Mentor
Background
This Trait represents a Kindred or group of Kindred who looks out for you, offering guidance or aid once in a while. A mentor may be powerful, but his power need not be direct. Depending on the number of dots in this Background, your mentor might be nothing more than a vampire with a remarkable information network, or might be a centuries-old creature with tremendous influence and supernatural power. He may offer advice, speak to the Prince or Archbishop on your behalf, steer other elders clear of you, or warn you when you’re walking into situations you don’t understand.
Most often your mentor is your sire, but it could well be any Cainite with an interest in your wellbeing. A high Mentor rating could even represent a group of like-minded vampires, such as the elders of the city’s Tremere chantry or a Black Hand cell.
Bear in mind that this Trait isn’t a “Get out of Jail Free” card. Your mentor won’t necessarily arrive like the cavalry whenever you’re endangered (and if she does, you’re likely to lose a dot or more in this Background after rousing her ire). What’s more, she might occasionally expect something in return for her patron-
age, which can lead to a number of interesting stories. A mentor typically remains aloof, giving you useful information or advice out of camaraderie, but will abandon you without a thought if you prove an unworthy or troublesome protégé.
• Mentor is an ancilla of little influence, or a Ductus or Pack Priest.
•• Mentor is respected: an elder or highly-decorated veteran, for instance.
••• Mentor is heavily influential, such as a member of the Primogen or a Bishop.
•••• Mentor has a great deal of power over the city: a Prince or Archbishop, for example.
••••• Mentor is extraordinarily powerful, perhaps even a Justicar or Cardinal.
Ratings
| Rating | |
|---|---|
| • | Mentor is an ancilla of little influence, or a Ductus or Pack Priest. |
| •• | Mentor is respected: an elder or highly-decorated veteran, for instance. |
| ••• | Mentor is heavily influential, such as a member of the Primogen or a Bishop. |
| •••• | Mentor has a great deal of power over the city: a Prince or Archbishop, for example. |
| ••••• | Mentor is extraordinarily powerful, perhaps even a Justicar or Cardinal. |
Also in W20 p. 140 — text differs from V20 (56%)
A Garou of higher Rank has taken keen interest in you, and will look after you — to a point. The rating of your Mentor Background quantifies how powerful your mentor is within the tribe and what rank he or she has achieved. A mentor can teach you skills, advise you, or speak on your behalf at a council fire. He has a pack of his own, and his own duties, so he won’t be present to save you whenever you bite off more than you can chew. Of course, your mentor will expect something in return for his assistance, be it good company, an occasional gofer, a champion, or perhaps a supporter in sept politics. His demands can make an excellent source of story hooks. In general, however, you will receive more than you give. Other werewolves may wonder what your mentor sees in you — the two of you deal as individual werewolves, rather than as members of your respective packs.
A powerful mentor doesn’t have to be a single person; a pack or council of elders might be considered a collective mentor. The latter would almost certainly have a rating of four or five dots, even if no one on the council is above Rank 5.
• Mentor is Rank 2 •• Mentor is Rank 3 ••• Mentor is Rank 4 •••• Mentor is Rank 5 ••••• Mentor is Rank 6
See also 2
Bestiary
- Bear vampire/creature/ghoul/bear
Clans & Bloodlines
- Tremere vampire/faction/clan/tremere