly hidden, and making sure no one gets...too powerful. In a sense THEY (referred to by the players as The Illuminati) are also a contact
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Sanctaphrax on October 05, 2011, 01:33:40 AM
I recommend you look through the Spare Character Concepts and Generic NPC threads for ideas. There are plenty of weird things there that would make good concepts.

Maybe also steal from the PbP board. There are plenty of interesting NPCs there.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 01:46:47 AM
Thanks, I'll give those a look through.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Silverblaze on October 05, 2011, 01:58:49 AM
I reccomend the following also.

#1 lawyers
#2 hackers

all the rest is, in theory optional

Cleaners (body and evidence removal)
farmers - for growing drugs in fields and body disposal
security guards in prisons
garbage men
police officers
occult bookstore owners
bounty hunters
mechanics - who don't ask questions
mail carriers
truckers
various motor cycle clubs (1%er's and legal ones)
professional theives
scientists (particulalry doctors, phamacists and pharmacologists)
gun runners
adrenaline junkies (might help siphon off some fear qhen you don't feel like leaving a trail of bodies)
real estate tycoons
local governmental bodies (mayors, chiefs of police et, aldermen etc)
likely a few state senators
pimps and pros (mainly to gain more blackmail material)
health inspectors

...the list is really endless
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: More.Than.A.Mechanic on October 05, 2011, 02:07:27 AM
Also he'd have ties in law enforcement, governments, charities and maybe even school systems through donations. Gotta keep those grubby hands looking somewhat clean.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: DamonThayne on October 05, 2011, 02:11:02 AM
The long list is a very detailed one, many thanks.  Funny you should mention a mechanic with no questions. Isnt that right Circe?
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: More.Than.A.Mechanic on October 05, 2011, 02:12:44 AM
Too bad you don't have one that doesn't ask questions or Buck Authority... or not have the hammer of Thor.

Well. Looks like I'm outta a job.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Sanctaphrax on October 05, 2011, 02:21:32 AM
Oh, I forgot to mention: if you're looking through the Generic NPC thread, you will probably find this helpful:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/39806406/genericnpcdump-sorted.txt (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/39806406/genericnpcdump-sorted.txt)

It's a sorted list of all NPCs on the thread that conform to my template. Which is almost all of them.

PS: Welcome to the forums, More.Than.A.Mechanic.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: More.Than.A.Mechanic on October 05, 2011, 02:25:36 AM
Thanks Sanctaphrax.

Also totally dig the name if it's a reference to what I think it is.

I might poke through that thread too as I need to build a gang of battle ready Mechanics too. 
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Sanctaphrax on October 05, 2011, 05:09:23 AM
Yay! My name has been recognized!

Assuming, of course, that you are thinking of The Edge Chronicles.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: More.Than.A.Mechanic on October 05, 2011, 03:09:14 PM
But of course! *high fives for awesome*

Ahem, that nerdom aside.... I suppose I should get back to help my party member work on his contacts.
Title: Re: Friends in all kinds of places
Post by: Blackblade on October 05, 2011, 04:33:33 PM
For the supernatural angle, I'd say that you might want to have contacts in one or both of the fey courts, someone moderately high-up in a smaller ghoul clan, a couple of Kincaid-style "specialists," maybe one of the shadier wizards on the Council, and possibly one or two people on the White Court who don't completely hate you. 

Also, if you get in a situation where you're dealing with a group you didn't put on your list, I've found it helps to ask the GM if you can make a Contacts declaration that you know someone there.