Chapter Four: Gifts and Rites

Gifts

  The spirit world shares many secrets with werewolves and other shapechangers. In accordance with an ancient pact, spirits teach magical abilities called Gifts to the Garou. Gifts allow werewolves to focus their spiritual energy to affect the Tellurian. Different tribes, auspices, and even breeds learn different Gifts. Each group has its own secrets and its own unique spiritual connections.
  Gifts are divided into levels. Level One Gifts are the weakest Gifts — those taught to raw cubs — and Level Five Gifts are the greatest secrets, taught only to those heroes who have proved themselves time and again. A beginning character may choose one Level One Gift from each of her breed, auspice and tribe Gift lists. In the process of character creation, the players may use leftover freebie points to buy other Gifts.
  As a character gains more experience, she may purchase more Gifts. However, the character must be of a rank equivalent to the level of the Gift desired, or she cannot possess it. During play, a werewolf may learn the Gifts of other breeds, auspices or tribes, provided she can find a spirit to teach them. However, these Gifts have a higher cost (see the Experience Point chart).

Learning Gifts

  A werewolf must either petition a particular spirit to teach him its powers or ask an elder to summon that spirit and petition on his behalf. Only spirits allied to the Garou teach Gifts willingly. Spirits never teach a high-level Gift to a werewolf who has not attained the proper rank.
  When a werewolf wants to learn a Gift, she must find a willing instructor first. Usually, she travels to a caern with a power level equal to or greater than that of the desired Gift to petition the spirit personally. Traditionally, werewolves have always sought to beseech the teachings of a spirit thus. The act of summoning the spirit to a powerful caern is a sign of respect. Unfortunately, the modern world rarely allows for such noble gestures, despite what most Silver Fangs would say. Because so few powerful caerns remain, often the best effort that a werewolf can make is to ask a respected Theurge to summon the particular spirit and placate it with appropriate rites. Even then, the demands of these End Times often forces young wolves to enter the Umbra and track down their own spirit guides. The danger in doing so is obvious. An inexperienced werewolf may anger a spirit in its home, which is a very bad idea. Spirits are always wary of such improper requests.
  Each Gift lists the spirits which first taught the Gift to the Garou (some of which appear in the Appendix). They are not necessarily the only ones who can teach the Gift. More powerful and versatile spirits can bestow a variety of Gifts. The Storyteller decides what other spirits could teach a particular Gift. Learning a Gift is an excellent roleplaying opportunity, and players should realize that it's also a chance to gain an ally as well as a Gift. Storytellers should have fun crafting personalities for spirits. Books on animals can prove helpful, especially those that list the legendary qualities associated with certain animals.
  Werewolves may also teach each other Gifts. When a spirit imparts knowledge of a Gift, it involves a total immersion and direct sharing of how to unlock the power within the student. This process takes only a short time, usually no more than an hour, and a night at most. But when werewolves try to teach each other Gifts, it takes much longer. Packmates seem to learn faster from each other, but the process involves experimentation, practice and multiple failures before mastery of the Gift is attained. At best, the process takes a full lunar month (at the end of which time the player can spend experience points to acquire the Gift). Characters gaining Gifts in this manner must spend one more experience point than normal.
  The drawbacks to this method are extreme. Because the student must practice the Gift to master it, learning a Gift such as Silver Claws can be quite painful. The student may spend multiple nights howling in agony, as he no doubt burns his flesh while learning to control the Gift. A student learning a Gift may be able to use it before gaining complete control in some circumstances, but doing so is always risky for anyone in the vicinity. Despite these drawbacks, young packs have started teaching Gifts to each other much more commonly, without regard for crossing tribal, auspice or breed lines.
  These indiscriminate teaching practices haven't gone unnoticed by their elders. Many septs have laws forbidding certain Gifts to be taught except by spirits. For example, the Gift: Call of the Wyrm, which draws Wyrm creatures, is often restricted. No sept can afford to have wayward Wyrm creatures coming around just so a student can practice. More traditional tribes, such as the Silver Fangs and Black Furies, have even more restrictions. (Woe to the young Fury who reveals tribal secrets to a male Get of Fenris.) In addition, the amount of time spent between teacher and student can lead to "contamination" of tribal ethics. When the teacher and student are of opposite sexes, most older Garou believe that these lessons encourage violations of the Litany.
  Once learned, Gifts cannot be forgotten; these special talents become as much a part of the werewolf as the ability to speak or tie his shoes. However, Theurges warn that Incarnae or Celestines can personally rescind all Gifts taught by their spirit broods, should they find the need to get personally involved.

Systems

  So, you wish to know why your Gifts don't work the way you want them to, eh, pup? Did it ever occur to you that GAIA decides how Gifts work, not US? They are called Gifts for a reason... you never questioned presents given by your parents as a child, did you? You did? Well, then they took them away or roundly beat you about the head and shoulders, didn't they? Well, they should have! These are Gifts! Don't rely on them, consider them the blessing of Gaia and be thankful that She has a place in this world even for an ungrateful whelp like you! Hmmppf!
  Gifts can vary wildly in effect, depending on the spirits who grant them. They usually produce the same results no matter who uses the Gift, but how that happens... the possibilities are endless. Blue spiral tattoos may appear mysteriously on a Fianna's fur when she activates Gifts. An icy wind may howl suddenly when a Theurge of the Wendigo speaks to spirits. A Glass Walker's Gifts may evoke technological effects as flashes of electricity and lines of data race across his eyes. In addition, the Storyteller has complete freedom to determine the difficulties for strange uses of Gifts. Certain places make using Gifts more difficult, and the Umbra is a reality all its own. We also encourage Storytellers to make Gift-related botches interesting (and embarrassing).

Breed Gifts

  Many spirits teach Breed Gifts, usually in accordance with ancient pacts or as rewards for past deeds. For instance, an ancient tale tells of a metis who helped a mole hide from predators. In return, the mole taught the metis how to burrow through earth, and since that time, mole-spirits will teach metis that Gift. When a werewolf wishes to learn a breed Gift, she will have a relatively easy time finding a spirit to teach her.

Homid

  Homid Gifts involve humankind's skills and abilities not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Humanity's adversarial stand against nature has given them great control over their environment, but also a vague disquiet within their souls. Such are the repercussions of severing their primordial relationship with nature. Humans have become strangers to the world of spirit. Thus, many of the homid breed's Gifts are taught by their ancestors rather than by nature spirits.

  • Master of Fire (Level One) — Once humans tamed fire to keep them warm and to drive off the wild beasts, they were on their way to civilization. Werewolves with this Gift invoke humanity's ancient pact with the spirits of fire. The spirits of flame agree to hold back their hunger when the werewolf touches them. An ancestor-spirit or a fire-spirit grants this Gift.
  System: This Gift allows a werewolf to heal fire damage as if it were bashing. This requires the expediture of a Gnosis point; the effects last for a scene.

  • Persuasion (Level One) — This Gift allows a homid to become more persuasive when dealing with others, in such a way that his statements and arguments are imbued with added meaning or credibility. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge. If successful, the Storyteller reduces the difficulties of all Social rolls by one for the remainder of the scene. In addition, any successful Social rolls may have significantly more impact than they would without the Gift. A werewolf could win arguments with hard line opponents, or cause a cold-hearted psychopath to relent (at least for a little while).

  • Smell of Man (Level One) — Creatures of the wild have learned well that where man goes, death follows. With this Gift, the werewolf enhances the human scent around him greatly, causing wild animals to feel uneasy and nervous. However, the scent also causes domestic animals to recognize the werewolf as their master. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: All wild animals (not including supernatural creatures in animal form) lose one die from their dice pools when within 20 feet of the Garou (save when defending themselves or running away), and they are likely to flee. All domesticated animals recognize the werewolf as a friend and refuse to harm him. For example, an attack-trained dog ordered to take down the werewolf would run up to the character and wag its tail. If the domesticated animal is harmed, then it will revert to acting naturally. The Garou may use this Gift at will. She simply states when she is activating it or turning it off.

  • Jam Technology (Level Two) — The werewolf can cause technological devices to cease functioning, albeit temporarily. Even the simplest of shaped objects will refuse to perform its function. A Gremlin — a type of Wyld-spirit that enjoys breaking things — teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts. The werewolf may choose the level of complexity she intends to "jam." All technological devices (i.e., any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet cease functioning for one turn per success. The devices remain unchanged but inert. Knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Device	Difficulty
Computer	4
Phone	6
Automobile	8
Gun	9
Knife	10

  • Staredown (Level Two) — By staring into the eyes of a human or animal, a werewolf can cause the target to flee in terror. This Gift can be used against other werewolves, but the target will freeze in place rather than flee. A ram- or snake-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou using this Gift may focus on only one target per turn; the player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the victim's Rank). The victim flees for one turn per success, although he may expend a Willpower point to resist the Gift's effects for a turn. Should the character score five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Werewolves (and most powerful Wyrm-monsters) will not flee, but they cannot attack while the Gift's user continues to stare them down. However, if they are attacked themselves, all bets are off.

  • Disquiet (Level Three) — This Gift makes its target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds it difficult to draw on his full emotion or to maintain any type of concentration. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will not be able to recover Rage for the duration of the scene. Furthermore, all difficulties for extended actions increase by one.

  • Reshape Object (Level Three) — The werewolf can shape once-living material (but not undead!) into a variety of objects instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers become spears, animal hides become armor, and flowers become perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was shaped (e.g., the aforementioned spear is made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider — one of the Weaver's spirits — teaches this Gift.   System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a variable difficulty (5 to turn a broken tree limb into a spear, 8 to turn a plank into a floatable raft) and spends a Gnosis point. The created object is not necessarily permanent; it will last a length of time according to the following chart. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the scene's duration or until the object returns to its original form. This effect can be made permanent with the sacrifice of a permanent point of Gnosis if the object itself is changed permanently.

Successes	Duration
One	5 minutes
Two	10 minutes
Three	One scene
Four	One story
Five	Permanent

  • Cocoon (Level Four) — The werewolf can wrap himself in a thick, opaque sarcophagus-like epidermis, making him immobile but near-impervious to harm. This cocoon grants him immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold and similar environmental hazards. An insect- or Weaver-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While in the cocoon, the werewolf ignores any attacks which fail to do damage at least equal to her Stamina + Rituals, but attacks that pierce the cocoon destroy it. The cocoon lasts for one scene, after which it dissolves rapidly and evaporates. The player may extend the duration of the Gift spending more Gnosis points. Spending days in the cocoon is entirely possible, but the maximum duration is up to the Storyteller.

  • Spirit Ward (Level Four) — A werewolf with this Gift may protect himself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. To use this Gift, the werewolf draws an invisible pictogram in the air that scares and unnerves any nearby spirits (except pack totems or caern spirits). The symbol travels with the werewolf as long as it lasts. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet of the character (again, except the pack totem or local caern spirits) must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. This Gift lasts for one scene.

  • Assimilation (Level Five) — A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he does not belong. The Gift, doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the user to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. Ancestor-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. The difficulty would be 5 for another Garou sept, but it could be as high as 9 when trying to assimilate into a Black Spiral Hive in a foreign country. The character will not suffer Social-roll penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will not receive any special benefits. The Gift lasts for one scene plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

  • Part the Veil (Level Five) — With this Gift, a werewolf may immunize any human from the Delirium for a scene. In this way, the human can interact with Garou without deleterious effects. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if the Delirium is induced in him at a later date. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. One success is all that's required.

Metis

  Metis are the outcasts of Garou society. Unlike homid and lupus Garou, however, they are born into werewolf society and raised within it, reminded constantly of their inadequacies. The abuse heaped on a metis usually creates a deeply repressed inner fury, but it also leads them to a deeper connection with the spirit world, possibly as a means of escape from the horror of their lives.

  • Create Element (Level One) — The metis has the power to create a small amount of one of the four basic elements — fire, air, earth or water. In this way, she can replenish the air supply in an airtight room, make a rock to throw at someone, create a fire without matches or wood, or even fill a bathtub without any faucet or pipes. The metis cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gases and acid are beyond his reach. This Gift creates only natural air, earth, fire and water. Elementals teach this Gift.
  System: The werewolf s player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create approximately one cubic foot of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbss, anywhere he can see within 60 feet. The element remains in existence until used up (breathed in the case of air or burned up in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created with this Gift are genuinely hot, but they are no substitute for a flame-thrower. They inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three health levels of damage.

  • Primal Anger (Level One) — The metis learns to focus the anger within her heart and use it to increase her Rage. The anger takes a physical toll on the werewolf, and it is up to her to unleash it on her enemies. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift. Few members of other breeds have suffered enough shame and suffering to learn this Gift.
  System: A character with this Gift may sacrifice a single health level, once per scene, and gain two extra points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her above her permanent Rage rating). The health level is treated as aggravated damage for purposes of recovery.

  • Sense Wyrm (Level One) — The werewolf can sense manifestations of the Wyrm in the nearby area. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although werewolves using the Gift sometimes say things like, "This place stinks of the Wyrm" (with a few more colorful adjectives). Garou should remember that the Wyrm's taint can cling to relatively blameless souls. Werewolves may sense an innocent person who happens to work in a Wyrm-controlled factory or who has eaten tainted food. This power requires active concentration. Any spirit of Gaia may teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence. Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 8. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity Traits of 7 or higher.

  • Burrow (Level Two) — Those who learn this Gift gain the ability to burrow through the earth. They make a real tunnel, and others can follow them through it. The digger creates a burrow just large enough for her to go through. Others may follow, but they are limited by the size of the hole. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift as she needs her claws for digging (although even metis without claws can use this Gift). The tunnel is not structurally sound, and it will collapse over time. Mole kindly teaches this Gift to all metis who seek him.
  System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some alloyed metals (such as titanium steel) and other reinforced structures will not yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.

  • Curse of Hatred (Level Two) — The metis may verbalize the hatred in her heart, disheartening opponents with the intensity other emotion. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.

  • Eyes of the Cat (Level Three) — The werewolf may see clearly in pitch darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. Any cat-spirit can teach this Gift, although werewolves who make enemies of the Bastet will have trouble finding teachers.
  System: The character must state when the Gift is in effect, but it requires no roll or expenditure. The character suffers no difficulty or dice-pool penalties from darkness.

  • Mental Speech (Level Three) — This Gift grants mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although he does not have to be friends with that person) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and ; spirits of intellect teach this Gift. Owl is a particularly sought-after teacher, and those who learn from him claim to have enhanced abilities at night.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and expends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. His character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles per success. It does not allow mind reading, but the werewolf may use social Abilities, such as Intimidation.

  • Gift of the Porcupine (Level Four) — When using this Gift, the werewolf undergoes a startling transformation. Her fur becomes elongated, bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. This change makes her an even more fearsome killing machine. A werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a great fondness for metis.
  System: The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen his fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes aggravated damage from his newfound quills (Strength +1). Furthermore, anyone who strikes him with bare flesh (and scoring fewer than five successes on the attack roll) takes damage based on the attacker's own Strength, although the metis still takes normal damage. This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills his fur to return to normal.

  • Wither Limb (Level Four) — With a snarl and an angry gaze, the werewolf forces a target's arm or leg to twist, desiccate and wither, making it useless. Creatures with regenerative abilities will restore the limb to full function after one scene; otherwise, the effects are permanent. Snake-spirits, spider-spirits and other venomous spirits teach this Gift. Some werewolves even invoke spirits of disease to learn this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the victim's Stamina + 4). The victim adds two to the difficulties of all Dexterity rolls. If his leg is affected, he can move at only half of his normal speed.

  • Madness (Level Five) — The metis struggles his whole life to find a place, a purpose and a sense of stability in his horrifying existence. With this Gift, he can force others to face their inner demons, inducing insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement varies among individuals, but it will always be severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes, along with spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the victim's Willpower). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled on the attempt. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the effects of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him into psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions from the bout with madness often haunt the target for the rest of his life.

  • Totem Gift (Level Five) — Due to the metis' strong ties with Garou society, she can plead directly with her tribal totem, gaining some of its power. The effects of this Gift depend on the nature of the tribal totem power. Rat (totem of the Bone Gnawers) might send swarms of rats to attack the Garou's enemies, and Grandfather Thunder (totem of the Shadow Lords) might smite the Garou's enemies with a blast of thunder and lightning. The potential of this Gift depends only on the favor of the totem, and it may cross over into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the effects. One success might cause a minor distraction, whereas 10 successes is the dramatic equivalent of summoning a localized twister to destroy the metis' foes.

Lupus

  The Gifts of the lupus breed reflect their strong ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.

  • Hare's Leap (Level One) — By invoking this Gift, werewolf may leap incredible distances. Hare-, frog- and cat-spirits usually teach this Gift. The lost Bunyip knew this Gift as Leap of the Kangaroo, however marsupial-spirits seem loath to aid werewolves these days. Today, many werewolves call this Gift "Leap of the Kangaroo" in their fallen cousins' honor.
  System: The player rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7). If successful, she may double her normal jumping distance. (See Jumping.)

  • Heightened Senses (Level One) — The werewolf with this Gift tunes in to the world around him, increasing his senses vastly. When in Homid or Glabro form, her senses become as sharp as those a wolf, allowing him to hear sounds beyond his normal range, granting him superior night vision and making his sense of smell stronger than that of any dog. In wolf forms, his senses become preternaturally potent, allowing him to perform feats that border on precognition. This Gift has drawbacks as well. If a fire alarm were to go off around a Garou using this Gift, it might render him helpless. Cities can barrage the werewolf with a sensory overload. Wolf-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point. The effects last for one scene. In Homid or Glabro forms, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two, and he may roll Perception + Primal-Urge to perform sensory feats impossible for humans (such as tracking by scent). In Crinos, Hispo and Lupus forms, Perception difficulties decrease by three (which is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses), and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal-Urge dice pools.

  • Sense Prey (Level One) — Werewolves used this ancient Gift during hard winters to feed their packs. The Gift lets Garou locate enough prey to feed a pack. In the urban environment, this Gift guides the lupus to prey within the city, usually in parks, sewers, animal shelters and even zoos. The Gift will tell the werewolf the location of large numbers of prey within 50 miles in the wilds, and within the limits of a city and its suburbs. Humans do not register as prey animals, although some say that the Red Talons know a variant of this Gift that can find them. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The hunter's player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge. The difficulty is 7 in wilderness environments and 9 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack. In the case of multiple sources, the Gift guides the werewolf to the nearest source (although not necessarily the easiest or safest).

  • Scent of Sight (Level Two) — The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate roughly in absolute darkness. Wolf-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge against a Storyteller-determined difficulty that depends on how powerful local smells are. The Storyteller should require rolls only when something could cause the Garou to lose his opponent's scent (such as if the opponent runs through water or into a reeking alley).

  • Sense the Unnatural (Level Two) — The werewolf can sense any unnatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, the Wyrm, wraiths and vampires, although it won't pick them out specifically as such. The werewolf may sense a person plagued by hauntings as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of old blood, of fear, of rotten flesh, of fresh meat or of whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate. Interpreting the information properly might require an Intelligence + Occult roll (Storyteller's option).

  • Catfeet (Level Three) — This Gift gives the werewolf the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (he lands on his feet just right). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

  • Name the Spirit (Level Three) — A werewolf with this Gift becomes familiar with the ways of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. A spirit servant of the Uktena totem teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

  • Beast Life (Level Four) — The werewolf with this Gift can communicate with other wild animals and attract (or even command) them. Domesticated animals will speak with the werewolf, but they have given themselves to the ways of humans and must be persuaded to obey the Garou. Any animal spirit may teach this Gift, although Lion and Bear are most often sought as teachers.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The character gains the ability to communicate with all animals automatically. One success can attract specific types of animals within a 10-mile radius, and those that can reach the werewolf in a reasonable amount of time will do so. Each additional success adds 10 miles (two successes indicate a 20-mile radius). All wild animals become friendly to the character. They follow any reasonable request the character makes, and many unreasonable ones as well. A character who uses this Gift to force an animal to sacrifice itself had best pay homage to its spirit or risk angering Gaia. The effect lasts for one scene, but the time may be extended by spending one Gnosis point per extra scene desired.

  • Gnaw (Level Four) — The werewolf's jaws strengthen to the point that she can chew through just about anything, given enough time. In addition, her jaws do more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Wolf-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. In addition, this Gift gives a character's bite two extra dice of damage for the duration of the scene.

  • Elemental Gift (Level Five) — The werewolf calls upon the primal force of Gaia Herself, thereby commanding the spirits of the elements to rise up, undulate forward and even engulf foes. This Gift summons an elemental spirit, not merely the raw matter of the elements, but primal spirits possessing power enough to challenge even something as powerful as a Nexus Crawler. The elementals grant this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 7). If successful, he calls an elemental who grants him the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, water or fire (in any of their forms) that is approximately 20' by 20' per success. The effect lasts for one scene or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed.

  • Song of the Great Beast (Level Five) — To use this Gift, the werewolf must travel to the deep wilderness. When she reaches her destination, she howls the Song of the Great Beast into the sky, summoning one of the Great Beasts to her aid. These beasts are the terrible and ancient creatures that walked the Earth in ages past. Examples include the Willawau (giant owl), theYeti, the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else a Garou might call? Rumors say that dinosaurs survive in the deep Congo.... The surviving Great Beasts possess abilities in the physical world that rival those of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Even the wisest of Garou are not certain of their natures. Once the ancient one arrives, the werewolf may make a request, although she should do so with great caution. If the Great Beast agrees to aid the werewolf, it will do so in its own way, but enemies of the lupus should beware. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that those that do dwell in the Realm of Pangaea.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8) to sing the Song of the Great Beast. More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but they should be appropriately impressive.

Auspice Gifts

  These Gifts represent the secrets given to Gaia's children by Luna. She bade her many servants teach the Garou their various tricks, giving them magical skills to use in protecting Gaia.

Ragabash

  The Ragabash were blessed by Luna with the wit to question rigid tradition and the cunning to use stealth and trickery against the Garou's enemies. The New Moons' Gifts allow them to get the job done in a clever, unconventional fashion.

  • Blur of the Milky Eye (Level One) — The Garou's form becomes a shimmering blur, allowing him to pass unnoticed among others. Once the Garou has been seen, however, this Gift is negated until the viewer has again been distracted. A chameleon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Although he doesn't become truly invisible, each success increases the difficulties of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one.

  • Open Seal (Level One) — With this Gift, the Garou can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating).

  • Scent of Running Water (Level One) — The Garou can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift becomes an innate ability to the Garou who learns it. She need not expend any points or make any rolls. However, the Ragabash may still leave a scent behind if she decides to do so voluntarily (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs).

  • Blissful Ignorance (Level Two) — The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou's player rolls Dexterity + Stealth (difficulty 7). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character actively. If no one is doing so, then just one success indicates complete concealment.

  • Sense of the Prey (Level Two) — If he knows anything about his prey, the character can track it down as rapidly as he can travel. This unerring sense of direction operates anywhere, and it is useful for tracking spirits through the Umbra as well as finding beings on Earth. A wolf- or dog-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: No roll is required unless the target is hiding actively (intent alone is not enough), in which case a Perception + Enigmas roll is made against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

  • Taking the Forgotten (Level Two) — The Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target, and his victim will forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player must score three successes on a Wits + Stealth roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

  • Gremlins (Level Three) — The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction, merely by touching it. This Gift actually disrupts the spirit energy within the device that aids its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Five successes disable the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good roleplaying might certainly warrant one to three additional dice at the discretion of the Storyteller.

Device	Difficulty
Computer	4
Phone	6
Automobile	8
Knife	10

  • Open Moon Bridge (Level Three) — The Garou has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles.

  • Luna's Blessing (Level Four) — When the moon is visible in the night sky, silver refuses to cause the Garou aggravated wounds. Indeed, if the moon waxes full, silver weapons may well turn on those who would wield them against the character. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: For each strike against the Garou, the wielder of the weapon must roll three extra dice on the attack; these dice are read only to check for botches. The Garou can soak and regenerate silver as if it were bashing or lethal damage (depending on whether the silver is part of an edged weapon or not), but only when the moon is in a visible phase above the horizon. Therefore, the Garou is still vulnerable during a new moon.

  • Whelp Body (Level Four) — With this Gift a Garou may deliver a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this power on a foe to be a declaration of unending war. Either a pain-spirit or a spirit of disease teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, and the target resists with his own Gnosis roll. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while her victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. (Victims without Gnosis roll Stamina without any adjustments for supernatural powers or the like.) Each success scored by the Ragabash allows him to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once ever against a given opponent.

  • Thieving Talons of the Magpie (Level Five) — The Garou can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Garou Gifts, spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, True Magic or any other such power. Naturally, a magpie-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Stealth roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Ragabash can use the specified power (and the victim cannot) for each successive turn she is willing to spend a Gnosis point. The werewolf's Gnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Ragabash must know something about his target's powers, and he must target a power in the terms by which he would understand it.

  • Thousand Forms (Level Five) — Most trickster archetypes are shapeshifters, and the Ragabash is no different. The Garou with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special powers (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but she may take the form of mythical beasts with some extra effort.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken. The difficulty varies, rising higher the farther removed from the Garou's natural form the desired animal is. For example, an ape or panther (mammals of roughly equal mass) might be difficulty 5, while an alligator (a reptile of slightly larger size) would be difficulty 7, and a frog (a much smaller amphibian) would be difficulty 9. Mimicking mythical animals is always difficulty 10.

Theurge

  Luna's Gifts to her Crescent Moon children grant them insight into and power over the spirit world. The Theurge is blessed with the ability to manipulate the Umbra and the intellect of others, all in the name of serving a greater wisdom.

  • Mother's Touch (Level One) — The Garou is able to heal the wounds of any living creature, aggravated or otherwise, simply by laying hands over the afflicted area. The Garou may not heal herself, spirits or the undead with this Gift. A bear- or unicorn-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty of the wounded individual's Rage, or 6 for non-Garou). Each success heals one health level. The Theurge may heal even Battle Scars in this manner if the Theurge uses the Gift in the same scene in which the scar was obtained and she spends a second Gnosis point. There is no limit to how many times this Gift may be used on a person, but each use requires the expenditure of one Gnosis.

  • Sense Wyrm (Level One) — As the metis Gift.

  • Spirit Speech (Level One) — This Gift allows the Garou to communicate with encountered spirits. The Garou is thus able to address them whether they wish to be addressed or not. Of course, nothing (usually) prevents the spirit from ignoring the Theurge or leaving. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: Once learned, this Gift allows the Garou to understand the communication of spirits intuitively. Particularly alien spirits may be difficult — or, in the case of many Banes, outright painful — to understand.

  • Command Spirit (Level Two) — The Theurge can give simple commands to encountered spirits and expect a measure of compliance. This Gift does not grant the ability to summon spirits. It enables the user only to coerce them to obey. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
  System: The player must spend a Willpower point and roll Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). Each successive command requires the expenditure of another Willpower point. Note that the Garou cannot command spirits to leave areas to which they have been bound. Doing so requires the Level Three Theurge Gift: Exorcism.

  • Name the Spirit (Level Two) — As the Level Three lupus Gift.

  • Sight from Beyond (Level Two) — When danger stalks the Garou or momentous events are in the offing, visions begin striking the Garou without warning. The nature of the danger is veiled in metaphor — a powerful vampire may appear in the Theurge's dream as a bloody skeleton, while an impending battle might be heralded by dreams of carrion crows. Crow-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: Interpreting these signs is best handled through roleplaying, but the Storyteller can require the Garou's player to roll Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) if he deems appropriate.

  • Exorcism (Level Three) — This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places or objects, whether they are there voluntarily or are bound there. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou must concentrate uninterrupted for three turns. If a spirit does not wish to leave, the player must make a Manipulation + Intimidation roll (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit has been bound to its lodging place (or into a fetish), then the exorcist must make a Wits + Subterfuge roll (difficulty 8) and gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used to "cure" fomori, although the host will surely die as the Bane is ejected unless a powerful healer manages to preserve her life during the exorcism.

  • Pulse of the Invisible (Level Three) — Spirits fill the world around the Garou, and none knows this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge with this Gift can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity is barely worth watching, the Theurge will be aware of any dramatic changes. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to pierce the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating). Only one success is required. The effect lasts for an entire scene or until the character enters an area with a higher Gauntlet.

  • Grasp the Beyond (Level Four) — The Garou may take things to and from the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects humans and animals, both willing and unwilling. Garou often use this power to take loyal Kinfolk with them on Umbral quests or to heal injured Kinfolk — both body and soul — in mystic Glens.
  System: The Garou must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to the spirit world. He must then spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (a pocket-watch or knife), two for larger items (a backpack or bow) and three for huge items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling target may resist with a Willpower roll; each success subtracts one from the Garou's successes. A Garou attempting to abduct an unwilling victim must achieve at least three successes on his Gnosis roll.
  Unless she has the ability to step sideways, any person taken to the Umbra must rely on the Garou to escape, or she must find an area with a very thin Gauntlet, such as a caern. The Gauntlet rating must be 3 or lower for a victim to exit of his own accord. If he does exit, he may not reenter the Umbra, regardless of the Gauntlet rating. If left in the Umbra too long, a living creature eventually turns to spirit matter entirely.

  • Spirit Drain (Level Four) — The Garou may drain power from a spirit to feed his own resolve. A spirit servant of the Uktena totem teaches this Gift.
  System: The player makes a resisted Gnosis roll against the spirit. If the player succeeds, the spirit loses one Essence point per success for the rest of the scene. For every two points drained, the Garou gains a temporary Willpower point, but she loses any points exceeding her maximum at the end of the scene.

  • Feral Lobotomy (Level Five) — With but a thought, the Garou can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A spirit servant of the Griffin totem teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10), and spends a variable number of Gnosis. If successful, the Garou can destroy a target's Intelligence Attribute permanently. Two Gnosis points must be spent for each point of Intelligence destroyed, and the Garou cannot destroy more points than he rolls successes. Additionally, the target begins acting more animalistic with each point removed.

  • Malleable Spirit (Level Five) — The Garou can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou's player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficulty is based on what the Garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.

Change	Difficulty
Characteristics (Willpower, Rage, Gnosis; one point changed per success)	6
Disposition (Friendly, Neutral, Hostile)	8
Type (Naturae, Elemental, Bane, etc.)	10

Philodox

  Luna gifts her Half Moon children with the powers of balance, the ability to detect truth and enforce law. As judges and mediators, many Philodox gravitate into leadership positions, and they possess Gifts to aid them in this role.

  • Resist Pain (Level One) — Through force of will, the Philodox is able to ignore the pain of his wounds and continue acting normally. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point; his character may ignore all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

  • Scent of the True Form (Level One) — This Gift allows the Garou to determine the true nature of a person. This information is conveyed as an olfactory sensation — it is actually a scent of the target's natural form. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou can tell automatically when someone is a werewolf; anything else requires a Perception + Primal-Urge roll. It takes two successes to detect vampires, faeries or other shapeshifters as such, and it takes four to detect fomori or mages.

  • Truth of Gaia (Level One) — As judges of the Litany, Philodox have the ability to sense whether others have spoken truth or falsehood. A Gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty of the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only whether the target speaks the truth or lies.

  • Call to Duty (Level Two) — Any spirit the Philodox knows by name is a potential servitor. With this Gift, the werewolf can summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command is possible at a time, and the spirit departs after fulfilling the one request. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
  System: Obviously, the Philodox must learn the spirit's name, which usually requires personal acquaintance or use of the Gift: Name the Spirit. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the player spends two Gnosis points, the werewolf can summon all Gaian spirits within one mile to protect or assist her, even if she does not know their names.

  • King of the Beasts (Level Two) — The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, such that he can command the loyalty of any specific animal. If successful, the animal follows his commands willingly and unconditionally. A lion- or falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Philodox must choose one target within 100 feet. The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken against a difficulty based on the werewolf's relationship with the animal. This power works on only one animal at a time, and it does not attract animals to the Garou's vicinity (see the Level Four lupus Gift: Beast Life).

Relationship	Difficulty
A sibling	3
Feed and care for	6
Strange	8
Hostile	10

  • Strength of Purpose (Level Two) — Some Garou feel so strongly about their place in the pack, the tribe and the world that they can draw on this resolve in times of need. The Philodox can pull new resolve from his deepest reserves. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: Once per scene, the player may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). For every two successes, the Philodox recovers one point of Willpower up to her maximum.

  • Weak Arm (Level Three) — Philodox are masters of judgment, and this trait extends even into the field of battle. By watching an opponent's fighting style, the werewolf can evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake- and wind-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success gives her one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against this opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes on this roll could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and the benefits are lost at the end of the scene. The Garou must concentrate for a full turn to use this Gift.

  • Wisdom of the Ancient Ways (Level Three) — All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors, a form of racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient facts and lore. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each point of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

  • Roll Over (Level Four) — The Philodox can call on her power to radiate a commanding presence that compels others to submit to her. Should she succeed in a test of wills, she dominates her foe, which causes humans to fall to their knees and wolves to roll on their backs. Either a lion- or a wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player must score at least three successes more than her opponent on a resisted Willpower contest. If the Gift takes effect, the victim can take no action other than submission unless he is in direct danger.

  • Scent of Beyond (Level Four) — The werewolf can bring all his senses to bear on one spot with which he is familiar (even an Umbral site), no matter how far away that spot is. The Philodox senses the site from a point of view as if he were standing in the middle of the area being scanned. A bird-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). If the spot is in the Umbra, the difficulty is 8 or the Gauntlet rating (whichever is higher).

  • Geas (Level Five) — This Gift places its target under a geas, a sacred oath to obey the Philodox's bidding. The geas cannot make the targets act contrary to their basic instincts (such as self-preservation). Therefore, she could send a group on a quest, but she could not make its members attack and try to kill each other — unless they were psychotics or werewolves without pack bonds. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the target's Willpower). In the case of a group, the difficulty is the highest Willpower among its members. The geas' compulsion lasts until the task is completed or until the target is dropped to the Incapacitated health level in pursuit of the quest. No victim can labor under more than one geas at a time; the first one laid always takes precedence.

  • Wall of Granite (Level Five) — Philodox have a stronger relationship with the elementals of the earth than do other werewolves, for just as the earth upholds those upon it, the Philodox uphold their people's ways. While in contact with earth or rock, the Philodox can invoke a wall to protect himself. This wall will move with the Garou, defending him from all angles. Earth elementals teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. The wall's dimensions are three yards high, two yards long and one yard thick. It has a soak pool of 10 dice, and 15 health levels must be inflicted to penetrate it at any point. The wall lasts for one scene or until released into the earth by the Garou.

Galliard

  The Moon Dancers are filled with passion and song, so Luna gives them Gifts that allow them to weave emotions, dreams and hopes. The Galliard is an artist of the highest order, and all the world is his canvas.

  • Beast Speech (Level One) — The werewolf with this Gift may communicate with any animals from fish to mammals. This Gift does not change their basic reactions; most animals are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any spirit of nature can teach this Gift.
  System: The player simply rolls Charisma + Animal Ken, although each separate encounter or type of animal requires a separate roll.

  • Call of the Wyld (Level One) — This Gift augments the Galliard's natural task of communication through howls. The Galliard can howl a cry that stirs and invigorates other werewolves, even those far beyond the normal range of hearing. This Gift is most commonly used at the beginning of revels or other events to charge up the sept, or to call for aid in times of peril. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Stamina + Empathy; the number of successes determines how far away the Call can be heard and how stirring it is to those who hear it. This Gift can be used in concert with any of the standard Garou howls. The Storyteller determines the actual effects, but they should be linked to the type of howl made and the intent of the Garou. Some examples are: every two successes gives those at a revel an extra die to their dice pools; Wyrm agents are distracted by the call and their difficulties rise temporarily; all Garou in the area do not hesitate to respond to the Garou's Call for Succor.

  • Mindspeak (Level One) — By invoking the power of waking dreams, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communion. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point per sentient being chosen and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if the being is unwilling. All those included in the dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. The beings affected must be within line of sight.

  • Call of the Wyrm (Level Two) — This dangerous Gift actually attracts creatures of the Wyrm. Galliards typically use the Call to bait an ambush or to flush prey from hiding. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou's player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7). If the Wyrm creature loses the contest, it must come to the source of the Call.

  • Distractions (Level Two) — The Garou can make annoying yips, yelps and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty of the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool next turn.

  • Dreamspeak (Level Two) — The Galliard can enter another's dream and thereby affect the course of that dream. The werewolf does not have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world, and he loses a Gnosis point.

  • Eye of the Cobra (Level Three) — With but a look, the Garou can attract anyone to his side. A snake-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.

  • Song of Rage (Level Three) — This Gift unleashes the Beast in others, forcing werewolves, vampires and other such creatures into frenzy and turning humans into berserkers. A wolverine-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim flies into a violent rage (or frenzy, if naturally prone) for one turn per success.

  • Bridge Walker (Level Four) — The Galliard has the ability to create minor moon bridges through which she alone can travel. The Garou travels between the ends of this moon bridge in one percent of the time it would take to travel that distance normally, allowing her to disappear from in front of a foe and reappear behind it instantly. Note that these moon bridges are not protected by Lunes, and they attract the interest of spirit creatures occasionally. These beings have even been known to follow the Garou into the physical world. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point to create the bridge. The moon bridge lasts for only one passage, unless the player spends a permanent Gnosis point during its creation, in which case it lasts until the next full moon. The maximum distance that can be traversed by the bridge is the Garou's Gnosis in miles.

  • Shadows by the Firelight (Level Four) — By invoking the power of shadows and dreams, the Galliard may create interactive stories in which others take part — willingly or not. Shadows dance around the participants as they act out their roles (as directed by the Galliard). This Gift is used commonly at moots, allowing many Garou to take part in the same legend recounted by the Galliard. However, this Gift can also be used on the unwilling, forcing them to participate in a story of the Garou's choosing. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: When using this Gift on the unwilling, the player must spend a variable amount of Gnosis and score three successes on a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the player may tell a story and force the victim to perform exactly as the story's character does. This effect lasts one turn per Gnosis point spent.

  • Fabric of the Mind (Level Five) — The highest-ranked Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to very solid life, crafting creatures from the spiritual essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
  System: The player makes an extended roll of Intelligence + Performance (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream being takes form and requires the expenditure of Gnosis to keep it manifested. The cost is one Gnosis per scene if the dream being remains relatively inactive (such as doing minor chores or watching a location), or one point per turn if the being engages in combat or similarly strenuous activity. The werewolf must be careful, because if she botches at any point, the dream being escapes her control. It will remain in the physical world for as long as it sees fit.

  • Head Games (Level Five) — This Gift embodies the Galliard's ability to manipulate emotion in its purest form. The Galliard can change a target's emotions as she pleases, from hate to love and back again. Coyote-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Success allows the Garou to steer the emotions of any one individual. The more successes the player rolls, the more quickly the emotions manifest and the stronger they feel. Some emotions won't last without good cause. A Galliard could make someone fall in love with him, but the love won't last. (It may well even turn into justified resentment.) If the Galliard's actions would reinforce the emotion — treating a "new friend" well or threatening a terrified foe — there's a better chance that the emotions will become the real thing. The Storyteller should give the Galliard's player extra dice for roleplaying this Gift especially well.

Ahroun

  When Luna is full, she floods her children with Rage. The Ahroun is her chosen warrior, born to fight and die in her name and Gaia's alike. Luna rewards these brave souls with strength, speed, skill and power, all of which one needs direly in the face of the Enemy.

  • Falling Touch (Level One) — This Gift allows the Garou to send her foe sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou's player rolls Dexterity + Medicine (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. Doing so counts as an action; activating this Gift and striking a foe with intent to harm are two separate things.

  • Inspiration (Level One) — Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in combat. The Gift of Inspiration is one reason. The Garou with this Gift lends new resolve and righteous anger to his brethren. Either a lion- or wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one automatic success on any Willpower rolls made during the scene.

  • Razor Claws (Level One) — By raking his claws over stone or another hard surface, the Ahroun hones them to razor sharpness. Either a cat- or bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Rage point, and the Ahroun must take a full turn to sharpen her claws. For the remainder of the scene, her claw attacks do an additional die of damage.

  • Sense Silver (Level Two) — As consummate warriors, Ahroun must be prepared for every eventuality — including silver weaponry. This Gift, taught by Lunes, allows the Ahroun to detect the presence of silver.
  System: The Garou rolls Perception, + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any nearby silver. Three successes allow him to pinpoint the silver's s location.

  • Spirit of the Fray (Level Two) — This Gift allows the Ahroun to attack with lightning speed, striking before any foe. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: Once the character learns this Gift, its effects are permanent. The Ahroun may add 10 to all his initiative rolls, which will nearly always ensure that he strikes first. If he chooses, the Ahroun may spend a Gnosis point to add another 10 to his initiative roll. Remember, though, that doing so prevents him from spending Rage to gain extra actions; werewolves can't use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn.

  • True Fear (Level Two) — The Ahroun can display the true extent of her power, scaring one chosen foe into quiescence for a number of turns. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success she achieves cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack at this time. He may defend himself if attacked and otherwise act normally, although his actions will likely be guided by fear.

  • Heart of Fury (Level Three) — The Garou can steel himself against anger, suppressing his Rage and creating a mental dam against the explosive frenzies of his kind. This anger will catch up with him eventually, though, so he must vent it before it breaks free. A boar-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the character's permanent Rage rating). Every two successes add one to the character's frenzy difficulties for the scene, making it harder to frenzy. When the scene ends, however, past slights and injuries come rushing back to haunt the Garou, refilling the Garou's heart and soul. He must spend one Willpower point or make a frenzy check immediately at the regular difficulty.

  • Silver Claws (Level Three) — The Ahroun can establish her battlefield primacy against other werebeasts by transforming her own claws into silver. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gift. The transformation lasts for the scene or until the Ahroun decides to end the Gift. Silver claws still do aggravated damage to all targets, and they are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other werebeasts. While the Ahroun manifests the claws, she suffers searing agonies. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point. Furthermore, all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. When her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy.

  • Clenched Jaw (Level Four) — The werewolf with this Gift can bite down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to do so; even in death, her jaws bite down. A wolf- or hyena-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: After making a successful bite attack, the player may invoke this. Gift by spending a Rage point. For each successive turn she opts to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of tearing free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool.

  • Stoking Fury's Furnace (Level Four) — No auspice is as closely tied to their Rage as the Ahroun, who is the master of directing his fury. This Gift — taught by a wolverine-spirit — allows him to channel his Rage even more effectively.
  System: The Garou regains one Rage point in any turn that he takes damage, and he does not have to check for frenzy from that specific stimulus (other stimuli induce frenzy checks as normal). In addition, the Garou can spend one Rage point — and only one — per turn without losing any temporary Rage. However, if he spends multiple Rage in any turn, they are marked off as usual.

  • Kiss of Helios (Level Five) — The Ahroun can invoke the sun's power to become completely immune to the damaging effects of fire. Additionally, the Ahroun may ignite any portion of his body and keep it burning for extended periods. Most commonly the Garou will light his mane during rituals, but he can also ignite his claws or mouth without ill effect. A fire elemental or a sun-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the Ahroun cannot be harmed by any natural forms of fire, up to and including molten lava. Artificial fires (napalm, gas fires, etc.) do one-quarter damage, and they are treated as bashing damage. The Garou does two additional dice of aggravated damage if he attacks with blazing fists, claws or fangs. The effects last for one scene.

  • Strength of Will (Level Five) — The Ahroun with this Gift could lead his pack to the gates of Hell itself if that were what it took. A wolf-spirit or an Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou's player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success grants all the Garou's allies within 100 feet an extra point of Willpower. These extra points last for the rest of the scene, and they can be spent as usual. This Gift can even raise an ally's Willpower above its maximum or even above 10. This Gift may be used only once per scene.

Tribal Gifts

  These Gifts are commonly taught by a spirit in service to or associated with a tribe's totem. Some tribes' Gifts have remained virtually unchanged for centuries, while some tribes (such as the Glass Walkers) learn new Gifts with each passing year.
  Learning a Gift from another tribe requires the Garou be on good terms with a member of that tribe (usually a packmate) who can summon the appropriate spirit. Even then, the Garou must convince the spirit that the Gift will be put to good use — and not used against any members of the spirit's patron tribe.

Black Furies

  The Black Furies' Gifts reflect their ongoing relationship with the Wyld. The Furies also possess some of the most effective Gifts of war of all the Garou.

  • Breath of the Wyld (Level One) — As the Furies see it, the problem with most humans (and some Garou) is that they have forgotten that the energy of Creation is nourishing, refreshing and ever present. With this Gift, the Black Fury may instill a feeling of vitality and life in a living being. A spirit servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.
  System: The Fury must touch her target's skin, and this Gift must be used outdoors in a natural setting (a city park is natural enough for the Gift to function). The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6 for humans, 5 for Garou). Success grants a rush of energy and clarity of thought. In game terms, this Gift grants one extra die on all Mental rolls for the next scene. It also adds one to the difficulty of any Rage rolls the target makes in that time.

  • Heightened Senses (Level One) — As the lupus Gift.

  • Sense Wyrm (Level One) — As the metis Gift.

  • Curse of Aeolus (Level Two) — The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through the fog, but all others have trouble navigating by sight. A spirit in service to Aeolus, the fog totem, teaches this Gift.
  System: The player makes a Gnosis roll. The difficulty varies according to the surrounding terrain and humidity: 4 near the sea, 6 under normal circumstances, 9 in a desert. The Black Fury can see normally, but others caught in this fog halve their Perception scores (with regards to sight only). The fog is quite unnerving, and everyone except the Fury and her packmates loses a die from all Willpower dice pools.

  • Sense of the Prey (Level Two) — As the Ragabash Gift.

  • Coup de Grace (Level Three) — The Garou studies her foe, looking for the best place to strike. In doing so, she sets herself up to land this devastating attack. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty of the target's Stamina + Dodge). If successful, the player doubles her damage dice on the Garou's next successful attack.

  • Visceral Agony (Level Three) — The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While wounds caused by these claws cause no extra damage, the pain alone they inflict is crippling. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties the target suffers as a result of this attack are doubled (i.e., a foe at Wounded would lose four dice). If the target is in frenzy or otherwise resistant to pain, he still suffers normal wound penalties.

  • Body Wrack (Level Four) — The Fury causes a target immense, crippling pain. The Fury needs only point to the target for this Gift to be effective. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3). Each success causes the victim to lose one die from all dice pools as pain wracks her body. The effects last for one scene.

  • Wasp Talons (Level Four) — The Fury with this talent can fire her claws from her hand like darts. She is incapable of using claw attacks with that hand until her claws regenerate, however. A wasp-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Brawl to hit. The difficulty is figured as though the character was using a firearm; the medium range is 20 yards. Damage is figured normally for a claw-strike. The Garou's claws take one full turn to regenerate.

  • Thousand Forms (Level Five) — As the Ragabash Gift. The Fury that chooses to risk taking the form of a mythical beast typically honors Pegasus by assuming her form.

  • Wyld Warp (Level Five) — A desperate tactic at best, this Gift summons a number of Wyld-spirits. What they do when they arrive is wholly unpredictable. They may run or fly about in a destructive frenzy, tearing the Fury's foes apart. They may grant the Fury and her packmates temporary increases in might or Rage, or they might decide to destroy all Weaver-tools in the area. They may even heal the Fury and her allies of any wounds they have suffered. The Fury has no way of knowing, but the effect is usually beneficial. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point. She then rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). Successes summons a variable number of Wyldlings, which will alter the situation as the Storyteller sees fit.

Bone Gnawers

  Whatever else can be said about them, the Bone Gnawers are survivors without peer. Their Gifts — blessings from Rat and her brood — are geared chiefly toward surviving the perils of the modern world.

  • Cooking (Level One) — The Garou must have small pot (a coffee can will do) and a ladle or spoon to use this Gift. He places whatever he can find into the pot — trash, beer cans, old newspapers, etc. — adds water (spit counts) and stirs. The result is a pasty, bland-tasting mush that is nevertheless edible and filling.
  System: The player rolls Wits + Survival. The difficulty depends on the items "cooked." Inedible but harmless material is difficulty 6, while actively toxic substances are difficulty 10.

  • Resist Toxin (Level One) — Many Bone Gnawers learn a preternatural resistance to poisons and toxins of all kinds, doubtless due to their diet of refuse and American beer. A trash-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Stamina + Survival. Success nullifies the effects of most conventional poisons, and adds three dice to the Garou's Stamina for purposes of resisting Wyrm-enhanced poisons. The effects last for the scene.

  • Tagalong (Level One) — Commonly used by Bone Gnawers residing in a sept controlled by other tribes, this Gift ingratiates the Bone Gnawer to a pack's or caern's totem for a short time. While the Gift is in effect, the Gnawer is treated as a member of a pack with regards to using the totem's blessings and any pack tactics the pack knows. If used on a caern totem, the totem looks favorably upon the Bone Gnawer. The Gnawer may then perform the Rite of the Opened Caern, if he knows it, without fear of retribution. A lost-dog-spirit, a spirit servant of Rat, teaches this Gift.
  System: The Bone Gnawer must know the name of the totem in question. He must also prostrate himself before the caern's center or the pack's leader and wiggle forward on his stomach like a begging dog. The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge. The difficulty varies based on the totem's opinion of the Bone Gnawer, which is left to the Storyteller's discretion. Success indicates that the character gains the previously mentioned benefits for one day, and that the totem will not look favorably on a Garou who mistreats the Bone Gnawer without cause. This Gift usually won't cause any bad feelings from the sept or pack in question as long as the Bone Gnawer minds his manners. However, using it too often certainly will.

  • Blissful Ignorance (Level Two) — As the Ragabash Gift.

  • Odious Aroma (Level Two) — The Bone Gnawer can amplify his (probably already formidable) body odor to the point that it debilitates any who can smell it. A stinkbug-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings that can smell and are within 20 feet of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.

  • Friend In Need (Level Three) — It takes a lot for a pack to accept a Bone Gnawer as an equal, but once they do, the Bone Gnawer's loyalty is unshakable. This Gift allows a Bone Gnawer to risk all, even his own life, to aid a packmate or tribemate. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: When a packmate or fellow Bone Gnawer is in danger, the Bone Gnawer may "lend" him what he needs, be it a Gift the Bone Gnawer knows, his Rage, his Willpower, or even his own life (in the form of health levels). The Bone Gnawer cannot lend a Gift of a higher rank than the recipient could know, nor can he lend Abilities or Attributes. The player must spend one Willpower point and roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and must succeed for the transfer to take place. If the roll botches, the Bone Gnawer loses the Traits in question but the recipient does not gain them. This Gift lasts until the end of the scene unless the recipient decides to terminate it early. If the recipient dies before the Traits are returned, the Bone Gnawer loses them permanently.

  • Reshape Object (Level Three) — As the homid Gift.

  • Attunement (Level Four) — The Garou may commune with the spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including rough population, enclaves of Garou or other beings and secret tunnels. This Gift does not function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise. The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled. On a botch, playful spirits lie (which can be fatal, depending on the nature of misinformation).

  • Infest (Level Four) — The Garou can summon a horde of vermin to invade a structure (no bigger than a large building). The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area, which usually includes a lively variety of insects, slugs and rodents, and it may also include carrion birds and snakes. These creatures will not attack humans mindlessly. They will act according to their natures, which often means fleeing to dark places and hiding out. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success stirs up some shrieks and a call to an exterminator, while five swamps the structure in vermin completely, making it uninhabitable for quite some time.

  • Riot (Level Five) — This Gift summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Gift plays on the hatred and fear of the down-and-outs of the city: the homeless, the poor and even stray animals. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a degree, but such things tend to escalate, and the Garou has no power to stop the riot from doing so. A rat-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice. The different hosts, however, will not necessarily work together — they may even begin to fight each other as the mob mentality takes over. The number of successes determines the area affected.

Successes	Extent
One	Building
Two	Block
Three	Neighborhood
Four	District (the South Side, etc.)
Five	Entire City

  • Survivor (Level Five) — This Gift confers temporary immunity to many environmental factors. The Garou has no need of food, water or sleep, and she does not suffer from temperature extremes. She is also immune to natural diseases and poisons. Wyrm toxins will still affect her, but at half their normal potency.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The effects last for one day per success. By spending a second Gnosis point, the Bone Gnawer can gain three extra points of Stamina, and he suffers no wound penalties, but the Gift will expire prematurely after 10 rounds of full combat. The Garou must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.

Children of Gaia

  The most peaceful of the tribes, the Children of Gaia's Gifts aid in calming others and strengthening themselves. The Children are not devout pacifists, and many of their Gifts prove that their approach to war is no weaker than that of any other tribe.

  • Mercy (Level One) — Children of Gaia see no use for lethal force when they are not fighting minions of the Wyrm, but even they succumb to frenzy. This Gift, used chiefly by Children of Gaia with high Rage or in duels, allows the Garou to use her natural weaponry and Rage without fear of killing her opponent. A dove-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all damage that the Garou inflicts with her own body (claws and teeth, but not weapons of any kind) is considered bashing. A creature "killed" by such damage merely falls unconscious, and he may heal the wounds at the usual rate for bashing damage (see Healing}.

  • Mother's Touch (Level One) — As the Theurge Gift.

  • Resist Pain (Level One) — As the Philodox Gift.

  • Calm (Level Two) — This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature that has the capacity to frenzy but does not possess Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the frenzy if the player scores more successes that the target's Willpower.

  • Luna's Armor (Level Two) — The Child of Gaia may call for Luna's protection in battle. This Gift even allows limited resistance to silver. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou concentrates for one full turn, and the player spends a Gnosis point and rolls base Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The player may add one die per success to the Garou's soak pool for the rest of the scene. These bonus dice may also be used to soak silver damage, but only these dice. For example, if the Garou's Stamina is 4 and the player rolls three successes, the Garou has seven dice to soak non-silver damage and three to soak silver.

  • Dazzle (Level Three) — The Garou can flood a target's mind with the glory and love of Gaia, rendering him harmless for a short while. A unicorn-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy. The difficulty varies according to the target.

Target	Difficulty
Normal human	4
Packmate	5
Gaian Garou (even frenzied)	6
Wyrm creature (including Black Spiral Dancers)	8
Alien or unemotional creatures (vampires)	9

  Dazzle rarely works to pacify spirits that don't feel emotion or that have a specific emotional focus (like hate-spirits). Success indicates that the target sits down and stays there, cantemplating Gaia's love quietly, for the rest of the scene. Attacking the target will disrupt the effects of this Gift. Dazzle can br used on a given target only once per scene.

  • Spirit Friend (Level Three) — A Child of Gaia's presence is generally more beatific than that of most werewolves, and although humans can't sense this aura of peace, spirits can. The Garou can use this Gift to aid in interactions with spirits. A unicorn-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7). Each success adds one die to any rolls involving interactions with spirits for the duration of the scene.

  • Beast Life (Level Four) — As the lupus Gift. Children of Gaia who use this Gift never do so if the animals attracted would come to harm, unless the very heart of a caern is threatened.

  • Strike the Air (Level Four) — The Garou becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She becomes unable to attack an opponent, but she is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust himself in the attempt. A mongoosespirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Dodge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how many successes he achieves on the roll. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each opponent.

  • Halo of the Sun (Level Five) — The Garou is surrounded by a nimbus of blazing sunlight. Some Wyrm-creatures may flee before this terrifying sight, but any who stay and fight discover that the Garou strikes with added power. Helios, the Celestine of the sun, teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and the effects of the Gift last for one scene. The Garou is surrounded in blinding sunlight, and anyone looking directly at the werewolf is blinded (add three to difficulties to attack the Garou). The Garou adds two dice of damage to all hand attacks, and hand damage is considered aggravated in all forms. Any vampires within 20 feet take damage as though exposed to true, direct sunlight.

  • The Living Wood (Level Five) — The Garou calls upon the spirits of the forest to come to her aid. The trees around the Child of Gaia animate, and they can restrain or fight foes. A Glade Child teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Survival (difficulty 8). Each success animates one tree. The trees move with the Dexterity of the Child of Gaia, and they can have Strength ratings from 4 to 15, depending on their size. Other Traits are up to the Storyteller's discretion.

Fianna

  The Gifts of the Fianna lean toward their fae allies and vigorous nature, and toward calling on the power of their lands.

  • Faerie Light (Level One) — The Garou can conjure a small, bobbing sphere of light. The sphere illuminates only a three-foot area, but that is usually enough to provide the necessary light — or to lead foes into ambush. A marsh-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The light can appear anywhere within the Garou's line of sight. It can move, bobbing along at 10 feet per turn, if bidden to do so. The light lasts for one turn per success, but the player can spend a point of Gnosis to make it last for the entire scene.

  • Persuasion (Level One) — As the homid Gift.

  • Resist Toxin (Level One) — As the Bone Gnawer Gift.

  • Glib Tongue (Level Two) — This Gift makes listeners hear whatever they wish to hear. The Fianna can say anything, even total gibberish, but anyone listening will agree heartily. While this Gift is not a way to talk a millionaire into signing over all his goods, it is a superb method of talking one's way into a party, making fast friends or avoiding being caught in a lie. A rabbit-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty of the listener's Wits + Alertness). The effects last for one turn per success.

  • Howl of the Banshee (Level Two) — The werewolf emits a fearful howl that causes those who hear it to run in terror. A Banshee — a mournful spirit of the dead — teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. All who hear the howl must roll Willpower (difficulty 8; 6 for allies of the Fianna) or flee in terror for one turn per success on the Garou's roll.

  • Faerie Kin (Level Three) — The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the Garou can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream-spirit teaches this Gift, and the teaching normally involves a quest of some kind.
  System: The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases) the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. Note that this Gift may summon changelings or dream-spirits called chimera, but it will call true fae only in strange Umbral reaches, and even then very rarely. Botching this roll is bad news; the faeries who respond are vicious and malevolent, and they will act to hinder the Garou.

  • Reshape Object (Level Three) — As the homid Gift.

  • Balor's Gaze (Level Four) — This Gift emulates the power of one of the Fianna's legendary enemies. One of the Garou's eyes glows a livid red color, and all enemies caught in his gaze are stricken with pain. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis. She must then roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). For the rest of the scene, any foe at whom the Garou glances must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and equal or exceed the player's successes or double over in pain. Any beings thus affected take wound penalties as though they were at Crippled (-5 dice to all actions), regardless of their current health. Any characters already at Crippled are considered Incapacitated.

  • Phantasm (Level Four) — The Garou creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain-spirit — the so-called "spirit of spirits" — teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis for each 10-foot area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone who doubts the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.

  • Call the Hunt (Level Five) — The werewolf may use this Gift only once per month, and only if there is an overwhelming need for it (such as discovering that a truly great evil infests an area). This Gift calls the Huntsman of Celtic mythology to harry and slay the evil. The Huntsman himself teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou must chant and concentrate for one full hour. The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 8). The Huntsman appears with a single hound, plus one hound for each extra Rage or Gnosis point the player wishes to expend. If the roll is botched, the evil is not worthy of the Huntsman's attention. If the summoner does not join the hunt, the Huntsman instead leads the hunt against the Garou.

  • Gift of the Spriggan (Level Five) — The Fianna may grow to up to three times her usual size or shrink to the size of a small puppy. A faerie or a Chimerling teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). The effects last for one hour per success or until the Garou cancels the Gift. If the Garou grows larger, she gains three Strength dice for every 100% increase in size. If she grows smaller, she retains her normal Traits, but she may sneak around unnoticed or masquerade as someone's pet.

Get of Fenris

  Fierce warriors against the Wyrm one and all, the Get's Gifts are almost universally martial. Even their Ragabash and Theurges are expected to stand out in battle.

  • Razor Claws (Level One) — As the Ahroun Gift.

  • Resist Pain (Level One) — As the Philodox Gift.

  • Visage of Fenris (Level One) — The Get appears larger and more fearsome, commanding respect from peers and cowing his foes. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Only one success is necessary to affect non-Garou and Garou of equal rank. To affect Garou of higher rank, the player must score a number of successes equal to twice the difference of rank between the Garou and the target. For example, for a Rank 1 Garou to affect a Rank 5 Garou would require eight successes (not very likely). Allies and peers affected by this Gift see the Get as impressive and noble (-1 difficulty bonus to all Social rolls). Foes pause for a moment to summon the resolve necessary to fight such a monster (losing one from their initiative ratings). This Gift lasts for one scene.

  • Halt the Coward's Flight (Level Two) — The Garou may slow a fleeing (not charging) foe, making him easier to catch. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou must spend one turn concentrating, and the player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the target's speed is halved for one scene.

  • Snarl of the Predator (Level Two) — The Garou lets out a feral snarl that terrifies opponents and cows them into submission. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the opponent's Wits +3). Each success subtracts one die from an opponent's dice pools oft the next turn. This Gift takes one full turn to invoke.

  • Might of Thor (Level Three) — The Garou can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. After the Gift wears off, the Get is weakened considerably (Physical Attributes are considered 1, and Willpower is halved) until he can rest for at least one hour.

  • Venom Blood (Level Three) — The Garou may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake- or spider-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Medicine (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the first roll.

  • Hero's Stand (Level Four) — The Garou channels the strength of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. While he may not retreat or even move from that spot for the duratiorr of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all Physical dice pools. Also, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or have fled.

  • Scream of Gaia (Level Four) — The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with Rage and the pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm-spirits, which the Get call Sturms, teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50-foot radius is blasted to the ground to suffer one health level of bashing damage per success as a shockwave rips through the area.

  • Horde of Valhalla (Level Five) — The Garou who uses this Gift must be in good standing with his tribe's totem, and he must have a great need for aid, for he is asking help of Fenris himself. This Gift — taught by an avatar of Fenris — summons great wolves to come to the Garou's aid.
  System: The player spends as much Rage and/ or Gnosis as he wishes and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken. If successful, a number of spirit wolves appear from the Umbra to do battle with the Garou foes. The number of wolves is equal to the number of points spent by the player. The wolves are functionally identical to the wolves of the Great Hunt. They remain for the entire scene.

  • Fenris' Bite (Level Five) — The Garou's already vicious bite increases in power terribly, to the point that the Garou can mangle or even sever limbs with a single bite. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless until the target can regenerate the damage, or permanently in the case of humans and other creatures who do not regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Medicine roll, the limb is severed.

Glass Walkers

  Many of the Glass Walker's Gifts involve Weaver-spirits of one type or another. This association earns them no respect in the eyes of most of the tribes, but it does afford them great versatility and an unparalleled rapport with modern technology.

  • Control Simple Machine (Level One) — The Garou may command the spirits of the simplest machines, causing levers to flip, doors to unbelt, pulleys to roll and so on. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Garou's control lasts until the end of the scene.

  • Diagnostics (Level One) — At a glance, the Glass Walker can tell what is wrong with a machine. He can then enlist the aid of the machine's spirit in repairing the faulty device. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Crafts to determine the problem. She then spends one Gnosis point as the Garou mentally convinces the spirit of the device to aid her in fixing it. (Most such spirits are happy to do so — they don't want to be junk!) The time to fix the device is halved, and the player may subtract any successes on the Perception + Crafts roll from the successes necessary to fix the device (see Repair).

  • Trick Shot (Level One) — This Gift, once an acquired taste, has undergone a recent surge in popularity. It allows the Garou to execute brilliant feats of sharpshooting, such as shooting a weapon from an opponent's hand or firing down the barrel of an enemy's gun. The Garou cannot use this Gift to harm an opponent directly, however, and he can use Trick Shot only with rifles or pistols. Air-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The player adds the character's permanent Glory rating to his dice pool when performing a really outlandish shooting trick. Again, this Gift does not allow direct damage to targets ("I'll shoot him between the eyes!"), but it can be used to injure opponents indirectly. ("I'll shoot the rope that's holding the chandelier over his head!") The effects are permanent.

  • Cybersenses (Level Two) — By studying both his natural senses and the sensory capabilities of machines, the Garou may exchange the former for the latter. He may choose to exchange normal hearing for radar, or ordinary sight for infrared or UV sight. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point per sense affected, and he rolls Perception + Science thereafter to activate the Garou's new senses. This Gift lasts for one scene.

  • Power Surge (Level Two) — By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large of an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.

  • Control Complex Machine (Level Three) — Similar to Control Simple Machine, the Garou may now converse with and command the spirits of electronic devices such as computers, video games and cars. One learns (or steals) this Gift from a Net-Spider.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Science (or Computer). The Storyteller sets the difficulty based on how complex the machine actually is (usually 8). The Garou's control lasts for one scene.

  • Elemental Favor (Level Three) — By begging, threatening or cajoling an urban elemental, a Garou can convince the spirit to do her a favor by manipulating or even destroying her earthly shell. Thus, a glass sheet might explode at the Garou's foes; a door might refuse to open, even if unlocked, or a car's brakes might fail. An urban elemental teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.

  • Attunement (Level Four) — As the Bone Gnawer Gift, but taught by a cockroach-spirit.

  • Doppelganger (Level Four) — The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf or Garou. A chameleon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture and scent, is identical. The effects last for one day per success.

  • Chaos Mechanics (Level Five) — Werewolves pulse with the Wyld's energy, of course, but all creatures with form and nature have something of the Weaver in them, or so the Glass Walkers argue. Upon learning this Gift, the Glass Walker reconciles these two sides of his being, and he can summon primal energy and mystical form at the same time.
  System: A Garou with this Gift may use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn with no penalty. Doing so allows the Garou to use Rage actions to activate fetishes and use Gifts requiring Gnosis (provided that said Gift does not take a full turn to enact). What's more important is that it allows the Garou to take Rage actions in the same turn that he steps sideways, provided that the player rolls enough successes to get to or from the Umbra instantly. This Gift's effects are permanent.

  • Summon Net-Spider (Level Five) — The Garou can summon a Net-Spider, a Weaver spirit that gives its summoner near-absolute control over any computer system. The Spider can disrupt, erase or destroy whatever system it is sent into (the exact effects are left to the Storyteller, but are typically destructive). An avatar of Cockroach teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Computer (difficulty 8). If successful, the Net-Spider appears and heeds the Garou's commands. This Gift allows the Garou to halve all computer-related difficulties along with the aforementioned destructive capacity of the spirit.

Red Talons

  The fearsome Talons hate humans, and Griffin grants them Gifts geared toward the destructive, violent side of nature. All the better to repay the humans in kind for their treatment of Gaia.

  • Beast Speech (Level One) — As the Galliard Gift.

  • Scent of Running Water (Level One) — As the Ragabash Gift.

  • Wolf at the Door (Level One) — Some humans can't just be splattered all over the nearest tree. Some of them have to be taught a lesson and left alive, for whatever reason. However, the Red Talons know how to make the message stick. This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the forest, and makes a human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The Garou must make eye contact with the target, but he can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses two dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. This Gift functions on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two to a maximum of 10.

  • Beastmind (Level Two) — The Garou can reduce the mental faculties of his victim to that of an animal for a short time. An avatar of Griffin leaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The effects last for one turn per success, during which the target listens to only his most base instincts and behaves like a wild animal.

  • Sense of the Prey (Level Two) — As the Ragabash Gift.

  • Elemental Favor (Level Three) — As the Glass Walker Gift, except that this version affects the four classic elements — fire, earth, water and air — and a natural elemental teaches it.

  • Trackless Waste (Level Three) — Humans have no sense of direction, the Talons assert. With this Gift, the Garou can make certain that they don't. The Talon employing Trackless Waste must have some familiarity with the terrain in question. Upon using the Gift, humans become hopelessly lost. Compasses malfunction, maps are misleading, and landmarks seem to be out of place. A spirit of the wilderness teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal-Urge. Each success "scrambles" a two-mile radius. This Gift functions on other werewolves, but they can resist with a Perception + Primal-Urge roll, and they must score more successes than the Talon to remain unaffected. This Gift lasts for four hours.

  • Gorge (Level Four) — Natural wolves will eat as much as possible when food is available, for they never know when their next meal will arrive. With this Gift, a Red Talon can do much the same thing with Rage, Gnosis or Willpower, storing such energy against the day when she will need it. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: Upon learning this Gift, the player chooses which Trait (Rage, Gnosis or Willpower) her character can store. Thereafter, the character can hold three more points in the appropriate Trait than her permanent rating. These extra points must be regained as usual, and they do not add extra dice to rolls involving these Traits. To amplify more than one Trait the character must learn the Gift (i.e., pay the experience cost) a second time.

  • Quicksand (Level Four) — The Garou turns the ground into a sticky morass that catches foes and prevents them from escaping or even walking. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). Each success changes the ground into a quicksand-like bog for a 10-foot radius. Anyone trying to move through it (except the Garou) moves at half walking speed, and he may not execute combat maneuvers that require overland movement. Additionally, all other combat maneuvers take a +1 difficulty penalty.

  • Curse of Lycaon (Level Five) — In the ultimate twist, this Gift allows a Red Talon to transform a human being into a wolf. This Gift also works on Garou, forcing them into Lupus form. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Only one success is necessary. Werewolves are forced into Lupus form for the duration of the scene. When used on humans, the effect of the Gift is permanent. The person remains a normal wolf in body and mind for the rest of his life.

  • Gaia's Vengeance (Level Five) — The Garou calls to the spirits of the surrounding forest to attack intruders. The terrain responds as best it can: Rocks roll and smash, vines trip, and water sucks victims under. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point then rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The exact effects depend on the terrain and are left to the Storyteller.

Shadow Lords

  The Shadow Lords' repertoire of Gifts consists a number of ways to intimidate, control and assert dominance over others.

  • Aura of Confidence (Level One) — The Garou projects a demeanor of control and superiority, preventing attempts to find flaws or read auras. This Gift does not prevent supernatural attempts to read the Garou's thoughts, although it may make doing so difficult (Storyteller's discretion). An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7) to activate the Gift; the effects lasts for one scene.

  • Fatal Flaw (Level One) — The Shadow Lord can discern a target's weakness, granting an advantage in combat. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
  System: The Shadow Lord must concentrate for one full turn. The player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses (although no further damage bonus is gained). Five successes reveal all of the target's flaws.

  • Seizing the Edge (Level One) — To the Shadow Lords, there is no possible way for a contest to be even. If neither competitor wins, they both lose. This Gift allows the Garou to swing the balance, ever so slightly, in her favor. A spirit servant of Grandfather Thunder teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the remainder of the scene, whenever the Shadow Lord is involved in a direct confrontation with another being (specifically, if the player must make an opposed roll), any ties go to the Shadow Lord. For example, a Shadow Lord and her Get of Fenris rival are wrestling. Both players must roll to see if the Get of Fenris can break the hold that the Shadow Lord has caught him in. If the players roll the same number of successes, the Shadow Lord wins and the Get remains pinned. This Gift lasts for one scene.

  • Clap of Thunder (Level Two) — The Garou slams her hands together and creates a mighty thunderclap that stuns those who hear it. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All characters within 10 feet, friend or foe, must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) or be stunned and unable to act for one turn. On a botch, the effect lasts for one scene. The Garou must be in Homid, Glabro or Crinos form to use this Gift.

  • Luna's Armor (Level Two) — As the Child of Gaia Gift.

  • Direct the Storm (Level Three) — Having a packmate who is prone to frenzy isn't safe for anyone. With this Gift, the Shadow Lord can direct the primal instincts of a frenzied Garou — friend or foe — causing him to attack targets of the Lord's choice. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the target's Rage). Success indicates that the Shadow Lord controls the target's frenzy and can set him on anyone she chooses. Using this Gift on a Garou in the Thrall of the Wyrm is possible, but doing so requires the player to roll Rage (difficulty 7) to check for frenzy for her own character.

  • Paralyzing Stare (Level Three) — The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point, and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn. The target must be able to see the Garou.

  • Open Wounds (Level Four) — The Garou may cause the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening the target further. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, losing one health level per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled. This hemorrhaging is considered lethal damage.

  • Strength of the Dominator (Level Four) — The Garou draws on a target's anger to feed his own. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Wits + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). For a number of turns equal to the successes scored, the target will lose a point of Rage per turn, while the Shadow Lord gains that Rage. The character can use this Gift only once per target per scene.

  • Obedience (Level Five) — With the power of this Gift, the Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceed the Garou's successes to avoid the effects of the Gift. If the werewolf wins by one success, the targets follow any orders they don't mind following. Getting three successes means that the targets will treat the Garou as their alpha and fight for him. Getting five successes means that the targets will follow him into the Abyss or perform other virtually suicidal actions.

  • Shadow Pack (Level Five) — The Garou summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and have some of the same capabilities. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a variable number of Gnosis points. For each point spent, the Garou summons a shadow-duplicate. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but they may not use Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level (i.e., any attack that is not soaked destroys it). The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.

Silent Striders

  The enigmatic Striders possess Gifts of travel and speed.

  • Sense Wyrm (Level One) — As the metis Gift.

  • Silence (Level One) — The Garou can muffle any sound she makes, the better to creep up on an enemy or escape unnoticed. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Dexterity + Stealth. Each success adds one to others' difficulty to hear the Garou for one scene.

  • Speed of Thought (Level One) — The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner- or cheetah-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

  • Blissful Ignorance (Level Two) — As the Ragabash Gift.

  • Messenger's Fortitude (Level Two) — The Garou can run at full speed for three days without rest, food or water. When the Garou reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for three days. A camel- or wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Garou may do nothing but run; stopping ends the Gift. For an additional Gnosis point, he may imbue another being with this Gift's benefits.

  • Adaptation (Level Three) — The Garou takes no damage from poison or disease, and he may exist in any environment, regardless of pressure, temperature or atmospheric condition. This Gift does not protect the Garou from hazardous situations (like falling), only hazardous environments. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). Each success extends the Gift's effects by one hour.

  • Great Leap (Level Three) — The Strider with this Gift can jump truly astounding distances. A jackrabbit-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Strength + Athletics. Each success allows the character to jump 100 feet.

  • Attunement (Level Four) — As the Bone Gnawer Gift, with one exception: When the Garou learns the Gift, she must choose if it functions in the city or the wilderness. The "city" version is identical to the Bone Gnawer Gift. The "wilderness" version is similar, but the roll required is Perception + Survival.

  • Speed Beyond Thought (Level Four) — The Garou can run at 10 times his normal land speed. The effects last for up to eight hours, during which the Garou can nothing but concentrate on running. When the Gift's effects end, the Garou must eat immediately or face frenzy from hunger. A cheetah- or air-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) to activate the Gift.

  • Gate of the Moon (Level Five) — This Gift creates a specialized moon bridge that takes the Strider to her destination instantly. At least a sliver of the moon must be visible at her area of departure. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point for every 100 miles the Garou needs to travel. She then rolls Intelligence + Alertness (difficulty varies on how far the journey is and how well the Garou knows the way). Success transports the character to her destination, but she will be disoriented for one turn unless the player scored three successes. A botch takes the character miles in the wrong direction — possibly straight up.

  • Reach the Umbra (Level Five) — The Garou may step into and out of the Umbra at will, without need of a reflective surface or even any effort at all. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou may step sideways instantly, at any time, with no fear of being "caught." No roll is necessary. In addition, all rolls made to enter or leave Umbral Realms receive a -2 difficulty bonus. She may not, however, spend Rage in the same turn that she steps sideways.

Silver Fangs

  The regal Silver Fangs are the longtime leaders of the Garou, and their Gifts are part of — and they reflect — their birthright.

  • Falcon's Grasp (Level One) — A leader must keep a tight grip on his power, and this Gift allows the Garou to do so literally. The Garou's hands or jaws tighten in a mighty death-grip, making it nearly impossible to escape. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one point of Rage. For the remainder of the scene, the Garou's grip with either hands or jaws (or both at a cost of two Rage) is much stronger. In game terms, the Garou's Strength is considered three points higher for purposes of grappling or maneuvers such as the jaw lock (see Special Maneuvers ). The Garou may not use this extra Strength to inflict damage.

  • Lambent Flame (Level One) — The Garou causes her body to ignite with silver light. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point to ignite the light. The glare illuminates a 100-foot area. Any hand-to-hand attacks against the Garou take a +1 difficulty penalty, while missile attacks receive a -1 difficulty bonus.

  • Sense Wyrm (Level One) — As the metis Gift.

  • Empathy (Level Two) — To be a leader among wolves is largely a matter of physical dominance, but a human leader must understand his charges and follow their will to a degree. With this Gift, a Silver Fang can understand those around him and live up to their expectations. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty 7). Success indicates that the Garou knows what the majority would like to see, be it attack, mediation, harsh punishment or clemency. The more successes the player rolls, the better the Garou understands the people's desires, even if the people would rather keep their desires secret. Note that this Gift by no means reveals the wisest or most rational decision, just the most popular one.

  • Luna's Armor (Level Two) — As the Child of Gaia Gift.

  • Silver Claws (Level Three) — As the Ahroun Gift.

  • Wrath of Gaia (Level Three) — The Garou shows himself in full, terrible, glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror unless they can master their instinctive fear of this predator. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou for the next scene must roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes. Otherwise, they flee in terror.

  • Mastery (Level Four) — With the power of this Gift, the Fang can command other Garou, including Black Spiral Dancers, to do her bidding. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the target's Wits +3). If the roll succeeds, the Garou can give the target one non-suicidal command, which he must obey for one turn per success. This Gift works only against Garou.

  • Mindblock (Level Four) — Upon learning this Gift, the Garou's mental defenses are strengthened to the utmost. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind-reading, mentally implanting illusions or possession) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but they do not apply to powers that sway emotion.

  • Luna's Avenger (Level Five) — The Garou's entire body, regardless of her current form, is changed to living silver. She becomes a nearly unstoppable warrior. A Lune teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou must concentrate for one full turn to activate this Gift. The player spends one Gnosis point. This Gift lasts for one scene, during which the Garou is immune to the effects of silver. Any attack she makes does aggravated, unsoakable damage to Garou. Furthermore, she gains two extra points of Stamina and one additional health level while the Gift lasts.

  • Paws of the Newborn Cub (Level Five) — With a glare and snarl, the Silver Fang strips her foe of any supernatural power. Many servants of the Wyrm have tried to employ their putrescent magic against the Fangs, only to realize that they face a mighty foe with only mundane methods of defense. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success removes all special abilities (shapeshifting, Gifts, any sort of supernatural or magical powers) for one turn.

Uktena

  The Uktena's Gifts reflect their predilection toward magical study and animal powers. Many of their Gifts were long-forgotten secrets before the tribe unearthed them.

  • Sense Magic (Level One) — The Uktena can discern magical energies, whether they emanate from Garou Gifts, vampiric wizardry or even human magic. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
  System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on the strength and subtlety of the magic. The Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although vague clues such as "Gaian" or "blood magic" might be granted with sufficient successes. The radius is 10 feet per success.

  • Shroud (Level One) — The Garou can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area. The Garou can choose any area within his line of sight. The metis Gift: Eyes of the Cat can see through the conjured darkness.

  • Spirit Speech (Level One) — As the Theurge Gift.

  • Spirit of the Bird (Level Two) — Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above, which is precisely why the Uktena developed the means to do so. The Garou may hover, fly or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.

  • Spirit of the Fish (Level Two) — The werewolf blessed with this Gift can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Unsurprisingly, a fish-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effects last for one hour per success.

  • Banish Totem (Level Three) — By speaking words of forbiddance, the Uktena can bar pack or personal totems from giving their children aid. Doing so also disrupts the spiritual rapport between packmates, making it difficult for them to execute pack tactics or act in concert. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Uktena must concentrate for a full turn, and he must know which totem his victims follow. The player spends one Gnosis point and one Willpower point, and he rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the pack's combined Totem scores (maximum of 10). If successful, the pack members lose all Traits associated with their totem, and they cannot use pack tactics or act in concert for the remainder of the scene. If the Uktena is rendered unconscious or killed, the Gift is canceled.

  • Invisibility (Level Three) — The Garou can vanish from sight. When this Gift is in use, the Garou must concentrate on staying invisible. He cannot move faster than half normal walking speed, and he cannot draw attention to himself. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in open, 9 if in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll.

  • Call Elemental (Level Four) — The Garou is able to call one of the four classic elementals to his aid (earth, air, fire or water). An elemental teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the area's Gauntlet). She must then roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7) to make the elemental look favorably upon the Garou. The elemental vanishes at the end of the scene.

  • Hand of the Earth Lords (Level Four) — By drawing on the land's energies, the Uktena can move any one object weighing up to 1000 pounds telekinetically. An air elemental and an earth elemental must teach this Gift in concert.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). The Uktena must maintain concentration in order to move the object, which travels at roughly 20 mph. The effect lasts for one turn per success.

  • Fabric of the Mind (Level Five) — As the Galliard Gift.

  • Fetish Doll (Level Five) — Sympathetic magic is the oldest form of sorcery, and it is still effective. Although many cultures find this sort of magic repellent, the Uktena believe that the ends well justify the means. The Garou can harm his victim from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The doll takes one week to construct and enchant. The player rolls Perception + Crafts (difficulty 8) to construct the doll. When the doll is complete, the player may roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty of the victim's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage on the victim, which he may soak if he capable of doing so. The doll is only capable of transferring 10 levels of damage. After 10 successes, the doll is too mutilated to be of further use. A botched roll destroys the doll without inflicting any damage.

Wendigo

  The Wendigo specialize in Gifts gleaned from their cold, harsh homeland. They use their powers to thrive in their wintry environment and to call its hazards on their enemies.

  • Call the Breeze (Level One) — The Garou calls up a strong (20 mph), cold breeze and directs it at whim. This breeze chills anyone not prepared for it, and it disperses (or redirects) clouds of vapor (including tear gas or airborne toxins) or swarms of insects. A wind-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The Garou simply whistles to call the breeze. Anyone caught in it loses one die from Perception rolls as long as the breeze lasts.

  • Camouflage (Level One) — The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, which makes him very difficult to see. A deer-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: The difficulties to spot the Garou increase by three, provided that he is in the woods. The werewolf invokes the effects at whim.

  • Resist Pain (Level One) — As the Philodox Gift.

  • Cutting Wind (Level Two) — The Garou conjures up a bitterly cold blast of wind and directs it at will. The wind can knock opponents off their feet, as well as chill them to the bone. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo itself teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Willpower point. Directing the gust requires a Dexterity + Occult roll. Anyone hit by the wind loses two dice from all dice pools that turn, and one the next turn. The wind can also knock foes off ledges, into traffic or into pits. The wind's medium range is 20 yards, and it is modified as per the rules on firearms. The wind lasts for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.

  • Speak with Wind Spirits (Level Two) — The Wendigo may call upon wind-spirits for knowledge and guidance. He can ask them one question, which must concern the immediate area (wind-spirits have notoriously short attention spans). A wind-spirit teaches this Gift.
  System: Upon learning this Gift, the Garou can speak with wind-spirits automatically while he is in the Umbra. To ask a question in the physical world, the player must spend one Gnosis point and roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 7). The number of successes reflects the accuracy of the information.

  • Bloody Feast (Level Three) — Great Wendigo, as a hungry cannibalistic spirit, can teach his favored children the ability to gain added strength from an enemy's flesh and blood. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
  System: To activate this Gift, the Garou must first bite his opponent and be able to taste blood — meaning he must inflict at least one health level of damage, and his victim must be something that bleeds. If his opponent has toxic blood or none at all, this Gift will not work. The player then rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3 (maximum of 10). The Wendigo gains one extra dot in Strength for every two health levels of damage inflicted by the bite (maximum of +5 to Strength). The extra Strength bonus lasts for one turn per success on the Gnosis roll. However, flesh and blood can be addictive. The Wendigo's player must make an immediate frenzy roll the turn after activating the Gift.

  • Wisdom of the Ancient Ways (Level Three) — As the Philodox Gift.

  • Call the Cannibal Spirit (Level Four) — By dancing under the night sky, the werewolf can summon an avatar of Great Wendigo to hunt down a target of the Garou's choice. The Garou must possess a piece of his target whose heart the Wendigo devours.
  System: The Garou must dance for three full turns. The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis point, then rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 8). If the roll botches, or if the Wendigo is somehow prevented from killing its target, it will return to kill the summoner.

  • Chill of Early Frost (Level Four) — The werewolf calls down a mystical chill from Great Wendigo himself, freezing the surrounding lands and anyone in it. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if it is already winter, 6 for spring, 9 for summer). Success drops the temperature to a bit below freezing in a five-mile radius, or even further below zero if it was already winter. All creatures without a natural coat of fur lose two dice from all pools. This Gift wreaks pure havoc in urban environments, as pipes burst and roads freeze. This Gift lasts for one hour per success.

  • Invoke the Spirits of the Storm (Level Five) — The Garou can summon nearly any weather effect she desires, be it a tornado, fog, blizzard or thunderstorms. An avatar of Wendigo teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty varies based on how close the desired effect is to the actual weather patterns of the area). The storm covers 10 miles per success. If the Garou summons a thunderstorm, she may spend Gnosis to call lightning down on her enemies (Dexterity + Occult to hit, 10 dice of aggravated damage).

  • Heart of Ice (Level Five) — The Garou can call down the curse of the Wendigo on an enemy. The Garou must whisper the name of the target to the winds; thereafter, the victim's innards begin turning to ice. An avatar of Wendigo teaches this Gift.
  System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated, unsoakable damage. This damage accrues slowly, inflicting one health level per turn until all possible damage has been done.

Rites

  Rites are the outward forms of the Garou's rituals and celebrations. Rites form and reinforce the spiritual and social ties that bind the Garou to each other and to Gaia herself. The common bond formed by rites resonates in the souls of all Garou. Many werewolves maintain that without the continuous practice of such rites, the Garou would lose their ties to the Earth Mother. In so doing, Theurges warn, the Garou may become something less than their true selves, possibly reverting to simple wolves and humans instead of Gaia's chosen.
  The special ties werewolves have with the spirit world allow rites to function. The Garou invoke these bonds with Gaia's spirits when performing rites. In the dawn of time, shapeshifters struck a great pact — the Pact — with the spirits of Gaia. In return for the shapeshifters' fealty and service, the spirits would empower the werebeasts' rites, flooding them with supernatural power. For this reason, nobody but a shapeshifter can perform rites and expect them to work. The spirits will not answer the call if they are not legally bound to do so. This relationship is unique to the Garou and certain other Fera, and it makes the performance of these rites their sacred right and privilege, and theirs alone.
  Through rites, Garou weave the social, emotional and religious fabric connecting werewolf to werewolf, pack to pack and tribe to tribe. When Silver Fang meets Black Fury or Silent Strider meets Glass Walker, the rites of their ancestors give them common ground on which to tread. Even the simple Rite of Contrition has prevented many meetings between werewolves of different tribes and packs from erupting in argument and violence.
  Rites also allow tribes and packs the freedom to define themselves and to develop their unique roles in Gaia's defense. Often tribes, and many individual septs, have their own rites and their own versions of common rites. The raucous, howling tumult of the Fianna's Rite of Spirit Awakening has little external similarity to the Shadow Lords' dark and brooding rite of the same name, yet the essence and purpose of the two rites are the same.

Types of Rites

  Rites have both religious and magical connotations, and they serve both social and mystical purposes. Most rites can be performed in either the Umbra or the physical world. When teaching rites to young pups, Garou may group them by the purpose each type of rite serves for the Garou and for Gaia. Rites of accord, caern rites, rites of death, mystic rites, rites of punishment, rites of renown, seasonal rites and minor rites are the most common types of rites that Garou practice. The basic requirements for each of these types of rites must be fulfilled to perform any of these rites successfully.
  Descriptions and requirements for each type are listed here, along with common rites from each category.
  A werewolf has the potential to learn any rite. All she must do is find a teacher. A Garou's auspice usually determines the rites she is expected to learn (see Auspice Roles). Most elder Garou are more than willing to teach rites. In fact, the number of young werewolves who seem to discount rites as antiquated or cumbersome disturbs the elders. Many new packs fail to see the importance of rites, preferring to spend their time doing things that have a more "immediate" impact. However, these same gray furs criticize young wolves that insist on modernizing or individualizing rites to meet the needs of their packs.

Enacting a Rite

  Ritemasters generally lead groups of Garou in the performance of rites. These rites are grand ceremonies usually held at caerns with much tradition and socializing going along with them. It is the nature of rites to be social affairs. Most rites require the presence of at least three Garou, although a lone werewolf may conduct certain minor rites and mystic rites. Many older septs frown on the practice of performing rites away from the group.
  Rites require great concentration and skill on the part of the celebrant. A rite takes a minimum of 10 minutes per level to cast, while minor rites take from two to five minutes to enact. Rites almost always require some form of trinket or special material. The general requirements for particular categories of rites are detailed in the following lists.
  It is the responsibility of the ritemaster to ensure that all the requirements are met and that all Garou present participate fully in the rite. The player or Storyteller should roll to determine the success of the rite. The exact nature and difficulty of the roll will vary with each rite. Storytellers may decrease the difficulty of a roll if the ritemaster and participating characters enact the rite particularly well (i.e., if the players roleplay it well).
  For every five Garou beyond the base number required (again, usually three) who are present and helping perform the rite to the best of their ability (in addition to the ritemaster), the difficulty level of the rite decreases by one (to a minimum difficulty of 3).
  Rites are considered to be a natural way of affecting the natural order. They are part of how things work. Werewolves believe that if a rite is performed properly, the effect will occur naturally, just as a scientist would follow cause and effect. If you drop a rock, it will fall; if you perform a rite as it was handed down to you by your ancestor's ancestors, then the desired effect will occur. However, some rites do require Gnosis. These rites are particularly powerful breaches of the natural order.

Learning a Rite

  The tribal elders who teach rites were themselves taught by their elders, who were taught by their elders, and so on back through the ages. In order to gain the knowledge (and tacit permission) to perform a rite, a young werewolf must approach an elder who possesses such knowledge. In the vast majority of cases, the elder will request payment (in the form of talens) from the young whelp in question. The number of talens required varies with the amount of teaching needed (level of the rite) and the elder's opinion of the cub (comparative rank and roleplaying). Elders will often allow the young Garou to do a favor instead of (or in addition to) donating talens. Such favors may range from providing the elder with fresh rabbit meat and caviar for three full moons to tracking down a minor enemy of the elder's and tearing out his throat. In any event, the favor asked is normally proportionate to the power and importance of the rite the young wolf wishes to master.
  Learning a rite is an extended action. A Garou must have a Rituals Knowledge at least equal to the level of the rite she wishes to learn; a character with Rituals 3 cannot master a Level Four rite. She must also spend time — at least one week per level of the rite she wishes to learn (three days for minor rites) — with the elder who knows the rite. The player must roll Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty of 10 minus Intelligence). The number of successes required equals the level of the rite. The student may make one roll per period of teaching (one week for a Level One rite, three weeks for a Level Three rite, etc.). If the student fails a roll, she must spend a Willpower point to continue her studies. If she botches a roll, she is not yet ready to learn the knowledge she seeks. The character must wait at least three turnings of the moon, or until she has more life experience, to try again.
  A character can begin the game with knowledge of rites by purchasing the Rites Background. Subsequently, however, rites can be learned only through roleplaying; they may not be purchased with experience points.
  A character can attempt to enact a rite in which he has previously taken part, but which he does not know. Needless to say, he has little chance of success. The difficulty is three higher than normal, and the player must spend double the amount of Gnosis points if any are required. In addition, elder Garou often see such an attempt as impertinent or even sacrilegious. Attempting an unlearned rite in the presence of an elder may decrease the Garou's Honor or Wisdom in the eyes of his sept.
  Finally, it's possible — but obscenely difficult — to create new rites. Such a task is no small matter, as it involves convincing a great portion of the spirit world that a new rite is necessary, and that they must empower it whenever called to do so.

Auspice Roles

  Not all Garou have a natural affinity for leading the Great Rites. Many are content to know some minor rites and a smattering of rites most significant in their own eyes. In fact, Garou traditionally view werewolves born under certain auspices as the rightful ritemasters of the tribes. In particular, Theurges and Philodox are groomed for such positions from the time that they first enter the sept as adolescent cubs. It is almost unheard of for a Garou of either auspice not to have at least some skill in the enactment of rites. In general, Theurges tend to learn mystic rites, seasonal rites and caern rites, while Philodox traditionally leam rites of accord and rites of punishment.
  This is not to say that Garou of all auspices do not learn rites, or even lead rites occasionally. Galliards are likely to lead rites of death and rites of renown. Ragabash and Ahroun may also learn and enact rites, although the sept is unlikely to encourage such behavior unless a particular reason comes up for such a Garou to lead a rite. For example, an Ahroun might lead his war party in a Rite of Wounding after a cub's first battle. It is wise to remember that individual packs are often (but not always) more flexible when interpreting such traditions, being more concerned with which packmate will best carry out a rite than with following every musty old tradition. Any Garou is allowed to learn a mystic rite, regardless of auspice.

Rites of Accord

  Rites of accord restore a place or particular Garou to harmony and balance with Gaia. These rites purify and renew by bringing the object of the rite through a symbolic rebirth from Gaia's womb.
  System: Any Garou attempting to perform a rite of accord must possess a talen, a fetish or some piece of Gaia never touched by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands (for example, a willow branch from a remote forest or a stone from a protected caern). The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

Rite of Cleansing

  Level One
  This rite purifies a person, place or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking widdershins (counterclockwise) around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to "frighten away" and thus banish the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn, but it can be performed at any time.
  System: This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the leader must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused by a spirit might set a difficulty equal to the spirit's Gnosis. Only one success is required. If the character performs the rite at dawn, the difficulty of the rite decreases by one. Note that this rite cannot heal wounds or damage caused by Wyrm-taint; it removes only any existing contamination. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either. The rite inflicts agonizing pain when performed on a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similarly accursed creature, but it cannot wash the recipient clean.

Rite of Contrition

  Level One
  This rite is a form of apology used to prevent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has annoyed, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. The ritemaster may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact this rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual or, in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon).
  System: The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or werewolf. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but it may not be enough to mend friendships or forgive grievous errors. The more successes, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Werewolves who refuse to recognize a Rite of Contrition are looked upon badly by elders. Most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite. This effect lasts until the Garou performs another action that could harm or insult the other.

Rite of Renunciation

  Level Two
  In this rare rite, a werewolf rejects the auspice under which he was born and chooses a new auspice. The Garou must perform this rite during the phase of the moon he wishes to embrace. Most commonly, water from a silver basin exposed to Luna's radiance is poured over the naked supplicant, washing him clean of all he once was, including all rank. He is now free to start anew as a member of his adopted auspice. Almost free, that is, for many werewolves view such a "Shifting Moon" with suspicion. The Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs in particular see this rite as a grave insult to Luna, and they are loath to trust those Garou who cannot bear the weight of their assigned burdens.
  System: A character who changes auspices must start anew at Rank 1. Although he may keep any Gifts he has already learned, he may never learn new Gifts from his old auspice. However, Gifts of his adopted auspice are now available to him. Sometimes this rite is performed for purposes other than shifting auspice, such as when a Garou wishes to give up his name and start over in Garou society. (See Renunciation.) A variation on this rite also allows a werewolf to renounce his tribe and join a second tribe. Doing so, however, is a severe insult to his formal tribal totem, who will likely view him poorly for the rest of his days. In no case can a werewolf return to an auspice or tribe that he formerly renounced. He's made his bed, so he must lie in it.

Caern Rites

  These rites are of vital importance to Gaia, for they aid in the opening, protection, and renewal of the sacred spaces dedicated to her. Without such rites, the mystical flow of Gaia's spiritual nourishment might cease, and her children, the Garou, might no longer rest themselves within her protecting bosom. Without such renewal, even the most ferocious of werewolves would grow weary of battle.
  System: These rites can be performed only within a caern. The dice pool required varies with each particular rite, but the maximum number of dice used cannot exceed the ritemaster's Gnosis. Unless otherwise stated, the difficulty of such a roll is 7.

Moot Rite

  Level One
  A moot cannot open until this rite is completed. The rite recharges the caern with Gnosis. The rite always includes a prolonged howl led by a Garou known as the Master of the Howl. The howl varies by tribe and sept, but it always expresses the unique nature of the sept. All werewolves present must form a circle within the caern itself before they commence howling. Numerous variations on the basic requirements exist. The Red Talons often bite their own paws and scratch their blood into the earth, while the Uktena pass their most powerful fetish from one to another as each in turn adds her voice to the howl. However, the howl must always echo forth and the eternal circle must form.
  System: The rite must be performed at least once per month to keep the caern consecrated. During the course of a moot, the participants must empower the caern with a combined total of five Gnosis points per caern level in order to replenish it fully.

Rite of the Opened Caern

  Level One
  Caerns are highly spiritual places that are sacred to those who create them. Each caern has a specific power associated with it, generally of a beneficial nature. Thus, there are caerns of Rage, caerns of Gnosis, Strength, Enigmas and so on. If a character is knowledgeable enough, she may tap into the caern's power and use it herself. Doing so is commonly called "opening" a caern. Opening a caern should not be attempted lightly. Caerns do not give up their energies easily, and failure to harness such power properly can result in serious damage to the Garou.
  Each caern has its own requirements of the ritemaster. The ritemaster must prove herself worthy of the caern's energies. In order to open a caern of Enigmas, a Garou might walk a spiral path while calling out the Greek myth of Persephone. To open a caern of Rage, the Garou might transform into Crinos and chant the litany of his ancestors who have fallen to the Wyrm. The key is forging a connection to the particular spirit of the caern.
  System: To open a caern, a character engages in a resisted, extended success test of Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). The number of successes needed equals the caern's level.
  The character must overcome the caern spirit to prove herself worthy. The caern spirit uses its caern level as a dice pool. Its difficulty equals the character's Gnosis, while the number of successes needed equals the character's Willpower. The first one to garner the necessary number of successes wins.
  If the character wins the test, she can add the caern's rating to her dice pool when performing actions appropriate to that caern's focus. If she loses, however, she takes wounds equal to the number of success by which the caern beat her. A botch indicates that the wounds are aggravated. These physical and spiritual wounds are the results of a backlash of spiritual energy.
  See Caern Mechanics for a list of caern types, their powers and the spirits that can be encountered near them.

The Badger's Burrow

  Level Four
  The guardians of the caerns become so connected to their bawn that they can sense all that goes on within its boundaries. The ritemaster enacting this rite gazes intently into a bowl of water, pool of ink, mirror, or some such. At the same rime, the Garou pours a small amount of witch hazel or other strongly scented astringent (such as urine) on the ground in front other. Any other Garou watching or participating encircle the ritemaster and growl softly in the backs of their throats. Some of the younger Garou (Glass Walkers and Wendigo in particular) enhance the ritual through the use of mild psychotropic drugs, although many Garou frown upon this practice.
  System: The celebrant must make a successful Perception + Rituals roll against the given difficulty level. Each success enables the ritemaster (or the caern Warder) to ask one question regarding a defined area. The difficulty varies with the size of the area. Failure indicates that the Garou sees nothing, while a botch means that the Garou sees what she desires to see, regardless of the truth.

Area	Difficulty
Small Room	5
Ballroom	6
House	7
Acre of Land	8
Small Forest	9

Rite of the Opened Bridge

  Level Four
  This rite creates a moon bridge, a shimmering portal serving as a mystical means of transportation between two caems. Such moon bridges are vital links between the sacred spaces of Gaia. Once per year, a caern must renew its connection with other caerns to which it wishes to maintain moon bridges. This rite is always held during a moot, and it must be enacted simultaneously by both participating caerns.
  The primary requirement to open a moon bridge is a moongem, or pathstone as it is most often called. Pathstones are found in the Umbra, and they are often the objects of quests. These extraordinarily rare stones resemble flat pearls with the imprint of a wolfs paw on one side. It is possible to steal a pathstone from a caern, but such a theft is considered blasphemous, and it may well result in war between two Garou septs.
  The rite establishes (or reestablishes) a spiritual connection between the pathstones of two second caerns by way of the caerns' totem spirits. At the rite's culmination, a moon bridge opens between the two participating caerns. During this time, Garou from both septs can travel between the caerns to join in a wild revel. Moon bridges allow Garou to traverse distances in 1/l000th the normal time required. This rite must be renewed once every 13 moons (roughly a year).
  System: The roll is Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8 minus the level of the ritemaster's own caern). The ritemaster may spend Willpower on the roll. If her pack totem is the same as the totem of the caern, she receives a bonus of three dice to the roll. If the rite was unsuccessful previously, the difficulty level of the rite increases by one. The ritemaster needs to obtain a number of successes equal to the target caern's level to complete the rite.
  If the rite succeeds, the moon bridge opens immediately, and the spirit-bond between the two pathstones is established. Moon bridges may now be opened at any time between the two caerns. The bridges may be opened with the Rite of the Opened Caern or the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge (if performed at the caern). If the rite fails, no moon bridge opens, and the rite must be tried again next year. Moon bridges to the caern may still be opened, but they are not as safe as they might be...
  If the rite botches, no moon bridge opens, and the pathstone in the caern is scorched by the badly handled energies. Botching this rite often leads to another rite — the Rite of Ostracism — being performed against the offending Garou.
  See Caern Mechanics for moon bridge distances.

Rite of the Shrouded Glen

  Level Four
  This rite causes an area within the Umbra to become invisible, so that it cannot be seen from any other part of the spirit world. At least five people must participate in this ritual, and they must fast for at least three days to purify themselves. The Uktena, who are particularly adept at this rite, maintain that all participants must come to the rite with their bodies clad only in painted symbols representing earth, air, water, fire, and (for the ritemaster) the spirit world.
  System: The difficulty of this roll is the caern's Gauntlet + 4. Any participating Garou can contribute Gnosis to this rite. The participants must spend a total of 10 Gnosis points to make the effect permanent. Otherwise, the number of successes achieved equals the number of hours the Umbral Glen remains hidden. If the area the Garou attempt to hide is larger than the caern itself, the amount of Gnosis required increases by two for each one-mile radius the participants attempt to enshroud.

Rite of Caern Building

  Level Five
  This powerful rite actually creates a permanent caern by drawing the spirit world and the physical world closer together. Simply reciting the rite draws the attention of the Wyrm's servitors, and actually performing the rite has been known to prove fatal. Only the most powerful and wise mystics dare lead such an undertaking.
A powerful Theurge is almost always selected to perform this most sacred of rites. Many Garou must channel their energy through a powerful leader to have even a hope of success. Whole packs have been known to die in agony of failed attempts.
  Once the physical focus for the heart of the caern is chosen, the area must be cleansed of all taint in preparation for its transformation. All Garou participating in the rite must undergo a Rite of Cleansing. The ritemaster performs a series of minor rituals, meditation and other physical preliminaries to prepare for her awesome task.
  The sept must post sentries (very often the players' characters), for servants of the Wyrm almost invariably attempt to disrupt such a great rite. Only the mightiest warriors are chosen for such an assignment, and their protection is critical to the success of the rite. The leader of the rite is helpless while he chants a long litany of verses designed to draw a great spirit into the prepared caern. Although it is possible to create a specific type of caern, most leaders leave this choice to Gaia and accept whatever caern she grants the sept.
  The rite must be performed between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the waxing of the moon. Only the Black Spiral Dancers create caerns during the moon's waning.
  System: The rite requires an extended roll of Wits + Rituals, although the leader may use only as many dice as she has Gnosis. The difficulty begins at 8, and it is modified downward by one for every five Garou participating and spending Gnosis over and above the 13 necessary participants, and 40 successes are reguired. Only one roll can be attempted per hour of the ritual.
  Because an enormous amount of Gnosis is needed to create a new caern, a minimum of 13 Garou, one for each moon of the year, must participate in this rite. Regardless of the number of Garou aiding her, the ritemaster can channel such a powerful stream of Gnosis through her system only once per hour. The rite must be performed at night. Therefore, the ritemaster has only eight rolls (one per hour) in which to accomplish her task in most places and at most times of the year. This limit makes success fairly unlikely. If indeed, the rite does fail, all involved suffer five wounds. These wounds are not aggravated, but they are very painful, and they always leave small teardrop-shaped scars scattered across the Garou's body.
  Such scars are considered marks of bravery, and these "tears of Gaia" are often highlighted by tattoos or paint and worn with pride by the Garou. The Garou say the scars are the result of Gaia crying out for her children's pain.
  Once the leader scores the required number of successes, all those involved in the rite must contribute Gnosis points — 100 are needed. If the total Gnosis available is not 100, all those participating begin to suffer aggravated wounds. Each wound counts as three more Gnosis points toward the total.
  Botches during this rite are particularly deadly. All characters involved suffer seven health levels of damage, which means that even a Garou previously at full health becomes Incapacitated. Those Garou reduced to below Incapacitated suffer severe Battle Scars.
  If the minimum number of successes is rolled (40), the caern is ranked Level One. The Gauntlet of such an area is 4, and the spirits bound into the caern will grant powers approximately equal to Level One Gifts. Every five additional successes raise the level of the caern by one, correspondingly raising the magnitude of the powers the caem grants. At Level Three, the Gauntlet of the area is 3, while at Level Five, it is but 2. Immediately upon the rite's successful completion, the ritemaster must sacrifice a number of permanent Gnosis points equal to the level of the caern.
  If a player's character should somehow assume the role of ritemaster and succeed, she receives three points of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown and seven points of Wisdom Renown. Anyone else participating in the rite receives five points of Glory Renown and three points of Honor Renown. This task is a legendary one that deserves a suitable reward.

Rites of Death

  Garou perform rites of death both to honor the departed and to reaffirm their connection to the cycle of life, death and rebirth. In facing and acknowledging death as a necessary part of the dance of life, the pack and sept release themselves from the debilitating poisons of grief and fear.
  System: The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 8 minus the Rank of the honored Garou).

Gathering for the Departed

  Level One
  This rite is enacted in honor of the newly dead. A Galliard or a packmate of the departed werewolf usually performs the rite. This rite varies dramatically from tribe to tribe. For example, a Fianna ritemaster leads the sept in the telling of tales, both raucous and heroic, about the fallen Garou. In contrast stands the Wendigo's solemn rite, in which the ritemaster and all the fallen one's packmates stand on the highest peak available, tails to the wind, and howl out their pride and grief to speed their companion onward to her next life. The exact form the rite takes does not matter, only the acknowledgment itself.
  System: The ritemaster leads the release of the Garou's combined emotions into the spirit world. The Uktena say that such emotions have a real impact upon the Umbra and that they help ensure that the departed Garou retains ties to her mortal relatives. At the Storyteller's discretion, this rite makes the deceased's spirit easier to contact through the Ancestors Background.

Rite of the Winter Wolf

  Level Three
  Once a Garou becomes too wounded or aged to fight with his tribe, he performs this solemn and bleak rite. Upon announcing that he will undergo this rite, the werewolf sits at the center of a gathering of his pack- and septmates. This meeting is an onerous, solemn affair during which the Moon Dancers sing hymns of the celebrant's life and deeds and invoke the spirits for glory in the next world or life. The celebrant then slowly and proudly walks through the closed ranks of the tribe. As he passes his people, they begin howling a dirge similar to that sung during the Gathering for the Departed. Some Garou beat heavy drums or play mournful pipes as the celebrant drags himself to a secluded site where he ends his life, usually with a silver klaive. Rarely, two werewolves, usually packmates, will perform this rite together, sometimes killing each other simultaneously, although Ahroun may give each other a last fight to finish, with the victor ending his life beside his fallen opponent. Immediately after the suicide, the sept performs the Gathering for the Departed.
  Members of the Red Talons and Get of Fenris are the staunchest supporters of this rite. It is almost unheard of among the Children of Gaia, who value the knowledge and experience of their aged and wounded.
  System: This rite is always performed at night, and it requires that at least three other Garou be present to acknowledge the solemn event. The weapon used by the Garou must be silver, although it need not be a klaive.

Mystic Rites

  Mystic rites bring the Garou into direct contact with the Umbra and/ or spirit beings. Unlike most other rites, a Garou usually performs these rites alone.
  System: When performing a mystic rite, the ritemaster must make a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

Baptism of Fire

  Level One
  Most tribes attempt to track down all children born to their Kinfolk within one month of the children's birth to see if they "share the blood." (Most commonly, this search involves the Gift: Scent of the True Form.) Those who are Garou are "baptized" in the light of their auspice moon, beside a ritual fire. Such a baptism most commonly involves mingling ashes with a few drops of Garou blood. The mixture is then touched to the child's ears, nose, eyelids and tongue.
  In the presence of a lesser tribal spirit known as a Kin-Fetch, the babe is then held up to the moonlight while the baptizing Garou howls Gala's greeting to the newborn. The ritemaster then has the Kin-Fetch kiss the infant. The spirit's fiery kiss inscribes a spiritual brand upon the babe in the form of the newborn's tribal pictograph. This mark is not visible on the newborn's body; the only mark left is spiritual. It is impossible to remove this spiritual brand. Such a mark can be traced and recognized by all Garou (including the Black Spiral Dancers, who all too often track down cubs of other tribes and capture them in order to create more of their foul number).
  The participating Kin-Fetch spirit is assigned to watch over the young Garou as she grows to maturity, so that the tribe may always know the child's location and whether she is endangered. When the child is about to undergo the First Change and is ready for the Rite of Passage, the spirit alerts the tribe. Unfortunately, such minor spirits are notoriously weak-willed and easily distracted. All too often, a Kin-Fetch loses track of its charge or becomes lost itself, leaving the young cub on her own. Such "lost cubs" often become Lunatics or recluses, terrified of themselves and unable to understand their powerful primal urges.
  System: The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. Only one success is required, but additional successes improve the chance that the Kin-Fetch will keep track of the child. This rite must be performed at night under the moon in which the child was born. Although this rite is normally performed within a month of birth, the brand can be inscribed at any time before the cub reaches adolescence and undergoes her First Change. The brand fades out of existence after the cub's Rite of Passage.

Rite of Binding

  Level One
  This rite binds a spirit to a Garou, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is. Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. They do not feel good about binding spirits for great lengths of time. This point does not go uncontested, however, particularly by the mystics of the Uktena tribe.
  Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens (see Fetishes and Talens). No spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character's totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places and people, although the Garou generally don't perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic.
  System: A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit's Gnosis rating by one. The Garou's player must then roll Willpower (difficulty of the spirit's adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service (one week per success). In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used.
  See the Appendix for examples of spirits and a list of sample talens.

Rite of the Questing Stone

  Level One
  This rite allows the werewolf to find a person or object (locations do not count). He must know the name of the object or individual. The difficulty of the rite is reduced if the Garou has some piece of the object or person (for example, a clipping of hair or piece of cloth). He must dangle a stone or needle from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought. Glass Walkers often use maps and substitute a compass for the traditional stone and thread.
  System: Standard roll. If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual, the difficulty drops by one. The rite gives the Garou a sense of only the object's general location, not its exact position.

Rite of Talisman Dedication

  Level One
  This rite allows a werewolf to bind objects to her body, allowing these objects to fit her various forms (jeans will grow to accommodate the size increase of the Crinos form, for instance) and accompany the Garou into the Umbra. Such talismans are most commonly mundane items, for spiritual items such as fetishes and talens remain with the werewolf in all forms automatically. A werewolf most often performs this rite during the phase of the moon under which he was born. Each auspice has its own peculiar ritual.
  System: The cost is one Gnosis point per object dedicated, and a character may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. Certain large objects (Storyteller's discretion) are considered to be more than one for the purposes of "cost." Similarly, the Storyteller may allow multiple objects to count as one object if they are sufficiently related (and not an abuse of the rite). The most common example is permitting a set of clothes to count as "one object" rather than one shirt, one pair of pants and so on. A generous Storyteller might allow a container's contents (at the time of dedication) to count as part of the container — if, again, the players aren't abusing the rite by doing so.
  The Storyteller and the player should decide what happens to the object when the character assumes certain forms. For example, when the character assumes Crinos form, her backpack's straps may simply grow to fit around her shoulders (although the pack still cannot hold more items than normal). When the character is in Hispo form, her knife may meld with her body. In such cases, the object will appear as a tattoo. Others must spend a Willpower point to remove the object from the character.

Rite of Becoming

  Level Two
  Werewolves must perform this rite at an Anchorhead Domain. Once completed, it enables them to travel into the Deep Umbra. The most common version of this rite requires that the Garou must make a braid from three other hairs, three pieces of fine copper wire and three tendrils of ivy or other vine. Lengths of silk thread are sometimes substituted for the hair or wire. When the braid has been constructed, the Garou ties it around his own wrist and howls three words of power. The Uktena often drink a bitter potion that loosens the Garou's spirit from the Tellurian, while the Black Furies always perform this ritual in threesomes, never traveling the Deep Umbra alone.
  System: If the braid is destroyed while the Garou is in the Deep Umbra, the Garou takes one health level of aggravated damage and risks becoming lost forever if she does not return to the Near Umbra immediately.

Rite of Spirit Awakening

  Level Two
  This rite is used to awaken a sleeping (inactive) spirit. To perform this rite, a Garou must play a rhythm on some form of instrument (drums being the most common). While the Garou plays, any other participating Garou pace around the ritemaster howling and growling in counterpoint to the beat.
  When performed on a mundane item, this rite enlivens the object's spirit, causing it to awaken and appear in the Umbra. For example, if the rite is performed on a VW bus, any Garou stepping sideways could see the bus as a true part of the landscape. However, it would appear as a stationary object in the Penumbra unless someone on the physical plane began to drive it, in which case it would appear as a driverless vehicle to anyone in the Umbra.
  When performed on plants, this rite is known as sanctification. Plant-spirits are generally benevolent, and an awakened plant spirit will lend its powers as though it were a talen (one use). Different plants grant different abilities when sanctified. For example, sanctified foxglove protects against faerie magic (adding two to the difficulty of any faerie spell).
  System: The ritemaster must play a musical instrument or sing a song (talent doesn't matter). The difficulty of the roll is the spirit's Rage. Failure means that the spirit remains dormant. The Storyteller must decide whether the spirit is hostile or friendly to its awakener. Awakening a spirit does not allow any control over it. Commanding an awakened spirit requires either a Rite of Binding or a Gift. This rite doesn't work on sentient beings such as humans. Such individuals are already as "awakened" as they're going to get.

Rite of Summoning

  Level Two
  Garou mystics are adept at calling spirits, be they minor Gafflings, totem spirits or even Incarna. Summoning spirits involves complex rituals, long periods of meditation and tribal mantra chanting. Within the Umbra, this process is far easier. This rite compels spirits to seek those who call them. Furthermore, the spirit cannot escape its caller once the summoning is completed successfully, and it must attend the mystic. Many spirits, particularly minor ones, are too weak to resist a powerful summoning. Powerful ones come out of curiosity. The chance of a successful summoning depends upon the skill of the mystic, the power of the spirit and the strength of the area's Gauntlet.
  System: The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the Gauntlet). A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine target numbers from the following chart:

Spirit Type	Target Number
Gaffling	4
Jaggling	5
Totem avatar	7
Incarna	8-9
Celestine avatar	10

  For each hour the Garou spends invoking the spirit, his target number drops by one. No target number may fall below 3. The player must then make a Gnosis roll and achieve as many successes as possible, with the following results:

Successes	Effect
1	Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
2	Spirit manifests quickly, but it is still initially hostile
3	Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
4	Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
5	Spirit comes immediately and is friendly

  A botched roll is likely to have disastrous results. Often a botch summons the wrong type of spirit — or even Banes — in great numbers or with great hostility.
  The Storyteller should feel free to adjust the previous tables as she wishes, particularly as appropriate to totems. In certain cases, a Garou who attempts to summon a specific spirit will have no chance of success. At other times, he will have almost no chance of failure. The Storyteller is advised to treat each use of this rite individually and to use common sense in her decisions.
  A Garou who summons an Incarna or Celestine avatar successfully gains two points of Wisdom Renown.

Rite of the Fetish

  Level Three
  This rite allows a werewolf to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do so, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (sufficiently drinkable tap water counts), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object to constant breezes or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best.
  System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10) Each point of permanent Gnosis that the character spends during the rite reduces the difficulty by two; going to great lengths to prove one's sincerity to the spirit may also reduce the difficulty. A botch indicates that the spirit is released suddenly. (If the spirit was coerced into participation, it will almost assuredly attack.) If the Garou attempts to force a spirit into the fetish, she must first attack the spirit and reduce it to zero Essence before attempting to bind it into the fetish. A newly created fetish will not work until the bound spirit has recharged its Essence.

Rite of the Totem

  This rite binds a totem to a group of Garou, joining them together as a pack. During the rite, all werewolves who wish to bind their destinies to a particular totem spirit must coat their eyes with an infusion of saliva and mugwort, tobacco or a similar substance holy to Gaia and step sideways into the Umbra. In the spirit world, the ritemaster leads the Garou in a hunt for the spiritual spoor left by a totem spirit. Such evidence varies with the spirit, but Garou worthy of the totem's attention can always found it. Even tracking down the spirit does not guarantee success, for the totem must decide whether the Garou are worthy to become its fosterlings. An undecided totem may require a quest of the supplicants, although one is almost never required if the pack has just completed a Rite of Passage successfully.
  System: Characters must purchase the Totem Background to benefit from this rite. Otherwise, the rite is simply not performed. The roll is standard.

Punishment Rites

  Punishment rites levy the sanction of the tribe or sept against a transgressing werewolf. Such rites strengthen the Garou by establishing clear limits of acceptable behavior. By joining in the punishment, each Garou strengthens her commitment to the pack over the individual.
  System: Punishment rites are performed only for major transgressions or after less structured punishments fail to cause a werewolf to mend her ways. The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated). A failed rite is considered a sign from Gaia that the offending Garou's crimes are not considered significant enough to warrant such a punishment. At the Storyteller's discretion, punishment rites may fail automatically if the target is truly innocent — leading to a sure Renown loss for her accusers.

Rite of Ostracism

  Level Two
  This rite is a fairly common punishment for lesser crimes, yet its effects can be devastating during wartime. This rite estranges the punished Garou from her tribe, sept and sometimes even her pack. The tribe will thereafter treat the individual as a nonentity. She is ignored as much as possible and forced to fend for herself for even basic needs, although no hostile actions are taken against the non-wolf (in theory at least, although some Garou have been known to injure ostracized werewolves "accidentally"). In a life-or-death situation, the tribe (friends and packmates in particular) might aid the offender, but even then only grudgingly. Otherwise, the punished Garou is ignored utterly. Garou present at this rite form a circle around the chastised werewolf (if present), and each participant calls out once to Gaia, then to her brethren the name of the offender, followed by the words: "Of all Gaia's children, I have no such brother/ sister." The speaker then turns widdershins to face away from the circle. Once all present have spoken, they drift away into the night.
  System: This punishment normally lasts from one phase of the moon to the next. It can, however, last as long as the sept or tribe leaders desire. For serious crimes, the punishment may even be decreed permanent, essentially exiling the offender from her sept or tribe. The ostracized Garou loses one point of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown and one point of Wisdom Renown.

Stone of Scorn

  Level Two
  The Stone of Scorn is a rock imbued with malicious spirit personifications of shame, sorrow and the like. Some septs have a permanent Stone of Scorn to which an offender is dragged, although most merely imbue a small stone with mocking energies. Starting with the ritemaster, this stone passes to each Garou present at the rite. The scorned werewolf is forced by his septmates to sit and watch. As each Garou receives the stone, he carves or paints a symbol of derision or shame onto it while telling a mocking or embarrassing tale about the offending behavior and other flaws of the scorned Garou. Moon Dancers are particularly creative in their verbal portrayals of the miscreant. This rite often lasts all night, with successive stories becoming more and more outrageous and derogatory. Once the night ends, so does the punishment, although the best stories are often whispered behind the offender's back for some time to come. Such behavior causes the Garou to lose Renown for a time.
  System: Standard roll. The punished Garou usually loses eight points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown until he performs an honorable deed, thus removing the taint of scorn.

Voice of the Jackal

  Level Two
  When a werewolf's behavior has shamed not just herself, but her entire sept or tribe, then this rite may be called. When the ritemaster performs this rite, he blows a handful of dust or ashes onto the offender and speaks the following: "Because thy (cowardice/ gluttony/ selfishness/ etc.) has proved thee to be of jackal blood, let thy voice proclaim thy true breed!" As the dust and words envelop the punished Garou, her voice changes. Thereafter, she will speak in an annoyingly shrill and piercing nasal whine until the ritemaster repeals the punishment.
  System: Jackal-hounds, as such punished Garou are known, subtract two dice from all Social rolls. They also lose two points of Glory Renown and five points of Honor Renown. The ritemaster can repeal this punishment at any time, although it may be made permanent for particularly serious crimes (and the Renown loss always remains). Certain jackal-hounds have reclaimed their true voices by completing a quest of great benefit to Gaia.

The Hunt

  Level Three
  The Hunt is called against a werewolf who has committed a capital crime such as unwarranted murderer, yet who still retains a vestige of honor. All Garou participating in a Hunt streak their bodies with ancient symbols in paint or clay. These symbols mark the werewolves as part of a Hunting Pack, and all other Garou will make way for Hunters so marked. It is an honor to be chosen for inclusion in a Hunt. The ritemaster, or Master of the Hunt, leads the pack. The Hunt is just that; the criminal is hunted down and killed by the pack. There is no quarter given, although (for what it's worth) death exculpates the condemned Garou. Many tragic stories tell of a werewolf forced to choose between violating his word and committing a grave crime. Such Garou, so the stories go, chose to honor their word and were Hunted, but displayed such valor during their last stand that they gained much posthumous renown.
  System: This rite can be roleplayed using the tracking rules given in Chapter Six. Alternatively, it can be simulated by rolling the ritemaster's Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the condemned's Rank + 4). Failure means that the condemned fought well and is accorded much posthumous Glory, while a botch means that he eluded his Hunters and can live out his life as a Ronin.

Satire Rite

  Level Three
  A more serious version of the Stone of Scorn, a Satire Rite is a special song, dance and/ or drama crafted by the Half Moons and Moon Dancers for the sole purpose of ridiculing the offender. This rite is always performed at a moot while the offender sits in full view of the sept. Because the Garou keep careful oral histories, the Satire will be remembered and passed down through the ages. Any werewolf so "honored" loses much renown. Cubs snicker as they sing lewd verses from the rite, and adults will forever use some of the wittier quotes and embarrass ing movements from the rite when referring to the offender. While such stories are usually confined to members of the offender's own sept, Tricksters and Moon Dancers are all too happy to spread the new Satire to any Garou they encounter.
  System: The difficulty of this rite is the offender's current Rank + 4. If successful, the offender loses one permanent Rank level (reduce his Renown to the beginning amounts for the next lowest rank). The Garou can earn new renown and rank normally. If this rite fails, the Garou loses nothing, while a botch causes the ritemaster to lose five points of Wisdom as she becomes the object of the rite.

The Rending of the Veil

  Level Four
  Sometimes known as Actaeon's Folly, this rite is used to punish a human who offends the Garou greatly. The offense does not have to be against the Garou per se, but it may be any act against Gaia or Her children. This rite drops the Veil, forcing a human to see and remember the Garou for the duration of an all-night hunt. The ritemaster leaves a small bag of burning dung and herbs near the sleeping victim. When the victim awakens, the Veil has been burned away from his mind. The following hunt may or may not end in the human's death. Those humans left alive are often rendered insane, their unprepared minds unable to accept the truth revealed by the rite. Some few, however, overcome their fear and heal. This rite is not considered a breach of the Litany.
  System: The ritemaster must place the specially prepared bag of dung and herbs within 10 feet of where the victim sleeps. The bag smolders when the ritemaster performs the rite. The ritemaster does not need to be near the bag to enact the rite. Failure leaves the Veil intact. A botch causes the Garou herself to fall under the Delirium for one night.

Gaia's Vengeful Touch

  Level Five
  As one of the greatest punishments among the Garou, this rite is reserved for traitors, those who consort with the Wyrm or cowards whose actions (or lack thereof) cause the deaths of many others. At least five werewolves drag the traitor to a spot of hard, cracked earth and stones. The ritemaster then stabs a sharpened twig or stone into her own hand as she recites the traitor's sins against Gaia. Smearing her blood over the traitor's eyes, ears and forehead, the ritemaster cries in grief and rage. As the blood and tears drip to the hard ground, the rite takes effect. From that moment on, whatever of Gaia touches the traitor transforms into razor-sharp silver so long as it touches his flesh. Crinos hunters then chase the traitor like a dog. The ground beneath the traitor chews into his feet, and his death becomes an agonizing ordeal. The offender's name is then stricken from all histories, and it will be spoken only as a curse from that moment forward.
  System: As long as the ritemaster's blood touches the traitor's body, the traitor cannot step sideways into the Umbra. No one survives this rite.

Rites of Renown

  These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual Garou and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.
  System: When performing this type of rite, the ritemaster's player must make a Charisma + Rituals roll.

Rite of Accomplishment

  Level Two
  This rite is used to honor a werewolf and recognize the trials he has endured to attain his current standing. An elder will call the honored Garou forward, much as the Garou might be called forward should the elders want to punish or criticize her. As the Garou advances, the elder begins listing all of the things the Garou did to gain the acclaim. The Rite of Accomplishment then takes place, and anyone who wishes to speak on behalf of the Garou being honored may do so. In conclusion, the elder says something along the lines of, "She is made greater in her tribe, her sept and greater among the People everywhere. Let this be known."
  System: This rite is performed when a character has 10 points of temporary Renown in a category and wishes to gain a point of permanent Renown. The difficulty is only 4 unless someone disputes the rite. (In such an instance, the difficulty rises to 6.) Only one success is required.
  A failure on the roll is considered indicative of a failing in the applicant. The ritemaster often receives a portent from Gaia showing the unworthiness of the applicant. If the roll botches, the applicant must undergo a penance before anyone will again give him the Rite of Accomplishment. Such is the injustice of society.
  It is possible, although rare, that someone will dispute the rite. In this case, the disputer stands and heckles the ritemaster as he performs the rite, making bold assertions about the negative qualities of the applicant. The applicant so insulted must make a Rage roll not to frenzy; if he frenzies, the rite is over. If he keeps his cool, and the rite is successful, no one can rightfully question his worthiness for at least three moons (i.e., no one can dispute any Rites of Accomplishment performed on him during the next month and a half).

Rite of Passage

  Level Two
  After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed. Similarly, a cub is not a member, of any tribe until his Rite of Passage. A male cub born to the Black Furies, for example, becomes a member of whatever tribe will offer him a place among them by use of this rite.
  During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have courage, honor and wisdom befitting a werewolf. However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also coming of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multitribal septs usually reach a compromise. A Wendigo rite often takes the form of a visionquest, while the Get of Fenris commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn. Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders.
  If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou. These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes.
  If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves.
  System: Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1. Their teachers do not teach them any Gifts until the Rite of Passage is complete.

Rite of Wounding

  Level One
  This rite celebrates a Garou's first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honor this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Fenris always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting. By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures.
  System: Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf's pack and sept are normally present. The wounded character receives two points of Glory if this rite succeeds.

Seasonal Rites

  Seasonal rites vary from tribe to tribe and place to place. Each tribe and sept has its own means of celebrating the turning of the seasons. Some septs celebrate only the major rites of the solstices and equinoxes; others perform a rite at least once per moon. The rites below are the most popular. They are fundamental rites celebrating Gala's constant cycle of life-in-death-in-life.
  These rites renew the Garou's connection to Gaia as the Earth Mother. Some Garou even believe that were such rites to cease entirely, dire repercussions would result. A few of the more mystic (or perhaps just crazier) Garou insist that if such rites weren't performed, Gaia herself might find no point in continuing the cycle, and the world would enter a perpetual Fimbulwinter... or worse.
  System: Seasonal rites must, obviously, occur at the exact time of year the particular rite celebrates, and at least five Garou must attend. When performing the rite, the ritemaster must make a Stamina + Rituals roll (difficulty 8). If performed at a caern, the difficulty of the roll is 8 minus the caern's level. Therefore, a seasonal rite performed at a Level Three caern has a difficulty of 5.

Rite of the Winter Winds

  Level Two
  On the longest night of the year, Garou enact this rite as a salute to Helios and an encouragement for him to begin lengthening the days again. Some werewolves believe that if this rite is not performed, the nights will continue to lengthen until Gaia has fallen into a terrible twilight state of perpetual pain. Most modern werewolves consider this mere superstition, but even such skeptics participate enthusiastically in the rite.
  The Rite of the Winter Winds is rarely the same from sept to sept. European Garou practice a common version that begins with the ritemaster gathering the Garou in a circle around a small bonfire. She then leads the group in an extended howl that begins as a low, rumbling growl and eventually rises to an ululating crescendo. When the ritemaster feels that the tension is at its height, she leaps forward, snatches up a burning branch and runs into the woods. The other Garou follow her, grabbing branches as they go. Running as swiftly as they can, the Garou make as many frightening and strange noises as possible. This rite is performed both to encourage Gaia's labor in giving birth to the sun, and to frighten off any minions of the Wyrm that might be lurking about, ready to snatch the newborn sun or harm Gaia as she turns her attention away from the surface world.
  The ritemaster finally leads the howling pack back to the bonfire, where they hurl their branches into the conflagration. Once the fire is raging, the Garou celebrate with a revel that lasts until dawn, at which time they greet the newborn sun with one last, triumphant howl.

Rite of Reawakening

  Level Two
  This rite celebrates the vernal equinox, the time of rebirth. The ritemaster begins the rite at sundown by leading the gathered Garou on a quest into the Umbra. Such a quest is sometimes symbolic, but more and more often as the time of the Apocalypse draws nigh, the questors seek true danger (or it finds them) in the Umbral Realms.
  The quest always involves seven trials. These trials represent the seven gates that bar the way to the Underworld. Such trials vary dramatically from tribe to tribe, but there are always a variety of challenges presented to the members. One test might involve facing a Bane in combat, while another challenge might consist of finding a fetish lost within the Deep Umbra. Each test requires the participants to relinquish something of themselves, be it a cherished personal fetish, an old grudge or false pride. If the Garou can win their way past these challenge gates, they can renew the Earth, banishing the winter-spirits and paving the way for the green, growing season.
  At the end of the rite the werewolves return to their bodies. At this time many tribes seek out Garou Kinfolk, or other humans and wolves, and reacquaint themselves with the joys of the flesh, celebrating the incredible beauty of life and the necessity of its continuation in future generations. Not surprisingly, this is the night when a large percentage of metis cubs are conceived. Although such couplings are always taboo, the intense drama of the rite sometimes overrides such concerns.

The Great Hunt

  Level Two
  This rite falls on the eve of the summer solstice, or Midsummer, when Helios stays longest in the sky and is thus at the zenith of his influence. The short hours of darkness offer the creatures of the Wyrm little place to hide, and the werewolves respond by holding a sacred hunt.
  Exactly at midnight, just at Midsummer begins, the ritemaster calls upon Gaia to bring to the attention of the sept a creature or creatures worthy of the Great Hunt. In preparation, the Garou chant, howl and tell tales of bravery. Also common is a ritual bloodletting, wherein each Garou cuts herself and sheds some of her blood into a large bowl. The mingled blood is then painted in the form of pictograms on the forehead or breastbone of each of the hunters. At dawn, Gaia sends the waiting sept a sign proclaiming the target of the Great Hunt. This sign may come in any form, from a vision seen by an entranced Wendigo ritemaster to a news story flashing on the screen of an old television in a Bone Gnawer caern. Although the person or creature chosen by Gaia is almost always associated with the Wyrm, Gaia demands on rare occasions that one of her own be sacrificed in the Great Hunt. Only the greatest warriors are ever chosen as the targets of a Great Hunt, and Gaia demands such a sacrifice from her children only in times of great need, for the freed spirit of such a warrior is said to transform immediately into an avenging angel for Gaia.
  The Garou have only until midnight to complete the Great Hunt. If successful, the blood of the fallen creature is spilled onto Gaia's soil (or into the ether if the Great Hunt takes place on the Umbra) as a sacrifice to Gaia. If the hunters fail to slay their quarry, it is considered a terrible omen for the coming year. Some Theurges say that no sept will succeed at the Great Hunt during the year of the Apocalypse. At the least, a failed Great Hunt means poor luck for the sept in the year to come. Anyone participating in a successful Great Hunt gains Glory. The danger of the particular Great Hunt determines the amount of Glory gained.
  Systems: Characters participating in a successful Great Hunt gain — presuming the target is of average threat level — three points of Glory Renown. If the Great Hunt is unsuccessful, each participating character loses two points of Glory Renown. In addition, the difficulty levels of all rites performed by the sept increase by one until the next Midsummer.

The Long Vigil

  Level Two
  This rite marks the autumnal equinox, when the season of long days gives way to the season of long nights. Although summer is the traditional season of war among many human cultures, the Garou know that their shadow war will be all the more difficult during the lengthening hours of darkness. To prepare themselves, they hold the Long Vigil, a rite designed to sharpen their appetite for the battles ahead.
  The Long Vigil begins at sundown, around a raging bonfire (save in some urban caeens). The sept spends the day before the Vigil bedecking the caern with trophies of war collected during the previous year. From bent rifles and shredded flak jackets to broken Wyrm-fetishes and strings of teeth to the skulls of Wyrmish monsters to smeared blood mixed with the dust of vampires, all manner of mementos adorn the heart of the caern. As the sun slips below the horizon, the ritemaster begins to chant praise to Helios, thanking him for his blessings during the summer, and praying for his safety in the coming winter. The ritemaster then praises Luna and beseeches her aid in the long nights to come.
  To aid in the ritemaster's plea for aid, the Galliards of the sept come forward and begin to recite tales of the most glorious battles of the last year and the deeds done in her name. They point to each trophy in turn to tell the story of how it was won from its owner. Particularly eloquent members of other auspices who distinguished themselves in the previous year are sometimes allowed the honor of being the first to tell their own tales. Once the Galliards have finished, the other members of the sept begin to recount their own versions of the great deeds of the previous year. The tale-telling lasts all night; as dawn approaches, the ritemaster invokes Luna one final time. He dedicates all the deeds of the previous year to Luna, her brother Helios and her sister Gaia, and he promises that the year to come will be just as glorious with Luna's blessing. As the rite concludes, the Garou hurl as many trophies as possible into the bonfire, destroying their hard-earned mementos as a sign of faith that they will take many more in the year to come.

Minor Rites

  Minor rites are the rituals that the Garou incorporate into daily living. Almost all Garou know and use at least a few such minor rites.
  An almost infinite variety of minor rites is available to the Garou. The following rites are but a small sampling. Many Garou develop their own unique minor rites to help them reaffirm their connection to Gaia, their totem spirit or each other.
  System: Players may purchase minor rites at one-half the normal Background cost (two for one). Similarly, minor rites may be learned in half the time it takes to learn other rites. Minor rites take only two to five minutes to enact, much less time than other rites require. Werewolves who perform a minor rite regularly find it easier to achieve certain goals. The Storyteller should require players to roleplay the invocation of these rites occasionally, to emphasize that a character is performing them regularly.

Bone Rhytms

  A werewolf performs this rite in homage to her totem spirit. Each spirit has a different rhythm connected to it, and the Garou taps out her spirit's rhythm with special drumsticks to honor her totem. Such "sticks" are traditionally made of bone, but they can be fashioned from any material.
  System: Any werewolf who performs this rite three times per day for at least three consecutive days gains an additional die to any one roll while in the Umbra. Once this die is used, the Garou must rebuild the energies for an additional three days before regaining the extra die.

Breath of Gaia

  During this rite the werewolf breathes deeply of Gaia's breath — that is, clean air — 13 times. While so breathing, she clears her mind of all things save her love of Gaia.
  System: The character must perform this rite at least once per day for one full cycle of the moon. So doing enables the Garou to lower the difficulty level of any one healing or detection roll by two.

Greet the Moon

  This rite is an exuberant paean to Luna. During this rite, the Garou howls an elaborate greeting to the moon. This greeting varies with the phase of the moon.
  System: Performing this rite each night at moonrise for a full phase of the moon enables the character to add one die to all rolls involving social interactions with Garou of that phase's auspice the next night the moon reaches the phase in question.

Greet the Sun

  Certain Children of Gaia and a few Uktena and Wendigo practice this rite. It is similar to Greet the Moon, but it is performed at sunrise.
  System: The Garou must sing Helios' praises for nine consecutive days. If the Garou does so, Helios grants his devotee an additional die when attempting to sense Wyrm creatures or Wyrm-taint, provided the werewolf continues to sing his praises daily. If the Garou misses even one day, he must begin this rite anew to reap its benefits.

Hunting Prayer

  This common rite takes many forms, but it always involves pausing before the start of a hunt to praise Gaia and all her creatures. In addition, the Garou chooses some item to hold her prayers. This item can range from an old belt to a tooth, but the werewolf must have it with her when she hunts. If she loses the item, she must choose a new item and start her prayers anew.
  System: If a Garou performs this rite before every hunt for three turnings of the moon, she receives an additional die to all tracking rolls as long as she continues her pre-hunt prayers. If she hunts even once without praying, she must renew her prayers for another three months before again receiving the bonus.

Prayer for the Prey

  A specific form of the Rite of Contrition, this rite involves the werewolf stepping sideways into the Umbra just after making a kill, subsequently thanking the spirit of the prey for giving its own life that the Garou might survive. Performing this rite is a sign of respect to Gaia, her children and life itself.
  System: The character must perform this rite upon every beast of Gaia (not including Wyrm-spawn) she slays for one full turning of the moon. Should she do so, all of her difficulty numbers drop by one when dealing with nature spirits. This bonus lasts until she kills an animal without taking time to thank the creature's spirit.