Chapter Nine: Antagonists

The Serpent That Gnaws at the Roots of the World

  The Wyrm's servants are everywhere. Many are willing and aware, but many more are ignorant of their true role on Earth. In truth, the Wyrm is not behind every atrocity, every crime and every bit of damage to the environment. Those actions certainly strengthen the Wyrm, but only because it and its children feed upon them, not because it caused them. A human serial killer may not receive outside inspiration for his killings, but given time, his bloodthirsty deeds will draw Banes like a corpse draws flies.
  Werewolves exist to attack the Wyrm not only where it dwells, but where it breeds as well. Even if a corporation that releases an untold number of pollutants into the air every year is not one of the Wyrm's direct pawns, it still serves the Wyrm's purposes, and it should still be stopped. Some Garou find it difficult to discern chat not all threats smell of the Wyrm, and not all things that smell of the Wyrm are threats. The new generation of Garou must see this distinction and act upon this knowledge wisely and appropriately.
  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Black Spiral Dancers

  Nearly two thousand years ago, another tribe claimed membership in the Garou Nation. They were the White Howlers — a savage tribe related to the Picts and kin to the Fianna — and they fell to the Wyrm. In seeking to destroy the Wyrm's servants, they were tricked into dancing the Black Spiral in the heart of Malfeas, the Wyrm's Umbral home. Utterly twisted and insane, they become known as the Black Spiral Dancers. Few Garou speak their name willingly, usually out of loathing (or pity) for their fallen brothers.
  Black Spiral Dancers have lived underground among foul and cancerous children of the Wyrm for centuries. Their caeers, called Hives, are nestled amidst labyrinthine cave systems, most of which are filled with industrial waste and monstrous things. The Hive's heart often holds radioactive Balefires, or the "Wyrm's Blood." Black Spiral Dancers are usually born in close proximity to the Balefires, leading to a high rate of mutations within the tribe. Thanks to their indiscriminate breeding practices, a high percentage are also born metis, leading to very twisted mockeries of Gaia's chosen warrors.
  Most Black Spiral Dancers are hideous and disturbing creatures. Their human forms tend to appear pale and unhealthy, with oily or scraggly hair and pallid skin. Many have open, weeping sores from the constant exposure to Balefires. In Crinos, they tend to have hyena-like heads with huge, slavering jaws and vicious, jagged and crooked fangs. Their ears are pointed and hairless, like a bat's. Their eyes often glow with a virulent green or red glow. A Dancer's fur is patchy and usually either albino white or grayish-green. Many Dancers choose to carve sigils of praise to the Wyrm in their flesh, leaving scar tissue that bums with a soft, sickly luminescence. Their Hispo and Lupus forms are only slightly less unnatural in appearance, and some resemble legendary "ghost dogs," with luminous fur and glowing eyes. Some Black Spiral Dancers may pass for normal, and may even have an unnatural beauty — until you look into their eyes and see the madness that festers within.
  The Dancers revere Whippoorwill as their tribal totem, whose mad call they howl during their hunts. Many humans and other creatures have heard the Whippoorwill's call in their last sane moments before serving as toys, breeding stock or sacrifices to the Wyrm's children. The Black Spiral the tribe is named after is a twisting, mind-shattering labyrinth at the heart of the Wyrm's Umbral home. The fallen dance the Black Spiral, gaining gifts of power and insanity from the Wyrm as they dance farther along its twisted passages. This initiation rite is the first act each Dancer performs as a tribe member, and it is the most sacred of all feats. They undertake the dance with a reverence that would horrify their Gaian cousins.
  Black Spiral Dancers have virtually the same traits as any other Garou, and they may learn breed and auspice Gifts as appropriate. Plenty of Dancers are metis, but enough are born from matings with abducted humans and wolves that the tribe continues to remain viable. Most members of the tribe are deformed, making them easy to mistake for metis. Centuries of inbreeding and exposure to the Wyrm's radiant energies have engendered mutations in most of the tribe, regardless of breed. Their tribal Gifts resemble physical mutations, but a few draw directly upon the Wyrm's capacity for mind-blasting insanity. Banes, often toxic elementals or spirits of evil desires, teach Black Spiral Dancer Gifts (including breed and auspice). A few examples follow:

  • Rathead (Level One) — The Dancer can squeeze her body through any opening no smaller than a quarter in diameter. This Gift looks very disturbing to unsuspecting onlookers. Corrupted rat-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: The Dancer's player rolls Gnosis. If successful, she can squirm through any opening no smaller than a quarter. Doing so typically takes a single turn, depending on the opening's length. The Gift remains active until the Garou has passed entirely out of the constricted space.

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

  • Toxic Claws (Level One) — The Dancer can cause toxic waste to ooze from her claws, coating them with an unhealthy greenish-gray slime. Wounds left by these claws tend to leave unhealthy-looking scars.
  System: This Gift requires the expenditure of one Rage point and a turn of full concentration. For the remainder of the scene, the Dancer's claws inflict an additional die of damage and leave residual Wyrm-taint on anything she slashes.

  • Ears of the Bat (Level Two) — This Gift allows the Black Spiral Dancer to use sonar like a bat. He may act in complete darkness without impairment. Black Spiral Dancers with this Gift have large, bat-like ears. Even in Homid form, they have abnormally large ears. Corrupted bat-spirits teach this Gift.
  System: This Gift can be counteracted with some means of generating confusing ultrasonic sounds. Garou who make a Perception + Alertness (or Primal-Urge in Lupus) roll can hear the sonar. With three or more successes, she can determine the Dancer's exact location.

  • Patagia (Level Two) — The Dancer can extrude large flaps of skin under her arms, resembling a flying squirrel's membranes. When not in use, the flaps usually shrink into the Dancer's arms and sides, where they are not detectable.
  System: The Dancer stretches her arms and leaps from a height. She may glide at 25 mph, but the player must make Dexterity + Athletics rolls (at the Storyteller's discretion) to avoid losing altitude.

  • Terrify (Level Two) — The Dancer with this Gift is more intimidating and terrifying than normal. A sneer from her is as effective as a full-throated growl from another.
  System: Roll Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty is the target's Willpower). If successful, the difficulties for Social rolls made against that target decrease by one — but only if intimidation could conceivably alter the outcome in the Dancer's favor. The target's difficulty to strike the Dancer in combat is one higher as well.

  • Wyrm Hide (Level Two) — A Dancer may use this Gift to transform her skin into a lumpy, leathery, odious, sickly hide that grants her additional protection from harm. Once the Wyrm Hide wears off, it slides oozing and bubbling off the Black Spiral Dancer, leaving a congealing, smelly mess where she stood.
  System: The Dancer must spend one point of Rage to activate Wyrm Hide, and the player must roll Stamina + Survival. Each success grants the Dancer one additional soak die. This Gift lasts until the end of the scene. Until then, other Garou may pick up her scent at two lower difficulty, due to the stench the power generates.

  • Burning Scars (Level Three) — Black Spiral Dancers often carve stylized scars representing their devotion to the Wyrm into their bodies. With this Gift, a Dancer can draw upon that devotion to inflict horrible injuries on her foes. When invoked, this Gift causes the Dancer's scars to glow with an unwholesome brilliance that almost seems to crawl into the victim's body through his eyes, nose, mouth and ears, burning him from the inside out and leaving horrible burns that mimic the Dancer's own scars.
  System: The Dancer must grab the target, and the player must spend two Rage and roll Wits + Primal-Urge (difficulty is victim's Stamina +2). Each success inflicts one level of unsoakable aggravated damage that appears upon the victim's body as a mirror of the Dancer's glowing scars. These marks of the Wyrm may prove a powerful social handicap, and it may take some effort to remove them.

  • Foaming Fury (Level Three) — The Dancer's mouth bubbles and foams with a noxious, greenish fluid. His eyes widen and roll in their sockets, showing the whites. The Dancer yips, barks and howls madly (and uncontrollably) as if in the grip of a rabid madness — a contagious one.
  System: The player of anyone bitten by a Dancer using this Gift must succeed in a Stamina roll (difficulty 8, 6 if the Garou has Resist Toxin), lest the character fly into a rabid frenzy. (In effect, the character enters the Thrall of the Wyrm).

  • Crawling Poison (Level Four) — When the Dancer calls upon this Gift, his fangs turn black with venom, and his breath grows more foul than is normal. The venom kills humans and animals slowly, and, the victim suffers terrible agony as the venom spreads through his body. A Garou's regeneration will protect her from the pain and eventual death, but only at the cost of her normal rapid healing.
  System: After making a successful bite attack that inflicts damage after soak, roll the Dancer's Gnosis (difficulty is the victim's Stamina, or Stamina + 2 if the victim has Resist Toxin). Each success inhibits the victim's regeneration for one hour. When used on humans or animals, the poison subtracts one from all Physical Attributes each hour. If Strength or Dexterity reach zero, the victim may not move without assistance. If Stamina reaches zero, the victim dies a painful and messy death. The toxin may be stopped only by supernatural means. Mother's Touch (difficulty as normal) can negate it on a one-for-one success ratio, but the Garou using it must spend one Gnosis point per success.

  • Doppelganger (Level Four) — As the Glass Walker Gift.

  • Avatar of the Wyrm (Level Five) — The Dancer assumes an awful and horrific visage, perhaps even a facet of the Wyrm itself (albeit a small one). The Dancer increases in size, its skin becomes scaly and greenish-gray, and his claws increase in length to jagged, vicious knives dripping with venom. His howl becomes a terrifying roar. Only a Maeljin Incarna, one of the Wyrm's most powerful avatars, can teach this Gift.
  System: Spend one Gnosis point and one Rage point. The Dancer must concentrate for a full turn, at the end of which the transformation occurs. The Dancer shifts to Crinos automatically (if he wasn't already in that form) and adds an additional dot to all Physical Attributes, and one Bruised health level. Additionally, his claws inflict an additional die of damage and are unsoakable. Finally, treat Delirium as three levels worse to onlookers.
  This Gift lasts for the entire scene. If the Dancer has only one level of damage marked off at the end of the scene, it vanishes when he returns to normal.

  • Balefire (Level Five) — The Dancer can hurl balls of sickly green flame at her enemies. Balefire, as the very lifeblood of the Wyrm, is very dangerous to werewolves. It often inflicts hideous and life-threatening mutations, as well as tainting the victim heavily. It's impossible to dodge Balefire — it moves with a malicious intelligence. It can only be resisted.
  System: Roll Dexterity + Athletics, taking the standard ranged-combat modifiers into account. The victim resists with Stamina (difficulty 8), and his roll must equal or exceed the Dancer's successes. If the victim fails to resist, the Balefire's influence mutates her. Treat each success over resistance as one level of aggravated damage for the purposes of healing/ rejecting the mutation. This damage is not soakable (the resistance roll is the soak roll). Afflicted werewolves may grow extra (useless) eyes, lose all other fur and hair, go blind, deaf or anosmic (no sense of taste or smell) temporarily. Until she rejects the mutations and undergoes a Rite of Cleansing, she registers a strong taint to the Gift: Sense Wyrm.

  • Mask Taint (Level Five) — A Dancer with this Gift can hide his Wyrm-taint from all senses or Gifts that may detect it.
  System: Spend two Gnosis points and roll the Dancer's Appearance + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The effect lasts for one scene. Shadow Lords may still detect Wyrm-taint — with Sense Wyrm (difficulty 8) — from a Dancer thus veiled.

The Wyrm's Sacraments

  Black Spiral Dancers, like all of the other tribes, have their own list of rites for special occasions. In most cases, the rite's game effect is identical to those listed for the Garou, except that they have been twisted to the Wyrm's needs, and Banes answer to the Dancers' Theurges.
  The difference is not one of mechanics, but of description. When considering how a Black Spiral Dancer will use a rite, keep in mind that it will be a desecration and corruption of all the Garou hold dear. To the Dancers, however, it is a sacred act committed with reverence and respect. This fact should make the rite all the more warped and disturbing for onlookers.

Fomori

  Fomori (singular: fomor) are not your typical humans who have chosen, unwittingly or willingly, to turn to the Wyrm. They undergo a process similar to possession in which a Bane merges with them and warps them into a form more suitable to a Wyrm servant. They gain great power, but it always comes at a price. Nearly all fomori are physically deformed, mindless cannibals who lurk near toxic waste sites, landfills, poisoned stretches of wilderness or forgotten sewers or steam tunnels. Some retain a semblance of sapience, free will and a near-human appearance, and these few infiltrate human society on the Wyrm's behalf.
  The process of becoming a fomor is a traumatic experience, even for those least affected. The fomor retains his personality and consciousness, but his fusion with a malevolent spirit warps his psyche in very nasty ways. If the person was already corrupt, violent or insane, the resulting monster is truly psychotic.
  Some organizations employ (or may actually create) fomori, although most Garou are unaware of the ultimate source of these creatures. Many are formed into paramilitary units and used as shock troops against the Garou.
  In some remote backwaters, fomori sometimes form into family units, all of whom share some particularly unique and grotesque mutation from their service to the Wyrm. The Garou try to wipe these sick enclaves out whenever they find them, but the families are usually well entrenched wherever they've chosen to thrive. Most have little intelligence but a surplus of malicious cunning.
  Attributes: Strength 3+, Dexterity 2+, Stamina 3+, Charisma 1+, Manipulation 1+, Appearance (usually) 0, Perception 2, Intelligence 1+, Wits 1+
  Abilities (typical): Brawl 1 to 3, Dodge 1, Firearms 1, Melee 1 or 2, Stealth 1, Survival 2, Occult 1
  Image: Fomori nearly always look inhuman in some overt and disgusting fashion. A few can pass in human society without much comment. Some can conceal their deformities with bulky clothes. Many fomori positively reek — some are as fragrant as a human who's lived in his own filth for weeks. Humans aren't always sensitive to these odors, but Garou nearly always are, especially in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus forms.
  Powers: All fomori are granted powers through their fusion with a Bane. See the following list for suggested powers, or feel free to add new ones. Most fomori are resilient enough to soak lethal damage as if it were bashing, and some can even soak aggravated damage at difficulty 8. Those whose "modifications" are strictly mental or psychic in nature may not be so lucky, though.
  Equipment: Usually tattered clothing and some sharp objects (Strength +1 damage). Paramilitary trained and equipped fomori will have assault rifles, combat knives, bulletproof vests or riot armor, radios, etc.

Fomori Powers

  Most fomori have two or three powers. A few have as many as five, and only the exceptionally accursed have more. Each power twists the fomor's form in progressively more disturbing ways. Be careful about stacking too many powers onto one fomor.
  The following list is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to create more to taste. Those listed are simply examples of the wide variety of disgusting mutations Banes can inflict on the human body. When creating new fomori powers, keep in mind that they're always inhuman in some way (often blatantly so). They're usually disgusting or horrifying in use, and they exact some kind of price from the user (whether it's a short life span from cancerous tumors or an inability to interact with normal human society because of a particularly horrid appearance). Very few fomori powers are particularly potent on their own, but most can be used to great effect when multiple fomori gang up on one werewolf.

  • Armored Hide — The fomor's skin is rough and leathery, or hard and scaly, or perhaps it secretes some kind of disgusting ooze that causes attacks to slide off harmlessly.
  System: This power grants the fomor three additional soak dice. Additionally, it allows him to soak aggravated damage at difficulty 6.

  • Berserker — A fomor with this power is filled with a rage similar to that of werewolves. He can channel his inner anger and use it in combat to battle the Wyrm's enemies more effectively.
  System: The fomor has five Rage points that he may use just like any Garou would. On the downside, he is also is subject to frenzy and the Curse.

  • Bestial Mutation — The fomor's body twists and shifts into a monstrous shape. The shape is different for each fomor, and none are pleasing or accommodating to the senses. They're given to noisome odors, scaly or oozing features and horrible, gut-wrenching calls from one or more twisted mouths or some other unidentifiable orifice. Use your imagination.
  System: This power grants the fomori two additional dots to each Physical Attribute (and Appearance is automatically 0). This power often manifests in combination with the two following powers.

  • Claws and Fangs — The fomor has some kind of vicious bodily weaponry. In some cases, they may manifest as claws and fangs (much like those of the Garou). In other cases, the fomor may develop bone spurs that protrude from wrists and elbows, barbed quills all over his body or long, savage horns.
  System: The fomor may use any claw or bite maneuvers in combat, and his attacks inflict (Strength +1) aggravated damage. Such "natural" weapons cannot be concealed, making it difficult for a fomor to blend into human society.

  • Extra Limbs — Fomori often have one or more extra appendages, usually in the form of tentacles or masses of tendrils. Such extra limbs usually sprout from awkward places, like an extra arm growing from a fomor's thigh, or a long (20' or more) elastic tentacle replacing his tongue. Some limbs need to be stored someplace, like a pouch in the neck or belly, giving the fomor a thick neck, or an unusually bulging belly.
  System: The fomor gains three additional dice in grapple attempts, and it may attempt normal grapples at long range, depending on the form the limbs take.

  • Eyes of the Wyrm — The fomor's eyes are grotesque in some way. Perhaps they're faceted like a fly's, or the pupil is an odd shape (like an oval, or a square, or amorphous and shifting). The fomor can dilate or otherwise alter his eyes in some nauseating fashion, revealing images of the Wyrm's damnation.
  System: Anyone who looks into the fomor's eyes must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) or be frozen in horror for (five turns minus Wits rating, minimum one turn). The fomor may not move, attack or otherwise take an action to break eye contact without freeing the victim. His companions may attack with no such restriction. The victim remains frozen as long as the fomor keeps still and maintains the power.

  • Fungal Touch — The fomor's internal organs, nervous system and cardiovascular system have been replaced with a foul-smelling, infectious fungus. The fomor may infect a victim by touching him, or in some-rare cases, actually breathing a nauseating, viscous cloud of fungal spores onto him.
  System: The victim's player must make a successful Stamina roll (difficulty 7), or the character loses one point from all Physical Attributes as well as Appearance per day as the fungus slowly covers him. During this time, his odor becomes more disgusting and unbearable for anyone with a sensitive nose. He experiences painful intestinal distress as the fungus dissolves and replaces his internal organs, ejecting what it does not need for the transformation. The infection may only be cured by supernatural means (such as with a healing fetish, an appropriate spirit or the Gifts: Mother's Touch or Resist Toxin).
  The fomor may spend a Willpower point to exude fungal mucus all over its body, inflicting a two-die penalty on all attackers in melee with it due to the nauseating stench. Cutting the fomor open won't cause it to spray spores, but it does inflict the above dice penalty on all nearby. The fomor may also choose to exhale fungal spores upon his target, at the cost of a lethal health level.

  • Gift — The fomor may take one Level One or Two homid, Ahroun or Black Spiral Dancer Gift. If it requires Rage or Gnosis to activate, she may instead spend Willpower (unless she has somehow acquired Rage or Gnosis). Such Gifts warp the fomor in odd ways — Persuasion might give the fomor an unnaturally perfect (almost doll-like) appearance, while Spirit of the Fray might give her nervous tics and a paranoid need to watch her surroundings.

  • Immunity to the Delirium — Many fomori are resistant or immune to the Delirium. Perhaps the terrors inflicted during transformation immunize them, or maybe the part of the brain that remembers the Impergium was burned out.
  System: Resistant fomor add five to their Willpower for the purpose of resisting the Delirium. Fomori who are immune don't suffer any effects at all. All shock troops are immune.

  • Poison Tumors — The fomor's body is covered with pus-filled tumors. The pus is always incredibly noxious or corrosive, and it often comes in many nauseatingly inappropriate colors.
  System: Whenever the fomor is struck with a sharp weapon (including claws), this disgusting fluid splatters the attacker, who must soak three dice of lethal damage immediately. (The damage is aggravated if the tumors are acidic.) If an attacker bites the fomor, she suffers five dice of lethal damage. If the fomor is attacked with a melee weapon, the attacker may make a reflexive Dexterity roll to avoid the flying pus, or she takes damage. Bullets won't cause the pus to splatter the attacker unless he's extremely close (within six feet or so), in which case, use the rules as for melee weapons. Others who are in close combat with the fomor may be splattered, at the Storyteller's discretion.

  • Regeneration — The fomor recovers from injury at an incredibly fast rate, much like werewolves do. Wounds never heal perfectly, though, so they leave scars in their wake. Occasionally, the regeneration leads to tumors that spread with each successive injury. A fomor who's survived several fights will probably look quite unhealthy.
  System: The fomor regenerates lethal and bashing damage at the same rate as Garou. Aggravated damage cannot be regenerated normally, but it recovers at the rate of one health level per day. Fomori with regeneration suffer from metabolic alterations, and they must eat many times the normal amount of food that a human would need to survive. (Some even require human flesh.) Furthermore, those who don't die in combat will die from cancer within a few years of becoming fomori.

  • Triatic Scent — The fomor may mask his Wyrm nature by wrapping himself in the Wyld or Weaver's essence — each counts as one power.
  System: Attempts to use Sense Wyrm on the fomor suffer increased difficulty (10). Glass Walkers may pierce the Weaver's Scent with normal difficulty, and Red Talons may pierce the Wyld's Scent similarly. Otherwise, Gifts that sense Weaver or Wyld will sense the fomor as if it were a servant of the appropriate Triat member.

  • Twisted Senses — The fomor's eyes have been altered to perceive wavelengths that no human was meant to perceive. She can perceive spectra that would drive any normal person mad with anxiety or terror.
  System: In effect, this power grants the fomor the ability to peer across the Gauntlet. Roll Perception against an appropriate difficulty. The more tainted the area is, the easier it is to look. A fomor with this power may also identify werewolves and other shapeshifters for a scene, and he sees them with the Crinos form overlaid upon the current form. The fomor may also identify Wyrm servants on sight. The first two powers cost one Willpower to activate for a scene, but the last is always active. When active, the fomor's eyes glow with an unnatural color (swirling red, vomit green, a nauseating yellow, etc.). Otherwise, the only identifying feature is that the fomor never blinks. Fomor with this power tend to lose their remaining mental stability rapidly.

  • Unnatural Strength — The fomor's muscles are unnaturally developed, and they bulge in odd, disturbing ways. They may even writhe in some bizarre manner. In some disgusting cases, the fomor may seem to have no skin at all!
  System: This power adds four dots to the fomor's Strength Attribute.

  • Voice of the Wyrm — The fomor's tongue has been changed into some alien form. In some, it becomes long and sluglike in appearance, where others have a snakelike tongue. A few fomori simply have their tongues replaced with a mass of writhing tendrils. In no case does this transformation affect the fomor's ability to speak, although his voice may take on a rasping, sibilant or otherwise odd quality. He may use his altered tongue to speak in the Wyrm's own language.
  System: As the fomor chants the Dark Litany's vile syllables, all in hearing range must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) or lose half their Gnosis points (figured from total Gnosis, not current). This power may be used on any given victim only once per encounter (successful or not), and it will not work on any Wyrm-servant. The fomor may also lick opponents, inflicting two dice of unsoakable aggravated damage.

Other Supernaturals

Vampires

  For millennia, werewolves and vampires have fought bloody wars throughout the world. Werewolves typically feel that the only good Leech is a Leech that's been burned to ashes and the ashes scattered to the four winds. Where most Garou prefer the open wilderness, vampires are creatures of the city. They survive and thrive on human blood, and they could not survive in the wilderness even if it were not for the werewolves ready to slaughter them at the first sign of intrusion. Many Garou blame vampires for the unchecked invasion of urban centers deeper and deeper into previously untamed wilderness.
  Vampires are far from defenseless. The blood they steal from their human herds grants them an amazing variety of powers unique to them. It makes them much faster and stronger, especially if they've fed recently. A vampire may use his stolen blood to increase his Physical Attributes at one dot per blood point spent to increase. Most vampires may only increase their Physical Attributes to 6, although some powerful elders can reach heights sufficient to rival a Crinos Garou. He may also spend a blood point to heal lethal or bashing damage (bashing damage is halved before soaking). It takes several nights of intense feeding to recover from aggravated injuries. Vampires suffer aggravated wounds from werewolf claws and teeth, from the sun itself (treat as fire), from fire or from certain Gifts or Charms.
  Vampires frenzy like Garou if presented with sufficient provocation. The player rolls Willpower to resist frenzy. If presented with insult, threat to life and limb or humiliation, she needs at least three successes to resist attacking the cause other distress. If she is exposed to fire or sunlight, she must roll or run away in utter terror (as a fox frenzy). The number of successes needed is based on the magnitude of the threat. Exposure to sunlight always requires three successes.
  Gifts: The Gifts rating refers to the highest level Gifts a vampire will possess. These powers aren't true "Gifts" — they are merely simulations of the vampire's unique powers. Vampires lack Rage and Gnosis, so they lack any connection to the spirit world. Their unliving condition actually seems to give them less of a spiritual connection than a normal human would have.
  Vampiric powers usually involve manipulating the minds and senses of their targets, or they draw upon nearby shadows for concealment or attack. Most are subtle and menacing in use.
  Feel free to add new powers appropriate to vampires (shapeshift into a wolf, climb walls like a spider, supernatural strength or speed, etc). Use whatever seems appropriate for the given character. Vampire: The Masquerade may provide inspiration for vampiric powers, but when running Werewolf, don't feel bound to use just those powers or the Gifts listed here.
  Due to their unliving nature, vampires suffer only half damage (after soak) from attacks that inflict bashing damage. Also, all vampires have an ability similar to the Gift: Taking the Forgotten that allows them to drink the blood of human beings and erase their victims' memories of the attack.

  • Young Vampires: Leeches who have not yet reached a century of undeath fall into this category. They are the "teenagers" of vampire society, not yet grown into their full power or knowledge. Werewolves are most likely to encounter younger vampires due to their lack of knowledge about the world around them (and in many cases, the lack of a finely honed instinct to stay away from Garou).
  Character Creation: Attributes 7/5/3, Abilities 13/9/5, Backgrounds 7, Willpower 7, Gifts 3, Blood Pool 10-15
  Suggested Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Charisma 3, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Computer 2, Dodge 3, Firearms 2, Intimidation 2, Investigation 3, Leadership 3, Occult 2, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 3
  Suggested Gifts: Eye of the Cobra, Heightened Senses, Persuasion, Resist Pain, Staredown
  Image: A vampire looks much like a normal human, but he has cold, pallid skin. Garou in Lupus form nearly always know the undead for what they are. Vampires smell of old blood and slight decay — without the aid of supernatural powers, a typical vampire will never pass for human around a werewolf's sense of smell. Vampires also have no heartbeat, nor any need to breathe (except to speak). Most vampires try to dress fashionably for some subculture or other. It's easy to find some who favor high fashion, some who favor tattoos, piercings and leather and so on.
  Roleplaying Hints: Young vampires are filled with hot passions and inflated egos. They're always prepared to take an insult in the worst possible way. Most haven't met a werewolf before, and they may panic at the first sign of the Crinos form. Those who realize what danger they are in use their powers and wits to try to escape.

  • Ancients: Ancients believe that they rule over the nights in their respective cities. These old Leeches have survived at least three centuries of the challenges unlife brings. They're cunning, vicious and manipulative beyond parallel. Their schemes are complex enough to leave Shadow Lords shaking their heads in frustration when trying to unravel them.
  Character Creation: Attributes 12/9/6, Abilities 20/12/8, Backgrounds 15, Willpower 10, Gifts 5, Blood Pool 20-30
  Suggested Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 5, Manipulation 6, Appearance 4, Perception 3, Intelligence 5, Wits 4
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Brawl 1, Dodge 1, Etiquette 5, Investigation 5, Leadership 4, Linguistics 4, Medicine 2, Melee 3, Occult 5, Politics 4, Subterfuge 4
  Suggested Gifts: Eye of the Cobra, Glib Tongue, Heightened Senses, Mindblock, Persuasion, Resist Pain, Roll Over, Staredown, Madness
  Image: Like his younger counterparts, an ancient vampire is a walking corpse. Again, the scent of decay is faint but mingled with the smell of old blood. Ancients prefer to wear clothing reminiscent of their breathing days. However, the intelligent ancient won't show his face in public in anything but modern clothing (again, with few touches reminiscent of his younger days).
  Roleplaying Hints: Ancient vampires show a haughty arrogance toward what they consider to be lesser beings. They do have a healthy respect for the destruction even one werewolf can inflict upon undead flesh, so few are likely to provoke a Garou to violence directly. Many are completely willing to use Garou in their Machiavellian schemes, and they are often more successful than werewolves would care to admit. Ancients usually spread agents throughout a city's infrastructure (city hall, the police department, hall of records, younger vampires, etc), and they can use those contacts to avoid direct contact with their enemies.

Mages

  Mages are normal-seeming humans who have the ability to bend reality through the direct application of will. Each mage uses her power as she feels is appropriate, which can bring her in conflict with werewolves easily.
  Many Garou see mages as usurpers of Gaia's rightful power as creator. They feel that the versatile and powerful magic mages wield is the birthright of Celestines alone, and they would prefer to see the vainglorious mages humbled. The fact that some mages have attempted to raid the Garou's caerns for spiritual energy (and drained more than a few in the process) does not improve the werewolves' attitudes about them.
  Mages practice a multitude of traditions. Some use very ritualized styles, calling upon powerful spirits for favor, and others practice more informal shamanic systems. Some insane mages seem to have no internal consistency to their methods, and they are as dangerous as any Wyldling Vortex or Nexus Crawler when they appear. A very few Garou have kin among the mages (and very few of them). Kin mages are considered more trustworthy than other mages, but they are expected to assist Garou and respect the Garou Nation's needs — or else.
  Some terrifying mages serve corruption and destruction, bringing both with them wherever they go. Most are subtle tempters, who prefer to lead others down the primrose path to damnation. When threatened or angered, they become terrible enemies indeed. Many have pacts with powerful Banes, and they may call upon those Banes at need. A few also create fomori to serve as soldiers to use against their enemies. When werewolves find one of these twisted mages, they stop at nothing to kill him.
  Mages fear some kind of retributive force that strikes them down when they grow too proud and haughty with their powers. Mages who recognize and respect this force use magic in subtle and often invisible ways. Mages who attempt flashy or showy effects (especially in public places, where normal people can see them) often suffer mysterious injuries. (They explode, blood spurts from the eyes, their flesh peels off, and some even vanish without a trace.) The Garou simply consider this just and appropriate, the hand of Gaia (or the Weaver) forcing them to behave.
  Gifts: Mages command a broad and versatile range of powers unlike any other than those wielded by powerful spirits. Using Gifts to approximate magic is a problematic proposition, given this versatility. Mages tend to build skills in one or more spheres of influence. Within those spheres, a mage may accomplish anything, provided he gains enough successes on a magic roll. (The difficulty varies from five to eight, depending on the effect's scope.) Very minor effects require only one success. Noticeable effects require two successes, and a fairly powerful effect that can injure or kill a target requires three successes. Four successes allow the mage to affect several targets at once, and five or more allow incredible results. The effect usually takes the form of accident or happenstance. The mage can choose to make the effect obvious, but he will suffer a backlash of one level of unsoakable lethal damage per success. If he botches, he takes one level of aggravated damage per 1 rolled, and he may vanish to another realm for a long time.
  Magic doesn't normally inflict aggravated damage unless the attack takes the form of fire, electricity, toxic waste, silver or pure magical energy. (The latter always subjects the mage to a backlash.)
  Typically, mages have access to one or two of the following spheres: Spirit (can enter the Umbra or summon and command spirits), Elemental (can manipulate earth, fire, air and water), Entropy (command of fate, decay and luck), Travel (teleportation or flight), Divination (see distant places, the past or the future), Life (can shapeshift himself or others, heal himself or others). Feel free to add any others that seem appropriate.

  • Shaman: She is Kinfolk to the Garou, and she helps when she can (or must), but even her blood kinship can't overcome the distrust many elders feel for her kind. A few extreme Garou believe that human mages who practice shamanic or nature-oriented magic are trying to steal their birthright as Gaia's chosen by emulating them.
  Character Creation: Attributes 8/6/4, Abilities: 15/10/5, Backgrounds 10, Willpower 8, Magic Dice Pool: 5
  Suggested Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3, Perception 5, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 3, Dodge 2, Empathy 2, Enigmas 3, Etiquette (Spirits) 4, Expression 3, Linguistics 1, Medicine 2, Melee 1, Occult 5, Rituals 4
  Suggested Magical Spheres: Spirit, Divination, Life
  Image: Kin to Uktena, her dark skin and Creole patois denote her origins in Louisiana. In most circumstances, she prefers to blend in, rather than stand out. When she prepares to perform a ritual, however, she can take on a rather dramatic aspect as she adorns herself with her ritual tools (a top hat, a bottle of rum, a walking stick and a tuxedo).
  Roleplaying Notes: She's learned the secrets of Voudoun, but she at least gives lip service to werewolf totems (at least when relatives are around). She's friendly until given a reason to be otherwise. The treatment she's received from elder werewolves has nearly soured her on filial respect, and it will take serious convincing on the part of any pack to change her mind.

  • Corrupter: The Corrupter is a mage whose ambition for power drove him to seek alliances with darker creatures. He's a careful mover, choosing not to engage his enemies directly. Instead, he seeks out those who have strong desires, and he helps them fulfill those desires — for a steep price. He's already given his soul to his dark master, and part of the bargain requires that he supply more. Unfortunately, he's not entirely happy with the exchange. He has what he asked for, but now he lives in virtual slavery. The Corrupter sacrificed his free will for the sake of a few baubles and a modicum of power (that he now realizes he could have achieved on his own), and he is understandably bitter about it.
  The Corrupter is fully aware that he's acquired sworn enemies just by his very allegiance. He surrounds himself with followers, hangers-on and anyone else who can serve as a shield against those who would destroy him and his gains. Fortunately, his master has provided him with a few defenses. One such defense is a pack of loyal fomori, who rely on him to provide them with their daily meals of fresh human flesh.
  Character Creation: Attributes 9/7/5, Abilities: 16/12/8, Backgrounds 10, Willpower 6, Magic Dice Pool: 6
  Suggested Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4, Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Dodge 2, Drive 2, Empathy 3, Etiquette 4, Expression 3, Intimidation 2, Investigation 2, Leadership 2, Melee 2, Occult 3, Performance 2, Rituals 3, Subterfuge 4
  Suggested Magical Spheres: Divination, Entropy, Spirit
  Image: Immaculate at all times. He maintains a clean-cut image to impress others he may meet. His preference is a white three-piece Perry Ellis suit.
  Roleplaying Notes: The Corrupter regrets his decision, but his bitterness only drives him further into damnation. His sense of his own fate only encourages him to lead others down the same path, in the vain hope that it will somehow ease his own fate when his master comes for his soul. He's always a smooth talker, careful never to miss a beat. He's not oily like a crooked used car salesman, he acts genuinely friendly and helpful — until he gets what he wants.

Walking Dead

  In the aftermath of the Red Star's appearance, many things have taken a turn for the worse. One particular change has been the tendency for the dead to walk — that is, without becoming vampires. Actual corpses have begun rising from their graves and acting according to their own agendas (some of which seem to have nothing to do with the animated body's former life). Knowledgeable Silent Striders say that malicious spirits of the dead have somehow crossed into the lands of the living and claimed bodies of their own, but no one is certain of the cause.
  Some bear Wyrm-taint, but it doesn't seem to correspond to how malicious or destructive the animating spirit may be. Since wraiths are not spirits of the Triat (all three forces of which are tied to the living universe), it's difficult to judge how one will act or react based on what a simple Gift may sense.
  All of the walking dead are driven to accomplish some goal or other, and they will brook no interference in achieving that goal. Since they can withstand a great deal of damage before being disabled, and since they can heal even the most grievous of injuries in a short period of time, they can sometimes be a real threat to a werewolf pack.
  In some cases, it's possible and acceptable to find out what the dead person wants, because it will leave the living world when it gets it. Unfortunately, most do not have such easily achieved goals, and those goals tend not to be compatible with many werewolf outlooks in the first place. (Although you never know; a walking dead who wanted to bring death to hundreds or thousands of humans at once might get sympathy from a Red Talon.) The truth is, most Garou see walking corpses as an aberration that should be corrected as quickly as possible. Werewolves simply don't hold to a cosmology that accepts the right of walking dead things to exist.
  Gifts: The walking dead don't often have very many esoteric powers. They tend to be supernaturally strong, tough and fast, and some possess mental powers that afflict the senses of the living. They power their abilities with Pathos (a form of spiritual energy akin to Gnosis). They can also spend one Pathos point to repair one health level of damage. The walking dead regain Pathos for pursuing their goals, so they are thus nigh unstoppable when doing so.

  • Revenant: The spirit animating this corpse is that of a young woman who was murdered (along with her fiance) while camping. She recalls clearly the pack of howling man-beasts who burst into the campsite, tore everything to pieces and terrorized the two hapless victims before dismembering them. She hasn't returned in her own body, but that's of no consequence as long as she brings death to the monsters that killed her.
  Character Creation: Attributes 9/6/3, Abilities 13/9/5, Backgrounds 3, Willpower 8, Pathos 10
  Suggested Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Computer 2, Dodge 4, Firearms 3, Intimidation 2, Investigation 2, Occult 1, Stealth 3, Survival 3
  Suggested Gifts: She receives three automatic successes on any Strength-related roll (including damage), and her punches inflict lethal damage. She can spend a Willpower point and gain three extra actions for a turn, and she has three additional soak dice (and she may soak aggravated damage). She has 10 health levels, and she suffers no wound penalties until she reaches the last one. (At that point, she falls until she can repair the injuries or her body is destroyed.) She also has: Mindspeak, Dreamspeak and Fabric of the Mind.
  Image: She has gaunt, hollow features and stringy blonde hair that probably hasn't been washed since she crawled out of the grave. She's wearing garments she stole from a thrift store that are equally unwashed. In the city, she blends in with the homeless population.
  Roleplaying Hints: Her goal is to find and kill the monsters that murdered her and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, she won't be able to tell one Crinos from another, and she will be satisfied with trying to kill any pack of werewolves. Once she's spotted her quarry, she will try to arm herself appropriately for the inevitable confrontation and use the intervening time to haunt their dreams with visions of the crime perpetrated upon her.

Unfortunates

  Many supernatural beings wander the Earth, but some have recently come upon hard times. The Apocalypse exacts its price from all things, and some may have already fallen to its advance.

Wraiths

  The spirits of the dead have suffered greatly in recent times. A terrible storm swept across their lands and destroyed their safe havens, driving the dead before it with flesh-shredding and bone-destroying strength. The few werewolves who could travel into the Dark Umbra do so rarely — if ever — in light of such changes.

Faeries

  Faeries are spirits of the natural world, given life by human imagination and the pure quiet places in the wilderness. In the modern times, the Weaver chains the human mind, and the Wyrm taints human dreams. Few (if any) pure quiet places still remain. Only the Fianna claim to have any kind of dealings with the fae, and their accounts make little sense to the other tribes.

Spirits

  Not all spirits in the Tellurian are friendly to the Garou. Many are outright dangerous. The obvious candidates for enmity are Banes, but even the Wyld's children do not always look kindly upon the Garou.

Weaver

  The Weaver's myriad children inhabit the Pattern Web's labyrinthine branches, mostly serving to reinforce the Weaver's hold over reality. Most Weaver-spirits appear as arachnids or geometrically precise shapes and patterns.
  Banes are the Garou's most common enemy, but Weaver-spirits are the most dangerous. They represent stasis embodied, and they enforce it wherever they are. All Weaver-spirits have the Charm: Solidify Reality.

Stasis Vector

  Stasis Vectors have appeared only in recent times, but any Garou who's encountered one and survived probably wishes that they'd stayed wherever they came from. Only a few have appeared so far, but more can be expected in the future.
  A Stasis Vector can force everything around it to maintain a static state. That is, it's more difficult to change anything nearby the longer it operates. Vectors are attracted to places and beings attuned strongly to the Wyld. One appears only if a powerful disruption appears in the Tellurian. It's dispatched to stop the problem and repair any damage to the Gauntlet or reality's fabric.
  Stasis Vectors are geomids, which means they take the form of incredibly precise geometric solids. It appears as an extremely complex shape that shifts slowly as it drains all possibility and chaos from its vicinity. Its scent is notable only in that it completely lacks any identifiable odor. In fact, the use of its Charms tends to remove all odors from the affected area (as scents are simply impurities in the air). If anything, a Garou would get a sense of complete sterility from scenting the Vector or anything it's touched.
  Stasis Vectors usually operate with Hunter Spiders or other attack-oriented Weaver-spirits. They freeze everything, and the spiders destroy whatever's causing the disruptions. Once the disruptions are repaired and the cause eliminated, they depart.
  Willpower: 10, Rage 6, Gnosis 10, Essence 26
  Charms: Airt Sense, Calcify, Materialize, Solidify Reality, Stasis
  • Stasis: The Stasis Vector is a spiritual embodiment of the concept of "unchanging." When it exerts influence over a place, it literally enforces stasis over all things within its zone of influence.
  Stasis can prevent the use of other supernatural powers (although the spirit must target each power individually). The power simply fails or deactivates then remains inaccessible for a number of turns equal to the number of successes on the spirit's Willpower roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If the Stasis Vector receives no successes, it does not shut off the power.
  Oh a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 8), this Charm can force any or all creatures within 30 feet to return to their natural forms. (Garou return to breed forms, shapeshifted spirits return to their true form and so on.) This Charm also negates any Gifts that may alter a Garou's shape (like Gift of the Spriggan). Use of the Charm in this manner lasts for one turn.
  The Vector may use this Charm to increase the Gauntlet rating as high as 10 with a Willpower roll. The Gauntlet rating increases by one for every two successes, and the effect lasts for a full scene.
  Finally, by expending one Essence point per hour, a Stasis Vector removes all imperfections, signs of decay or irregularities around it. Plants cease to grow, the wind dies down, and living creatures fall slowly into hibernation. In the Umbra, the Vector spins an ever-growing web of stasis around itself, and all trapped within simply cease to change for good or ill. Each hour, the area effected spreads gradually (at the Storyteller's discretion). For every two hours the spirit maintains the effect, the Gauntlet rating increases by one. After the Stasis Vector stops maintaining the power, it decreases at the rate of one hour's worth or effect per day.

Pattern Spider

  Pattern Spiders are the most numerous and commonly encountered Weaver servants. They work ceaselessly to spin and support the ever-growing Pattern Web. Primarily workers, Pattern Spiders have been known to swarm against those who attack the Pattern Web and calcify them into it for all eternity.
  Many other types of spiderlike spirits serve the Weaver, and most evolve from Pattern Spiders. Each has a specific purpose, and it works to fulfill that purpose to the exclusion of all else. They attempt to deal with interruptions and move on.
  Willpower 6, Rage 4, Gnosis 6, Essence 16
  Charms: Calcify, Solidify Reality

Hunter Spider

  The Weaver often has need of efficient killers, and that's where the Hunter Spider comes in. They appear as mechanical, multi-legged creatures made of matte black steel. Their eight eyes glow an electric blue and provide the Hunter Spider with a 360-degree field of view. Approximately half of the Hunter's limbs are equipped with weapons, such as monomolecular edged blades, lasers, flamethrowers, assault rifles and tasers. Literally, any technological weapon imaginable could be in use on one of these monsters. They smell of fresh oil and hot metal.
  Hunter Spiders always act in packs of two, three, five or seven units. Each group has but one guiding mind, allowing for perfect coordination among the individual units. Watching a pack in battle can be an eerie, unsettling experience, as one spider will follow through on another's attack seamlessly, all in complete silence.
  Willpower 8, Rage 10, Gnosis 6, Essence 24
  Charms: Blast (lightning bolts), Materialize, Solidify Reality, Tracking

Wyld

  Wyldlings are the Wyld's children. Most prefer the Deep Umbra, where the Weaver can't confine their chaotic natures to the stagnant Pattern Web. Wyldlings usually appear as shifting maelstroms of unearthly matter and energy. Their scent changes endlessly, from the vilest odors possible to the sharp crackle of ozone, and every smell in between.
  All Wyldlings possess the Charm: Break Reality, which makes them very dangerous near or on Earth. Despite their affiliation with the Wyld, few werewolves are happy to encounter any of these capricious spirits.

Vortex

  Vortices are among the most powerful of Wyldlings. Garou and spirit alike fear and respect them, and they prefer to avoid them. The Vortex appears as a huge implosion of solid, liquid and gaseous matter mixed with burning plasma, in constant swirling, writhing motion. It's difficult to look at a Vortex for very long before suffering intense headaches and hallucinations.
  Vortices used to frequent the physical world, but as the Weaver's tightened its hold over reality, they retreated into the Deep Umbra. They are capricious, unpredictable and utterly alien in outlook.
  A Vortex embodies all possibilities and probabilities. As such, its attacks always inflict unsoakable aggravated damage.
  Willpower 8, Rage 8, Gnosis 10, Essence 26
  Charms: Airt Sense, Break Reality, Disorient, Materialize, Re-form, Shapeshift

Lesser Wyldling

  The Lesser Wyldling is neither as powerful nor as alien as the Vortex. Even so, it is an extremely dangerous and unpredictable spirit. They are occasionally willing to aid werewolves as guides or in other matters, but nearly always at a price; (not always one the werewolf will understand).
  Even if a Lesser Wyldling has agreed to a bargain, it won't always follow through. Lesser Wyldlings have been known to use bargains with Garou to lead them astray (into Blights or the lairs of powerful Banes), often for the purpose of getting the werewolves to do something for them. Under no circumstances should a werewolf trust a Lesser Wyldling.
  Lesser Wyldlings appear as shifting, hazy patterns, and they often seem to be only partly physical. Like a Vortex, their scent can range from disgustingly pungent to the sharp crackle of ozone to a syrupy sweetness.
  Willpower 4, Rage 7, Gnosis 6, Essence 40
  Charms: Airt Sense, Break Reality, Materialize, Shapeshift

Wyrm

  Banes are the vile spirit-minions of the Wyrm. They assume countless forms, for destruction, deception and corruption take many shapes throughout the world. Some Banes are avatars or personifications of principles like hate, disease or murder; others are simply random destructive entities. Banes are perhaps the Garou's greatest and most numerous enemies.
  All Banes are purely of the Wyrm, and destruction is title only sure way to rid an area of their influence. Banes are attracted to dark, destructive impulses and emotions, and they gather where such emotions dominate. Their presence tends to distill and reinforce those emotions, but they are not purely the cause of such things. Banes feed on destructive and corrupting emotions, and they use the energy to instill stronger feelings in the people around them.
  Banes materialize in horrifying shapes that cause an effect similar to the Delirium in most humans. Some take particular delight in assuming the most terrible and disturbing forms possible in order to engender the greatest fear.
  Most Banes have the Possession Charm, along with a specific power or set of powers that are based around the concept they embody. A spirit of murder might have the Blast Charm or Corruption, for example. The powers vary wildly from one Bane to the next. Some are able to control or influence emotions, and some have the ability to immunize humans to the Delirium temporarily (allowing them to face werewolves). Some even have the ability to spread living corruption throughout the Tellurian. Many Banes prefer to encourage humans to do their work for them, rather than act directly themselves. It's easier for Banes to encourage and manipulate humans who are already morally compromised in some way than it is to control someone with strong beliefs about right and wrong.
  The Storyteller should let her imagination run wild when creating Banes, as long as their powers reflect the concepts or sins they represent. Bane powers should have some kind of activation requirement, like spending Essence or making Gnosis rolls. Most Banes have powers focused on corruption or mutation, and werewolves who fight them risk body and soul.
  It's easy to fall into the trap of making Banes responsible for every form of human evil — don't. Banes look for evil that already exists and try to make it worse. They're parasites at best, and they work better at drawing out what already exists than creating it whole cloth. Most Banes just aren't capable of the imaginative cruelty at which humans excel.

Nexus Crawler

  Few of the Wyrm's minions are as fearsome or powerful as the dreaded Nexus Crawler. Some Theurges believe that these alien things come from well outside known reality. A Nexus Crawler's very presence corrodes and decays the fabric of reality around it. In its natural state, a Nexus Crawler appears as a black shimmer in the air, a warbling vibrato drone, a feeling on the skin like fingernails scraped across a blackboard and a miasmic scent reminiscent of a cancerous illness. If necessary, it can manifest in the form of all manner of loathsome and horrifying avatars.
  Nexus Crawlers are sapient, after a fashion. While they are self-aware, their thought processes are alien — even for one of the Wyrm's servants. Other minions are ill at ease around Nexus Crawlers, and they tend to avoid them under normal circumstances. When in combat, Nexus Crawlers rarely use tactics that make any kind of rational sense, and they do not often employ "logical" tactics. This fact alone may have helped werewolves survive encounters with Nexus Crawlers. Nexus Crawlers are effectively forces of nature. They are more akin to tornadoes or earthquakes than to other Banes.
  Should they so choose, Nexus Crawlers can assume a truly vile, repulsive and terrifying form. Humans will run in terror at first sight, as if they have been affected by the Delirium. Upon first sighting the thing, players of Garou roll Willpower, lest the characters fly into a fox frenzy. The Nexus Crawler bristles with a host of appendages and weaponry, including mouths with row upon row of needle-sharp teeth and additional arms covered with venomous barbs.
  Willpower 6, Rage 10, Gnosis 10, Essence 26
  Charms: Airt Sense, Materialize (which grants 12 health levels), Re-form, Warp Reality
  • Warp Reality: As beasts of raw entropy, Nexus Crawlers may alter reality after a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 7). One success allows fairly minor alterations — it may create a hazy, blurry illusion, light a small fire, change an individual's facial features, or drop the temperature in a small area.
  With three successes, a Crawler can cause more drastic changes to the environments or specific targets. These changes include turning a stone floor into a viscous liquid, transforming any steel object into silver, changing a foe's sweat into a corrosive acid, creating an illusion that affects any two senses or darkening an area completely. The Crawler may also hurl bolts of raw entropic energies that inflict three dice of aggravated damage. (Roll Willpower to attack, and use normal ranged combat complications.)
  If the Crawler gains five successes, it may cause truly spectacular effects. It can turn a person's bones into swamp muck or rotten wood, change the air into carbon monoxide or mustard gas, remove a target's entire face (and all sensory organs), or mismatch them in bizarre ways, create a full-sensory illusion or turn everything in a room-sized area into silver. Entropic bolts of this power level inflict six dice of aggravated damage.

Psychomachiae

  Psychomachiae are spirits for whom fear, terror and horror are ambrosia. These Banes seek out and possess disturbed and depraved individuals, urging them to act out base impulses and dark fantasies. A Psychomachia can't possess just anyone and drive him to corruption, but he can possess an already depraved individual easily and give him just that little extra push.
  Physical manifestations are always extremely vicious. They come equipped with razors, fangs, scalpels, clamps and other instruments for inflicting pain and death. Psychomachiae smell of death, anger and hatred, melded into a miasma of twisted rage.
  Willpower 7, Rage 10, Gnosis 8, Essence 25 (+1 per death inflicted by its host, not counting deaths the Psychomachia causes directly)
  Charms: Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Possession

Scrags

  Scrags make up one of the many races of warrior-Banes that serve the Wyrm. They are monsters of unrestrained rage and violence, serving not as corrupters, but as soldiers. Within the Umbra, they appear as semi-physical, ghoulish spirits with razor-sharp claws and fangs. Scrags are semi-quadrupeds, seeming to walk in a slouch. This slouch does not impede their movement in any way.
  Scrags kill. They are, literally, spirits of murder. They live for the moment when a victim's life ends, and they revel in the mayhem and bloodshed they inflict. Packs of Scrags often indulge in frenzies of death and dismemberment, expressing only a malevolently dark humor at their victim's expense.
  Scrags manifest in a rather unique fashion. A Scrag cannot simply penetrate the Gauntlet, it must instead find a host and possess him. Unless the Scrag is somehow evicted (through an exorcism, most likely), the victim will transform into a Scrag physically within 48 hours. From the initial possession until the final transformation, the host will begin to exhibit many of the Scrag's traits, including antisocial habits, a nasty disposition, a short and violent temper and a consuming hunger for raw, bloody, red meat. Once the 48 hours have passed, the physical transformation takes effect. The host becomes a lean, ghoulish figure with grayish skin, razor sharp claws and fangs, and it smells of ammonia and blood. Once the Scrag departs the body (for whatever reason), the host returns to his normal form, and he must face the carnage he caused. (What's more, he retains full memory of his actions.)
  Willpower 6, Rage 10, Gnosis 4, Essence 20
  Charms: Incite Frenzy, Possession

Human Agencies

  Throughout history, humans have sought out the unknown, the different, the monstrous and the bizarre. Depending on what they found and why they looked for it, they either studied or destroyed it.

Imbued

  Within the past few years — with the appearance of the Red Star and other grim portents — a few humans have appeared wielding flaming weapons of all kinds and immune to the Delirium. The Garou aren't exactly certain as to what these humans are, however. They aren't mages or Kinfolk, though, and they seem as startled by the werewolves as the werewolves are by them. In fact, despite their unusual nature, they seem rather ignorant of the specifics of any supernatural creatures. Visionary Garou expect this ignorance to change over time — if there's any time left to the world, that is.
  These hunters usually appear around fomori, Black Spiral Dancers or other Wyrm servants (sometimes while the Dancers battle the Garou, or even when the Dancers simply mind their own business). Whatever causes their appearance, few hunters react with indecision. They strike against the monsters nearby, sometimes with success, occasionally losing badly. On even more rare occasions, they strike out against Garou — usually those who go into cities and attack humans with no seeming provocation, although a few rare cases have happened in the wilderness.
  The Garou aren't exactly certain what the appearance of these hunters mean, but most agree that these unusual humans must represent some sign of the coming Apocalypse or another. A few fatalists in the Nation believe that Gaia may have chosen them to replace the Garou, but these dissident voices are usually shouted down or ignored. Most werewolves are not yet aware of this new breed of dangerous humans.
  Gifts: The Imbued rarely has more than two or three powers, and few translate directly into equivalent Gifts. All have a special Trait called Conviction, that is usually rated from three to six points, but a few have as many as 10. (Only the most experienced and dangerous imbued have so many, though.) An imbued may spend one point of Conviction to ignore the Delirium, all illusion and all mind-control or influence-based powers, Gifts and Charms. In addition, he may perceive the Garou as unusual or see Banes that possess humans. (He may not see into the Umbra, though.)
  Some imbued may spend Conviction to inhibit supernatural powers. (Roll the imbued's Willpower vs. the target's in an opposed test.) For each success over the target, the target may not use any Gifts, Charms or other powers for one turn. The target may still change forms as normal, though.
  Others can spend Conviction to cause an object (usually a weapon) to burst into flames and inflict aggravated damage. These flames are invisible to other humans, but they are very painful to the Garou. Such a weapon inflicts an additional die of damage.
  One common ability allows an imbued to somehow mark a supernatural creature, allowing her to follow it to its lair later. Roll Willpower (difficulty is target's Willpower). Each success allows the imbued one day to track the Garou. Where Rage or Gnosis is necessary, spend Conviction or roll Willpower.
  Using these guidelines, Gifts that deal with denial of supernatural powers, defense from supernatural powers or sensory effects are appropriate. No imbued has the ability to Sense Wyrm, Wyld or Weaver, however. They are blind to the Triat, and they act only against those who act against humans.

Government

  Not surprisingly, various government agencies around the world have departments devoted to studying anomalous phenomena (read: "supernatural events"). Most such departments sit very far from the truth, indeed. They're focused on studying the possibility of psychic powers such as ESP, telekinesis and mind control. In general, few humans in government employ have much information about the supernatural at all, so the Veil remains intact.
  One such agency is the FBI Special Affairs Division (SAD). In the early 1950s, Charles Horner (a long-time federal agent) and Dr. Emil Zotos (J. Edgar Hoover's personal psychiatrist and a member of the Army's Psychological Strategy board) convinced Hoover of the existence of supernatural beings. They proposed the creation of a semi-autonomous branch of the FBI to deal with it. In the winter of 1952, the Special Affairs Division came into being.
  For the first few years, the secret department thrived. After the 1950s ended, later presidents found little need to continue funding SAD, and it dropped in size over the years. This lack of support is due to both the difficulty in convincing politicians to fund investigations into the paranormal, and due to several difficulties the department has suffered (such as the complete nervous collapse of the previous director in 1993).
  In the past few years, reported incidents of supernatural activity have been on the rise — everything from the dead rising from their graves to at least one instance of a man going on live television to demonstrate paranormal powers and announce the existence of supernatural conspiracies controlling the world governments. While loath to acknowledge such reports, a few congressmen (led by Senator Jesse T. Grubbholb) have offered secret support and funding to the SAD. The SAD is currently at a better operating position than it's been in the past 30 years, although it is still nowhere near as effective as it was in its glory days in the 1950s.
  SAD operatives are aware of the existence of werewolves, ghosts and vampires, and they have researched appropriate countermeasures for each. As such, they can get flamethrowers, silver bullets, wooden stakes and other odd weapons as necessary on a case-by-case basis. Agents can request (and expect to get) some seriously heavy firepower when needed.
  The SAD's "Men in Black" investigate the ever-growing reports of supernatural activity — and if possible, do something about them. Thanks to past experience, SAD does have a very accurate profile of the typical human reaction to the Delirium, and it watches the news and police reports for reported occasions of just such accounts.
  • Government Agent: Agents can come from any number of "alphabet soup" agencies (NSA, CIA, FBI, etc.). Not such agents all will be SAD agents necessarily, since the activities they investigate may seem at the outset to fall into their jurisdiction. Agents usually work in groups of two or more people, and they always have a great deal of backup or authority.
  Character Creation: Attributes 7/5/4, Abilities 12/8/5, Backgrounds 7, Willpower 6
  Suggested Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 3
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Computer 1, Dodge 1, Drive 2, Expression 1, Firearms 2, Intimidation 2, Investigation 3, Law 3, Leadership 2, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 1, Science 1
  Image: Government agents are clean-cut, well-dressed people. They are given to wearing dark suits and aviator sunglasses for maximum intimidation value.
  Roleplaying Hints: Government agents are efficient and sometimes even courteous. They're police officers with broad discretionary powers, and they aren't afraid to use said powers if such uses can be justified. An agent will try to take control of the situation as quickly as possible with the least amount of fuss. Doing so isn't always possible, and it may leave local law enforcement personnel with bruised egos.

Corporations

  In most cases, corporations serve more as indifferent or accidental antagonists to the Garou. Certainly, a great many pollute Gaia in unforgivable ways, but they're ignorant of the full spiritual consequences of their damage (not that this lets them off the hook). At best, they're dupes. At worst, they're greedy opportunists.
  The corporate boards serve the Weaver or the Wyrm unwittingly, or both in most cases. The Garou must heal the damage the corporations inflict and halt their depredations. At the rate human industrialization expands, though, the task seems as impossible as holding back the ocean was for King Canute.

CyberSolutions, Inc.

  CyberSolutions is a research and development house primarily concerned with creating replacement limbs for people with crippling birth defects or who've had limbs amputated. It pursues research into interfacing the human mind and body with electronics, thus allowing the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to walk.
  Unfortunately, it seems that the corporation has developed technology far in advance of what it has revealed to the rest of the world, and it sells its advanced designs for use creating in super-soldiers of some kind. On more than one occasion, werewolf packs have encountered chaingun-toting cyborgs with inhuman strength, speed and durability. They often serve as security or enforcement for super-secret corporate or government operations of a very sensitive nature.
  Some Garou elders claim that such advanced technology is really Weaver-twisted magic, but the younger werewolves do not tend to see it that way.
  • Cyborg Soldier: Human corporations create such monstrosities only rarely, but those few that exist are a danger to Garou. Most werewolves (except, perhaps, the Glass Walkers) see the merging of human flesh with the Weaver's technology as a terrible thing.
  Character Creation: Attributes 8/5/3 (Physical always Primary), Abilities: 11/7/4, Backgrounds: 3. Willpower 3
  Suggested Attributes: Strength4, Dexterity 3, Stamina4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3
  Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Firearms 4, Melee 3
  Suggested Gifts: Cyborgs often have armor (three additional soak dice), retractable claws or blades (Strength +1 or +2 damage) and increased Strength (two additional dots). A few are wired for heightened reflexes (two actions per turn, standard). All have Cybersenses (as the Glass Walker Gift). Some have assault rifles (AK-47 or equivalent) mounted inside their bodies.
  Image: Cyborgs can look like anyone. They're given a human appearance so that they may pass for normal humans. Most wear very nice clothing. Expensive (but off-the-rack) business wear is standard.
  Roleplaying Hints: Cold, efficient and detached. Cyborgs tend to have a one-track mind, and they are focused on the specific purpose that their creators or owners sent them out to accomplish.

Developmental Neogenetics Amalgamated

  Developmental Neogenetics Amalgamated (DNA) is a privately owned and funded corporation that focuses on genetic engineering, mapping the human genome and hunting werewolves. DNA is actively aware of Garou, and it engages in an aggressive campaign to hunt down and trap as many as possible for its research. DNA is focused primarily on genetic research (and is highly interested in correcting congenital defects and diseases), and it sees werewolves as some sort of genetic aberration. DNA researchers see lycanthropy as a disease to be cured, not a spiritual race with a mandate to protect nature.
  DNA sends its teams out with chemical weapons and poisons intended to inhibit lycanthropic shapeshifting or regeneration. Once they subdue a werewolf, they bring it to the laboratory where it undergoes an intense battery of tests intended to isolate the "lycanthrope gene," So far, they've not discovered the sequence that causes this "disease." Once they do, they hope to use the knowledge to improve the human condition. Certainly the ability to regenerate injuries, even under limited conditions, would be a great boon.
  For entrapment teams, use the Traits given for Dead Man's Hand, but give them weapons designed to incapacitate and trap werewolves, rather than to kill them.

Dead Man's Hand

  Several werewolf packs have run afoul of well-equipped, heavily armed teams of fomori, humans with unusual powers and the occasional Black Spiral Dancer. They are trained in military special-forces tactics, and they are usually issued silver bullets and supematurally enhanced bio-warfare weapons to use against Garou targets.
  Most werewolves are unaware of the source of these agents, but those who have compared notes find the thought of a boot camp turning out werewolf-killing squads of fomori to be disturbing at the very least. Fortunately, these killers aren't all that common, and they usually engage packs in the midst of an operation (such as monkeywrenching an environmentally unfriendly corporation or interfering with logging operations in the Pacific Northwest). They've not yet tracked any packs back to their caerns. When captured, they kill themselves before they're questioned — so far, at any rate.
  One such team with a streak of notoriety a mile wide among young werewolves is the squad known as "Dead Man's Hand." Their insignia is of four playing cards: two black aces and two black eights, displayed proudly on all of their uniforms (and in some cases, on civilian clothing or baseball caps). Right underneath the cards is the number "108."
  The team is composed entirely of normal humans. All six have been trained in anti-werewolf tactics, and they carry weaponry appropriate for each task. All six members are immune to the Delirium, but this immunity does not make them in any way stupid. They're trained to be effective, not suicidal. Additionally, while they aren't possessed, fomori or otherwise obviously of the Wyrm, the Gift: Sense Wyrm will detect a slight degree of Wyrm-taint on each of them.
  The squad does suffer from regular turnover, losing one or two members a year to combat losses. As an offset, they're very well paid (hazard pay or better) at all times.
  The current squad lineup includes:
  • Damon Moore — Damon is a former member of the Australian SAS (rank: Captain). He spent 12 years in the Australian military before mustering out. In the six years since, he's led Dead Man's Hand in numerous battles with werewolves and come out alive (if scarred in a few cases). He once killed a werewolf with a thrust to the heart with a silver bowie knife. He keeps the wolfs skin as a rug in his condo. Damon is also an expert sharpshooter. (Charisma 3, Firearms, Melee 4 each, Leadership 3)
  • Jan Boetcher — Jan is formerly of the South African army. After six years in the service, he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. He found it in America, and he was recruited into Dead Man's Hand very shortly thereafter. He's been a part of the team for three years now. Jan specializes in firearms (not as good as Damon, but he's a better tracker), and he is also trained to fly helicopters. (Pilot 2, Survival 3)
  • Joseph Markham — Joseph is the other rifleman in the squad. At eight months since he joined, he's the newest squad member. Originally a forest ranger, he quit after an encounter with a large, bear-like creature. He doesn't recall the incident clearly, except for the fact that he shot it three or four times before running away. A month after his resignation, he found his way into Dead Man's Hand and now has some guesses about the monster he encountered in the wilderness. (Survival 3, Willpower 8)
  • Travis Hearst — Travis spent eight years in the US Army as a paratrooper and trauma medicine specialist. After he got out, he joined the forest service to work as a smoke-jumper (a firefighter who parachutes into remote forest fires and constructs firebreaks). He quit this incredibly dangerous job for something a little more exciting — fighting werewolves. He's been a part of Dead Man's Hand for a little over three years now, and he recommended Joseph Markham, an old pal from the forest service, for the team. (Medicine 3)
  • Arthur Farnsworth — Arthur's actually been in the squad longer than any other current member, surviving since the team's foundation in 1990. Arthur served in the Royal Marines (Master Sergeant) until the Falklands invasion in 1982. He spent the next several years as a mercenary, until he joined Dead Man's Hand. Arthur specializes in heavy weaponry. (Heavy Weapons 4)
  • Brad Williams — Brad served on the New York City police force for several years as one of the city's best bomb-disposal experts. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire early due to a few scandals in the department. Rather than allow Williams' talents go to waste, Moore arranged to bring him in to serve as demolitions expert and general booby-trap man. (Demolitions 3)
  Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 2
  Abilities (typical): Alertness 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Dodge 3, Drive 2, Firearms 3, Leadership 1, Melee 2, Stealth 2, Security 2, Survival 2 Willpower: 6
  Powers: Dead Man's Hand squad members are all normal humans with exceptional training. Similar squads may have fomori members, who have powers appropriate for their kind.
  As mentioned previously, all squad members are immune to the Delirium.
  Equipment: Camouflage fatigues (whatever's appropriate for their current environment), bulletproof vest, assault rifle (with silver bullets), pistol, silver combat knife (treated with an unusual manufacturing process that hardens it for combat use), radios (encrypted signal), fragmentation grenades (embedded with silver fragments), bio-warfare grenades (best used with a launcher, at a distance). The bio-warfare agent acts as a form of high-speed Ebola on normal humans and animals, and it inhibits Garou regeneration (treat as Crawling Poison; its effects last for six minus Stamina hours) and pepper spray.
  Roleplaying Notes: Dead Man's Hand is a highly trained combat unit. The soldiers have teamwork down to a science. They do not act stupidly if they can avoid it (but no one is perfect). They can often coordinate as well as or better than the typical werewolf pack. Individually, each is supremely confident in his abilities (some might say overconfident). Still, normal humans and fomori suffer some friction, so mixed teams can lose some effectiveness due to such rivalry.
  All problems aside, the first time a pack faces Dead Man's Hand, the soldiers' coordination and tactical ability should offer surprise and a real danger. Play them intelligently and carefully. They're trained to kill nine-foot tall raging engines of supernatural destruction, and they will act accordingly. They're less likely to panic in the face of a Garou pack. Very few are willing to get into melee combat with one, and even fewer expect to survive the experience.
  Despite their taint and immunity to the Delirium, Dead Man's Hand squad members are completely unaware of the Triat, Gaia, what the Garou fight for or who their own employers may or may not represent. They're part of a paramilitary security force, and they do their job to the best of their ability.

Other Groups

  Several other agencies exist to root out and destroy or learn about supernatural beings. One such is the Catholic Inquisition (also known as the Society of Leopold). The Society of Leopold has existed for centuries as a semi-secret order within the Catholic Church, and it is currently believed to be a scholarly organization. Inquisitors see the supernatural as evidence of demonic activity on Earth. Some believe that this activity is a sign that the end is nigh (much as the werewolves do). Very few Inquisitors hunt werewolves — not out of any sympathy for the Garou cause, but simply because few have the will and fortitude necessary to face a Crinos werewolf one-on-one. Additionally, Inquisitors nearly always stalk the cities, where they can find their preferred (vampiric) quarry, and they are simply unlikely to encounter any werewolves there.
  Another human group, this one composed entirely of scholars and adventurers, exists to study and catalog the supernatural. The Arcanum, a secret society dedicated to recording the world's secret history, rarely seeks out werewolves (for much the same reasons as the Inquisition) for interviews or observation. Those few who do, rarely find anything. Those who find anything rarely return.