Credits Authors: Jim Fisher, Meghan Fitzgerald, David Hill, Jacob Klunder Klunder,, Rebecca Rebecca Schoen, Schoen, Holden Holden Shearer Shearer,, Travis Stout Developer: Stew Wilson Consulting Developers: Callie Jensen, Henry Moore Editor: Carol Darnell Creative Director: Rich Thomas Art Direction and Design: Mike Chaney Cover Art: Ron Spencer Interior Art: Ron Spencer, Brian Leblanc, Jeff Holt, William O’Brien, Enzo Lopez, Marco Gonzales, and Leo Albiero
Special Thanks Bill Bridges for being the person to turn to in times
of need and shepherding those who are a breed apart. Callie Jensen and Henry Moore for their patience, and for taking a good long look into the abyss that is the Werewolf book. making of a Werewolf book.
© 201 2017 White Wolf Wolf EntertainmentAll Entertainme ntAll rights reserved. Reproduction without the written permission permissio n of the t he publisher publi sher is i s expressly forbidden, forbidde n, except for the purposes pur poses of reviews, and for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf, Vampire, World of Darkness, Vampire the Masquerade, and Mage the Ascension are registered trademarks of White Wolf Wolf EntertainmentAll EntertainmentA ll rights reserved. Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the Apocalypse, Werewolf the Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Promethean the Created, Changeling the Lost, Hunter the Vigil, Geist the Sin-Eaters, Sin-Eaters, W20, Storyteller System, System, and Storytelling System are trademarks trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment Entertainme nt All rights reserved. All characters, names, names, places and text text herein are copyrighted copyrighted by White Wolf Wolf Entertainment This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment entert ainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised. Check out the Onyx Path at http://www.theonyxpath.com
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Introduction: Of Spirit Of Spirit and Flesh How to How to Use this Book So Y So You ou W Want ant to be Garou The Players’ Perspective The Storyteller’s Perspective Sight Hearing Smell Touch and Taste
Chapter One: Soul of Soul of aa Hunter The Body Resilience Enhanced Physique Longevity Wolf Women Wolf Women Regeneration Regeneration Incorruptible Flesh Severed Limbs and Battle Scars Severed Limbs Aggravated Damage and Battle Scars Healing Dysfunction Healing Dysfunction Shapeshifting Homid Glabro Lupus Hispo Crinos Partial Transformation The Language of the of the Wild Wild The Mind Senses
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Urges and Instincts The Wild Spirit The W The World orld Through Five Sets of Eyes of Eyes A Fragile World The Beast Within Beast Within Anger Management Anger Management Social Instincts Soul Rage Fury Runneth Over Gaining and Gaining and Releasing Rage Releasing Rage Gnosis Touching the Touching the Spirit World The Feel of Gnosis of Gnosis Using Gnosis Using Gnosis Animism and Faith The Umbra Auspice Auspice Ahroun: Ahroun: The Full Moon, The W The Warrio arriorr A Furnace of Anger Anger A Bloody Precursor Tribal Fury Galliard: The Gibbous Moon, The Moon Dancer Howl at the Moon Lessons of the of the Past Tribal Tales Philodox: The Half Moon, Half Moon, The Judge The Judge Talking the Talking the Talk The Weight of a of a Nation Tribal Balance Theurge: TheCrescent The Crescent Moon, TheSeer The Seer Seeing the Seeing the Rest of the of the World Tribal Secrets
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Ragabash: TheNe The New w Moon, Moon, The The Trickster To Wear a Wear a Fool’s Cap Eyes from Eyes from the Shadows, Knives in the Dark Tribal Riddles
Chapter Two: Born a Warrior Born in Sin On the Conception of Werewolv Werewolves es Growing Up an Outsider The First Change The Personal View Personal View Growing Up Growing Up Broken A Practical Approach Practical Approach Unworthy The First Law of Law of the the Litany Metis Camps The Followers of Vulcan of Vulcan The Children of Kubera of Kubera The Sisterhood of Bes of Bes Society of Erichthonius of Erichthonius Views Views From Withou From Withoutt Black Furies Bone Gnawers Children of Gaia of Gaia Fianna Get of Fenris of Fenris Glass Walkers Red Talons Shadow Lords Silent Striders Silver Fangs Silver Fangs Stargazers Uktena
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Wendigo Black Spiral Dancers Sept Positions Different Appr Different Approaches oaches Firestone Sept, Caracas, Venezuela Sept of the of the River Dolphin, River Dolphin, Amazon Delta, Brazil Sept of the of the Labrys, Lefka Ori Mountain, Crete Painted Rock Sept, Southwest Oklahoma The Red Sept, Moscow, Russian Federation The Kinfolk Perspective Kinfolk Perspective Ernst Jonsson, Ernst Jonsson, Get of Fenris of Fenris Kin Lena Wozniack, Glass Walker Kin Walker Kin Metis and Auspi and Auspices ces Ahroun Galliard Philodox Theurge Ragabash Final Notes New Deformities New Deformities Barred Shape Brittle Claws and Fangs Eyes of Darkness Hip Dysplasia Hirsute Monstrous Musk Nervous Transformation Transformation No Fangs No Muscle Mass Slow Healer Spiritual Deformity Third Eye Unnaturally Unnaturally Colored Hide Weak Voice
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Chapter Three: Among Wolves
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The Cycle Birth Sensing Childhood Lupus Pups Rendezvous Yearling Yearling The Pack The Dispersed The Law The Change Realization Captivity Becoming Garou
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65 66 66 67 67 67 68 68
76 76 76 76 77 77 78 79 79 80 81 82 82 83
Life Slows Down Language Induction Adaptations Adaptations Gnosis Gifts Kinfolk Purpose Humanity’s Edge Emotion Rage To Be Garou The Pack Punishment Rank and Challenge Breeding The Garou Nation Ragabash Theurge Philodox Galliard Ahroun The Tribe Black Furies Bone Gnawers Children of Gaia Fianna Get of Fenris Glass Walkers Red Talons Talons Shadow Lords Silent Striders Silver Fangs Stargazers Uktena Wendigo The Sept Master of the Howl Keeper of the Land Den Mother/Father Mother/Father Warder Master of the Rite Elder Alpha Farewell
Chapter Four: Closer Than Family The Soul of the of the Pack Membership Structure Wolf vs. Wolf vs. Werewolf Totem Picking it Apart it Apart Auspice Auspice Ragabash Theurge CHANGING WAYS
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Philodox Galliard Ahroun Tribes Majority Packs Balanced Single Tribe Unique Threads Temporary Packs Large Packs Tutelary Packs Shifting Zedakhs Shifting Zedakhs Strange Hierarchies Wolves in Human Clothing Blessed Packs Anonymous Leadership Enablers and Abusers and Abusers Generational Packs Anarchist Packs Territory & Community Moving In Claiming Land Claiming Land Losing Ground Losing Ground Home Improvement Pillars of the of the Community Pulling Up Stakes Hierarchy of Needs of Needs Totem The Totem Bond Changing Times Out of Sync of Sync Parting of Parting of the the Ways Burning Bridges Burning Bridges Renunciation Excoriation Old Blood and New New Blood Old Blood New Rite New Rite Rite of Excoriation of Excoriation Example Packs The Columbus Crew Members Totem Story Hooks The Edgecrushers Members Totem Story Hooks The Lost Children Members Totem Story Hooks Pack as Pack as Character Creating the Pack Step Zero: Weakest and Strongest Links Step One: Concept
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Step Two: Attributes Two: Attributes Step Three: Abilities Three: Abilities Step Four: Advantages Four: Advantages Step Five: Finishing Touches Finishing Touches Playing the Pack Pack Tactics Pack Tactics Creating Pack Tactics Pack Tactics Example Tactics
Chapter Five: Spirit Magic Gifts In Desperation, Flight Chiminage In Change, Understanding Dawning In Remembrance, Rage Becoming Perspective In Farewell, Revelation The Hard Wa Wayy
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Rites The Paths We Forge Ourselves A Universe Universe of Laws The Pact Where We Belong Harmony Second Chances Dissonance Far from Home Changing Wa Ways ys and Means Exceptions Exception s to the Rule Making New Rules Systems For the Storyteller: Creative License New Gifts Breed Gifts Homid Metis Lupus Auspice Auspice Gifts Ragabash
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Theurge Philodox Galliard Ahroun New Rites Rites of Accord Pledge of the Battle Mate Rites of Death Rite of Memorial Rite of Soul Sending Mystic Rites Call to the Lost Call to Arms Rite of the Shadow Play Rite of Spirit Union Rites of Renown Rite of Succession Minor Rites Calling the Directions Honoring the Ancestors Greet the North Star
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Werewolves Werewolves are not simply humans that can change (or earlier, in the case of metis), is profoundly different , shape and perform some other neat tricks. They are dualistic both in the way they live it and the way they think, feel, creatures, both spirit and flesh. Both man and beast. Both and act. This book aims to explore that difference, as well Rage-filled killing machine and spiritualistic shaman. They as the difference inherent in being born a metis or lupus. are Gaia’s warriors and defenders, but also responsible for We We all know what what it is like to grow grow up and live live as humans. some of Her deepest wounds. They are as different from both This book helps both players and Storytellers get below the humans and wolves as they are from each other. Indeed, surface of werewolves and into their hearts, minds, and some of them have never been human or wolf. wolf. souls. Forget tribes, forget auspices, forget sept traditions; Being a Garou is more than shapeshifting, gifts, gif ts, breed, this books gets personal and goes to the core of what it and tribe. It goes deeper, into the very core of being. A Ga- means to be a werewolf, as well as what it means to have rou can smell and hear the world the way a wolf does, but been born not human, either as a metis or a lupus. think about it as a human. They can construct and build items and social structures like humans while applying the singular, predatory predator y focus of a wolf. wolf. They can lose themselves in the ferocious battle fury of the Crinos shape or walk Chapter One: Soul of a Hunter examines the Garou between the worlds into the Umbra to speak to the spirits. in body, mind, and soul. How does it i t feel to be a werewolf, They can reshape themselves, heal from almost anything to shapeshift, to regenerate, to have a human’s intelligence so fast it’s visible to the naked eye — and can be felt by the with a wolf’s wolf’s senses? senses? What do the four legs of the Hispo and Garou experiencing it — they can feel the righteous fury as Lupus shape mean, as opposed to the two legs of the other they channel their Rage and the spiritual clarity that comes shapes? How does a Garou react differently dif ferently to stimuli than with tapping into their Gnosis. humans? How does being a werewolf influence her thinking? All this and a hundred other little things set the Garou And how does does it feel to quit quit the material material world world and move move apart from humans. Their lives, from their First Change into the spirit realm of the Umbra? This chapter is all about
How to Use this Book
INTRODUCTION: OF SPIRIT AND FLESH
7
understanding the Garou, what makes them different on the inside, and how that can be expressed during play. Chapter Two: Born a Warrior takes a look at that most unfortunate result of breaking the first law of the Litany: The metis. What does it mean to grow up knowing from your first breath that you are a werewolf? werewolf? This chapter goes into what that means, not just physically, physically, but also mentally. It also looks at the various attitudes towards metis, both among tribes and septs. Chapter Three: Among A mong Wolves goes into what it means to be a lupus Garou. Wolves are even more different from humans than metis are, and being a wolf is more than just four legs, fur, and different senses. This chapter goes into how growing up as a wolf results in a Garou with a vastly different mindset than both homid and metis, as well as giving a lot of information on wolves in general; perfect for Storytellers looking to use wolf Kinfolk. Chapter Four: Closer Than Family is is all about that unique Garou social construct, the pack. A werewolf pack is not a wolf pack, no more than it is a human circle of friends. This chapter examines pack structure, different types of packs, and what roles different Auspices play in them. It also looks at different types of packs and gives inspiration to both players and Storytellers when it comes to creating internal dynamics and drama within a pack. Chapter Five: Spirit Magic delves into the spirit magic of the Garou: gifts and rites. What are gifts, how do you learn them and how do they work, on a narrative level? Where do rites come from and what do they mean for Garou society in general and individual werewolves in particular? This chapter has advice on how to make learning gifts from spirits something somethi ng more interesting than just “spending XP,” XP,” and on how to make the learning, creation, and discovery of rites part of the story, either as player or storyteller.
So You Want to be Garou
to know that most wounds will heal in seconds. Be prepared to describe your interactions with other characters based on a different set of senses, a different societal structure, or the fact that you gre grew w up as a wolf. You You might even want wan t to try to get out of your comfort zone and act (and react) completely differently or even counter to what would be expected from a sane human. After all, you are playing a monster, even if it’s a monster who fights for Gaia.
The Players’ Perspective For you, this book is all about how to flesh out your character, to make them seem more real. Not necessarily realistic — we are talking about werewolves werewolves here — but adding a layer of realism to a fantastic idea. See this book as a way to enhance not only your own roleplaying experience but that of the entire group. Maybe you want to play a lupus; Chapter Three will give you all the information you need to play a character who has never been a human and has grown up with vastly different experiences than one. Use this book for ideas on how to portray characters in such a way as to create drama. The chapter on metis isn’t just for those who want to play a metis, it can also be good reading for players of other breeds who want ideas for how their character reacts to and thinks about them. Read the chapter on packs to see how you want your character to react to her packmates. In the end, the idea is to make werewolves more interesting, more compelling, more rounded, and cooler in play.
The Storyteller’s Perspective This book contains a wealth of material and ideas for making your games feel more alive, more immersive, and more dramatic. Look at Chapter Five and use it to make a story about a young pack out to learn their first gifts, gif ts, or a more experienced pack trying to put together all that they need for a new and powerful Rite. Draw on Chapter One to describe what a character’s senses tell him in different forms, how his body reacts to certain stimuli, how the Umbra feels and smells and even tastes. In fact, go crazy when it comes to senses. You’re responsible for telling the players what their characters feel, and this is a great part of what can immerse i mmerse a player in her character.
Characters are always more than mere dots on a character sheet, and some of the best games go to the core of what that character is. This book will look into those aspects of a werewolf that are fundamentally different dif ferent from a human. Shapeshifting, regenerating, using gifts, entering the Umbra, being born something other than human, and Note the character’s form when describing to her player more. We aim not only to tell you how it works but bu t also how what she sees. Humans have great eyesight, with lots of it feels. How it shapes a Garou and her way of acting and attention to detail. As noted in Chapter Three, wolves see interacting. Since werewolves are not humans, portraying things very differently. In the Crinos shape, everything tends them as simple shapeshifting warriors does them a disser- to be just a little red-tinted, and any rapid movement looks vice. Instead Instead of just rolling the the dice, imagine what it is like like danger. Various gifts also change the way a character sees for your character’s body to warp and shift shif t from a familiar her surroundings. Add little embellishments to important shape into something different. Think about what it is like Storyteller Characters and locations to make them stand
Sight
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CHANGING WAYS
CHEAT While cheating with the rules is bad — whether player or a Storyteller — the Storyteller can borrow from fiction, and use the characters’ senses as unreliable narrators. Tell the players something that is false. If a character has been using a lot of Rage, tell the player that the bored mall security guard who just wants to check that the pack isn’t a bunch of hooligans is being abrasive and insulting. If a character has been spending Gnosis, tell them that a perfectly ordinary glade in the forest is more alive, more vibrant. Tell the player of a character in Lupus shape that the suspected fomor who just went into the abandoned chemical factory was wearing a suit in a different different color than it was. Tell Tell a player whose character grew up as a metis that he can hear the gaggle of teenagers whispering behind his back, drawing attention to his deformity, deformity, when in reality, they’re whispering about his very attractive packmate. By passing notes to players on how their characters perceive something different from the others, you can create entertaining scenes where the characters characters — and players — wonder wonder why the others react the way they do.
For players, sound effects can be a great mood setter. Many of us are unfamiliar with the sounds of a pristine forest. Again, the internet is your friend, with not only nature and urban sounds (loud machinery for a fight in a factory), but also such simple sounds as heavy breathing, footsteps, and screams. A playlist and maybe a remote control can really help set the mood. Music is another good way to use hearing, as long as it is not overdone. Try to stay away from music that your players know too well or that has lyrics they can understand since it might be more distracting than helpful. Still, you can set the tone of a moot with some tribal music or some Irish folk music for a Fianna moot — or some Dropkick Murphys for a Fianna moot in the US. Get the blood pumping with some power metal. Set the tone of the game with modern folk or neopagan music (such as Omnia’s “Earth Warrior”). Use electronic music to represent Weaver locations, punk for urban wastelands and a selection of movie soundtracks for fight scenes.
Smell
Think long and hard about how to describe smells to a Garou in Lupus, Hispo and even Crinos shape. Contrasts are good – the fresh smell of damp earth, pine needles and dozens of small animals fade into wet concrete, asphalt, rotting garbage, and a thousand humans as you enter the city. A factory smells of hot metal, a brewery smells of grain and hops, a pharmaceutical facility has a hundred strange, unidentifiable chemical smells. As cheesy cheesy as it may may sound, you can can engage the players’ players’ sense of smell with scented candles and incense. Just don’t out, both when introduced and in the players’ memory. overdo it. Various air fresheners might also work, though When you want to engage the players’ sight, you might you might think twice about spraying “fresh pine” scent want to go all-out with the preparation, lighting the gaming to evoke a forest. room with candles to suggest a bonfire in a forest, or adding several lamps to brighten up the room for a noonday scene or a confrontation set in a brightly-lit laboratory. Using These two are very hard to simulate for the players, pictures for Storyteller characters is good, but you can also so they become extra important when describing to the use them for locations. Search the internet for beautiful characters. nature vistas to remind the players what their characters are Touch can be used to convey the feeling of being somesom efighting for or to show them how their caern might look. thing other than human; the wind in a character’s fur, the Use pictures of urban decay, abandoned factories, open pit feel of concrete under her naked paws, the sensation of mining, or forestry clearings to show them the enemy, or her claws cracking the carapace of a Bane and biting into simply to give them a better sense of how a battleground the ichor beneath. looks and what tactical options are present. Taste shows up surprisingly frequently — a character gets a taste of her foe every time she bites someone, be it an enemy in battle or a friend in a playful fight or ritual Humans have good hearing, wolves have phenomenal challenge. A player whose character is in Lupus shape and hearing, and the intermediate forms lie somewhere in decides to eat a freshly-killed deer deserves deser ves a description of between. Pay Pay special attention to how you describe sounds the taste of hide, raw meat, and warm blood. Likewise, the to players whose characters are in Lupus shape. Remember player of a lupus who eats her first O’Tolleys O’Tolleys burger, full of that loud or sudden noises are likely to make a Crinos shape processed recovered meat-like product, deserves to know Garou think “attack first, fir st, check source later.” what her character’s character’s senses pick up.
Touch and Taste
Hearing
INTRODUCTION: OF SPIRIT AND FLESH
9
