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=General Flaws=
<tabs>
<tab name="Garou">
= Buying Gifts =


<div class="mw-customtoggle-gflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Flaws</div>
===Cost===
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-gflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
What gifts cost
 
===Wait Time===
 
How long it takes to learn gifts
 
===Method===
 
Staff preferences on +requests and chiminage
 
----
 
==Level Six Gifts==
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
Level Six Gifts are the blessings of the gods and the stuff of legend, even to creatures that walk among the spirits all their lives. Such Gifts are available only to the greatest heroes of a generation, Garou whose legends will be retold until the very end of days; and then only if the hero can make her way to an Incarna's court and fulfill a quest or deed for the godlike spirit - such incredible powers are never gained in response to a ritemaster's summons. Because they are so rare, only a few representative examples are provided here; most of these gifts are known by only one living Garou at a time, if that.
 
----
 
==Breed Gifts==
 
Many spirits bestow breed Gifts, usually to honor ancient pacts or as rewards for past deeds. For example, tales speak of how an ancient metis helped a mole to hide from predators; in return, the mole taught the metis how to burrow into the earth to hide from his own enemies, and mole spirits have continued to pass down the trick to metis ever since.
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homid">
 
=Homid Gifts=
 
Homid Gifts involve humanity's skills and abilities, not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Mankind's struggle to dominate the natural world has given humans great control over their environment, but also alienated them from the world they live in, producing a disquiet of the soul. Because humans have become strangers to the world of spirit, many homid breed Gifts are taught by ancestors rather than by nature spirits.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Apecraft's Blessing'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Though many of Gaia's children use tools, none have mastered them so thoroughly as humanity. The homid focuses this mastery into the tools she uses, causing their spirits to awaken and lend her aid. An ancestor-spirit or spirit of a man-made object teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf spends a turn concentrating, and then the player rolls Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success reduces the difficulty by one on the next roll she makes for her character to employ a tool made by human hands. The purpose is irrelevant—this Gift is equally efficacious for attempts to repair an engine, drive a car or fire a gun.
 
----
 
'''City Running'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.
 
----
 
'''Master of Fire'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Smell of Man'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.
 
'''System:''' Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|5
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
 
----
 
'''Mark of the Wolf'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf marks those she comes in contact with, leaving them to carry the same aura of the predator the Garou does. This subtle curse can wreak havoc in a target's private or professional life, and is a favorite of many homids looking to provoke discord in the ranks of the enemy. A Lune teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player selects a target that has had some interaction with the Garou during the scene (even something as simple as a light conversation in an elevator counts), then rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The target inherits the Curse (see pg 262 of the W20 Core book) as though she had a Rage rating equal to that of the Garou for one day per success.
 
----
 
'''Speech of the World'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Staredown'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Calm the Savage Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.
 
----
 
'''Cowing the Bullet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.
 
----
 
'''Disquiet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.
 
----
 
'''Reshape Object'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Body Shift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Bury the Wolf'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 125px" | Duration
|-
|-
! Flaw
|1
! Cost
|One scene
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
| '''Anosmia'''
|2
| 1
|12 hours
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 473
| ''Synopsis:'' Whether from birth or due to some illness or accident, you’ve lost all sense of taste and smell.<br>
''System:'' You automatically fail any roll involving these two senses, including Primal Urge rolls for tracking or hunting. In Lupus form, it’s even more crippling, since smell is a wolf’s most acute sense; this Flaw cancels out the –2 difficulty to Perception rolls a Garou gets in that form. There’s a slight benefit, however: At the Storyteller’s discretion, you may be immune to the debilitating effects of environmental conditions, Gifts and supernatural abilities that rely on odors.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Hard of Hearing'''
|3
| 1
|One day
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 473<br>V20 Core, pg 480
| ''Synopsis:'' You have problems hearing certain sounds or ranges of sounds, or have some other problem that affects your auditory senses.<br>
''System:'' You have a +2 difficulty to all rolls involving hearing sounds. You do not receive the normal bonus for Perception in Lupus form for auditory checks.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Monochrome Vision'''
|4
| 1
|One week
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 473
| ''Synopsis:'' You cannot distinguish between colors, but see the world in varying shades of black and white and gray. This is not true color-blindness, which usually refers to the inability to distinguish between certain colors (such as red and green).<br>
''System:''  Color has no meaning for you, though you can differentiate intensities of shade — dark gray, light gray, dull gray, etc. This Flaw occurs more frequently among lupus Garou.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Short'''
|5
| 1
|One lunar cycle
| General
|-
| Physical
|}
| W20 Core, pg 473<br>V20 Core, pg 481
 
| ''Synopsis:'' You are well below average height — four and a half feet (1.5 meters) tall or less. Your diminutive size causes you problems, making it difficult to see over obstacles, reach high shelves, or manipulate things built for average individuals.<br>
----
''System:'' This lack of stature is mirrored in all of your forms. Your running speed is halved, and your Storyteller may choose to levy additional penalties as appropriate in any given situation, although occasionally, this Flaw can give you a concealment advantage.<br>
 
''Notes:'' <br>
'''Cocoon'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Ward'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Assimilation'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
 
----
 
'''Beyond Human'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou is human plus - Human plus strength, agility and health. Human plus devoted, assured spirituality and meaning. Human plus animal instinct and lightning reflexes. Human plus righteous fury with which to meet the Apocalypse. He is a man, but greater. Every Garou radiates this to some extent, but this Gift warps that perception, changing the Garou from a figure to be avoided to one to be admired or adored. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Once learned, this Gift's effects are permanent. Humans dealing with the werewolf instinctively pick her out as more desirable, important, and interesting than those around her - regardless of the character's capacity in such matters. The Curse still applies, but rather than being instinctively feared as a predator, the werewolf becomes an intimidating figure of great presence. Finally, the character may boost her Social Attributes by spending Rage or Gnosis. Each dot of either spent raises one Social Attribute by one point for the rest of the scene. Social Attributes may be raised above 5 in this fashion.
 
----
 
'''Part the Veil'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-metis" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Metis Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-metis">
 
=Metis Gifts=
 
The spirit world has never hesitated to provide its blessings to metis - in the eyes of the spirits, a metis is as true a Garou as any other. Metis Gifts tend to be an eclectic collection of pacts and powers. Constantly scorned by their brethren and denied pride of place, metis learn to make friends where they can and take what allies they can get.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Create Element'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.
 
----
 
'''Primal Anger'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.
 
'''System:''' The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).
 
----
 
'''Rat Head'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' Metis are born into a world where they metaphorically don't belong; it seemed only natural to rat spirits to teach them to get into such places into the literal sense as well. This Gift renders the metis's bone structure collapsible, allowing her to squeeze through any gap she can fit her head into.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the metis may squirm through any gap she can fit her face into, moving at her walking speed to do so.
 
----
 
'''Sense Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Shed'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Burrow'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.
 
----
 
'''Curse of Hatred'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.
 
----
 
'''Form Mastery'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Sense Silver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Chameleon'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' Like the Gift's reptilian namesake, the Garou can blend with her natural surroundings. Unlike the lizard, the werewolf shifts fluidly with changing backgrounds, this allowing the Garou to move about and even attack. A chameleon or octopus spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to activate the Gift. Anyone trying to see the werewolf, even in open ground, must make a Perception roll (difficulty of the Garou's Wits + Stealth) to detect her. Once the Garou attacks, the difficulty drips by 3. The Gift affects only sight; it does not mask the Garou's sound or scent.
 
----
 
'''Eyes of the Cat'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
'''Mental Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
'''Shell'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' Shell places an emotional and instinctual barrier around the metis, shutting out the hostility of the world and suppressing his own powerful, destructive impulses. It is taught by a turtle spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the character's own Rage). Success insulates the metis for a scene behind a mystical and psychological barrier, immunizing him against mind-altering magic of all kinds for the rest of the scene. However, he cannot gain any successes on Empathy, Primal Urge, or Rage rolls, nor can he spend Rage points.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Gift of the Porcupine'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.
 
'''System:''' The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.
 
----
 
'''Lash of Rage'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The metis harnesses all of the shame, hate, and fury coiled in his heart and lashes out with it, destroying another. Bones snap, organs rupture, and cavities fill with blood as the metis's Rage tears the target apart. A spirit of fury teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls his Rage rating. A target within 100 yards (91 m) takes one level of unsoakable aggravated damage for each success. This Gift can be used safely only once per scene. Any additional uses inflict the Gift's full damage on both the metis and his target.
 
----
 
'''Rattler's Bite'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The metis's eyeteeth lengthen, and she can inject a deadly poison with her bite. Spider and snake spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point when attempting to bite an opponent. If the bite is successful, any remaining damage after soak is doubled.
 
----
 
'''Wither Limb'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' With a snarl and a baleful stare, the werewolf ruins an opponent's limb" bones twist, muscles whither, flesh desiccates. Creatures with regenerative capabilities will recover after one scene; all others are permanently crippled. Venomous spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 4). The victim adds two to the difficulties of all Dexterity rolls. If a leg is crippled, he can move at only half his normal speed.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Madness'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.
 
----
 
'''Protean Form'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' Born misshapen, the metis takes her deformity and makes it a source of power. She can twist her flesh in any number of ways, sprouting a number of unnatural features, from extra limbs to additional mouths to grasping tentacles. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character's ability to partially transform (see W20 Core pg 286) is permanently modified, allowing her to make almost any grotesque modifications the player can imagine. These modifications must logically bestow one of the following benefits: +2 dice on a certain category of attack rolls (extra clawed limbs for claw attacks, tentacles for clinches, etc), +t damage on a certain category of attack rolls (a chest-mounted squid beak for extra damage on clinches, arms coated in shark teeth for boosted claw attacks, etc), or +5 yards per turn of movement (extra legs, vestigial wings, etc.)
 
----
 
'''Totem Gift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158''
 
'''Description:''' Metis are Garou from the moment of their birth, and their ties to the spirit that guides their tribe run deep. The metis may plead with her tribal totem for power, with effects varying from tribe to tribe. Rat might send a swarm of rodents to attack the werewolf's enemies, while Grandfather Thunder might send down the lightning to strike aside obstacles and opponents. The potential of this Gift depends on the favor of the totem, and may extend into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the aid provided. One success might cause a minor distraction whereas 10 successes could produce volcanic eruptions or country smashing tornadoes.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-lupus" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Lupus Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-lupus">
 
=Lupus Gifts=
 
Lupus Gifts reflect the breed's powerful ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.
 
==Level One==
 
'''Hare's Leap'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
 
----
 
'''Heightened Senses'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
 
----
 
'''Sense Prey'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.
 
----
 
'''Predator's Arsenal'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' One of the most unnerving aspects of the Homid shape is its lack of proper weapons. This Gift remedies that problem (while still retaining much of the Homid shape's ability to blend in with the human world), granting the Garou battle-ready claws and teeth in Homid form. It is taught by a wolf spirit.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn to gain access to bite and claw attacks in Homid form for the rest of the scene, or until she dismisses the transformation. These attacks inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage, and may be concealed by simple expediencies such as the werewolf keeping her mouth closed, wearing long sleeves or keeping her hands in her pockets. She can even speak normally without giving herself away, as long as she's careful not to open her mouth too wide or smile so that her teeth show, although her voice sounds rough and a bit distorted (attempting to discern that there's something amiss with a Garou taking such precautions requires a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 9).
 
----
 
'''Prey Mind'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' As Gaia dies and her natural order is perverted, predators become prey with increasing frequency - this is a sorrowful truth that lupus know all too well. This Gift assists the Garou in evading their enemies that they might fight another day, showing them places to hide, ways to run, and even chances to strike back. A hare or deer spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Primal Urge; difficulty 7 in the wilderness, 9 in urban environments. Each success adds one die to all pools made to escape, out-distance, hide from or evade pursuit for the remainder of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Axis Mundi'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Eye of the Eagle'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to see over impossibly long distances, though not through obstacles - good vantage points are invaluable, and this Gift is in much demand among caern guardians. It is taught by an eagle spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of miles added to the Garou's clear visual range.
 
----
 
'''Name the Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
 
----
 
'''Scent of Sight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.
 
----
 
'''Trapper’s Bane'''
 
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 81''
 
'''Description:''' Dingoes throughout Australia, but especially near the dingo fence, face a constant threat from human traps — snares, steel traps, and poison. The dingoes have become adept at detecting these dangers and even disarming them. This Gift allows the werewolf to identify lures, traps, and even ambushes. Dingo spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Storyteller rolls Perception + Primal Urge when the werewolf comes within (Gnosis x 5) yards of a trap’s trigger. The difficulty is 5 for the werewolf to detect simple snares, pits, and poisoned bait in the area. Identifying more technologically complex traps such as electrified objects and motion-activated traps is difficulty 6. Supernatural traps are difficulty 7. Additionally, whenever the werewolf approaches an ambush, the Storyteller rolls Perception + Primal Urge against difficulty 6 for the werewolf to recognize the ambush before it springs. The werewolf does not have to activate this Gift, it provides a “sixth sense” at all times.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Cat Feet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.
 
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Monkey Tail'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).
 
----
 
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
 
----
 
'''Silence the Weaver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The lupus releases a shattering howl, destroying all nearby delicate electronics - computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and the like. Simpler machines such as land line phones, cars, and firearms are unaffected. A storm spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The lupus spends a turn howling. The player then spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge. Delicate electronics are destroyed within a radius of (20 x successes) yards (or meters) in a flash of sparks.
 
----
 
'''Strength of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The Goddess blesses the lupus with the fullness of his might when he wears the most natural of his skins. While wearing lupus form, the Garou enjoys the full might of Crinos. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. His lupus form base strength increases by four, rather than the normal one, for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Beast Life'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
 
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
 
----
 
'''Gnaw'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Scream of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.
 
----
 
'''Terror of the Dire Wolf'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' Wolves haunt the ancestral nightmares of humanity, and of those monsters that were once human. The werewolf lets out a fierce snarl that triggers primordial terror in opponents and drowns them in the Delirium. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or, if he is affecting a group, the highest Willpower represented). If successful, the werewolf invokes the full effect of the Delirium on any human, formerly human, or partly human creature who can see her - including those normally immune to the Delirium, such as mages and vampires. Only other werewolves and Fera are immune. It may be used in any form, although Homid and Glabro raise the difficulty of the Primal Urge roll by one.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Elemental Gift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).
 
----
 
'''Song of the Great Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
==Auspice Gifts==
 
These Gifts are the secrets given to Gaia’s children by Luna. She bid her many servants teach the Garou their various tricks, arming them with magical skills with which to protect Gaia.
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-ragabash" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ragabash Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-ragabash">
 
=Ragabash=
 
Luna's Gifts to the Ragabash defy tradition and conventional wisdom. Well suited to tricksters, scouts and saboteurs, the eclectic blessings of the new moon are nothing if not effective.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Blur of the Milky Eye'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Infectious Laughter'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' Laughter is the tool with which Gaia’s tricksters promote enlightenment and the knife that slashes through the veil of Rage. When the Ragabash laughs, those around her are compelled to follow along, forgetting their grievances. A coyote  or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Ragabash must make some comment mocking the present situation in which she finds herself, then laugh at it. The player then rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the highest Rage rating of anyone listening). Success causes those who hear the Ragabash's comment and laughter to lose hold of their ire, and forget what it was that had them upset in the first place - although their temper will return if they are reminded of what the New Moon has made them forget.
 
----
 
'''Liar's Face'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash wraps herself in such a deceitful attitude that nothing she says can be trusted - not even the clear and unvarnished truth. The werewolf may make a single truthful statement, and no human who hears it will believe her. A platypus spirit teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' After the character makes a truthful statement, the player spends one Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). This Gift is automatically effective on humans, causing them to believe the Ragabash is lying. Supernatural listeners whose Willpower is lower than the Ragabash's successes will also refuse to believe the Ragabash's words.
 
----
 
'''Open Seal'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
 
----
 
'''Scent of Running Water'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Blissful ignorance'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
 
----
 
'''Spider's Song'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can steal messages from the Weaver's web, plucking them from the air or eavesdropping as they race through telephone lines. The Ragabash must be aware that conversation is happening to listen in on it (thought she doesn't have to know who's on the other end of the line). For conversations across land lines, the Ragabash must place her ear against a telephone pole or cord; to listen in on cell phone discussions (or even to intercept text messages) she need only be able to see one of the phones being used. Spider and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. She listens in on the conversation (or receives mental translations of text messages) for as long as she keeps her ear to the line or keeps the cellphone user in sight.
 
----
 
'''Taking the Forgotten'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Gremlins'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|-
| '''One Eye'''
|4
| 2
|Computer
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pf 473<br>V20 Core, pg 481
| ''Synopsis:'' You lack depth perception and have limited vision, due to the fact that you only have one eye. Your blind side has no peripheral vision.<br>
''System:'' The difficulties of all Perception rolls involving eyesight are increased by two, and when depth perception is involved (such as during ranged combat), the difficulty is increased by an additional +1.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Bad Sight'''
|6
| 2
|Phone
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 473<br>V20 Core, pg 481
| ''Synopsis:'' You have a hard time seeing due to an uncorrectable visual defect.<br>
''System:'' The difficulties of all dice rolls related to sight increased by two. Your Lupus form does not receive the standard bonus to Perception for visual checks, though the bonuses to other senses are not affected. Unlike nearsightedness or farsightedness, this defect cannot be corrected.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Lame'''
|7
| 3
|Automobile
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474<br>V20 Core, 482
| ''Synopsis:'' Either from birth, an accident, or a major battle scar, your legs are damaged, which prevents you from running or walking easily. You have a pronounced limp and may need assistance from a cane or walking stick.<br>
''System:'' Your walking speed is one-quarter that of a normal human, and running is impossible. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their metis disfigurement.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''One Arm'''
|8
| 3
|Gun
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474
| ''Synopsis:'' You were either born with only one arm or lost your arm through an injury of some sort. You suffer no secondary-hand penalty, since you have adapted to using your one hand for most activities.<br>
''System:'' When you need to use two hands, however, you lose two dice from your dice pool. Your running speed in Hispo and Lupus form is 1/2 of normal. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inherent deformity.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Deaf'''
|9
| 4
|Knife
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474<br>V20 Core, pg 483
| ''Synopsis:'' You were either born profoundly deaf or have lost your hearing entirely. You may feel sound vibrations from sufficiently loud noises, but you hear nothing.<br>
''System:'' The difficulty of any Perception rolls related to sound is increased by three. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn disfigurement.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Mute'''
|}
| 4
 
| General
----
| Physical
 
| W20 Core, pg 474<br>V20 Core, pg 483
'''Liar's Craft'''
| ''Synopsis:'' You cannot speak, in any form. Even communicating via Garou Tongue or lupine language (which relies upon both vocalizations and body movements to communicate) are beyond you, as is Spirit Speech. <br>
 
''System:'' As a player, you may communicate with the Storyteller and describe your actions, but your character cannot talk to other characters unless everyone concerned possesses a commonly understood sign language (via the Language Merit). Otherwise, your character must communicate through writing or body language. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn disfigurement.<br>
''W20 Core pg 162''
''Notes:'' <br>
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.
 
'''System:''' The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.
 
----
 
'''Monkey Tail'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and 159''
 
'''Description:''' The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).
 
----
 
'''Open Moon Bridge'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).
 
----
 
'''Pathfinder'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can strike implausible trails through pristine wilderness and the urban jungle alike, locating the fasted and shortest routes from one place to another. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Survival (for wilderness) or Streetwise (for urban environments) against difficult 7. The number of successes equals the quality of the path she blazes and how much she decreases her travel time. Every success reduces travel time by approximately 10 percent, up to a maximum of half the original travel time. The difficulty of any rolls to track the werewolf increase by two when this Gift is active; this decrease is cumulative with other similar effects, such as Scent of Running Water.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Luna's Blessing'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' When Luna stands visible in the night sky, silver ceases to act as a bane to the Garou. Indeed, when the moon waxes full, silver may well turn on those who would wield it against Gaia's children. A Lune teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When the moon shows in the sky in a visible phase, the character suffers lethal or bashing damage from silver, rather than aggravated (damage type depends on the form of attack - a silver-headed cane would do bashing damage, while silver bullets inflict lethal damage). Additionally, all attacks against werewolf with silver weapons at this time are considered to roll a 1 in addition to all dice actually rolled - or a pair of 1s during the full moon. The Garou retains his normal vulnerability to silver during the day, on nights of the new moon, and when the moon is below the horizon.
 
----
 
'''Umbral Dodge'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash finds that the best way to deal with an enemy is to send him far away - perhaps to a place where he'll learn the folly of his ways. She may tear open a hole in the Gauntlet while dodging an enemy's attack, sending him to the land of spirits. A trapdoor-spider spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When attempting to dodge a close-range attack, the player spends one Gnosis point and increases the difficulty of the dodge by one, or to the rating of the local Gauntlet, whichever is higher. If the dodge succeeds in avoiding the attack completely, the attacker is dropped into the Penumbra (or into the physical world if this Gift is used in the Penumbra).
 
----
 
'''Whelp Body'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Thieving Talons of the Magpie'''
 
''W20 Core pg 163''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued might be exempt, at the Storyteller's discretion). Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Ragabash steals the targeted power, depriving the owner of its use. Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Ragabash who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2). The Garou may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn. The werewolf's Ggnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Ragabash must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!"). This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.
 
----
 
'''Thousand Forms'''
 
''W20 Core pg 163''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.
 
----
 
==Level Six==
 
'''Firebringer'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash performs the ultimate trick, stealing a supernatural power and turning it into a Gift, which may in turn be bestowed upon others as though the New Moon were a spirit teacher. Alas, the Ragabash must first survive having the power used upon him. Coyote or another trickster Incarna teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After having a power used on him, the Ragabash may spend one point of permanent Gnosis to internalize it into a Gift. The Ragabash cannot use this Gift himself, and in fact forfeits all defenses against that power if ever used on him in the future; it exists instead as a treasure to bequeath upon the Garou Nation. Any power may become a Gift in this fashion - even the vile magic of the Wyrm may be stolen and turned to the defense of Gaia. The Storyteller determines the new Gift's appropriate level and what sort of spirit Garou should be able to learn it from. In the case of mages, this power steals particular rotes rather than entire Spheres.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-theurge" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Theurge Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-theurge">
 
=Theurge=
 
Luna's Gifts to the children of the Crescent Moon grant insights into the Umbra and its denizens, as well as power over spirits and the minds of others.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Mother's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Sense Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Snare'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
 
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Umbral Tether'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' The Umbra is a shifting world where logic doesn't always apply and losing one's way is easy. Theurges ensure they can always find their way back to the point where they entered the Umbra with this Gift, which creates a silvery "umbilical cord" connecting the Garou to the point where they last crossed the Gauntlet. Only the werewolf who creates the tether can see it. This Gift is taught by a spider spirit.
 
'''System:''' No roll is needed to create the thread. However, after each full day the character spends in the Umbra, a point of Gnosis must be spent to maintain the cord; otherwise, it slowly corrodes from the point of entry and toward the Garou.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Battle Mandala'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' A mystical sigil burns itself into the ground around the Theurge, visible only to those with Gnosis ratings. This circle drains the Essence from spirits caught within its web. A spider or ant-lion spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 7). The battle mandala encompasses a radius of (50 x number of successes) feet (or 15 meters per success) around the Garou; spirits (other than the Garou's pack totem) within the mandala lose one Essence per turn. The mandala dissipates at the end of the scene or when the werewolf steps outside of its bounds, whichever comes first.
 
----
 
'''Command Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.
 
----
 
'''Name the Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165 and 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
 
----
 
'''Sight From Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Exorcism'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Invisible'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.
 
----
 
'''Umbral Camouflage'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Web Walker'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may travel on the Pattern Web through the Umbra without physical difficulty, and without attracting the unfriendly attention of Weaver spirits in the area. Any Weaver spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science (difficulty 7). Success enables the Garou (and her pack, so long as they stick close to her) to travel through the Umbra across the Pattern Web as though she were on a moon bridge. Whether the Web's strands go where the Garou wants to travel is another matter entirely.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Blurring the Mirror'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Theurge to cloud the minds of other beings, making it impossible for them to find the Umbra or step sideways into it. Once used as a form of punishment for arrogant pups, this Gift is more often deployed as a weapon against Black Spiral Dancers in the days of the coming Apocalypse. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for every individual she wishes to affect. The Gauntlet increases by 5 for those targets for the rest of the scene. Up to five individuals can be affected at once. While normally used against other Garou, this Gift is effective against any being capable of entering the Umbra sideways, including other Fera and some mages.
 
----
 
'''Grasp the Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Drain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may drain power from a spirit to feed her own resolve. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a resisted Gnosis roll against the spirit. If the player succeeds, the spirit loses one Essence point per success for the rest of the scene. For every two points drained, the Garou gains a temporary Willpower point. She loses any points exceeding her maximum at the end of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Ward'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166 and 155''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Feral Lobotomy'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Ggarou can destroy the target's intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.
 
----
 
'''Malleable Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficult is based on what the garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 250px" | Change
|-
|-
| '''Blind'''
|6
| 6
|Characteristics (Willpower, Rage, Gnosis; one point changed per success)
| General
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474<br>V20 Core, pg 484
| ''Synopsis:'' You cannot see.<br>
''System:'' ou automatically fail any rolls based solely on vision. Difficulties on all Dexterity-based rolls are increased by two as well. All rolls made to step sideways are at +1 difficulty, as you cannot use the usual method of visualizing the other world. This flaw can be taken by metis characters as their disfigurement (for no freebie points).<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Compulsion'''
|7
| 1
|Disposition (Friendly, Neutral, Hostile)
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 476
| ''Synopsis:'' You feel compelled to take certain actions at certain times or under specific circumstances.<br>
''System:'' This psychological quirk sometimes takes a highly ritualized form (constant hand-washing or grooming) or else manifests in trigger situations (compulsive gambling, swearing, talking, stealing). This Flaw not only causes problems for you, but for your packmates as well. You may spend a Willpower point to avoid your compulsion temporarily. Check with your Storyteller to find out how long you can resist before you must spend another Willpower point or succumb to your compulsion.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Impatient'''
|9
| 1
|Type (Naturae, Elemental, Bane, etc)
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477<br>V20 Core, pg 485
| ''Synopsis:'' You have no patience for standing around and waiting. Now is the time for action. <br>
''System:'' Make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) any time you try to wait rather than act immediately. Failure means you’re off to tackle what’s got to be done, on your own if necessary.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Intolerance'''
|}
| 1
 
| General
----
| Mental
 
| W20 Core, pg 477
'''Ultimate Argument of Logic'''
| ''Synopsis:'' You have an irrational dislike of a certain thing: an animal, class of person, situation, or object.<br>
 
''System:'' You gain a +2 difficulty on all dice rolls involving the focus of your intolerance. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what you can choose to have an Intolerance of: some dislikes may be too trivial to count (doughnuts or mechanical pencils) while disliking “the Wyrm” is already a common mindset for Garou and hardly counts as a Flaw.<br>
''W20 Core, pg 166''
''Notes:'' <br>
 
'''Description:''' Those who speak with the Theurge leave convinced of some fact they might otherwise have disbelieved. If successful, the Garou can cause the target to believe implicitly in one aspect of existence (true or false) - that the Earth is the center of the universe, that there is such a thing as a spirit world, or that cities are unnatural affronts to nature, for example. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player needs three successes on a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty of the target's Wits + Enigmas).
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-philodox" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Philodox Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-philodox">
 
=Philodox Gifts=
 
Luna gifts her Half Moon children with powers of balance, judgement, and enforcement of law. The judges and mediators of the Garou nation use their magic to discern the truth, lead in times of peace, and mediate among their fellows.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Fangs of Judgement'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgement but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction).
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153 and 166''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Resist Pain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Scent of the True Form'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".
 
----
 
'''Truth of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Call to Duty'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, ''all'' spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call - such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose.
 
----
 
'''Command the Gathering'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.
 
----
 
'''King of the Beasts'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.
 
----
 
'''Strength of Purpose'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' Philodox use this Gift to fortify themselves in the face of the Apocalypse, turning hot passion and burning Rage into cold, steely resolve. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Once per scene, the player may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). For every two successes, the Philodox recovers one point of Willpower, up to her maximum.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Mental Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
'''Scent of the Oathbreaker'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' Oaths sanctified before a Philodox are a serious matter indeed, so this Gift grants the judges of the Garou nation the ability to know when an oath has been broken and to track down the oathbreaker to correct him personally. A dog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Philodox may spend one Gnosis point to sanctify any oath or promise he personally witnesses, no matter how formal or informal. If at any point in the future one of the individuals sworn to the oath breaks it, the Philodox immediately becomes aware of this, and all rolls for the werewolf to track the oathbreaker by scent drop to difficulty 4. This benefit lasts until the Philodox next stands in the oathbreaker's presence.
 
----
 
'''Sense Balance'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' As the arbitrators of the Garou Nation, the Philodox have developed an attunement with the cosmic forces that balance the Tellurian. The werewolf may sense an overabundance of Wyrm, Wyld, or Weaver energies in a location. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to detect the spiritual balance of an area, if any. Wyrm manifestations feel dense and oily, Weaver presence feels cold and unyielding, and Wyld energies feel hot and trembling. The Philodox must be at peace and without distraction to use this Gift.
 
----
 
'''Weak Arm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:'''The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.
 
----
 
'''Wisdom of the Ancient Ways'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Roll Over'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf radiates authority and power, allowing him to exert his dominance over others. Humans bow or kneel, while Garou roll over to expose their throats. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player begins an extended, resisted Willpower contest. The results are compared to each of her opponents in turn; when the player has scored three more successes than an opponent, that opponent drops out of the contest and submits. If one of the opponents accumulates three more successes over the character, the contest ends. For the remainder of the scene, any individual who has submitted will take no actions at all without the approval of the character, unless their life depends on it.
 
----
 
'''Scent of the Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167''
 
'''Description:''' With a moment's concentration, the werewolf can hurl her senses to any place with which she is familiar (even an Umbral location), no matter how far away it may be. Because a bird spirit teaches this Gift, her senses perceive the scene from above.
 
''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). If the target location is in the Umbra, the difficulty is 8 or the local Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher. This far-seeing continues for as long as the werewolf desires, but the character suffers a -3 penalty to any attempts to react to local stimuli while her senses are projected.
 
----
 
'''Take the True Form'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox can force a being into its true form. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, Changing Breeds (including Garou) are forced to revert to their breed form for one turn per success. Other shapeshifted creatures such as vampires masquerading as wolves) targeted by this power are likewise forced to revert to their true forms.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Geas'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.
 
'''System:'''  The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.
 
----
 
'''Wall of Granite'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168''
 
'''Description:''' Philodox have a stronger relationship with the elementals of earth than other werewolves do; just as the earth upholds those upon it, the Philodox uphold the Litany that sustains their people. While in contact with earth or rock, the Philodox can invoke a wall to protect himself. This wall moves with the Garou, defending him from all angles. Earth elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The wall's dimensions are three yards high, two yards long, and one yard thick *or similar number of meters), and if the Garou desires, it may be extended to encircle a number of allies up to the werewolf's Gnosis so long as they huddle close. It has a soak pool of 10 dice, and 15 health levels must be inflicted to penetrate it at any point. The wall lasts for one scene or until released into the earth by the Garou.
 
----
 
==Level Six==
 
'''Break the Bonds'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift shatters all bonds, whether physical or mental, from sturdy iron chains to the slavery of a vampire's bewitched blood. The Garou may use it to benefit any being, including herself. It is taught by any Incarna with the freedom to come and go as they please.
 
'''System:''' The Garou is automatically immune to any supernatural coercion, and may break bonds as though she had Strength 15. She may also break another's physical bonds with that same Strength, or banish mental bonds from another with a Manipulation + Leadership roll (difficulty 11 - target's Willpower).
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-galliard" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Galliard Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-galliard">
 
=Galliard Gifts=
 
The Moon Dancers burn with passion and song, and so Luna gives them Gifts that allow them to weave dream, fantasy and emotion into a tapestry that serves Gaia's best interests.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Beast Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Call of the Wyld'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may send her howl far beyond the normal range of hearing and imbue it with great emotion, stirring the hearts of fellow Garou and chilling the bones of all others. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' the player rolls Stamina + Empathy; the number of successes determines how far away the Call can be heard (double the normal range for each success) and how stirring it is to those who hear it. This Gift should be used in conjunction with one of the Garou howls (see W20 Core, pg 58). The Storyteller determines the effects as appropriate to the purpose to which it is put, perhaps awarding a bonus die to revel participants for each two successes, or granting a point of Rage to all listeners for an exception battlefield howl.
 
----
 
'''Heightened Senses'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169 and 158''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
 
----
 
'''Mindspeak'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.
 
----
 
'''Perfect Recall'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf is able to remember and relive any memory with perfect clarity. An elephant spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player may spend one Gnosis point to perfectly remember any one detail, no matter how small, from any point in her character's entire life.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Call of the Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' This dangerous Gift attracts creatures of the Wyrm, luring them into traps and ambushes or flushing them from hiding. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7). If the Wyrm creature loses the contest it must come to the source of the Call.
 
----
 
'''Command the Gathering'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167 and 169''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.
 
----
 
'''Distractions'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.
 
----
 
'''Dreamspeak'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.
 
----
 
'''Howls in the Night'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf sends a full throated howl shivering into the night sky, evoking primal terror in Gaia's enemies. Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl find themselves troubled and unable to rest easily while their enemies are on the prowl. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Eye of the Cobra'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169''
 
'''Description:''' With an unearthly stare, the werewolf can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.
 
----
 
'''Song of Heroes'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' Reciting a tale of ancient Garou heroism, the Galliard conjures up the spirit of fallen heroes and infuses those listening with some portion of their power. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift requires the full recitation of a story of epic heroism, taking at least several minutes. At the end of the tale, the player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Every two successes on this roll add one point to a single Ability score for all listening Garou and Kinfolk, much like the Ancestors Background. This bonus lasts until the sun rises.
 
----
 
'''Song of Rage'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift unleashes the beast in others, forcing werewolves, vampires, and other such creatures into frenzy and turning humans into berserkers. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim flies into a violent rage (or frenzy, if naturally prone) for one turn per success.
 
----
 
'''Song of the Siren'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou's song or howl can entrance anyone who hears it. A songbird spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower) and spends one Gnosis point. Packmates resist the Gift automatically; all others in earshot whose Willpower is exceeded are affected. Enchanted targets can't perform any actions for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled, unless one Willpower point is spent per turn of free action.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Bridge Walker'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard may create minor moon bridges through which she alone can travel. Such travel takes one percent of the time the journey would take normally  , allowing the werewolf to disappear from in front of a foe and reappear behind him instantly. These moon bridges are ''not'' protected by Lunes, and may attract the interest of spirits. A Lune teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to create the bridge. The moon bridge lasts for only one passage, unless the player spends an additional three Willpower, in which case it lasts until the next full moon. The maximum distance that can be traversed by the bridge is the garou's Gnosis in miles (1.6 km per Gnosis dot).
 
----
 
'''Gift of Dreams'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard crafts a dream, then breathes it into a sleeping individual. A Lune teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to craft the dream; more successes allows for more vivid and impactful dreams. To ensure that an individual experiences this dream, the Galliard must breathe it into the target's mouth while they sleep. The player spends a Gnosis point to complete the Gift. Dreams crafted with this Gift are often unusually vivid and dramatic, often leaving even lifelong skeptics convinced that they hold some deep meaning.
 
----
 
'''Shadows by the Firelight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Fabric of the Mind'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.
 
----
 
'''Head Games'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' Emotions become a palette with which the Galliard may paint whatever picture takes her fancy. She may change the target's emotions as she pleases, from love to hate and back again. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Success allows the Garou to steer the emotions of any one individual for the rest of the scene. These emotions don't last beyond the end of the Gift's duration unless events naturally reinforce them (such as the Galliard acting friendly toward an individual she has forced to regard her warmly).
 
----
 
==Level Six==
 
'''Break the Bonds'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168 and 170''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift shatters all bonds, whether physical or mental, from sturdy iron chains to the slavery of a vampire's bewitched blood. The Garou may use it to benefit any being, including herself. It is taught by any Incarna with the freedom to come and go as they please.
 
'''System:''' The Garou is automatically immune to any supernatural coercion, and may break bonds as though she had Strength 15. She may also break another's physical bonds with that same Strength, or banish mental bonds from another with a Manipulation + Leadership roll (difficulty 11 - target's Willpower).
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-ahroun" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ahroun Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-ahroun">
 
=Ahroun Gifts=
 
While all Garou are Gaia's warriors, the Ahroun are the fighters among fighters. Burning with the gift of Luna's Rage, Ahroun channel their righteous fury into terrible weapons or cunning leadership on the battlefield.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Falling Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.
 
----
 
'''Inspiration'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in battle, and this Gift helps them to live up to that trust. The werewolf employs this Gift to lend her resolve and righteous anger to those who share her cause. A lion or wolf spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one Willpower point, which disappears if it is not used before the end of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Pack Tactics'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' While the Ahroun's role as the overall leader of Garou is questionable, there's no doubt at all who should take control of the pack in battle. By taking the lead and coordinating pack actions, the Ahroun gifts all her packmates with great competence in the heat of battle. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point before initiating a Pack Tactics maneuver (see W20 Core, pg 300) and divides a pool of extra dice equal to her Leadership score among everyone performing the maneuver. The dice should be divided as evenly as possible, although the player may choose where to distribute extra dice (or in case of the Ahroun's Leadership score granting fewer dice than the number of packmates involved).
 
----
 
'''Razor Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Spur Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' In ancient times, Ahroun warriors made common cause with the spirit Queen of Bees. As her own hive children rallied to protect her, so too did the Garou fight in defense of Gaia, and the Queen decreed that they should be properly equipped for the fight. This Gift, taught by a bee spirit in recognition of that alliance, allows the Ahroun to transform her claws into hooked and barbed spurs.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage. The next successful claw attack the character makes hurries her claws into the victim, where they stick after breaking free from the werewolf's fingertips. Until the victim takes the time to pull them out (which takes a full turn), they suffer +2 difficulty to all actions. The Garou's claws take a full turn to regenerate.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Sense Silver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 171''
 
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
 
----
 
'''Shield of Rage'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' Such is the Rage burning within an Ahroun's heart that all lesser furies quail before it. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, all spirits' Rage scores are considered two less than their real values for the purpose of rolling damage against the Ahroun.
 
----
 
'''Spirit of the Fray'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.
 
'''System:''' Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).
 
----
 
'''True Fear'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Combat Healing'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to mend his injuries without rest or hesitation - even in the heart of combat - as claws and bullets tear fresh rents in his flesh. While other Garou struggle to mend their wounds under fire, the Ahroun never stops fighting. Elemental spirits teach this Gift, although they must generally be bested in battle first.
 
'''System:''' The Ahroun no longer needs to pause or roll Stamina to heal during combat, and automatically regenerates one non-aggravated health level every round. This benefit is permanent.
 
----
 
'''Heart of Fury'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou steels himself against anger, suppressing his Rage and creating a mental wall to hold back the tide of righteous fury that threatens to drown him. the anger always returns, however, and the Garou had best be ready to pay its bill. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the character's permanent Rage). Every two successes add +1 to the character's frenzy difficulties for the scene, making it harder to frenzy. When the scene ends, past slights and injuries come rushing back to haunt the werewolf, refilling his heart and soul. He must spend one Willpower point or make an immediate frenzy check at regular difficulty.
 
----
 
'''Silver Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171''
 
'''Description:''' Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.
 
----
 
'''Wind Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' The Ahroun's claws and fangs pass through the flimsy protections of their enemies as though they were but air and hope. An air elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. For the rest of the turn, all of the Ahroun's attacks completely ignore any armor (mundane or magical) that targets might be wearing; the targets forfeit all soak dice from such protection.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Body Shift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172 and 154''
 
'''Description:''' Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Clenched Jaw'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).
 
----
 
'''Full Moon's Light'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' The full moon is Luna's warrior phase, when she searches out her enemies. The Ahroun can call upon her determination in finding her foes, illuminating any who oppose her. Lunes teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the remainder of the scene, anyone within one mile who is working against the Ahroun or her pack emits a soft glow, as though illuminated by moonlight. This Gift can be used to confound powers of stealth or even invisibility, but only if the target is actively attempting to harm, compete with, or otherwise foil the Ahroun or her pack.
 
----
 
'''Stoking the Fury's Furnace'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to husband his Rage, keeping it burning for as long as Gaia's enemies remain to be defeated. A wolverine spirit teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gifts effects are permanent. The werewolf regains one Rage point during any turn in which he takes damage. This Rage does not cause a frenzy check, though other sources will induce checks as usual. Additionally, the player can spend one Rage point per turn without losing any temporary rage. If multiple Rage points are spent during any turn, however, ''all'' are marked off.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Kiss of Helios'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' The Ahroun can invoke the sun's power to gain immunity to flame. Additionally, she may ignite any portion of her body and keep it burning as she desires. Garou with this Gift are as likely to light their mane to honor the sun during rituals as they are to ignite their claws or fangs in battle. A fire elemental or sun spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character is unharmed by any natural source of flames or heat. Artificial (napalm, gas fires, etc.) and supernatural flames can inflict no more than a single level of bashing damage during a turn. The character inflicts two additional dice of damage with burning attacks.
 
----
 
'''Strength of Will'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift is a pillar of indomitable will. He can share his terrifying strength with others as well, leading them through the gates of Malfeas without a moment's fear or hesitation. A wolf spirit or an Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success grants all the Garou's allies within 100 feet (and her packmates anywhere within 100 miles) an extra point of Willpower. The extra points last for the rest of the scene and may raise an ally's Willpower above its maximum (and even above 10). This Gift can only be used once be used once per scene.
 
----
 
==Level Six==
 
'''Unstoppable Warrior'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf with this potent Gift may shrug off even flames and the claws of his own kind. A warrior Incarna teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou becomes permanently capable of healing all aggravated damage as though it were lethal damage, save for wounds inflicted by silver.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
==Tribe Gifts==
 
Spirits in service to or allied with a tribe’s totem teach Tribal Gifts. Some tribes’ Gifts haven’t changed in centuries, while others (such as the Glass Walkers) regularly reinvent their relationship with the spirits.
 
Learning a Gift from another tribe usually requires the Garou to be on good terms with at least one member of the tribe (generally a packmate) who can summon the appropriate spirit. Even then, the Garou must convince the spirit she is worthy of its blessings, and that she won’t turn them against its tribal allies.
 
Some Garou are extremely touchy about outsiders learning their tribal blessings, while others believe the practice strengthens the Garou Nation as a whole in its war against the Wyrm.
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-blackfury" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Black Fury Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-blackfury">
 
=Black Fury Gifts=
 
The Black Furies' Gifts reflect their closeness to the Wyld and allow them to unleash their centuries of tribulation on others. They possess some of the most effective war-Gifts of all the tribes.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Breath of the Wyld'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' Furies embrace the energy of creation, and they can share that passion with others. With this Gift, the Black Fury instills a feeling of vitality, life, and lucidity in another living being. It is taught by a servant of Pegasus.
 
'''System:''' The Fury must touch her target's skin. The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 5 against Garou and Kinfolk; difficulty 6 for others). Success grants the recipient a rush of mental vitality - in game terms, one additional die on all Mental rolls for the rest of the scene. It also adds one to the difficulties of any Rage rolls made during the scene.
 
----
 
'''Man's Skin'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' Distasteful though it may be, the Black Furies sometimes find it necessary to pass unnoticed through the world of men. This Gift allows a Fury to effectively change gender in the eyes of onlookers. Her features and build become decidedly more masculine, and her garb seems of a masculine cut. Her hair, eye and skin color remain the same; the result is a man who shows a slight family resemblance to the Fury. Despite this Gift's name, it works equally well when male metis Furies employ it to disguise themselves as women. This Gift is taught by an ancestor spirit or a seahorse spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The illusion lasts for one scene per success, or until the Fury shifts form. The disguise withstands casual tactile contact, although heavy or violent contact will reveal the truth.
 
----
 
'''Heightened Senses'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158 and 173''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupus, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
 
----
 
'''Sense Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 173''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Wyld Resurgence'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' Bent to Gaia's service, the creative, living essence of the Wyld roars through the Fury's body, shining beneath her skin as a rippling wave of prismatic energy which focuses on and shines out through her wounds. This surge super charges the werewolf's regenerative powers, quickly mending even the most grievous of wounds. A servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Fury spends a turn in concentration and the player spends one Gnosis point. The werewolf immediately heals either three levels of bashing damage, or two levels of lethal damage. With the expenditure of a Willpower point in addition to the Gnosis point, one level of aggravated damage may be healed instead. Damage caused by silver weapons cannot be healed with this Gift.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Curse of Aeolus'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through her own fog with no difficulty. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a Gnosis roll, with the difficulty depending on humidity and closeness to a body of water (a lake shore might be difficulty 4, while a desert would be 9). Those other than the Fury who are enveloped in fog lose half of their dice on all Perception rolls (rounded up). All those enveloped within the fog also lose one die from all Willpower rolls, save the Fury and her packmates.
 
----
 
'''Form Mastery'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 173''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spends a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Kali's Tongue'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' A terrible Wyrm creature terrorized the land in ancient days of myth. For every drop of blood it spilled, another monster would spring up from the ground. A goddess of destruction spread out her tongue to catch each drop of blood as it fell, and in this fashion enabled the monster's defeat. Modern Black Furies apply similar magic in their struggles against Black Spiral Dancers and other resilient foes. A cobra spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Medicine (difficulty equals the target's Rage or Willpower -3, whichever is lower). Each success prevents the target from healing damage by ''any'' means (including Gifts like Mother's Touch) for one turn.
 
----
 
'''Kneel'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' By pointing a finger or claw at a target, a Fury can force him to his knees. Only the strongest willed can do anything but strain and swear in response. This Gift is taught by one of Pegasus's brood.
 
'''System:''' The Fury rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the subject's Willpower). Her target falls to his knees unless he spends a Gnosis point to resist the Gift's effects (other supernatural beings may spend their own form of mystic energy, such as blood or quintessence, but mortals remain helpless). The target kneels for one turn per success.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161 and 173''
 
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Coup de Grace'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou finds the point of her foe's greatest weakness - and strikes at it. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty of the target's Stamina + Athletics). If successful, the player doubles her damage dice on the Garou's next successful attack.
 
----
 
'''Heart Claw'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 173''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury breaks one of her claws off in a wound, imbuing it with all of her killing intent. The claw continues to burrow into her opponent's flesh, and will not stop until it finds his heart. A wasp spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Upon making a successful claw attack, the player spends one point of Willpower. The burrowing claw inflicts one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage each subsequent turn until it either kills the target or is dug out of the wound (a Dexterity + Medicine action, difficulty 7, requiring a full turn's concentration).
 
----
 
'''Visceral Agony'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.
 
----
 
'''Wings of Pegasus'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury can sprout majestic wings when in Hispo form, allowing her to fly at will. An avatar of Pegasus teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to produce wings capable of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) flight, which last until dismissed. Fine flying maneuvers require a Dexterity + Athletics roll at a difficulty determined by the Storyteller.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Beast Life'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160 and 174''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
 
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
 
----
 
'''Body Wrack'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' Pouring her Rage and pain into an opponent, the Fury induces debilitating agony. Victims tend to fall to the ground, screaming between convulsions. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 3). If successful, the target is left stunned and convulsing for one round per success. Additionally, the target subtracts one die from all rolls for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Wasp Talons'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury with this Gift can fire her claws from her hand like darts. She cant make claw attacks with that hand until her claws regenerate, of course, but this is rarely a problem when her opponent lies eviscerated on the other side of the room. A wasp spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Brawl to hit. The difficulty is figured as though the character is using a firearm; the medium range is 20 yards (18m). Damage is calculated normally for a claw strike. Regenerating fired claws takes one turn.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Gorgon's Gaze'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury's eyes burn red, gold, and green as this hideous power of legend transforms living flesh into stone with but a gaze. Difficult to find and even more dangerous to approach, legendary Basilisk teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After making eye contact, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim is completely paralyzed for one turn per success; five successes permanently transforms the target to stone.
 
----
 
'''Thousand Forms'''
 
''W20 Core pg 163 and 174''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird andd a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''Description:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.
 
----
 
'''Wyld Warp'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift summons a swarm of Wyld spirits to aid the Fury. When they arrive, the Wyldlings behave in a wildly unpredictable, but beneficial, fashion. They might tear the Fury's foes limb from limb, replenish the pack's Rage, destroy all Weaver tools in the area, or haul opponents away into the Deep Umbra. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, then rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty equals the local Gauntlet). Successes summon a variable number of Wyldlings.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-bonegnawer" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Bone Gnawer Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-bonegnawer">
 
=Bone Gnawer Gifts=
 
The Bone Gnawers are survivors without peer, and Rat's blessings help make this so.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Cooking'''
 
''W20 Core, 174''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer takes up a small pot (an old coffee can will do) and a spoon, and fills it with whatever he can find - cigarette butts, beer cans, old newspapers, dead leaves, whatever - adds water (spit will do), and stirs. The result is a pasty and bland tasting, but filling and nutritious mush. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 6). The resulting meal feeds one person per success.
 
----
 
'''Desperate Strength'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls on desperate reserves for a sudden surge of strength. A badger spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When rolling a Feat of Strength (see W20 Core, pg 270), the werewolf may add one die to the roll for each level of bashing damage he willingly accepts as the price of this Gift.
 
----
 
'''Resist Toxin'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).
 
----
 
'''Scent of Sweet Honey'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174''
 
'''Description:''' A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.
 
----
 
'''Trash is Treasure'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' The refuse of humanity provides all the canny Bone Gnawer needs. Through the use of this Gift, any broken object can be temporarily restored to full functionality and usefulness. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player takes hold of a broken object and rolls Wits + Crafts. The object functions perfectly for one turn per success, and also supplies its own power, fuel, or ammunition - a dull knife cuts, a busted microwave runs (without being plugged in to anything) an old rusty Saturday night special fires even without bullets, a junked car starts up and runs. The lifespan of the object's renewed usefulness can be extended to one full day by spending a point of Willpower, but the object requires proper power, fuel, and ammunition in such circumstances.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Between the Cracks'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' Urban blight is the very underbelly of the Wyrm, and the Bone Gnawers know it better than any other tribe. The werewolf's instincts guide him to the nearest barren spot within an urban area - a place where no human has set foot in at least a week, one which is not only isolated and currently unoccupied, but also likely to remain so for at least the rest of the night. This may be a boarded up, abandoned building, a vacant apartment, or even a dead subway station. Bone Gnawers find this Gift useful for securing ritual spaces, setting up ambushes while preserving the Litany, and finding a place to sleep for the night. Any urban spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Wits + Streetwise (difficulty 5). The more successes, the more secluded and difficult to locate the destination will be.
 
----
 
'''Blissful ignorance'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161 and 175''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
 
----
 
'''Cornered Rat's Ferocity'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' When backed into a corner with nowhere to run, there are only two options - beg for mercy or turn and fight. Rat spirits teach Bone Gnawers to excel at the latter.
 
'''System:''' The players spends one Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 8). Each success grants the character an additional die to his Brawl pools for the rest of the combat. This Gift sends the Bone Gnawer into an automatic and unavoidable berserk frenzy; any magic that stops the frenzy also ends the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Guise of the Hound'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer masks herself so that she blends into the urban landscape, disguising her lupus form so that it appears as a large dog rather than a wolf. Despite its enormous utility, most other tribes spurn this Gift as degrading to the dignity of the Garou. A dog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The disguise lasts for one scene per success.
 
----
 
'''Odious Aroma'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Call the Rust'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' By whistling softly through his teeth, the werewolf can summon sudden and destructive rust onto any metal within his immediate vicinity. Guns corrode and jam, knives crumble, and cars become flaking hunks of junk. This Gift is taught by a water elemental.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Crafts, with a difficulty depending on the amount of metal being corroded. A gun or knife would be difficulty 6, while a car might be difficulty 8.
 
----
 
'''Gift of the Skunk'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.
 
'''System:''' The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.
 
----
 
'''Gift of the Termite'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can cause wood and paper to rot with astonishing speed. Furniture falls apart, documents disintegrate, and buildings may even collapse. A termite spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Crafts (difficulty7). One success can rot a ream of paper, three can destroy a wall, and five can collapse the roof of a small building.
 
----
 
'''Laugh of the Hyena'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175''
 
'''Description:''' Hyena follows no one; instead, she laughs at those who would name themselves kings. The Bone Gnawer wields the power of this mocking laughter, allowing her to resist any attempt to command, cajole, force, or demand to do anything she doesn't wish to. Such refusals are never subtle; the werewolf cackles like a hyena when calling upon this Gift. A hyena spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' All attempts to mentally compel the werewolf suffer a +2 difficulty penalty, so long as she laughs out loud at them.
 
----
 
'''Reshape Object'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154 and 176''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''Description:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Attunement'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
 
----
 
'''Blink'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can duck into a shaded area (an open dumpster, a dark alley, beneath a parked car) and pop out in another shaded area some distance away. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 6). The character can reappear in any shaded area within (number of successes x 20) yards (18 m per success).
 
----
 
'''Infest'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer summons a horde of vermin to invade a structure no bigger than a large building. The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area - usually a lively variety of insects, slugs, and rodents. The vermin behave according to their natural instinct, generally settling down for permanent infestation rather than attacking humans. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success warrants an immediate call to an exterminator, five makes the building completely uninhabitable for quite some time.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Riot'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Goft plays on the hatred and fear of the down and outs of the city: the poor, the homeless, immigrants, and others the citizenry would rather not acknowledge. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a limited degree. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice - though things tend to escalate and spin out of control easily. The riot engulfs an area with a radius of one mile per success rolled.
 
----
 
'''Survivor'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need of food, water, or sleep. She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons. Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her. A tortoise spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival. The effects last for one day per success. Bu spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the Gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later. The Garou must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-childrenofgaia" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Children of Gaia Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-childrenofgaia">
 
=Children of Gaia Gifts=
 
The Gifts of the Children of Gaia aid in calming others and strengthening themselves. Yet those who would dismiss the most peaceful of tribes as ineffective pacifists will be surprised to discover how well the spirits prepare the children for the inevitability of battle - the Children know that peace is an ideal to strive toward, while the looming Apocalypse is a reality.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Brother's Scent'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' Drawing upon the universal brotherhood of all creatures of Gaia, the werewolf seems to fit in wherever he goes. Those given no reason to suspect the Child's presence simply overlook her. A servant of Unicorn teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (difficulty 6). All individuals not specifically on guard against intruders overlook any incongruity in the Garou's appearance - for example, a naked man covered in blood and carrying a grand klaive walking through a high society ball would draw no particular notice, nor would a wolf wandering through a residential neighborhood. The Garou isn't invisible, he simply doesn't stand out when he otherwise should, and his appearance is considered unremarkable even when he's interacted with. If the werewolf's actions alone would draw attention to himself (shouting, starting a fight, attempting to kick down a locked door) the Gift's illusion is immediately broken. Those specifically on the lookout for individuals who don't belong (security guards at a private facility, for example) don't succumb to this Gift unless their Willpower is lower than the Garou's successes on the activation roll.
 
----
 
'''Jam Weapon'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' The Child may stop any Weaver-born weapons from working within the range of his voice. A dove spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou shouts an ancient word of power and grace and spends a Gnosis point. The player rolls Willpower against the difficulty of the highest Willpower of any armed individual within ear shot. For each success, all manufactured weapon will not function for one turn. This includes guns, crossbows, flame throwers, and even knives and swords, which refuse to cut. Natural weapons (such as claws) and any natural objects appropriated as weapons (such as rocks or naturally fallen tree limbs) are unaffected.
 
----
 
'''Mercy'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' Children of Gaia see no use for lethal force when not fighting minions of the Wyrm, but even they succumb to frenzy. This Gift allows the Garou to use her natural weaponry and Rage without fear of killing her opponent. A dove spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all damage that the Garou inflicts with her own body is considered bashing. A creature "killed" by such damage merely falls unconscious, and he may heal the wounds at the usual rate for bashing damage.
 
----
 
'''Mother's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164 and 177''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the undead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Resist Pain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166 and 177''
 
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Calm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.
 
----
 
'''Grandmother's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' As the Level One Theurge Gift: Mother's Touch, save that the Garou may use it to heal himself as well as others. Mother's Touch must be known before this Gift can be learned.
 
'''System:''' ''From Mother's Touch:'' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Luna's Armor'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Para Bellum'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' Though the Children love life, spring, and all that is good of Gaia, they aren't pacifists; they always stand ready to protect their Mother. The werewolf's Rage bursts forth in a torrent when another breaks the peace she so cherishes. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift may only be used at the beginning of a battle that was ''not'' initiated by the Garou, her pack, or her allies. The player spends one point of Rage; for the rest of the scene the character enjoys one additional dot of Strength and Dexterity when attacking the enemy who fired the first shot of any battle, or any character that has inflicted an injury on a member of the Child's pack during the scene.
 
----
 
'''Unicorn's Arsenal'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's claws and fangs become dazzling and pearlescent, shining with an inner multi-hued glory. Those wounded by these natural weapons lose the will to fight. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis to initiate the transformation. Any opponent bearing a wound delivered by the Unicorn's Arsenal loses two dice from all attack rolls until the wound has healed.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Calm the Savage Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154 and 178''
 
'''Description:''' Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.
 
----
 
'''Dazzle'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
''Description:''' The Garou can flood a target's mind with the glory and love of Gaia, rendering him harmless for a short while. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of the target's Willpower (+1 if the target is a creature of the Wyrm). As long as the target isn't attacked, he stands mutely in awe for the remainder of the scene. This Gift can be attempted against a given target only once per scene.
 
----
 
'''Lover's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can restore what another lacks: not only wounds healed, but also strength of will and even spiritual essence. Any spirit of love or an avatar of Unicorn may teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou touches the afflicted individual kindly. The two need not be lovers, but the contact must convey affection and warmth - an embrace, a caress, or yet more intimate contact. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Medicine; each success heals one level of bashing or lethal damage, or restores one point of Willpower or Essence (of the target is a spirit). The difficulty is the Rage or Willpower of the target (whichever is higher). The player may choose to divide the successes among multiple results. Alternately, by neither healing wounds nor restoring Willpower or Essence, the Garou may suppress a Derangement for one day per success. This Gift cannot provide permanent relief from such afflictions, but it can act as a start on the road to recovery.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Friend'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf projects a feeling of tranquility and fellowship that spirits naturally perceive. Save for the mad or corrupt, spirits treat the Garou with courtesy and chivalry. This Gift is taught by a unicorn spirit.
 
'''System:'''  The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7). Each success adds one die to all of the Garou's dice pools for interacting with any non-Bane spirits for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Beast Life'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160 and 178''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
 
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
 
----
 
'''Serenity'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can fill a hot heart with the peace of Gaia, even in the midst of battle. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). for one turn per success, the target automatically fails at all Rage rolls, cannot frenzy, and cannot spend Rage.
 
----
 
'''Strike the Air'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The Child becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker.
 
----
 
'''Uncaught Since the Primal Morn'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants Unicorn's perfect speed to the werewolf, allowing her to outrun virtually any pursuer. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Stamina + Athletics of any pursuer). The Garou is unfailingly faster than her pursuers for one scene per success.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Halo of the Sun'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.
 
----
 
'''The Living Wood'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The Child of Gaia calls upon the powers of the forest to rise and aid her. Nearby trees begin to move and attempt to protect the Garou. Limbs and vines will restrain, block and even fight those attempting to harm her. A Glade Child teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Survival (difficulty 8). The character animates one tree for each success rolled.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-fianna" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Fianna Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-fianna">
 
=Fianna Gifts=
 
The Gifts of the Fianna speak to their vigorous natures and fae allies, and are often granted by spirits originating in their native lands.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Faerie Light'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178''
 
'''Description:''' The Fianna conjures a small, bobbing sphere of light. It's no brighter than a torch, but that's usually enough to light the werewolf's way - or lead foes into an ambush. A marsh spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The light can appear anywhere within the Garou's line of sight, and bobs at about 10 feet (3 m) per turn if bidden to do so. It lasts for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Hare's Leap'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158 and 179''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153 and 179''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Resist Toxin'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174 and 179''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).
 
----
 
'''Two Tongues'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' The glib words and clever schemes of the Fianna are wasted on a single mark. This Gift teaches the werewolf to talk out of both sides of her face, literally carrying on two conversations simultaneously, and to decide who hears what. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Fianna may simultaneously carry on two conversations at the same time, which need have no relation to one another. She decides which listeners hear which version of the words she's speaking. Anyone suspecting something odd about the Fianna'e behavior must roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 9) to detect the Garou's other conversation and to understand what she's saying there.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Glib Tongue'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.
 
----
 
'''Flame Dance'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
''Description:''' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:'''The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.
 
----
 
'''Form Mastery'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 179''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Howl of the Banshee'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf emits a fearful howl that causes those who hear it to run in terror. A Banshee - a mournful spirit of the dead - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. All who hear the howl must roll Willpower (difficulty 8; 6 for allies of the Fianna) or flee in terror for one turn per success on the Garou's roll.
 
----
 
'''Howl of the Unseen'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a howl or proclamation from one side of the Gauntlet to echo across into both realms. It is taught by a cricket spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet), after which the Garou may howl or speak for up to one turn per success rolled; the words or howl will be clearly audible on both sides of the Gauntlet.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Faerie Kin'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the werewolf can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. When used on Earth, this Gift most commonly calls dream spirits known as chimera, though with higher Gnosis expenditures changelings or their dark-kin cousins may appear; true fae answer the summons only in appropriate Umbral realms.
 
----
 
'''Fair Fortune'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' The Fianna is blessed with a lucky streak a mile wide. A chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player may re-roll any failed or botched roll by spending a Gnosis point. The result of the second roll must be kept, and this Gift may only be used once per scene.
 
----
 
'''Ley Lines'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' By manipulating ley lines - a spiritual grid that crisscrosses the planet - the Fianna can disorient would-be trackers or hunters. The victims of this Gift find themselves following false trails, making wrong turns or walking in circles. An earth spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 7). Any attempt to track the Garou must begin with a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 8), garnering more successes than the Garou's player. Otherwise, the tracker's attempt to follow the Fianna will automatically botch.
 
----
 
'''Reshape Object'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154 and 179''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
----
 
'''Song of the Siren'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170 and 179''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou's song or howl can entrance anyone who hears it. A songbird spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower) and spends one Gnosis point. Packmates resist the Gift automatically; all others in earshot whose Willpower is exceeded are affected. Enchanted targets can't perform any actions for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled, unless one Willpower point is spent per turn of free action.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Balor's Gaze'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' One of the Fianna's eyes glows a livid red, and all enemies caught by his gaze are stricken with terrible agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis, then rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). For the rest of the scene, any foe at whom the Garou glares must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and exceed the player's successes or double over in pain, suffering a -5 wound penalty as though Crippled, regardless of their current health. Any characters already at Crippledd are considered incapacitated by the pain.
 
----
 
'''Phantasm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Call the Hunt'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls forth the Huntsman of Celtic mythology to harry and slay a great evil. The Huntsman himself teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou must chant and concentrate for one full hour. The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 8). The Huntsman appears with a single hound, plus one hound for each extra Rage or Gnosis point the player wishes to expend. If the Huntsman judges that the evil he has been summoned to hunt is insufficiently mighty or wicked to warrant his talents, or if the Garou has already summoned the Huntsman within the last month, then the Garou becomes the target of the hunt.
 
----
 
'''Fog on the Moor'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift transforms the Fianna into a ghostly outline of himself, allowing him to pass through anything except silver as though he were incorporeal. He may communicate and strike opponents normally. He cannot be harmed by anything except silver; all incoming attacks pass harmlessly through him. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to instantly assume a ghostly form. Each success allows the character to stay in that form for one turn, though he may change back at will. The character cannot regenerate while in this form.
 
----
 
'''Gift of the Spriggan'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' The Fianna grows to three times her normal size or shrinks to the size of a small puppy. A chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). The effects last for one hour per success or until the Garou cancels the Gift. If the Garou grows larger, she gains three Strength dice for every 100% increase in size. If she grows smaller, she retains her normal Traits, but she may sneak around unnoticed or masquerade as someone's pet.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-getoffenris" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Get of Fenris Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-getoffenris">
 
=Get of Fenris Gifts=
 
Fierce fighters one and all, the Get beseech their spirit allies for Gifts of war. Even their Ragabash and Theurges are expected to stand out in battle.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Lightning Reflexes'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' Fenrir are Gaia's ultimate warriors, effortlessly switching from offense to defense as the needs of battle demand. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player reflexively spends one Willpower point. For the next day, the character need neither make a Willpower rill nor spend a Willpower point to abort to a defensive action.
 
----
 
'''Master of Fire'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152 and 180''
 
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
 
----
 
'''Razor Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171 and 180''
 
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Resist Pain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166 and 180''
 
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Visage of Fenris'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' The Get appears larger and more fearsome, commanding respect from peers and cowing his foes. A wolf or toad spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:'''  The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Only one success is necessary to affect non-Garou and Garou of equal rank; to affect Garou of a higher rank, the player must score a number of successes equal to twice the difference of rank between the Garou and the target. For instance, to affect a Rank 4 Garou, a Rank 2 character would need to score at least four successes. Allies and peers affected by this Gift see the Garou as impressive and noble (-1 difficulty bonus to all Social rolls). Foes pause a moment to summon the resolve necessary to fight such a monster (losing one from their initiative ratings). This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Fangs of the North'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:'' Blue smoke rolls off the werewolf's claws and teeth, which are transformed into curving daggers of hardened ice. Wounds inflicted with these terrible weapons turn black and fester, all the warmth and life driven out of them. A snow spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 7). The transformation lasts for the rest of the scene, or until banished voluntarily. Any individual wounded by the werewolf's fangs or claws suffers a -1 penalty for the rest of the scene as chills wrack her body. Additionally, any such wounds heal badly; mortals are likely to lose injured limbs as the tissue necrotizes, and beings capable of supernaturally swift healing (such as vampires or Black Spiral Dancers) are unable to heal these wounds for one day per success on the Gift's activation roll. This gift cant be used in Homid, but applies fully to the claws and or fangs of all other forms.
 
----
 
'''Halt the Coward's Flight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' The Get may slow a fleeing (not charging) foe, making him easier to catch. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou must spend one turn concentrating, and the player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the target's speed is halved for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Snarl of the Predator'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 180''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou lets out a feral snarl that terrifies opponents and cows them into submission. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits +3). Each success subtracts one die from an opponent's dice pool for the next three turns. This Gift takes one full turn to invoke.
 
----
 
'''Troll Skin'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 181''
 
'''Description:''' The Fenrir draws on the power of the earth for protection. Her skin grows tough and thick, covered with stony knots of hard, armored flesh. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The character receives an extra die per success on all soak rolls for the rest of the scene (damage from silver remains unsoakable). The character suffers a +1 difficulty to all social rolls save for Intimidation while this Gift is in effect.
 
----
 
'''Might of Thor'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 181''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.
 
----
 
'''Redirect Pain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 181''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a Fenrir to visit the pain of his wounds upon those who inflicted them. A cuckoo spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). For one scene, the target incurs whatever wound penalties are indicated by the Fenrir's current wound levels, regardless of whether or not the Fenrir actually feels the pain.
 
----
 
'''Venom Blood'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 181''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake or spider spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the roll.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Body Shift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Heart of the Mountain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 181''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf becomes as untiring and eternal as the mountains, and cannot be defeated in a test of endurance. A mountain goat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou cannot fail any tasks involving Stamina. Torturers can never break him; though he can't breath underwater and his lungs may fill with water, he will not die. The only exception to this is soaking damage. While this Gift is active, the werewolf is guaranteed to always soak at least one level of damage, but otherwise takes damage normally.
 
----
 
'''Hero's Stand'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 181''
 
'''Description:''' The Get channels the power of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. Though he may not retreat or even move from the spot for the duration of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all physical dice pools. In addition, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or fled.
 
----
 
'''Scream of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160 and 182''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.
 
----
 
'''Endurance of Heimdall'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 182''
 
'''Description:''' The Fenrir's body is suffused with hardiness beyond that of lesser beings. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If successful, the Garou's Stamina rating is doubled for the duration of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Horde of Valhalla'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 182''
 
'''Description:''' When a Get evokes this Gift, he summons Great Wolves to aid him. It cannot be used lightly, and it requires a good standing with Fenris as well as a truly worthy circumstance. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player may spend as many points of Rage and Gnosis as desired, and then rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). The number of Great Wolves that appear is equal to the number of Rage and Gnosis spent. The wolves are functionally identical to the hounds of the Wild Hunt (see W20 Core, pg 370), and they remain for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Fenris' Bite'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 182''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's already vicious bite now easily mangles and severs limbs. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless unless the target can regenerate the damage, pr permanently in the case of humans or other creatures who cant regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Primal Urge roll, the limb is severed.
 
----
 
'''Call Great Fenris'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 182''
 
'''Description:''' As the ultimate expression of the pact between tribe and totem, the greatest Get heroes may summon the war avatar of their tribal totem to aid them in their hour of need. The avatar joins in combat, slaying all that are not Get of Fenris or under their protection. However, Great Fenris demands a sacrifice for his intervention - usually the left hand of the summoner. It's said that if the war avatar is called for no good reason, it will devour the summoner entirely before departing. This Gift is taught by Great Fenris himself.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 6). Success summons the war avatar of Great Fenris, who will fight at the Fenrir's side for the duration of the scene. At the combat's end, the summoner automatically gains the Battle Scar: Maimed Limb (see W20 Core, pg 260) as the war avatar claims Fenris' due; even if the Garou already possessed that Battle Scar, he gains it a second time as Fenris devours another limb.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-glasswalker" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Glass Walker Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-glasswalker">
 
=Glass Walker Gifts=
 
Many Glass Walker Gifts involve Weaver spirits of one type or another. This association grants the Glass Walkers great versatility and an unparalleled rapport with modern technology; Hopefully, it's enough to make up for the lack of respect with which other tribes view their pacts.
 
----
==Boli Zousizhe Gifts==
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-bolizousizhe" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Boli Zousizhe Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-bolizousizhe">
 
A Chinese offshoot of the Glass Walkers, the Boli Zousizhe are somewhat more traditional than their ever-changing Western cousins, and employ several ancient Gifts rarely seen among other branches of the tribe.
 
----
 
'''Sheng-Nong's Eyes (Level One)'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' The Boli Zousizhe can see from the perspective of his tools and draw on their concentration for the task at hand, allowing him to perform multiple actions with ease. While this was originally used to wield two swords with equal dexterity, any tools can be used; even the werewolf's own hands count as a "tool". Either a monkey spirit or a spirit of war teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to receive an extra action. For the rest of the scene, the Garou need not be able to see his opponents in order to attack them. No visibility modifiers or off-hand penalties affect his actions while this Gift is in effect.
 
----
 
'''Fu Xi's Honor (Level Two)'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' When confronted with a threat to a helpless member of the werewolf's family or pack, the Boli Zousizhe can rise above her normal limits to defend them. The spirit of any animal that mates for life may teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Storyteller must agree that the member of the Garou's family or pack is indeed helpless and unable to defend himself. (With rare exception, any human facing a werewolf should be considered helpless.) The player may then spend one Rage and add one die to all her character's Physical Attributes for every point of permanent Honor the character possesses, for the duration of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Yao's Commands (Level Three)'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' As the Glass Walker Gift: Elemental Favor. When this Gift is taken, the Boli Zousizhe must choose to be able to command Eastern elementals (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal) or urban elementals. The character may never command elements of the other group.
 
''From: Elemental Favor, W20 Core, pg 184:'' By begging, threatening, or cajoling an urban elemental, a werewolf can convince the spirit to do her a favor such as manipulating or even destroying its earthly shell. Thus, a glass sheet might explode at the Garou's foes an unlocked door might refuse to open, or a car's breaks might fail. An urban elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.
 
 
----
 
'''Yu's Endurance (Level Four'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' Yu was given the tremendous task of protecting Ancient China against the Yellow River flooding, a task so exhausting that none but he could do it. This Gift is identical to the Get of Fenris Gift: Heart of the Mountain.
 
''From: Heart of the Mountain, W20 Core, pg 181:'' The werewolf becomes as untiring and eternal as the mountains, and cannot be defeated in a test of endurance. A mountain goat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou cannot fail any tasks involving Stamina. Torturers can never break him; though he can't breath underwater and his lungs may fill with water, he will not die. The only exception to this is soaking damage. While this Gift is active, the werewolf is guaranteed to always soak at least one level of damage, but otherwise takes damage normally.
 
----
 
'''Huang Di's Sacrifice (Level Five)'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' Whilst Huang Di was known for his inventions, he was also the Yellow Lord and a great leader. Normally used by the pack's alpha, this Gift allows a leader to revitalize his followers in moments of darkness. This Gift is taught by only one spirit, who lives at the foot of Bull Mountain and cries eternally. The spirit resembles nothing, and only teaches the Gift at sunrise.
 
'''System:''' The Boli Zousizhe spends two points of Gnosis and rolls Stamina + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success allows one packmate to heal a number of health levels (even aggravated) equal to the number of successes rolled.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Control Simple Machine'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 182''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may command the spirits of the simplest machines, causing levers to flip, doors to unbolt, pulleys to roll, and so on. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:'''The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Garou's control lasts until the end of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Diagnostics'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 182''
 
'''Description:''' The Glass Walker can tell at a glance what is wrong with a machine. He can then enlist the aid of the machine's spirit in repairing it. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character automatically succeeds at all attempts to diagnose a problem with broken technological devices. The player spends one point of Gnosis as the Garou mentally convinces the spirit of a broken device to aid her in fixing it. The time required to fix the device is halved, as are the number of successes needed to repair it.
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153 and 183''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Plug and Play'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' All of the Weaver's works are connected through the same web, the same song. The Glass Walkers exploit this truth to draw more power from the modern profusion of technology, making their devices compatible with almost everything. A Net Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the next day, any computer the Glass Walker uses - no matter how simple - becomes fully compatible with any other digital device, regardless of obstacles such as different operating systems, lack of physically compatible access ports, or even the complete absence of any means of receiving or interpreting a wireless signal, Generally, Glass Walkers use this Gift to turn their smart phones into omni-capable access keys to computer networks, security feeds, and even car GPS systems.
 
----
 
'''Trick Shot'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to execute brilliant feats of sharpshooting, such as shooting a weapon from an opponent's hand or firing down the barrel of an enemy's gun. The Garou cannot use this Gift to harm an opponent directly, however, and can use Trick Shot only with rifles or pistols. Air spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' As a permanent enhancement, the player adds his character's permanent Glory rating to his dice pool when performing a really outlandish shooting trick. Again, the Gift does not allow direct damage to the targets ("I'll shoot the armored fomor through the eye!"), but can be used to injure opponents indirectly ("I'll shoot out the blacked out window behind the vampire so the sunlight hits him!").
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Cybersenses'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 183''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may exchange his natural senses for those of machines, witnessing the world in ways more traditional werewolves could never imagine. He might exchange normal hearing for radar, or ordinary sight for infrared or UV vision. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point per sense affected. This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Hands Full of Thunder'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' Many Glass Walkers regard the gun as the ultimate sign of the power of the modern age, and make pacts with these spirits to assure that their firearms do not become useless, primitive clubs in the midst of battle. A technological spirit or a war spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, any gun the Glass Walker fires won't run out of ammunition, so long as it had ammo to begin with. Burst restrictions are still recommended with automatic weapons to keep the gun from overheating and jamming.
 
----
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153 and 184''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|-
| '''Nightmares'''
|4
| 1
|Computer
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477<br>V20 Core, pg 485
| ''Synopsis:'' You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours.<br>
''System:'' Upon awakening, you must succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or lose a die on all actions for that day.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Overconfident'''
|5
| 1
|Phone
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477
| ''Synopsis:'' You can do anything — or so you think. No challenge is too big for you to tackle, regardless of whether you actually have the skill to succeed. <br>
''System:'' Never refuse to attempt something due to being outgunned, outclassed, or outnumbered. If you fail, you will find someone or something else to blame; it couldn’t have been any lack on your part, of course.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Shy'''
|7
| 1
|Automobile
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477<br>V20 Core, pg 485
| ''Synopsis:'' You dislike being the center of attention and feel uncomfortable in crowds.<br>
''System:'' Difficulties for all rolls involving social interaction with strangers are increased by two. If you are the focus of the situation, even amongst those you know, the difficulty increases by three.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Soft Hearted'''
|8
| 1
|Gun
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477<br>V20 Core, pg 485
| ''Synopsis:'' Whether because of an abundance of empathy and compassion, or simply a weak stomach, you cannot stand to watch others suffer. <br>
''System:'' You must avoid or leave any situation that involves someone in physical or emotional pain, unless you succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8).<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Speech Impediment'''
|9
| 1
|Knife
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477<br>V20 Core, pg 485
| ''Synopsis:'' You have a stammer, lisp, or other speech impediment that interferes with verbal communication.<br>
''System:'' This impediment affects not only your human voice but also carries over into the Garou tongue, marring your howls and snarls so that they are difficult to understand. The difficulties of all die rolls involving verbal communication are increased by two. This Flaw must be roleplayed whenever possible.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Curiosity'''
|}
| 2
 
| General
----
| Mental
 
| W20 Core, pg 477
'''Power Surge'''
| ''Synopsis:'' You find mysteries of any sort irresistible. Whether it’s a closed drawer, a whispered conversation, or a mysterious light just beyond the trees, you have to know what is going on at all times.<br>
 
''System:'' Anytime you are presented with the unknown, make a Wits roll or else you must go investigate. The difficulty varies with the roll involved: 5 for simple things (“What is in that storage unit?”) and up to 9 for intense circumstances (“I wonder what those fomori are planning. I’d better go listen in. What could possibly go wrong?”)<br>
''W20 Core, pg 184''
''Notes:'' <br>
 
'''Description:''' By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.
 
----
 
'''Steel Fur'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' Focusing on his own being, the Glass Walker wraps himself in spiritual steel, turning his fur into hardened metal. Metal or earth elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Science (difficulty 7). Each success adds one die to the Garou's soak pool for the rest of the scene. While this Gift is active, the Garou suffers +1 difficulty to all Dexterity rolls, and any Social rolls not involving other Glass Walkers. This Gift only functions in Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus forms.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Control Complex Machine'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' Similar to Control Simple Machine, the Glass Walker may now converse with and command the spirits of electronic devices such as computers, smart phones, and cars. A Net Spider teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Science or Computer. The Storyteller sets the difficulty based on how complex the machine is (8 for a standard laptop). The Garou's control lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Intrusion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' It's impossible to keep a cockroach out of a house, and equally impossible to keep out a Glass Walker with  this Gift. Once activated, this Gift allows the Glass Walker to open any barrier presented to her: doors unlock at her approach, and padlocks fall open with no explanation. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' the player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7). For exactly one minute afterward, all forms of locks and barriers allow her passage, from computerized vault locks to barricades of 2x4's nailed up across doors. Mystically sealed barriers still require a roll to bypass, but every success on the initial Gnosis roll adds one automatic success to such attempts. Barriers disabled by this Gift do not automatically re-seal themselves.
 
----
 
'''Electroshock'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' The Glass Walkers are the tribe of glass, steel, and electricity. This last element can be used to directly damage opponents that the Glass Walker can either touch, or who are touching a conductive material such as metal or water. An electricity spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a number of Rage points. Each point of Rage spent inflicts two levels of aggravated wounds on the Glass Walker's opponents. These levels of damage may be divided among as many opponents as the number of rage points invested in this Gift. As usual, the character cannot spend more Rage than half of his permanent rating in one turn.
 
----
 
'''Elemental Favor'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' By begging, threatening, or cajoling an urban elemental, a werewolf can convince the spirit to do her a favor such as manipulating or even destroying its earthly shell. Thus, a glass sheet might explode at the Garou's foes an unlocked door might refuse to open, or a car's breaks might fail. An urban elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Attunement'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176 and 183''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Glass Walkers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
 
----
 
'''Doppelganger'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).
 
----
 
'''Signal Rider'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 184''
 
'''Description:''' From the telegraph to the cell phone, the Glass Walkers have always kept up good relations with spirits of cutting edge communication. This Gift allows the Garou to open a moon bridge that rides the back of a telephone signal, transporting her instantly to the location of whoever is on the other end of the line. A pattern spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and one Gnosis to open the moon bridge. The Garou must have a connection between a telephone at her location and one at the target destination to use the Gift, although it doesn't discriminate between landlines or cell phones - some werewolves have even reported success in riding the back of online conferencing software, although doing so successfully requires a Wits + Computers roll (difficulty 7). Signal Rider can take the character no more than (Gnosis x 5) miles (or 8 km per Gnosis dot) - if the other end of the line isn't within that range, the Gift fails.
 
----
 
'''Tech Speak'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 185''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Glass Walker to contact others through any technological device. The Garou speaks to a Pattern Spider in or near a technological device and tells them the message to be delivered and whom it should be delivered to. The Pattern Spider then finds the receiver and uses any communications technology near them to deliver the message: Phones yell it out (without picking up the handset or needing to be turned on), electronic billboards display it, and computer printers print it out as text. If no communications technology is present, any other technology will activate, though no message will be imparted. If no technology whatsoever is present near the receiver, the gift fails. A pattern spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science. The difficulty depends on the distance the message needs to be sent. The more successes achieved, the longer the message can be. A single success will only allow one word to be sent; five would allow unlimited length.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 150px" | Distance
|-
|-
| '''Phobia'''
|4
| 2 or 3
|The next room
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477<br>V20 Core, pg 486
| ''Synopsis:'' You have an overwhelming fear of something. Spiders, snakes, crowds, and heights are examples of common phobias.<br>
''System:'' If you have a mild phobia (2 points), you must make a Willpower roll every time you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of the roll is determined by the Storyteller and based on the circumstances of the encounter. You must make at last three successes in order to approach the object of your fear or deal with the fearful situation. If you fail the roll, you must run away. The three-point version of this Flaw requires that you make a frenzy check to resist fox frenzy when you are faced with what you fear. Your Storyteller must approve your choice of phobia.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Absent Minded'''
|5
| 3
|The same building
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' You forget things: important things like names, phone numbers, and which route to take to the caern. You often forget tasks you’ve been assigned, what day or time certain happenings are taking place, or even when you last ate.<br>
''System:'' Although you don’t forget Skills, Talents, or Knowledges, in order to remember specific details about anything more significant than your own name, you need to make an Intelligence roll (difficulty is set by the Storyteller).<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Hatred'''
|6
| 3
|One block away
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' Certain types of people or situations arouse an uncontrollable and irrational hatred in you, causing you to make a frenzy roll whenever you confront the object or objects of your hatred. Furthermore, you actively look for opportunities to wreak destruction on your chosen targets.<br>
''System:'' You should choose your nemesis carefully, since the Flaw can affect your relationship with your pack or sept, and can get in the way of your duties as a Garou. Hatred of the Wyrm is assumed and doesn’t count as a suitable object for this Flaw.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Weak Willed'''
|7
| 3
|10 miles away (16 km)
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478<br>V20 Core, pg 486
| ''Synopsis:'' You have little resistance to attempts to dominate or intimidate you. <br>
''System:'' Domination-focused Gifts such as Staredown, Roll Over, etc. automatically succeed against you. Your difficulties to resist Social Talents such as Intimidation or Leadership, as well as mind-altering spells or magic, are increased by two. Your Willpower may never rise above 4.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Ability Deficit'''
|8
| 5
|A time-zone away
| General
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' Whether due to poor education, lack of opportunity, or simple laziness, you’ve fallen short of your potential. <br>
''System:'' You have five fewer points to distribute in one of your Ability categories: Talents, Skills, or Knowledges. Therefore, the most you could initially take in that category would be eight points, and the least would be zero. Of course, you can still spend freebie points to take Abilities in the affected category. However, you cannot have any Ability in that category at three dots or higher at the start of the game. This Flaw is particularly appropriate to lupus characters that have yet to learn much about life as Garou.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Conniver'''
|9
| 1
|Anything farther than the above
| General
| Social
| W20 Core, pg 480
| ''Synopsis:'' There is no honor among thieves, nor trust among liars. You are known as someone whose word cannot be trusted.<br>
''System:'' Whether earned or not, you have a reputation for deceit and treachery, and you lose one die from all Social rolls involving any extension of trust, truth, or believing your words.<br>
''Notes:'' Whether earned or not, you have a reputation for deceit and treachery, and you lose one die from all Social rolls involving any extension of trust, truth, or believing your words.<br>
|-
|-
|}
----
==Level Five==
'''Chaos Mechanics'''
''W20 Core, pg 185''
'''Description:''' Werewolves pulse with the Wyld's energy, but all creatures form and nature have something of the Weaver in them as well. Upon learning this Gift, the Glass Walker reconciles these aspects of his being, enabling him to summon primal energy and mystical form at the same time. Luna, who balances mercurial chaos into an orderly cycle of phases, sends the most powerful of her Lunes to teach this Gift.
'''System:''' A werewolf with this Gift may use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn with no penalty. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Summon Net Spider'''
''W20 Core, pg 185''
'''Description:''' The Garou carries a great technological blessing, granting him an intuitive understanding of the ways of computers; additionally, he can summon a Net Spider - a Weaver spirit that gives its summoner near-absolute control over any computer system. The Spider can disrupt, erase, or destroy whatever system it is sent into. (The exact effects are left to the Storyteller, but are typically destructive.) An avatar of Cockroach teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Computer (difficulty 8). If successful, the Net Spider appears and heeds the Garou's commands. In addition to the destructive power of the summoned spirit, this Gift allows the Garou to permanently halve the difficulties of all rolls to use, build, or hack computers.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-redtalons" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Red Talons Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-redtalons">
==Red Talon Gifts==
The feral Red Talons hate humanity for what it has done to Gaia and their Kinfolk. Griffin's Gifts, geared towards the "red in tooth in claw" aspects of nature, suit the Talons' disposition.
----
==Kucha Ekundu Gifts==
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kuchaekundu" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kucha Ekundu Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kuchaekundu">
Africa has no true wolves, but is still a part of Gaia's body and in need of protection. Some years ago, the Red Talons adapted to breeding with African hunting dogs in order to prove their worthiness to live in Africa and fight to defend it. In this they have succeeded, and the Kucha Ekundu, as these strange Garou are known, have forged unique pacts with both the spirits of Africa and the continent's other Fera, the better to carry out their duties to their Mother. These blessings are learned in addition to the traditional Gifts of the Red Talons.
----
'''Speed of Thought (Level One)'''
''W20 Core, pg 186 and 191''
'''Description:''' The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.
----
'''Feed the Pack (Level Two)'''
''W20 Core, pg 186''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to "eat for the pack". Any food the Kucha Ekundu ingests feeds not only him, but the rest of his pack as well. The spirit of a hunting dog teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6 for packmates, 7 for Kinfolk) before the character eats. For each success, whatever the character eats also nourishes another being.
----
'''Predator's Many Eyes (Level Three)'''
''W20 Core, pg 186 and 187''
'''Description:''' The Kucha Ekundu don't regard themselves as "Lords of the Savannah", especially given the strength of Africa's other Fera, but they still wish to do their job as Garou. This Gift facilitates that job, allowing the werewolf to "mark" a predator and thereafter look through its eyes.
'''System:''' (As the Red Talon Gift: Territory.) The Red Talon needs not urinate on the animal it wishes to mark; the player must merely roll Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7) while the predator is in sight. Using this Gift on other Fera is possible but it requires the Fera's consent. In all other aspects, this Gift functions as Territory.
----
'''Clenched Jaw (Level Four)'''
''W20 Core, pg 172 and 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).
----
'''Crocodile Pact (Level Five)'''
''W20 Core, pg 186''
'''Description:''' When the Red Talons first came to Africa and struck their deal with the Mokole, the mighty were crocodiles agreed that if the Garou could breed with the hunting dogs and do their appointed task in Africa without making war on the other Fera, they could stay. The Red Talons have (thus far) made good on their promises, and the eldest of the Kucha Ekundu have been rewarded with this Gift. The werewolf may call upon the Mokole-Membe for aid, in battle or otherwise. The spirits of the Dragon Kings teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the Garou receives aid within the hour, whether it's from a local clutch or from the spirits who witnessed the pacts between the Memory of Gaia and the Garou. The Storyteller has the final say over exactly what form the Garou's succor takes, but it might range from rampaging were crocodiles arriving to fight with the Kucha Ekunddu to great ancestor spirits called forth by the Mokole to give the Garou advice.
----
</div>
----
==Level One==
'''Beast Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 169 and 185''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Eye of the Hunter'''
''W20 Core, pg 185''
'''Description:''' Just as wolves may assess a herd of prey animals, this Gift enables the Garou to correctly determine the weakest and strongest member of any group she can see. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, then the Garou learns which members of a chosen group within sight are the strongest or weakest and which is the leader. If the Garou attacks the group after employing this Gift, she gains one extra attack die against only the weakest individual for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Hidden Killer'''
''W20 Core, pg 185''
'''Description:''' The Red Talons didn't survive for so long without learning ways to conceal themselves. This Gift allows a werewolf to leave behind no physical evidence that would betray her hand (or claws, or teeth) in a slaying. This Gift is taught by a snake spirit.
'''System:''' After a battle, the Garou must touch or lick once each corpse she slew. The player rolls Intelligence + Larceny (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the wounds alter themselves so that they resemble stabbing or slashing injuries rather than bite or claw marks. Any peripheral damage (smashed furniture, for example) remains as it was, but all forensic evidence such as hair, saliva, or blood from the werewolf's body disappears from the scene.
----
'''Scent of Running Water'''
''W20 Core pg 161 and 185''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.
----
'''Wolf at the Door'''
''W20 Core, pg 185''
'''Description:''' This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the wilderness, and it makes any human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf must make eye contact with the target, but can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest, tundra, swamp, or other untamed wilderness area without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave his home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses three dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. Alternately, this Gift can affect a number of humans equal to his Rage at once (difficulty equals the highest Willpower in that group). In this case, rather than making eye contact, the humans must hear the werewolf howl in lupus form. This Gift can be used on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two.
----
==Level Two==
'''Beastmind'''
''W20 Core, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can reduce the mental faculties of his victim to that of an animal for a time. The victim doesn't necessarily become less intelligent, but human thinking (logic, complex tool use, language, and the like) becomes impossible. An avatar of Griffin teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. The effects last for one minute per success, during which the target behaves like a wild animal. If a point of Rage is spent when directing Gift at an ordinary human target, its effect lasts for one day per success.
----
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
''W20 Core pg 161 and 186''
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
----
'''Howls in the Night'''
''W20 Core, pg 169 and 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf sends a full throated howl shivering into the night sky, evoking primal terror in Gaia's enemies. Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl find themselves troubled and unable to rest easily while their enemies are on the prowl. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours.
----
'''Shadows of the Impergium'''
''W20 Core, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon becomes the embodiment of all humanity's primal fears of the wolf, carrying a heavy miasma of ancient terror about her. A fear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf inflicts the Delirium in Hispo form, though observers are considered to be at +2 Willpower when judging their reaction (see W20 Core, pg 262). Anyone who succumbs to the Delirium because of seeing the werewolf in Crinos form is considered to have a Willpower 5 points lower than their true rating (minimum 1) for the purposes of determining their reaction. This Gift's effects are permanent, though they can be suppressed for a scene if desired.
----
==Level Three==
'''Elemental Favor'''
''W20 Core, pg 184 and 186''
'''Description:''' By begging, threatening, or cajoling an elemental, a werewolf can convince the spirit to do her a favor such as manipulating or even destroying its earthly shell. The Red Talon can only affect the four classical elements - earth, air, water, and fire. A natural elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.
----
'''Render Down'''
''W20 Core, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Talon can destroy any man-made substance. Plastics, alloys, and other materials not found in nature disintegrate with just a touch. Lawn chairs dissolve into oily puddles and steel melts into iron and carbon. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must touch the material; only materials that are not naturally occurring are viable targets. For instance, a wooden table would be unaffected, whereas a plastic table would melt to the ground. The player makes a Rage roll (difficulty 7); each success reduces twenty pounds of the target material to its base components.
----
'''Territory'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon with this Gift doesn't need to patrol his hunting ground to know what transpires there. With but a moment of concentration, he may extend his senses to any area he has marked. This Gift is taught by a wolf spirit.
'''System:''' The Red Talon must first mark one or more areas with his own urine. A Talon may have a number of marked locations equal to his Gnosis (and doesn't have to establish such a mark in every place that he urinates). Thereafter, the player may roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7) to extend the Talon's senses to that location. The character can sense the area as though standing in the same place he was in when he marked the area originally. The scent marks last for one week per dot of Gnosis the character possesses (for wilderness), or one day per dot of Gnosis (for urban environments).
----
'''Trackless Waste'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Talon calls upon the spirits of the wilderness to mislead and confuse any who invade her home. Humans and other travelers are confounded by this Gift, with even skilled survivalists and hikers soon becoming hopelessly lost. Even werewolves are not wholly immune to its effects. Any wilderness spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Gift affects up to a two mile (3.2 km) radius per success. Humans automatically fail at all attempts to navigate such an afflicted wilderness. Other werewolves can roll Perception + Primal Urge; if they score more successes than the Talon, they are able to navigate normally. Those led by the Talon herself through the domain remain unaffected. This Gift lasts until the sun next rises.
----
==Level Four==
'''Gorge'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' Wolves will eat as much as possible when food is available, to carry them through the lean times ahead. Who knows when their next meal will arrive? With this Gift, a Red Talon can similarly gorge on Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Upon learning this Gift, the player chooses which trait (Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower) the character can store. Thereafter, the character can hold three more points in the appropriate Trait than her permanent rating. These extra points must be regained as normal, and they don't add extra dice to rolls involving the Trait in question. To amplify more than one Trait, the character must learn the Gift (i.e., pay the experience cost) again.
----
'''Howl of Death'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' A Talon with this Gift may infuse her howl with Rage and pain, causing grievous wounds to one target. The werewolf must be able to see her target clearly, and the target must be able to hear the howl. Only the intended target is affected by the Gift, though anyone else who hears it is disquieted and frightened. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage, which the target may soak if he is able. The damage manifests as massive internal damage, as the targets innards suddenly rupture.
----
'''Quicksand'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Garou turns the ground into a sticky morass that catches foes and prevents them from escaping or even walking. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficult 7). Success changes the ground into a quicksand-like bog for a ten foot (3 m) radius; each additional success extends the radius of the morass an additional 10 feet (3 m). Anyone trying to move through it, save for the Garou and her pack, moves at half walking speed, and may not execute combat maneuvers that require overland movement. Additionally, all other combat maneuvers take a +1 difficulty penalty. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
----
==Level Five==
'''Curse of Lycaon'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon can force the wolf-skin onto another. If the target is a werewolf, he becomes trapped in Lupus form for the rest of the scene. If the target is a human or animal, it becomes a normal wolf forever. This Gift is taught by a wolf spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target's Willpower).
----
'''Gaia's Vengeance'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon calls upon the Mother herself to strike on his behalf. The terrain responds as best it can: Rocks roll and smash, vines constrict, and water sucks victims under. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (Difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The exact effects depend on the terrain and are left to the Storyteller.
----
'''Scabwalker Curse'''
''W20 Core, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon suffuses a target with a super-abundance of Wyld energy, making them violently allergic to the Weaver-works of Man. Any artificial material blisters and abrades the target's skin; concrete sidewalks and artificial carpet fibers shred their feet, polyester clothing causes her body to break out in weeping sores, and steel tools blister her hands. An avatar of Griffin teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Red Talon spends a turn snarling at a target within 20 feet (6 m). The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Survival (difficulty 7). The target takes one level of bashing damage per turn of physical contact with any non natural material (crafted objects formed entirely of natural materials, such as wooden furniture held together with iron nails, are safe). This curse lasts for one day per success, and can easily prove fatal if invoked in the heart of a city.
----
==Level Six==
'''Shield of Gaia'''
''W20 Core, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Garou becomes so attuned to the laws and Rhythms of Gaia that the Weaver's laws cease to have any hold on her. The werewolf becomes immune to the effects of one form of technology, such as bullets, photography (i.e. cannot be photographed), electricity, chemical toxins, etc. This Gift is taught by Griffin.
'''System:''' The player must determine what this Gift grants immunity to at the time of purchase. Its effects are permanent.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-shadowlord" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Shadow Lord Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-shadowlord">
==Shadow Lord Gifts==
The Shadow Lords appreciate both subtlety and power, and this is reflected in their spirit pacts. The tribe's Gifts grant power over shadows, intimidation, control, asserting dominance over others, and the raw fury of the unleashed storm.
----
==Hakken Gifts==
<div class="mw-customtoggle-hakken" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Hakken Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-hakken">
A Japanese offshoot of the Shadow Lords, the Hakken have struck many pacts with the spirits of the Land of the Rising Sun which are unknown to their Western counterparts. Hakken prize honor, sophistication, and skill with the blade in equal measure.
----
'''Dream of a Thousand Cranes (Level One)'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' By folding an origami crane, the Hakken enjoys good luck for a short period of time. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''The origami takes a full turn to complete; the player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Occult. For the rest of the scene, the Hakken gains one die per success to add to other dice pools; each die can be used only once.
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'''Fair Path (Level One)'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Hakken appears at formal ceremonies clean and dressed in proper attire, even if he has just returned from battle. A water spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Hakken places her hand in clean water; the player rolls Charisma + Etiquette. The Hakken gains one die to all Appearance related rolls for the rest of the scene.
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'''Storm Winds Slash (Level Two)'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' Hakken may use their blades to injure Wyrm creatures at a distance. This Gift is taught by a metal or wind spirit.
'''System''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 7). Success enables the Hakken to strike an opponent from as far away as 50 yards (45 m); the opponent may attempt to dodge the strike and takes lethal damage as usual for a weapon strike.
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'''Dark of Night (Level Three)'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' A Hakken can cause an opponent to become temporarily blinded. Hakken reserve such underhanded tactics for use against minions of the Wyrm. This Gift comes from a raven spirit.
'''System:''' The Hakken spills a vial of ink; the player spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Gnosis (if any). Each success blindds the victim for an hour.
----
'''Living Treasure (Level Four)'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' A Hakken can convince the spirit of a treasure in his possession to relate its history and lore. An ancestor spirit imparts this Gift.
'''System:''' The Hakken touches the object; the player rolls Manipulation + Etiquette (difficulty 7). Each success causes the spirit to reveal one fact about itself. Hakken may use this Gift on common items as well, making it a useful tool for investigations or problem solving. This Gift may only be used once per object.
----
'''Divine Wind (Level Five)'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Hakken can call forth a powerful storm in a designated area. The storm uproots trees and overturns cars in its fury. An ancestor spirit or a servant of Narukami, Lord of Thunder, teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 7) and spends a minimum of one Rage point. Each success equals a one mile (1.6 km) radius for the storm. Each Rage point spent adds a success and, therefore, increases the size of the storm, which lasts for no more than one scene.
----
</div>
----
==Level One==
'''Aura of Confidence'''
''W20 Core, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The werewolf projects an aura of superiority, preventing attempts to find flaws or read auras (but not to read the werewolf's thoughts). An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift's effects are permanent.
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'''Fatal Flaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.
----
'''Seizing the Edge'''
''W20 Core, pg 188''
'''Description:''' Shadow Lords don't acknowledge the idea of the draw. If neither competitor wins, then they both lose. This Gift allows the Garou to swing the balance, ever so slightly, in her favor. A spirit servant of Grandfather Thunder teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Whenever the Shadow Lord is involved in an opposed roll with another being, any ties go to the Shadow Lord. This Gift's effects are permanent, but invoking them more than once in a scene costs one Gnosis per additional tie broken.
----
'''Shadow Weaving'''
''W20 Core, pg 188''
'''Description:''' Slightly flexing her fingers or claws, the Garou pulls and weaves shadows as she desires - lengthening or shortening them, lightening or darkening, or even twisting them into grotesque and frightening shapes. A shadow spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the Shadow Lord may warp shadows within 100 yards (91 m) as she wishes. Among other creative uses, this lowers the difficulty of all Stealth and Intimidation attempts by 1.
----
'''Whisper Catching'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' What good purpose could there be to keep secrets from Gaia's protectors? This Gift allows the werewolf to supernaturally eavesdrop on whispered conversations - what she does with the information learned is, of course, up to her own conscience. A crow or bat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System: The player spends a point of Willpower. For the rest of the scene, all whispers within 200 feet are fully audible to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to her.
----
==Level Two==
'''Clap of Thunder'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lords slams her hands together, creating a mighty thunderclap that stuns those who hear it. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. All characters within 20 feet (6 m) must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 8 for foes, 4 for packmates) or be stunned and unable to act for one turn. The Garou must be in Homid, Glabro, or Crinos form to use this Gift.
----
'''Cold Voice of Reason'''
''W20 Core, pg 189''
'''Description:''' A cunning Shadow Lord can talk his way out of just about anything. If attacked, the werewolf may invent a clever remark that will detain his attacker for at least one round. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The attacker is detained one round for each success as long as he, in turn, is not attacked (being attacked immediately breaks the Shadow Lord's spell). The attacker is free to take any other actions he wishes (including attacking individuals other than the Shadow Lord.
----
'''Howls in the Night'''
''W20 Core, pg 169 and 190''
'''Description:''' The werewolf sends a full throated howl shivering into the night sky, evoking primal terror in Gaia's enemies. Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl find themselves troubled and unable to rest easily while their enemies are on the prowl. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours.
----
'''Luna's Armor'''
''W20 Core, pg 177 and 190''
'''Description:''' The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.
----
'''Song of the Earth Mother'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to sense the presence of supernatural activity within a broad area. Essentially, the Garou communes with the earth and listens to what it says. The Gift is taught by an earth spirit.
'''System:''' The user spends 10 minutes communing with the earth, during which time she may take no other actions. The player then spends two Gnosis points and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). Success indicates that the earth tells her about any supernatural presence within an area of 100 yards (91 m) per success. While the Gift doesn't offer specific information about the being or beings detected, it does indicate whether or not the presence is Wyrm tainted.
----
==Level Three==
'''Direct the Storm'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can direct the primal instincts of a frenzied werewolf, friend of foe, causing him to attack targets of the Lord's choice. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the target's Rage). Success indicates that the Shadow Lord controls the target's frenzy and can set him on anyone he chooses for two turns per success. Using this Gift on a Garou in the Thrall of the Wyrm is possible, but doing so requires the player to roll Rage (difficulty 7) to check for frenzy for her own character.
----
'''Icy Chill of Despair'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord appears to grow larger and more imposing, becoming a terrible, shadowy version of herself. This change in aspect can severely intimidate any onlookers. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7). Anyone who means the Shadow Lord harm must make a Willpower check (difficulty 8), and score more successes than the Lord does in order to act normally. Failure means that the victims must spend a Willpower point to attack, take action against or even verbally oppose the Shadow Lord. This Gift doesn't give the Lord actual control over her intimidated victims - they're simply too spooked to actively oppose her.
----
'''Paralyzing Stare'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn, rendering her unable to move or attack (though she may still defend herself). The target must be able to see the Garou.
----
'''Shadow Cutting'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can wound an enemy by striking at his very shadow. Such attacks are difficult to dodge. this Gift is taught by a night spirit.
'''System:''' The character spits into his opponent's shadow and the player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the character may strike at his foe's shadow to wound him. Only fetish weapons or natural weaponry serves for such attacks. The Victim has two fewer dice to dodge attacks directed at his shadow, and cant parry them at all.
----
'''Under the Gun'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord lays a curse on her foe, ensuring certain death by bullets. While the curse is in effect, bullets (as well as arrows, hurled knives, and any other missile weapons) are strangely attracted to the target. Although this Gift is useful in battle, most Shadow Lords prefer to use it secretly on a chosen foe before a fight begins, ensuring an "unfortunate accident". A raven spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Shadow Lord touches the intended target with her fingertips. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Firearms. The curse lingers for one day per success. While it is in effect, the difficulty to strike the target with any sort of missile attack drops by two.
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==Level Four==
'''Open Wounds'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The werewolf causes the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening his opponent further. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, suffering one unsoakable lethal damage per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.
----
'''Durance'''
''W20 Core, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The werewolf dominates a talen-bound spirit, spinning webs of metaphysical authority to forcibly lengthen its service to her. Some consider this Gift disrespectful, but the Shadow Lords find it ridiculous to discard a weapon that might serve Gaia, just for the sake of politeness. This Gift is taught by a spider spirit.
'''System:''' Upon using a talen, the player may reflecively spend one Gnosis point to keep the spirit bound within from departing. This Gift is ineffective on talens which are destroyed as an inherent aspect of their use (such as the nightshade talen, which must be drunk to active its powers), but preserves talens whose destruction is a metaphysical result of their use (such as moon glow and Wyrm scales).
----
'''Strength of the Dominator'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The werewolf draws on a target's anger to feed his own. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Intimidation (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). For a number of turns equal to the successes scored, the target will lose a point of Rage per turn, while the Shadow Lord  gains that Rage. The character can use this Gift only once per target per scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Obedience'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceeds the Garou's successes, or they succumb to the Gift's effects. If the werewolf wins by one success, targets follow any orders that don't directly inconvenience them. Three successes cause the targets to treat the Lord as their alpha and fight for her. Five successes make the targets follow her into the Abyss or perform virtually suicidal actions. This Gift's effects last for one full day.
----
'''Shadow Pack'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and share some of his capabilities. A night spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a number of Gnosis points. One shadow-duplicate appears for each point spent. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but not his fetishes and may not use Gifts, Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level. The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-silentstriders" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Silent Strider Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-silentstriders">
==Silent Strider Gifts==
The spirits bless the enigmatic Silent Striders with Gifts of travel and speed.
----
==Level One==
'''Heaven's Guidance'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The Strider is never lost while the stars shine in the sky. This Gift is taught by a spirit servant of the North Star.
'''System:''' The werewolf gains an innate sense of direction; he always knows which way is north and the path he took to reach where he is. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can gling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
'''Silence'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The Strider can muffle any sound she makes, the better to creep up on the Wyrm's minions or escape them unnoticed. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player adds two dice to all Dexterity + Stealth rolls.
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'''Speed of Thought'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.
----
'''Visions of Duat'''
''W20 Core, pg 191''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's eyes become cloudy and pale as she attunes her vision to the ashen landscape of the Underworld. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the character can see (and hear) ghosts and detect haunted areas with another Perception + Occult roll (difficulty corresponds to the severity of the haunting). The Gift bestows no power to touch or communicate with the dead, however - that usually requires the use of the Descent into the Underworld rite. A botch causes the Garou's eyes to shine as beacons in the underworld, drawing the notice of broke, vengeful shades.
----
==Level Two==
'''Axis Mundi'''
''W20 Core, pg 159 and 192''
'''Description:''' The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift's effects are permanent.
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'''Blissful ignorance'''
''W20 Core pg 161 and 192''
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
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'''Messenger's Fortitude'''
''W20 Core, pg 192''
'''Description:''' The Strider can run at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water. When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day. A camel or wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. Doing anything other than running ends the Gift. Others may be granted the Messenger's Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis point per additional runner.
----
'''Tread Sebek's Back'''
''W20 Core, pg 192''
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls upon the river to support her steps, allowing her to walk or run across water or other liquids. Her feet gain no special protection if she chooses to run across Wyrm-toxins or other hazardous liquids. A crocodile spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Survival (difficulty 7). The Strider may travel across liquid as if it were open ground for one hour per success.
----
==Level Three==
'''Adaptation'''
''W20 Core, pg 192''
'''Description:''' The Strider takes no damage from poison or disease, and he may exist in any environment, regardless of pressure, temperature, or atmospheric conditions. This Gift doesn't protect the Garou from hazardous situations (such as falling), only hazardous environments. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one hour per success.
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'''Great Leap'''
''W20 Core, pg 192''
'''Description:''' The Strider can jump truly astounding distances. A jackrabbit spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Strength + Athletics. The character may jump 100 feet per success.
----
'''Mark of the Death Wolf'''
''W20 Core, pg 192''
'''Description:''' The Silent Strider uses his claws to gouge an eerie sigil into a nearby surface, which fascinates and attracts the unquiet dead. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point upon making the mark, which takes a full turn, and then rolls Wits + Occult (difficultly 7). The mark retains its mystic potency for one week per success, leaving the area around it badly haunted if there are any ghosts in the area at all. Destroying the mark can end this Gift's effects prematurely.
----
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
----
==Level Four==
'''Attunement'''
''W20 Core, pg 176 and 193''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may commune with spirits of an area and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When this Gift is learned, the Strider must decide whether the Gift functions in the city or the wilderness. The "city" version is identical to the Bone Gnawer Gift of the same name; the player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The "wilderness" version is similar, but the roll required is Perception + Survival (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
----
'''Black Mark'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The Strider's claws darken with the leaden sheen of the Dark Umbra, marking her foes fit for the attentions of the restless dead. An owl spirit teaches Gift.
'''System:''' The player may spend a point of Gnosis when the Strider successfully strikes an opponent with her claws, but before rolling damage. The target becomes haunted for one day per level of damage inflicted, as with Mark of the Death Wolf.
----
'''Dam the Heartflood'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' No tribe hates vampires more than the Silent Striders, who lost their homeland to the leeches. This Gift allows Strider heroes to nullify the magic inherent to blood. It is taught by a cobra spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success prevents the target from using any magic related in any way to blood for one turn. It also prohibits spending blood points for any purpose for the same duration, should the target possess a blood pool trait (such as that of vampires, ghouls, and Ananasi).
----
'''Speed Beyond Thought'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can run at 10 times his normal land speed. The effects last for up to eight hours, during which the Strider can do nothing but concentrate on running. When the Gift's effects end, the werewolf must eat immediately or face frenzy from hunger. A cheetah or air spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift.
----
'''Gate of the Moon'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' This Gift creates a specialized moon bridge that takes the Strider to her destination instantly. At least a sliver of the moon must be visible at her area of departure. A lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for every 100 miles the Strider needs to travel. She then rolls Intelligence + Alertness (difficulty varies by how far the journey is and how well the Strider knows the way). Success transports the character instantly to her destination.
----
'''Reach the Umbra'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The Garou may step in and out of the Umbra at will, without need of a reflective surface or even any effort at all. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou may step sideways instantly at any time, with no fear of being "caught". No roll is necessary. All rolls to enter or leave Umbral Realms receive a -2 difficulty bonus. She may not, however, spend Rage on the turn that she steps sideways. The Garou may not step sideways quickly enough to dodge an attack that has already been declared.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-silverfangs" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Silver Fangs Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-silverfangs">
==Silver Fangs Gifts==
The regal Silver Fangs are the traditional leaders of the Garou, and their Gifts reflect - and support - that birthrite.
----
==Siberakh Gifts==
This obscure, reclusive Siberian sub-tribe has little to do with the Western Concordiat, and likes it that way. Descended from a mixture of Silver Fang and Wendigo stock, the Siberakh claim Sable as their only particular spiritual ally; otherwise they use a mixture of Wendigo and Silver Fang Gifts. Generally, Siberakh characters may purchase any Gifts from the Silver Fang and Wendigo lists ''except'' those taught by Falcon, his servants, and falcon spirits, or by Great Wendigo and his servants.
----
==Level One==
'''Eye of the Falcon'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's vision gains the predatory clarity of a bird of prey. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all long range attack rolls and visually based Perception rolls are made at -1 difficulty.
----
'''Falcon's Grasp'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's hands or jaws tighten in a mighty death grip, making it nearly impossible to escape. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou's grip (with both hands and jaws) is much stronger - her Strength is considered three points higher for grappling or maneuvers such as the jaw lock (see Special Maneuvers, W20 Core, pg 299). This extra Strength does not apply to damage rolls.
----
'''Inspiration'''
''W20 Core, pg 171 and 193''
'''Description:''' Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in battle, and this Gift helps them to live up to that trust. The werewolf employs this Gift to lend her resolve and righteous anger to those who share her cause. A lion or wolf spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one Willpower point, which disappears if it is not used before the end of the scene.
----
'''Lambent Flame'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' The werewolf causes her body to ignite with silver light. A lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point to activate the Gift. The light illuminates a 100 foot (30 m) are around the Garou for the rest of the scene. All attacks against the Garou suffer a +1 difficulty penalty while this Gift persists.
----
'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 1913''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
==Level Two==
'''Empathy'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' Among wolves, alphas rule by strength, but leaders of men must be able to read their subjects if they are to keep their crown. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty 4). One success indicates that the Garou knows the general feelings and expectations of any one group. The more successes the player rolls, the greater her understanding of the Garou's wants and needs.
----
'''Hand Blade'''
''W20 Core, pg 193''
'''Description:''' Many Silver Fangs are trained in swordplay as part of their birthright. This Gift allows them to rely on such skills at any time by turning their arm into a razor sharp blade that slices and cuts like the best forged sword. An ancestor spirit, usually a former klaive-dueling master, teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage to transform one or both hands. For the rest of the scene, he may use his arm like a sword by rolling Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 6. Such attacks inflict Strength + 2 aggravated damage, as his claws are part of the blade.
----
'''Luna's Armor'''
''W20 Core, pg 177 and 194''
'''Description:''' The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.
----
'''Sense Silver'''
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 194''
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
----
'''Unity of the Pack'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' It is only natural for those guided by canny leaders to excel. This Gift allows the Silver Fang's pack to enjoy the benefits of her unifying aura, making them deadlier warriors against the Wyrm's minions. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Whenever the Silver Fang is present, all members of her pack (including herself) gain one extra die on all rolls to execute Pack Tactics (see W20 Core, pg 300). This Gift's benefits are permanent. The Silver Fang cannot benefit from this Gift when she is alone.
----
==Level Three==
'''Burning Blade'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' This Gift causes a Garou's weapon, whether it's a sword, klaive or axe, to burn with a deadly fire that burns her enemy even as it bites into their flesh. A firebird spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn, and the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gift. The weapon now does two extra dice of aggravated fire damage. Flammable objects will catch fire if struck by the blade. The weapon remains ignited for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.
----
'''Silver Claws'''
''W20 Core, pg 171 and 194''
'''Description:''' Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.
----
'''Talons of the Falcon'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' The Silver Fang's claws transform into impaling weapons, allowing her to cut muscle, bone, and sinew as though they were paper. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and makes a Dexterity + Brawl roll to attack. The attack does three additional levels of damage, and its damage may not be regenerated for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Wrath of Gaia'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' The werewolf shows himself in full, terrible glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou during the rest of the scene must either roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes, or flee in terror.
----
==Level Four==
'''Mastery'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' The Silver Fangs can command other Garou - even Black Spiral Dancers - to do her bidding. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the target's Wits + 3). If the rolls succeeds, the Garou can give the target one non-suicidal command, which he must obey for one turn per success. This Gift works only against Garou.
----
'''Mindblock'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' The Garou fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but do not apply to magic which sways the Garou's emotions.
----
'''Sidestep Death'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' Legends say that when the first Silver Fang died, he was reborn with this Gift. The Fang simply sidesteps what would have become his deathblow. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''  Once per scene, the player may spend three Willpower points to evade a single attack that would inflict enough damage to place the Fang's health levels below Crippled (before soak). The Garou simply appears instantly at the nearest location not affected by the attack, which may be an inch, a mile, or even further away.
----
==Level Five==
'''Luna's Avenger'''
''W20 Core, pg 194''
'''Description:''' The Silver Fang transforms his greatest weakness into his greatest strength, transforming his body into living silver. A lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou concentrates for a full turn to activate this Gift. The player spends a Gnosis point; for the rest of the scene, the Garou is immune to the effects of silver. All damage inflicted by attacks made with the werewolf's body are considered to have been made with silver weapons. Additionally, the character gains two additional points of Stamina and one extra health level for the duration of this Gift (any damage marked to this additional health level vanishes harmlessly when the Gift ends).
----
'''Paws of the Newborn Cub'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' With only a glare and a snarl, the Silver Fang can temporarily suppress an opponent's supernatural tricks, leaving him to face the werewolf's wrath as nothing more than an animal or human. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success removes all supernatural powers (shapeshifting, Gifts, Disciplines, and any other sort of supernatural or magical power) from the target for one turn.
----
==Level Six==
'''Renew the Cycle'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' One of the most potent powers available to the Garou, this Gift allows the correction of a grievous wrong done to the natural cycle of Gaia. The undead, whose very existence is an affront to the natural order of things, whither and crumble to dust when struck by the power of this Gift. Whether the undead is a shambling, month old animated corpse or an ancient vampire, the Fang can destroy it with but a glance. Only an avatar of Gaia herself can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player and the target enter into a resisted contest of Gnosis vs Willpower (both difficulty 8). If the Garou wins the contest, the undead is reduced to its natural state - fresh corpses simply lose their animation, whereas an elder vampire would crumble to dust. Mummies are simply banished to a season of sleep. The Garou must spend one Gnosis for every hundred years (or fraction thereof) the undead has existed in its unnatural state; should the target's age exceed the Garou's capacity to spend Gnosis points, permanent Gnosis may be sacrificed to account for 500 years of age per dot spent.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-stargazer" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Stargazer Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-stargazer">
==Stargazer Gifts==
The Stargazers' search for insight and wisdom has naturally led them deep into the spiritual realm. Their Gifts are a by-product of their penchant for visions and riddles, as well as outgrowths of their pursuit of non-lethal combat methods.
----
'''Balance'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Channeling'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' Rage is both a boon and a bane to the Garou, and the Stargazers feel this more than most. Many Stargazers seek new ways to harness and direct their divine fury, and those with this Gift have at least one more option: to channel the vast stream of Rage into a single action, intensifying and clarifying it. This Gift is taught by a fire spirit.
'''System:''' The player may spend up to three Rage points on a single action. Each point spent in this manner gives the werewolf an extra die for that roll.
----
'''Falling Touch'''
''W20 Core, pg 170 and 194''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.
----
'''Iron Resolve'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' Through the blessings of the spirits, the Stargazer's resolve is tempered like steel, allowing great feats through application of sheer will. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Once per scene, the Stargazer may spend one Willpower to gain two automatic successes on an action rather than one.
----
'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
==Level Two==
'''Inner Light'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer can step sideways into the Umbra using his own inner light; he needs no mirror. This Gift is taught by an Epiphling of Truth.
'''System:''' The character is always considered to be using a mirror when attempting to step sideways, regardless of the presence of any reflective surface.
----
'''Inner Strength'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' After a brief meditation, the Garou may convert her inner anger into iron resolve. Ancestor spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The character concentrates for five minutes; the player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8). Each success converts one point of Rage into a point of Willpower.
----
'''Resist Temptation'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' Using a series of ritual gestures to equalize the flow of energy through her chakra points, the Statgazer can resist worldly, material, and spiritual temptations, including corruption. This Gift is taught by an earth spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Rituals and spends one Gnosis point. Each success raises others' difficulties to ensorcel or supernaturally coerce the character by one for the rest of the scene. This Gift is automatically successful against non-supernatural coercion.
----
'''Surface Attunement'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer becomes as one with her environment, gaining the ability  to easily traverse Gaia's face - no matter what obstacles it may present. She may pass at normal speed across water, mud, snow, and quicksand without falling through or leaving tracks. The spirits of small, often overlooked animals (such as rabbits, sparrows and mice) teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; her player rolls Dexterity + Athletics difficulty 6. This Gift lasts for a scene.
----
'''Wuxing'''
''W20 Core, pg 195''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer exploits the mystical resonance between the Asian elements of water, fire, earth, metal, and wood, transforming the element into another. An avatar of Chimera teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty 7). Each success allows for one square foot of a particular element (water, earth, fire, metal, or wood) to be changed into an alternate type of the same group of elements: Fire may become wood, water may become earth, and so on. The dimension and shape of the element doesn't change - a fire in a fireplace still retains its "shape", but may now be made of wood, or even water (which retains the same shape, becoming liquid held fast to a specific contour). The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the character's Gnosis rating.
----
==Level Three==
'''Clarity'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to see through fog, pitch darkness, and invisibility, and to recognize illusions. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Stargazer attempts to see someone else's illusion, the number of successes rolled by the creator must be matched or beaten by the Garou; otherwise, this Gift negates visual penalties.
----
'''Merciful Blow'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' The Garou can subdue a foe in combat without harming him. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and the Stargazer attunes himself to the body of his foe. For the remainder of the scene, although the Garou's attacks inflict damage, no actual injuries appear upon the opponent's body. A foe incapacitated through the use of this power immediately regains all health lost to the Garou's Merciful Blows, and is guaranteed to remain unconscious for at least the rest of the scene.
----
'''Sense Balance'''
''W20 Core, pg 167 and 196''
'''Description:''' As the arbitrators of the Garou Nation, the Philodox have developed an attunement with the cosmic forces that balance the Tellurian. The werewolf may sense an overabundance of Wyrm, Wyld, or Weaver energies in a location. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to detect the spiritual balance of an area, if any. Wyrm manifestations feel dense and oily, Weaver presence feels cold and unyielding, and Wyld energies feel hot and trembling. The Philodox must be at peace and without distraction to use this Gift.
----
'''Wind's Returning Favor'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' A Stargazer with this Gift may be a master of weapons, but rarely goes about unarmed. She may rely on her opponents to bring weapons to her hand. This Gift is taught by a wind spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics in response to an opponent's close range melee attack (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits + Melee). The Stargazer's successes take away the successes on the opponent's attack roll; if the Stargazer's successes outnumber the opponent's, she steals the attacker's weapon and may use it the following turn.
----
==Level Four==
'''Preternatural Awareness'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer attunes all her senses to her surroundings, becoming preternaturally aware of her opponent's doings and allowing her to anticipate them somewhat. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Athletics (difficulty 7). All opponents' dice pools to hit the Garou decrease by a number of dice equal to the successes rolled. This penalty applies even if the werewolf cannot see the attack coming. This Gift's effects last for one scene.
----
'''Mindblock'''
''W20 Core, pg 194 and 196''
'''Description:''' The Garou fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but do not apply to magic which sways the Garou's emotions.
----
'''Strike the Air'''
''W20 Core, pg 178 and 196''
'''Description:''' The Child becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker.
----
==Level Five==
'''Circular Attack'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''DDescription:''' The greatest Stargazers have no fear of fighting even a horde of opponents. They can not only avoid their foes' attacks, but can channel those attacks toward other enemies. Thus the Stargazer's flowing movements turn a mob of murderous fomori into a weapon directed against itself. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Wits of any present opponent + 3). Each success enables the Garou to perfectly dodge one attack ''or'' to redirect one attack directed at her to strike a different target during that turn. The Stargazer may not use this Gift multiple times in one turn or spend Rage during the same turn, although she may take multiple actions in the standard fashion.
----
'''Harmonious Unity of the Emerald Mother'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' The wisest of Stargazers understand that all divisions of the flesh are mere illusion. The only true separation is of spirit - Wyrm from Weaver, Weaver from Wyld, Triat from Gaia. But even then, the great forces of the universe are connected, Drawing upon this wisdom, the Garou banishes the boundaries dividing the mind and body of a man from the power of the werewolf. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the next day, the Stargazer enjoys the physical attribute bonuses and regenerative powers of the Crinos form while in Homid. This Goft doesn't grant Crinos form's claws, fangs, or expanded senses, nor does it inflict the Delirium.
----
'''Wisdom of the Seer'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' By gazing into the night sky for an hour, the Stargazer becomes a channel for the wisdom of the Tellurian, and can find the answer to almost any question. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If successful, the player can ask anyone a simple question of the storyteller and expect an answer that is honest, if vague and wrapped in symbolism. The clarity of the information depends on the number of successes, and it is rare to gain a complete and straightforward answer.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-uktena" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Uktena Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-uktena">
==Uktena Gifts==
Uktena Gifts reflect the tribe's predilection toward magical study and animal powers. Many of their Gifts were long forgotten secrets, recently unearthed as the fight for Gaia grows more desperate.
----
==Level One==
'''Sense Magic'''
''W20 Core, pg 196''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on  the strength and subtlety of the magic. The  Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.
----
'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156 and 197''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
'''Shroud'''
''W20 Core, pg 197''
'''Description:''' The Uktena can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Garou's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.
----
'''Spirit of the Lizard'''
''W20 Core, pg 197''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's hands and feet sprout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing her to climb across or cling to any surface - even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings. A gecko spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character can move across any solids surface at her normal walking speed. Staying attached to a vertical surface or ceiling while taking any more strenuous movement (fighting, moving faster than a walking speed, attempting to dislodge a steam grate) requires a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 7).
----
'''Spirit Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 164 and 197''
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
==Level Two==
'''Coils of the Serpent'''
''W20 Core, pg 197''
'''Description:''' The Uktena calls forth dark tentacles of mist or fog that wrap around enemies and hold them in a vise-like grip. Each coil is 30 feet long and possesses the same Physical characteristics as the werewolf who summons them. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 7. Each success causes a single coil to emerge from the air at a point within 100 feet (30 m) of the Uktena. The player must use a turn's concentration and a Dexterity + Brawl roll to aim the tentacles. The coils focus on a single target, unless the player makes attack rolls against multiple targets, with the normal penalties for multiple actions. The coils only bind; they cant inflict damage. To break free, the victim must first make a Strength roll, (difficulty 7); if his successes exceeds the number of coils entangling him, he struggles free. The tentacles last until the end of the scene, or until dismissed, whichever is sooner.
----
'''Fetish Fetch'''
''W20 Core, pg 197''
'''Description:''' The Uktena need not carry her fetishes with her. She may draw them from a hidden cache whenever she needs them, no matter the distance, and return them just as easily. A packrat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The first part of the Gift involves creating the secret hiding spot for the fetishes. The player spends one Gnosis and buries or covers her items. Once this ritual is complete, she need only spend a Gnosis point to summon any or all of her fetishes, or to return them to her hiding place. The fetish appears in her hand as if from thin air. Only one hiding spot can exist at a time, but the Uktena can replace it with a new one whenever she wishes.
----
'''Shadows at Dawn'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' Sometimes, one must give information to get information. However, Uktena are notoriously tightfisted with secrets. With this Gift, the werewolf can share a bit of knowledge that later vanishes from a subject's memory. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After relating a bit of lore, the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the opponent's Wits + Subterfuge). If the rolls succeeds, whatever information the Uktena imparted completely vanishes from the target's memory when the sun next rises.
----
'''Spirit of the Bird'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above - an excellent reason to do so, in the eyes of the Uktena. The Garou using this Gift may hover, fly, or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and with an audible rush of mighty but unseen wings, the character takes to the air. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.
----
'''Spirit of the Fish'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Any fish spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effect lasts one hour per success.
----
==Level Three==
'''Banish Totem'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' By speaking words of forbiddance, the Uktena can bar pack or personal totems from giving their children aid. Doing so also disrupts the spiritual rapport between packmates, making it difficult for them to execute pack tactics or act in concert. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Uktena must concentrate for a full turn, and he must know which totem his victims follow. The player spends one Gnosis point and one Willpower point, and he rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the pack's combined Totem score (maximum of 10). If successful, members of the targeted pack lose all Traits associated with their totem, and they cannot use pack tactics or act in concert for the remainder of the scene. If the Uktena is rendered unconscious or killed, the Gift is canceled.
----
'''Chains of Mist'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' Silvery filaments spin out from the Garou's claws, becoming streamers of mist that enwrap and confound nearby spirits, sapping their strength. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Uktena concentrates for a turn; and the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 7). One spirit of the player's choice within 200 feet (60 m) is affected per success. Spirits struck by this Gift treat their Rage, Gnosis and Willpower ratings as though they were one lower than they truly are for the purpose of all dice rolls for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Invisibility'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' The Garou can vanish from sight, though she must concentrate concentrate to maintain her invisibility. She cant move faster than half normal walking speed, and cant draw attention to her herself, a servant of Uktena reaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in the open, 9 in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll. Anyone not actively seeking the Garou will not spot her at all.
----
'''Rending the Craft'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's claws burn with mystic force, rending apart the delicate workings of magic. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After the werewolf makes a successful claw attack, the player may spend a point of Willpower to end the effects of any on-goiong magical power enhancing the target (such as the Gift: Razor Claws, or the Charm: Armor). Permanent magical effects cannot be rent asunder by this Gift, nor powers that are innate to the nature of the target. For example, a werewolf's Gifts could be cancelled, but not her ability to shapeshift; a vampire's Disciplines could be disrupted, but not her immortality or her ability to spend blood to raise her Attributes. In the event that a magical effect mixes permanent and temporary elements, the permanent elements are retained while the transitory elements are disabled. For example, a Vampire's Potence would continue to grant extra Strength dice, but blood could not be spent to transform those dice into automatic successes.
----
'''Scrying'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' The Uktena may view events elsewhere by staring into a reflective surface. Many supernatural beings, particularly those capable of scrying themselves, know defenses against this Gift. A fly spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 10 unless the Uktena possesses an item belonging to the person or place being viewed, in which case the difficulty is 8). The Uktena may view everything that happens in that area for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Four==
'''Call Elemental'''
''W20 Core, pg 198''
'''Description:''' The Garou is able to call one of the four classic elementals to his aid (earth, air, fire, or water). An elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty is equal to the area's Gauntlet). She must then roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7) to make the summoned elemental amenable to helping her. The elemental vanishes at the end of the scene.
----
'''Durance'''
''W20 Core, pg 190 and 199''
'''Description:''' The werewolf dominates a talen-bound spirit, spinning webs of metaphysical authority to forcibly lengthen its service to her. Some consider this Gift disrespectful, but the Shadow Lords find it ridiculous to discard a weapon that might serve Gaia, just for the sake of politeness. This Gift is taught by a spider spirit.
'''System:''' Upon using a talen, the player may reflexively spend one Gnosis point to keep the spirit bound within from departing. This Gift is ineffective on talens which are destroyed as an inherent aspect of their use (such as the nightshade talen, which must be drunk to active its powers), but preserves talens whose destruction is a metaphysical result of their use (such as moon glow and Wyrm scales).
----
'''Hand of the Earth Lords'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' By drawing on the land's energies, the Uktena can move any one object weighing up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) simply by gesturing at it. An air elemental and an earth elemental must teach this Gift in concert.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). Concentration is necessary to move an object, which travels at roughly 20 mph (32 kph). The Garou's control lasts for one turn per success.
----
==Level Five==
'''Fabric of the Mind'''
''W20 Core, pg 170 and 199''
'''Description:''' The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.
----
'''Fetish Doll'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' Sympathetic magic is among the oldest principles of sorcery - possibly ''the'' oldest - and still as effective as it ever was. The Garou can harm his victims from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll to incorporate the prize. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The doll takes one week to construct and enchant. The player rolls Perception + Crafts (difficulty 8) to do so. When the doll is complete, the player may roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty is equal to the victim's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage on the victim, soakable if the victim is capable of doing so. After 10 successes, the doll is too mutilated to be of further use.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-wendigo" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Wendigo Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wendigo">
==Wendigo Gifts==
The magic of the Wendigo is that of the black heart of winter, the howling hunger of the blizzards, and the barren majesty of the north wind.
----
==Level One==
'''Beat of the Heart Drum'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' The werewolf becomes an inescapable hunter, drawn ever onward by the beat of his prey's heart until that heart grows still. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must have an object belonging to his target, a piece of the victim (a blood sample, a lock of hair), or must have tasted his quarry's blood in the past. The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Survival (difficulty 7). The Wendigo can hear her quarry's heartbeat for one day per success, no matter how far away they may be. The beat grows louder as the werewolf draws near, making tracking effortless.
----
'''Call the Breeze'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls up a strong (~20 mph/36 kph), cold wind and directs it as she wills. The wind chills anyone not prepared for it, and can disperse (or redirect) clouds of vapor (including tear gas or airborne toxins) as well as Swarms of insects. An air elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' the Garou whistles or breathes out to summon the winds. Anyone caught in it loses one die from Perception rolls as long as the breeze lasts, and suffers a -1 penalty to all actions after one minute of exposure if not dressed appropriately for cold weather.
----
'''Camouflage'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, the better to evade enemies or prepare ambushes. A deer spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties to spot the Garou in the wilderness increase by three.
----
'''Ice Echo'''
''W20 Core, pg 200''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo conjures a perfect reflection of himself. The image is identical to the Garou, except that it is reversed, as though seen in a mirror (so any writing on the Garou's clothing would be backwards, scars would be on the wrong side, etc). The Wendigo can control the image easily, giving it voice and guiding its motion. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis to create the Ice Echo at any point within 100 feet (30 m). The echo moves and sounds exactly like the Garou in addition to taking on her precise appearance, but gives off no scent or heat, and is intangible. Discerning which is the echo and which is the original requires a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty of the Garou's Gnosis).
----
'''Resist Pain'''
''W20 Core, pg 166 and 200''
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Two==
'''Cutting Wind'''
''W20 Core, pg 200''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo conjures up a bitterly cold blast of wind and directs it at will. The wind can knock opponents off their feet and chill them to the bone. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo itself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. Directing the gust requires a Dexterity + Occult roll. Anyone hit by the wind loses two dice from all dice pools for two turns. The wind can also knock foes off ledges, into traffic, or into pits. The wind's medium range is 20 yards (18 m), and it is modified as per the rules on firearms (see W20 Core, pg 293). The wind lasts for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled.
----
'''Claws of Frozen Death'''
''W20 Core, pg 200''
'''Description:'''Description: Blue smoke rolls off the werewolf's claws and teeth, which are transformed into curving daggers of hardened ice. Wounds inflicted with these terrible weapons turn black and fester, all the warmth and life driven out of them. A snow spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 7). The transformation lasts for the rest of the scene, or until banished voluntarily. Any individual wounded by the werewolf's fangs or claws suffers a -1 penalty for the rest of the scene as chills wrack her body. Additionally, any such wounds heal badly; mortals are likely to lose injured limbs as the tissue necrotizes, and beings capable of supernaturally swift healing (such as vampires or Black Spiral Dancers) are unable to heal these wounds for one day per success on the Gift's activation roll. This gift cant be used in Homid, but applies fully to the claws and or fangs of all other forms.
----
'''Salmon Swim'''
''W20 Core, pg 200''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo can swim as easily as a fish or walk on the surface of the water as if it were land. Salmon Swim only works on freshwater bodies; any natural body such as a lake, pond, or river is fair game, but the Gift doesn't function for swimming pools or other purely artificial containers of freshwater. It is taught by a salmon spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For each success, the character can move freely on or under the surface for one scene. Additionally, during this period, the Garou can use the effects of the Lupus Gift: Hare's Leap, so long as he begins and ends his leap in a sizable body of fresh water.
----
'''Speak with Wind Spirits'''
''W20 Core, pg 200''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo may call upon wind spirits for knowledge and guidance. She can ask them one question, which must concern the immediate area (wind spirits have short attention spans). A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Upon learning this Gift, the Garou can automatically speak with wind spirits while in the Umbra. To ask a question in the physical world, the player must roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 8). The number of successes reflects the accuracy of the information. If no wind spirits are present (such as indoors, where the air is still and stagnant) this Gift cannot function.
----
'''True Fear'''
''W20 Core, pg 171 and 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).
----
==Level Three==
'''Blood of the North'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo takes winter as his brother, infusing the spiritual essence of the howling cold into his very flesh and bones. A snow spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Wendigo ignores all penalties due to cold or chilling effects, and gains an extra five dice of soak against all cold based attacks. All Survival rolls made in cold environments are at -2 difficulty. This Gifts effects are permanent.
----
'''Bloody Feast'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' Great Wendigo, as a hungry cannibal spirit, can teach his favored children how to gain strength from an enemy's flesh and blood. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must bite his opponent and taste blood - he must inflict at least one lethal or aggravated health level of damage, and his victim must be something that bleeds. If the opponent has toxic blood or non at all, this Gift cannot function. The player then rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3. The Wendigo gains one extra dot in Strength for every two health levels of damage inflicted by the bite (maximum of + 5 to Strength). The extra Strength bonus lasts for two turns per success on the Gnosis roll. However, flesh and blood can be addictive; the Wendigo's player must make an immediate frenzy roll the turn after activating the Gift.
----
'''Sky Running'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo gains the ability to run at 50 mph (80 kph) through the skies, leaving a track of fire behind him as he goes. He must continually remain in motion or he falls. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Great Wendigo.
'''System:''' The Wendigo concentrates for one turn. The player then spends one Willpower point. This Gift lasts for four hours and may be replenished by further Willpower expenditure.
----
'''Wisdom of the Ancient Ways'''
''W20 Core, pg 167 and 201''
'''Description:''' All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.
----
==Level Four==
'''Call the Cannibal Spirit'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' By dancing under the night sky, the werewolf can summon an avatar of Great Wendigo to hunt down a target of the Garou's choice. The werewolf must possess a piece of his target, whose hear the Wendigo will devour. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must dance for three full turns. The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis point, then rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 8). If the roll botches or if the Wendigo is somehow prevented from Killing its target, the spirit will return to kill the summoner.
----
'''Chill of Early Frost'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls down a mystical chill from Great Wendigo himself, freezing the surrounding land and anyone in it. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The playing spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies; 4 if it is already winter, 6 for spring, 9 for summer). Success drops the temperature a bit below freezing in a five mile (8 km) radius, or even further below zero if it was already winter. All creatures without a natural coat of fur lose two dice from all pools. This Gift wreaks particular havoc in urban environments as pipes burst and roads freeze. This Gift lasts for one day per success.
----
'''Hero's Stand'''
''W20 Core, pg 181 and 201''
'''Description:''' The Get channels the power of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. Though he may not retreat or even move from the spot for the duration of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all physical dice pools. In addition, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or fled.
----
'''Scream of Gaia'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.
----
==Level Five==
'''Invoke the Spirits of the Storm'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Garou can summon nearly any weather effect she desires: Fog, tornadoes, blizzards, and thunderstorms all await her call. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower. (The difficulty varies based on how conceptually close the desired effect is to the current weather patterns of the area). The storm covers 10 miles per success. If the Garou summons a thunderstorm, she may spend Gnosis to call lightning down on her enemies (Wits + Occult to hit, 10 dice of aggravated damage).
----
'''Heart of Ice'''
''W20 Core, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can call down the curse of the Wendigo on an enemy. The Garou must whisper the target's name to the hungry winds; thereafter, the victim's innards begin to turn to ice. An avatar of great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of unsoakable aggravated damage at a rate of one health level per turn until all damage has been done.
----
</div>
----
==Rites==
Rules on how to buy rites with time or xp


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Type
! style="min-width: 150px" | Roll
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
|-
|Accord
|Cha + Rituals
|7
|-
|Caern
|Varies (max. Gnosis)
|7
|-
|Death
|Cha + Rituals
|8 - Rank
|-
|Mystic
|Wits + Rituals
|7
|-
|Punishment
|Cha + Rituals
|7
|-
|Renown
|Cha + Rituals
|6
|-
|Seasonal
|Sta + Rituals
|8 - Caern Level
|-
|Minor
|None
|None
|-
|}
|}
These rolls are the standard ones required by type to enact any given rite. If no roll is mentioned in a system’s description, assume that the roll is standard
----
<div class="mw-customtoggle-accord" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Accord Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-accord">
Rites of accord restore a particular place or Garou to harmony and balance with Gaia. These rites purify and renew through a symbolic rebirth from Gaia’s womb.
'''System:''' Any Garou attempting to perform a rite of accord must possess a talen, fetish, or some piece of Gaia never touched by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands. The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise noted).
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of Cleansing'''
''W20 Core, pg 203''
'''Description:''' This rite purifies a person, place or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking counterclockwise around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to frighten away the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn, but may function at any time.
'''System:''' This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the ritemaster must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing in need of cleansing. Only one success is required. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused by a spirit might carry a difficulty of the spirit’s Gnosis. If the rite is performed at dawn, the difficulty decreases by one. This rite cannot heal wounds or damage caused by Wyrm-taint — it only removes the spiritual contamination itself. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either, instead inflicting agony when performed upon a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similarly corrupt being.
----
'''Rite of Contrition'''
''W20 Core, pg 204''
'''Description:''' This rite is a form of apology. The offending party uses it to prevent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has offended, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. The ritemaster may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact the rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual or, in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon) that he pays homage to.
'''System:''' The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or werewolf. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but may not be enough to mend friendships or undo grievous errors. The more successes rolled, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Werewolves who refuse to recognize a Rite of Contrition are looked upon poorly by elders. Most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite.
----
==Level Two==
'''Rite of Renunciation'''
''W20 Core, pg 204''
'''Description:''' In this rare rite, a werewolf rejects the auspice under which he was born and chooses a new one. The Garou must perform this rite during the phase of the moon he wishes to adopt. Most commonly, water from a silver basin exposed to Luna’s radiance is poured over the naked supplicant, washing him clean of all he once was, including all rank. He is now free to start anew as a member of his adopted auspice. Many werewolves view such a “Shifting Moon” with suspicion, especially Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs — who is the Garou, after all, to decide he knows better than Luna?
'''System:''' A character who changes auspices must start anew at Rank 1. Although he keeps any Gifts he has already learned, he may never learn new Gifts from his old auspice no matter the instructor. However, Gifts of his adopted auspice now cost (rank x 3) experience. Variants of this rite also exist to allow Garou to renounce their tribe and join a new one — but this is counted not only as a grave insult to the abandoned tribe, but also to the tribe’s totem. In no case can this rite be used to return a Garou to a renounced auspice or tribe.
----
==Level Three==
'''Rite of the Loyal Pack'''
''W20 Core, pg 205''
'''Description:''' A leader needs respect from those that follow him if he (and they) wish to succeed. Usually, only packs that have been working together for some time and who trust each other enough to further cement those bonds perform this rite.
The rite makes the whole pack’s focus and commitment dependent on the pack alpha. In effect, they submit completely to him, in the hope of gaining an advantage from his commitment to working for the benefit of all. Each member of the pack must take a small item of personal significance and a length of his or her own hair and give it to the ritemaster. She then binds together all the objects using the hairs and buries the bundle within the pack’s home caern.
'''System:''' The ritemaster’s player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 9 minus the pack alpha’s Leadership). If the roll succeeds, the entire pack gains two extra points of Willpower at the beginning of each session as long as the pack alpha is acting in the best interests of the whole pack. (Note that this cannot put a character over their maximum Willpower.) However, if the alpha has not been acting in the pack’s interests, the entire pack loses two points of Willpower at the beginning of each session. The gain or loss is entirely at the Storyteller’s discretion. Should the pack alpha change, the rite’s effects immediately end.
----
==Level Four==
'''Enchant the Forest'''
''W20 Core, pg 205''
'''Description:''' Everyone’s heard of enchanted forests in which the trees themselves seem aware, strange voices whisper, wicked witches roam, and goblins and fae of all manner plague the weary traveler. Though the Garou used to rule the wilds, humanity encroaches more and more on their ranges. Hundreds of years ago, Theurges developed a rite with which to frustrate such expansion. This rite, Enchant the Forest, awakens the spirits of the land and urges them to protect the Wyld. These spirits awaken and move to resist any human settlements in the area.
Springs dry out. The winter grows harsher than ever before, yet the trees are remarkably fast-growing and resilient. Food decays and rots in no time, and vermin and insects infest the area. Attempts to construct power lines fail inexplicably. On the rare occasions when cell phones are able to get any reception at all, their calls are interrupted by threatening screeches of static and disturbing whispers. Humans eventually either leave or die, and the wilderness reclaims its lost property.
The area seems haunted for years afterwards. The trees are dark and threatening, and strange sounds emanate from the woods at night. The spirits, once roused, don’t rest again for a very long time. Superstitious tales of haunted lands circulate, and many humans give the area wide berth. Unfortunately, many others may become interested — government agencies, paranormal investigators, and other supernatural beings.
The ritemaster must take a twig from a tree never seen by human eyes, make a container from the belly of an animal never hunted by humans, and fill the pouch with water from a pond never touched by mankind. He then stirs the water, pours it close to the borders of the wild woods, and calls on the spirits of nature to awaken and defend themselves. He sends messengers to the north, south, east and west, to call to the spirits there. The ritemaster must sing to the spirits for three days.
'''System:''' Standard roll. The immediate effects of this rite last for a full year, if they are not disrupted by some sort of supernatural intervention. The area so charmed cannot exceed the farthest distance the messengers have traveled by foot in the three days. If a caern is located within five miles (8 km) of the ritual location, the difficulty is reduced by one.
----
'''Rite of the Opened Sky'''
''W20 Core, pg 205''
'''Description:''' By sacrificing something of personal value and dancing a complex rain dance, the ritemaster can beckon great, purifying showers of rain to fall from the skies. This rain cleanses all Wyrm impurities, and can even heal wounds.
'''System:''' This rite works in much the same way as the Rite of Cleansing, but can encompass an entire caern and those within it. The ritemaster expends only one point of Gnosis to cleanse an area, but for every two additional points he spends, every character within the caern heals one level of damage — even aggravated damage. The difficulty of this rite depends on the level of taint, such as a tainted spirit’s Gnosis rating. Like the Rite of Cleansing, the difficulty of this rite can also be lowered by one if performed at dawn. Beings of the Wyrm and vampires suffer excruciating pain if exposed to this rite, though they are not cleansed or genuinely damaged. To use this rite outside a caern, the ritemaster must spend ten points of Gnosis — a feat only the most potent ritemasters of the Garou are capable of.
----


</div>
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-caern" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Caern Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-caern">
==Caern Rites==
These rites are of vital importance to Gaia, for they aid in the opening, protection, and renewal of her most sacred spaces. Without such rites, the mystical flow of Gaia’s spiritual essence might cease, bringing spiritual barrenness and eventually death to even the most ferocious of werewolves.
'''System:''' These rites can be performed only within a caern. The dice pool required varies with each particular rite, but the maximum number of dice used cannot exceed the ritemaster’s Gnosis. Unless otherwise stated, the difficulty is 7.
----
==Level One==
'''Moot Rite'''
''W20 Core, pg 206''
'''Description:''' A moot cannot open until this rite is completed, recharging the caern with Gnosis. The rite always includes a prolonged howl led by a werewolf known as the Master of the Howl. This howl varies by tribe and sept, but always expresses the unique nature of the sept. All werewolves present must form a circle within the caern itself before they commence howling. Numerous variations on the basic requirements exist: The Red Talons often bite their paws and scratch blood into the earth, while Uktena pass their most powerful fetish from one to another as each in turn adds her voice to the howl. However it is done, the howl must echo forth and the eternal circle must form.
'''System:''' The rite must be performed at least once per month to keep the caern consecrated. During the course of a moot, the participants must empower the caern with a combined total of five Gnosis points per caern level in order to replenish it fully.
----
'''Rite of the Hearthfire'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Nanets people have few Garou amongst their population. But those few Garou have taught this important rite to any gifted Kinfolk. The group make a fire and with a few quiet, contemplative blessings, the fire becomes the center of a small sanctuary — a warm field that remains protected from the elements. While the area within isn’t luxurious, it becomes comfortable enough for safe, secure sleeping.
'''System:''' Once the fire is built, roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). If successful, the fire creates a safe zone, a bubble big enough for three people plus one per success. It lasts a full night. During this time, snow, wind, rain, and other environmental phenomena remain outside the bubble. Inside the bubble, people remain warm and the ground is comfortable for sleeping. A level three version of this rite exists. This version affects a large area — equivalent to the bawn of a caern — and lasts one day per success.
----
'''Rite of the Opened Caern'''
''W20 Core, pg 206''
'''Description:''' Each caern has a specific power associated with it, generally of a beneficial nature. Thus, there are caerns of Rage, caerns of Gnosis, Strength, Enigmas, and so on. If a character is knowledgeable enough, she may tap into the caern’s power and use it herself. Doing so is commonly known as “opening” a caern. Such a feat shouldn’t be attempted lightly — Gaia’s sacred places don’t give up their power easily, and failure to harness such power can seriously harm the Garou.
Each caern has its own requirements of the ritemaster. In order to open a caern of Enigmas, a Garou might walk a spiral path while calling out the Greek myth of Persephone; to open a caern of Rage, the Garou might change into Crinos and chant the litany of his ancestors who have fallen in battle against the Wyrm. The key is forging a connection to the particular spirit of the caern.
'''System:''' To open a caern, the character engages in a resisted, extended test of Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) against the caern’s spirit, seeking to gain a number of successes equal to the caern’s level. The caern spirit uses the caern’s level as its dice pool (difficulty of the ritemaster’s Gnosis), seeking to gain (Ritemaster’s Willpower) successes. The first party to reach their target number of successes triumphs.
If the character wins the test, she can add the caern’s rating to her dice pool when performing actions appropriate to the caern’s focus. If she loses, she takes lethal damage equal to the number of successes by which the caern beat her; a botch makes this damage aggravated. See W20 Core, pg 310 for a list of caern types, their powers, and the spirits that can be encountered near them.


----
----


=Changeling Flaws=
==Level Three==
 
'''Rite of the Glorious Past'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 206''


<div class="mw-customtoggle-cflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Changeling Flaws</div>
'''Description:''' A caern has its own history and heritage, regardless of the Garou that currently inhabit it. Learning the history of a caern is a fascinating undertaking that can take years. However, this rite allows the Garou to experience the nuances of the caern’s development as a fever dream, causing those years to seem to pass in a few short moments.
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-cflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
To enact this rite, the ritemaster must draw up a map of the caern as it was when it was first founded (which may require some research). This map is then burnt at the center of the caern. As the map burns, all Garou present growl quietly as the ritemaster recites the history of the caern. All werewolves present see the caern’s formation and any other important details in its history as though in a dream.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 9 minus the ritemaster’s Ancestors  rating). If performed successfully, each participant receives an additional dot of Ancestors until the next dawn; this occurs even if the character is normally incapable of possessing this Background (as the ancestors thus contacted are former guardians of the caern rather than a given character’s personal forebears).This ritual also “primes” the caern; the next caern rite performed therein receives a –1 difficulty.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''The Badger's Burrow'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 206''
 
'''Description:''' The guardians of the caerns become so connected to their bawn that they can sense all that goes on within its boundaries. The ritemaster enacting this rite gazes intently into a bowl of water, pool of ink, mirror, or some similar focus. At the same time, the werewolf pours a small amount of witch hazel or other strongly scented astringent (even urine) on the ground in front of her. Any other Garou watching or participating encircle the ritemaster and growl softly in the backs of their throats. Some of the younger Garou (Glass Walkers and Wendigo in particular) enhance the ritual through the use of mild psychotropic drugs, although many werewolves frown upon this practice.
 
'''System:''' The celebrant must make a successful Perception + Rituals roll against the given difficulty level. Each success enables the ritemaster (or the caern Warder) to ask one question regarding a defined area. Failure indicates that the Garou sees nothing.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|-
! Flaw
|5
! Cost
|Small room
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
|6
|Ballroom
|-
|7
|House
|-
|8
|Acre of land
|-
|9
|Small forest
|-
|}
----
'''Rite of the Opened Bridge'''
''W20 Core, pg 207''
'''Description:''' This rite creates a moon bridge, a shimmering portal serving as a mystical means of transportation between two caerns. Such moon bridges are vital links among the sacred spaces of Gaia. Once per year, a caern must renew its connection with other caerns to which it wishes to maintain moon bridges. This rite is always held during a moot, and it must be enacted simultaneously by both participating caerns.
The primary requirement to open a moon bridge is a pathstone. Pathstones are found in the Umbra, and they are often the objects of quests. These extraordinarily rare stones resemble flat pearls with the imprint of a wolf’s paw on one side. It is possible to steal a pathstone from a caern, but such a theft is considered blasphemous, and it may well result in war between two septs.
The rite establishes (or reestablishes) a spiritual connection between the pathstones of two separate caerns by way of the caerns’ totem spirits. At the rite’s culmination, a moon bridge opens between the two participating caerns. During this time, Garou from both septs can travel between the caerns to join in a wild revel. Moon bridges allow Garou to traverse distances in 1/1000th the normal time required. This rite must be renewed once every 13 moons (roughly a year).
'''System:''' The roll is Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8 minus the level of the ritemaster’s caern). If the ritemaster’s pack totem is the same as the totem of the caern, she receives a bonus of three dice to the roll. If the rite was unsuccessful previously, the difficulty level of the rite increases by one.
The ritemaster needs to obtain a number of successes equal to the target caern’s level to complete the rite. If the rite succeeds, the moon bridge opens immediately, and the spirit-bond between the two pathstones is established. Moon bridges may now be opened at any time between the two caerns. The bridges may be opened with the Rite of the Opened Caern or the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge (if performed at the caern). If the rite fails, no moon bridge opens, and the rite must be tried again next year. Moon bridges to the caern may still be opened, but they aren’t as safe as they might be.
See page 311 for moon bridge distances.
----
'''Rite of the Shrouded Glen'''


''W20 Core, pg 207''
'''Description:''' This rite causes an area within the Umbra to become invisible, so that it cannot be seen from any other part of the spirit world. At least five people must participate in this ritual, and they must fast for at least three days to purify themselves. The Uktena, who are particularly adept at this rite, maintain that all participants must come to the rite with their bodies clad only in painted symbols representing earth, air, water, fire, and (for the ritemaster) the spirit world.
'''System:''' The difficulty of this roll is the caern’s Gauntlet + 4. Any participating Garou can contribute Gnosis to this rite. The participants must spend a total of 10 Gnosis points to make the effect permanent. Otherwise, the number of successes achieved equals the number of hours the Umbral Glen remains hidden. If the area the Garou attempt to hide is larger than the caern itself, the amount of Gnosis required increases by two for each one mile (1.6 km) radius the participants attempt to enshroud.
----
==Level Five==
'''Rite of Caern Building'''
''W20 Core, pg 208''
'''Description:''' This powerful rite creates a new caern by drawing the spirit world and the physical world closer together. Simply reciting the rite draws the attention of the Wyrm’s servants, and actually performing the rite has been known to prove fatal. Only the most powerful and wise mystics dare lead such an undertaking.
A powerful Theurge is almost always selected to perform this most sacred of rites. Many Garou must channel their energy through a powerful leader to have even a hope of success. Whole packs have been known to die in the agony of failed attempts.
Once the physical focus for the heart of the caern is chosen, the area must be cleansed of all taints in preparation for its transformation. All Garou participating in the rite must undergo a Rite of Cleansing, at minimum. The ritemaster performs a series of minor rituals, meditations, and other physical preliminaries to prepare for her awesome task.
The sept must post sentries, for servants of the Wyrm almost invariably attempt to disrupt such a great rite. Only the mightiest warriors are chosen for such an assignment, and their protection is critical to the success of the rite. The leader of the rite is helpless while he chants a long litany of verses designed to draw a great spirit into the prepared caern. Although it is possible to create a specific type of caern, most leaders leave this choice to Gaia and accept whatever caern she grants the sept.
The rite must be performed between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the waxing of the moon. Only the Black Spiral Dancers create caerns during the moon’s waning.
'''System:''' The rite lasts from dusk until dawn. As the sun breaks over the horizon, the ritemaster makes a Wits + Rituals roll at difficulty 8 (modified downward by one for every five Garou participating in the rite and spending Gnosis over and above the 13 necessary participants, to a minimum of difficulty 4). The number of successes gained determines the level of the resulting caern:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 125px" | Level
|-
|1-3
|Level one
|-
|4-6
|Level two
|-
|7-8
|Level three
|-
|9+
|Level four
|-
|}
|}
Because an enormous amount of Gnosis is needed to break through the Gauntlet and empower the new caern, a minimum of 13 Garou, one for each moon of the year, must participate in the rite. At the end of the rite, the participating Garou channel Gnosis into the nascent caern — a total of 100 points of Gnosis is necessary to awaken the sacred site. If an insufficient amount of Gnosis is offered, the rite’s participants begin to suffer aggravated wounds as their life-force is sacrificed to create the caern. Each wound counts as three more Gnosis points toward the total. The complete the ritual, each of the 13 core participants must sacrifice a dot of permanent Gnosis.
Such is the damaged state of the world that the Rite of Caern Building can no longer naturally awaken a level five caern — only an additional offering of Gnosis can bring that sort of purity and power back to the dying earth. Offering an additional 100 points of Gnosis — 200 Gnosis in total — empowers the rite, creating a caern one level higher than the ritemaster’s successes would otherwise indicate.
The dangers of the rite are many. Failure scours the bodies and spirits of all Garou involved in the rite, both those donating Gnosis and those protecting them, inflicting four levels of lethal damage from spiritual backlash. A botch inflicts seven levels of lethal damage; those driven below Incapacitated by this damage suffer severe Battle Scars (see W20 Core, pg 259).
Minions of the Wyrm ultimately pose the greatest threat to the rite. As soon as it begins, all Wyrm-corrupted beings (Banes, fomori, Black Spiral Dancers, even particularly degenerate vampires or depraved ghosts) for miles around become aware of the rite; many will stop at nothing to prevent its completion. The Garou can expect a siege lasting at least until dawn, and likely longer.
If a player’s character should somehow assume the role of ritemaster and succeed, she receives three points of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown, and seven points of Wisdom Renown. Anyone else participating in the rite receives five points of Glory Renown and three points of Honor Renown. This task is a legendary one that deserves a suitable reward.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-death" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Death Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-death">
==Death Rites==
Garou perform rites of death both to honor the departed and to reaffirm their connection to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In facing and acknowledging death as a necessary part of the dance of life, the pack and sept escape the burdens of grief and fear.
'''System:''' The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 8 minus the Rank of the honored Garou).
----
==Level One==
'''Gathering for the Departed'''
''W20 Core, pg 209''
'''Description:''' This rite is enacted in honor of the newly dead. A Galliard or a packmate of the departed werewolf usually performs the rite. The specifics of the rite vary dramatically from tribe to tribe. For example, a Fianna ritemaster leads the sept in the telling of tales, both raucous and heroic, about the fallen Garou. In contrast stands the Wendigo’s solemn rite in which the ritemaster and all the fallen one’s packmates stand on the highest peak available, tails to the wind, and howl out their pride and grief to speed their companion onward to her next life. The exact form of the rite is less important than the acknowledgment it represents.
'''System:''' The ritemaster leads the release of the Garou’s combined emotions into the spirit world. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this rite may make the deceased’s spirit easier to contact through the Ancestors Background.
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'''Last Blessing'''
''W20 Core, pg 209''
'''Description:''' The mere existence of metis threatens the Veil, as they are born and die in Crinos form. This blessing is given to a dying or just-deceased metis by the ritemaster. It ensures that the corpse will assume the natural form which the metis most preferred — human or wolf — arousing no suspicion. Many metis have received this rite with joy, seeing it as a sign of Gaia’s forgiveness.
'''System:''' Standard roll. The ritemaster lays hands on the metis and chants the Song of the True Form, then spends one Gnosis point. The metis’s body changes to Homid or Lupus form, and the change is permanent. This rite must be performed within an hour of death, and has no effect on a live metis.
----
==Level Three==
'''Rite of the Winter Wolf'''
''W20 Core, pg 209''
'''Description:''' Once a werewolf becomes too wounded or aged to fight with his tribe, he performs this bleak and solemn rite. Upon announcing that he will undergo the rite, the werewolf sits at the center of a gathering of his pack- and sept-mates. The meeting is an onerous, solemn affair during which the Moon Dancers sing hymns of the celebrant’s life and deeds and invoke the spirits for glory in the next world or life. The celebrant then slowly and proudly walks through the closed ranks of the tribe. As he passes his people, they begin howling a dirge similar to that sung during the Gathering for the Departed. Some Garou beat heavy drums or play mournful pipes as the celebrant drags himself to a secluded site where he ends his life, usually with a klaive. Rarely, two werewolves, usually packmates, will perform this rite together, sometimes killing each other simultaneously, although Ahroun may give each other a last fight to finish, with the victor ending his life beside his fallen opponent. Immediately after the suicide, the sept performs the Gathering for the Departed.
Red Talons and Get of Fenris are the staunchest supporters of this rite. It is almost unheard of among the Children of Gaia and Bone Gnawers, who value the knowledge and experience of their aged and wounded.
'''System:''' The rite is always performed at night, typically under the auspice moon of the departing werewolf. Three other Garou must be present to acknowledge the character’s life and departure. Failure to perform the rite properly is considered an omen that Gaia still needs some final service from the Garou.
----


</div>
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-mystic" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Mystic Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-mystic">
==Mystic Rites==
These rites bring the Garou into direct contact with the Umbra and its denizens. Unlike most other rites, mystic rites are generally performed alone.
'''System:''' When performing a mystic rite, the ritemaster must make a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).
----
==Level One==
'''Baptism of Fire'''
''W20 Core, pg 210''
'''Description:''' Most tribes attempt to track down all children born to their Kinfolk within one a month of the child’s birth to see if they “share the blood.” (Most commonly, this inquiry involves the Gift: Scent of the True Form.) Those who are Garou are “baptized” in the light of their auspice moon, beside a ritual fire. Such a baptism most commonly involves mingling ashes with a few drops of Garou blood; the mixture is then touched to the child’s ears, nose, eyelids and tongue.
In the presence of a lesser tribal spirit known as a Kin-Fetch, the babe is then held up to the moonlight while the baptizing Garou howls Gaia’s greeting to the newborn. The ritemaster then has the Kin-Fetch kiss the infant. The spirit’s fiery kiss inscribes a spiritual brand upon the babe in the form of the newborn’s tribal glyph. This mark is invisible — a thing of pure spirit — and impossible to remove. It can be traced and recognized by all Garou (including Black Spiral Dancers, who target such cubs and capture them in order to swell their own vile ranks).
The participating Kin-Fetch spirit is assigned to watch over the young Garou as she grows to maturity, so that the tribe may always know the child’s location and whether she is endangered. When the First Change is imminent, the spirit alerts the tribe. Unfortunately, such minor spirits are notoriously weak-willed and easily distracted.
'''System:''' The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. Only one success is required, but additional successes improve the chance that the Kin-Fetch will keep track of the child. The rite must be performed at night under the child’s auspice moon. Although generally performed within a month of birth, it remains effective at any time before the First Change. The brand vanishes after the cub’s Rite of Passage.
----
'''Rite of Binding'''
''W20 Core, pg 210''
'''Description:''' This rite binds a spirit to a werewolf, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is. Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. Binding spirits for excessive lengths of time is generally viewed as callous abuse of those who should be the allies of the Garou. This point doesn’t go uncontested, however, particularly by the mystics of the Uktena tribe.
Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens (see W20 Core, pg 227). No spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character’s totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places, and people, although the Garou generally don’t perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic.
'''System:''' A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum of one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit’s Gnosis rating by one. The Garou’s player must then roll Willpower (difficulty equals the spirit’s adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service, with each success binding the spirit for one week. In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used.
----
'''Rite of Growth'''
''W20 Core, pg 210''
'''Description:''' This favorite of urban Garou, particularly Glass Walkers, allows plants to grow in strange locations. The plants don’t grow unusually quickly, but can grow in plastic, concrete, or other unusual places, drawing nutrients from the source. Three Garou are needed to make this rite work.
The ritemaster makes an indentation in the surface using a claw, and plants the seed of the plant into it. The three then hold hands in a triangle around it, kneeling, and request the spirit of the material that it nurture and care for the plant. If the spirit agrees, a small green shoot will appear immediately.
'''System:''' The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals. The difficulty depends on the surface and area. An abandoned lot is 5, a typical city building is 7, and an oil spill would be 9. Each success guarantees the plant’s survival for one month. After that, as much regular watering and care as for any other plant is required.
----
'''Rite of Heritage'''
''W20 Core, pg 211''
'''Description:''' Galliards and Philodox alike favor this genealogical rite, albeit for slightly different reasons. Some Garou use it to verify the identity of a hero’s descendants before passing on an inheritance; others use it to identify the father of a metis cub if none is forthcoming. The ritemaster draws the blood of the subject with a silver knife and sings a long paean to the ancestor-spirits of his tribe and any others that might be watching over the subject. As he completes the song, the ancestor-spirits whisper the subject’s heritage into his ears.
'''System:''' Standard roll. Success reveals the subject’s true heritage for one generation back per success (for example, two successes would reveal the subject’s heritage as far back as his grandparents). In addition, the ritemaster receives the answer to one specific question about the subject’s heritage per success; e.g., “What was this cub’s paternal grandfather’s profession?” or “Does the blood of any other tribe run in this cub’s veins?” The answer will be accurate, as long as the answer can be found within the number of generations revealed; if the ritemaster gained four successes, for example, he could not ask “Is this child descended from Frode,” but he could accurately tell if the child’s great-great-grandfather claimed descent from Frode or not.
The Rite of Heritage works just as well with humans or wolves (although wolves, lacking names, are harder to accurately identify), even non-Kin or mages. It does not, however, work on the undead or on fae.
----
'''Rite of the Cardboard Palace'''
''W20 Core, pg 211''
'''Description:''' A Bone Gnawer favorite, this rite allows the Garou to transform any flimsy structure into a decent place to sleep. This often involves a lot of cardboard and newspaper, but this rite can be invoked just about anywhere a werewolf needs to call home for the night — a few torn down branches arranged into a messy lean-to in the woods functions as well as a pile of converted trash in an alley. The “walls” of the dwelling become water-resistant and insulated, keeping everyone inside warm and dry. The rite can even be performed in full view of humans without breaking the Veil.
For powerful Theurges, the cardboard palace is even a place of healing, as well.
'''System:''' The ritemaster’s player rolls Intelligence + Survival (difficulty 6). One success is all that’s needed to create a comfortable place to sleep. If a point of Gnosis is spent before making the roll, the shelter is more than just comfortable — the Garou (and any other Fera) living inside the cardboard palace can roll Stamina after a full day of rest within; three successes heals one aggravated health level. A cardboard palace lasts for one full day per success on the activation roll.
----
'''Rite of the Questing Stone'''
''W20 Core, pg 211''
'''Description:''' This rite allows the werewolf to find a person or object (but not a location). She must know the name of the object or individual, and must dangle a stone or needle from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought. Glass Walkers often use maps and substitute a compass for the traditional stone and thread.
'''System:''' Standard roll. If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual (a clipping of hair, a piece of cloth) the difficulty drops by one. The werewolf gains only a sense of the object’s general location, not its exact position.
----
'''Rite of Talisman Dedication'''
''W20 Core, pg 211''
'''Description:''' This common rite allows a werewolf to bind objects to her body, allowing them to fit her various forms (jeans will grow to accommodate the Crinos form rather than splitting at the seams, for example) and accompany the Garou into the Umbra. Such talismans are most commonly mundane items, for spiritual items such as fetishes and talens remain with the werewolf in all forms and in the Umbra automatically. A werewolf most often performs this rite during the phase of the moon under which she was born. Each auspice has its own peculiar ritual.
'''System:''' The cost is one Gnosis point per object dedicated, and a character may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. Conceptually linked groups of objects may count as a single object as the Storyteller’s discretion. For example, as a set of clothing would be considered one object rather than one shirt, one pair of pants, two socks, and so on; or a box of ammunition might be dedicated to the character, rather than requiring one dedication per bullet.
Objects will generally resize themselves to accommodate the character’s various forms (such as a backpack’s straps lengthening to accommodate Crinos form), but may simply meld with the character in forms where they can be of no use — for example, a knife may become a knife-shaped tattoo in Hispo. Others must spend a point of Willpower to attempt to steal dedicated objects from the werewolf.


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----


=Mage Flaws=
==Level Two==
 
'''Rite of Becoming'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 211''
 
'''Description:''' Werewolves must perform this rite at an Anchorhead Domain. Once completed, it enables them to travel into the Deep Umbra. The most common version of this rite requires the Garou to make a braid from three of her hairs, three pieces of fine copper wire, and three tendrils of ivy or other vine. Lengths of silk thread are sometimes substituted for the hair or wire. When the braid has been constructed, the Garou ties it around his own wrist and howls three words of power.
 
'''System:''' If the braid is destroyed while the Garou is in the Deep Umbra, the werewolf takes one level of aggravated damage and risks becoming lost forever if she doesn’t return quickly to the Near Umbra.
 
----
 
'''Rite of Spirit Awakening'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 212''
 
'''Description:''' This rite is used to awaken a sleeping (inactive) spirit. To perform this rite, a Garou must play a rhythm on some form of instrument (drums are the most common). While the Garou plays, any other participating werewolves pace around the ritemaster, howling and growling in counter point to the beat.
 
When performed on a mundane item, this rite enlivens the object’s spirit, causing it to awaken and appear in the Umbra. For example, if the rite is performed on a VW bus, any Garou stepping sideways could see the bus as a true part of the landscape. However, it would appear as a stationary object in the Penumbra unless someone on the physical plane began to drive it, in which case it would appear as a driverless vehicle to anyone in the Umbra. When performed on plants, this rite is known as sanctification. Plant-spirits are generally benevolent, and an awakened plant spirit will lend its powers as though it were a talen (one use). Different plants grant different abilities when sanctified. For example, sanctified foxglove protects against faerie magic (adding two to the difficulty of any faerie spell).
 
'''System:''' The ritemaster must play a musical instrument or sing a song (talent doesn’t matter). The difficulty of the roll is the spirit’s Rage. Failure means that the spirit remains dormant. The Storyteller must decide whether the spirit is hostile or friendly to its awakener. Awakening a spirit doesn’t allow any control over it. Commanding an awakened spirit requires either a Rite of Binding or a Gift. This rite doesn’t work on sentient beings such as humans. Such individuals are already as “awakened” as they’re going to get.
 
----
 
'''Rite of Summoning'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 212''
 
'''Description:''' Garou mystics are adept at calling spirits, be they minor Gafflings, totem spirits, or even Incarna. Summoning spirits involves complex rituals, long periods of meditation, and tribal mantra chanting. Within the Umbra, this process is far easier. This rite compels spirits to seek those who call them. Furthermore, the spirit cannot escape its caller once the summoning is completed successfully, and it must attend the mystic. Many spirits, particularly minor ones, are too weak to resist a powerful summoning. Powerful ones come out of curiosity. The chance of a successful summoning depends upon the skill of the mystic, the power of the spirit, and the strength of the area’s Gauntlet.


<div class="mw-customtoggle-mflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Mage Flaws</div>
'''System:''' The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the local Gauntlet level). A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine difficulty from the following chart:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-mflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Spirit Type
|-
|4
|Gaffling
|-
|5
|Jaggling
|-
|7
|Totem Avatar
|-
|-
! Flaw
|8-9
! Cost
|Incarna
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
|10
|Celestine Avatar
|-
|}


For each hour the Garou spends invoking the spirit, his difficulty drops by one. No difficulty may fall below 3. The player must then make a Gnosis roll and achieve as many successes as possible, with the following results:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 325px" | Effect
|-
|1
|Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
|-
|2
|Spirit manifests quickly, but is still initially hostile
|-
|3
|Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
|-
|4
|Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
|-
|5
|Spirit comes immediately and is friendly
|-
|}
|}
A botched roll is likely to have disastrous results. Often a botch summons the wrong type of spirit — or even Banes — in great numbers or with great hostility. The Storyteller should feel free to adjust the previous tables as she wishes, particularly as appropriate to totems. In certain cases, a Garou who attempts to summon a specific spirit will have no chance of success. At other times, he will have almost no chance of failure. The Storyteller is advised to treat each use of this rite individually and to use common sense in her decisions.
A Garou who summons an Incarna or Celestine avatar successfully gains two points of Wisdom Renown, unless the summons is done frivolously.
----
===Level Three==
'''Descent into the Underworld'''
''W20 Core, pg 213''
'''Description:''' Most Garou think of the Umbra, the Gaian spirit world, as the only spirit realm that sits close to the physical world. Most Garou are wrong. The Underworld — the Land of the Dead, the Dark Umbra — sits astride the physical realm just as the Umbra does. Within it are trapped the ghosts of countless humans who died unable to let go of their lives and pass on into the cycle of souls, as Gaia intended.
The Underworld is a bleak landscape mirroring all that is decayed or departed in the living world, as the Penumbra is a reflection expressing the world’s spiritual nature. Terrible, unstable portals lead deeper yet into the Underworld, a land of spirit-storms and nightmare mazes where few Garou have ever ventured and from which fewer still have ever returned.
This rite is primarily known and used by the Silent Striders, but a few other tribes and camps make use of it as well (most notably the Black Furies and Uktena).
'''System:''' This rite takes five minutes to perform. The ritemaster must sacrifice a living mammal and touch every character to be affected by the rite with at least a fingerprint of its blood. He then draws sigils on the ground nearby with the remaining blood. The player should roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty equals the local Gauntlet). Success on this roll takes the ritemaster to the Underworld; each additional success takes one of the other characters marked (if there aren’t enough successes to go around, those with the highest Gnosis are transported first).
----
'''Rite of the Fetish'''
''W20 Core, pg 213''
'''Description:''' This rite allows a werewolf to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do so, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (sufficiently drinkable flowing tap water counts), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object to constant breezes, or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best.
'''System:''' The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10). Each point of permanent Gnosis that the character spends during the rite reduces the difficulty by two. The difficulty can also be lowered by roleplaying, if the ritemaster does a good job persuading the spirit to enter the fetish (by providing chiminage, undergoing a quest to prove her sincerity or worthiness, flattery, etc). If the Garou attempts to force a spirit into the fetish, she must first attack the spirit and reduce it to zero Essence before attempting to bind it into the fetish.
----
'''Rite of the Totem'''
''W20 Core, pg 213''
'''Description:''' This rite binds a totem to a group of Garou, joining them together as a pack. During the rite, all werewolves who wish to bind their destinies to a particular totem spirit must coat their eyes with an infusion of saliva and mugwort, tobacco, or a similar substance holy to Gaia and step sideways into the Umbra. In the spirit world, the ritemaster leads the Garou in a hunt for the spiritual spoor left by a totem spirit. Such evidence varies with the spirit, but Garou worthy of the totem’s attention can always find it. Even tracking down the spirit doesn’t guarantee success, for the totem must decide whether the Garou are worthy to become its fosterlings. An undecided totem may require a quest of the supplicants, although one is almost never required if the pack has just completed a Rite of Passage successfully.
'''System:''' Characters must purchase the Totem Background to benefit from this rite. Otherwise, the rite is simply not performed. The roll is standard.
'''Additional Information:''' The Rite of the Totem is particularly calibrated to the sensibilities and capabilities of the Garou — those Fera who cannot innately step sideways would have particular difficulty with it. The equivalent rites used by the other Changing Breeds are similarly specialized.
A rare and particular rite exists, however — the Rite of the Joined Circle — which may be used to attract a spirit to act as a totem for a diverse pack of Fera. Mechanically identical to the Rite of the Totem, it requires the ritemaster to prepare a ritual space decorated with items pleasing to the spirit they hope to attract while singing of Gaia’s need for renewal. Some Mokolé with powerful Mnesis remember this rite from the times before the War of Rage, and a few African packs have recently independently re-discovered or re-created the rite. The Beast Courts of Asia use very a similar rite to form their sentai.
----
==Level Four==
'''Rite of The Guardian Spirit'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 30''
'''Description:''' This rite binds a spirit to a sept, making it into the sept’s totem. The details of this rite vary depending on the spirit. However, the rite always begins with a lavish sacrifice to attract the spirit’s attention. Then, one or more champions acting on the sept’s behalf proves their worth with a display of strength or skill. A sept hoping to attract the attention of a Totem of War might pit its champion against a captured Bane in ritual combat, while a sept attempting to woo a Totem of Respect might perform a play commemorating an ancient Garou victory. A Totem of Wisdom or Cunning, on the other hand, might be impressed by a ritualized debate on arcane details of the Litany. Finally, if the rite is successful, it ends with a second, even larger thanksgiving sacrifice and a celebration honoring the sept’s new totem.
'''System:''' Although the champions and the sacrifice are necessary components, only the ritemaster needs to roll. This ritual must be performed in the presence of an opened caern (see W20 p. 206). A sept can only have one totem at a time; this ritual automatically fails if the caern is already occupied.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-punishment" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Punishment Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-punishment">
==Punishment Rites==
Punishment rites levy the sanction of the tribe or sept against a transgressing werewolf. Such rites strengthen the Garou by establishing clear limits of acceptable behavior. By joining in the punishment, each Garou strengthens her commitment to the pack over the individual, and to the Nation over the pack.
'''System:''' Punishment rites are performed only for major transgressions or after less structured punishments fail to cause a werewolf to mend her ways. The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated). A failed rite is considered a sign from Gaia that the offending werewolf’s crimes aren’t significant to warrant such a punishment. Because these rites are enforced and empowered by the spirit world, truly unjust punishment rites may fail automatically, leading to a sure loss of Honor for the one who ordered them.
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of the Jackdaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 214''
'''Description:''' The Rite of the Jackdaw is used to punish those Garou who have broken a promise of secrecy. It causes the subject to uncontrollably tell everyone he meets about the most private and trivial matters of his life. This ritual won’t cause the subject to reveal other secrets he’s been sworn to keep — and cannot force him to break the Litany by revealing his nature to humans — but it will almost certainly cause him to reveal personal information that embarrasses only him.
This rite can be rather humiliating, and many Garou who are subject to it find themselves overcome by Rage at their embarrassment. It is considered the height of dishonor to take retribution against a Garou who has used this ritual in a just fashion. Subjects who wish to avoid the rite’s effects simply abandon all contact with others for a few days, which is considered to be an acceptable response.
'''System:''' This rite takes ten minutes to perform. The ritemaster symbolically carves a number of open-mouth sigils into bits of wood and distributes them ritualistically around the subject of the rite (who must remain more or less still during the rite, though he doesn’t necessarily have to be willing). The ritemaster rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). For each success, the target suffers from the effects described above for one day. The target can expend Willpower to avoid stating some particularly odious personal secret.
----
==Level Two==
'''Rite of Ostracism'''
''W20 Core, pg 214''
'''Description:''' This rite is a fairly common punishment for lesser crimes, yet its effects can be devastating during wartime. This rite estranges the punished Garou from her tribe, sept, and sometimes even her pack. The tribe will thereafter treat the individual as a nonentity. She is ignored as much as possible and forced to fend for herself for even basic needs, although no hostile actions are taken against the non-wolf (in theory at least, although some Garou have been known to injure ostracized werewolves “accidentally”). In a life-or-death situation, the tribe (friends and packmates in particular) might aid the offender, but even then only grudgingly. Otherwise, the punished Garou is ignored utterly. Garou present at this rite form a circle around the chastised werewolf (if present), and each participant calls out once to Gaia, then to her brethren the name of the offender, followed by the words: “Of all Gaia’s children, I have no such brother/sister.” The speaker then turns counterclockwise to face away from the circle. Once all present have spoken, they drift away into the night.
'''System:''' This punishment normally lasts from one phase of the moon to the next. It can, however, last as long as the sept or tribe leaders desire. For serious crimes, the punishment may even be decreed permanent, essentially exiling the offender from her sept or tribe. The ostracized Garou loses one point of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown, and one point of Wisdom Renown.
----
'''Stone of Scorn'''
''W20 Core, pg 214''
'''Description:''' The Stone of Scorn is a rock imbued with malicious spirit-personifications of shame, sorrow and the like. Some septs have a permanent Stone of Scorn to which an offender is dragged, although most merely imbue a small stone with such energies. Starting with the ritemaster, this stone passes to each Garou present at the rite. The scorned werewolf is forced by his septmates to sit and watch. As each Garou receives the stone, he carves or paints a symbol of derision or shame onto it while telling a mocking or embarrassing tale about the offending behavior and other flaws of the scorned Garou. Moon Dancers are particularly creative in their verbal portrayals of the miscreant. This rite often lasts all night, with successive stories becoming more and more outrageous and derogatory. Once the night ends, so does the punishment, although the best stories are often whispered behind the offender’s back for some time to come. Such behavior causes the Garou to lose Renown for a time.
'''System:''' Standard roll. The punished Garou usually loses eight points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown.
----
'''Voice of the Jackal'''
''W20 core, pg 214''
'''Description:''' When a werewolf’s behavior has shamed not just herself, but her entire sept or tribe, then this rite may be called. When the ritemaster performs this rite, he blows a handful of dust or ashes onto the offender and speaks the following: “Because thy (cowardice/gluttony/ selfishness/etc.) has proved thee to be of jackal blood, let thy voice proclaim thy true breed!” As the dust and words envelop the punished Garou, her voice changes. Thereafter, she will speak in an annoyingly shrill and piercing nasal whine until the ritemaster repeals the punishment.
'''System:''' Jackal-hounds, as such punished Garou are known, subtract two dice from all Social rolls. They also lose two points of Glory Renown and five points of Honor Renown. The ritemaster can repeal this punishment at any time, although it may be made permanent for particularly serious crimes (and the Renown loss always remains). Certain jackal-hounds have reclaimed their true voices by completing a quest of great benefit to Gaia.
----
==Level Three==
'''The Hunt'''
''W20 Core, pg 215''
'''Description:''' The Hunt is called against a werewolf who has committed a capital crime such as unwarranted murder, yet who still retains a vestige of honor. All Garou participating in a Hunt streak their bodies with ancient symbols in paint or clay. These symbols mark the werewolves as part of a Hunting Pack, and all other Garou will make way for Hunters so marked. It is an honor to be chosen for inclusion in a Hunt. The ritemaster, or Master of the Hunt, leads the pack. The Hunt is just that; the criminal is hunted down and killed by the pack. There is no quarter given, although (for what it’s worth) death exculpates the condemned Garou. Many tragic stories tell of a werewolf forced to choose between violating his word and committing a grave crime. Such Garou, so the stories go, chose to honor their word and were Hunted, but displayed such valor during their last stand that they gained much posthumous renown.
'''System:''' This rite can be roleplayed using the tracking rules given on W20 Core, pg 284.
----
'''Rite of the Omega Wolf'''
''W20 Core, pg 215''
'''Description:''' Some tribes and septs takes the failure of a pack alpha very seriously indeed. If all the members of a pack agree that their alpha has failed them catastrophically, then they may enact this rite to formally reject his leadership and punish his incompetence. The pack takes their fallen alpha and sits him on a rock. They then crown him with a mock crown and bow down in pretend obeisance to him. They then stand up and commence mocking him one by one, before tearing the crown from his head and casting him to the ground. When each member of the pack has spat or urinated on the fallen alpha, the rite is done.
'''System:''' Standard roll. The fallen alpha loses four points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown. If he ever becomes a pack alpha again, he suffers a –3 penalty to all Leadership actions until he either relinquishes the position or wins some great victory for his pack through his leadership.
----
'''Satire Rite'''
''W20 Core, pg 215''
'''Description:''' A more serious version of the Stone of Scorn, a Satire Rite is a special song, dance and/ or drama crafted by the Half Moons and Moon Dancers for the sole purpose of ridiculing the offender. This rite is always performed at a moot while the offender sits in full view of the sept. Because the Garou keep careful oral histories, the Satire will be remembered and passed down through the ages. Any werewolf so “honored” loses much renown. Cubs snicker as they sing lewd verses from the rite, and adults will forever use some of the wittier quotes and embarrassing movements from the rite when referring to the offender. While such stories are usually confined to members of the offender’s own sept, Tricksters and Moon Dancers are all too happy to spread the new Satire to any Garou they encounter.
'''System:''' The difficulty of this rite is the offender’s current Rank + 4. If successful, the offender loses one permanent Rank level (reduce his Renown to the beginning amounts for the next lowest rank). The Garou can earn new renown and rank normally. If this rite fails, the Garou loses nothing, while a botch causes the ritemaster to lose five points of Wisdom as she becomes the object of the rite.
----
==Level Four==
'''The Rending of the Veil'''
''W20 Core, pg 216''
'''Description:''' Sometimes known as Actaeon’s Folly, this rite is used to punish a human who offends the Garou greatly. The offense doesn’t have to be against the Garou per se, but it may be any act against Gaia or Her children. This rite drops the Veil, forcing a human to see and remember the Garou for the duration of an all-night hunt. The ritemaster leaves a small bag of burning dung and herbs near the sleeping victim. When the victim awakens, the Veil has been burned away from his mind. The following hunt may or may not end in the human’s death. Those humans left alive are often rendered insane, as their unprepared minds are unable to accept the truth revealed by the rite. Some few, however, overcome their fear and heal. This rite is not considered a breach of the Litany.
'''System:''' The ritemaster must place the specially prepared bag of dung and herbs within 10 feet of where the victim sleeps. The bag smolders when the ritemaster performs the rite. The ritemaster doesn’t need to be near the bag to enact the rite. Failure leaves the Veil intact. A botch causes the Garou herself to fall under the Delirium for one night.
----
==Level Five==
'''Gaia's Vengeful Teeth'''
''W20 Core, pg 216''
'''Description:''' As one of the greatest punishments among the Garou, this rite is reserved for traitors, those who consort with the Wyrm or cowards whose actions (or lack thereof) cause the deaths of many others. At least five werewolves drag the traitor to a spot of hard, cracked earth and stones. The ritemaster then stabs a sharpened twig or stone into her own hand as she recites the traitor’s sins against Gaia. Smearing her blood over the traitor’s eyes, ears and forehead, the ritemaster cries in grief and rage. As the blood and tears drip to the hard ground, the rite takes effect. From that moment on, whatever of Gaia touches the traitor transforms into razor-sharp silver so long as it touches his flesh. Crinos hunters then chase the traitor like a dog. The ground beneath the traitor chews into his feet, and his death becomes an agonizing ordeal. The offender’s name is then stricken from all histories, and it will be spoken only as a curse from that moment forward.
'''System:''' As long as the ritemaster’s blood touches the traitor’s body, the traitor cannot step sideways into the Umbra. No one survives being subject to this rite.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-renown" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Renown Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-renown">
==Renown Rites==
These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual werewolf and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.
'''System:''' The ritemaster’s player must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 6).
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of Boasting'''
''W20 Core, pg 216''
'''Description:''' Boasting and bragging have always been a vital aspect of warrior cultures. Boasts serve to work up a fighter’s courage while putting fear into the opponent. But to truly impress, the boaster must back up his claims. This rite is more than formalized bragging, for it forces the Garou to “put up or shut up.” Before a battle or mission, the Garou boasts before all assembled that he will perform a particularly impressive feat (for example, “I will kill three Black Spirals with only my claws,” “I will scale the electrified razorwire of the refinery” or “I will be the first to reach the shield wall, there to wrest the enemy’s standard from his dead hand.”). The boast is performed in a ritual fashion, with a short recitation of lineage and a summary of glorious deeds performed to date. If he makes good on his boast, he magnifies the Glory of the act. If he fails, the resulting derision of his peers costs him Glory; boasting is only respected if you can back it up. This rite is most commonly used among the Fianna, Get of Fenris, and Wendigo, but most tribes have some version of it.
System: Standard roll, though the difficulty may be modified by the difficulty and glory of the proposed feat — modest goals are harder to boast about than impressive lunacy. For every two successes, the boast earns a potential extra temporary Glory, up to the amount of Glory the feat would ordinarily garner. If the boast is carried through, the Garou earns the Glory bonus. If he fails and lives, he loses that amount. If he dies while carrying out his deed, there is neither loss nor gain of extra Renown. A single pack may boast of a deed, but only the pack leader can perform the rite. In this case, the difficulty is increased by one, and the entire pack gains or loses the Glory award.
----
'''Rite of Wounding'''
''W20 Core, pg 217''
'''Description:''' This rite celebrates a Garou’s first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honor this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Fenris always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting. By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures.
'''System:''' Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf’s pack and sept are normally present. The wounded character receives two points of Glory if this rite succeeds.
----
==Level Two==
'''Rite of Accomplishment'''
''W20 Core, pg 217''
'''Description:''' This rite is used to honor a werewolf and recognize the trials he has endured to attain his current standing. An elder will call the honored Garou forward, much as the Garou might be called forward should the elders want to punish or criticize her. As the Garou advances, the elder begins listing all of the things the Garou did to gain the acclaim. The Rite of Accomplishment then takes place, and anyone who wishes to speak on behalf of the Garou being honored may do so. In conclusion, the elder says something along the lines of, “She is made greater in her tribe, her sept and greater among the People everywhere. Let this be known.”
'''System:''' This rite is performed when a character has 10 points of temporary Renown in a category and wishes to gain a point of permanent Renown. The difficulty is only 4 unless someone disputes the rite. (In such an instance, the difficulty rises to 6). Only one success is required.
A failure on the roll is considered indicative of a failing in the applicant. The ritemaster often receives a portent from Gaia showing the unworthiness of the applicant. If the roll botches, the applicant must undergo a penance before anyone will again give him the Rite of Accomplishment. Such is the injustice of Garou society.
It is possible, although rare, that someone will dispute the rite. In this case, the disputer stands and heckles the ritemaster as he performs the rite, making bold assertions about the negative qualities of the applicant. The applicant so insulted must make a Rage roll not to frenzy; if he frenzies, the rite is over. If he keeps his cool, and the rite is successful, no one can rightfully question his worthiness for at least three moons (i.e., no one can dispute any Rites of Accomplishment performed on him during the next month and a half), and the heckler may lose a point of Honor or Wisdom Renown.
----
'''Rite of Passage'''
''W20 Core, pg 217''
'''Description:''' After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed. Similarly, a cub is not a member of any tribe until his Rite of Passage. A male cub born to the Black Furies, for example, becomes a member of whatever tribe will offer him a place among them by use of this rite.
During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have the courage, honor, and wisdom befitting a werewolf. However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also coming of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multi-tribal septs usually reach a compromise. A Wendigo rite often takes the form of a vision quest, while the Get of Fenris commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn. Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders.
If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou. These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes.
If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves.
'''System:''' Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1.
----
'''Rite of Praise'''
''W20 Core, pg 217''
'''Description:''' This rite honors a werewolf who has given more, risked more, and sacrificed more than necessary for the good of other Garou, Gaia, or anything related. The entire sept is gathered as the ritemaster presents the commendation, often with a token worthy of the honoree, such as a fetish, as a final reward. This rite is not used lightly, or to reward expected behavior — it honors only the greatest.
'''System:''' The ritemaster presents to the sept the deeds and actions of the chosen Garou warranting such praise. For each success on a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 6), the praised Garou gains an extra die to use for Social dice pools within the sept over the next three months.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-seasonal" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Seasonal Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-seasonal">
==Seasonal Rites==
Seasonal rites vary from tribe to tribe and sept to sept. Each has its own means of celebrating the turning of the seasons. Some septs celebrate only the major rites of the solstices and equinoxes; others perform a rite at least once per moon. These rites renew the People’s connection to Gaia as the Earth Mother. Some Garou even believe that were such rites to cease entirely, the balance of the world would tumble out into chaos.
'''System:''' Seasonal rites must, obviously, occur at the proper time of year, and at least five Garou must attend. The ritemaster’s player must make a Stamina + Rituals roll (difficulty 8). If performed at a caern, the difficulty of the roll is 8 minus the caern’s level.
----
==Level Two==
'''Rite of the Winter Winds'''
''W20 Core, pg 218''
'''Description:''' On the longest night of the year, Garou enact this rite as a salute to Helios and an encouragement for him to begin lengthening the days again. Some werewolves believe that if this rite is not performed, the nights will continue to lengthen until Gaia has fallen into a terrible twilight state of perpetual pain. Most modern werewolves consider this mere superstition, but even such skeptics participate enthusiastically in the rite.
The Rite of the Winter Winds is rarely the same from sept to sept. European Garou practice a common version that begins with the ritemaster gathering the Garou in a circle around a small bonfire. She then leads the group in an extended howl that begins as a low, rumbling growl and eventually rises to an ululating crescendo. When the ritemaster feels that the tension is at its height, she leaps forward, snatches up a burning branch and runs into the woods. The other Garou follow her, grabbing branches as they go. Running as swiftly as they can, the werewolves make as many frightening and strange noises as possible. This rite is performed both to encourage Gaia’s labor in giving birth to the sun, and to frighten off any minions of the Wyrm that might be lurking about, ready to snatch the newborn sun or harm Gaia as she turns her attention away from the surface world.
The ritemaster finally leads the howling pack back to the bonfire, where they hurl their branches into the conflagration. Once the fire is raging, the Garou celebrate with a revel that lasts until dawn, at which time they greet the newborn sun with one last, triumphant howl.
----
'''Rite of Reawakening'''
''W20 Core, pg 218''
'''Description:''' This rite celebrates the vernal equinox, the time of rebirth. The ritemaster begins the rite at sundown by leading the gathered Garou on a quest into the Umbra. Such a quest is sometimes symbolic, but more and more often as the time of the Apocalypse draws near, the questors seek true danger in the Umbral Realms — or it finds them on its own.
The quest always involves seven trials. These trials represent the seven gates that bar the way to the Underworld. Such trials vary dramatically from tribe to tribe, but there are always a variety of challenges presented to the members. One test might involve facing a Bane in combat, while another challenge might consist of finding a fetish lost within the Deep Umbra. Each test requires the participants to relinquish something of themselves, be it a cherished personal fetish, an old grudge or false pride. If the Garou can win their way past these challenge gates, they can renew the Earth, banishing the winter-spirits and paving the way for the green, growing season.
At the end of the rite, the werewolves return to their bodies. At this time many tribes seek out Garou Kinfolk, or other humans and wolves, and reacquaint themselves with the joys of the flesh, celebrating the incredible beauty of life and the necessity of its continuation in future gen- erations. Not surprisingly, this is the night when a large percentage of metis cubs are conceived. Although such couplings are always taboo, the intense drama of the rite sometimes overrides such concerns.
----
'''The Great Hunt'''
''W20 Core, pg 218''
'''Description:''' This rite falls on the eve of the summer solstice, or Midsummer, when Helios stays longest in the sky and is thus at the zenith of his influence. The short hours of darkness offer the creatures of the Wyrm little place to hide, and the werewolves respond by holding a sacred hunt.
Exactly at midnight, just at Midsummer begins, the ritemaster calls upon Gaia to bring to the attention of the sept a creature or creatures worthy of the Great Hunt. In preparation, the Garou chant, howl, and tell tales of bravery. Also common is a ritual bloodletting, wherein each Garou cuts herself and sheds some of her blood into a large bowl. The mingled blood is then used to paint pictograms on the forehead or breastbone of each of the hunters. At dawn, Gaia sends the waiting sept a sign proclaiming the target of the Great Hunt. This sign may come in any form, from a vision seen by an entranced Wendigo ritemaster to a news story flashing on the screen of an old television in a Bone Gnawer caern. Although the person or creature chosen by Gaia is almost always associated with the Wyrm, Gaia demands on rare occasions that one of her own be sacrificed in the Great Hunt. Only the greatest warriors are ever chosen as the targets of a Great Hunt, and Gaia demands such a sacrifice from her children only in times of great need, for the freed spirit of such a warrior is said to transform immediately into an avenging angel for Gaia.
The Garou have only until midnight to complete the Great Hunt. If successful, the blood of the fallen creature is spilled onto Gaia’s soil (or into the ether if the Great Hunt takes place on the Umbra) as a sacrifice to Gaia. If the hunters fail to slay their quarry, it is considered a terrible omen for the coming year. Some Theurges say that no sept will succeed at the Great Hunt during the year of the Apocalypse. At the least, a failed Great Hunt means poor luck for the sept in the year to come. Anyone participating in a successful Great Hunt gains Glory. The danger of the particular Great Hunt determines the amount of Glory gained.
'''System:''' Characters participating in a successful Great Hunt gain — presuming the target is of average threat level — three points of Glory Renown. If the Great Hunt is unsuccessful, each participating character loses two points of Glory Renown. In addition, the difficulty levels of all rites performed by the sept increase by one until the next Midsummer.
----
==Level Three==
'''The Long Vigil'''
''W20 Core, pg 219''
'''Description:''' This rite marks the autumnal equinox, when the season of long days gives way to the season of long nights. Although summer is the traditional season of war among many human cultures, the Garou know that their shadow war will be all the more difficult during the lengthening hours of darkness. To prepare themselves, they hold the Long Vigil, a rite designed to sharpen their appetite for the battles ahead.
The Long Vigil begins at sundown, around a raging bonfire (some urban caerns make substitutions). The sept spends the day before the Vigil bedecking the caern with trophies of war collected during the previous year. From bent rifles and shredded flak jackets to broken Wyrm-fetishes and strings of teeth, to the skulls of Wyrmish monsters, to smeared blood mixed with the dust of vampires, all manner of mementos adorn the heart of the caern. As the sun slips below the horizon, the ritemaster begins to chant praise to Helios, thanking him for his blessings during the summer, and praying for his safety in the coming winter. The ritemaster then praises Luna and beseeches her aid in the long nights to come.
To aid in the ritemaster’s plea for aid, the Galliards of the sept come forward and begin to recite tales of the most glorious battles of the last year and the deeds done in her name. They point to each trophy in turn to tell the story of how it was won from its owner. Particularly eloquent members of other auspices who distinguished themselves in the previous year are sometimes allowed the honor of being the first to tell their own tales. Once the Galliards have finished, the other members of the sept begin to recount their own versions of the great deeds of the previous year. The tale-telling lasts all night; as dawn approaches, the ritemaster invokes Luna one final time. He dedicates all the deeds of the previous year to Luna, her brother Helios, and her sister Gaia, and he promises that the year to come will be just as glorious with Luna’s blessing. As the rite concludes, the Garou hurl as many trophies as possible into the bonfire, destroying their hard-earned mementos as a sign of faith that they will take many more in the year to come.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-minor" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Minor Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-minor">
==Minor Rites==
Minor rites are the rituals that the Garou incorporate into daily living. Almost all Garou know and use at least a few such minor rites. Many werewolves develop their own unique minor rites to help them reaffirm their connection to Gaia, or to meet the Final Days with bravery and grace.
'''System:''' Minor rites may be learned in half the time it takes to learn other rites, and generally take only a few minutes to enact. They can be purchased for half the normal Background cost of other rites (two for one point).
----
'''Bone Rhythms'''
'''Description:''' A werewolf performs this rite to honor her totem spirit. Each spirit has a different rhythm connected to it, and the Garou taps out her spirit’s rhythm with special sticks to honor it. Such “sticks” are traditionally made of bone, but they can be fashioned from any material.
'''System:''' Any werewolf who performs this rite three times per day for at least three consecutive days gains an additional die to any one roll while in the Umbra. Once this die is used, the Garou must rebuild the energies for an additional three days before regaining the extra die.
----
'''Breath of Gaia'''
'''Description:''' During this rite the werewolf breathes deeply of the Mother’s breath — clean air — 13 times. While so breathing, she clears her mind of all things save her love of Gaia.
'''System:''' The character must perform this rite at least once per day for one full cycle of the moon. Doing so enables her to lower the difficulty of any one healing or detection roll by two.
----
'''Greet the Moon'''
'''Description:''' This rite is an exuberant paean to Luna. During this rite, the werewolf howls an elaborate greeting at moonrise; the howl varies with the phase of the moon.
'''System:''' Performing this rite each night at moonrise for a full phase of the moon enables the character to add one die to all rolls involving social interactions with Garou of that phase’s auspice the next night the moon is in the phase in question.
----
'''Greet the Sun'''
'''Description:''' Certain Children of Gaia and a few Uktena and Wendigo practice this rite. It is similar to Greet the Moon, but is performed at sunrise.
'''System:''' The werewolf must sing Helios’s praises for nine consecutive sunrises. If the Garou does so, Helios grants his devotee an additional die when attempting to sense Wyrm creatures or Wyrm-taint, provided the werewolf continues to sing his praises daily. If even one sunrise is missed, the rite must be begun anew to restore its benefits.
----
'''Hunting Prayer'''
'''Description:''' This common rite takes many form, but always involves pausing before the start of a hunt to praise Gaia and all her creatures. In addition, the Garou selects some item to hold her prayers. The item could be anything from an old belt to a shark-tooth necklace, but the werewolf must have it with her when she hunts. If she loses the item, she must choose a new one and begin her devotions anew.
'''System:''' If the Garou performs this rite before every hunt for three lunar months, she receives an additional die to all tracking rolls as long as she continues her pre-hunt prayers. If she neglects the prayer before even one hunt, she must begin the cycle again before she regains the bonus.
----
'''Prayer for the Prey'''
'''Description:''' A specific form of the Rite of Contrition, this rite involves the werewolf stepping sideways into the Umbra just after making a kill, in order to thank her prey’s spirit for giving its life that she might survive.
'''System:''' The character must perform this rite upon every beast of Gaia (not including Wyrm-spawn) she slays for one full turning of the moon. Should she do so, all of her difficulty numbers drop by one when dealing with nature spirits. This bonus lasts until she kills an animal without taking time to thank the creature’s spirit.
----


</div>
</div>
Line 296: Line 5,931:
----
----


=Shifter Flaws=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-tribal" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Tribal Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-tribal">
 
=Tribal Rites=
 
These rites are specific to certain tribes.
 
----
 
=Silent Striders=
 
==Level Three==
 
'''The Rite of Luna’s Eye'''
 
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 81''
 
'''Description:''' The Rite of Luna’s Eye is one of the best weapons of the Garou of the Tullu Demtu Caern. The War of Rage made the Garou many enemies among the Fera that claim most of Africa as territory, and werewolves travel those lands at their own peril. As well, Garou cannot keep vigil over every place on Earth to spot places where the Wyrm will strike. With this rite, however, nothing is beyond the gaze of those Silent Striders standing watch from Tullu Demtu (W20 RAtW, pg 72).


<div class="mw-customtoggle-sflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Shifter Flaws</div>
'''System:''' The ritemaster’s player must make a successful Perception + Rituals roll against a difficulty based on the distance the Garou wishes to see:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-sflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 200px" | Distance
|-
|5
|Less than 500 Miles
|-
|6
|500 - 1,000 Miles
|-
|-
! Flaw
|7
! Cost
|1,001 - 2,000 Miles
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
| '''Animal Musk'''
|8
| 1
|2,001 - 3,000 Miles
| Shifter
|-
| Physical
|9
| W20 Core, pg 473
|More than 3,000 Miles
| ''Synopsis:'' You have the odor of an animal, even in Homid form.<br>
|-
''System:'' Whenever you are indoors or in a crowd of people, you make all Social rolls at a +2 difficulty. Outdoors or in situations where you can distance yourself from humans, your odor is not noticeable. Wolves (and lupus-born Garou) take little notice of this Flaw.<br>
|}
''Notes:'' <br>
 
The number of successes the ritemaster’s player scores on this roll determines how much the Garou can focus on a particular place:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 200px" | Effect
|-
|-
| '''No Partial Transformation'''
|1
| 1
|A view as wide as a satellite image of a single location.
| Shifter
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 473
| ''Synopsis:''  You can only change into the complete form.<br>
''System:'' You have no ability to mix forms; you cannot shift your larynx in Lupus to be capable of human speech, or grow a wolf’s muzzle in Glabro<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Strict Carnivore'''
|2
| 1
|A view of an area the size of a small forest, and the ritemaster can view several such areas before the vision passes.
| Shifter
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 473
| ''Synopsis:'' “Vegetarian” is just another way of saying “lazy hunter.”<br>
''System:'' Vegetables and grains give you no nutritional benefit; you can only subsist on meat — the closer to raw, the better. You have real problems in areas where meat is scarce.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Deformity'''
|3
| 3
|A view of an area as small as an acre, and the ritemaster can maintain this watch for as long as she remains.
| Shifter
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474<br>V20 Core, pg 482
| ''Synopsis:'' You have a misshapen limb, a twisted spine, or some other deformity that interferes with your physical abilities and your interactions with others.<br>
''System:'' A hunchback, for instance, would lower a character’s Dexterity by two dots and increase the difficulty of die rolls relating to social skills by one. A withered arm might reduce Dexterity by 2 for all manual manipulation rolls, reduce your running speed in any four-legged form, and increase social skills’ difficulty by one. You should work out the nature of your deformity with your Storyteller, as well as the exact penalties offered. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their metis disfigurement.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Double Jeopardy'''
|4
| 3
|A view as little as a few yards to each side, allowing the Garou to identify individual humans and animals.
| Shifter
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474
| ''Synopsis:'' Gaia has marked you strongly. You were born not with one, but two significant metis deformities. These may be related, but must be two clearly separate disfigurements.<br>
''System:'' A pair of antlers, or two rows of shark teeth would only be one deformity, but antlers and hooves, or a row of shark’s teeth and a set of gills would be acceptably different. The Storyteller has the final judgment on whether the two deformities are significant enough to qualify for this Flaw. This flaw can be taken only by metis Garou.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Monstrous'''
|5
| 3
|The Garou can peer through solid objects, such that he can observe the interior of a house or scrutinize a cave deep under the earth.
| Shifter
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 474<br>V20 Core, pg 482
| ''Synopsis:'' Your physical appearance is truly hideous to your fellow Garou. All your forms bear some grotesque qualities; your Homid form barely looks human, while your other forms have something significant that disfigures them. You should decide what you look like.<br>
''System:'' Your Appearance rating is zero, and cannot be raised higher with experience points barring some remarkable circumstances. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn deformity.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
|}
</div>
</tab>
<tab name="Kinfolk">
=Buying Gifts=
===Cost===
What gifts cost
===Wait Time===
How long it takes to learn gifts
===Method===
Staff preferences on +requests and chiminage
----
It is possible for Kinfolk to possess and use Garou Gifts, but a number of restrictions apply. Players of Kinfolk characters cannot purchase Gifts during character creation.<br>
In order to learn a Gift, a Kinfolk must be taught by either a spirit or a Garou. Learning from spirits often requires petitioning a Theurge to summon a spirit, as well as to act as translator and intermediary. <br>
In rare instances — perhaps the Kin has performed a task that pleased a spirit or served it in some manner — that spirit may contact Kinfolk without being summoned, and offer to teach her a Gift as a reward. Learning a Gift from a spirit takes Kinfolk several hours.<br>
It is also possible for a Garou to teach a Kin a Gift. This process is much less efficient than learning from spirits, and it often takes Kin months to learn a Gift in this fashion.<br>
A Kinfolk who has earned Renown may have an easier time finding a teacher for Gifts. He may recite his deeds as part of the price for teaching or in making a case to a Theurge. Any negative Renown will certainly be held against a Kin hoping to earn a Gift.<br>
Regardless of Renown, Kinfolk are unlikely to find a teacher for Gifts outside of their breed or tribe. Both spirits and Garou tend to stand firm on this practice.<br>
Most Kinfolk don’t have Gnosis, meaning they can only learn Gifts which do not require spending it. The rare Kin who does possess Gnosis has the potential to learn any Level One Gifts, except for those that require Rage. That said, because Kinfolk may not have rank (regardless of how much Renown they possess), they may not learn any Gift higher than Level One.<br>
After long sessions of bargaining with Garou and spirits, hours or months of practice, and suitable bribes and pleas, if the character still wants to acquire a Gift, she may spend experience points to do so. Learning a Gift costs 15 points if it is a breed or tribe Gift for the Kin, and 20 points if it is not. Additionally, any Gift taught by a Garou rather than a spirit costs an additional 5 experience points when purchased by a Kinfolk (for a total of 20 or 25 points).
----
=General Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kinfolk" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kinfolk">
Having useful and powerful Kinfolk reflects well on a tribe. Many encourage their Kin who are capable of learning Gifts, and even have helped create unique Kinfolk Gifts. These Gifts automatically count as being within any Kinfolk’s breed or tribe for purposes of spending experience. Garou can learn these gifts, as well, but they are generally seen as inferior to typical Garou Gifts.
'''Eve’s Touch'''
''W20 Core, pg 383''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Kinfolk to soothe the wounds of others through his touch.
'''System:''' The Kin must roll Intelligence + Medicine, difficulty 6, and touch the wound with his hands. The wound can’t be from any source that would normally be considered aggravated; the only aggravated wounds it can heal are those that have been converted from an excess of lethal wounds. The target’s injuries heal one Health Level per two successes. The Kinfolk may attempt this healing only once per person per day; the Gift is taught by a Pelican-spirit.
----
'''Dona Nobis Pacem'''
''W20 Core, pg 383''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk is able to maintain an aura of peace over herself and anyone she touches.
'''System:''' The Kinfolk can use this Gift only once per scene, and must expend one Willpower point for the effect to manifest. Humans in her immediate vicinity must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 8, to begin or continue any sort of argument or violence for the remainder of the scene. Garou so touched are at +2 difficulty to frenzy for the remainder of the scene. A unicorn-spirit or dove-spirit teaches this Gift.
----
'''Echoes'''
''W20 Core, pg 384''
'''Description:''' A Kinfolk uses this Gift to hear the “echoes” of earlier conversation in an empty room.
'''System:''' At least five minutes must have passed since the end of the conversation before the Kin can invoke the Gift. He rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty 7) to “hear” what words have been spoken. With one success, he can hear conversations that occurred within the past hour; with two successes, he can hear the past day’s chatter. With three or more successes, he can tune in to a conversation up to a week old. Conversations take place in real time, however, so listening to an hour long conversation takes a full hour, and eavesdropping on an afternoon of chatter takes several hours. A dog-spirit or wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.
----
</div>
=Tribal Gifts=
The Gifts presented here are, in most cases, slightly altered versions of the Garou Gifts of the same name. Kinfolk versions may have a shorter duration, require expenditure of either Gnosis or Willpower, or must make an additional effort to make an effect permanent. This list does not include all the possible Gifts, but stands as a sampling of what Gifts are possible. The Storyteller and players may add or subtract to this list or create unique Gifts. Learning Gifts from other tribes is possible, but only under certain circumstances.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-blackfury" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Black Fury Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-blackfury">
==Black Furies==
'''Owl’s Speech'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 66''
'''Description:''' Black Furies and their Kinfolk may draw on the connection between Athena and her sacred owls by means of this Gift. This Gift combines the effects of the Galliard Beast’s Speech Gift and the Philodox King of the Beasts Gift, though it only works on owls. The Moon-Daughters often share this Gift with Kinfolk, particularly those with Gnosis.
'''System:''' If a Kinfolk possesses Gnosis, this Gift is permanent and may be used at any time. If a Kinfolk does not possess Gnosis, she may learn this Gift, but must spend a point of Willpower to invoke it each time. It lasts for 8 hours.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-gnawer" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Bone Gnawer Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-gnawer">
==Bone Gnawers==
'''Chain Talk'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' This Gift enables a human Kinfolk to participate in the Bone Gnawer’s Barking Chain for a brief time. Because they cannot change shape, Kin do not have the ability to shape lupine noises. For the duration of this Gift, the human Kinfolk’s normal voice can mimic to that of a wolf’s. The human speaks normally, but the sounds that he produces mimic the language of the Barking Chain.
'''System:''' The Kinfolk spends either a point of Gnosis or Willpower to evoke this Gift. With Willpower, the Gift lasts for the length of one series of conversations (usually one scene). A Kinfolk who possesses the Gnosis Merit may use Gnosis instead of Willpower to extend the duration to 24 hours. A wolf- or dog-spirit teaches this gift.
----
'''Trash Hound'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' This Gift resembles the Bone Gnawer Level One Cooking Gift except that Kinfolk without Gnosis can learn it. A Kinfolk uses a special cooking pot, such as a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or other all-purpose vessel and fills it with some sort of liquid and any food or food-related items that happen to be nearby. The food need not be still edible. Items can include wrappers from fast food to gourmet deli-paper, cereal box-tops, coffee filters, and similar goodies. The result is a meaty stew, a hearty casserole, mac and cheese, or spaghetti and meatballs — enough to feed a family for a main meal.
'''System:''' The Kinfolk combines the ingredients while concentrating on the desired meal, spends a point of Willpower, and waits 15 minutes. At the end of this time period, the food is piping hot and ready to eat. The meal must be consumed before the next morning or it will disappear. If a Kinfolk possesses Gnosis, spending one point of Gnosis instead of Willpower also erases tiredness and ensures a good night’s sleep for all partakers. This Gift is taught by a fire-spirit.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-coggie" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Child of Gaia Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-coggie">
==Children of Gaia==
'''Water-Conning'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' A Child of Gaia Kinfolk can evoke this Gift to purify any but the most tainted water by putting her hand into the water or touching her forehead to the surface. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift after the Kinfolk performs an appropriate service for Unicorn.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis (or Willpower) and rolls Perception + Intuition. Water polluted by feces or parasites has a 6 difficulty. Water fouled by chemical wastes or other man-made toxins has an 8 difficulty. Wyrm-taint may be cleansed only by a Garou possessing this Gift. Each success purifies enough water for one person for one day.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-getkin" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Get of Fenris Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-getkin">
==Get of Fenris==
'''Safe Haven'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a Fenrir Kinfolk to put a supernatural watch on her house or territory so that she instantly knows when anyone tainted by the Wyrm trespasses. Kinfolk who live within the bawn of a sept find this a useful Gift to know. An Owl-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower) to activate this Gift. Afterward, one point of Willpower (or Gnosis) per day maintains it. When anyone possessing Wyrm taint enters the designated area, the player may roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 7) to detect the intrusion. More successes enable the character to pin down the type and strength of the intruder. Kinfolk may only protect an area they can lay claim to, whether within the bawn (excluding the actual caern) or in the outside world.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-walkers" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Glass Walker Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-walkers">
==Glass Walkers==
'''Control Simple Machine'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' Similar to the Glass Walker Garou Gift, this Gift allows Kinfolk to command the spirits of simple machines, cause switches to flip, operate levers, push buttons, etc. A technological spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one scene.
----
'''Diagnostics'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' As with the Glass Walker Garou Gift, this Gift enables a Kinfolk to tell just by looking what is wrong with a machine. She may then enlist the machine’s spirit to aid in repair. Any technological spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player must spend a point of Willpower to enable the Kinfolk character to correctly diagnose the problem. By spending a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower), the Kinfolk may convince the spirit to aid in the repair process. The player rolls Dexterity + Repair (difficulty 6). The repair time is halved as well as the number of successes needed for a successful repair.
----
'''Well-Oiled Running'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' This Gift enables Kinfolk to keep their fighting equipment in the best possible condition, free from dust, damp, or other environmental factors. It is taught by a dust, war, or water spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Willpower and rolls Stamina + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success allows the Kinfolk to protect one piece of machinery from environmental damage for one day. Direct hits or physical attacks still affect it.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-talons" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Red Talon Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-talons">
==Red Talons==
'''Howl to the Pack'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' This Gift enables the wolf Kinfolk to raise her voice in a howl that any pack member of hers can hear, regardless of distance. Garou associated with her pack can also hear this howl and may respond to it. This Gift is instilled by a wolf-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Willpower to activate this Gift along with a howl.
----
'''Purify Meat'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 67''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a wolf Kinfolk to cleanse tainted meat of poison, chemicals and other toxic substances not produced naturally. Foods that are toxic to wolves and other animals are not affected. The wolf must sense (usually by smell, touch, or taste) that the meat is corrupted. This Gift can cleanse 50 pounds of tainted meat. A wolf-Kin must possess at least one point of Gnosis to learn this Gift, which is taught by a water-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. The character must touch the meat to activate the Gift.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-lords" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Shadow Lord Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-lords">
==Shadow Lords==
'''Aura of Confidence'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' This Gift enables the individual Kinfolk to project an aura of superiority toward other humans, preventing anyone from detecting his flaws or read his aura. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Kinfolk must spend a point of Willpower to enact the Gift, which has a duration of one week.
----
'''Whisper Catching'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a Kinfolk to supernaturally overhear conversations, giving her a chance to get a heads up on any potential plots against the Garou or their Kin. A crow-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and can hear whispered conversations within earshot as if the speakers were next to her. If obstacles or distance could impede ordinary conversations, the player may need to make a Perception roll to succeed.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-striders" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Silent Strider Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-striders">
==Silent Striders==
'''Heaven’s Guidance'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' A Kinfolk with this Gift can always find her way when there are stars visible in the sky. This Gift is taught by a spirit servant of the North Star.
'''System:''' The Kinfolk must spend a point of Gnosis to learn the Gift, but after that, it always operates from twilight to dawn. The user of the Gift is never lost so long as she can see a single star; she always knows where north is and the path she took to get to her present location.
----
'''Silence'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk can muffle any sound he makes. This Gift enables Kinfolk to assist his Strider Kin when necessary. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Willpower and gains +2 dice to all Dexterity + Stealth rolls. This Gift lasts for one scene.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-fangs" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Silver Fang Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-fangs">
==Silver Fangs==
'''Osprey’s Eye'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' This Gift enables a Kinfolk to spot objects or people through water, ignoring any distortion or discoloring of the water that might otherwise impede sight. It enables the user of the Gift to see someone who is underwater as clearly as if they were on dry land. An osprey- or salmon-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower). The Gift lasts for one scene and cannot be used again for 12 hours. When the user is underwater, the difficulty of Perception rolls is at a -2 difficulty for seeing objects or people.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-stargazer" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Stargazer Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-stargazer">
==Stargazers==
'''Balance'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk achieves near perfect balance and can walk across ledges, ropes, or other narrow objects regardless of how slippery or mobile the surface is. A wind-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis or two points of Willpower and centers himself upon the task. Climbing difficulties decrease by 3, and maintaining balance is automatic. While this Gift is permanent for Garou once enacted, a Kinfolk must enact this Gift once each day or when necessary.
----
'''Iron Resolve'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk uses her resolve to execute great feats •through Willpower alone. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Kinfolk spends a Willpower point to gain 2 automatic successes instead of one. This ability may be enacted no more than three times per day for Kinfolk.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-uktena" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Uktena Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-uktena">
==Uktena==
'''Sense Magic'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk can detect the pulses of magic and mystical energies, whether the spiritual Gifts of the Garou or the blatant power of wizards or the more harmonious magics of healers, shamans, and other tribal practitioners. They can also sense the darker energies that emanate from vampires or those who practice infernal magic. A spirit-servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas, with a difficulty that varies according to the nature and strength of the magic being sensed. One or two successes merely suggests that some spiritual energy is present. Three or more successes provide additional information. For example, the user can tell if the magic relates to dreamcraft, herbal magic, blood magic, or demoncraft. The radius is 20 feet per success.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-wendigo" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Wendigo Kinfolk Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wendigo">
==Wendigo==
'''Call the Breeze'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 68''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk can conjure up a strong, cold wind (20 mph) that chills anyone not prepared for it. The wind can redirect or disperse clouds of vapor or airborne toxins such as tear gas. It can also deflect swarms of insects. An air elemental teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The Kinfolk spends a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower) and whistles or hums to summon the wind. She can direct it by thought. Anyone caught in it loses one die from Perception rolls for the duration of the wind and, unless dressed appropriately for such a wind, suffers a -1 penalty to all actions after one minute of exposure.
----
</div>
----
=Kinfolk Rites=
Many Garou tribes include Kinfolk in a number of their rites. These rites usually honor Gaia, mark seasonal changes, or address milestones in the life of an individual or family. Some rites, of course, are for Garou only. In the same fashion, Kinfolk have devised their own rites intended to bring them closer to each other as Kinfolk or to mark gatherings of Kinfolk from a number of different tribes. While most of these rites do not require Gnosis and do not involve mystic powers, they do serve to renew Kinfolk’s connections to their tribes, to Gaia, and to one another.
Usually, a Kinfolk elder acts as ritemaster to enact the rite. If a Garou is present, she is often asked to lead the rite or participate in it as a matter of courtesy or respect. Garou are free to refuse to lead the rite with no negative implications, since these rites are properly led by Kinfolk. For a Garou to refuse participation in a rite when asked might imply some sort of criticism. Therefore, such requests never happen lightly.
Many of these rites are versions of Garou rites of the same name, but a few are unique to Kinfolk, or to Kin of certain tribes. Kinfolk group their unique rites under the same categories as the Garou use, for convenience. The following list of Kinfolk rites present a sampling of ceremonies and does not purport to be exhaustive. Players and Storytellers should feel free to create their own rites for Kinfolk chronicles.


One rite common to many kenning Kinfolk is the Baptism of Fire (W20 Core, pg 210), whereby a Kin family can assign a Kin Fetch spirit to one of their offspring. Although the Kin ritemaster cannot summon the spirit, a Kin Fetch that is already present to the family can be used. Such a spirit can make itself known and visible to the ritemaster. For more on Kin Fetches, see W20 Kinfolk, pg 99-104.
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Type
! style="min-width: 150px" | Roll
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
|-
|Accord
|Cha + Rituals
|7
|-
|Homestead
|Varies
|7
|-
|Milestones
|Cha + Rituals
|7
|-
|Punishment
|Cha + Rituals
|7
|-
|Renown
|Cha + Rituals
|6
|-
|Seasonal (Changing Year)
|Sta + Rituals
|Varies
|-
|Minor
|None
|None
|-
|}
|}
Where Gnosis is necessary, its use and related difficulty is indicated in the rite description.
----
<div class="mw-customtoggle-accord" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Accord Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-accord">
=Rites of Accord=
Rites of Accord for Kinfolk seek to restore or create harmony within a Kinfolk family or group. An element of symbolic rebirth or new beginning is usually present in these rites. They have no supernatural power attached unless the Kin acting as ritemaster possesses Gnosis and chooses to spend it to add to the rite. They are usually quite psychologically and spiritually effective for Kin who practice them.
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of Apology'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 69''
'''Description:''' When members of a Kinfolk family have a serious disagreement and wish to make amends and permanently put animosity behind them, they may enact the Rite of Apology. The concerned individuals stand facing one another and forswear any feelings of anger or blame, declaring that no disagreement, whoever is at fault, is worth enmity between Kin. Each person focuses on transferring her anger or blame or negative feeling onto a single sheet of good writing paper. Once this is done, each person enacting the rite exchanges papers so that each person touches each piece of paper. The papers are put together and each person takes a turn at ripping the paper in half. With each tear, the anger dissipates. The torn paper is burned and discarded, along with the ill feeling.
'''System:''' Nothing needs to be written on the paper, but the Kinfolk must spend a point of Willpower to transfer her feeling onto it. No roll needs to be made, but the Willpower point cannot be regained for 24 hours. The effect is permanent for that quarrel.
----
==Level Two==
'''Rite of Unity of Purpose'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 69''
'''Description:''' This rite is enacted on one of two occasions. Either some major issue has divided a Kinfolk family and needs to be reconciled, or the family is about to undertake some major project as a group.
'''System:''' This can involve moving from one location to another, or going into combat as a family unit.
----
'''Sway the Hand of Anger'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 69''
'''Description:''' This Garou rite protects a related Kinfolk from a Garou’s frenzy. The ritemaster convinces a protective trickster-spirit to bond to the Kin. If the designated Garou (who must be related to the Kin by blood or tribe) loses control and attempts to attack or threatens the Kin (or if the Kinfolk feels threatened), the spirit awakens and redirects the Garou to attack other targets. Once this has happened, the spirit is freed. The rite must be repeated each time to continue to provide the Kinfolk with protection.
'''System:''' The ritemaster locates a household or trickster-spirit (usually with help from a Garou, a fetish, or through personal encounter) and, through gifts or persuasion, convinces it to latch onto the Kinfolk who is the subject of the rite. The ritemaster spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the spirit’s Willpower).
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-milestones" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Milestone Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-milestones">
=Rites of the Milestones=
These rites do not use any mystic power nor do they require the expenditure of Gnosis. Willpower helps strengthen the impression the rite leaves on its participants but is not absolutely necessary. Kinfolk use these rites to mark various stages in their lives, to acknowledge and reaffirm their identities as Kinfolk and as individuals. Tribal variations may distinguish the rites from those of other Garou tribes, but the enactment of each rite differs from household to household. Some Kinfolk do not see the necessity of these rites, while others hold them very near and dear to their hearts.
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of Welcoming (Birth)'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 70''
'''Description:''' The birth of a new Kinfolk is a cause for rejoicing. This rite takes place as soon as mother and child return home from the hospital (if the child is born there) or, if the child is born at home, as soon as mother and child are rested and aware. The family gathers in one room of the house. One of the Kinfolk elders, usually the father, but sometimes a grandparent, aunt, or uncle, takes the infant from the mother and holds him up for everyone to see. The ritemaster introduces the child by his name, first to Gaia, then to the tribe totem, and, finally, to the other family members, by name and relationship. If non-family members are present by invitation and expect to stand in relationship to the child as god-parent, protector, etc., that individual is also introduced to the child by name and relationship.
The child is returned to the mother’s arms after that, and, unless any tribe-specific events occur, the rite concludes, usually with a ceremonial meal or a toast. Fianna Kinfolk generally throw a party, while Silver Fangs usually spend time discussing the child’s lineage or drawing up an individual family tree. One Silver Fang family adds a stylized leaf-painting with the child’s name and birth date to a mural of the family tree. Bone Gnawers sometimes give the child some sort of trinket so that she will not be entirely without resources, while Silent Strider Kinfolk take the child for his first official “outing,” even if it is just around the yard.
(This rite is entirely separate from the Garou rite that attaches a Fetch to the child.)
'''System:''' The ritemaster conducts the rite using whatever steps and formulae customary to the family or the tribe. A point of Willpower may be used to reinforce the ceremony on the memories of the participants, including that of the infant.
----
'''Vow of Partnership (Mating)'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 70''
'''Description:''' While many Kinfolk undergo standard marriage rites, depending on their religious beliefs, as well as the requisite civil ceremony, some also want to solemnify their union under the eyes of Gaia. The Vow of Partnership establishes the nature and duration of the relationship between two Kinfolk or between a Kinfolk and a Garou.
The ceremony usually takes place in the home or on the ground of one of the Kinfolk. Sometimes a location outside the home is used, such as a national or state park, a community center or arboretum. Occasionally, a wilderness site serves as the venue for this rite. If the site is anywhere other than the home of a Kinfolk or on territory claimed by Garou (i.e., the caern or its bawn), someone who can perform the Rite of Cleansing should do so to ensure the place is free of Wyrm-taint.
Once the site is ready, the family and friends gather around the couple to witness their vows to one another. The commitment may be a life-bond, or may have some specific time or condition, such as “until we have a child,” or “for a year and a day.” After the recitation of the vows, the ritemaster pronounces the couple bound to one another in the eyes of Gaia, the Garou, and Kinfolk. Again, each tribe may have a variant to add to the ceremony. The rite ends when the ritemaster introduces the couple to the attendees.
'''System:''' No rolls are necessary. The couple may spend a point of Willpower each to seal their vow.
----
'''Wake for the Departed (Death)'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 70''
'''Description:''' This rite honoring a Kinfolk or Garou who has recently died takes place after any official services, such as a funeral or graveside ceremony. The form this rite takes varies from tribe to tribe, and from family to family. Fianna Kinfolk usually hold a wake that might last for days, with music, dancing, stories, songs, and lots of alcohol. Silent Striders may make a pilgrimage, visiting the deceased’s favorite or most meaningful places. Silver Fangs hold a more somber version of a wake with the deceased’s genealogy recited and discussed ''ad infinitum''. Likewise, the Get of Fenris hold a supper honoring the deceased with much touting of the honoree’s most memorable actions, testimonials, and solemn drinking. Glass Walkers celebrate their dead Kin through online meetings. Wendigo usually hold a potlatch in honor of the departed during which the family gives many of their relative’s possessions to those who knew and honored him. Children of Gaia Kinfolk might establish a scholarship fund or make a donation to a charity or cause dear to the heart of the departed, while individuals might pledge volunteer hours in the deceased’s name.
'''System:''' No rolls are necessary.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homestead" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homestead Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homestead">
=Rites of the Homestead=
These rites revolve around the places where Kinfolk reside and serve to dedicate their living places to Gaia, to declare themselves as a household of Kinfolk, and to ask for protection from the spirits. Whenever possible, a ritemaster who possesses Gnosis should perform these rites; otherwise Willpower in sufficient amounts can substitute.
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of the Hearthfire'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Nanets people have few Garou amongst their population. But those few Garou have taught this important rite to any gifted Kinfolk. The group make a fire and with a few quiet, contemplative blessings, the fire becomes the center of a small sanctuary — a warm field that remains protected from the elements. While the area within isn’t luxurious, it becomes comfortable enough for safe, secure sleeping.
'''System:''' Once the fire is built, roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). If successful, the fire creates a safe zone, a bubble big enough for three people plus one per success. It lasts a full night. During this time, snow, wind, rain, and other environmental phenomena remain outside the bubble. Inside the bubble, people remain warm and the ground is comfortable for sleeping. A level three version of this rite exists. This version affects a large area — equivalent to the bawn of a caern — and lasts one day per success.
----
==Level Two==
'''Rite of Homestead Dedication'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 71''
'''Description:''' Whenever a Kinfolk builds, buys, or otherwise acquires a new residence, this rite dedicates the structure and surrounding area to the service of Gaia, much as the Garou Rite of Caern Building, though less powerful. This rite may be performed several times, as appropriate: when a site is purchased or acquired, when building starts, when a manufactured home is put in place, when the structure is complete before the family moves in, and on the first evening in the new home.
The details may vary according to the building stage, but the rite usually involves making a circle around the perimeter of the land as well as around the house itself, while calling upon Gaia and the tribe’s totem spirit (and any other spirit that might have attached themselves to the Kin family) to recognize the house in the Umbra and look upon it with favor.
A talisman representing all the family members along with either some building material from the house or yard is buried near the door of the house. At the end of the final ceremony, the family enters the house and offers thanks to Gaia for their home.
'''System:''' A point of Gnosis must be spent (or two points of Willpower). The player rolls Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7. One success is needed.
----
Rite of Protection'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 71''
'''Description:''' When the home or family of a Kinfolk comes under threat, whether from human agents or from the supernatural community, this rite can give the house and property of a Kinfolk family some temporary protection until their Garou kin can set some better protections or until the family can get to a safe place. When there is time to prepare, the ritemaster takes a talisman or pouch containing symbols of every person to be protected as well as something of the household (pets, too!) and asks the tribe’s totem spirit or a spirit of protection to prevent anyone who intends harm to the family from entering the house or its grounds. The rite master makes a paste from his own blood and the “blood” of the land around the house (i.e., blood and dirt) and daubs the talisman with the paste while asking the spirit’s help. If the rite succeeds, the talisman disappears, taken into the Umbra by the spirit.
'''System:''' The ritemaster must possess Gnosis or an item that allows her to use Gnosis. She must speak a chant composed when she learned the rite while making the paste, another chant while applying the paste to the talisman, and a third chant while she spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (Difficulty 7). Only one success is necessary, but more successes provide stronger protections.
The effects are largely up to the Storyteller, but usually involve making the rolls of any who intend harm to suffer higher difficulties. Attempts to set fire to a protected home might find matches won’t light or the wind snuffs out flame. Those sneaking into a protected home might slip on the steps or accidentally break a window, alerting those inside.
The rite lasts for 24 hours per success, and may be repeated as necessary until no more Gnosis exists. Since the enactment of the rite also notifies the nearest Garou kin of the danger to his Kinfolk, the rite generally does not need to be performed more than once or twice.
----
'''Rite of True Seeing'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 71''
'''Description:''' This rite needs to be performed by a Garou for the appropriate individual. It allows a non-Kinfolk who has married or partnered into a Kinfolk or Garou family to gain temporary immunity to the Delirium. To enact the rite, the Garou must work with the subject of the rite to create a talisman from some strands of that individual’s hair and a few strands of the Garou’s hair from his Crinos form. The ritemaster explains to the subject that she must burn the talisman while the ritemaster imbues the burning talisman with power. The result grants the individual immunity to the Delirium for seven days, after which the rite must either be repeated or a more permanent solution found.
'''System:''' After making the talisman, the ritemaster spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). Only one success is necessary.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-punishment" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Punishment Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-punishment">
=Rites of Punishment=
As with most families, punishment is usually handled within the family as the offense occurs, and usually involves only misbehavior and minor wrongdoings by the children. Depending on the nature of the parents and their philosophy of child-rearing, the external mores exerted by schools and society, and the general tendencies of the tribe, the types of punishment meted out to children vary from extensive lectures (with or without a hefty dose of guilt tripping — Children of Gaia, Bone Gnawers, Stargazers, Uktena), revocation of privileges or allowance (Silver Fangs, Shadow Lords, Glass Walkers), to more corporal methods of punishment (Get of Fenris, Fianna, Wendigo). Kinfolk children already grow up with the weight of Kin responsibilities to some extent, so punishment is just another normal occurrence in a life that most parents want to seem as normal as possible.
When an adult or older teen Kinfolk commits serious or chronic behaviors that threaten the family’s ability to function as Kinfolk, of these rites might be used to impress upon the errant Kin his need to change his ways. Again, these rites are not enacted at the drop of a hat. Most family problems are just that — family problems.
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of Intervention'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 73''
'''Description:''' A Kinfolk family may enact this rite when one of their family needs to face some truth about herself or take a course of action that she would otherwise refuse to take. Not unlike interventions in the outside world, this rite differs in that it has the force of Gnosis behind it.
Situations that might warrant a rite of intervention might include convincing a family member to take charge of a chronic disease or affliction and seek help to manage it, to advise a family member to seek counseling for depression or some other mental or emotional disorder, to bring chronically quarrelling family members (siblings, or husband and wife, etc.) together to work out their differences, and other repairable situations.
'''System:''' The family arranges for the subject or subjects to be present and confronts them. The ritemaster announces she is beginning the Rite of Intervention. Each family member is expected to contribute to the discussion as well as to express their caring for the rite’s subject. The ritemaste spends a point of Gnosis or two points of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Rituals. The more successes, the more persuasive the intervention, though one success is enough to complete the rite.
----
==Level Three==
'''Rite of Exile'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 72''
'''Description:''' When a member of a Kinfolk family has proven so disruptive as to destroy the family’s unity and interfere with its duty to tribe and to Gaia, the head of the family may choose to enact this rite to send the offending member away, usually for a fixed period of time. In order for this to happen, every member of the Kinfolk’s household who is at least 12 years old (or two years old, if a lupus Garou ispart of the household) must agree that nothing further can be done to change the Kinfolk’s bad behavior.
Once a household has made this decision, the ritemaster calls the offending Kinfolk before her for one last chance at change. She reads or lists the bad behavior, usually such things as serious drug or alcohol usage with no intention of reforming, physical abuse of family members, inexcusable criminal behavior, consorting with infernal beings or Wyrmspawn, and the like. The subject of the rite then has a chance to speak for himself, either explaining his behavior or promising under oath to change his actions. During the rite, the subject’s words either have the ring of truth or they sound flat and tinny, indicating lies or insincerity.
If the Kinfolk can successfully explain why he offended the family (“I was enthralled by a vampire,” or “if I didn’t do what they wanted, they were going to hurt you,” or even “I really screwed up because I didn’t think anyone cared about me, and I promise it won’t happen again,” the ritemaster declares the rite over without completion and works with the rest of the family to help the Kinfolk.
If, on the other hand, the Kinfolk shows no remorse, the ritemaster continues with the rite and declares the subject of the rite exiled from the family for a certain period of time — usually at least a year and a day, and sometimes as long as five years or more. The conditions for reinstatement into the family are stated at that time. “You must prove that you are no longer subject to chronic drunkenness,” for example. The rite ends with the subject physically leaving the home. Usually, the family will allow the exiled individual to return to the house long enough to pack a couple of bags and a bedroll. Sometimes these things are prepared before the rite, so that once the subject leaves the house he cannot return until the time of exile is over. If he attempts to do so, he suffers bouts of sickness, crippling anxiety, and general bad luck until he is swayed from his course.
'''System:''' This rite takes some preparation. The ritemaster prepares a candle to symbolize the person to be exiled. He inscribes the name of the Kinfolk on the candle and places it in a holder in the room where he will hold the rite. When the rite begins, the ritemaster spends a point of Gnosis and lights the candle, which burns throughout the ceremony. The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Rituals (Difficulty 7). Success enables the candle to continue burning as long as it needs to and creates the aura of truthfulness within which the words of condemnation and defense are spoken. If the rite is ended without completion, the ritemaster carefully releases the candle to burn out naturally. If the ritemaster completes the rite, he blows out the candle forcefully and snaps it in half. The gesture physically compels the Kinfolk toward the door and, with the exception of a grace period to gather his things, acts as a barrier to prevent the exile from returning within one mile of the household until the time of exile is ended.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-renown" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Renown Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-renown">
=Rites of Renown=
These rites mark acts of heroism or brave deeds in defense of the family or the tribe or any other of Gaia’s children. While they do not confer Renown among Garou, unless the Garou agree to award temporary Renown, these rites have meaning among other Kinfolk.
----
==Level One==
'''Rite of Challenge'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 73''
'''Description:''' During a family gathering or a Kinfolk gathering, one Kinfolk may issue a Rite of Challenge to another Kinfolk. The challenge can be a simple one: I challenge you to a race to see which of us is faster, or complex: I challenge you to go to the cave at the foot of Slickback Mountain and stay the night, and bring me proof you’ve been inside the cave.
If the challenged one accepts the challenge, the challenger and challenged work out the details of the challenge, who is to judge it, and how to determine success or failure. Both Kinfolk spend a Willpower point to seal the challenge.
When the action is completed, the second half of the rite takes place. In the presence of the same Kinfolk who witnessed the challenge, the challenged individual makes his claim of success or admits failure. If he succeeds, he gets back the point of Willpower he spent. If he fails, his challenger gets back the point she spent.
'''System:''' Willpower is expended in both parts of this rite. No rolls are necessary.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-seasons" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Seasonal Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-seasons">
=Seasonal Rites=
The Garou honor the passing of the year at the solstices and the equinoxes. In most cases, Kinfolk can participate in all or part of these season celebrating rites. See the W20 Core, pg 218-220 for descriptions of these rites.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-minor" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Minor Rites</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-minor">
=Minor Rites (Individual Rites)=
Minor rites take place throughout the day in the life of a Kinfolk who wishes to reinforce his dedication to Gaia, tribe and family. These rites take half the time to learn and cost half as much. They usually require no expenditures of Gnosis or Willpower and do not have to take place in secret.
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'''Rite of the Morning Song'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 73''
'''Description:''' The Kinfolk rises before dawn and prepares to greet the first rays of morning fire. Starting with the first true sun rays (not just the lightening of the sky), the Kinfolk offers praise to Helios. She may sing (words are optional), read or speak a poem, intone and chant syllables, or otherwise vocalize her greeting. If she does this for nine straight sunrises, like the Garou Rite Greet the Sun, the Kinfolk gains the ability to Sense Wyrm for the next nine days as if she possessed the Garou Gift. If she misses even one morning, she must begin again for the effect to take place.
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'''Rite of Evening Chant'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 74''
'''Description:''' This rite requires the Kinfolk to sing Luna’s praises through one entire phase of the moon. Songs, poetry, stories, and other verbalizations must be made for at least 15 minutes. After the Kinfolk has completed the requirement, he receives an additional die on all Social interactions with Garou of the same auspice as the moon was when the rite was performed. This rite is sometimes performed with other Kinfolk, but the results are separate for each Kinfolk. This effect lasts until that moon phase comes around again (either waxing or waning).
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</div>
</tab>
<tab name="Ajaba">
=Gifts=
Ajaba begin play with one breed Gift, one aspect Gift, and one Level One general Ajaba Gift from the list below. Breed Gifts are functionally identical to those of the corresponding Garou breeds, with hyaenid using lupus Gifts. Ajaba share a great number of Garou Gifts, though they often learn them from very different spirits.
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==General Ajaba Gifts==
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Ajaba Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
==Level One==
'''Eye of the Hunter'''
''W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' Just as wolves may assess a herd of prey animals, this Gift enables the Garou to correctly determine the weakest and strongest member of any group she can see. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, then the Garou learns which members of a chosen group within sight are the strongest or weakest and which is the leader. If the Garou attacks the group after employing this Gift, she gains one extra attack die against only the weakest individual for the rest of the scene.
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'''Feral Grin'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' With a snarl or glare, the Ajaba forces her opponent to back down, unnerved. A hyena-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Ajaba adds two dice to all attempts to intimidate others of equal or higher Willpower. When attempting to intimidate lower-Willpower individuals, the Ajaba adds the two dice or her Primal-Urge rating, whichever is higher. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
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'''Gift of Terror''' - As the Red Talon Gift: Wolves at the Door, however when used to target a group, the Ajaba chuckles rather than howls
''W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the wilderness, and it makes any human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf must make eye contact with the target, but can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest, tundra, swamp, or other untamed wilderness area without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave his home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses three dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. Alternately, this Gift can affect a number of humans equal to his Rage at once (difficulty equals the highest Willpower in that group). In this case, rather than making eye contact, the humans must hear the werewolf howl in lupus form. This Gift can be used on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two.
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'''Infectious Laughter'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' Laughter is the tool with which Gaia’s tricksters promote enlightenment and the knife that slashes through the veil of Rage. When the Ragabash laughs, those around her are compelled to follow along, forgetting their grievances. A coyote or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Ragabash must make some comment mocking the present situation in which she finds herself, then laugh at it. The player then rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the highest Rage rating of anyone listening). Success causes those who hear the Ragabash's comment and laughter to lose hold of their ire, and forget what it was that had them upset in the first place - although their temper will return if they are reminded of what the New Moon has made them forget.
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'''Primal Anger'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.
'''System:''' The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).
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'''Sense Prey'''
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.
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==Level Two==
'''Crushing Jaws'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' Only death can loose the Ajaba’s jaws. By using this Gift together as a group, several Ajaba can pull apart even the mightiest opponent. A hyena-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point after executing a successful bite attack to lock her jaws. Each turn thereafter, the Ajaba automatically inflicts one health level of unsoakable aggravated damage as her jaws crush bone and rend flesh. She may take no other action, save to voluntarily let go of her prey. While she is locked in, all close-range attacks against her are made at –2 difficulty due to her relative immobility. Only death can pry her loose against her will.
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'''Curse of Hatred'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.
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'''Gender Shift'''
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' Distasteful though it may be, the Black Furies sometimes find it necessary to pass unnoticed through the world of men. This Gift allows a Fury to effectively change gender in the eyes of onlookers. Her features and build become decidedly more masculine, and her garb seems of a masculine cut. Her hair, eye and skin color remain the same; the result is a man who shows a slight family resemblance to the Fury. Despite this Gift's name, it works equally well when male metis Furies employ it to disguise themselves as women. This Gift is taught by an ancestor spirit or a seahorse spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The illusion lasts for one scene per success, or until the Fury shifts form. The disguise withstands casual tactile contact, although heavy or violent contact will reveal the truth.
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'''Odious Aroma'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.
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'''Pulse of the Prey'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
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==Level Three==
'''Clenched Jaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).
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'''Gift of the Skunk'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51''
'''Description:''' With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.
'''System:''' The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.
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'''Laugh of the Hyena'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Hyena follows no one; instead, she laughs at those who would name themselves kings. The Bone Gnawer wields the power of this mocking laughter, allowing her to resist any attempt to command, cajole, force, or demand to do anything she doesn't wish to. Such refusals are never subtle; the werewolf cackles like a hyena when calling upon this Gift. A hyena spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' All attempts to mentally compel the werewolf suffer a +2 difficulty penalty, so long as she laughs out loud at them.
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'''Laughter of the Soul'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Ajaba’s barking chuckle worms into enemies’ minds, becoming a harbinger of terror and madness. Fear-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Ajaba laughs, and the player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). One success makes the target uneasy, three induces shivering paranoia and anxiety attacks, and five send him fleeing into the night screaming. Rolling three or more successes drives creatures capable of fear frenzy into that state, unless they spend two Willpower to resist for the rest of the scene. Even then, they remain unnerved and jumpy.
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==Level Four==
'''Culling the Weak'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Ajaba use the strength Gaia granted them to mark the weak — and then allow their enemies’ very weakness to prepare them for the slaughter. This Gift is taught by a vulture-spirit.
'''System:''' Whenever an opponent who has not yet managed to injure the Ajaba during the scene attempts to attack the werehyena, but fails to inflict any health levels of damage with that attack, they automatically lose one point of Willpower and one point of Rage (if applicable).
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'''Gnaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.
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'''Gorge'''
''W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Wolves will eat as much as possible when food is available, to carry them through the lean times ahead. Who knows when their next meal will arrive? With this Gift, a Red Talon can similarly gorge on Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Upon learning this Gift, the player chooses which trait (Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower) the character can store. Thereafter, the character can hold three more points in the appropriate Trait than her permanent rating. These extra points must be regained as normal, and they don't add extra dice to rolls involving the Trait in question. To amplify more than one Trait, the character must learn the Gift (i.e., pay the experience cost) again.
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==Level Five==
'''Strength of Kilimanjaro'''
''W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Fenrir's body is suffused with hardiness beyond that of lesser beings. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If successful, the Garou's Stamina rating is doubled for the duration of the scene.
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'''Survivor'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Ananasi becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need for food, water, or sleep.  She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons.  Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her.  A tortoise spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival.  The effects last for one day per success.  By spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later.  The Ananasi must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.
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'''Withering Stare'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
'''Description:''' This Gift lets a werecat kill with a glance, causing victims to die in agonized convulsions.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. The difficulty is the victim’s Willpower, and each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage.
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</div>
==Aspect Gifts==
<div class="mw-customtoggle-dawn" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Dawn Aspect Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-dawn">
==Level One==
'''Beat of the Heart Drum'''
''W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf becomes an inescapable hunter, drawn ever onward by the beat of his prey's heart until that heart grows still. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must have an object belonging to his target, a piece of the victim (a blood sample, a lock of hair), or must have tasted his quarry's blood in the past. The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Survival (difficulty 7). The Wendigo can hear her quarry's heartbeat for one day per success, no matter how far away they may be. The beat grows louder as the werewolf draws near, making tracking effortless.
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'''Finishing Blow'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' A merely wounded enemy is an enemy that can still fight; dead, he can do no more harm. This Gift, taught by a lion-spirit, helps the Ajaba finish her kills.
'''System:''' When attacking an enemy already suffering a wound penalty of at least –2, the player may spend one Rage point (before rolling the attack) to double the Ajaba’s Strength for the purpose of determining damage.
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'''Lightning Reflexes'''
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Fenrir are Gaia's ultimate warriors, effortlessly switching from offense to defense as the needs of battle demand. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player reflexively spends one Willpower point. For the next day, the character need neither make a Willpower rill nor spend a Willpower point to abort to a defensive action.
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'''Pack Tactics'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' While the Ahroun's role as the overall leader of Garou is questionable, there's no doubt at all who should take control of the pack in battle. By taking the lead and coordinating pack actions, the Ahroun gifts all her packmates with great competence in the heat of battle. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point before initiating a Pack Tactics maneuver (see W20 Core, pg 300) and divides a pool of extra dice equal to her Leadership score among everyone performing the maneuver. The dice should be divided as evenly as possible, although the player may choose where to distribute extra dice (or in case of the Ahroun's Leadership score granting fewer dice than the number of packmates involved).
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'''Razor Claws'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
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'''Resist Pain'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
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'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
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==Level Two==
'''Command Spirit'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.
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'''Dancing with the Dawn''' — As the Fianna Gift: Flame Dance
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
''Description:''' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.
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'''Shield of Rage'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Such is the Rage burning within an Ahroun's heart that all lesser furies quail before it. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, all spirits' Rage scores are considered two less than their real values for the purpose of rolling damage against the Ahroun.
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'''Spirit of the Fray'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.
'''System:''' Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).
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'''Teeth at Dawn'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' To act first is a sign of confidence and power; a hyena who has seized the initiative in battle is nearly unstoppable. A jaguar spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Whenever the Ajaba has the highest initiative in a combat turn, she adds two dice to each of her attacks that turn. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
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==Level Three==
'''Bloody Feast'''
''W20 Core, pg 201, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Great Wendigo, as a hungry cannibal spirit, can teach his favored children how to gain strength from an enemy's flesh and blood. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must bite his opponent and taste blood - he must inflict at least one lethal or aggravated health level of damage, and his victim must be something that bleeds. If the opponent has toxic blood or non at all, this Gift cannot function. The player then rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3. The Wendigo gains one extra dot in Strength for every two health levels of damage inflicted by the bite (maximum of + 5 to Strength). The extra Strength bonus lasts for two turns per success on the Gnosis roll. However, flesh and blood can be addictive; the Wendigo's player must make an immediate frenzy roll the turn after activating the Gift.
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'''Redirect Pain'''
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a Fenrir to visit the pain of his wounds upon those who inflicted them. A cuckoo spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). For one scene, the target incurs whatever wound penalties are indicated by the Fenrir's current wound levels, regardless of whether or not the Fenrir actually feels the pain.
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'''Sense the Unnatural'''
''W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
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'''Silver Jaws''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Silver Claws, save that it enhances bite rather than claw attacks.
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.
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==Level Four==
'''Battle Fury Focus'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Ajaba enters a battle trance, minimizing the openings she leaves for opponents. A mongoose-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). The Ajaba can reflexively dodge all attacks directed at her for the rest of the scene with a pool of three dice.
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'''Grasp the Beyond'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.
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'''Stoking the Fury's Furnace'''
''W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to husband his Rage, keeping it burning for as long as Gaia's enemies remain to be defeated. A wolverine spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' This Gifts effects are permanent. The werewolf regains one Rage point during any turn in which he takes damage. This Rage does not cause a frenzy check, though other sources will induce checks as usual. Additionally, the player can spend one Rage point per turn without losing any temporary rage. If multiple Rage points are spent during any turn, however, ''all'' are marked off.
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==Level Five==
'''Bone Cracker''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Fenris’ Bite
''W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's already vicious bite now easily mangles and severs limbs. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless unless the target can regenerate the damage, pr permanently in the case of humans or other creatures who cant regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Primal Urge roll, the limb is severed.
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'''Strength of Will'''
''W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift is a pillar of indomitable will. He can share his terrifying strength with others as well, leading them through the gates of Malfeas without a moment's fear or hesitation. A wolf spirit or an Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success grants all the Garou's allies within 100 feet (and her packmates anywhere within 100 miles) an extra point of Willpower. The extra points last for the rest of the scene and may raise an ally's Willpower above its maximum (and even above 10). This Gift can only be used once be used once per scene.
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</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-midnight" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Midnight Aspect Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-midnight">
==Level One==
'''Beast Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
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'''Burning the Vision'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Midnight can etch a moment into another’s memory, ensuring that they can never forget so much as a single detail of what they see or hear. This Gift, taught by a servant of Helios, is often used at the scenes of terrible atrocities against Gaia.
'''System:''' The Ajaba touches the one he wishes to force remembrance on and spends one Willpower point. The target gains perfect recall of everything that happens during the scene until his dying day.
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'''Mindspeak'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.
----
'''Mother's Touch'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52''
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
----
'''Perfect Recall'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' The werewolf is able to remember and relive any memory with perfect clarity. An elephant spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player may spend one Gnosis point to perfectly remember any one detail, no matter how small, from any point in her character's entire life.
----
'''Persuasion'''
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
'''Tears of the Heavens'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' Raising his arms and reciting a spontaneous poem, the Ajaba calls down the rain. A sky-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 8). Success causes rain to fall across an area (Obligation) miles in diameter around the Ajaba for ten minutes per success.
----
==Level Two==
'''Bless the Rains'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' The Ajaba composes words of thanks to the rain falling around him, complimenting it for sharing its bounty with the dry Earth. The rains respond with generosity. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 7). The rain subsequently restores one level of bashing or lethal damage to all non-Wyrm-tainted beings it touches, and renders the ground it falls on unusually fertile. This Gift may only be used while standing in the rain, and the Ajaba can only empower a rainstorm once — though the effects of the Gift strike everywhere that the same rains fall.
----
'''Distractions'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.
----
'''Dreamspeak'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.
----
'''Scavenge'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' The Ajaba may safely consume and digest any physical object he can get into his mouth, from carrion to pistols to toxic waste: his jaws can chew it, and his stomach can process it. A goat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent, though it costs a Gnosis point to eat anything that is actively poisonous (such as toxic waste) rather than merely noxious or inedible. The Ajaba’s digestion destroys fetishes and other empowered items, though supernaturally indestructible items may survive their transit. The Ajaba can even destroy an opponent’s armor in combat, one bite at a time.
----
'''Shadows of the Serengeti'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53''
'''Description:''' As the Ajaba sings a song of his fallen Kin, their shadows rise from the dust of the earth to lend their strength to his cause. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Obligation (difficulty 8). For each success, one unearthly shadow-hyena rises from the earth around the Ajaba, and aids him until the end of the scene. These shadows have the traits of a normal hyena, save that they possess only three health levels. The shadow hyenas have physical presence, but they are neither truly ghosts or spirits.
----
==Level Three==
'''Calling the Eshu''' — As the Fianna Gift: Faerie Kin. Ajaba use this Gift to summon tale-telling spirits to enlighten their packs.
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the werewolf can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. When used on Earth, this Gift most commonly calls dream spirits known as chimera, though with higher Gnosis expenditures changelings or their dark-kin cousins may appear; true fae answer the summons only in appropriate Umbral realms.
----
'''Exorcism'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.
----
'''Song of Heroes'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Reciting a tale of ancient Garou heroism, the Galliard conjures up the spirit of fallen heroes and infuses those listening with some portion of their power. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift requires the full recitation of a story of epic heroism, taking at least several minutes. At the end of the tale, the player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Every two successes on this roll add one point to a single Ability score for all listening Garou and Kinfolk, much like the Ancestors Background. This bonus lasts until the sun rises.
----
'''Wisdom of the Ancient Ways'''
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.
----
==Level Four==
'''Bitter Tears'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Standing in the pouring rain, the Ajaba composes a spontaneous poem expressing his sorrow at Gaia’s fallen state; the intensity of the rain redoubles, and it carries some measure of his sadness. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 7). All humans touched by the rain whose main dwelling is in a place with a Gauntlet of 7 or higher are seized with a great listless melancholy so long as the rain lasts, suffering a –3 penalty to all dice pools. This Gift may only be used while standing in the rain.
----
'''Gift of Dreams'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Galliard crafts a dream, then breathes it into a sleeping individual. A Lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to craft the dream; more successes allows for more vivid and impactful dreams. To ensure that an individual experiences this dream, the Galliard must breathe it into the target's mouth while they sleep. The player spends a Gnosis point to complete the Gift. Dreams crafted with this Gift are often unusually vivid and dramatic, often leaving even lifelong skeptics convinced that they hold some deep meaning.
----
'''Phantasm'''
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.
----
==Level Five==
'''Fabric of the Mind'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.
----
'''Rain of Doom'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Standing in the rain, the Ajaba points to a man-made object or building and spits insults and curses at it, expressing his rage and disdain. The rain acts as acid when it strikes the structure, pitting concrete and corroding steel. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends three Rage points and rolls Wits + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). The successes gained dictate how large a structure may be destroyed. Only one success would be necessary to tear down a cabin, three for three-story house, or five for an office complex. This Gift may only be used when standing in the rain.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-dusk" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Dusk Aspect Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-dusk">
==Level One==
'''Blur of the Milky Eye'''
''W20 Core, pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Fatal Flaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.
----
'''Laughter in the Night'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Like any good hyena, the Ajaba is much more dangerous once the sun goes down — and far bolder in taking prey. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character permanently adds one die to all Stealth rolls at night.
----
'''Open Seal'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
----
'''Scent of Running Water'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.
----
'''Spirit Snare'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.
----
'''Spirit Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Whispers in the Grass'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The werehyena may move soundlessly through any natural environment; grass bends without making any noise, and dry twigs break silently beneath her tread. A mouse-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Stealth, difficulty 6. Success reduces the difficulty of moving quietly in natural environments by 3 (to a minimum of 2). This Gift has no effect in man-made environments.
----
==Level Two==
'''Ambush'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' When the Ajaba strikes from concealment, her blow burns with Rage, felling her opponent in a single strike. A jaguar-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player may spend one Rage point when making a surprise attack, after rolling damage, to double the amount of damage inflicted before soak.
----
'''Blissful ignorance'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
----
'''Luna's Armor'''
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.
----
'''Sight From Beyond'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.
----
'''Taking the Forgotten'''
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
----
==Level Three==
'''Paralyzing Stare'''
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn, rendering her unable to move or attack (though she may still defend herself). The target must be able to see the Garou.
----
'''Pulse of the Invisible'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.
----
'''Smoky Passage'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Having struck her blow for Gaia, the Dusk may easily escape before the carnage she’s unleashed catches her in its jaws. This Gift allows her to leap through a wall as though it were made of smoke, leaving behind only an unearthly ripple to mark her passage. A smoke-spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The Ajaba may spring through any wall during that turn at her full movement speed, so long as it is no thicker than (Ferocity) feet.
----
'''Umbral Strike''' — As the general Ratkin Gift: Backbite.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54, and 186''
'''Description:''' The wererat disappears and instantly reappears behind an opponent up to 50 feet away. This Gift is taught by grasshopper mouse-spirits.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the victim must be within line-of-sight. The wererat can immediately attack in the same turn at –2 difficulty.
----
==Level Four==
'''Becoming the Night Jester'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Though this Gift offers no power during the day, by night the Dusk’s Crocas form takes on an aspect of ancient nocturnal terror — a primal, red-eyed, and black-furred hyena the size of a polar bear. Hyena herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' At night, the character’s Crocas form adds one to its Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Echoes of the Asamando'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54''
'''Description:''' Powerful Ajaba of the Dusk learn dark roads to victory, gleaning wisdom from voices most would quail to hear. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, allows the Ajaba to speak and be heard by the dead — and to hear their voices in return.
'''System:''' The character must kill to use this Gift — whether it is beast, or man, or monster that she slays is irrelevant, but she must end a life to hear the Echoes of Asamando. Additionally, within a minute of enacting the kill, the player must spend a point of Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the Ajaba’s voice may be heard unmistakably across the Shroud, and she can hear anything that nearby ghosts might say as clearly as though she stood in the Underworld herself.
----
'''Open Wounds'''
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 55''
'''Description:''' The werewolf causes the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening his opponent further. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, suffering one unsoakable lethal damage per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.
----
==Level Five==
'''Reach the Umbra'''
''W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 55''
'''Description:''' The Garou may step in and out of the Umbra at will, without need of a reflective surface or even any effort at all. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou may step sideways instantly at any time, with no fear of being "caught". No roll is necessary. All rolls to enter or leave Umbral Realms receive a -2 difficulty bonus. She may not, however, spend Rage on the turn that she steps sideways. The Garou may not step sideways quickly enough to dodge an attack that has already been declared.
----
'''Shadow Pack'''
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 55''
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and share some of his capabilities. A night spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a number of Gnosis points. One shadow-duplicate appears for each point spent. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but not his fetishes and may not use Gifts, Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level. The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.
----


</div>
</div>


==Kinfolk Flaws==
----
 
==Breed Gifts==
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homid">
 
=Homid Gifts=
 
Homid Gifts involve humanity's skills and abilities, not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Mankind's struggle to dominate the natural world has given humans great control over their environment, but also alienated them from the world they live in, producing a disquiet of the soul. Because humans have become strangers to the world of spirit, many homid breed Gifts are taught by ancestors rather than by nature spirits.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Apecraft's Blessing'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Though many of Gaia's children use tools, none have mastered them so thoroughly as humanity. The homid focuses this mastery into the tools she uses, causing their spirits to awaken and lend her aid. An ancestor-spirit or spirit of a man-made object teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf spends a turn concentrating, and then the player rolls Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success reduces the difficulty by one on the next roll she makes for her character to employ a tool made by human hands. The purpose is irrelevant—this Gift is equally efficacious for attempts to repair an engine, drive a car or fire a gun.
 
----
 
'''City Running'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.
 
----
 
'''Master of Fire'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Smell of Man'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.
 
'''System:''' Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|5
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
 
----
 
'''Mark of the Wolf'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf marks those she comes in contact with, leaving them to carry the same aura of the predator the Garou does. This subtle curse can wreak havoc in a target's private or professional life, and is a favorite of many homids looking to provoke discord in the ranks of the enemy. A Lune teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player selects a target that has had some interaction with the Garou during the scene (even something as simple as a light conversation in an elevator counts), then rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The target inherits the Curse (see pg 262 of the W20 Core book) as though she had a Rage rating equal to that of the Garou for one day per success.
 
----
 
'''Speech of the World'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Staredown'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Calm the Savage Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.
 
----
 
'''Cowing the Bullet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.
 
----
 
'''Disquiet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.
 
----
 
'''Reshape Object'''


<div class="mw-customtoggle-kflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kinfolk Flaws</div>
''W20 Core, pg 154''
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Body Shift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Bury the Wolf'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154''
 
'''Description:''' The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 125px" | Duration
|-
|-
! Flaw
|1
! Cost
|One scene
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
| '''Barren/Sterile'''
|2
| 4
|12 hours
| Kinfolk
| Physical
| W20 Core, pg 382
| ''Synopsis:'' For Kinfolk who serve werewolves as perpetuators of the species, inability to reproduce is a serious Flaw indeed. Not only does it carry a social stigma, it may also incur abuse, neglect, or even exile.<br>
''System:'' Kinfolk who can’t reproduce lose a great deal of their value in Garou eyes. For obvious reasons, vampire and wraith who were Kin can’t take this Flaw<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Inferiority Complex'''
|3
| 1
|One day
| Kinfolk
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 382
| ''Synopsis:'' Nope, you’re not worthy. Never have been, never will be.<br>
''System:'' In situations requiring you to take charge or be personally responsible, all your difficulties are raised by one.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Ulterior Motive'''
|4
| 2
|One week
| Kinfolk
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 382
| ''Synopsis:'' Something other than love and respect for your Garou relatives and Kinfolk guides your actions. This “something” may be as simple as greed or a lust for vengeance; you could also be a traitor working for an outside agency. Whatever the case, this ulterior motive holds your ultimate loyalty.<br>
''System:'' Should someone suspect things aren’t as they seem, you could be in big trouble. This Flaw makes a good complement for the ''Flaw: Dark Secret'' (W20 Core, pg 480).<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Outsider'''
|5
| 2
|One lunar cycle
| Kinfolk
| Social
| W20 Core, pg 382
| ''Synopsis:'' Because of rumors (true or not), an ill-done deed, poor decision, or some other character flaw, you have a poor reputation among Kinfolk and Garou. They don’t necessarily hurt you, but they let you know you aren’t welcome in their camps or homes. <br>
''System:'' Make all Social rolls involving interaction with werewolves and Kin at +2 difficulty.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Veiled'''
|}
| 5
 
| Kinfolk
----
| Supernatural
 
| W20 Core, pg 383
'''Cocoon'''
| ''Synopsis:'' For some reason, you’re not immune to the Delirium.<br>
 
''System:'' Gifts such as Part the Veil and the Rending of the Veil rite have no effect on you. You do receive a +1 bonus on the Delirium chart (p. 263) and retain all memories of what you see, but the sight of a Garou in Crinos form still invokes some sort of instinctive, uncontrollable reaction in you. This may convince Garou you’re not really Kinfolk, reduce your likelihood of finding a Garou mate, or throw your heritage into question.<br>
''W20 Core, pg 155''
''Notes:'' <br>
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Ward'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Assimilation'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
 
----
 
'''Beyond Human'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou is human plus - Human plus strength, agility and health. Human plus devoted, assured spirituality and meaning. Human plus animal instinct and lightning reflexes. Human plus righteous fury with which to meet the Apocalypse. He is a man, but greater. Every Garou radiates this to some extent, but this Gift warps that perception, changing the Garou from a figure to be avoided to one to be admired or adored. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Once learned, this Gift's effects are permanent. Humans dealing with the werewolf instinctively pick her out as more desirable, important, and interesting than those around her - regardless of the character's capacity in such matters. The Curse still applies, but rather than being instinctively feared as a predator, the werewolf becomes an intimidating figure of great presence. Finally, the character may boost her Social Attributes by spending Rage or Gnosis. Each dot of either spent raises one Social Attribute by one point for the rest of the scene. Social Attributes may be raised above 5 in this fashion.
 
----
 
'''Part the Veil'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-metis" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Metis Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-metis">
 
=Metis Gifts=
 
The spirit world has never hesitated to provide its blessings to metis - in the eyes of the spirits, a metis is as true a Garou as any other. Metis Gifts tend to be an eclectic collection of pacts and powers. Constantly scorned by their brethren and denied pride of place, metis learn to make friends where they can and take what allies they can get.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Create Element'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155''
 
'''Description:''' The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.
 
----
 
'''Primal Anger'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.
 
'''System:''' The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).
 
----
 
'''Rat Head'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' Metis are born into a world where they metaphorically don't belong; it seemed only natural to rat spirits to teach them to get into such places into the literal sense as well. This Gift renders the metis's bone structure collapsible, allowing her to squeeze through any gap she can fit her head into.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the metis may squirm through any gap she can fit her face into, moving at her walking speed to do so.
 
----
 
'''Sense Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Shed'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Burrow'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.
 
----
 
'''Curse of Hatred'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.
 
----
 
'''Form Mastery'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Sense Silver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Chameleon'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156''
 
'''Description:''' Like the Gift's reptilian namesake, the Garou can blend with her natural surroundings. Unlike the lizard, the werewolf shifts fluidly with changing backgrounds, this allowing the Garou to move about and even attack. A chameleon or octopus spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to activate the Gift. Anyone trying to see the werewolf, even in open ground, must make a Perception roll (difficulty of the Garou's Wits + Stealth) to detect her. Once the Garou attacks, the difficulty drips by 3. The Gift affects only sight; it does not mask the Garou's sound or scent.
 
----
 
'''Eyes of the Cat'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
'''Mental Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
'''Shell'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' Shell places an emotional and instinctual barrier around the metis, shutting out the hostility of the world and suppressing his own powerful, destructive impulses. It is taught by a turtle spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the character's own Rage). Success insulates the metis for a scene behind a mystical and psychological barrier, immunizing him against mind-altering magic of all kinds for the rest of the scene. However, he cannot gain any successes on Empathy, Primal Urge, or Rage rolls, nor can he spend Rage points.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Gift of the Porcupine'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.
 
'''System:''' The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.
 
----
 
'''Lash of Rage'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The metis harnesses all of the shame, hate, and fury coiled in his heart and lashes out with it, destroying another. Bones snap, organs rupture, and cavities fill with blood as the metis's Rage tears the target apart. A spirit of fury teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls his Rage rating. A target within 100 yards (91 m) takes one level of unsoakable aggravated damage for each success. This Gift can be used safely only once per scene. Any additional uses inflict the Gift's full damage on both the metis and his target.
 
----
 
'''Rattler's Bite'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' The metis's eyeteeth lengthen, and she can inject a deadly poison with her bite. Spider and snake spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point when attempting to bite an opponent. If the bite is successful, any remaining damage after soak is doubled.
 
----
 
'''Wither Limb'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' With a snarl and a baleful stare, the werewolf ruins an opponent's limb" bones twist, muscles whither, flesh desiccates. Creatures with regenerative capabilities will recover after one scene; all others are permanently crippled. Venomous spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 4). The victim adds two to the difficulties of all Dexterity rolls. If a leg is crippled, he can move at only half his normal speed.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Madness'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.
 
----
 
'''Protean Form'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157''
 
'''Description:''' Born misshapen, the metis takes her deformity and makes it a source of power. She can twist her flesh in any number of ways, sprouting a number of unnatural features, from extra limbs to additional mouths to grasping tentacles. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character's ability to partially transform (see W20 Core pg 286) is permanently modified, allowing her to make almost any grotesque modifications the player can imagine. These modifications must logically bestow one of the following benefits: +2 dice on a certain category of attack rolls (extra clawed limbs for claw attacks, tentacles for clinches, etc), +t damage on a certain category of attack rolls (a chest-mounted squid beak for extra damage on clinches, arms coated in shark teeth for boosted claw attacks, etc), or +5 yards per turn of movement (extra legs, vestigial wings, etc.)
 
----
 
'''Totem Gift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158''
 
'''Description:''' Metis are Garou from the moment of their birth, and their ties to the spirit that guides their tribe run deep. The metis may plead with her tribal totem for power, with effects varying from tribe to tribe. Rat might send a swarm of rodents to attack the werewolf's enemies, while Grandfather Thunder might send down the lightning to strike aside obstacles and opponents. The potential of this Gift depends on the favor of the totem, and may extend into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the aid provided. One success might cause a minor distraction whereas 10 successes could produce volcanic eruptions or country smashing tornadoes.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-hyaenid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Hyaenid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-hyaenid">
 
=Hyaenid Gifts=
 
Hyaenid Gifts reflect the breed's powerful ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.
 
==Level One==
 
'''Hare's Leap'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
 
----
 
'''Heightened Senses'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
 
----
 
'''Sense Prey'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.
 
----
 
'''Predator's Arsenal'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' One of the most unnerving aspects of the Homid shape is its lack of proper weapons. This Gift remedies that problem (while still retaining much of the Homid shape's ability to blend in with the human world), granting the Garou battle-ready claws and teeth in Homid form. It is taught by a wolf spirit.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn to gain access to bite and claw attacks in Homid form for the rest of the scene, or until she dismisses the transformation. These attacks inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage, and may be concealed by simple expediencies such as the werewolf keeping her mouth closed, wearing long sleeves or keeping her hands in her pockets. She can even speak normally without giving herself away, as long as she's careful not to open her mouth too wide or smile so that her teeth show, although her voice sounds rough and a bit distorted (attempting to discern that there's something amiss with a Garou taking such precautions requires a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 9).
 
----
 
'''Prey Mind'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' As Gaia dies and her natural order is perverted, predators become prey with increasing frequency - this is a sorrowful truth that lupus know all too well. This Gift assists the Garou in evading their enemies that they might fight another day, showing them places to hide, ways to run, and even chances to strike back. A hare or deer spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Primal Urge; difficulty 7 in the wilderness, 9 in urban environments. Each success adds one die to all pools made to escape, out-distance, hide from or evade pursuit for the remainder of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Axis Mundi'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Eye of the Eagle'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to see over impossibly long distances, though not through obstacles - good vantage points are invaluable, and this Gift is in much demand among caern guardians. It is taught by an eagle spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of miles added to the Garou's clear visual range.
 
----
 
'''Name the Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
 
----
 
'''Scent of Sight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Cat Feet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.
 
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Monkey Tail'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).
 
----
 
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
 
----
 
'''Silence the Weaver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The lupus releases a shattering howl, destroying all nearby delicate electronics - computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and the like. Simpler machines such as land line phones, cars, and firearms are unaffected. A storm spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The lupus spends a turn howling. The player then spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge. Delicate electronics are destroyed within a radius of (20 x successes) yards (or meters) in a flash of sparks.
 
----
 
'''Strength of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The Goddess blesses the lupus with the fullness of his might when he wears the most natural of his skins. While wearing lupus form, the Garou enjoys the full might of Crinos. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. His lupus form base strength increases by four, rather than the normal one, for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Beast Life'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
 
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
 
----
 
'''Gnaw'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Scream of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.
 
----
 
'''Terror of the Dire Wolf'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' Wolves haunt the ancestral nightmares of humanity, and of those monsters that were once human. The werewolf lets out a fierce snarl that triggers primordial terror in opponents and drowns them in the Delirium. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or, if he is affecting a group, the highest Willpower represented). If successful, the werewolf invokes the full effect of the Delirium on any human, formerly human, or partly human creature who can see her - including those normally immune to the Delirium, such as mages and vampires. Only other werewolves and Fera are immune. It may be used in any form, although Homid and Glabro raise the difficulty of the Primal Urge roll by one.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Elemental Gift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).
 
----
 
'''Song of the Great Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
=Ajaba Rites=
 
The Ajaba employ variations of most of the same rites that the Garou use. At present, they’re too concerned with fighting for survival to concern themselves with many unique cultural rites.
 
----
 
==Song of Home==
 
Level Three, Accord (Cha + Rituals 7)
 
The first new rite developed by the Ajaba-in-exile tells the story of their homelands and tragedy through song and dance. This rite has three aspects. Remembrance recalls the loss of their homelands. Restoration reaffirms their link with Gaia. Revenge spits curses at the Simba and swears never to forget. Each aspect empowers the Ajaba in a different way.
 
'''System:''' The ritemaster chooses which aspect to emphasize and calls the dancers together. If the rite is successful, at its conclusion all participants feel a sense of renewal and regain all spent Willpower (Remembrance), Gnosis (Restoration) or Rage (Revenge).
 
----
 
</tab>
<tab name="Ananasi">
= Gifts=
 
Werespiders grant their loyalty to only one spirit: Queen Ananasa.  She teaches them all of their Gifts as they meditate in their Sylies.  Ananasi begin play with three Gifts: one general Gift, one Aspect Gift, and one Faction Gift.
 
Any 'copied' Ananasi Gift which calls for a Rage expenditure substitues blood points instead, and any Rage rolls use Gnosis instead.
 
== General Gifts ==
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
 
= General Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Balance'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As Stargazer gift; W20 Core, p 195''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery.
 
'''System:''' Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed.  The Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Cling'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Lizard; W20 Core, p 197''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi's hands and feet sprout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing them to climb across or cling to any surface - even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis.  For the rest of the scene, the character can move across any solid surface at her normal walking speed.  Staying attached to a vertical surface or ceiling while taking any more strenuous movement (fighting, moving faster than walking speed, attempting to dislodge a steam grate) requires a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll, difficulty 7.
 
----
 
'''Many Eyes'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi can see in 360 degrees around himself.  Those looking directly at the werespider see nothing out of the ordinary, but if glimpsed from the corner of the eye, the Ananasi appears to have eyes all around his head.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one blood point.  The Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Resist Pain'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 166''
 
'''Description:'''  Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the Ananasi shuts out the pain of her wounds.
 
'''System:'''  The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Resist Toxin'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift; W20 Core, p 174''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts.
 
'''System:'''  The Ananasi is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins.  This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).
 
----
 
'''Stolen Moments'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65''
 
'''Description:'''  The Ananasi can rob a victim of the most recent few minutes of memories.
 
'''System:'''  The werespider must touch the victim.  The player spends one Gnosis point, and must succeed in a Gnosis roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower).  Success steals the last 15 minutes of the target's memories.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Hand Fangs'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi's "hands" develop sharp, fang-like points which may be used to inject one dose of venom per hand into a victim.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one blood point.  The "fangs" last for one scene and do aggravated damage equal to the werespider's strength, in addition to injecting venom.
 
----
 
'''Man-Spider Form'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 65''
 
'''Description:''' Through extensive refinement of her shapeshifting capabilities, the Ananasi learns to take on a "near-human" form.  This Araneid form darkens the Ananasi's skin and spots it with coarse, bristly hair.  Her eyes take on a reddish sheen, and her fingers terminate in small, sharp claws, while her reflexes are dramatically improved.
 
'''System:''' The character assumes Araneid form in the same manner a Garou assumes Glabro.  Its attribute adjustments are Strength +1, Dexterity +3, Stamina +1, Appearance -1, and its claw attacks inflict lethal damage.
 
----
 
'''Replenishment of the Flesh'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi may summon spiders and insects to join with her flesh, healing her.  She devours the insects, and assimilates the spiders.
 
''System:'' The player spends one Gnosis point per non-aggravated health level healed.  The Ananasi may take no other actions during a turn when she uses this Gift.
 
----
 
'''Spines'''
 
''Changing Breeds, p 66 - As the metis Gift: Gift of the Porcupine; W20 Core, p 157''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine.  The Ananasi must be in Lilian, Pithus, or Crawlerling form to use this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur.  Anyone whom the Ananasi tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength + 1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills.  Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their ''own'' strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the Ananasi).  This Gift lasts for one scene or until the Ananasi wills her fur to return to normal.
 
== Level Three ==
 
'''Blood Pump'''
 
''Changing Breeds, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi may use more blood than usual to power her actions.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point.  For the rest of the scene, the Ananasi has no limits on how she may spend blood during a round beyond the amount of blood she has available.
 
----
 
'''Jump'''
 
''Changing Breeds, p 66 - As the Silent Strider Gift: Great Leap; W20 Core, p 192''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi can jump truly astounding distances.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Strength + Athletics.  The character may jump 100 feet per success.
 
----
 
'''Spider's Grace'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the lupus Gift: Catfeet; W20 Core, p 159''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (~30 m).  He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two.  Cat spirits teach this gift.
 
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn this gift.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Entropic Bite'''
 
''Changing Breeds, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi injects a powerful necrotic toxin with her bite, similar to that of a brown recluse.
 
'''System:''' After a successful bite, the player may spend two Gnosis points and roll Gnosis (difficulty 3 + victim's Stamina, maximum 9).  The victim takes one level of unsoakable aggravated damage per turn for (successes) turns.  Humans killed by this toxin are especially easy to "drink," and offer half again as many blood points as they would otherwise.  Vampires must spend five blood points to expel the poison.
 
----
 
'''Hydraulic Strength'''
 
''Changing Breeds, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi can metabolize the blood she drinks to dramatically increase her strength.
 
'''System:''' For each blood point the werespider spends, her Strength increases by 1 for the rest of the scene.  She may spend up to (her Rank) blood points in this fashion.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Carapace'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi acquires an armored carapace over her exoskeleton that provides additional protection and can regenerate damage.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to gain +4 dice to soak rolls and regeneration like a Garou.  This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Survivor'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift; W20 Core, p 176-177''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need for food, water, or sleep.  She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons.  Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her.  A tortoise spirit teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival.  The effects last for one day per success.  By spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later.  The Ananasi must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.
 
</div>
 
=== Aspect Gifts ===
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-tenere" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Tenere Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-tenere">
 
= Tenere Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Groom'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' No matter the circumstances, the Ananasi always looks her best.
 
'''System:''' The character is permanently immune to Appearance roll penalties or any other penalties for looking soiled, disheveled, etc.
 
----
 
'''Patience of Ananasa'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Nagah Kamsa (Autumn) Gift: Predator's Patience; p 163''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi may remain absolutely motionless for endless hours when waiting for her prey, without cramping or growing tired.
 
'''System:''' The Ananasi permanently adds one automatic success to Stealth rolls that rely on absolute stillness.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Beneath Notice'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Tenere can make one object or a small group of objects blend into the surrounding area.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point.  All individuals searching for the concealed objects suffer a penalty equal to the Tenere's Obedience.
 
----
 
'''Breath of Ananasa'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider creates an air pocket that provides her with a few minutes of breathable air.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6).  Success grants (Obedience) minutes of air, plus one minute per additional success.
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Mother's Look'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the galliard Gift: Eye of the Cobra; W20 Core, p 169''
 
'''Description:''' With an unearthly stare, the Ananasi can draw anyone to within striking distance.  A snake spirit teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower).  The Ananasi needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction.  Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Tenere until then.
 
----
 
'''Reshape Object'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 154''
 
'''Description:''' The Tenere can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly.  Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes.  The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood).  A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point.  The transformation persists for one scene per success or permanently with five or more successes.  Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Understanding the Tapestry'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Tenere may glimpse hidden connections between apparently unrelated objects.
 
'''System:''' The character permanently adds three dice to Enigmas rolls.
 
----
 
'''Web Sheet'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Tenere can create a large web very quickly.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two blood points, allowing the character to cover a football field-sized area with a sticky web with an effective Strength rating of 9.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Thieving Touch of Spiders'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Ragabash Gift: Thieving Talons of the Magpie; W20 Core, p 163''
 
'''Description:''' The Tenere can steal the powers of others and use them herself.  These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic, or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued may be exempt, at Storyteller's discretion).  Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower).  If successful, the Tenere steals the targeted power, depriving its owner of its use.  Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Tenere who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2).  The Garou may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn.  The werespider's Gnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete.  The Tenere must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!").  This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-hatar" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Hatar Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-hatar">
 
= Hatar Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Blood of Pain'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Hatar turns her blood into debilitating poison.
 
'''System:''' When the werespider wills it, anyone who drinks her blood will fall helplessly ill, necessitating a Stamina roll (difficulty 6) to act each turn for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Wyrmling Kinship'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' The Hatar can convince Wyrm creatures that she is an ally or someone of no importance.
 
'''System:''' The difficulty of all Social rolls against Wyrm creatures is permanently reduced by 2, and they become inclined to believe the werespider to be an ally if given the slightest justification to do so.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Blood of Illusion'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66''
 
'''Description:''' Similar to Blood of Pain, the Hatar may transform her blood into a hallucinogenic toxin at will.
 
'''System:''' Affected characters must roll Willpower (difficulty of the werespider's Gnosis) or suffer violent hallucinations for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Call of the Wyrm'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Galliard Gift; W20 Core, p 169''
 
'''Description:''' This dangerous Gift attracts creatures of the Wyrm, luring them into traps and ambushes or flushing them from hiding.  Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7).  If the Wyrm creature loses the contest, it must come to the sources of the Call.
 
== Level Three ==
 
'''Corrupt'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 66-67''
 
'''Description:''' The Hatar can weaken an object with this Gift, exaggerating its natural flaws.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis.  Each success causes the target inanimate object to lose one soak die.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Invisible'''
 
''Changing Breeds, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift; W20 Core, p 165''
 
'''Description:''' Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Hatar.  This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world.  Even in the physical world, the Hatar can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will.  While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Hatar will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby.  Any spirit can teach this gift.
 
'''System:''' If the Hatar's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically.  Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating).  Such awareness lasts the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Ill Winds'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Hatar weakens the barrier between worlds, allowing Banes to materialize in a location more easily.
 
'''System:''' The werespider cuts her arm and spends three blood points; the player rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 5).  Each success reduces the Gauntlet in the immediate area by 1 for one hour per success.
 
----
 
'''Still Blood'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi's blood can paralyze a victim through contact.
 
'''System:''' A victim splashed by the werespider's fresh blood loses three points of Strength.  The victim's Strength returns at a rate of one point per hour.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Burning Blood'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi turns her blood to acid.
 
'''System:''' The Ananasi may activate this Gift at will.  Contact with acidic blood inflicts (permanent Gnosis) dice of aggravated damage.
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kumoti" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kumoti Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kumoti">
 
= Kumoti Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Inspire'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Black Fury Gift: Breath of the Wyld; W20 Core, p 173''
 
'''Description:''' Kumotis embrace the energy of creation, and they can share that passion with others.  With this Gift, the Kumoti instills a feeling of vitality, life, and lucidity in another living being.
 
'''System:''' The Kumoti must touch her target's skin.  The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 5 against Garou and Kinfolk; difficulty 6 for others).  Success grants the recipient a rush of mental vitality - in game terms, one additional die on all Mental rolls for the rest of the scene.  It also adds one to the difficulties of any Rage rolls made during the scene.
 
----
 
'''Mother's Touch'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift; W20 Core, p 164''
 
'''Description:''' The Kumoti channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature.  This Gift may not heal the werespider herself, spirits, or the undead.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage.  The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see p. 259) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Arachnophobia'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Kumoti may inflict an irrational fear of spiders on her victim.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The effect lasts for one day per success.
 
----
 
'''Insight of the Mother'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift: Sight From Beyond; W20 Core, p 164''
 
'''Description:''' This is a Gift of Prophecy.  The werespider becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges, and threats to come.  These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon.
 
'''System:''' Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through roleplaying, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.
 
== Level Three ==
 
'''Alter Lilian'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Kumoti may alter her Lilian form at will, rearranging it to suit her whim.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 7).  The changes remain until the Gift is used again.
 
----
 
'''Sense Motion'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the lupus Gift: Scent of Sight, but using motion-detection rather than scent; W20 Core, p 159''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider can compensate for her vision completely by detecting motion.  She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness.
 
'''System:''' The werespider fully substitutes her sense of touch for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure movement.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Mindblock'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Silver Fang Gift; W20 Core, p 194''
 
'''Description:''' The Kumoti fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts.
 
'''System:''' The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Ananasi's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind-reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10.  The effects of this Gift are permanent but do not apply to magic which sways the Ananasi's emotions.
 
----
 
'''Nature of the Beast'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift: Feral Lobotomy, save that its effects wear off at the end of the scene; W20 Core, p 165''
 
'''Description:''' Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werespider can devolve an opponent's mind into that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points.  If successful, the werespider can destroy the target's Intelligence Attribute for the duration of the scene; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Assimilation'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the homid gift; W20 Core, p 155''
 
'''Description:''' A werespider with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it.  He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong.  The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but does allow the werespider to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native.  It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy.  If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them.  The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is.  Another Garou Sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country could be as high as 9.  The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either.  The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
</div>
=== Faction Gifts ===
 
 
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-myrmidon" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Myrmidon Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-myrmidon">
 
= Myrmidon Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Illusion of Size'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Shadow Lord Gift: Icy Chill of Despair; W20 Core, p 190''
 
'''Description:''' The Myrmidon appears to grow larger and even more imposing, becoming a terrible, shadowy version of herself.  This change in aspect can severely intimidate any onlookers.
 
'''System:''' The Myrmidon concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty 7.  Anyone who means the Myrmidon harm must make a Willpower check, difficulty 8, and score more successes than the Myrmidon does in order to act normally.  Failure means that the victims must spend a Willpower point to attack, take action against, or even verbally oppose the Myrmidon.  This Gift doesn't give the Myrmidon actual control over her intimidated victims - they're simply too spooked to actively oppose her.
 
----
 
'''Open Seal'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ragabash Gift; W20 Core, p 161''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating).  If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spend a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Hydraulic Strength'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Level Four general Ananasi Gift.  Myrmidons alone may buy this Gift at Level Two''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi can metabolize the blood she drinks to dramatically increase her strength.
 
'''System:''' For each blood point the werespider spends, her Strength increases by 1 for the rest of the scene.  She may spend up to (her Rank) blood points in this fashion.
 
----
 
'''True Fear'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ahroun Gift; W20 Core, p 171''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider displays his full, terrifying might - baring fangs or claws, hissing, or simply looming ominously over a foe.  Terror strikes one foe into quiescence.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).
 
== Level Three ==
 
'''Scorpion Tail'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi generates a huge, fully functional scorpion's taile, complete with venom and stinger.  This Gift may only be used in Lilian or Pithus.
 
'''System:''' The player spends three blood points to create the tail.  It inflicts Strength + 2 aggravated damage on a strike (difficulty 7), and may inject either the Ananasi's native venom or any Gift based venom the werespider knows how to create.
 
----
 
'''Weak Arm'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 167''
 
'''Description:''' By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Myrmidon can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8).  Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent.  For instance, a Myrmidon that gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her.  However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated.  This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene.  A full turn of concentration if necessary to use this Gift.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Blood Hunt'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ragabash Gift: Pulse of the Prey, save that the Ananasi must have encountered her mark within the last 24 hours, or fed from him at some point in the past.; W20 Core, p 161''
 
'''Description:''' If the Myrmidon has encountered her mark within the last 24 hours or fed from him at some point in the past, she can track it as fast as she can travel.  This unerring sense of direction works anywhere and is useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore.
 
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth.  If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
 
----
 
'''Drying Bite'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ragabash Gift: Whelp Body; W20 Core, p 162''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy.  Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina.  The Ananasi's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Myrmidon's Gnosis.  Each success scored by the Myrmidon allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes.  The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience.  This Gift may be used only once ''ever'' against a given opponent.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Image of the Great Mother'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' For a short time, the Ananasi assumes the form of a massive creature with four spider-like legs, four human-like arms, eight glowing red eyes, and enormous fangs, covered over in thick, chitinous armor.  The Myrmidon must remain in Crawlerling form for one week after donning the Great Mother's aspect.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 9).  If successful, the Great Mother form has the following Attributes:  Strength + 5, Stamina + 6, Perception +2 and Appearance 0.  Each arm inflicts Strength +2 aggravated damage with its terrible claws.  All that view the Great Mother form - even other shapechangers and werespiders - must roll Willpower (difficulty 7) or suffer the Delirium (reduced Delirium for shapeshifters).  The transformation lasts for one scene.
 
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-viskr" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Viskr Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-viskr">
 
= Viskr Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Curse of the Great Web'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67''
 
'''Description:''' The Viskr makes the process of entering the Umbra more difficult for a single individual.
 
'''System:''' The Ananasi touches her target and the player rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 6) in order to increase the Gauntlet by 3 for the victim.  The effects last for a scene.
 
----
 
'''Shroud'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Uktena Gift; W20 Core, p 197''
 
'''Description:''' The Viskr can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Viskr's line of sight.  Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Mindspeak'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Galliard Gift; W20 Core, p 169''
 
'''Description:''' Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Viskr can place any chosen characters into silent communication.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling.  All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it.  Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two.  The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member.  All beings affected must be within line of sight.  The Viskr may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point if she desires.
 
----
 
'''Minor Unweaving'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 67-68''
 
'''Description:''' The Viskr may negate a spell, Gift, or other actively used supernatural power by Unweaving the effect.
 
'''System:''' Usable only on Level One or Two Gifts, Disciplines, Sphere effects, or other notably minor magical abilities (such as weak spirit Charms).  The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 6).  One success negates the effect.
 
== Level Three ==
 
'''Calcify'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' The Viskr may cause an area of the Great Web that he can see to become resistant to change of any sort.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) and gives the targeted location or object three extra soak dice per success.  The area cannot be greater than one acre, and the effect lasts for (Obedience) days.
 
----
 
'''Cocoon'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 155''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm.  The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards.
 
'''System:''' The Ananasi spends one Gnosis point.  While the werespider remains in the cocoon, any attack that strikes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage but is destroyed if pierced.  The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it.  The Ananasi may emerge from i at any time he chooses.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Attunement'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift; W20 Core, p 176''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider may commune with the spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels.  This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6).  The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
 
----
 
'''Brethren Call'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi may contact the two werespiders closest to her physically or may summon many natural spiders to her aid.  The Ananasi she contacts don't appear immediately, but are notified that their presence is needed; normal spiders appear all at once and are ready to aid the Ananasi.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one blood point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7 to contact normal spiders, 8 for Ananasi).  50 spiders respond per success.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Shattering'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' This powerful Gift unweaves even mighty magical effects.
 
'''System:''' As the Gift: Minor Unweaving, but costing three points of Gnosis and able to affect strong magic, including Disciplines/Spheres/Gifts, etc. of up to Level 5.
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-wyrsta" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Wyrsta Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wyrsta">
 
= Wyrsta Gifts =
 
== Level One ==
 
'''Alter Mood'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' The Wyrsta can enhance or dampen the mood of a single individual, making that person elated rather than just happy, or muting utter despair into simple sadness.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to enhance the desired emotion.
 
----
 
'''Beastmind'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Red Talon Gift; W20 Core, p 186''
 
'''Description:''' The werespider can reduce the mental faculties of his victim to that of an animal for a time.  The victim doesn't necessarily become less intelligent, but human thinking (logic, complex tool use, language, and the like) becomes impossible.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower.  The effects last for one minute per success, during which the target behaves like a wild animal.  If a point of Rage is spent when directing this Gift at an ordinary human target, its effects last for one day per success.
 
== Level Two ==
 
'''Blinding Spit'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' If the Ananasi hits her victim's face with her venomous spittle, she blinds her target temporarily.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one blood point and rolls Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 8).  Success blinds the victim for (Cunning) turns.
 
----
 
'''Visceral Agony'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Black Fury Gift; W20 Core, p 174''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom.  While the venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a blood point before the character attacks.  Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene.  If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy), he suffers normal wound penalties instead.
 
== Level Three ==
 
'''Tick Body'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' The Ananasi concentrates her blood, allowing herself to store more sustenance in the same volume.
 
'''System:''' The Ananasi's maximum blood pool permanently increases.  At Rank Three it becomes 15, at Rank 4 20, and at Rank Five 25.
 
== Level Four ==
 
'''Blades of the Mantis'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' The Wystra's arms grow and resemble those of a praying mantis, with sharp, bladed ends.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one blood point, and her first pair of arms extends two feet in length, growing blades that inflict Strength + 4 aggravated damage (difficulty 5).  The character loses three dice from all dice pools to do with fine manipulation.  This transformation lasts for one scene and functions in all forms save Crawlerling.
 
----
 
'''Wither Limb'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the metis Gift; W20 Core, p 157''
 
'''Description:''' With a snarl and a baleful stare, the werespider ruins an opponent's limb: bones twist, muscles wither, and flesh desiccates.  Creatures with regenerative capabilities will recover after one scene; all others are permanently crippled.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 4).  The victim adds two to the difficultes of all Dexterity rolls.  If a leg is crippled, he can move at only half his normal speed.
 
== Level Five ==
 
'''Razor Webs'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68''
 
'''Description:''' If she desires, the Ananasi can spin barbed, razor-sharp webbing.
 
'''System:''' The werespider can choose whether she spins normal webs or razor webbing.  She can spin enough razor webs with one blood point to cover a Crinos form Garou.  Razor webbing inflicts one automatic level of unsoakable aggravated damage to anything that comes into contact with it each turn, unless the victim holds perfectly still.
 
----
 
'''Summon Net-Spider'''
 
''Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Glass Walker Gift; W20 Core, p 185''
 
'''Description:''' The Wyrsta carries a great technological blessing, granting him an intuitive understanding of the ways of computers; additionally, he can summon a Net-Spider - a Weaver spirit that gives its summoner near-absolute control over any computer system.  The Spider can disrupt, erase, or destroy whatever system it is sent into.  (The exact effects are left to the Storyteller, but are typically destructive.)
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Computer (difficulty 8).  If successful, the Net-Spider appears and heeds the Wyrsta's commands.  In addition to the destructive power of the summoned spirit, this Gift allows the Wyrsta to permanently halve the difficulty of all rolls to use, build, or hack computers.
 
</div>
 
= Rites =
 
The Ananasi share quite a few rites with the Ovid, especially Mystic rites.  The Ananasi also have a number of their own rites, taught during their time of Umbral instruction, or whispered to them by Queen Ananasa inside of their Sylie.  One rite stands above all others in importance, however.
 
== Rite of Spinning ==
 
Level One, Mystic
 
The first rite learned by any new Ananasi allows her to create her Sylie.  Normally placed in a secure corner of her abode, the Sylie appears to be a large cobweb.  From within her Sylie, the Ananasi may communicate with the two werespiders closest to her, so long as they are also within their Sylies.  She may also receive messages from Queen Ananasa, learn new Gifts, and generally find respite from the world.
 
'''System:''' The werespider purifies herself and the chosen area for a week, then rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 9, although each day of ritual fasting and meditation beyond the mandatory week reduces this difficulty by 1).  After spending four Gnosis points, the Ananasi may build her Sylie, which exists in both the physical world and the Umbra.  Each success lowers the difficulty to crawl sideways in the Sylie by one.
 
== The Master's Needs ==
 
Level Four, Mystic
 
Many Ananasi sit at the center of webs and pull the strings of others to achieve their goals.  This rite ensnares humans into the spider's (usually unwilling) service.
 
The Ananasi can only use this rite on a human who has been injected with her venom without her assistance.  The spider then spends an hour spinning a web cocoon over the mortal and waits for him to awaken.  The Ananasi must wait patiently to see if her rite succeeds.  Over a number of days the victim suffers horrific nightmares as his mind fights off the venom.
 
'''System:''' After each day the victim makes a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the Ananasi's Gnosis). If he fails, he owes the werespider a service.  Regardless of the result, his body heals one health level of the venom's damage after each roll.
 
When the victim has fully healed, he wakes and pushes his way through the cocoon.  The werespider can call on a service by spending a Blood Point per service owed by the victim, which cannot be refilled while services are owed.  The Ananasi may call upon each service once in one of the following ways:
 
* She may use the servant's senses as her own for a scene.
* She may take control of the servant and direct his actions for a number of turns equal to her Gnosis.  The Ananasi uses her own dice pools to resolve tasks, even if they differ from the servant's pools.
* She may grant the servant the use of one Gift.  He instinctively knows how the Gift works but decides when it is used (unless the Ananasi takes control of his actions, using another service). The Gift draws upon the Ananasi's Gnosis and Blood Points when used.
* She can release the servant from all remaining services.
* She may use two services to give the servant one specific goal that he will try to accomplish however long it takes and regardless of the cost to himself, even if it results in his death.  This must be a simple instruction such as 'kill this person', 'break into that facility', 'plant these explosives', or 'protect this person against all harm'.
 
----
 
</tab>
<tab name="Bastet">
=Gifts=
 
Unlike Garou who learn most of their Gifts from spirits, Bastet most often learn from other werecats, or by “stealing” them from other shapeshifters. They have a much easier time instructing one another in Gift-use than do the Garou; it generally only takes a single night of instruction for one werecat to impart a Gift to another.
 
----
 
==General Gifts==
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Bastet Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
 
'''Banish Sickness'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' With a lick and a purr, the Bastet can cure minor diseases and chase venoms away.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Medicine. The difficulty depends on the severity of the illness. Incurable maladies such as cancer or AIDS are beyond this Gift’s power.
 
----
 
'''Cat Feet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.
 
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Diamond Claws''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Razor Claws.
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Lick Wounds''' — As the Theurge Gift: Mother’s Touch.
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Open Seal'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
 
----
 
'''Sense Magic'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on  the strength and subtlety of the magic. The  Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.
 
----
 
'''Sense the Truth, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''' — As the Philodox Gift: Truth of Gaia.
 
''W20 Core, pg 166''
 
'''Description:''' The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
 
----
 
'''Sense Unmaker’s Hand''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm.
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Silent Stalking'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85''
 
'''Description:''' The Bastet may move over any surface without making a sound for an entire scene.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Stealth, difficulty 5. Failure renders the Gift unusable for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Cat Sight''' — As the metis Gift: Eyes of the Cat.
 
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
'''Eerie Eyes''' — As the homid Gift: Staredown.
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.
 
----
 
'''First Slash''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Spirit of the Fray.
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.
 
'''System:''' Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).
 
----
 
'''Night’s Passage'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Bastet may walk through dim areas and be effectively invisible. This Gift even foils sudden lights, as long as some shadows still exist in which to hide.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + (Subterfuge or Occult), difficulty 7. The Bastet effectively “disappears” for the rest of the scene, or until he attacks someone or emerges from the shadows.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
 
----
 
'''Sense Silver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
 
----
 
'''Shriek'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' With an ear-splitting scream, the Bastet deafens everyone nearby.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Intimidation (difficulty 7). Everyone within 20 feet is deafened (and at +1 difficulty to all rolls) for one turn per success.
 
----
 
'''Swipe''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Taking the Forgotten.
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Caper'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Bastet may charm watchers with a dance, or with the predatory grace of his feline form.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Expression, difficulty 3 and the character dances or moves in a way designed to gain the attention of those around him. Any observer whose Willpower is equal to or less than the successes rolled falls into a genial haze for so long as the Bastet continue to perform. Violence breaks the trance, but subtle actions (such as the Bastet’s allies sneaking away or walking into a secured area) remain unnoticed.
 
----
 
'''Farsight''' — As the Uktena Gift: Scrying.
 
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Uktena may view events elsewhere by staring into a reflective surface. Many supernatural beings, particularly those capable of scrying themselves, know defenses against this Gift. A fly spirit teaches this gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 10 unless the Uktena possesses an item belonging to the person or place being viewed, in which case the difficulty is 8). The Uktena may view everything that happens in that area for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Impala’s Flight'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The werecat doubles her running speed.
 
'''System:''' This Gift lasts for twice as many turns as the player’s successes on a difficulty 6 Stamina + Athletics roll.
 
----
 
'''Invisibility'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can vanish from sight, though she must concentrate concentrate to maintain her invisibility. She cant move faster than half normal walking speed, and cant draw attention to her herself, a servant of Uktena reaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in the open, 9 in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll. Anyone not actively seeking the Garou will not spot her at all.
 
----
 
'''Touch the Mind''' — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech.
 
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Clawstorm'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Bastet becomes a blur of slashing claws.
 
'''System:''' By spending a point of Rage and Willpower, the Bastet makes four close-range attacks in a single turn. He cannot spend Rage for any more attacks, or use this Gift more than (homid form’s Stamina) times per fight.
 
----
 
'''Walking Between Worlds'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Bastet may step sideways as Garou do.
 
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Wolf’s Terror''' As the Ahroun Gift: Silver Claws.
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Perfect Passage'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Bastet may roam anywhere on the face of Gaia or beyond, passing through any material object she wishes without leaving a trace.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Larceny (difficulty 6); the Bastet (along with her clothing and any held objects) may pass through whatever non-living objects (including bullets and melee weapons!) she wishes for five minutes per success. If she wishes to pick something up, it becomes solid to her — and intangible to other objects — the second that she picks it up. She’s still visible, and is vulnerable to unarmed attacks. Attackers wishing to use bullets or knives must surprise her or she takes no damage — and the Bastet’s own blows ignore any non-living armor. She still breathes but cannot be affected by gasses.
 
----
 
'''Withering Stare'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift lets a werecat kill with a glance, causing victims to die in agonized convulsions.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. The difficulty is the victim’s Willpower, and each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
==Breed Gifts==
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homid">
 
==Level One==
 
'''Cat Claws'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' By calling on her heritage, a Bastet in Homid or Sokto form can unsheathe her claws and attack as if she were in Crinos.
 
'''System:''' The player need not spend a Willpower point to enact this particular partial transformation (see W20 Core, pg 286), and the difficulty of the transformation is 6.
 
----
 
'''Sweet Hunter’s Smile''' — As the homid Gift: Persuasion
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Urban Hunter''' — As the homid Gift: City Running
 
''W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Eavesdropper’s Ear''' — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Whisper Catching
 
''W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' What good purpose could there be to keep secrets from Gaia's protectors? This Gift allows the werewolf to supernaturally eavesdrop on whispered conversations - what she does with the information learned is, of course, up to her own conscience. A crow or bat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System: The player spends a point of Willpower. For the rest of the scene, all whispers within 200 feet are fully audible to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to her.
 
----
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|-
| '''Amnesia'''
|4
| 2
|Computer
| Shifter
| Meltal
| W20 Core, pg 477
| ''Synopsis:'' You have no memory of your past before your First Change. You don’t know if you still have a family, or if someone is out to get you, much less where you were born or anything about your education (although you do remember what you’ve learned). Your past, however, may catch up with you, revealing many surprising facts about your former life.<br>
''System:'' You may take up to five more points in Flaws that remain unknown to you. Your Storyteller picks them for you and brings them into play (to your surprise) during the course of your chronicle.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Pack Mentality'''
|5
| 2
|Phone
| Shifter
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 477
| ''Synopsis:'' You are lost without your pack. Their presence not only supports you, it helps define you.<br>
''System:'' When you are with at least one member of your pack, you have –1 difficulty on all rolls involving group activities or strategies; when you are not, your difficulty increases by 2 on any task. You sometimes have trouble making decision without your pack to help you, even if you are the pack leader. In stressful situations, you may need to make a Willpower roll to act on your own.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Short Fuse'''
|7
| 2
|Automobile
| Shifter
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' You are closer to the Wyrm than most Garou; your Rage burns hotter within you than most. <br>
''System:'' Your difficulty for Rage rolls is decreased by two, and you fall more readily into the “thrall of the Wyrm.” Be careful when choosing this Flaw; it can bring worlds of trouble down upon you and your pack.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Territorial'''
|8
| 2
|Gun
| Shifter
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' You have the wolf’s territorial nature. You dislike leaving your home turf or having people you don’t know infringe upon your claimed space. <br>
''System:'' Before play starts, work with your Storyteller to define your territory. You must roll to avoid frenzying whenever strangers enter your territory without your permission, and are reluctant to leave there except under desperate circumstances.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Vengeful'''
|9
| 2
|Knife
| Shifter
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' You have a score to settle; perhaps Black Spiral Dancers murdered your family or a Pentex First Team destroyed your original pack.<br>
''System:'' Taking revenge on the individual or group responsible is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter them, or have the opportunity to come closer to your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower point.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Deranged'''
|}
| 3
 
| Shifter
----
| Mental
 
| W20 Core, pg 478
==Level Three==
| ''Synopsis:'' You suffer from a permanent form of insanity, either due to a congenital defect or some past trauma.<br>
 
''System:'' Pick a derangement from those available on W20 Core, pg 485. Willpower may allow you to overcome your insanity temporarily, but it always returns.<br>
'''Cowing the Bullet'''
''Notes:'' <br>
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.
 
----
 
'''Craft of the Maker''' — As the homid Gift: Reshape Object
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Monkey’s Uncle''' As the Glass Walker Gift: Doppelganger, although the Bastet can only take the forms of humans, great cats or Bastet
 
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).
 
----
 
'''Tech Speak'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Glass Walker to contact others through any technological device. The Garou speaks to a Pattern Spider in or near a technological device and tells them the message to be delivered and whom it should be delivered to. The Pattern Spider then finds the receiver and uses any communications technology near them to deliver the message: Phones yell it out (without picking up the handset or needing to be turned on), electronic billboards display it, and computer printers print it out as text. If no communications technology is present, any other technology will activate, though no message will be imparted. If no technology whatsoever is present near the receiver, the gift fails. A pattern spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science. The difficulty depends on the distance the message needs to be sent. The more successes achieved, the longer the message can be. A single success will only allow one word to be sent; five would allow unlimited length.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 150px" | Distance
|-
|-
| '''Driving Goal'''
|4
| 3
|The next room
| Shifter
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' You are driven by a personal goal that compels you in sometimes startling ways. The goal is always unachievable: reform the Black Spiral Dancers, balance the Triat, make amends for your ancestors’ crimes in the War of Rage. But while many Garou may empathize with your objectives, few are as consumed by the singular nature of your focus.<br>
''System:'' You must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), and your one-track mind continually gets you into trouble with those who do not share the intensity of your vision. Choose your goal carefully, as it will be the focus of everything your character does.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Flashbacks'''
|5
| 6
|The same building
| Shifter
| Mental
| W20 Core, pg 478
| ''Synopsis:'' You managed to make it through your First Change, but not wholly intact. The most insignificant thing can throw you into a different mood or state of mind, and as such your behavior is extremely unpredictable. Because of your precarious emotional state, your Willpower fluctuates.<br>
''System:'' At the beginning of each story, make a Willpower roll (you may not spend Willpower for an automatic success). If you succeed, you may participate in the story as normal. If you fail, however, your Willpower score is considered to be 1 for the duration of that session, and you have only one Willpower point to spend. You may roll again at the beginning of the next session to see if your Willpower for that session works as normal.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Dark Secret'''
|6
| 1
|One block away
| Shifter
| Social
| W20 Core, pg 480
| ''Synopsis:'' You possess a hidden past which, if revealed, would cause you great embarrassment at best and make you an outcast or even hunted in Garou society at worst. Perhaps you had a lover who is a Black Spiral Dancer. Maybe you were responsible for the slaughter of your former pack or the mysterious death of a sept leader. This secret preys on your mind at all times, even though your friends and packmates are unaware of your shame.<br>
''System:''  Occasionally, hints about your secret may arise in stories and you must take precautions to keep the knowledge from coming out into the open. So long as your secret remains unknown to those who might use it against you, you may keep the Flaw, even if a few individuals discover it. If your Dark Secret ever resolves itself so that it is no longer a factor in your life, you must sacrifice the experience points to buy it off.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Enemy'''
|7
| 1-5
|10 miles away (16 km)
| Shifter
| Social
| W20 Core, pg 480
| ''Synopsis:'' You have acquired an enemy (one or more individuals) that not only knows what you are, but also has power of their own. <br>
''System:'' The 1-point version of this Flaw may signify that your enemy is another Garou of your own rank who has taken a strong dislike towards you or who blames you for some past wrong. The 3-point version may represent a pack of Black Spiral Dancers who bear a particular grudge against you or a small group of supernaturally potent werewolf hunters who have tagged you as a specific target. A 5-point Enemy may mean that you have angered one of the legends of Garou society or a powerful elder vampire.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Twisted Upbringing'''
|8
| 1
|A time-zone away
| Shifter
| Social
| W20 Core, pg 481
| ''Synopsis:'' The Garou who found you after your First Change, and who oversaw your Rite of Passage and early entry into Garou society, taught you everything they knew — and it was all wrong. Whether they did this out of ignorance or perversity is up to you and your Storyteller to decide.<br>
''System:'' Your wrong assumptions and skewed beliefs cause you a great deal of grief until someone straightens you out. Eventually you may overcome the problems caused by this Flaw (and be able to pay the experience point cost to buy it off), but in the meantime, it should present you with a number of good roleplaying opportunities.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
| '''Camp Enmity'''
|9
| 1
|Anything farther than the above
| Shifter
| Social
| W20 Core, pg 481
| ''Synopsis:'' You have earned the attention and disfavor of a particular Garou tribal camp. Perhaps you’re a former member of the camp, or have refused to join them and they feel slighted. Perhaps they feel you’ve done them wrong, or the camp you are a part of is ideologically opposed to what they stand for.<br>
''System:'' Regardless, all Social rolls when interacting with that camp are made at +1 difficulty. You may not already be a member of this camp when you first take this Merit, although you can become recruited (or re-recruited) into the camp during play at the Storyteller’s discretion. You may take this Merit multiple times for different camps. Storytellers are encouraged to incorporate Storyteller characters of the appropriate camp into their storylines, so as to make this a meaningful Flaw.<br>
''Notes:'' <br>
|-
|-
|}
----
==Level Five==
'''Madness'''
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86''
'''Description:''' Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-metis" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Metis Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-metis">
==Level One==
'''Create Element'''
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.
----
'''Sense Primal Nature''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, save that its difficulty is one higher and it can simultaneously sense and discern emanations of the Weaver, Wyrm, and Wyld.
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
'''Shed'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.
----
==Level Two==
'''Blinding Moonbeam Gaze'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werecat shoots bright beams of moonlight from her eyes. These don’t inflict damage, but can blind or distract an opponent, and provide illumination as well.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7), and may turn her “high beams” on and off at will for the rest of the scene. The moonbeams are roughly equivalent to a high-powered flashlight.
----
'''Whisker Sight'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Bastet gains perfect perception of everything within arm’s reach of her — even if it’s behind her or invisible.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). This Gift lasts for one scene.
----
==Level Three==
'''Fist of Cahlash'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Bastet can destroy any material thing with a snarl.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point and rolls Rage against difficulty 6 (for inanimate objects) or 8 (for living and undead targets). Each success destroys 10 pounds of contiguous matter, reducing it to dust. A canny Bastet could use this Gift to weaken a building, or dispose of toxic waste. Used on a living creature, each success inflicts one level of bashing damage. The Bastet must be able to see what she intends to destroy, and it must be close enough to hear her snarl.
----
'''Visceral Agony'''
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.
----
==Level Four==
'''Moon’s Gateway''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge.
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).
----
==Level Five==
'''Wrath of Nala''' — As the Hakken Gift: Divine Wind.
''W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Hakken can call forth a powerful storm in a designated area. The storm uproots trees and overturns cars in its fury. An ancestor spirit or a servant of Narukami, Lord of Thunder, teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 7) and spends a minimum of one Rage point. Each success equals a one mile (1.6 km) radius for the storm. Each Rage point spent adds a success and, therefore, increases the size of the storm, which lasts for no more than one scene.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-hyaenid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Feline Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-hyaenid">
==Level One==
'''Heightened Senses'''
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
----
'''Mine'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' Rubbing against an object, the Bastet magically claims it as her own.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. Anyone attempting the steal the object at any point afterward must roll Willpower (difficulty 9) before doing so.
----
'''Pounce''' — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap.
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
----
==Level Two==
'''Catfeet'''
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.
----
'''Prehensile Tail''' — As the lupus Gift: Monkey Tail.
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).
----
==Level Three==
'''Chains of Mist'''
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' Silvery filaments spin out from the Garou's claws, becoming streamers of mist that enwrap and confound nearby spirits, sapping their strength. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Uktena concentrates for a turn; and the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 7). One spirit of the player's choice within 200 feet (60 m) is affected per success. Spirits struck by this Gift treat their Rage, Gnosis and Willpower ratings as though they were one lower than they truly are for the purpose of all dice rolls for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Underbelly''' — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Fatal Flaw.
''W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.
----
==Level Four==
'''Beast Life'''
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
----
==Level Five==
'''Revolt of the Land''' — As the Red Talon Gift: Gaia’s Vengeance.
''W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon calls upon the Mother herself to strike on his behalf. The terrain responds as best it can: Rocks roll and smash, vines constrict, and water sucks victims under. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (Difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The exact effects depend on the terrain and are left to the Storyteller.
----
</div>
----
==Tribe Gifts==
<div class="mw-customtoggle-bagheera" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Bagheera Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-bagheera">
=Bagheera Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Humbaba’s Escape'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a wereleopard to dislocate her limbs and slide through small openings.
'''System:''' The difficulty of all rolls to escape bonds or slide through small gaps is  permanently reduced by two.
----
'''Treeclimber''' As the Stargazer Gift: Balance.
''W20 Core, pg 195, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
==Level Two==
'''Lawgiver’s Legacy''' - As the Philodox Gift: Command the Gathering.
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.
----
'''Ojas Surge'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' By channeling the spiritual energy within himself, the Bagheera can boost his physical and perceptual abilities to impossible levels.
'''System:''' To perform this Gift, the Bagheera must first meditate for (6 – current Rank) minutes, then the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7). Each success may be used to boost one of the following Attributes by one dot for the rest of the scene: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma, Perception or Wits. The successes may be distributed as the Bagheera wishes, and can raise Attributes beyond five dots. Multiple uses of this Gift do not stack.
----
==Level Three==
'''Eye of the Cobra'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' With an unearthly stare, the werewolf can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.
----
'''Weak Arm'''
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:'''The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.
----
==Level Four==
'''The Paradox of Time'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The werecat shows her target a dizzying and nonlinear view of the vast sweep of time, producing sickness and confusion rather than enlightenment.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. For each success, the subject becomes disoriented for two turns, suffering a –3 penalty to all dice pools. Mages with any dots in the Time Sphere are immune to this Gift.
----
==Level Five==
'''Shiva’s Might'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87''
'''Description:''' The mightiest of wereleopards may change into a Juddho form reminiscent of Shiva the Destroyer. In a burst of holy light, the Bastet becomes a 12-foot-tall, six-armed Crinos-werecat wielding mystical flaming weapons, which lays waste to everything around it until nothing moves.
'''System:''' The player spends two Rage points and two Gnosis points. The Bagheera springs into Juddho form and enters an indiscriminate killing frenzy. This form persists for (Bastet’s permanent Rage) turns. After the transformation ends, the Bastet loses all Rage, assumes his breed form and falls asleep for four hours. The Juddho form’s traits are: Strength +6, Dexterity +3, Stamina +6, Appearance 0, and its weapons inflict Strength + 4 aggravated damage.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-balam" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Balam Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-balam">
=Balam Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Hunter’s Mists''' - As the Black Fury Gift: Curse of Aeolus
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through her own fog with no difficulty. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player makes a Gnosis roll, with the difficulty depending on humidity and closeness to a body of water (a lake shore might be difficulty 4, while a desert would be 9). Those other than the Fury who are enveloped in fog lose half of their dice on all Perception rolls (rounded up). All those enveloped within the fog also lose one die from all Willpower rolls, save the Fury and her packmates.
----
'''Storm of Pests''' - As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Scent of Sweet Honey.
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.
----
==Level Two==
'''Pathfinder'''
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can strike implausible trails through pristine wilderness and the urban jungle alike, locating the fasted and shortest routes from one place to another. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Survival (for wilderness) or Streetwise (for urban environments) against difficult 7. The number of successes equals the quality of the path she blazes and how much she decreases her travel time. Every success reduces travel time by approximately 10 percent, up to a maximum of half the original travel time. The difficulty of any rolls to track the werewolf increase by two when this Gift is active; this decrease is cumulative with other similar effects, such as Scent of Running Water.
----
'''Terrors''' - As the Ahroun Gift: True Fear.
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).
----
==Level Three==
'''Ancestral Wings''' - As the Black Fury Gift: Wings of Pegasus.
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Fury can sprout majestic wings when in Hispo form, allowing her to fly at will. An avatar of Pegasus teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to produce wings capable of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) flight, which last until dismissed. Fine flying maneuvers require a Dexterity + Athletics roll at a difficulty determined by the Storyteller.
----
'''Wandering Forest''' - As the Red Talon Gift: Trackless Waste.
''W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Talon calls upon the spirits of the wilderness to mislead and confuse any who invade her home. Humans and other travelers are confounded by this Gift, with even skilled survivalists and hikers soon becoming hopelessly lost. Even werewolves are not wholly immune to its effects. Any wilderness spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Gift affects up to a two mile (3.2 km) radius per success. Humans automatically fail at all attempts to navigate such an afflicted wilderness. Other werewolves can roll Perception + Primal Urge; if they score more successes than the Talon, they are able to navigate normally. Those led by the Talon herself through the domain remain unaffected. This Gift lasts until the sun next rises.
----
==Level Four==
'''Vision Cloud'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' By calling to the spirits of the air and the plants, the Balam can conjure the Vision Cloud, a swirling fog that wraps itself through the area, bringing mystic insights to those who seek them — and those who do not.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a Manipulation + Enigmas roll (difficulty 5). An area 50 feet in diameter fills up with a misty cloud that bestows visions to those that breathe it. The content of the visions are left up to the Storyteller, but should generally foreshadow possible future events or reveal lost lore.
----
==Level Five==
'''Feed the Gods'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:'' The Balam can rip out the heart of an enemy from a distance, pull it to his hand, and consume it in a burst of fire.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) and spends two Gnosis points. If the werejaguar’s successes amount to at least twice the target’s dots in Stamina, the target dies. Supernatural toughness (such as a vampire’s Fortitude) subtracts two successes for every dot or level of protection.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-bubasti" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Bubasti Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-bubasti">
=Bubasti Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Alms to the Poor'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The werecat may summon up a small bit of money or food, generally to give to a beggar. If the cat uses the “alms” for himself, he’s left with a bitter taste in his mouth and greasy palms.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to create a handful of food or a few coins in the local currency (never more than a few dollars’ worth by local standards).
----
'''Scholar’s Friend'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Bubasti may read any scroll, tablet or book placed in front of him, no matter what language it’s in. Coded messages remain written in code.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
==Level Two==
'''Dreamspeak'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.
----
'''Spirit Barrier''' — As the homid Gift: Spirit Ward.
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
----
==Level Three==
'''Banish Cahlash’s Brood'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' By calling upon the Father of Dark Spirits, a Bubasti may command Wyrmish spirits to depart. Each time the Bubasti does so, his fur grows a deeper shade of black and his actions become more... erratic. Sense Wyrm detects a faint trace of Wyrm-taint on the Bastet for a week afterward.
'''System:''' The player spend a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against a difficulty of the higher of the spirit’s Rage or Gnosis. Each success removes three points of the spirit’s Essence. Botching the roll inflicts an immediate derangement of the Storyteller’s choice.
----
'''The Many Tongues of Ptah''' — As the homid Gift: Speech of the World.
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
----
==Level Four==
'''Arms of Darkness''' — As the Uktena Gift: Coils of the Serpent.
''W20 Core, pg 197, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Uktena calls forth dark tentacles of mist or fog that wrap around enemies and hold them in a vise-like grip. Each coil is 30 feet long and possesses the same Physical characteristics as the werewolf who summons them. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 7. Each success causes a single coil to emerge from the air at a point within 100 feet (30 m) of the Uktena. The player must use a turn's concentration and a Dexterity + Brawl roll to aim the tentacles. The coils focus on a single target, unless the player makes attack rolls against multiple targets, with the normal penalties for multiple actions. The coils only bind; they cant inflict damage. To break free, the victim must first make a Strength roll, (difficulty 7); if his successes exceeds the number of coils entangling him, he struggles free. The tentacles last until the end of the scene, or until dismissed, whichever is sooner.
----
==Level Five==
'''Shadow Brethren''' — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Shadow Pack.
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and share some of his capabilities. A night spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a number of Gnosis points. One shadow-duplicate appears for each point spent. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but not his fetishes and may not use Gifts, Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level. The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-ceilican" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ceilican Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-ceilican">
=Ceilican Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Faerie Light'''
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Fianna conjures a small, bobbing sphere of light. It's no brighter than a torch, but that's usually enough to light the werewolf's way - or lead foes into an ambush. A marsh spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The light can appear anywhere within the Garou's line of sight, and bobs at about 10 feet (3 m) per turn if bidden to do so. It lasts for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Satyr’s Wisdom'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Ceilican can play any musical instrument as if he’d been reared with it in his hands.
'''System:''' The character permanently adds three dice to all attempts to perform with a musical instrument.
----
==Level Two==
'''Banish Burning''' — As the homid Gift: Master of Fire.
''W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
----
'''Sorcerer’s Blade'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The werecat may enchant an edged weapon so that it becomes supernaturally potent.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6). Success enables the weapon to inflict aggravated damage until the next sunrise.
----
==Level Three==
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the werewolf can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. When used on Earth, this Gift most commonly calls dream spirits known as chimera, though with higher Gnosis expenditures changelings or their dark-kin cousins may appear; true fae answer the summons only in appropriate Umbral realms.
----
'''Phantasm'''
''W20 Core, pg 180''
'''Description:''' The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.
----
==Level Four==
'''Gift of Dreams'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Galliard crafts a dream, then breathes it into a sleeping individual. A Lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to craft the dream; more successes allows for more vivid and impactful dreams. To ensure that an individual experiences this dream, the Galliard must breathe it into the target's mouth while they sleep. The player spends a Gnosis point to complete the Gift. Dreams crafted with this Gift are often unusually vivid and dramatic, often leaving even lifelong skeptics convinced that they hold some deep meaning.
----
'''Small Cousin'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The Ceilican gains the ability to shapeshift into a house cat. While not terribly useful physically, this form is very unobtrusive.
'''System:''' This Gift grants a permanent alternative option when shifting into feline form. Housecat form effectively has Strength and Stamina 1, and grants +2 Dexterity.
----
==Level Five==
''The Madness of Crowds'' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Riot.
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Goft plays on the hatred and fear of the down and outs of the city: the poor, the homeless, immigrants, and others the citizenry would rather not acknowledge. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a limited degree. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice - though things tend to escalate and spin out of control easily. The riot engulfs an area with a radius of one mile per success rolled.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-khan" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Khan Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-khan">
=Khan Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Rhino’s Favor'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88''
'''Description:''' By calling on the spirit of the rhino, the Khan may grow a horn on her skull. Although unsightly, this protrusion makes for a fine weapon.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point to grow the horn. It lasts for one scene, and may be used to gore opponents for Strength + 2 aggravated damage. The attack is difficulty 7.
----
'''Skin of Jade'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' Willing himself solid, the Khan’s skin obtains the hardness of jade.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and gains two additional dice to his soak rolls for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Two==
'''Heart of Fury'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Garou steels himself against anger, suppressing his Rage and creating a mental wall to hold back the tide of righteous fury that threatens to drown him. the anger always returns, however, and the Garou had best be ready to pay its bill. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the character's permanent Rage). Every two successes add +1 to the character's frenzy difficulties for the scene, making it harder to frenzy. When the scene ends, past slights and injuries come rushing back to haunt the werewolf, refilling his heart and soul. He must spend one Willpower point or make an immediate frenzy check at regular difficulty.
----
'''Ricepaper Walk'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' By attuning his inner energies, the Khan can walk across a light or fragile surface without disturbing it, no matter what shape he wears.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis, difficulty 6. For a (successes x 3) turns, the Khan exerts no more weight on the surface she stands on than a scrap of paper.
----
==Level Three==
'''Asuras’ Bane''' - As the Bubasti Gift: Banish Cahlash’s Brood. The weretiger’s fur turns white with use, rather than black.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' By calling upon the Father of Dark Spirits, a Bubasti may command Wyrmish spirits to depart. Each time the Bubasti does so, his fur grows a deeper shade of black and his actions become more... erratic. Sense Wyrm detects a faint trace of Wyrm-taint on the Bastet for a week afterward.
'''System:''' The player spend a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against a difficulty of the higher of the spirit’s Rage or Gnosis. Each success removes three points of the spirit’s Essence. Botching the roll inflicts an immediate derangement of the Storyteller’s choice.
----
'''Paws of the Raging Spirit Tiger'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:'''By channeling his chi through this Gift, the Khan wreaths his paws or hands in crackling spirit power. Thus fortified, the weretiger can rip through enemies in the spirit world without stepping sideways, so long as he can see them.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point, and enjoys the Gift’s effects for six turns.
----
==Level Four==
'''Dragonroar'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' Bellowing like a thunderclap, the Khan breathes a ball of fire onto his foes.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points. The fireball is aimed with Dexterity + Brawl, and inflicts Ferocity levels of aggravated damage. In subsequent turns the target continues to burn for half the damage suffered the previous turn (round down), until the flames gutter out.
----
==Level Five==
'''Heaven Thunder Hammer'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Ddescription:''' Channeling the power of Heaven itself, the Khan strikes out with a shockwave-blow that shatters walls and splinters trees.
'''System:''' The player spends three Rage and makes a Strength + Primal-Urge roll (difficulty 3) to hit everything within 10 feet directly in front of the weretiger. The attack adds the Khan’s Ferocity to its damage dice.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-pumonca" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Pumonca Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-pumonca">
=Pumonca Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Mockingbird’s Mirror''' As the Corax Gift: Voice of the Mimic.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Corax may perfectly mimic any voice or sound she has ever heard. A mynah-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Wanderer’s Boon'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The werecat can endure any hardship as he wanders Gaia’s face.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Survival, difficulty 6. Each success allows him one of the following benefits: ignore the worst effects of normal heat and cold for a week, go one day without water, or go three days without food. The difficulty of the Gift rises by 1 each time it is repeated in succession.
----
==Level Two==
'''Speak with Wind Spirits'''
''W20 Core, pg 200, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo may call upon wind spirits for knowledge and guidance. She can ask them one question, which must concern the immediate area (wind spirits have short attention spans). A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Upon learning this Gift, the Garou can automatically speak with wind spirits while in the Umbra. To ask a question in the physical world, the player must roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 8). The number of successes reflects the accuracy of the information. If no wind spirits are present (such as indoors, where the air is still and stagnant) this Gift cannot function.
----
'''Spirit of the Fish'''
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Any fish spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effect lasts one hour per success.
----
==Level Three==
'''Bayou’s Embrace''' — As the Red Talon Gift: Quicksand.
''W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Garou turns the ground into a sticky morass that catches foes and prevents them from escaping or even walking. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficult 7). Success changes the ground into a quicksand-like bog for a ten foot (3 m) radius; each additional success extends the radius of the morass an additional 10 feet (3 m). Anyone trying to move through it, save for the Garou and her pack, moves at half walking speed, and may not execute combat maneuvers that require overland movement. Additionally, all other combat maneuvers take a +1 difficulty penalty. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
----
'''Thunderbolt'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' So long as even a single cloud hangs in the sky, the werecougar may call down a lightning bolt to strike her foes.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Survival to aim it (difficulty 8 in relatively clear conditions, difficulty 6 during a storm). The bolt inflicts (Cunning) dice of lethal damage.
----
==Level Four==
'''Call Elemental'''
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Garou is able to call one of the four classic elementals to his aid (earth, air, fire, or water). An elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty is equal to the area's Gauntlet). She must then roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7) to make the summoned elemental amenable to helping her. The elemental vanishes at the end of the scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Thunderbird’s Cry''' As the Hakken Gift: Divine Wind.
''W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Hakken can call forth a powerful storm in a designated area. The storm uproots trees and overturns cars in its fury. An ancestor spirit or a servant of Narukami, Lord of Thunder, teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 7) and spends a minimum of one Rage point. Each success equals a one mile (1.6 km) radius for the storm. Each Rage point spent adds a success and, therefore, increases the size of the storm, which lasts for no more than one scene.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-qualmi" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Qualmi Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-qualmi">
=Qualmi Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Breakfast of Stones''' As the Pumonca Gift: Wanderer’s Boon.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The werecat can endure any hardship as he wanders Gaia’s face.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Survival, difficulty 6. Each success allows him one of the following benefits: ignore the worst effects of normal heat and cold for a week, go one day without water, or go three days without food. The difficulty of the Gift rises by 1 each time it is repeated in succession.
----
'''Turned Fur''' — As the Wendigo Gift: Camouflage, save that the Qualmi must discard any clothing and equipment before activating the Gift.
''W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, the better to evade enemies or prepare ambushes. A deer spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties to spot the Garou in the wilderness increase by three.
----
==Level Two==
'''No Hidden Thing'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' By reading the riddles of the world as mystic patterns, the Qualmi can discover answers that aren’t immediately obvious to lesser beings. It’s hard to hide things from a lynx!
'''System:''' The character permanently adds three dice to all Enigmas rolls.
----
'''Wind From the West'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Qualmi presents a series of high-speed riddles designed to tie a victim’s mind in knots.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty equals the target’s Willpower). Success scrambles the target’s sense of direction and relationship; three or more successes send the target into a panic, forcing Changing Breeds to check for frenzy and normal humans to flee in terror. Shapeshifters who have the option succumb to fox frenzy as a result of this Gift. The Gift’s effects last for 15 minutes.
----
==Level Three==
'''Song of the Earth Mother'''
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to sense the presence of supernatural activity within a broad area. Essentially, the Garou communes with the earth and listens to what it says. The Gift is taught by an earth spirit.
'''System:''' The user spends 10 minutes communing with the earth, during which time she may take no other actions. The player then spends two Gnosis points and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). Success indicates that the earth tells her about any supernatural presence within an area of 100 yards (91 m) per success. While the Gift doesn't offer specific information about the being or beings detected, it does indicate whether or not the presence is Wyrm tainted.
----
'''Wisdom of the Ancient Ways'''
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.
----
==Level Four==
'''Chill of Early Frost'''
''W20 Core, pg 201, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls down a mystical chill from Great Wendigo himself, freezing the surrounding land and anyone in it. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The playing spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies; 4 if it is already winter, 6 for spring, 9 for summer). Success drops the temperature a bit below freezing in a five mile (8 km) radius, or even further below zero if it was already winter. All creatures without a natural coat of fur lose two dice from all pools. This Gift wreaks particular havoc in urban environments as pipes burst and roads freeze. This Gift lasts for one day per success.
----
==Level Five==
'''Water’s Vision'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' The Qualmi can see through barriers to glimpse what lies beyond.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge against a difficulty of the local Gauntlet. The Qualmi can see through all solid objects for 100 feet per success — all things seem transparent and ephemeral.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-simba" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Simba Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-simba">
=Simba Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Majesty''' As the Rokea Gift: King Fish.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89 and 203''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Dimwater to command the respect of others. A shark spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The Rokea permanently adds one die to Leadership and Intimidation rolls.
----
''Submit''' — As the Black Fury Gift: Kneel.
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89''
'''Description:''' By pointing a finger or claw at a target, a Fury can force him to his knees. Only the strongest willed can do anything but strain and swear in response. This Gift is taught by one of Pegasus's brood.
'''System:''' The Fury rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the subject's Willpower). Her target falls to his knees unless he spends a Gnosis point to resist the Gift's effects (other supernatural beings may spend their own form of mystic energy, such as blood or quintessence, but mortals remain helpless). The target kneels for one turn per success.
----
==Level Two==
'''Armor of Kings''' — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Luna’s Armor.
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.
----
'''Heart of Storms''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Might of Thor.
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.
----
'''Sun Claws'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Simba’s claws and fangs burn with an intense, smokeless golden flame.
'''System:''' The werelion spends a turn igniting his fury and the player spends one Rage point. For the rest of the scene, the Simba’s claw and fang attacks inflict two additional points of damage; used against vampires, these attacks inflict levels rather than dice of aggravated damage. However, the difficulty to regenerate while this Gift is active is raised by 1.
----
==Level Three==
'''Coup de Grace'''
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Garou finds the point of her foe's greatest weakness - and strikes at it. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty of the target's Stamina + Athletics). If successful, the player doubles her damage dice on the Garou's next successful attack.
----
'''Wrath of Kings''' — As the Silver Fang Gift: Wrath of Gaia.
''W20 Core, pg 194, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The werewolf shows himself in full, terrible glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou during the rest of the scene must either roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes, or flee in terror.
----
==Level Four==
''King of Beasts''' — As the Philodox Gift, save that it affects all animals within 300 feet.
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.
----
==Level Five==
'''Obedience'''
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceeds the Garou's successes, or they succumb to the Gift's effects. If the werewolf wins by one success, targets follow any orders that don't directly inconvenience them. Three successes cause the targets to treat the Lord as their alpha and fight for her. Five successes make the targets follow her into the Abyss or perform virtually suicidal actions. This Gift's effects last for one full day.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-swara" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Swara Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-swara">
=Swara Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Blissful ignorance'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
----
'''Speed of Thought'''
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.
----
==Level Two==
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
''W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
----
'''Walking Between Worlds''' — As the Level Four general Bastet Gift. Swara alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift. This is one of their most closely-guarded secrets.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86 and 90''
'''Description:''' The Bastet may step sideways as Garou do.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
==Level Three==
'''Messenger's Fortitude'''
''W20 Core, pg 192, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Strider can run at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water. When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day. A camel or wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. Doing anything other than running ends the Gift. Others may be granted the Messenger's Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis point per additional runner.
----
'''Speed Beyond Thought'''
''W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can run at 10 times his normal land speed. The effects last for up to eight hours, during which the Strider can do nothing but concentrate on running. When the Gift's effects end, the werewolf must eat immediately or face frenzy from hunger. A cheetah or air spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift.
----
==Level Four==
'''Ghost Caress'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The Swara may use sympathetic magic to send sensations across a distance. Although the magic can’t physically harm its target, it can drive him mad as phantom pains or pleasures wash over him without apparent cause.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Gnosis. At short range (within a mile) the difficulty is 7, while at maximum range (50 miles) the difficulty is 9. The Swara selects another person in her presence to act as her ’focus.’ Whatever she does to the ’focus,’ the target feels. This Gift’s effects last for one turn per success.
----
==Level Five==
'''River of Blood'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90''
'''Description:''' The soil of Africa has been bathed in blood for tens of thousands of years. With this Gift, a Swara calls that spilled blood together through the soil and gives it form, creating a pool, a river, a mass of tentacles, or a variety of other things.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7, or 5 for a notable site of bloodshed). It takes a three turns for the blood to coalesce; once it does, it will assume any form the Swara demands. All forms have Strength and health levels equal to twice the successes rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
----
</div>
----
=Bastet Rites=
Many Bastet rites mimic those of the Garou in effect, if not in form. As solitary creatures, Bastet are particularly fond of Mystic rites that may be performed alone.
----
==Cat Calls==
Level One, Accord (Cha + Rituals vs 7)
The Bastet tend to be solitary, but like to know what other werecats are up to. This rite is one way of keeping each other informed. With it a werecat enciphers his message into the seemingly random movements of nature. Other Bastet who see similar patterns will know the meaning within them. Some Bastet use this rite with non-natural movements, such as the flow of vehicles in heavy traffic or the turning of a ceiling fan.
'''System:''' The rite-master meditates, bringing the thoughts he wishes to share clearly to his mind and opens his eyes to the movements around him. For each success when activating the rite, the Bastet may place a message in a type of movement — the swirling of long grass, the swaying of tree leaves, or even the shifting shapes of clouds. The message can be anything that could be imparted in about a minute’s speech.
Other Bastet around the world who see similar movements can decipher the message by making a Wits + Enigmas roll. The difficulty of the roll is based on how close the watcher is to the rite-master — difficulty 5 for within up to 100 miles, difficulty 6 for 1000 miles, difficulty 7 on the same continent, difficulty 8 for anywhere else in the world.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Corax">
= Gifts=
Corax possess no breed, auspice or tribe Gifts - They have only a unified Corax list.  Homids may begin with the three Gifts selected from among Enemy Ways, Morse, Open Seal, Persuasion, Spirit Speech, Voice of the Mimic, and Word Beyond.  Corvids may begin with three Gifts selected from among Enemy Ways, Raven's Gleaning, Scent of the True Form, Spirit Speech, Truth of Gaia, Voice of the Mimic and Word Beyond.
== Corax Gifts ==
<div class="mw-customtoggle-coraxone" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Level One </div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-coraxone">
== Level One ==
'''Enemy Ways'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 99''
'''Description:''' The Corax gains an acute and accurate danger sense.  This Gift is taught by one of Grandfather Thunder's Stormcrows.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge, difficulty 7.  Success grants knowledge of the number and nature of hostile enemies within (Wisdom x 20) yards, with more successes granting clearer information.
----
'''Morse'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 99''
'''Description:''' By tapping out his message onto a nearby hard surface, a Corax can make sure that someone out there gets his message.  This Gift is taught by a machine spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point, ensuring that the nearest Corax will hear (and understand) the message clearly.  With a difficulty 8 Wits + Expression roll, the message can instead be directed to the nearest Gaian shapeshifter of any breed.
----
'''Open Seal'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 99 - As the Ragabash Gift; W20 Core, p 161''
'''Description:''' The Corax can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device.  A raccoon spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating).  If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spend a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
----
'''Persuasion'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 99 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 153''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart.  An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7).  Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the next scene and allows successful rolls to have an uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
'''Raven's Gleaning'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 99''
'''Description:''' The Corax may tell, at a glance, whether or not a shiny object is worth obtaining.  A raven spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis, bestowing instinctive knowledge of whether or not a specific object the Corax can perceive is of value (this may indicate financial or practical value, or that it will be in some way useful in the future - the Corax doesn't know which).
----
'''Scent of the True Form'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 99 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 166''
'''Description:''' The Corax is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form.  A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Corax can smell Kinfolk or a fellow Corax automatically.  In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6).  One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift.  Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Corax that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".
----
'''Spirit Speech'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Theurge Gift; W20 Core, p 164''
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Corax to clearly understand and speak with any spirit she encounters.  The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the Corax in any way nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him.  Any spirit can teach this gift.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Truth of Gaia'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 166''
'''Description:''' Corax may easily separate truth from falsehood.  A Gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge).  This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false.  It doesn't reveal the truth behind the lie unless the speaker utters it.  If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
----
'''Voice of the Mimic'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' The Corax may perfectly mimic any voice or sound she has ever heard.  A mynah spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Word Beyond'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Corax to create a message out of any available materials while in the Umbra, which can be instinctively understood by other wereravens.  One of Coyote's brood teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to create a marker out of nearby Umbral materials.  The number of successes indicates the complexity of the message that can be encrypted into the marker; one success would suffice for simple concepts such as "danger" or "safe haven," while five successes could convey complex concepts equivalent to a short essay.  Non-Corax cannot read these markers.
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-coraxtwo" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Level Two </div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-coraxtwo">
== Level Two ==
'''Carrion's Call'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' This Gift helps Corax execute their duties with regard to the slain, leading them to fresh corpses.  It is taught by a vulture spirit.
'''System:''' The player may roll Perception + Empathy (difficulty 6).  The Corax becomes aware of all cadavers within (successes rolled) miles.
----
'''Messenger's Fortitude'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Silent Strider Gift, but enabling flight rather than running; W20 Core, p 192''
'''Description:''' The Corax can fly at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water.  When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day.  A camel or wolf spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point.  Doing anything other than flying ends the Gift.  Others may be granted the Messenger's Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis for each additional flyer.
----
'''Razor Feathers'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' The Corax's wing feathers become hard and sharp as steel.  This Gift is taught by a steel spirit and only functions when the wereraven is in Crinos.
'''System:" The player spends a point of Gnosis, enabling Wing Swipe maneuvers for the rest of the scene (see Wing Swipe, p 214)
----
'''Sky's Beneficence'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' The Corax can accurately drop a package of any sort onto a target from any altitude she can reach.  Whether the package is a letter, hand grenade, or a more... natural... offering is up to the wereraven.  Any aerial spirit can teach this gift.
'''System:''' The Corax aims the dropped package with Perception + Melee (difficulty 7), regardless of inclement conditions, crosswinds, etc.  The Corax must be able to see her target.
----
'''Speech of the World'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 154''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's messengers to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects.  The Corax may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider.  Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information.  An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7).  The effect lasts for one scene.
----
'''Swallow's Return'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' This Gift will safely carry a Corax home, even when she doesn't know where 'home' is.  A swallow spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis.  The Corax flies to the place she truly considers 'home' on autopilot, without any conscious awareness of the path she takes; she may even do so while healing or sleeping.
----
'''Taking the Forgotten'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Ragabash Gift; W20 Core, p 162''
'''Description:''' A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from the target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item.  A mouse spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
----
'''Whisper Catching'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Shadow Lord Gift; W20 Core, p 189''
'''Description:''' What good purpose could there be to keep secrets from Gaia's messengers?  This Gift allows the Corax to supernaturally eavesdrop on whispered conversations - what she does with the information learned is, of course, up to her own conscience.  A crow or a bat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Willpower.  For the rest of the scene, all whispers within 200 feet are fully audible to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to her.
----
'''Wire Sitter'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Ragabash Gift: Spider's Song; W20 Core, p 161''
'''Description:''' The Corax can steal messages from the Weaver's web, plucking them from the air or eavesdropping as they race through telephone lines.  The Corax must be aware that a conversation is happening to listen in on it (though she doesn't have to know who's on the other end of the line).  For conversations across land lines, the Corax must place her ear against a telephone pole or cord; to listen in on a cell phone discussion (or even to intercept a text message), she needs only be able to see one of the phones being used.  Spider and raven spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point.  She listens in on the conversation (or receives mental translations of text messages) for as long as she keeps her ear to the line or keeps the cell phone user in sight.
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-coraxthree" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Level Three </div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-coraxthree">
== Level Three ==
'''Dead Talk'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' Sometimes a dead man's last vision just isn't enough.  This Gift allows the Corax to interrogate a recently deceased (no more than 24 hours dead) corpse. It is taught by a vulture spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).  The number of successes determines how talkative the corpse is willing to be.
----
'''Eyes of the Eagle'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' The Corax's keen eyes easily pierce fog, smoke, clouds, darkness - anything short of a solid object.  Eagle spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to enjoy this Gift's benefits for a scene.  Adding a Willpower point extends the duration until the sun next rises.
----
'''Hummingbird Dart'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' The Corax plucks one of her own feathers and hurls it like a dart.  A hummingbird spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Rage.  For the rest of the scene, she may make Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 5) attacks out to 50 feet away, with (Dexterity + 3) base lethal damage.  With Razor Feathers active, this damage is aggravated.  This Gift can only be used in Corvid and Crinos form.
----
'''Mynah's Touch'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100''
'''Description:''' The Corax "borrows" knowledge of a single Garou Gift.  Mynah spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The layer spends two Gnosis points, gaining knowledge of any Garou Gift of lower rank than the Corax.  The Gift may then be used at any point afterward - once.  Mynah's Touch can only 'store' one Gift at a time.  In the case of permanent Gifts, the Corax may enjoy the Gift's benefits for one scene before it vanishes.
----
'''Scrying'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Uktena Gift; W20 Core, p 198''
'''Description:''' The Corax may view events elsewhere by staring into a reflective surface.  Many supernatural beings, particularly those capable of scrying themselves, know defenses against this gift.  A fly spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 10 unless the Corax possesses an item belonging to the person or place being viewed, in which case the difficulty is 8).  The Corax may view everything that happens in that area for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the lupus Gift; W20 Core, p 159''
'''Description:''' The Corax can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type.  Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it won't pick them out specifically as such.  A Corax may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost.  Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6).  The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains.  The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though.  For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse meat, or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
----
'''Sun's Guard'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 100-101''
'''Description:''' Given to his children by Raven after their great misadventure with Helios, this Gift protects Corax from heat and flames.  An avatar of Raven teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends two points of Rage and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 6).  The Corax is completely immune to flames and heat, no matter their source or intensity, for one turn per success.  She remains vulnerable to balefire.
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-coraxfour" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Level Four </div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-coraxfour">
== Level Four ==
'''Attunement'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the Silent Strider Gift; W20 Core, p 193 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift, but when learned, the Corax must decide whether the gift functions in the city or the wilderness.  The "city" version is identical to the Bone Gnawer Gift; the "wilderness" version is similar, but the roll required is Perception + Survival; p 176''
'''Description:''' When choosing this gift, the Corax must choose between the "city" version or the "wilderness" version.  If "city" is chosen, the wereraven may commune with the spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels.  If "wilderness" is chosen, it gives similar information.  A rat spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends on point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6) if "city" or Perception + Survival (difficulty 6) if "wilderness".  The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
----
'''Airt Sense'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the spirit Charm; W20 Core, p 366''
'''Description:''' The Corax has a natural sense of the "airts" (directions) of the spirit world, and can travel about without much difficulty.  The Corax can create or find spirit tracks at will.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis to locate a particular place or individual in the Umbra.  Even Corax aren't infallible, and a botch can lead them to an unforgiving Realm.
----
'''Blood Feather Storm'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101''
'''Description:''' Particularly favored by the Tengu of Asia, this Gift causes the wereraven's feathers to rain down on everyone beneath him in a deadly razor storm.  This Gift is taught by a monsoon or hurricane spirit.
'''System:''' The Tengu must be in the air when using this Gift.  The player spends three Gnosis and two Rage as his action for the turn.  The feather storm causes Dexterity + 4 dice of lethal damage to everything beneath the Tengu within a 15 foot radius.  Those caught in the storm must roll three successes on a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8) to avoid this damage.  If Razor Feathers is active, this damage is aggravated.
----
'''Flight of Separation'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101''
'''Description:''' When the Corax can't outrun an enemy, confusion is the best stratagem. The Corax explodes into an entire murder of ravens, which take off in all directions - but only one is the true wereraven.  An avatar of raven teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points.  Enemies must make a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty 3 + wereraven's Honor, maximum 9) to determine which bird is the original.  The fake Ravens created by this Gift vanish when the sun next rises; until then, they continue to fly as far and as fast as the Corax could.
----
'''Gauntlet Runner'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101''
'''Description:''' The corax may pass quickly and easily through the Gauntlet.  Any Wyld spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' A roll of Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8) lowers the Gauntlet within 20 yards by one point for every 2 successes for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Kiss of Helios'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the Ahroun Gift; W20 Core, p 172''
'''Description:''' The Corax can invoke the sun's power to gain immunity to flame.  Additionally, she may ignite any portion of her body and keep it burning as she desires.  Corax with this Gift are as likely to light their tail or wing feathers to honor the sun during rituals as they are to ignite their talons or beaks in battle.  A fire elemental or sun spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis.  For the rest of the scene, the character is unharmed by any natural source of flames or heat.  Artificial (napalm, gas fires, etc.) and supernatural flames can inflict no more than a single level of bashing damage during a turn.  The character inflicts two additional dice of aggravated damage with burning attacks.
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-coraxfive" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Level Five </div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-coraxfive">
== Level Five ==
'''Deceptive Demise'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101''
'''Description:''' The Corax uses this Gift to fake her death and distract her enemies.  She disappears in a feathery cloud, leaving behind only a bit of blood and ash - but no body.  This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and one lethal health level.  The character immediately steps sideways when this Gift is used.
----
'''Portents'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101''
'''Description:''' The wereraven may look into the future.  A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8), then asks for a vision of the future with regard to a certain subject.  More successes grant greater clarity.
----
'''Theft of Stars'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101''
'''Description:''' This Gift renders the target completely unable to see any light derived from a natural source (the sun, moon, or stars, as well as any manner of bioluminescence).  Victims are reduced to stumbling around in a bizarre twilight, if not absolute darkness.  Helios's avatar teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Willpower and Rage, then makes a contested Willpower roll against the victim.  If the Corax wins the roll, her victim is immediately plunged into darkness, capable of seeing only artificial light.  The effects of Theft of Stars last for the Corax's Glory in hours.
----
'''Thieving Talons of the Magpie'''
''Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the Ragabash Gift, which the Corax originally taught to the Garou; W20 Core, p 163''
'''Description:''' The Corax can steal the powers of others and use them herself.  These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued may be exempt, at the Storyteller's discretion).  Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty the target's Willpower).  If successful, the Corax steals the targeted power, depriving its owner of its use.  Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Corax who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2).  The Corax may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn.  The wereraven's Gnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete.  The Corax must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!").  This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.
</div>
= Rites =
== Eyes of the Flock ==
Level Two, Mystic
The Corax using this rite can use the eyes of other corvids to see everything.
'''System:''' When the rite is successfully performed, the rite master and any other participants can see through the eyes of every raven, crow, rook, and other corvid within (Gnosis) miles.  The sensory load is enormous but can be shared among the participants.  The Corax leading the rite rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 9, -1 for every two additional participants) to sift through the overwhelming visual input to find what she is looking for.
== Rite of the Sun's Bright Ray ==
Level Two, Mystic
After twenty minutes of somber dancing and chanting prayers to Helios, the Corax brings the light of the sun into the world.  Helios's warm radiance blooms into life around the Corax - even in the dead of night, deep underground, or in the middle of a vampire-owned nightclub.
'''System:''' The rite has no cost.  The player makes a standard Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7).  The borrowed sunlight shines out from the point where the Corax stands at the conclusion of the rite, illuminating everything within a 20 yard (20 meter) radius.  It lasts one hour per success on the activation roll, and persists even if the Corax leaves the area.
== Rite of the Fetish Egg ==
Level Two, Mystic
The most important of all Corax rites, the Rite of the Fetish Egg births new wereravens into the world.  The binding requires a feather or hair from the "parent" with which to bind the spirit egg to the Corax-to-be.  If anything happens to the egg or the binding before the First Change, the results are spiritually and psychologically devastating.
'''System:''' This rite can only be performed in the Umbra, and requires a witness of the breed opposite that of the Corax "parent."  The Corax spends three hours and three ''permanent'' Gnosis creating the spirit egg, then another hour binding it to the soul for which it is intended.  If the rite is interrupted at any point, the Gnosis is lost and the rite fails.
== Rite of Memory Theft ==
Level Four, Punishment
This rite is reserved for only the greatest of all Corax screw-ups.  It requires a small, empty wooden box, preferably painted with scenes from the target's life.  At least three Corax, including the one performing the rite, must surround the target (who is generally bound or subdued).  The box is then opened and a litany of the victim's deeds is sung.  As each event is named, the memories of that moment fly from the victim into the box, along with all associated memories, until the victim's mind is emptied of everything beyond their First Change.  The rite is all-or-nothing - it cannot be used to excise only specific memories.
The ritemaster must then seal and crush the box, at which point all of the memories contained within become his.
'''System:''' This rite costs a point each of Gnosis, Willpower, and Rage, and lasts for as long as it takes to sing away the deeds of the victim.  It also requires a contested Willpower roll (difficulty 8) between the ritemaster and the victim, though each additional Corax present lowers the ritemaster's difficulty by 1, to a minimum of 3.  This rite may only be used on other Corax.
= Fetishes =
== uPhone ==
Level Three, Gnosis 8
The Corax claim to have invented this fetish - in truth, they stole a prototype from a Glass Walker and they quickly improved upon the design.  The fetish is made from a normal smartphone with a Chimerling bound within.  The uPhone works as a normal smartphone anywhere on earth, without charging the wereraven for calls or data use.  When activated it can call other uPhones regardless of distance, even between Umbral realms or across the Gauntlet.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Gurahl">
=Gifts=
Gurahl begin play with three Gifts, one each from breed, auspice (Arcas, usually) and the general Gurahl Gift list.
----
=General Gurahl Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Gurahl Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
==Level One==
'''Desperate Strength'''
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 114''
'''Description:''' The werewolf calls on desperate reserves for a sudden surge of strength. A badger spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When rolling a Feat of Strength (see W20 Core, pg 270), the werewolf may add one die to the roll for each level of bashing damage he willingly accepts as the price of this Gift.
----
'''Mother's Touch'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 114''
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
----
'''Ignore Wounds''' — As the Philodox Gift: Resist Pain.
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 114''
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Nature’s Plenty'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Gurahl to always locate sufficient food and medicinal herbs to tend to an individual in need of his ministrations. Regardless of the season, enough of the required plants or herbs may be found, even if they are buried under deep snow or growing in the most unlikely of places. A raven-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Survival, difficulty 7.
----
'''Sense Pattern Breaker''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm.
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
'''Sentinel’s Warning''' — As the Ratkin Tunnel Runner Gift: Danger Sense
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115 and 188''
'''Description:''' When a ship is sinking, the rats leave first. The Tunnel Runner gains an instinctive flash of warning when danger is near. Rat-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Storyteller warns the character when danger is imminent (though not the nature of the threat) one turn before it appears. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Ursa’s Cleansing''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Resist Toxin.
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).
----
'''Wyld Resurgence'''
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' Bent to Gaia's service, the creative, living essence of the Wyld roars through the Fury's body, shining beneath her skin as a rippling wave of prismatic energy which focuses on and shines out through her wounds. This surge super charges the werewolf's regenerative powers, quickly mending even the most grievous of wounds. A servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Fury spends a turn in concentration and the player spends one Gnosis point. The werewolf immediately heals either three levels of bashing damage, or two levels of lethal damage. With the expenditure of a Willpower point in addition to the Gnosis point, one level of aggravated damage may be healed instead. Damage caused by silver weapons cannot be healed with this Gift.
----
==Level Two==
'''Calm'''
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.
----
'''Grisly Aspect''' — As the Ahroun Gift: True Fear.
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).
----
'''Roused to Fury''' — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Para Bellum.
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' Though the Children love life, spring, and all that is good of Gaia, they aren't pacifists; they always stand ready to protect their Mother. The werewolf's Rage bursts forth in a torrent when another breaks the peace she so cherishes. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift may only be used at the beginning of a battle that was ''not'' initiated by the Garou, her pack, or her allies. The player spends one point of Rage; for the rest of the scene the character enjoys one additional dot of Strength and Dexterity when attacking the enemy who fired the first shot of any battle, or any character that has inflicted an injury on a member of the Child's pack during the scene.
----
'''Treeshake'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' By simply shaking a tree, the Gurahl may procure enough fruits and nuts to feed several people — regardless of what sort of tree is selected, or whether it is in season. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, and produces enough food to sate (Succor) individuals.
----
==Level Three==
'''Calm the Savage Beast'''
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.
----
'''Dreams of the Buri-Jaan'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl sends dream messages to a known cub she has chosen to mentor. These dreams and visions act as both a summons and a directional guide. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty determined by the distance between the two — difficulty 4 if the cub is within a mile, up to difficulty 9 for a cub over a thousand miles away). Alternately, spending two Gnosis points allows the character to send dreams and visions to an unknown cub actively seeking guidance.
----
'''Ease the Fevered Mind''' — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Lover’s Touch.
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The Garou can restore what another lacks: not only wounds healed, but also strength of will and even spiritual essence. Any spirit of love or an avatar of Unicorn may teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou touches the afflicted individual kindly. The two need not be lovers, but the contact must convey affection and warmth - an embrace, a caress, or yet more intimate contact. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Medicine; each success heals one level of bashing or lethal damage, or restores one point of Willpower or Essence (of the target is a spirit). The difficulty is the Rage or Willpower of the target (whichever is higher). The player may choose to divide the successes among multiple results. Alternately, by neither healing wounds nor restoring Willpower or Essence, the Garou may suppress a Derangement for one day per success. This Gift cannot provide permanent relief from such afflictions, but it can act as a start on the road to recovery.
----
'''Survival of the Bear''' — As the Silent Strider Gift: Adaptation.
''W20 Core, pg 192, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The Strider takes no damage from poison or disease, and he may exist in any environment, regardless of pressure, temperature, or atmospheric conditions. This Gift doesn't protect the Garou from hazardous situations (such as falling), only hazardous environments. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one hour per success.
----
==Level Four==
'''Heart of the Mountain'''
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The werewolf becomes as untiring and eternal as the mountains, and cannot be defeated in a test of endurance. A mountain goat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou cannot fail any tasks involving Stamina. Torturers can never break him; though he can't breath underwater and his lungs may fill with water, he will not die. The only exception to this is soaking damage. While this Gift is active, the werewolf is guaranteed to always soak at least one level of damage, but otherwise takes damage normally.
----
'''Hide the Bear''' — As the Homid Gift: Bury the Wolf.
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 125px" | Duration
|-
|1
|One scene
|-
|2
|12 hours
|-
|3
|One day
|-
|4
|One week
|-
|5
|One lunar cycle
|-
|}
|}
----
'''Masking the Hunted'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may use terrain to conceal up to 12 human or bear-sized individuals from pursuers. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 7). The Gurahl may hide up to 12 targets, including himself, for one hour per success.
----
==Level Five==
'''Gaia’s Breath'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' With this legendary Gift, the Gurahl may return a deceased shapeshifter to life. Bear herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point each of permanent Gnosis and Willpower, then rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 6 + the number of hours since death). Success restores life to the target with one health level restored per success. A botch opens the corpse to possession by a powerful Bane. This Gift may be attempted once and only once on a single creature.
----
'''Gentle Soul'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The werebear’s nature as a bringer of comfort and release from pain finally overwhelms the Rage simmering within. A servant of Gaia Herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character is no longer subject to the Curse (see W20 Core, p. 262); her Rage never leaks out to alienate those around her.
----
</div>
----
=Breed Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homid">
==Level One==
'''Master of Fire'''
''W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
----
'''Persuasion'''
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
'''Ursa’s Light'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may draw down the light of the stars for illumination or a directional beacon. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gurahl reaches toward the sky while the player makes a Charisma + Occult roll (difficulty 6). Success produces a soft light that illuminates a 100’ square area, or sends a directional beacon 100 yards. If he can see either of the constellations Ursa Major or Ursa Minor, the double the affected area.
----
==Level Two==
'''Climate Control'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl can raise or lower the temperature around her. A migratory bird-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge, difficulty 6. Each success allows the player to raise or lower the temperature in the area by 5 degrees.
----
'''Dolorous Countenance''' — As the homid Gift: Staredown.
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.
----
==Level Three==
'''Shape Matter''' — As the homid Gift: Reshape Object.
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
----
'''Sense Need'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl can open her senses to discover someone in need or rescue or succor. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Empathy. The number of successes rolled determines how the clarity of the pull she feels toward an individual in need within (Succor) miles, if one exists.
----
==Level Four==
'''Spirit Shield''' — As the homid Gift: Spirit Ward.
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
----
'''Ursa’s Coat''' — As the homid Gift: Cocoon.
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.
----
==Level Five==
'''Fearless Unveiling''' — As the homid Gift: Part the Veil.
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-ursine" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ursine Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-ursine">
==Level One==
'''Create Element'''
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.
----
'''Heightened Senses'''
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
----
'''Voice of Woe'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl sends out a call of distress. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6). All Gaian shapeshifters within (successes x 5) miles hear the call and know precisely what sort of creature is in trouble, how far away he is, and what direction to head in to get there.
----
==Level Two==
'''Burrow'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.
----
'''Weather Watch'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl can accurately predict the weather without any prior knowledge. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gurahl permanently gains five extra dice on Survival rolls to predict the weather.
----
==Level Three==
'''Pull of the Chosen Land'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl can find the shortest, fastest route to his protectorate, regardless of where he is and how he got there.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7).
----
'''Shelter of the Earth'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl uses the local landscape as a secure hiding place. So long as the Gurahl doesn’t move more than a few feet per turn and takes no sudden actions, he remains concealed. This Gift is taught by many prey animal spirits that rely on camouflage.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Stealth (difficulty 4). The Gift doesn’t function if no cover is available.
----
==Level Four==
'''Gnaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Sweet Swarm of Vengeance''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Scent of Sweet Honey.
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.
----
==Level Five==
'''Bear’s Bounty''' — As the metis Gift: Totem Gift.
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' Metis are Garou from the moment of their birth, and their ties to the spirit that guides their tribe run deep. The metis may plead with her tribal totem for power, with effects varying from tribe to tribe. Rat might send a swarm of rodents to attack the werewolf's enemies, while Grandfather Thunder might send down the lightning to strike aside obstacles and opponents. The potential of this Gift depends on the favor of the totem, and may extend into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the aid provided. One success might cause a minor distraction whereas 10 successes could produce volcanic eruptions or country smashing tornadoes.
----
'''Call of the Cave Bear''' — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast.
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
----
</div>
----
=Auspice Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-arcas" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Arcas Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-arcas">
The New Moon: This auspice governs a Gurahl from her First Change through her Gallivant and the time with her Buri-Jaan, ending when she experiences her first full battle after leaving her mentor. It is a time period of exploration, of learning, and of questioning.
==Level One==
'''Open Seal'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
----
'''Walk Like a Man'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may leave human footprints or bear prints behind in any form, at his discretion. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Larceny, difficulty 7. This Gift’s effects lasts for one scene.
----
==Level Two==
'''Cajole'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The character uses this Gift to coax another individual into giving her something, such as food, an item, or a service. Bear- or dog-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. The larger the gift or service requested, the more successes needed; five successes will cajole a human into giving up house and home.
----
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
----
==Level Three==
'''Safe Passage'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl and those traveling with him may journey without leaving any trace of their passage. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Primal-Urge. Each success beyond the first allows the werebear to include another person in the Gift’s effects. It lasts for one scene.
----
'''Trackless Waste'''
''W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Talon calls upon the spirits of the wilderness to mislead and confuse any who invade her home. Humans and other travelers are confounded by this Gift, with even skilled survivalists and hikers soon becoming hopelessly lost. Even werewolves are not wholly immune to its effects. Any wilderness spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Gift affects up to a two mile (3.2 km) radius per success. Humans automatically fail at all attempts to navigate such an afflicted wilderness. Other werewolves can roll Perception + Primal Urge; if they score more successes than the Talon, they are able to navigate normally. Those led by the Talon herself through the domain remain unaffected. This Gift lasts until the sun next rises.
----
==Level Four==
'''Favor of Ursa Minor''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Luna’s Blessing.
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' When Luna stands visible in the night sky, silver ceases to act as a bane to the Garou. Indeed, when the moon waxes full, silver may well turn on those who would wield it against Gaia's children. A Lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When the moon shows in the sky in a visible phase, the character suffers lethal or bashing damage from silver, rather than aggravated (damage type depends on the form of attack - a silver-headed cane would do bashing damage, while silver bullets inflict lethal damage). Additionally, all attacks against werewolf with silver weapons at this time are considered to roll a 1 in addition to all dice actually rolled - or a pair of 1s during the full moon. The Garou retains his normal vulnerability to silver during the day, on nights of the new moon, and when the moon is below the horizon.
----
'''Rejuvenate''' — As the Black Fury Gift: Breath of the Wyld, save that its effects last for (Succor) days.
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' Furies embrace the energy of creation, and they can share that passion with others. With this Gift, the Black Fury instills a feeling of vitality, life, and lucidity in another living being. It is taught by a servant of Pegasus.
'''System:''' The Fury must touch her target's skin. The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 5 against Garou and Kinfolk; difficulty 6 for others). Success grants the recipient a rush of mental vitality - in game terms, one additional die on all Mental rolls for the rest of the scene. It also adds one to the difficulties of any Rage rolls made during the scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Natural State'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may cause a portion of the land to revert to its original wild state: fields reject planted crops, clear-cut areas regain their trees, buildings and their contents lapse into ruin and disappear. This can be used both to restore once-tainted land after cleansing it and to cause chaos directed against despoilers of the wilderness. A glade child teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). The number of successes determines the degree of reversion the land undergoes in an (Honor x 20) yard radius.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-uzmati" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Uzmati Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-uzmati">
The Full Moon: This auspice governs a Gurahl’s solitary travels and introduces him to his place as a warrior of Gaia. Uzmati Gurahl feel the music of battle in their spirit, preparing them to fight off any threats to their protected lands or creatures. Gurahl who dwell in areas where they must continually fight the Wyrm’s minions sometimes remain in this auspice for years, while others visit it only briefly. At some point, usually after taking a mate or feeling the need for a more settled life, they progress to the next auspice.
==Level One==
'''Slash of the Death Bear''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Razor Claws.
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Ultimatum'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' By pitting his will against his opponent’s, the Gurahl may reduce his enemy’s choices down to two options. (“Fight me now or flee like a rabbit!”) A rattlesnake-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a contested Willpower roll (difficulty 6). Success allows the Gurahl to present an enemy with two choices, and the opponent must follow one or the other. The Gurahl cannot make either of these commands suicidal or directly harmful to the opponent, nor may they both amount to slight rewordings of the same action.
----
==Level Two==
'''Mangi’s Strong Arms'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl squeezes the life from her opponent with this Gift. A bear-spirit or death-spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The Gurahl spends an action in concentration. Then the player spends a Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal-Urge. Each success adds one die to the Gurahl’s damage on his next successful grappling attack.
----
'''Threaten'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl stands up-right and roars, causing her opponents to flee in terror. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower + 2, maximum 9). Three or more successes cause the victim to flee in terror for (Honor) turns; fewer simply induce fear, producing a –1 penalty to all actions for the same duration.
----
==Level Three==
'''Crush'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' This Gift delivers a “bear-hug” from a distance, dispatching enemies without touching them. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player may make grapple attacks out to a distance of (Honor) yards, as a permanent capability.
----
'''Silver Claws'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.
----
==Level Four==
'''Delay the Death Bear’s Coming'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl or a chosen ward may suffer a heroic amount of damage without dying. A cockroach-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + (Occult or Medicine), difficulty 6. Each success grants the target one additional Incapacitated health level for the rest of the scene. The Gurahl may not use this Gift on herself if she is already Incapacitated.
----
'''Strength of the Earth''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Hero’s Stand.
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Get channels the power of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. Though he may not retreat or even move from the spot for the duration of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all physical dice pools. In addition, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or fled.
----
==Level Five==
'''Rage of the Mother Bear'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The anger of Mother Bear transforms the Gurahl into a whirlwind of furious motion. Ursa Major herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Rituals, difficulty 6. Each success grants the Gurahl one extra action in the next turn, at her full dice pool.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kojubat" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kojubat Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kojubat">
The Gibbous Moon: This auspice guides Gurahl through a period of remembering and learning. In this phase, Gurahl study the lore of the werebear, including history, songs, and stories. Most Gurahl begin their Lifework during this phase of their lives, if they have not already done so. Kojubat Gurahl receive great respect from other Gurahl because they embody the knowledge imparted to the Breed by Gaia Herself.
==Level One==
'''Beast Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Stonesight'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may look through a piece of stone or rock to see its potential or composition. Aside from the obvious benefits for sculptors and builders, the Gift is also useful for uncovering hidden minerals or fossils, as well as identifying stones of mystic significance. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 5) to learn about the stone. The more successes gained, the more in-depth the knowledge.
----
==Level Two==
'''Eyes of the Soul''' — As the Philodox Gift: Scent of the True Form.
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117''
'''Description:''' The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".
----
'''Song of Terra'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may touch the earth and hear what occurred in that spot in the recent past. A hare-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6) and spends a Gnosis point. The Gurahl hears the most significant event to occur on that spot during the last (successes rolled) days.
----
==Level Three==
'''Mind Sight'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may read the surface thoughts of a sentient being. Air-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the subject’s Willpower). This mind-reading lasts for (successes rolled) turns.
----
'''Mind to Mind''' — As the Galliard Gift: Mindspeak.
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.
----
==Level Four==
'''Probe Thoughts'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' This Gift enables the Gurahl to acquire hidden thoughts from an individual. A snake-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point (and a Willpower point if the target is supernatural) and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the subject’s Willpower). Each success reveals one piece of information the subject is actively attempting to conceal.
----
'''Shadows by the Firelight'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.
----
==Level Five==
'''Aversion Therapy'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may attach negative emotions to a particular desire, as a form of mental conditioning. A thief, for example, may experience terror when he contemplates theft. The effect lasts for a year and a day. A servant of Coyote teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point (and a Willpower point, if the target is supernatural) and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target’s Willpower).
----


</div>
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kieh" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kieh Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kieh">
Te Crescent Moon: After learning comes reflection and a turning inward, hallmarks of the Kieh auspice. This is a time of peaking mysticism and Gurahl in this auspice spend the majority of their time learning and performing rites, and expanding their knowledge of Gifts. Many Kieh become Buri-Jaan to fledgling werebears.
==Level One==
'''Diagnose'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Gurahl can determine anyone’s general health with little more than a glance. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character can take Medicine actions to diagnose patients in only a single turn of inspection. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Spirit Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.


----
----


=Vampire Flaws=
==Level Two==
 
'''Refresh'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl’s blessing helps a target ignore pain until the end of battle. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.


<div class="mw-customtoggle-vflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Vampire Flaws</div>
'''System:''' The Gurahl must touch her target. The player spends a Gnosis point; the target suffers no wound penalties until the end of the combat.
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-vflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
----
 
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Exorcism'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.
 
----
 
'''Name the Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Spirit Healing'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may replenish the Essence of a wounded spirit in the Umbra. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty of the spirit’s Willpower). Success allows the Gurahl to spend Gnosis to restore the spirit’s Essence, at a rate of two Essence per Gnosis spent.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Shape'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may assume the countenance and form of a creature native to the Umbra, appearing to other spirits as one of their own kind. A coyote-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift only functions in the Umbra. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty 7). The Gurahl’s body then assumes the desired appearance for (Wisdom) days. The Gurahl can will the Gift to end earlier if he requires.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Image of the Sky Bear'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Great She-Bear grants the Gurahl a body that glows with seven pinpoints of light similar to the seven stars of Ursa Major’s constellation, allowing the Garou to perform additional acts of healing or protection. Ursa Major teaches this Gift herself.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Rituals. The Gurahl may then touch targets and instantly heal five lethal or bashing damage, heal three aggravated damage, or grant the target mystic armor (equivalent to Kevlar body armor) for the rest of the scene. One of the points of light on the Gurahl’s body goes out each time he uses this Gift’s benefits; when all the lights are extinguished, so is the Gift.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-rishi" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Rishi Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-rishi">
 
The Half Moon: This phase of the moon is the last in the Gurahl’s natural progression. Rishi Gurahl have usually built up a font of knowledge and experience, and other werebears look to them for guidance. Rishi judge disputes, keep the peace, and mediate between quarreling factions. Those who are called to the Council of Autumn are often members of the Rishi auspice.
 
==Level One==
 
'''Befriend'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl seems as a friend to all she meets. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character adds one automatic success to all attempts to make a good first impression. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Truth of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Compel Truth'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl compels an individual to speak the truth. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target’s Willpower) and spends a point of Gnosis. Each success renders the target incapable of deliberate falsehood for one minute.
 
----
 
'''Presence of the Great Bear''' — As the Philodox Gift: King of Beasts.
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Waken'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may rouse an individual from supernatural sleep or unnatural slumber, including comas, vampires in torpor, Gurahl in hibernation caused by Bhernocht, and even triggering resurrection in mummies. A thunder-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7).
 
----
 
'''Ways of the Tapestry'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl gains insight into a mystery or puzzle, seeing how an event fits into the larger scheme of things. A cloud-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8). Each success provides one oblique but helpful clue about a particular problem or dilemma.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Bestow Ursa’s Blessing'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl may call down the blessing of the Great Bear on another individual, granting that individual the favor of a mighty spirit. A servant of Ursa Major teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) while describing the blessing she wishes to bestow. This may be an automatic success when attempting a particular endeavor, or a one-point bonus to an Attribute. The blessing lasts for (Wisdom) hours.
 
----
 
'''Quell Mob Rage'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119''
 
'''Description:''' The Gurahl can diffuse the anger of a crowd, even lynch mobs and riots. A manatee-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the highest Willpower rating in the crowd). The degree by which (Succor x 30) individuals reduce their hostile mood depends on the successes rolled.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Oath of the Great Bear''' - As the Philodox Gift: Geas.
 
''W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.
 
'''System:'''  The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
=Gurahl Rites=
 
Gurahl place great emphasis on rites and ceremonies. The following are some of the more important Gurahl rites. The werebears also know most of the rites common to Garou, having taught many of them to the werewolves to begin with.
 
----
 
==Dreams of Winter==
 
Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)
 
Although Gurahl do not have to hibernate, those who do are often confused about what occurred while they slept. People she regarded as allies may have changed their attitudes, enemies may have repented, the bear’s territory will have changed around her. This rite is widely known to the Gurahl and is often taught to young bears shortly after their first change.
 
'''System:''' The Gurahl enacts this rite before hibernating, or before a normal night’s sleep. While she sleeps, she dreams of the world around her. These dream sequences usually show events within the werebear’s territory, but may depict scenes from anywhere in the world if they are relevant to the dreamer. The Gurahl’s player can roll Intelligence + Occult to determine if she knows of an event that occurred while he slept. The difficulty of this roll depends on the personal relevance of the event to the Gurahl.
 
----
 
==Rite of Rending the Gauntlet==
 
Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)
 
With this rite, the Gurahl takes on his Bjornen form and tears a hole in the Gauntlet to enter the Umbra. The hole closes immediately after the Gurahl steps through. In the meantime, only other werebears can use the rift to enter the Umbra. Witnessing this rite causes the Delirium in humans.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). One success means the Gurahl takes five minutes to claw through the Gauntlet. Two successes reduce the time to 30 seconds, while three or more successes allow the Gurahl to rend the Gauntlet immediately. The Gurahl need not roll to return from the Umbra.
 
----
 
==Rite of Replenishment==
 
Level Two
 
This simple rite enables participating Gurahl to replace lost Gnosis from places sacred to Gaia. The Gurahl involved in the rite must find a suitable place — either in the Umbra or in the physical world — in which to conduct the rite, and cannot draw from the same place more than once in the same month.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 8, –1 per 15 minutes spent dancing and chanting to Gaia). The Gurahl gains one point of temporary Gnosis per success, which she may distribute among participants in the rite.
 
----
 
==Rite of the River-Portent==
 
Level Two
 
Gurahl use this rite as a means of foretelling the future. The werebear snags a fish with his claw from a stream, splits open the fish’s belly and reads the omens contained within. The information gained from this rite usually pertains to the immediate future of the Gurahl who reads the omens.
 
'''System:''' After catching the fish, the player rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8). The number of successes determines how clear and intelligible the omens and portents are.
 
----
 
==Rite of True Mating==
 
Level Two
 
This rite allows the Gurahl to find a suitable mate from among her Kinfolk. Only Gurahl who have reached full adulthood (i.e., are no longer considered Arcas) may learn this rite, since the werebears don’t believe in casual acts of procreation. To enact the rite, the Gurahl fashions a small bag, into which she places a drop of her blood and a cutting of her hair. She wears this bag around her neck for three days and nights, after which the empowered bag acts as a homing beacon, pulling the Gurahl in the direction of a suitable Kinfolk mate. Convincing the Kinfolk in question of their compatibility remains up to the Gurahl, of course.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7). One success is enough to ensure success.
 
----
 
==Rite of Fighting the Death Bear==
 
Level Five
 
Gurahl use this sacred rite to restore life to an individual too long deceased for Gaia’s Breath (or, sometimes, when the only Gurahl to hand is of insufficient rank to have learned Gaia’s Breath — but this is considered particularly dangerous and foolhardy).
 
The Gurahl enters the Umbra, calls upon Mangi, makes suitable offerings to the Death Bear, and then issues a challenge for the departed’s spirit. The Gurahl and Mangi engage in Umbral combat. If the Gurahl defeats Mangi, he may enter the realm of the Death Bear and reclaim the spirit he seeks, returning it to its body. If the Gurahl fails, he is ejected from the Umbra and the rite fails. Occasionally, even if the Gurahl fails, Mangi returns the fallen one’s soul — and claims the rite-performing werebear’s life in exchange. Because of this, and out of respect for the natural cycle of life, werebears rarely use this rite.
 
'''System:''' This rite fails automatically if the individual has already failed to respond to Gaia’s Breath. Mangi’s traits are left up to the Storyteller; while it is a ferocious spirit indeed, Mangi can be and has been defeated by midranked Gurahl on rare occasions.
 
----
 
</tab>
<tab name="Kitsune">
 
=Gifts=
 
Kitsune love magic. Advancing in rank and gaining new tails is a great honor, to be sure, but what Kitsune truly treasure is the new powers that come with accomplishment and experience. A Kitsune character begins play with one general Kitsune Gift, one breed Gift, and one Path Gift.
 
----
 
=General Kitsune Gifts=
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Kitsune Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
 
==Level One==
 
'''Chi Sense'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune may sense the ebb and flow of Yin and Yang through the world around her. This Gift is taught by any spirit of the Middle Kingdom.
 
'''System:''' The player permanently adds one die to any Gift or Rite which inspects or alters  the environment around the Kitsune.
 
----
 
'''Ishin Deshin''' — As the Galliard Gift: Mindspeak.
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.
 
----
 
'''Scent of Running Water'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Moon Dance'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune becomes completely invisible so long as no moonlight touches her. She may step in and out of moonlight, appearing and vanishing as she does. Lunes teach this Gift, which cannot be used during the daytime.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The effect lasts the entire night. The Gift doesn’t mask the Kitsune from any sense save sight.
 
----
 
'''Sense Magic'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on  the strength and subtlety of the magic. The  Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
 
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Ghost Speech'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Kitsune to speak with inhabitants of the Yin Realm — the Dark Umbra. It is taught by ancestor-spirits and spirits associated with death.
 
'''System:''' The Kitsune may speak in a tone that carries across into the Yin Realm, and hear any responses to her words.
 
----
 
'''Puppeteer’s Secret'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130''
 
'''Description:''' The Fox fades into the crowd; everyone assumes she belongs, and that her familiar face has been there for quite some time. Deer-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge, difficulty 6. If the Kitsune begins to act suspiciously given her attire and the situation, or otherwise draws attention to herself, the Storyteller may demand a fresh roll to keep the Gift from breaking.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Shadow-Fan-Flowers'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' One creature within the Kitsune’s line of sight sees a vision and believes. The illusion is perfectly detailed with color, light, and motion. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). Supernatural targets may roll Willpower (difficulty 9) to realize the illusion is false only if given compelling reason to suspect its falsity.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Possession'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune abandons her body to take over another’s. This Gift is taught by one of Fox’s brood.
 
'''System:''' The Kitsune must be in contact with the victim, the victim’s hair or nail cuttings, or an extremely important personal token of the victim. The player spends a point of Gnosis and Willpower, then rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). If successful, the Fox becomes a spirit and possesses her victim; supernatural targets may roll Stamina + Occult (difficulty of Kitsune’s Willpower) each day at sunrise to attempt to exorcise the Fox. The Kitsune returns to her own body when she is cast out or ends the possession.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
=Breedd Gifts=
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kojin" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kojin Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kojin">
 
=Kojin Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Seduction'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' A Fox with this Gift can cause humans to fall in love with her. A cloud- or rain-spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 6) in a contested roll against the victim’s Willpower (difficulty 7). The more successes the Kitsune wins by, the deeper the target’s infatuation.
 
----
 
'''Smell of Man'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.
 
'''System:''' Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|5
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
 
----
 
'''Silver Tongue''' — As the Fianna Gift: Glib Tongue.
 
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.
 
----
 
'''Staredown'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Disquiet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.
 
----
 
'''Reshape Object'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
 
----
 
'''Speech of the World'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Forgetfulness'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can erase an individual’s memories of a specific event. Fog- spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and Willpower point, then makes a contested Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6) roll against the victim’s Willpower (difficulty 3 + Kitsune’s number of tails).
 
----
 
'''Spirit Ward'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Assimilation'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
 
----
 
'''Call to Allies'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift is the Kitsune’s ultimate distress call. Her Batsu, clan, and sentai will hear it, along with all other friendly neutrals and unknown allies in the area, as well as local spirits and spiritually sensitive mortals. The Fox’s fear or rage acts as a beacon unerringly guiding any that answer the cry to her. This Gift is taught by an ancestor-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The Kitsune must simply call out in need.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-roko" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Roko Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-roko">
 
=Roko Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Burrow'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.
 
----
 
'''Cricket Leap''' — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap.
 
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
 
----
 
'''Heightened Senses'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Name the Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
 
----
 
'''Scent of Sight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.
 
----
 
'''Sense Imbalance'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can sense if any one of the Triat has upset the balance in the area. She knows if the Weaver is too strong, or if the Wyld is lacking. A servant of the Emerald Mother teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 6) to evaluate the area’s spiritual balance.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Blind'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can blind an enemy for one day. This Gift is taught by a porcupine-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Medicine (difficulty 7) resisted by the Stamina (also difficulty 7) of a target within 10 feet.
 
----
 
'''Cat Feet'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.
 
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Ten Chi'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune always knows where he is, in whatever Realm he occupies, by feeling his relationship to Gaia. Additionally, wherever he stands becomes his territory; natural animals sense this and allow the werefox to pass without challenge. Migratory bird-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Kitsune may spend one Gnosis to know what Realm he stands in, where the cardinal directions are, and in which direction his home lies.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Carrion Clothes'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131''
 
'''Description:''' Wild foxes catch birds by pretending to be dead; werefoxes aspire to bigger game. This Gift causes the Kitsune to appear to all natural and supernatural examination to be dead. This Gift is taught by fly-spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a Stamina + Larceny roll (difficulty 7). The Gift hides only small motions, such as breathing or cracking an eyelid to look about; any greater movement breaks the spell.
 
----
 
'''Forest Lord''' — As the lupus Gift: Beast Life.
 
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
 
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Elemental Gift'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).
 
----
 
'''Song of the Great Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-shinju" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Shinju Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-shinju">
 
=Shinju Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Flow of Aura'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune feels the emotional aura of a place — the imprint left behind by events of great sorrow, joy, aggression, and the like. Wood- and stone-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty 6). The more successes gained, the more the Fox picks up about the nature of the area’s aura and what caused it. One success might reveal that a building has a foreboding atmosphere; five might reveal that it is actively haunted by the ghost of a traveling student who took his own life there.
 
----
 
'''Scent of the True Form'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".
 
----
 
'''Sense Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Call to Duty'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, ''all'' spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call - such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose.
 
----
 
'''Imperial Authority'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' Shinju can assert their superiority by staring into another’s eyes. Animals fawn, while humans and shen assume the Nine-tails is of superior social standing. This Gift is taught by dragon- or phoenix-spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 6, or 9 against other shen).
 
----
 
'''Past Whispers'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can learn the thoughts impressed upon a place. Intense thought fragments (especially those spoken aloud) may linger for years. Wind-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). The more successes gained, the more detail is revealed.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Distant Whispers''' — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech, but the Fox speaks into a river, ground, fire, or other element and the target hears her voice coming from a similar source nearby. Storms are popular vehicles for this Gift.
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
'''Eyes of the Cat'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
'''Wisdom of the Ancient Ways'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Roll Over'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf radiates authority and power, allowing him to exert his dominance over others. Humans bow or kneel, while Garou roll over to expose their throats. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player begins an extended, resisted Willpower contest. The results are compared to each of her opponents in turn; when the player has scored three more successes than an opponent, that opponent drops out of the contest and submits. If one of the opponents accumulates three more successes over the character, the contest ends. For the remainder of the scene, any individual who has submitted will take no actions at all without the approval of the character, unless their life depends on it.
 
----
 
'''Scent of the Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' With a moment's concentration, the werewolf can hurl her senses to any place with which she is familiar (even an Umbral location), no matter how far away it may be. Because a bird spirit teaches this Gift, her senses perceive the scene from above.
 
''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). If the target location is in the Umbra, the difficulty is 8 or the local Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher. This far-seeing continues for as long as the werewolf desires, but the character suffers a -3 penalty to any attempts to react to local stimuli while her senses are projected.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Imperial Obligation''' — As the Philodox Gift: Geas.
 
''W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.
 
'''System:'''  The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.
 
----
 
'''Marionette'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can make the target move in whatever fashion she wishes by mimicking the desired action. Snake-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the victim’s Willpower (both difficulty 7); the Kitsune controls her victim for one turn per success.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
=Path Gifts=
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-doshi" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Doshi Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-doshi">
 
=Doshi Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Blessing the Blade'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The sorcerer calls on a local spirit to inhabit a blade for a finite time to enhance it with supernatural power. If prepared in advance, special wrappings restrain the spirit until the bearer speaks an enemy’s name. Only one such weapon may be carried at a time. This Gift is taught by a fire-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The weapon does aggravated damage for one scene only.
 
----
 
'''Breath of Yu-Chiang''' — As the Black Fury Gift: Curse of Aeolus.
 
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through her own fog with no difficulty. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a Gnosis roll, with the difficulty depending on humidity and closeness to a body of water (a lake shore might be difficulty 4, while a desert would be 9). Those other than the Fury who are enveloped in fog lose half of their dice on all Perception rolls (rounded up). All those enveloped within the fog also lose one die from all Willpower rolls, save the Fury and her packmates.
 
----
 
'''Sense Wyrm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can gling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Shroud'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 197, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Uktena can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Garou's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Snare'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Blood Omen'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Fox reads the future through blood sacrifice. The actual divination is performed by reading entrails, interpreting the smoke of a burnt offering, casting bones, or in some other way using the resulting body as an oracular tool. Doshi are careful to dedicate the sacrifice to spirits opposed to the Wyrm. Predator-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 9, or 7 for human or shen sacrifices!) and spends one Gnosis point. The more successes, the more accurate and detailed the information gained.
 
----
 
'''Command Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.
 
----
 
'''Name the Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
 
----
 
'''Shadows at Dawn'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' Sometimes, one must give information to get information. However, Uktena are notoriously tightfisted with secrets. With this Gift, the werewolf can share a bit of knowledge that later vanishes from a subject's memory. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After relating a bit of lore, the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the opponent's Wits + Subterfuge). If the rolls succeeds, whatever information the Uktena imparted completely vanishes from the target's memory when the sun next rises.
 
----
 
'''Sight From Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''By the Light of the Moon'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can see any creature touched by moonlight, no matter what mundane skill or magic they use to hide. Bat-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6). All moon-touched beings within (successes x 20) feet are revealed to the Kitsune.
 
----
 
'''Exorcism'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Invisible'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.
 
----
 
'''Swarm of Servants'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132''
 
'''Description:''' From the fur of his tail the Doshi can summon tiny vermin — mice, lice, beetles, frogs, and so forth — to serve him. Vermin-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 8). Each success calls 25 vermin that the Doshi controls. The swarm must stay within 20 feet, and can harass foes (–1 to victim’s dice pools per 25 vermin) and perform simple tasks (at Strength 1).
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Grasp the Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Drain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may drain power from a spirit to feed her own resolve. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a resisted Gnosis roll against the spirit. If the player succeeds, the spirit loses one Essence point per success for the rest of the scene. For every two points drained, the Garou gains a temporary Willpower point. She loses any points exceeding her maximum at the end of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Ward'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Feral Lobotomy'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Ggarou can destroy the target's intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.
 
----
 
'''Malleable Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficult is based on what the garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 250px" | Change
|-
|6
|Characteristics (Willpower, Rage, Gnosis; one point changed per success)
|-
|7
|Disposition (Friendly, Neutral, Hostile)
|-
|9
|Type (Naturae, Elemental, Bane, etc)
|-
|}
 
----
 
'''Seal of Inari'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' The sorcerer can secretly “brand” anyone he encounters with sigils only Kitsune can see. These may be warnings, death marks, requests for help, etc. These ghostly marks shine through all concealment so long as the bearer’s head is visible. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). For each success, he may inscribe one message of his choice on the recipient.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-eji" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Eji Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-eji">
 
=Eji Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Falling Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.
 
----
 
'''Razor Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Resist Pain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Sense Hostility'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' The Eji can sense hostile beings within 100 feet. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6).
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Bolt'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune calls a bolt of raw elemental force to strike his foe — fire, lightning, and freezing wind are all possibilities. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 6. The target suffers aggravated damage equal to the successes rolled; the range is 50 yards.
 
----
 
'''Enduring Warrior'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' Eji using this Gift heal just like their hengeyokai cousins. A bear-spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Rage to regenerate like a Garou for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133''
 
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
 
----
 
'''Spirit of the Fray'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.
 
'''System:''' Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Call of the Dead'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune uses Yin energies to disrupt the vital energies of the living with just a touch. Ice-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 8). Living creatures, spirits, vampires with Humanity 6+, and Yang-aspected Kuei-jin suffer lethal damage equal to the successes rolled. Five or more successes instantly kills human targets.
 
----
 
'''Song of Fear'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune may cast her fox frenzy into another. This Gift is taught by hare-spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Each success sends the target into flight for one turn.
 
----
 
'''Weak Arm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:'''The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Elemental Meld'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Eji may transform into any physical element (earth, water, fire or air), allowing her to merge with and move through that element. On attaining rank five, the Kitsune can change into secondary elements (mist, electricity, moonlight, etc.) as well. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Gnosis (difficulty 8). She must be in contact with the desired element to change, and changes on contact (taking no harm from fire, for example). She reverts to her natural form upon leaving the element. Her body remains the same size and in one piece but can distort to avoid obstacles. Silver, radioactivity, and toxic waste harm her as normal and will bar her progress. While merged, detecting the Kitsune requires a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 9).
 
----
 
'''Sorcerous Bite'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can transform her teeth into any substance she wills, most commonly silver or jade. They are uncommonly strong, regardless of the substance chosen. Elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal-Urge. Silver teeth don’t harm the Fox by their mere presence.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Dragon Ally''' — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast, save that it summons forth a dragon made of one of the elements.
 
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
 
----
 
'''Fire Immunity''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Kiss of Helios.
 
''W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Ahroun can invoke the sun's power to gain immunity to flame. Additionally, she may ignite any portion of her body and keep it burning as she desires. Garou with this Gift are as likely to light their mane to honor the sun during rituals as they are to ignite their claws or fangs in battle. A fire elemental or sun spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character is unharmed by any natural source of flames or heat. Artificial (napalm, gas fires, etc.) and supernatural flames can inflict no more than a single level of bashing damage during a turn. The character inflicts two additional dice of damage with burning attacks.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-gukutsushi" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Gukutsushi Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-gukutsushi">
 
=Gukutsushi Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Blur of the Milky Eye'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Clear the Mind''' — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Calm.
 
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.
 
----
 
'''Mother's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Open Seal'''
 
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
 
----
==Level Two==
 
'''Dreamspeak'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.
 
----
 
'''Fan-Shadow-Robe'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can change her appearance. She can’t precisely duplicate the appearance of another, however, or perfectly replicate complex patterns or garments (such as military uniforms). Chimerlings teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy, with the difficulty depending on how radical the Kitsune wishes the change to be (6 to change hair and eye color, 8 to appear as a different build and ethnicity entirely). The alterations last for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Silver Tongue''' — As the Fianna Gift: Glib Tongue.
 
''W20 Core, pg 179''
 
'''Description:''' Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.
 
----
 
'''Taking the Forgotten'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Distant Whispers''' — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech, but the Fox speaks into a river, ground, fire, or other element and the target hears her voice coming from a similar source nearby. Storms are popular vehicles for this Gift.
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132 andd 134''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
'''Ebisu’s Fingers''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Gremlins.
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|6
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
 
----
 
'''Liar's Craft'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.
 
'''System:''' The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Moon-Fan-Face-Shadow''' — As the Glass Walker Gift: Doppelganger.
 
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).
 
----
 
'''Whelp Body'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Madness'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.
 
----
 
'''Mist on the Water''' — As the Fianna Gift: Fog on the Moor.
 
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift transforms the Fianna into a ghostly outline of himself, allowing him to pass through anything except silver as though he were incorporeal. He may communicate and strike opponents normally. He cannot be harmed by anything except silver; all incoming attacks pass harmlessly through him. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to instantly assume a ghostly form. Each success allows the character to stay in that form for one turn, though he may change back at will. The character cannot regenerate while in this form.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-kataribe" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kataribe Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-kataribe">
 
=Kataribe Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Beast Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Fable'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The Kataribe uses her expression and will to sway onlookers. By telling a tale or singing a song, she can plant a suggestion in the minds and hearts of listeners. Nightingale-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty 7) to plant a faint compulsion in the listener’s head, which lingers for the Kitsune’s Chie in days. Recordings and broadcasts cannot carry this Gift’s magic.
 
----
 
'''Perfect Recall'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf is able to remember and relive any memory with perfect clarity. An elephant spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player may spend one Gnosis point to perfectly remember any one detail, no matter how small, from any point in her character's entire life.
 
----
 
'''Truth of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Centipede’s Beckoning''' — As the Galliard Gift: Call of the Wyrm.
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' This dangerous Gift attracts creatures of the Wyrm, luring them into traps and ambushes or flushing them from hiding. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7). If the Wyrm creature loses the contest it must come to the source of the Call.
 
----
 
'''Distractions'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.
 
----
 
'''Silence'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134''
 
'''Description:''' The werefox blankets the area in an eerie silence. Lake- and mountain-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Manipulation + Stealth, difficulty 8. The area affected is 5 yards in radius per success. The Gift lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Speech of the World'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Seek'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune asks the local spirits for a single individual’s location. The spirits answer correctly if they can; should the individual be beyond their territory, they say as much. The spirits of predatory animals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to contact an appropriate spirit, and rolls Wits + Occult, difficulty 6, to beseech its help.
 
----
 
'''Uzume Sings'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kataribe’s voice becomes achingly beautiful, paralyzing an enemy or luring him forward to his doom. Nightingale- and snake-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). For every success, the target is under the Fox’s power for one turn.
 
----
 
'''Wisdom of the Ancient Ways'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Kuei Dance'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift calls on the dead to bear witness. There is no compulsion, but the dead are eager to be remembered, so rarely refuse. The spell may take any form, from story to song to dance, with the ghost acting out her part as appropriate. This Gift is taught by ancestor-spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Gnosis + Empathy, difficulty 8, to establish contact. This Gift works only if the deceased lingers in some spiritual form, such as a ghost or ancestor-spirit. The more successes rolled, the more coherent the ghost’s performance.
 
----
 
'''Shadows by the Firelight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Assimilation'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
 
----
 
'''Fabric of the Mind'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-jufu" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ju-Fu Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-jufu">
 
=Ju-Fu=
 
Perhaps the most distinct Kitsune trick is the art of Ju-Fu — paper magic. Ju-Fu Gifts are purchased at a cost of (level x 7) experience points; unlike traditional Gifts, they are not bestowed by spirits, but must be learned from another Fox. The kami (folded-paper spells) used to cast them may be prepared in advance, but each costs at least one Gnosis point to make, limiting the potential for stockpiling. Where a Ju-Fu Gift lists no other cost, it only costs the Gnosis point necessary to make the kami.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Lantern'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' By crafting a paper lantern or similar kami, the Kitsune can infuse it with an eerie light.
 
'''System:''' The light is as bright as that of a mundane paper lantern, and lasts for one scene.
 
----
 
'''Umekochi’s Mouth'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune crafts a small paper cup, dish, or other container, which can hold four times as much as it should.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6).
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Attraction'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune attracts or repels a certain type of animal by crafting an appropriate kami. She might repel tigers to travel safely through the jungle, or fashion a paper firefly to summon enough fireflies to eerily light a graveyard.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken, difficulty 7. The more successes, the stronger the kami’s effects.
 
----
 
'''Silver Sigil'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune can write “badge” on a piece of paper — people will see a badge. She can write “passport” on a bit of bark, and breeze through customs.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis, difficulty 7. The kami remains effective for one scene.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Paper Beast'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune fashions a kami in the shape of a mundane animal, with the animal’s pictogram written on it. When the Kitsune spits on the kami, the paper beast immediately grows to full size and obeys the Fox’s commands.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis and rolls Gnosis, difficulty 7. The resulting creature has all the traits of its likeness, but only one health level.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Beast Shape''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Thousand Forms. The Kitsune may take the form of the animal depicted by this kami.
 
''W20 Core pg 163, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird andd a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''Description:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Paper Flesh''' — As the Gift: Paper Beast, save that it requires three Gnosis points, and the beast is fully flesh and blood (though it reverts to paper at the end of the scene or when slain).
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135''
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune fashions a kami in the shape of a mundane animal, with the animal’s pictogram written on it. When the Kitsune spits on the kami, the paper beast immediately grows to full size and obeys the Fox’s commands.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis and rolls Gnosis, difficulty 7. The resulting creature has all the traits of its likeness, but only one health level.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
=Rites=
 
Few Kitsune-created rites exist. The Foxes are more than happy to borrow rites from their fellow Changing Breeds and adapt them to their own needs.
 
----
 
==Proprieties of Conduct==
 
Level Two, Accord (Cha + Rituals vs )
 
'''Description:''' The Kitsune serve a central role within the Beast Cours, smoothing tensions between the different Breeds and ensuring visitors to the Courts follow behavioral expectations. This simple rite helps the foxes smooth things over.
 
'''System:''' The rite-master addresses a gathering and announces the expected standards of behavior. Among a group of familiar acquaintances this can be as simple as declaring that everyone must observe ‘standard norms;’ she has to give more detail if guests are present. The rite does not have to be repeated if attendees arrive late; any latecomers remain bound by the rules as long as they remain among the gathering.
 
Anyone attempting to breach the agreed etiquette must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). At the point that she would make the roll, the transgressor well aware that she is about to break the rules, and she may choose not to break the accepted etiquette. The rules of polite society also sooth the tempers of everyone — all Rage rolls are made at +2 difficulty.
 
----
 
==Rite of the Crossroads==
 
Level Three, Renown (Cha + Rituals vs 6)
 
'''Description:''' The Rite of the Crossroads serves much the same purpose for Kitsune as the Beast Courts’ Rite of the Opened Way. In it, the Foxes use the power of the four directions to celebrate a kit’s first — and only — choice of path. The rite is always performed in a transitional place; crossroads are both traditional and particularly auspicious, but bridges and even doorways will also do. The ritemaster purifies the young kit, then brings her to the site of the rite.
 
After proper obeisance is made to the Emerald Mother, the Silver Lady, Bai-Mianxi, and Prince Inari, the ritemaster asks all four to bless their newest child’s arrival into adulthood. The ritemaster then lays out four empty bowls before the kit, one at each direction. The kit, however, sees each bowl as filled with one of the four Paths’ elements — clay, lightning, lava, mist. The kit must then reach into the proper bowl, thus choosing her path. Rather than burning young Eji or Doshi, the contents of the bowl fill them with a rush of power and confidence. Once the choice has been made, all can see the Kitsune’s paw drip with the symbol of her path. The ritemaster then ends the rite, and the new Yakan begins her training.
 
'''System:''' No rolls are necessary. The kit is officially Rank One at the rite’s end. It is a great honor to perform this rite, and successfully sponsoring a new Kitsune grants the ritemaster two points of temporary Toku Renown.
 
----
 
</tab>
<tab name="Mokole">
 
=Gifts=
 
Mokolé begin with one aspect Gift and one general Mokolé Gift.
 
----
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Mokolé Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
 
=General Mokole’ Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Falling Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.
 
----
 
'''Fatal Flaw'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.
 
----
 
'''Inspiration'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in battle, and this Gift helps them to live up to that trust. The werewolf employs this Gift to lend her resolve and righteous anger to those who share her cause. A lion or wolf spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one Willpower point, which disappears if it is not used before the end of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Razor Claws''' — As the Ahroun Gift; only usable in Archid.
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Sense Dissolver''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm.
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Shed'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.
 
----
 
'''Sight of the True Form''' — As the Philodox Gift: Scent of the True Form.
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".
 
----
 
'''Speed of Thought''' — As the Silent Strider Gift, but costing 2 Gnosis rather than 1.
 
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Blessings of the Nest'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' Hissing a blessing in the Dragon Tongue, the Mokolé bestows a gift of fertility. In addition to ensuring conception on most recipients, the Gift also removes impotence from those who suffer from it and grants fertility to the normally barren. A rooster-spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. This Gift’s power is insufficient to make metis fertile.
 
----
 
'''Reptoid Form'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' Through careful refinement of her shapeshifting capabilities, the Mokolé learns to assume a form between Homid and Archid. This “near-man” form, roughly equivalent to the Garou Glabro form, lacks hair, has tough, lightly scaled skin, and sports small but sharp claws. It can only pass for human at a distance, under heavy clothing, or in poor light, but still avoids the size and subtlety issues associated with Archid. This Gift is taught by memory-spirits.
 
'''System:''' The character assumes her new form in the same manner as a Garou assuming Glabro. Its traits are: Strength +2, Stamina +2, Appearance –2, and it can make claw attacks for lethal damage.
 
----
 
'''Sense Gold''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Sense Silver, save that it detects gold.
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
 
----
 
'''Silver Claws'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.
 
----
 
'''Stinking Breath''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Odious Aroma.
 
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Dragonfear''' — As the Ahroun Gift: True Fear.
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).
 
----
 
'''Dragon’s Breath'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can spit fire. This Gift is taught by Dragon himself.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 8) to aim the attack (range 30 feet). It inflicts two automatic levels of aggravated damage, plus two additional levels per extra point of Rage spent after the attack is rolled.
 
----
 
'''Walking Between Worlds'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Attunement'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
 
----
 
'''Cocoon'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.
 
----
 
'''Serenity'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can fill a hot heart with the peace of Gaia, even in the midst of battle. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). for one turn per success, the target automatically fails at all Rage rolls, cannot frenzy, and cannot spend Rage.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Grasp the Beyond'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.
 
----
 
'''Song of the Great Beast'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
 
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
 
----
 
</div>
 
----
 
=Auspice Gifts=
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-rising" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Rising Sun Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-rising">
 
=Rising Sun Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Bellow'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé releases a powerful and terrifying reptilian roar. This Gift is taught by a crocodile-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls permanent Rage (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). If successful, the target reacts as though afflicted by the Delirium. Subtract the Mokolé’s Glory from the target’s Willpower before consulting the Delirium chart. Other shapeshifters can spend one Willpower point to resist the Gift’s effects for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Eye of the Raptor'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can see clearly for miles. A raptor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 8). The number of successes equals the number of miles the character can see clearly.
 
----
 
'''Master of Fire'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Paint the Meadows'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may utter pitiable moans and groans to draw prey closer. Margay-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The victim moves closer for one turn per success; if the victim is harmed, the Gift’s effects end.
 
----
 
'''Sense Silver'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Combat Healing'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to mend his injuries without rest or hesitation - even in the heart of combat - as claws and bullets tear fresh rents in his flesh. While other Garou struggle to mend their wounds under fire, the Ahroun never stops fighting. Elemental spirits teach this Gift, although they must generally be bested in battle first.
 
'''System:''' The Ahroun no longer needs to pause or roll Stamina to heal during combat, and automatically regenerates one non-aggravated health level every round. This benefit is permanent.
 
----
 
'''Dragon’s Tongue''' — As the Bastet Pumonca Gift: Thunderbolt.
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89 and 148''
 
'''Description:''' So long as even a single cloud hangs in the sky, the werecougar may call down a lightning bolt to strike her foes.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Survival to aim it (difficulty 8 in relatively clear conditions, difficulty 6 during a storm). The bolt inflicts (Cunning) dice of lethal damage.
 
----
 
'''Hot Ichor'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may use her Rage to heat her blood, enhancing her prowess in battle or on the hunt. A raptor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player may spend Rage to increase her physical Attributes at a rate of one point of Rage per Attribute dot gained. This enhancement lasts for a number of turns equal to the Mokolé’s lowest permanent Renown category.
 
----
 
'''Lash of Ages''' — As the Red Talon Gift: Render Down.
 
''W20 Core, pg 186, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Talon can destroy any man-made substance. Plastics, alloys, and other materials not found in nature disintegrate with just a touch. Lawn chairs dissolve into oily puddles and steel melts into iron and carbon. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The character must touch the material; only materials that are not naturally occurring are viable targets. For instance, a wooden table would be unaffected, whereas a plastic table would melt to the ground. The player makes a Rage roll (difficulty 7); each success reduces twenty pounds of the target material to its base components.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Anger of the Wani''' — As the Wendigo Gift: Invoke the Spirits of the Storm.
 
''W20 Core, pg 201, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can summon nearly any weather effect she desires: Fog, tornadoes, blizzards, and thunderstorms all await her call. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower. (The difficulty varies based on how conceptually close the desired effect is to the current weather patterns of the area). The storm covers 10 miles per success. If the Garou summons a thunderstorm, she may spend Gnosis to call lightning down on her enemies (Wits + Occult to hit, 10 dice of aggravated damage).
 
----
 
'''Scream of Gaia'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Jointsnake’s Mojo'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may rejoin severed body parts without even touching them; they simply wriggle back to the stump, reattaching themselves. This Gift is taught by jointsnake-spirits.
 
System: The player need only spend one Gnosis to call back and reattach a severed body part, so long as that body part is within (Glory x 2) yards.
 
----
 
'''Wall of Granite'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' Philodox have a stronger relationship with the elementals of earth than other werewolves do; just as the earth upholds those upon it, the Philodox uphold the Litany that sustains their people. While in contact with earth or rock, the Philodox can invoke a wall to protect himself. This wall moves with the Garou, defending him from all angles. Earth elementals teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The wall's dimensions are three yards high, two yards long, and one yard thick *or similar number of meters), and if the Garou desires, it may be extended to encircle a number of allies up to the werewolf's Gnosis so long as they huddle close. It has a soak pool of 10 dice, and 15 health levels must be inflicted to penetrate it at any point. The wall lasts for one scene or until released into the earth by the Garou.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-noonday" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Noonday Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-noonday">
 
=Noonday Sun Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Fangs of Judgement'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgement but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction).
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----
 
'''Truth of Olodumare''' — As the Phildox Gift: Truth of Gaia.
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Calm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.
 
----
 
'''Strength of Purpose'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' Philodox use this Gift to fortify themselves in the face of the Apocalypse, turning hot passion and burning Rage into cold, steely resolve. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' Once per scene, the player may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). For every two successes, the Philodox recovers one point of Willpower, up to her maximum.
 
----
 
'''Tame Sunbeam'''
 
''
 
'''Description:''' The sun has long been the staunchest ally of the Mokolé, and sends his light when they need it most. A servant of Helios teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult, difficulty 6. An aura of bright sunlight surrounds the Mokolé for the rest of the scene, illuminating everything out to (successes x 2) yards.
 
----
==Level Three==
 
'''Clear Mind'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift encourages clarity of thought, no matter the distractions; it is taught by a crow-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one or more Willpower points, then chooses a Mental dice pool (such as Intelligence + Enigmas); each Willpower point spent adds one die to that pool until the sun next rises.
 
----
 
'''Weak Arm'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:'''The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Raptor’s Gaze''' — As the Fianna Gift: Balor’s Gaze.
 
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' One of the Fianna's eyes glows a livid red, and all enemies caught by his gaze are stricken with terrible agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis, then rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). For the rest of the scene, any foe at whom the Garou glares must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and exceed the player's successes or double over in pain, suffering a -5 wound penalty as though Crippled, regardless of their current health. Any characters already at Crippledd are considered incapacitated by the pain.
 
----
 
'''Strength of the Dominator'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf draws on a target's anger to feed his own. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Intimidation (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). For a number of turns equal to the successes scored, the target will lose a point of Rage per turn, while the Shadow Lord  gains that Rage. The character can use this Gift only once per target per scene.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Geas'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.
 
'''System:'''  The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.
 
----
 
'''Wisdom of the Sun''' — As the Stargazer Gift: Wisdom of the Seer, save that the Mokolé must meditate beneath Lord Sun’s face.
 
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' By gazing into the night sky for an hour, the Stargazer becomes a channel for the wisdom of the Tellurian, and can find the answer to almost any question. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If successful, the player can ask anyone a simple question of the storyteller and expect an answer that is honest, if vague and wrapped in symbolism. The clarity of the information depends on the number of successes, and it is rare to gain a complete and straightforward answer.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-setting" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Setting Sun Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-setting">
 
=Setting Sun Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Burrow'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.
 
----
 
'''Mother's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Resist Pain'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Clap of Thunder'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lords slams her hands together, creating a mighty thunderclap that stuns those who hear it. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. All characters within 20 feet (6 m) must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 8 for foes, 4 for packmates) or be stunned and unable to act for one turn. The Garou must be in Homid, Glabro, or Crinos form to use this Gift.
 
----
 
'''Paint the Meadows'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may utter pitiable moans and groans to draw prey closer. Margay-spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The victim moves closer for one turn per success; if the victim is harmed, the Gift’s effects end.
 
----
 
'''Rage of the Nest Mother''' — As the Boli Zousizhe Gift: Fu Xi’s Honor.
 
''W20 Core, pg 183, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' When confronted with a threat to a helpless member of the werewolf's family or pack, the Boli Zousizhe can rise above her normal limits to defend them. The spirit of any animal that mates for life may teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Storyteller must agree that the member of the Garou's family or pack is indeed helpless and unable to defend himself. (With rare exception, any human facing a werewolf should be considered helpless.) The player may then spend one Rage and add one die to all her character's Physical Attributes for every point of permanent Honor the character possesses, for the duration of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Warding Dance''' — As the Fianna Gift: Flame Dance.
 
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
''Description:''' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:'''The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Armor of the Tortoise'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may form a hard shell around his skin, protecting himself from harm. This Gift is taught by a turtle-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Primal-Urge, difficulty 6, and the weresaurian spends a turn in concentration. Add the number of successes rolled to the Mokolé’s soak rolls. The Gift lasts for (permanent Honor) turns, and may be used only once per scene.
 
----
 
'''Clarity'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants the ability to see through fog, pitch darkness, and invisibility, and to recognize illusions. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Stargazer attempts to see someone else's illusion, the number of successes rolled by the creator must be matched or beaten by the Garou; otherwise, this Gift negates visual penalties.
 
----
 
'''Combat Healing'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to mend his injuries without rest or hesitation - even in the heart of combat - as claws and bullets tear fresh rents in his flesh. While other Garou struggle to mend their wounds under fire, the Ahroun never stops fighting. Elemental spirits teach this Gift, although they must generally be bested in battle first.
 
'''System:''' The Ahroun no longer needs to pause or roll Stamina to heal during combat, and automatically regenerates one non-aggravated health level every round. This benefit is permanent.
 
----
 
'''Might of the Kings''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Might of Thor
 
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Clenched Jaw'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).
 
----
 
'''Hand of the Earth Lords'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' By drawing on the land's energies, the Uktena can move any one object weighing up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) simply by gesturing at it. An air elemental and an earth elemental must teach this Gift in concert.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). Concentration is necessary to move an object, which travels at roughly 20 mph (32 kph). The Garou's control lasts for one turn per success.
 
----
 
'''Halo of the Sun'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-midnight" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Midnight Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-midnight">
 
=Midnight Sun Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Darksight'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The ambient light of the Penumbra illuminates the physical world, even when darkness surrounds the Mokolé. A Lune teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point, and suffers no penalties for lack of light for the rest of the scene.
 
----
 
'''Brother's Scent'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' Drawing upon the universal brotherhood of all creatures of Gaia, the werewolf seems to fit in wherever he goes. Those given no reason to suspect the Child's presence simply overlook her. A servant of Unicorn teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (difficulty 6). All individuals not specifically on guard against intruders overlook any incongruity in the Garou's appearance - for example, a naked man covered in blood and carrying a grand klaive walking through a high society ball would draw no particular notice, nor would a wolf wandering through a residential neighborhood. The Garou isn't invisible, he simply doesn't stand out when he otherwise should, and his appearance is considered unremarkable even when he's interacted with. If the werewolf's actions alone would draw attention to himself (shouting, starting a fight, attempting to kick down a locked door) the Gift's illusion is immediately broken. Those specifically on the lookout for individuals who don't belong (security guards at a private facility, for example) don't succumb to this Gift unless their Willpower is lower than the Garou's successes on the activation roll.
 
----
 
'''Spirits of Laughter'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Midnight Sun invokes spirits of good humor, lightening everyone’s mood. A mockingbird-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all Rage rolls are made at +2 difficulty, and everyone finds it very difficult to become upset or out-of-sorts about anything.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Breaking the Tomorrow Wall'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé swims upstream through the river of Mnesis, catching vague glimpses of the future. A crane-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 6. The Mokolé gains one vague insight of the Storyteller’s choice per success.
 
----
 
'''Dreamspeak'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.
 
----
 
'''Glib Tongue'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Become Log''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Blissful Ignorance, save that the Mokolé must be in a natural environment, or one comfortable to his varna (such as a golf course’s pond for an alligator varna).
 
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
 
----
 
'''Invisibility'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Garou can vanish from sight, though she must concentrate concentrate to maintain her invisibility. She cant move faster than half normal walking speed, and cant draw attention to her herself, a servant of Uktena reaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in the open, 9 in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll. Anyone not actively seeking the Garou will not spot her at all.
 
----
 
'''Open Moon Bridge'''
 
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Fool’s Luck'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift grants temporary immunity to bad luck. A rabbit-spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The character cannot botch any rolls until the sun next rises; treat any botches as normal failures.
 
----
 
'''Shadows by the Firelight'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Take the True Form'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Philodox can force a being into its true form. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, Changing Breeds (including Garou) are forced to revert to their breed form for one turn per success. Other shapeshifted creatures such as vampires masquerading as wolves) targeted by this power are likewise forced to revert to their true forms.
 
----
 
'''Thousand Forms'''
 
''W20 Core pg 163, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.
 
----
 
</div>
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-shrouded" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Shrouded Sun Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-shrouded">
 
=Shrouded Sun Gifts=
 
==Level One==
 
'''Call the Rain''' — As the Ajaba Midnight Gift: Tears of the Heavens.
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' Raising his arms and reciting a spontaneous poem, the Ajaba calls down the rain. A sky-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 8). Success causes rain to fall across an area (Obligation) miles in diameter around the Ajaba for ten minutes per success.
 
----
 
'''Mother's Touch'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
 
----
 
'''Sense Designer''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, save that it detects the presence of the Weaver.
 
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
 
----
 
'''Sense Magic'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on  the strength and subtlety of the magic. The  Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.
 
----
 
'''Spirit Speech'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
 
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Breaking the Tomorrow Wall'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149 andd 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé swims upstream through the river of Mnesis, catching vague glimpses of the future. A crane-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 6. The Mokolé gains one vague insight of the Storyteller’s choice per success.
 
----
 
'''Command Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.
 
----
 
'''Send the Dream''' — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech.
 
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.
 
----
 
'''Walking Between Worlds''' — As the Mokolé general Gift. Shrouded, Decorated, and Eclipsed Suns alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift.
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
 
----
 
==Level Three==
 
'''Deeper Lungs'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may reserve air within herself, allowing her to live for a period of time without breathing. This Gift is taught by a turtle-spirit.
 
'''System:''' The Mokolé may hold her breath for (Stamina) hours. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
 
----
 
'''Exorcism'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.
 
----
 
'''Shadow Wings''' — As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Bird.
 
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above - an excellent reason to do so, in the eyes of the Uktena. The Garou using this Gift may hover, fly, or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and with an audible rush of mighty but unseen wings, the character takes to the air. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.
 
----
 
==Level Four==
 
'''Living Treasure'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' A Hakken can convince the spirit of a treasure in his possession to relate its history and lore. An ancestor spirit imparts this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Hakken touches the object; the player rolls Manipulation + Etiquette (difficulty 7). Each success causes the spirit to reveal one fact about itself. Hakken may use this Gift on common items as well, making it a useful tool for investigations or problem solving. This Gift may only be used once per object.
 
----
 
'''Recapitulate'''
 
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can attack enemies with their own evolutionary heritage, forcing them to retreat back down the tree of life toward a clump of cells. The foe is transformed into a lower form of life. A lungfish-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The Mokolé shouts the enemy’s name and certain Words out of time. The player spends two Gnosis points, then rolls Mnesis + Intimidation, difficulty 7. The player splits her successes between the effects of devolution and the duration. For each success spent on effect, the victim devolves through one stage of existence: for humans or Garou, one success makes him a primitive rat-like mammal, two make him a synapsid, and so on. The effect lasts for ten minutes per success spent on duration.
 
----
 
==Level Five==
 
'''Gorgon's Gaze'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The Fury's eyes burn red, gold, and green as this hideous power of legend transforms living flesh into stone with but a gaze. Difficult to find and even more dangerous to approach, legendary Basilisk teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' After making eye contact, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim is completely paralyzed for one turn per success; five successes permanently transforms the target to stone.
 
----
 
'''Malleable Spirit'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
 
'''Description:''' The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficult is based on what the garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 250px" | Change
|-
|-
! Flaw
|6
! Cost
|Characteristics (Willpower, Rage, Gnosis; one point changed per success)
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
|7
|Disposition (Friendly, Neutral, Hostile)
|-
|9
|Type (Naturae, Elemental, Bane, etc)
|-
|}
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-decorated" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Decorated Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-decorated">
=Decorated Sun Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Mercy'''
''W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' Children of Gaia see no use for lethal force when not fighting minions of the Wyrm, but even they succumb to frenzy. This Gift allows the Garou to use her natural weaponry and Rage without fear of killing her opponent. A dove spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all damage that the Garou inflicts with her own body is considered bashing. A creature "killed" by such damage merely falls unconscious, and he may heal the wounds at the usual rate for bashing damage.
----
'''Pack Tactics'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' While the Ahroun's role as the overall leader of Garou is questionable, there's no doubt at all who should take control of the pack in battle. By taking the lead and coordinating pack actions, the Ahroun gifts all her packmates with great competence in the heat of battle. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point before initiating a Pack Tactics maneuver (see W20 Core, pg 300) and divides a pool of extra dice equal to her Leadership score among everyone performing the maneuver. The dice should be divided as evenly as possible, although the player may choose where to distribute extra dice (or in case of the Ahroun's Leadership score granting fewer dice than the number of packmates involved).
----
'''Persuasion'''
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
==Level Two==
'''Call to Duty'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, ''all'' spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call - such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose.
----
'''Command the Gathering'''
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.
----
'''Dragon Drill'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' The Mokolé may organize her allies into a potent workforce, sharing any Ability known to a single member of the group with all members. This Gift can empower Mokolé, Kin, and any character with whom the Mokolé shares a totem. Ant-spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + the appropriate Skill or Knowledge (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of individuals who gain the targeted Ability at the rating of the highest-rated member of the group. This Gift’s effects last for one scene.
----
'''Walking Between Worlds''' — As the Mokolé general Gift. Shrouded, Decorated, and Eclipsed Suns alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 150''
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
==Level Three==
'''Long Running'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can make long trips far more quickly than should be possible. An air-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + (Athletics or Drive) against a difficulty of the local Gauntlet. Each success reduces the overall travel time to reach the Mokolé’s current destination by 5%.
----
'''Reshape Object'''
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
----
==Level Four==
'''Infest'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer summons a horde of vermin to invade a structure no bigger than a large building. The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area - usually a lively variety of insects, slugs, and rodents. The vermin behave according to their natural instinct, generally settling down for permanent infestation rather than attacking humans. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success warrants an immediate call to an exterminator, five makes the building completely uninhabitable for quite some time.
----
'''Shadows by the Firelight'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.
----
==Level Five==
'''Chaos Mechanics'''
''W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' Werewolves pulse with the Wyld's energy, but all creatures form and nature have something of the Weaver in them as well. Upon learning this Gift, the Glass Walker reconciles these aspects of his being, enabling him to summon primal energy and mystical form at the same time. Luna, who balances mercurial chaos into an orderly cycle of phases, sends the most powerful of her Lunes to teach this Gift.
'''System:''' A werewolf with this Gift may use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn with no penalty. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Obedience'''
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceeds the Garou's successes, or they succumb to the Gift's effects. If the werewolf wins by one success, targets follow any orders that don't directly inconvenience them. Three successes cause the targets to treat the Lord as their alpha and fight for her. Five successes make the targets follow her into the Abyss or perform virtually suicidal actions. This Gift's effects last for one full day.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-eclipsed" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Eclipsed Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-eclipsed">
=Eclipsed Sun Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Aura of Confidence'''
''W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The werewolf projects an aura of superiority, preventing attempts to find flaws or read auras (but not to read the werewolf's thoughts). An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Heightened Senses'''
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
----
'''Lambent Flame'''
''W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The werewolf causes her body to ignite with silver light. A lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point to activate the Gift. The light illuminates a 100 foot (30 m) are around the Garou for the rest of the scene. All attacks against the Garou suffer a +1 difficulty penalty while this Gift persists.
----
==Level Two==
'''Awe'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Mokolé becomes an unmistakable avatar of primal glory and majesty, crowned by the sun and cloaked in years. An avatar of Helios teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character permanently adds one die to all Charisma rolls.
----
'''Dazzle'''
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
''Description:''' The Garou can flood a target's mind with the glory and love of Gaia, rendering him harmless for a short while. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of the target's Willpower (+1 if the target is a creature of the Wyrm). As long as the target isn't attacked, he stands mutely in awe for the remainder of the scene. This Gift can be attempted against a given target only once per scene.
----
'''Walking Between Worlds''' — As the Mokolé general Gift. Shrouded, Decorated, and Eclipsed Suns alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 151''
'''Description:''' The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
==Level Three==
'''Dragon-King’s Majesty''' — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Icy Chill of Despair.
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord appears to grow larger and more imposing, becoming a terrible, shadowy version of herself. This change in aspect can severely intimidate any onlookers. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7). Anyone who means the Shadow Lord harm must make a Willpower check (difficulty 8), and score more successes than the Lord does in order to act normally. Failure means that the victims must spend a Willpower point to attack, take action against or even verbally oppose the Shadow Lord. This Gift doesn't give the Lord actual control over her intimidated victims - they're simply too spooked to actively oppose her.
----
'''Eye of the Cobra'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' With an unearthly stare, the werewolf can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.
----
'''Wrath of the Dragon''' — As the Silver Fang Gift: Wrath of Gaia.
''W20 Core, pg 194, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The werewolf shows himself in full, terrible glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou during the rest of the scene must either roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes, or flee in terror.
----
==Level Four==
'''Mastery'''
''W20 Core, pg 194, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Silver Fangs can command other Garou - even Black Spiral Dancers - to do her bidding. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the target's Wits + 3). If the rolls succeeds, the Garou can give the target one non-suicidal command, which he must obey for one turn per success. This Gift works only against Garou.
----
'''Sun Enfleshed'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Mokolé becomes a living embodiment of the sun’s holy fire. She bursts into silent, solar flames, burning her opponents with a touch. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Helios.
'''System:''' The player spends three Gnosis points to activate this Gift. Any vampires looking upon the Mokolé must roll to resist fear frenzy as though they beheld the sun at full noon, and the Mokolé’s natural weapons inflict two additional dice of aggravated damage, as well as being treated as weapons made of gold.
----
==Level Five==
'''Halo of the Sun'''
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.
----
'''Stop Continental Drift'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151''
'''Description:''' The Crowned with this powerful Gift can travel the world as though it were still the dawn of time. A journey from the shores of Africa to South America, for example, may take only a matter of days. Crocodile-spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' Once the character begins her journey, the player rolls Stamina + Rituals, difficulty 7. The Crowning leads any companions traveling with her in a song of the oldest times, of smoking mountains and gods that walk in thunder. The group passes in and out of the world as in a dream, bypassing oceans as though the land were connected as it was in the days of Pangaea.
----
</div>
----
=Rites=
As the oldest members of the Pact with the spirit world, the Mokolé employ ancient, traditional variations of many Garou rites, although notably they use few rites dealing with the Umbra.
----
==Burning the Library==
Level One, Mystic
This rite is named for the day when fire destroyed the Library of Alexandria. It can erase a memory from someone who has witnessed (or perpetrated) an event; if the rite is performed communally, remove all of the participants’ memories of the event.
'''System:''' The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7, while describing the memories that must be destroyed. She then intones the Words of Unmaking, which seek out and destroy the offending memories. For each success, one memory (up to a scene long) can be destroyed. This rite can be performed on either the ritualist herself, or others; unwilling targets must be restrained or otherwise subdued.
----
==Silence of the Oracles==
Level Two, Mystic
The Mokolé’s control of memories allows them to heal minds and well as preserving the past. This rite allows the weresaurians to protect a person from memories that cause pain or madness. The Mokolé draws the damaging aspects of a memory away, quarantining them safely within her Mnesis. No memory should be lost, especially those cataloguing the evils of an Age.
'''System:''' The ritemaster takes one memory (up to a scene in length) from the target per success, storing it in her Mnesis, removing the parts that cause him pain and suffering. The victim does not fully forget the events but has a level of detachment that locks away the pain and harm of the memory. This rite may also be used on a character suffering a Derangement or similar state. In such cases the individual acts free of the Derangement for one scene per success.
----
==Rock Art==
Level Three, Caern
The Mokolé dream memories of ages long past, but they know that weresaurians are not the only ones who might have need of what they have learned. This rite enriches Mokolé artwork with the memories she would share with future generations. Despite the name, she can infuse any form of visual art with her memories.
'''System:''' The artist rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) with the number of successes indicating the clarity of the memory stored within the art. Any character with a Gnosis trait can experience the memory by spending a point of Gnosis. The Storyteller decides how much information he gains, but even one success is sufficient to communicate the Mokolé’s basic message. In modern times nomadic Mokolé have used this rite to share current events and warnings with other shapeshifters who pass through an area.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Nuwisha">
=Gifts=
Homid Nuwisha can learn homid Garou Gifts, and latrani Nuwisha can learn lupus Gifts. Any Nuwisha can learn Ragabash Gifts. Players choose three Gifts when making Nuwisha: one breed Gift, and two general Nuwisha Gifts from the list below. Gifts listed as Umbral Danse are only available to Umbral Dansers and will not be taught to those outside of that group.
----
<div class="mw-customtoggle-nuwisha" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Nuwisha Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-nuwisha">
=Nuwisha Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Camouflage'''
''W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171''
'''Description:''' The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, the better to evade enemies or prepare ambushes. A deer spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties to spot the Garou in the wilderness increase by three.
----
'''Coyote’s Intuition'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171''
'''Description:''' By taking time to look over an individual, the Nuwisha receives a powerful gut intuition of what subject the target least wants to talk about at that moment. A coyote-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After a few moments of scrutiny, the player rolls Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target’s Willpower).
----
'''Earworm'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171''
'''Description:''' Catchy tunes often run through people’s minds and disappear as soon as they hear the next song. A Nuwisha using this Gift can make a simple tune drive the victim to despair. Some Nuwisha use this Gift constructively, singing a code-phrase or a sequence of numbers to guarantee that the listener will be able to remember them for days to come — though the coyote’s victim remains distracted all the same. A mosquito-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha hums, sings a tune or jingle while looking at his target, and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower). Success makes the sound play endlessly in the victim’s mind for one day per success. The victim can still sleep, but increases the difficulty all rolls requiring concentration and any extended action by +2.
----
'''Emperor’s Clothes'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171''
'''Description:''' Even the noblest individuals can be brought low by public embarrassment. A Nuwisha with this Gift can whisk an item of clothing off a person with a simple grab — no matter how difficult it should normally be to remove. A magpie-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha rolls Dexterity + Larceny (difficulty of the target’s Dexterity + Athletics) and pulls at the item of clothing. On a success, she grabs the garment from the target. The Gift offers no protection from an enraged, pants-less Ahroun, so the trickster had better start running. Coyote doesn’t appreciate the same joke told over and over again, so this Gift can only be used on an individual once per night.
----
'''Finders Keepers'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha whispers her victim’s name, and claims Coyote’s favor to teach him a lesson. She leaves a spiritual mark on the victim that other Nuwisha and spirits can see. Nuwisha may choose to ignore the mark and interact with the victim, but risk a loss of Renown if other Nuwisha find out. The mark compels spirits to avoid the victim until the werecoyote has taught him the error of his ways. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha spends a Gnosis point and touches the victim. Nuwisha and spirits automatically see the spirit mark, but do not know who has placed it. A spirit must roll Gnosis (difficulty equal to the Nuwisha’s Willpower) to be able to approach or communicate with the victim.
----
'''Laugh of the Vagabond'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' Hyena follows no one; instead, she laughs at those who would name themselves kings. The Bone Gnawer wields the power of this mocking laughter, allowing her to resist any attempt to command, cajole, force, or demand to do anything she doesn't wish to. Such refusals are never subtle; the werewolf cackles like a hyena when calling upon this Gift. A hyena spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' All attempts to mentally compel the werewolf suffer a +2 difficulty penalty, so long as she laughs out loud at them.
----
'''Rabbit Run''' As the Silent Strider Gift: Speed of Thought.
''W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.
----
'''Salaryman'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha is at home in any crowd, just another forgettable face — even if she’s bleeding from the gut and wearing a clown mask. As long as she’s in a group of humans, amost nobody can recognize her or pick her out. This Gift is taught by a City Father or Mother.
'''System:''' The difficulties to spot the Nuwisha in any group of three or more humans (or human-like supernatural creatures such as shapeshifters or vampires) increase by three, to a maximum of difficulty 9. This Gift is always active.
----
'''Scent of Sweet Honey'''
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.
----
'''Secret Question'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' Asked a question intended to verify someone’s identity, this Gift provides the correct answer. The Nuwisha may say anything in response and the targets hear the correct answer, be that the password to a secret society meeting or a telephone-banking password. The werecoyote does not know what the victim heard. A fly-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, difficulty 7. A single success is all that is required, but each question requires another use of the Gift — even if someone new asks a question that the Nuwisha has already answered. This Gift may also be used on websites by pranking the pattern-spider within a computer. Each field that the Nuwisha doesn’t know is a separate use of the Gift.
----
'''Sleep of the Ages'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' Sometimes the best tricks need the target to sleep through anything. This Gift ensures that northing short of physical contact will wake the sleeper. A sloth-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha must touch an already-sleeping target, and roll Gnosis (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Each success gives one hour during which nothing except direct physical contact will wake the victim.
----
'''Snake’s Skin'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.
----
'''Spirit Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Swollen Tongue'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha can cause a target’s tongue to swell with a touch, preventing speech for the rest of the scene. A spider-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character touches her target, and the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). Three or more successes also cause the target’s hands to fumble when she attempts to sign or write.
----
'''Twin-Faced Trickster''' As the Black Fury Gift: Man’s Skin.
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' Distasteful though it may be, the Black Furies sometimes find it necessary to pass unnoticed through the world of men. This Gift allows a Fury to effectively change gender in the eyes of onlookers. Her features and build become decidedly more masculine, and her garb seems of a masculine cut. Her hair, eye and skin color remain the same; the result is a man who shows a slight family resemblance to the Fury. Despite this Gift's name, it works equally well when male metis Furies employ it to disguise themselves as women. This Gift is taught by an ancestor spirit or a seahorse spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The illusion lasts for one scene per success, or until the Fury shifts form. The disguise withstands casual tactile contact, although heavy or violent contact will reveal the truth.
----
'''Two Tongues'''
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The glib words and clever schemes of the Fianna are wasted on a single mark. This Gift teaches the werewolf to talk out of both sides of her face, literally carrying on two conversations simultaneously, and to decide who hears what. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Fianna may simultaneously carry on two conversations at the same time, which need have no relation to one another. She decides which listeners hear which version of the words she's speaking. Anyone suspecting something odd about the Fianna'e behavior must roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 9) to detect the Garou's other conversation and to understand what she's saying there.
----
==Level Two==
'''Beneath the Electron Bridge'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' After spending a few minutes in conversation with her mark, the Nuwisha may intuitively grasp the exact, precise thing to say to send the target into a frothing rage. This Gift makes humans furious and provokes frenzy checks in creatures capable of them (such as Garou and vampires). Once obscure (due to the hazards of deploying it face-to-face), this Gift has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity after the discovery that it works just fine through text messages or across the internet. A flea-spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8) to come up with the perfect worst-thing-to-say.
----
'''Command Spirit''' ''(Umbral Danse)''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.
----
'''Curse of Tiresias'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may force an individual to see how the other side lives, rapping them smartly over the head and transforming them into a member of the opposite sex. A seahorse-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point (and must roll Dexterity + Brawl or Melee, difficulty 6, to strike an unwilling target; this inflicts no damage). The transformed individual bears a close resemblance to their original appearance — they appear to be an opposite-sex sibling, rather than a wholly different person. This Gift’s effects last for (Nuwisha’s Humor) days.
----
'''Distractions'''
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.
----
'''Gift of the Termite'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can cause wood and paper to rot with astonishing speed. Furniture falls apart, documents disintegrate, and buildings may even collapse. A termite spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Crafts (difficulty7). One success can rot a ream of paper, three can destroy a wall, and five can collapse the roof of a small building.
----
'''New Face'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may completely change her appearance, seeming to be of any race, gender, and canid species she desires. However, this transformation only affects her Homid and Latrani forms. A spirit servant of Kishijoten teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Expression, difficulty 6, and spends a Gnosis point. This Gift lasts for (Cunning) days.
----
'''Odious Aroma'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.
----
'''Otter’s Breath''' As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Fish.
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Any fish spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effect lasts one hour per success.
----
'''Sheep’s Clothing'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may perfectly mimic the forms, scent, and outer markings of another breed of shapeshifter (though not of a specific individual). A cuckoo-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and selects a shapeshifter to impersonate. The Nuwisha gains no mechanical benefits or special powers from her disguise — for example, she could appear to be a Corax in Corvid form, but could not fly, nor spin webs as an Ananasi, nor enjoy the incredible Strength of a Gurahl in Crinos. The disguise lasts for (Humor) days.
----
'''Suspicious Glance'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha using this Gift spreads the seeds of doubt between trusted allies. After all, close friends and lovers know just where to stick a dagger to make sure it really hurts. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player names a victim and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6). At some point in the next 24 hours the victim will suddenly suspect betrayal by one of his closest allies. While the Gift provides no rational reason, most people don’t have to look far to find a reason to fear their allies. The Nuwisha may spend a point of Gnosis when making the roll, and name two victims. Over the next 24 hours one of them will suspect betrayal by the other. The Nuwisha has no control over which will become suspicious, but he may use this Gift twice and name the two victims in reverse order to ensure they will each start to distrust the other.
----
'''Tiny Coyote'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' Sometimes a prank goes awry and a Nuwisha just needs to get the hell out of Dodge, but the only way out is a tiny hole. With this Gift the Nuwisha can crawl through the smallest spaces. This Gift is taught by a mouse-spirit.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha spends one Gnosis and instantly shrinks to whatever size is appropriate to fit into an available space, down to the size of a mouse. She cannot change forms while shrunk; in doing so she reverts to her normal size with painful consequences. If the Nuwisha enters a larger space, she automatically expands to match the space as she encounters it. She returns to normal when she first enters a space large enough to fit her usual size. She cannot shrink again without reactivating the Gift.
----
'''Voice Bank'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Nuwisha to imitate people’s voices perfectly, building up a ‘bank’ of voices that he can impersonate. A parrot-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha must listen intently while a person speaks, then rolls Perception + Expression. The difficulty depends on how much of the speaker’s voice he can sample: a few words is difficulty 8, a full minute is difficulty 7 and over half an hour is difficulty 6. Success adds that voice to the werecoyote’s collection of voices. He can perfectly imitate a voice for a scene by spending a point of Gnosis. A Nuwisha may keep as many voices as he has dots of Expression. He chooses which voice is discarded when he adds another beyond his limit.
----
==Level Three==
'''Blisters'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' With a touch, the Nuwisha covers her target in hideous blisters, causing a loss of fur and general appearance. A toad-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha touches her target and her player rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge. The blisters last for (successes gained x Humor) days, causing the target to lose three dice from all social dice pools.
----
'''False Spoor'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may change her scent to exactly match someone else’s for a scene. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6, or difficulty 8 if the Nuwisha has not sampled the target’s scent while in Latrani, Sendeh or Manabozho form). The deception lasts (Humor) days, unless she ends it earlier. A Garou or other character using Scent of the True Form (or similar ability) adds the Nuwisha’s successes to the difficulty of his roll to smell through the deception.
----
'''Fool’s Luck'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' With this Gift the Nuwisha plays games with fate itself. With the cackling of laughter she can swap good fortune for bad, twisting the strings of probability and fate between her fingers — though she has no control over the outcome. An avatar of Chung Kuel teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When the target makes a roll, the werecoyote’s player can spend a Gnosis point and roll Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Nuwisha rolls at least as many successes as her victim, his action fails as if he had rolled no successes. Set the victim’s dice aside, or make a note of the victim’s roll. The next time in the scene that the victim is called upon to make a roll, use the results of the dice roll (the numbers on the dice) that the Nuwisha interrupted. If the victim’s next action would have used a smaller dice pool or had a lower difficulty, he has a chance of great success — but if he must now use three dice showing “1, 2, 2” in place of his normal eight-dice pool, his future is very unlucky. A Nuwisha may not use this Gift on himself.
----
'''Forbidden Words'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may forbid another from speaking of a certain topic. The werecoyote need only stand in one of the target’s footprints and pronounce her ban; the target need not hear her pronouncement. Should the unlucky target of this Gift attempt to speak of the forbidden topic, he will find himself unable to speak, vomiting up vermin (flies, worms, toads, etc.) instead. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls the Nuwisha’s permanent Humor as a dice pool (difficulty 6). The Gift’s effects last for one day per success.
----
'''Gift of Rage'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173''
'''Description:''' With this Gift, the werecoyote gains Rage for a short time, with all its benefits and drawbacks. A servant of Loki teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point to gain 5 Rage points, which may be used as Garou do. This Gift may be used once per scene, and the Nuwisha may never have more than 5 Rage. While the Nuwisha has Rage, he is vulnerable to silver as Garou are, and susceptible to frenzy.
----
'''Happy Thoughts'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' With a touch, the Nuwisha takes away another’s Rage. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha touches his target and the player spends one Gnosis point. The target cannot frenzy or spend Rage for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Now You Don’t'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may veil one fairly distinct category of objects from another’s sight, such as cars, doors, trees, fences, food, or baggies of drugs. A bat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Larceny (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The objects don’t necessarily become invisible — the target sees what most logically would be there if the named object wasn’t. For example, a door would be replaced by a section of blank wall rather than a rectangular hole, while cars and fences would be replaced by nothing at all. The obscured objects remain apparent to all senses other than sight. This Gift lasts for (Humor) hours.
----
'''Pain Remains'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' Pain usually means little to the Changing Breeds, as their regenerative powers soon heal most injuries. With this Gift the Nuwisha ensures that the discomfort endures long after the injury is gone. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player selects an injured target, spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Medicine (difficulty of the target’s Stamina + Survival). The victim suffers an injury penalty equal to the number of successes (up to his current injury penalty) until the next sunset.
----
'''Raven’s Feather''' As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Bird.
''W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above - an excellent reason to do so, in the eyes of the Uktena. The Garou using this Gift may hover, fly, or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and with an audible rush of mighty but unseen wings, the character takes to the air. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.
----
'''Shadow Walk'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may pass through the Gauntlet into any aspect of the Umbra, even the Dark Umbra of the dead or the Horizon where mages gather. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Umbral Camouflage''' ''(Umbral Danse)''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift.
----
'''Umbral Sight''' ''(Umbral Danse)'' '''Pulse of the Invisible'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.
----
==Level Four==
'''Bridge Walker'''
''W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The Galliard may create minor moon bridges through which she alone can travel. Such travel takes one percent of the time the journey would take normally  , allowing the werewolf to disappear from in front of a foe and reappear behind him instantly. These moon bridges are ''not'' protected by Lunes, and may attract the interest of spirits. A Lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to create the bridge. The moon bridge lasts for only one passage, unless the player spends an additional three Willpower, in which case it lasts until the next full moon. The maximum distance that can be traversed by the bridge is the garou's Gnosis in miles (1.6 km per Gnosis dot).
----
'''Disappearing Act'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' So long as the Nuwisha remains absolutely still, he cannot be detected by any means — not even by touch or mystic senses. Cat-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and one Gnosis point. The Gift’s effects last so long as the character does not willingly move. Being unwillingly moved, such as being knocked over by someone walking into the werecoyote, does not break the Gift.
----
'''Grasp the Beyond''' ''(Umbral Danse)''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.
----
'''Locked Door''' ''(Umbral Danse)'' — As the Theurge Gift: Blurring the Mirror.
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Theurge to cloud the minds of other beings, making it impossible for them to find the Umbra or step sideways into it. Once used as a form of punishment for arrogant pups, this Gift is more often deployed as a weapon against Black Spiral Dancers in the days of the coming Apocalypse. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for every individual she wishes to affect. The Gauntlet increases by 5 for those targets for the rest of the scene. Up to five individuals can be affected at once. While normally used against other Garou, this Gift is effective against any being capable of entering the Umbra sideways, including other Fera and some mages.
----
'''Phantasm'''
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.
----
'''Trickster’s Skin'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The werecoyote may “trade skins” for a scene with a target he can perceive, taking on his victim’s voice, appearance, and scent while the victim appears to be the Nuwisha. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of target’s Primal-Urge + 3).
----
'''Cartoon Physics'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha may briefly trick the laws of gravity into forgetting that they apply to her, allowing her to run and even jump across the air — as long as she doesn’t acknowledge that she’s doing the impossible. Some tricky werecoyotes use this Gift in conjunction with Phantasm to trick a victim into stepping out onto an illusory floor that the werecoyote is comfortably ‘standing’ on. Any spirit of the air may teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 5). The Nuwisha can “stand” on nothing for one turn per success, as long as she remains broadly level with where she left solid ground — she can keep running, and even jump along where the “floor” should be. This Gift’s effects end immediately if she looks straight down.
----
'''Playing the Heart-Strings'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174''
'''Description:''' True love comes in many forms. Sometimes it runs smoothly, from a first meeting to first kiss to a lifetime together. Such simple relationships aren’t for this Gift. It is the first step in a chain of unlikely events that bring two people together. Often wildly improbable, this Gift results in relationships that work, having come through weird coincidences and bizarre misunderstandings. A Nuwisha who possesses this Gift will never know its benefits — she becomes unable to use it as soon as she enters an ongoing relationship. A bird-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha touches her target. Her player spends a point of Gnosis and a point of Willpower, then rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The target will meet someone suitable in the next scene — who he meets is outside of the Nuwisha’s control — and keep meeting them in strange circumstances over the course of the next (12 – successes) months. Each meeting is a bizarre co-incidence in an otherwise improbable situation — the star-crossed lovers don’t meet in a bar, but end up in hospital beds next to one another after a car crashes into a shopping mall, or meet when they both beat the same casino for millions of dollars. They have plentiful chances to talk and get to know one another, and at the end of the chance meetings they are able to start a surprisingly stable relationship.
This Gift doesn’t directly affect either of the lovers. Instead, it warps and twists chance, fate, and destiny to ensure the star-crossed lovers meet. While the target may feel like his life has turned into a romantic comedy, everyone around them gets caught up in events that could ruin their lives. One use of this Gift can skew the laws of chance throughout Vegas, bringing two people together but utterly ruining thousands more.
----
==Level Five==
'''Assimilation'''
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
----
'''Fetish Doll'''
''W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' Sympathetic magic is among the oldest principles of sorcery - possibly ''the'' oldest - and still as effective as it ever was. The Garou can harm his victims from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll to incorporate the prize. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The doll takes one week to construct and enchant. The player rolls Perception + Crafts (difficulty 8) to do so. When the doll is complete, the player may roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty is equal to the victim's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage on the victim, soakable if the victim is capable of doing so. After 10 successes, the doll is too mutilated to be of further use.
----
'''Ghost Danse''' ''(Umbral Danse)''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Nuwisha to exist in both the Gaia Realm and in the Umbra simultaneously. She may perceive and attack beings on either side of the Gauntlet, and may selectively avoid their attacks. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Willpower points to activate this Gift for the rest of the scene. While Ghost Dansing, the Nuwisha may perfectly avoid any attack that does not strike beings in both the Umbra and the Gaia Realm simultaneously by spending one Gnosis point per attack so dodged.
----
'''Friend and Foe'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha’s talent for infiltration is remarkable, but this Gift truly makes the trickster one with any crowd. One use of this Gift will ensure that a group will trust the werecoyote, and no member of a group would ever consider the Nuwisha to be anything other than on the level. He could walk in carrying a bloody hatchet while the police were questioning the group over a series of hatchet-killings, and everyone would leap to the Nuwisha’s defense. Any one of the Trickster aspects of Coyote may teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Nuwisha first identifies a group that he wants to be a part of — anything from a pack of Garou to the United States Senate. His player spends one Willpower and one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty of the highest Willpower in the group). Each success affects up to five individuals who will claim the Nuwisha is a legitimate member of their group and will deny any evidence to the contrary — even responding with violence if provoked. The effect lasts for (Humor) days. If the player spends one dot each of Willpower and Gnosis, the effect becomes permanent.
The Nuwisha has to make a token effort to fit in with the group, to avoid being kicked out. Even if she does find herself expelled the Gift does not end. The group’s members will still insist she was a legitimate member and may give her the opportunity to regain their favor.
----
'''Stop Hitting Yourself'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' Often, a Nuwisha’s educational tricks and pranks will have the unfortunate side effect of enraging her victims, making the werecoyote the targets of extreme and bloody violence. With this Gift, she can turn the situation on its head — attackers who try to hurt the Nuwisha just end up hurting themselves. A porcupine-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When the Nuwisha would be wounded by an attack that she failed to soak, she may instead activate this Gift by spending one Willpower point and rolling Gnosis (difficulty equal to the attacker’s Rage, or 4 for attackers who do not have Rage). On a success, the attacker takes the damage that she would have suffered. As the Nuwisha has already soaked the damage, these transferred wounds ignore armor and soak.
----
'''Ultimate Argument of Logic'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' Those who speak with the Theurge leave convinced of some fact they might otherwise have disbelieved. If successful, the Garou can cause the target to believe implicitly in one aspect of existence (true or false) - that the Earth is the center of the universe, that there is such a thing as a spirit world, or that cities are unnatural affronts to nature, for example. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player needs three successes on a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty of the target's Wits + Enigmas).
----
'''Umbral Gateway''' ''(Umbral Danse)''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175''
'''Description:''' The Nuwisha can open a portal directly into the Umbra, through which may pass only those things the werecoyote wishes. This Gift is taught by a servant of the Trickster.
'''System:''' The player spends three Gnosis points and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 8). The portal stays open as long as the werecoyote desires, to a maximum of one scene.
----
</div>
----
=Ragabash Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-ragabash" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ragabash Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-ragabash">
=Ragabash=
Luna's Gifts to the Ragabash defy tradition and conventional wisdom. Well suited to tricksters, scouts and saboteurs, the eclectic blessings of the new moon are nothing if not effective.
----
==Level One==
'''Blur of the Milky Eye'''
''W20 Core, pg 161''
'''Description:''' The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Infectious Laughter'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' Laughter is the tool with which Gaia’s tricksters promote enlightenment and the knife that slashes through the veil of Rage. When the Ragabash laughs, those around her are compelled to follow along, forgetting their grievances. A coyote  or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Ragabash must make some comment mocking the present situation in which she finds herself, then laugh at it. The player then rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the highest Rage rating of anyone listening). Success causes those who hear the Ragabash's comment and laughter to lose hold of their ire, and forget what it was that had them upset in the first place - although their temper will return if they are reminded of what the New Moon has made them forget.
----
'''Liar's Face'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash wraps herself in such a deceitful attitude that nothing she says can be trusted - not even the clear and unvarnished truth. The werewolf may make a single truthful statement, and no human who hears it will believe her. A platypus spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' After the character makes a truthful statement, the player spends one Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). This Gift is automatically effective on humans, causing them to believe the Ragabash is lying. Supernatural listeners whose Willpower is lower than the Ragabash's successes will also refuse to believe the Ragabash's words.
----
'''Open Seal'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
----
'''Scent of Running Water'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.
----
==Level Two==
'''Blissful ignorance'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.
----
'''Pulse of the Prey'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
----
'''Spider's Song'''
''W20 Core pg 161''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can steal messages from the Weaver's web, plucking them from the air or eavesdropping as they race through telephone lines. The Ragabash must be aware that conversation is happening to listen in on it (thought she doesn't have to know who's on the other end of the line). For conversations across land lines, the Ragabash must place her ear against a telephone pole or cord; to listen in on cell phone discussions (or even to intercept text messages) she need only be able to see one of the phones being used. Spider and raven spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. She listens in on the conversation (or receives mental translations of text messages) for as long as she keeps her ear to the line or keeps the cellphone user in sight.
----
'''Taking the Forgotten'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
----


==Level Three==
'''Gremlins'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|6
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
|}
----
'''Liar's Craft'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.
'''System:''' The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.
----
'''Monkey Tail'''
''W20 Core pg 162, and 159''
'''Description:''' The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).
----
'''Open Moon Bridge'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).
----
'''Pathfinder'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can strike implausible trails through pristine wilderness and the urban jungle alike, locating the fasted and shortest routes from one place to another. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Survival (for wilderness) or Streetwise (for urban environments) against difficult 7. The number of successes equals the quality of the path she blazes and how much she decreases her travel time. Every success reduces travel time by approximately 10 percent, up to a maximum of half the original travel time. The difficulty of any rolls to track the werewolf increase by two when this Gift is active; this decrease is cumulative with other similar effects, such as Scent of Running Water.
----
==Level Four==
'''Luna's Blessing'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' When Luna stands visible in the night sky, silver ceases to act as a bane to the Garou. Indeed, when the moon waxes full, silver may well turn on those who would wield it against Gaia's children. A Lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When the moon shows in the sky in a visible phase, the character suffers lethal or bashing damage from silver, rather than aggravated (damage type depends on the form of attack - a silver-headed cane would do bashing damage, while silver bullets inflict lethal damage). Additionally, all attacks against werewolf with silver weapons at this time are considered to roll a 1 in addition to all dice actually rolled - or a pair of 1s during the full moon. The Garou retains his normal vulnerability to silver during the day, on nights of the new moon, and when the moon is below the horizon.
----
'''Umbral Dodge'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash finds that the best way to deal with an enemy is to send him far away - perhaps to a place where he'll learn the folly of his ways. She may tear open a hole in the Gauntlet while dodging an enemy's attack, sending him to the land of spirits. A trapdoor-spider spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When attempting to dodge a close-range attack, the player spends one Gnosis point and increases the difficulty of the dodge by one, or to the rating of the local Gauntlet, whichever is higher. If the dodge succeeds in avoiding the attack completely, the attacker is dropped into the Penumbra (or into the physical world if this Gift is used in the Penumbra).
----
'''Whelp Body'''
''W20 Core pg 162''
'''Description:''' The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.
----
==Level Five==
'''Thieving Talons of the Magpie'''
''W20 Core pg 163''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued might be exempt, at the Storyteller's discretion). Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Ragabash steals the targeted power, depriving the owner of its use. Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Ragabash who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2). The Garou may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn. The werewolf's Ggnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Ragabash must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!"). This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.
----
'''Thousand Forms'''
''W20 Core pg 163''
'''Description:''' The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.
----
==Level Six==
'''Firebringer'''
''W20 Core, pg 164''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash performs the ultimate trick, stealing a supernatural power and turning it into a Gift, which may in turn be bestowed upon others as though the New Moon were a spirit teacher. Alas, the Ragabash must first survive having the power used upon him. Coyote or another trickster Incarna teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After having a power used on him, the Ragabash may spend one point of permanent Gnosis to internalize it into a Gift. The Ragabash cannot use this Gift himself, and in fact forfeits all defenses against that power if ever used on him in the future; it exists instead as a treasure to bequeath upon the Garou Nation. Any power may become a Gift in this fashion - even the vile magic of the Wyrm may be stolen and turned to the defense of Gaia. The Storyteller determines the new Gift's appropriate level and what sort of spirit Garou should be able to learn it from. In the case of mages, this power steals particular rotes rather than entire Spheres.
----


</div>
</div>


==Ghouls and Revenant Flaws==
----
 
=Breed Gifts=
 
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homid">
 
=Homid Gifts=
 
Homid Gifts involve humanity's skills and abilities, not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Mankind's struggle to dominate the natural world has given humans great control over their environment, but also alienated them from the world they live in, producing a disquiet of the soul. Because humans have become strangers to the world of spirit, many homid breed Gifts are taught by ancestors rather than by nature spirits.
 
----
 
==Level One==
 
'''Apecraft's Blessing'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Though many of Gaia's children use tools, none have mastered them so thoroughly as humanity. The homid focuses this mastery into the tools she uses, causing their spirits to awaken and lend her aid. An ancestor-spirit or spirit of a man-made object teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The werewolf spends a turn concentrating, and then the player rolls Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success reduces the difficulty by one on the next roll she makes for her character to employ a tool made by human hands. The purpose is irrelevant—this Gift is equally efficacious for attempts to repair an engine, drive a car or fire a gun.
 
----
 
'''City Running'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.
 
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.
 
----
 
'''Master of Fire'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 152''
 
'''Description:''' Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.
 
----
 
'''Persuasion'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
 
----


<div class="mw-customtoggle-grflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ghoul and Revenant Flaws</div>
'''Smell of Man'''
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-grflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.
 
'''System:''' Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|-
! Flaw
|4
! Cost
|Computer
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
|5
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
----
'''Mark of the Wolf'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' The werewolf marks those she comes in contact with, leaving them to carry the same aura of the predator the Garou does. This subtle curse can wreak havoc in a target's private or professional life, and is a favorite of many homids looking to provoke discord in the ranks of the enemy. A Lune teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player selects a target that has had some interaction with the Garou during the scene (even something as simple as a light conversation in an elevator counts), then rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The target inherits the Curse (see pg 262 of the W20 Core book) as though she had a Rage rating equal to that of the Garou for one day per success.
----
'''Speech of the World'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
----
'''Staredown'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.
----
==Level Three==
'''Calm the Savage Beast'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.
----
'''Cowing the Bullet'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.
----
'''Disquiet'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.
----
'''Reshape Object'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
----
==Level Four==
'''Body Shift'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Bury the Wolf'''
''W20 Core, pg 154''
'''Description:''' The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 125px" | Duration
|-
|1
|One scene
|-
|2
|12 hours
|-
|3
|One day
|-
|4
|One week
|-
|5
|One lunar cycle
|-
|}
|}
----
'''Cocoon'''
''W20 Core, pg 155''
'''Description:''' The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.
----
'''Spirit Ward'''
''W20 Core, pg 155''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Assimilation'''
''W20 Core, pg 155''
'''Description:''' A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.
----
'''Beyond Human'''
''W20 Core, pg 155''
'''Description:''' The Garou is human plus - Human plus strength, agility and health. Human plus devoted, assured spirituality and meaning. Human plus animal instinct and lightning reflexes. Human plus righteous fury with which to meet the Apocalypse. He is a man, but greater. Every Garou radiates this to some extent, but this Gift warps that perception, changing the Garou from a figure to be avoided to one to be admired or adored. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Once learned, this Gift's effects are permanent. Humans dealing with the werewolf instinctively pick her out as more desirable, important, and interesting than those around her - regardless of the character's capacity in such matters. The Curse still applies, but rather than being instinctively feared as a predator, the werewolf becomes an intimidating figure of great presence. Finally, the character may boost her Social Attributes by spending Rage or Gnosis. Each dot of either spent raises one Social Attribute by one point for the rest of the scene. Social Attributes may be raised above 5 in this fashion.
----
'''Part the Veil'''
''W20 Core, pg 155''
'''Description:''' This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-lupus" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Lupus Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-lupus">
=Lupus Gifts=
Lupus Gifts reflect the breed's powerful ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.
==Level One==
'''Hare's Leap'''
''W20 Core, pg 158''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
----
'''Heightened Senses'''
''W20 Core, pg 158''
'''Description:''' This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.
----
'''Sense Prey'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.
----
'''Predator's Arsenal'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' One of the most unnerving aspects of the Homid shape is its lack of proper weapons. This Gift remedies that problem (while still retaining much of the Homid shape's ability to blend in with the human world), granting the Garou battle-ready claws and teeth in Homid form. It is taught by a wolf spirit.
'''System:''' The werewolf concentrates for a turn to gain access to bite and claw attacks in Homid form for the rest of the scene, or until she dismisses the transformation. These attacks inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage, and may be concealed by simple expediencies such as the werewolf keeping her mouth closed, wearing long sleeves or keeping her hands in her pockets. She can even speak normally without giving herself away, as long as she's careful not to open her mouth too wide or smile so that her teeth show, although her voice sounds rough and a bit distorted (attempting to discern that there's something amiss with a Garou taking such precautions requires a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 9).
----
'''Prey Mind'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' As Gaia dies and her natural order is perverted, predators become prey with increasing frequency - this is a sorrowful truth that lupus know all too well. This Gift assists the Garou in evading their enemies that they might fight another day, showing them places to hide, ways to run, and even chances to strike back. A hare or deer spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Primal Urge; difficulty 7 in the wilderness, 9 in urban environments. Each success adds one die to all pools made to escape, out-distance, hide from or evade pursuit for the remainder of the scene.
----
==Level Two==
'''Axis Mundi'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Eye of the Eagle'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the werewolf to see over impossibly long distances, though not through obstacles - good vantage points are invaluable, and this Gift is in much demand among caern guardians. It is taught by an eagle spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of miles added to the Garou's clear visual range.
----
'''Name the Spirit'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
----
'''Scent of Sight'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.
----
==Level Three==
'''Cat Feet'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.
----
'''Monkey Tail'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).
----
'''Sense the Unnatural'''
''W20 Core, pg 159''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
----
'''Silence the Weaver'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The lupus releases a shattering howl, destroying all nearby delicate electronics - computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and the like. Simpler machines such as land line phones, cars, and firearms are unaffected. A storm spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The lupus spends a turn howling. The player then spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge. Delicate electronics are destroyed within a radius of (20 x successes) yards (or meters) in a flash of sparks.
----
'''Strength of Gaia'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The Goddess blesses the lupus with the fullness of his might when he wears the most natural of his skins. While wearing lupus form, the Garou enjoys the full might of Crinos. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. His lupus form base strength increases by four, rather than the normal one, for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Four==
'''Beast Life'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
----
'''Gnaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Scream of Gaia'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.
----
'''Terror of the Dire Wolf'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' Wolves haunt the ancestral nightmares of humanity, and of those monsters that were once human. The werewolf lets out a fierce snarl that triggers primordial terror in opponents and drowns them in the Delirium. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or, if he is affecting a group, the highest Willpower represented). If successful, the werewolf invokes the full effect of the Delirium on any human, formerly human, or partly human creature who can see her - including those normally immune to the Delirium, such as mages and vampires. Only other werewolves and Fera are immune. It may be used in any form, although Homid and Glabro raise the difficulty of the Primal Urge roll by one.
----
==Level Five==
'''Elemental Gift'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).
----
'''Song of the Great Beast'''
''W20 Core, pg 160''
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
----
</div>
----
=Rites=
Nuwisha make use of most Garou rites. They also know a few rites that they have never shared with the Garou, the most important of which are detailed below.
----
==Rite of Dansing==
Level Two, Renown
This Rite is the first step on the path of the Umbral Danser. The Nuwisha must fast for three full days after devouring peyote. During this time the Nuwisha must recite all past experiences in battling the Wyrm, travelling the Umbra, and teaching other Changing Breeds the error of their ways.
'''System:''' One Gnosis is spent per day; at the end of the three days, the Nuwisha rolls Manipulation + Enigmas, difficulty 7. A success indicates the Nuwisha has been accepted by the Trickster and can purchase Umbral Danser Gifts. Failure means the Nuwisha has not suitably impressed the Trickster yet and must wait a full year before trying again.
----
==Sing Back the Dead==
Level Five, Mystic
Only one Nuwisha on Earth knows this rite at any given time. With it, the dead can be called back to life with a song. Just as Coyote is the only being who can teach this rite, only he can authorize its use — and the consequences for defying his judgment on the matter are invariably lethal.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of permanent Gnosis to resurrect an individual.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Ratkin">
=Gifts=
Ratkin begin play one breed Gift, one aspect Gift, and one general Gift. Various rat- or rodent-spirits teach almost all Ratkin Gifts.
----
<div class="mw-customtoggle-ratkin" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Ratkin Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-ratkin">
=General Ratkin Gifts=
==Level One==
'''City Running'''
''W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.
----
'''Cloak of Shadows'''
''W20 Changing Breedds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin can hide himself, and anyone he’s touching, in shadows. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 6). The Ratkin and a number of others equal to his successes gain one automatic success on all Stealth rolls for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Darksight'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' All Ratkin have a degree of night vision; this Gift magnifies that ability. A night-spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' When the Ratkin activates its night vision (see Traits, p. 182), the enhancement lasts for eight hours and grants perfect vision in the dark. The player rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7); each success adds one die to all Perception rolls for the rest of the scene (maximum of three extra dice). With five successes, the Ratkin might even see sound or sense heat signatures.
----
==Level Two==
'''Crawling Chaos''' — As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Lizard.
''W20 Core, pg 197''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's hands and feet sprout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing her to climb across or cling to any surface - even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings. A gecko spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character can move across any solids surface at her normal walking speed. Staying attached to a vertical surface or ceiling while taking any more strenuous movement (fighting, moving faster than a walking speed, attempting to dislodge a steam grate) requires a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 7).
----
'''Deep Pockets'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin can store innumerable items about his person, far more than should be possible. A packrat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Enigmas. Each success lets the character hide one extra item (small enough to be held in one hand) somewhere on his person. If searched, none of these items will turn up. Once an item is removed from hiding, this Gift must be used again to put it back.
----
==Level Three==
'''Backbite'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The wererat disappears and instantly reappears behind an opponent up to 50 feet away. This Gift is taught by grasshopper mouse-spirits.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the victim must be within line-of-sight. The wererat can immediately attack in the same turn at –2 difficulty.
----
'''Squeeze'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' So long as there is any sort of a crack or opening (no matter how small), a Ratkin can slip through an otherwise solid object to the other side. This Gift only works to pass through objects that are a yard or less in depth: a locked door, a wall, or a bank vault, but not a mountain. Air-spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 6). With a success, the Ratkin is able to squeeze through the opening and emerge on the other side. Three or more successes allow the wererat to pull another person through with him.
----
==Level Four==
'''Attunement'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.
----
'''Gnaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Riot'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Goft plays on the hatred and fear of the down and outs of the city: the poor, the homeless, immigrants, and others the citizenry would rather not acknowledge. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a limited degree. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice - though things tend to escalate and spin out of control easily. The riot engulfs an area with a radius of one mile per success rolled.
----
'''Survivor'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The werewolf becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need of food, water, or sleep. She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons. Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her. A tortoise spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival. The effects last for one day per success. Bu spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the Gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later. The Garou must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.
----
</div>
----
=Breed Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-homid" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Homid Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-homid">
=Homid Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Cooking'''
''W20 Core, 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer takes up a small pot (an old coffee can will do) and a spoon, and fills it with whatever he can find - cigarette butts, beer cans, old newspapers, dead leaves, whatever - adds water (spit will do), and stirs. The result is a pasty and bland tasting, but filling and nutritious mush. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 6). The resulting meal feeds one person per success.
----
'''Eau de Rat''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Odious Aroma.
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.
----
'''Persuasion'''
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
==Level Two==
'''Filch'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The wererat becomes an expert at using misdirection to take what he wants, whenever he wants. Chipmunk-spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' The character permanently adds three dice to all Larceny actions to steal something in plain sight (such as by pickpocketing).
----
'''Instinct'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' This Gift forces its target to indulge his basest impulses for one turn. The Ratkin must provoke the victim’s reaction in some way. Mouse-spirits teach this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls permanent Rage (difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower). The target loses all restraint and impulse control for one turn.
----
==Level Three==
'''Ratman'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' With a bit of practice, the wererat learns to assume a new form between Homid and Crinos, rather like a Garou’s Glabro form. Though still mostly human, this new form gains exaggerated “ratlike” features: beady eyes, a long nose, gnarled hands, sharp incisors. A City Mother or City Father teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This form may be assumed in the same fashion as werewolves assume Glabro form, as a permanent ability. The Ratman’s traits are: Dexterity +2, Charisma +1 (to rats), Charisma –1 (to humans), and Perception +2. The difficulty of Subterfuge and Stealth rolls’ difficulties are reduced by 2, and the character may make claw attacks which inflict lethal damage.
----
'''Reshape Object'''
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.
----
==Level Four==
'''Blink'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer can duck into a shaded area (an open dumpster, a dark alley, beneath a parked car) and pop out in another shaded area some distance away. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 6). The character can reappear in any shaded area within (number of successes x 20) yards (18 m per success).
----
'''Body Wrack'''
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186''
'''Description:''' Pouring her Rage and pain into an opponent, the Fury induces debilitating agony. Victims tend to fall to the ground, screaming between convulsions. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 3). If successful, the target is left stunned and convulsing for one round per success. Additionally, the target subtracts one die from all rolls for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Ugly Truth''' — As the homid Gift: Part the Veil. The Ratkin must bite a human to transmit this Gift.
''W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-metis" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Metis Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-metis">
=Metis Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Form Mastery'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Rat Mother’s Touch''' — As the Theurge Gift: Mother’s Touch.
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
----
'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
==Level Two==
'''Spirit of the Spiny Rat''' — As the metis Gift: Gift of the Porcupine, but only usable in Rodens form.
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.
'''System:''' The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.
----
'''Stink''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Gift of the Skunk.
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.
'''System:''' The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.
----
==Level Three==
'''Rat Thing'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' With a bit of practice, the Ratkin can learn to take on a form between Crinos and Rodens, rather like the Garou Hispo form. The result is a giant, lumbering Rat Thing: a long, furry quadrupedal rodent the size of a St. Bernard. A capybara-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This form may be assumed in the same fashion as werewolves assume Hispo form, as a permanent ability. The form’s traits are: Strength +4, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1, Manipulation 0, and the brute can move at triple normal running speed.
----
'''Sliver Tooth'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin’s incisors leave behind nasty splinters in the wound when used to bite her enemies. Beaver-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' After a successful bite attack, the player spends one Rage point. Any damage inflicted cannot be healed until all the splinters are removed (requiring five successes on an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll, difficulty 6).
----
==Leve Four==
'''Rattler's Bite'''
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The metis's eyeteeth lengthen, and she can inject a deadly poison with her bite. Spider and snake spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point when attempting to bite an opponent. If the bite is successful, any remaining damage after soak is doubled.
----
'''Whelp Body'''
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.
----
==Level Five==
'''War of Vengeance''' — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast.
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-rodens" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Rodens Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-rodens">
=Rodens Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Absolute Balance''' — As the Stargazer Gift: Balance.
''W20 Core, pg 195, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Leap of the Kangaroo Rat''' — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap.
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
----
'''Survival'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin can sustain himself with his own Gnosis. A kangaroo rat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Survival, difficulty 6. The character need not eat or drink for one day.
----
==Level Two==
'''Devour the Dead'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' This gruesome Gift is used to clean up messes. The Ratkin summons a swarm of rat-spirits to consume a dead body, removing all physical evidence it was there. An avatar of Rat teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The body is gone three turns later, all possessions carried off into the Umbra, probably never to be seen again.
----
'''Scamper'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187''
'''Description:''' This Gift makes a fleeing Ratkin much harder to hit. A rat-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Once the character decides to flee from the battle, the player may spend one Gnosis point to add four dice to all dodge attempts. If the Ratkin changes her mind and stays in place, turns to fight, or returns to the fray in the same scene, the Gift ends and she immediately loses all remaining Rage and Gnosis.
----
==Level Three==
'''Rat Thing'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' With a bit of practice, the Ratkin can learn to take on a form between Crinos and Rodens, rather like the Garou Hispo form. The result is a giant, lumbering Rat Thing: a long, furry quadrupedal rodent the size of a St. Bernard. A capybara-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This form may be assumed in the same fashion as werewolves assume Hispo form, as a permanent ability. The form’s traits are: Strength +4, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1, Manipulation 0, and the brute can move at triple normal running speed.
----
'''Sliver Tooth'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin’s incisors leave behind nasty splinters in the wound when used to bite her enemies. Beaver-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' After a successful bite attack, the player spends one Rage point. Any damage inflicted cannot be healed until all the splinters are removed (requiring five successes on an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll, difficulty 6).
----
==Level Four==
'''Mind of the Swarm'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The wererat with this Gift is able to command a horde of mundane rats through sheer will. An avatar of Rat teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken; the effects last for the Ratkin’s Obligation in hours. Each success allows the Ratkin to command up to ten rats.
----
'''Rat Emperor’s Wisdom''' — As the lupus Gift: Beast Life.
''W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.
'''System:''' The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.
----
'''Feral Lobotomy'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Ggarou can destroy the target's intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.
----
</div>
----
=Aspect Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-tunnelrunner" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Tunnel Runner Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-tunnelrunner">
=Tunnel Runner Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Danger Sense'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' When a ship is sinking, the rats leave first. The Tunnel Runner gains an instinctive flash of warning when danger is near. Rat-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Storyteller warns the character when danger is imminent (though not the nature of the threat) one turn before it appears. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Silent Running'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin can hide his tracks from all means of detection, supernatural or otherwise. Wind-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Subterfuge. The Ratkin leaves behind no physical traces of his passage for the rest of the scene, and any magical tracking attempt raises its difficulty by 1 per success to a maximum of 9.
----
==Level Two==
'''Sigil''' - As the Corax Gift: Word Beyond, but also functions outside the Umbra.
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Corax to create a message out of any available materials while in the Umbra, which can be instinctively understood by other wereravens. One of Coyote’s brood teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to create a marker out of nearby Umbral materials. The number of successes indicates the complexity of the message that can be encrypted into the marker; one success would suffice for simple concepts such as “danger” or “safe haven,” while five successes could convey complex concepts equivalent to a short essay. Non-Corax cannot read these markers.
----
'''Urban Camouflage'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The wererat becomes utterly nondescript, fading from notice. A fog spirit teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Stealth (difficulty 8). Success makes the Ratkin unnoticeable so long as he stays in a crowd and takes no violent actions. This Gift doesn’t work during combat.
----
==Level Three==
'''Bolt!'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' Fighting to the death is for suckers. This Gift allows the Ratkin to escape a fight he can’t win. This Gift is taught by a kangaroo rat-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the Ratkin can teleport up to 50 feet toward the nearest exit within his line-of-sight.
----
'''Evasion''' — As the Fianna Gift: Flame Dance.
''W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
''Description:''' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:'''The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.
----
==Level Four==
'''Speak in Tongues''' — As the homid Gift: Speech of the World.
''W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Cheese It!'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Tunnel Runner’s entire pack to escape from danger. This Gift is taught by a kangaroo-rat spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends three points of Gnosis and Rage. Every member of the wererat’s pack, including herself, benefits from the effects of Bolt! They need not all teleport toward the same exit.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-seer" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Shadow Seer Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-seer">
=Shadow Seer Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Rat Mother’s Touch''' — As the Theurge Gift: Mother’s Touch
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.
----
'''Sense Weaver''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, but detecting Weaver emanations.
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
'''Sense Wyrm'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.
----
==Level Two==
'''Name the Spirit'''
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
----
'''Spirit Snare'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.
----
==Level Three==
'''Command Spirit'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.
----
'''Exorcism'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.
----
==Level Four==
'''Pulse of the Invisible'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.
----
==Level Five==
'''Feast of the Dead'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' By devouring the heart or brain of another, the Ratkin temporarily gains some of that individual’s power. This Gift is taught by a rat-spirit.
'''System:''' After eating the heart or brain of another supernatural being, the Ratkin gains three of its powers (chosen at random by the Storyteller) for the next 24 hours. This Gift can only be used once on a single corpse.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-skulker" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Knife Skulker Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-skulker">
=Knife Skulker Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Rat’s Judgment''' - As the Philodox Gift: Fangs of Judgement, but also works against all humans with any trace of Wyrm-taint, no matter its origin.
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgement but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction).
----
'''Sticky Paws'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin snatches away an opponent’s weapon and may wield it himself. An avatar of Rat teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Melee (difficulty of the victim’s Dexterity + 3). The victim cannot resist; such is the nature of the Gift.
----
'''Truth of Gaia'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.
----
==Level Two==
'''Chitter''' - As the Get of Fenris Gift: Snarl of the Predator.
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Garou lets out a feral snarl that terrifies opponents and cows them into submission. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits +3). Each success subtracts one die from an opponent's dice pool for the next three turns. This Gift takes one full turn to invoke.
----
'''Stalk''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Pulse of the Prey.
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.
----
==Level Three==
'''Doppelganger'''
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188''
'''Description:''' The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).
----
'''Paralyzing Stare'''
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn, rendering her unable to move or attack (though she may still defend herself). The target must be able to see the Garou.
----
==Level Four==
'''Open Wounds'''
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The werewolf causes the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening his opponent further. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, suffering one unsoakable lethal damage per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.
----
==Level Five==
'''Geas'''
''W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.
'''System:'''  The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-blade" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Blade Slave Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-blade">
=Blade Slave Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Fatal Flaw'''
''W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.
----
'''Resist Pain'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Slicing Teeth''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Razor Claws, but works with bite attacks.
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.
----
==Level Two==
'''Curse of Hatred'''
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.
----
'''Rat’s Teeth'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' As long as the Ratkin has at least one throwing weapon to hand (Nezumi prefer shuriken and kunai; most Ratkin make do with knives, bricks, and bits of broken glass), she may pull an infinite supply of similar projectiles from various places on her person. This Gift is taught by a gopher-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage, enjoying infinite duplicates of the selected throwing weapon for the rest of the scene. All duplicate weapons somehow get lost, carried off by spirit rats, etc., and vanish into the Umbra within half an hour.
----
==Level Three==
'''Bolt!'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188 and 189''
'''Description:''' Fighting to the death is for suckers. This Gift allows the Ratkin to escape a fight he can’t win. This Gift is taught by a kangaroo rat-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the Ratkin can teleport up to 50 feet toward the nearest exit within his line-of-sight.
----
'''Improvisation'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' Anything may become a lethal weapon in the Blade Slave’s hands. Any of Rat’s brood can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. Whatever improvised weapon the Ratkin seizes may be used to make difficulty 6, Strength + 2 attacks, with damage type determined by the prop in question.
----
==Level Four==
'''Persecution Complex''' — As the Stargazer Gift: Preternatural Awareness.
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Stargazer attunes all her senses to her surroundings, becoming preternaturally aware of her opponent's doings and allowing her to anticipate them somewhat. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Athletics (difficulty 7). All opponents' dice pools to hit the Garou decrease by a number of dice equal to the successes rolled. This penalty applies even if the werewolf cannot see the attack coming. This Gift's effects last for one scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Blessed Frenzy''' — As the Stargazer Gift: Circular Attack.
''W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''DDescription:''' The greatest Stargazers have no fear of fighting even a horde of opponents. They can not only avoid their foes' attacks, but can channel those attacks toward other enemies. Thus the Stargazer's flowing movements turn a mob of murderous fomori into a weapon directed against itself. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Wits of any present opponent + 3). Each success enables the Garou to perfectly dodge one attack ''or'' to redirect one attack directed at her to strike a different target during that turn. The Stargazer may not use this Gift multiple times in one turn or spend Rage during the same turn, although she may take multiple actions in the standard fashion.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-engineer" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Engineer Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-engineer">
=Engineer Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Control Simple Machine'''
''W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Garou may command the spirits of the simplest machines, causing levers to flip, doors to unbolt, pulleys to roll, and so on. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:'''The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Garou's control lasts until the end of the scene.
----
'''Open Seal'''
''W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.
----
'''Trash is Treasure'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The refuse of humanity provides all the canny Bone Gnawer needs. Through the use of this Gift, any broken object can be temporarily restored to full functionality and usefulness. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player takes hold of a broken object and rolls Wits + Crafts. The object functions perfectly for one turn per success, and also supplies its own power, fuel, or ammunition - a dull knife cuts, a busted microwave runs (without being plugged in to anything) an old rusty Saturday night special fires even without bullets, a junked car starts up and runs. The lifespan of the object's renewed usefulness can be extended to one full day by spending a point of Willpower, but the object requires proper power, fuel, and ammunition in such circumstances.
----
==Level Two==
'''Mousetrap'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Engineer is at his best when at his worst. Able to call up an uncanny burst of ingenuity when up against the wall, this Gift allows him to build a trap out of anything at hand. This gift is taught by a packrat-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Craft — the difficulty depends on how much spare material is laying around to work with. Success allows the Ratkin to McGyver together some manner of insane death trap in (15 – Cunning) minutes.
----
'''Power Surge'''
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.
----
==Level Three==
'''Control Complex Machine'''
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' Similar to Control Simple Machine, the Glass Walker may now converse with and command the spirits of electronic devices such as computers, smart phones, and cars. A Net Spider teaches this gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Science or Computer. The Storyteller sets the difficulty based on how complex the machine is (8 for a standard laptop). The Garou's control lasts for one scene.
----
'''Electroshock'''
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Glass Walkers are the tribe of glass, steel, and electricity. This last element can be used to directly damage opponents that the Glass Walker can either touch, or who are touching a conductive material such as metal or water. An electricity spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a number of Rage points. Each point of Rage spent inflicts two levels of aggravated wounds on the Glass Walker's opponents. These levels of damage may be divided among as many opponents as the number of rage points invested in this Gift. As usual, the character cannot spend more Rage than half of his permanent rating in one turn.
----
==Level Four==
'''Battery'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin Engineer scrambles together some means of energizing himself or other wererats. This is likely to involve a mixture of electricity, packs of store-bought batteries, energy drinks, illegal drugs — or a fusion of all of the above. This Gift is taught by a squirrel-spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Wits + Craft and spends one point of Gnosis to create the “pick-me-up,” which then may be administered at any point within the next (Cunning) days; after that, it loses its potency. The Gift’s beneficiary may increase a physical Attribute by one per two successes rolled, for the duration of a scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Death Ray'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The wererat can discharge energy through his fingertips. Granted, he needs to hook himself up to a car battery or wall outlet for a few hours a day, but hey — Death Ray. So worth it. An electric elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must spend at least an hour “meditating” while attached to a supply of electricity. Afterwards, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Infamy (difficulty 6) to aim the Death Ray. It has a range of 50 feet, and inflicts (Rage + Gnosis) dice of aggravated damage. The Death Ray can be shot once per hour spent “juicing up.”
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-plague" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Plague Lord Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-plague">
=Plague Lord Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Poison Food'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The Plague Lord may afflict food around him with a terrible pestilence. Fly-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas. All food within (Infamy x 5) feet of the character becomes temporarily poisonous, inflicting (successes) lethal damage to anyone that eats it during that scene.
----
'''Sniffle'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' Germs, microbes, and even the dust in the air conspire to protect the Plague Lord, betraying the presence of his enemies. This Gift is taught by a disease-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point when she suspects there are others lurking nearby. Any concealed character within (Infamy x 3) yards sneezes, coughs, or otherwise gives away their position.
----
'''Toxic Hate''' — As the metis Gift: Primal Anger.
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189''
'''Description:''' The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.
'''System:''' The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).
----
==Level Two==
'''Blur of the Weeping Eyes''' — As the Hakken Gift: Dark of Night, save that the character spits at her victim rather than spilling ink. The Gift causes the victim’s eyes to swell and become so rheumy that he cannot see. Sewage-spirits teach this Gift.
''W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' A Hakken can cause an opponent to become temporarily blinded. Hakken reserve such underhanded tactics for use against minions of the Wyrm. This Gift comes from a raven spirit.
'''System:''' The Hakken spills a vial of ink; the player spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Gnosis (if any). Each success blindds the victim for an hour.
----
'''Stink''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Gift of the Skunk.
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.
'''System:''' The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.
----
==Level Three==
'''Lesions''' — As the Garou Gift: Halt the Coward’s Flight, but transmitted via bite; impedes movement as sores and lesions appear on the target’s legs and feet. Flea-spirits teach this Gift.
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Get may slow a fleeing (not charging) foe, making him easier to catch. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Garou must spend one turn concentrating, and the player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the target's speed is halved for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Venom Blood'''
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake or spider spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the roll.
----
==Level Four==
'''Inflict Pain'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Plague Lord has such mastery over disease that he can control precisely how much pain his victims feel. This Gift is taught by a Pain-spirit
'''System:''' The character must successfully bite or claw his victim to use this Fitt. Spend a point of Rage and roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty of your target’s Gnosis, or 4). Your victim suffers a penalty to all dice pools equal to half your successes (rounding up, maximum –3) for the rest of the scene. Gifts and powers that reduce wound penalties also reduce these penalties.
----
==Level Five==
'''Epidemic Contagion'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Plague Lord gains the ability to make his disease magic communicable and highly contagious. This Gift is taught by rat-spirits.
'''System:''' If the victim of Blur of the Weeping Eyes, Lesions, or Inflict Pain comes within a yard or so of another person while under the effects of those Gifts, that person must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 7) or also contract the Gift’s ailment. He, in turn, also becomes contagious as if Epidemic Contagion had been successfully activated on him. Ratkin are immune to the spread of these ailments.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-munchmausen" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Munchmausen Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-munchmausen">
=Munchmausen Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Persuasion'''
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
'''Spirit Speech'''
''W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Tale Spinning''' — As the Ragabash Gift: Liar’s Craft.
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.
'''System:''' The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.
----
==Level Two==
'''Name the Spirit'''
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).
----
'''Umbral Camouflage'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift.
----
==Level Three==
'''Improvisation'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189 and 190''
'''Description:''' Anything may become a lethal weapon in the Blade Slave’s hands. Any of Rat’s brood can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. Whatever improvised weapon the Ratkin seizes may be used to make difficulty 6, Strength + 2 attacks, with damage type determined by the prop in question.
----
'''Taste of Madness'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Munchmausen constructs a brief variant of reality for his victim to experience. This must be summarized in one sentence of no more than ten words (“a world where apes evolved from men,” “dinosaurs are on the loose in this mall,” etc). Fungal-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the victim believes the delusion as truth for one hour per success.
----
==Level Four==
'''Whispered Dreams''' — As the Fianna Gift: Phantasm.
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.
----
==Level Five==
'''Hyperattenuation'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Arcadian Ratkin can exaggerate any one sense to legendary proportions. She might hear footsteps through the ground seven leagues away, smell a single human breath through a mile of sewer pipes, or read the newspaper over the shoulder of a businessman sitting in a public park… from atop a rooftop five miles away. This Gift is taught by a Wyldling.
'''System:''' Spend one Willpower point and roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 9) to activate the Gift. It lasts for one scene.
----


</div>
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-twitcher" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Twitcher Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-twitcher">
=Twitcher Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Firebug'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
''Description:''' By focusing her anger, the Twitcher can ignite flammable materials within ten feet — paper, wood, cloth — that are not being worn or carried. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage and rolls Infamy to ignite the flame; only one success is needed.
----
'''Sense Weaver''' — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, but detecting Weaver emanations.
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.


----
----


=Wraith Flaws=
'''Toxic Hate''' — As the metis Gift: Primal Anger.


<div class="mw-customtoggle-wflaws" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Wraith Flaws</div>
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wflaws">


{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
'''Description:''' The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.
 
'''System:''' The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).
 
----
 
==Level Two==
 
'''Cornered Rat's Ferocity'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
 
'''Description:''' When backed into a corner with nowhere to run, there are only two options - beg for mercy or turn and fight. Rat spirits teach Bone Gnawers to excel at the latter.
 
'''System:''' The players spends one Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 8). Each success grants the character an additional die to his Brawl pools for the rest of the combat. This Gift sends the Bone Gnawer into an automatic and unavoidable berserk frenzy; any magic that stops the frenzy also ends the Gift.
 
----
 
'''Jam Technology'''
 
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
 
'''Description:''' With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.
 
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:
 
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|5
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|-
! Flaw
|9
! Cost
|Knife
! Allowed
! Type
! Source
! Details
|-
|-
|}
----
==Level Three==
'''Gremlins'''
''W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion


{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Difficulty
! style="min-width: 125px" | Complexity
|-
|4
|Computer
|-
|6
|Phone
|-
|7
|Automobile
|-
|8
|Gun
|-
|9
|Knife
|-
|}
|}
----
'''Pyrotechnics'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Ratkin may improvise explosive devices out of just about any junk she can find to hand; her Rage serves as the fuse and the fuel. This Gift is taught by weasel-spirits.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Craft to improvise the bomb, and spends as much Rage as desired. When the bomb is triggered (either by being tossed, or through a remote detonation system — the type is chosen at the time it is created), it inflicts (Rage spent x 3) dice of lethal damage to everything within (Infamy x 3) yards.
----
==Level Four==
'''Infest'''
''W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Bone Gnawer summons a horde of vermin to invade a structure no bigger than a large building. The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area - usually a lively variety of insects, slugs, and rodents. The vermin behave according to their natural instinct, generally settling down for permanent infestation rather than attacking humans. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success warrants an immediate call to an exterminator, five makes the building completely uninhabitable for quite some time.
----
==Level Five==
'''All Hell'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190''
'''Description:''' The Twitcher conjures a swarm of rat-spirits and Wyldlings, and pandemonium ensues: mundane objects fly about, the walls breathe, people smell colors and see sounds, and chaos rules. Wyld-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points; all non-Ratkin present with a Willpower score lower than the Twitcher’s Infamy are subjected to the Delirium. Beings normally immune to the Delirium treat their Willpower as two higher than normal when determining how they react (but not whether they succumb).
----


</div>
</div>


----
----
=Rites=
Ratkin make extensive use of mystic rites, and many of the same rites as Bone Gnawers (such as the Rite of the Cardboard Palace). They also use a variation of the Rite of the Totem called the Dedication Rite, which consecrates a band of wererats into a pack bound to pursue a specific, particular goal. One rite, however, stands above all others in importance.
----
=Hazer Tag=
Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)
The Ratkin have learned time and again that other shapeshifters, especially Garou, will blame them when things go wrong. This would not worry the Ratkin, except that some werewolves are also very good at tracking the rats back to their nests. This rite throws them off the Ratkin’s scent.
'''System:''' The Ratkin performs the rite over a sample of his own excrement before secreting it on an unaware patsy — often easier if the Ratkin uses droppings from his Rodens form. For (Gnosis) days, all attempts to locate the Ratkin will lead to the chosen patsy. Trackers using supernatural senses may find the Ratkin, but only if they roll more successes than the ritemaster.
----
=Rite of the Birthing Plague=
Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)
Garou inherit a legacy of heroism; Ratkin receive a curse. During this rite, the Rat Totem leads the pack of wererats to their Kinfolk, and a solitary shapeshifter attacks and bites the victim, infecting her with the Birthing Plague. Ordinary humans and weak-blooded Kin die in agony; the strongest Kinfolk emerge as new Ratkin.
'''System:''' The ritual only affects Ratkin Kinfolk. After delivering the bite, the ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). The victim must make a Stamina roll with a difficulty equal to (10 – the ritemaster’s successes) to survive the hallucinations, visions, and fevers of the Birthing Plague. If the target survives, roll one die. On a result of 8-10, the Kinfolk survives unscarred. 3-7 indicates that the victim survives, but with a new derangement. Only on a result of 1-2 (for humans) or 1 (for rats) does the victim emerge as Ratkin.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Rokea">
=Gifts=
Rokea begin play with two Gifts, one chosen from the general Rokea Gift list and one auspice starting Gift. While many of their Gifts are similar to those known by the Garou, they are almost without exception taught by spirits that can be found without leaving Sea, regardless of which spirits the Garou might learn them from.
----
<div class="mw-customtoggle-general" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] General Rokea Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-general">
=General Rokea Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Breach''' — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap. Generally used to hurl themselves high out of the water.
''W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.
'''System:''' The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.
----
'''Fast'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The wereshark can survive for a long time using only her inner reserves. A shark spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The character need not eat or drink for the next week.
----
'''Killing Bite'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Rokea’s mouth briefly becomes a razor-edged nightmare, regardless of her form. A shark-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. The next successful bite attack the character lands inflicts two extra levels (not dice) of aggravated damage.
----
'''Sense Danger'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' As a race charged with survival, the Rokea need to be able to identify danger. This Gift helps the Rokea know whether or not a being or situation is dangerous to her. It is taught by an avatar of Sea.
'''System:''' The Rokea focuses for a turn; the player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge to determine if an individual or situation is dangerous to her. The difficulty is 6 for immediate and palpable threats, and 8 for subtler or more roundabout ones.
----
'''Teeth of the Skin''' — As the metis Gift: Gift of the Porcupine.
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.
'''System:''' The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.
----
==Level Two==
'''Gulp'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may swallow anything she can fit into her maw, then regurgitate it later, unharmed. A tiger shark-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. Swallowed objects may be stored indefinitely, and are considered dedicated for the purpose of shapeshifting. Only one object can be stored at a time, although full containers such as backpacks count as ’one object.’
----
'''Poisoned Flesh''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Venom Blood, save that it poisons anyone that bites the wereshark.
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake or spider spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the roll.
----
'''Restless Waters''' — As the lupus Gift: Scent of Sight.
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.
----
'''Shagreen Skin''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Troll Skin.
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Fenrir draws on the power of the earth for protection. Her skin grows tough and thick, covered with stony knots of hard, armored flesh. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The character receives an extra die per success on all soak rolls for the rest of the scene (damage from silver remains unsoakable). The character suffers a +1 difficulty to all social rolls save for Intimidation while this Gift is in effect.
----
'''Unsea’s Blessing''' — As the Black Fury Gift: Wyld Resurgence.
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' Bent to Gaia's service, the creative, living essence of the Wyld roars through the Fury's body, shining beneath her skin as a rippling wave of prismatic energy which focuses on and shines out through her wounds. This surge super charges the werewolf's regenerative powers, quickly mending even the most grievous of wounds. A servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Fury spends a turn in concentration and the player spends one Gnosis point. The werewolf immediately heals either three levels of bashing damage, or two levels of lethal damage. With the expenditure of a Willpower point in addition to the Gnosis point, one level of aggravated damage may be healed instead. Damage caused by silver weapons cannot be healed with this Gift.
----
==Level Three==
'''Consume Taint''' — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Resist Toxin, save that the wereshark may also consume toxic waste, spilled oil, and other poisonous, inedible garbage safely.
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).
----
'''Fathom Sight'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may project all of her senses for great distances. This Gift works in every direction, even straight up and down, and presents a great means of spying on events on the surface from below the waves. The spirit of any swift-moving fish teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the Rokea may project her senses out for 1 mile per success in water, and 100 feet per success on land.
----
'''Gift of the Ray'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may deliver a venomous sting with her tail or fingertip. Stingray-spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point to manifest the stinger. Stinging is a Dexterity + Brawl attack (difficulty 7). The victim must roll Stamina (difficulty 9) or take lethal damage equal to the Rokea’s Innovation, as well as suffer a –2 wound penalty for the remainder of the scene.
----
'''Shark Bones''' — As the metis Gift: Rat Head.
''W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' Metis are born into a world where they metaphorically don't belong; it seemed only natural to rat spirits to teach them to get into such places into the literal sense as well. This Gift renders the metis's bone structure collapsible, allowing her to squeeze through any gap she can fit her head into.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the metis may squirm through any gap she can fit her face into, moving at her walking speed to do so.
----
==Level Four==
'''Form of Sea'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may change her body into liquid and flow through pipes, under doors, or into any other space that will admit her. She may retain cohesion in this form and “walk” as a humanoid shape, or even drown an opponent by forcing herself down his throat. A freshwater-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points. The character can stay in liquid form for (Innovation) hours. The character cannot bite or claw, but can drown air-breathing opponents with a successful grapple attack and holding the opponent until he runs out of breath. If the liquid body is immersed in salt water, the Gift is immediately canceled.
----
'''Kun’s Maw''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Fenris’ Bite.
''W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's already vicious bite now easily mangles and severs limbs. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless unless the target can regenerate the damage, pr permanently in the case of humans or other creatures who cant regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Primal Urge roll, the limb is severed.
----
'''Patient Hunter'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201''
'''Description:''' The wereshark merges with solid matter, be it a wall, floor, or open ground, and watches what happens around her. At any time, she may spring forward and attack. This Gift is taught by an angel shark-spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). The Rokea is undetectable while merged in this fashion.
----
==Level Five==
'''Great Summons''' — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast. This Gift is only usable at sea, and calls up aquatic terrors.
''W20 Core, pg 160, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.
----
'''Primal Assurance'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' An elder Rokea is certain of his place in the world as few other beings are, and draws strength from this surety. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Sea.
'''System:''' The Rokea permanently adds 30 to her initiative total. Additionally, when the player spends a Willpower point for an automatic success on a roll which produces at least one rolled success, the Willpower point is immediately refunded.
----
'''Whirlpool Maw'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The Rokea opens her mouth, and anything not firmly anchored is swept into it. She doesn’t actually consume the materials (or creatures) swallowed, but they are never seen again. A whirlpool-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift only works in Gladius or Chasmus form. The player spends a Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 7). The Gift functions for one turn per success. During that time, anything that the Rokea could lift (according to her Strength rating) is sucked toward and into her maw. Even objects too large to fit into the Rokea’s mouth disappear into the gaping pit. A living being attempting to resist this suction must grab something sturdy and roll Strength (difficulty 8). This Gift functions only in the water.
----
</div>
----
=Auspice Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-brightwater" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Brightwater Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-brightwater">
=Brightwater Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Eyes of the Wound''' — As the metis Gift: Eyes of the Cat.
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.
----
'''Restraint'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the wereshark to ignore her slew-mates and allies when in frenzy. A spirit-servant of Sea teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point upon entering Frenzy and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). For each success, she may ignore one character during the frenzy.
----
'''Shatterbite''' — As the Ahroun Gift: Spur Claws, save that it enhances bite attacks.
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' In ancient times, Ahroun warriors made common cause with the spirit Queen of Bees. As her own hive children rallied to protect her, so too did the Garou fight in defense of Gaia, and the Queen decreed that they should be properly equipped for the fight. This Gift, taught by a bee spirit in recognition of that alliance, allows the Ahroun to transform her claws into hooked and barbed spurs.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage. The next successful claw attack the character makes hurries her claws into the victim, where they stick after breaking free from the werewolf's fingertips. Until the victim takes the time to pull them out (which takes a full turn), they suffer +2 difficulty to all actions. The Garou's claws take a full turn to regenerate.
----
'''Unseen Attack'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' If the Brightwater can approach her target without being seen, her first attack will also generally be her only one. This Gift is taught by a shark-spirit.
'''System:''' The Rokea’s surprise attacks add four dice to their damage. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
==Level Two==
'''Narke’s Gift'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' Brightwaters long ago learned the agonizing trick that gives the electric ray its name. A ray-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage to all non-slewmates within 20 yards (in the water). On land, this Gift can only be used against a grounded target or one the Rokea touches directly. Narke’s Gift can only be used once per scene.
----
'''Shield of Rage'''
''W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' Such is the Rage burning within an Ahroun's heart that all lesser furies quail before it. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, all spirits' Rage scores are considered two less than their real values for the purpose of rolling damage against the Ahroun.
----
'''Terror of the Depths''' — As the Red Talon Gift: Wolf at the Door, but instilling a terror of the sea. Rather than howling, Rokea use this Gift to target groups that see the wereshark’s fin cutting through the water’s surface.
''W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the wilderness, and it makes any human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf must make eye contact with the target, but can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest, tundra, swamp, or other untamed wilderness area without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave his home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses three dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. Alternately, this Gift can affect a number of humans equal to his Rage at once (difficulty equals the highest Willpower in that group). In this case, rather than making eye contact, the humans must hear the werewolf howl in lupus form. This Gift can be used on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two.
----
==Level Three==
'''Strength of the Crashing Waves''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Might of Thor.
''W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.
----
'''Wriggling Teeth''' — As the Black Fury Gift: Heart Claw, save that Wriggling Teeth activates after a successful bite.
''W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The Fury breaks one of her claws off in a wound, imbuing it with all of her killing intent. The claw continues to burrow into her opponent's flesh, and will not stop until it finds his heart. A wasp spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' Upon making a successful claw attack, the player spends one point of Willpower. The burrowing claw inflicts one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage each subsequent turn until it either kills the target or is dug out of the wound (a Dexterity + Medicine action, difficulty 7, requiring a full turn's concentration).
----
==Level Four==
'''Best Policy'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' Rokea are blunt and straightforward at the best of times. Sea approves of this, and turns this lack of tact into a benefit. A remora-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Rokea’s player may spend one Willpower point to add her Harmony in dice to any Persuasion attempt in which she uses nothing but the blunt, absolute, unvarnished truth. The Veil clouds the memories of those she speaks to if telling the truth causes her to reveal her nature.
----
'''No Walls'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may move about on Unsea as freely as in Sea... in the most direct manner possible. A spirit-servant of Kun teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Strength + Athletics (difficulty 7). Success allows the Rokea to smash through any man-made obstacle or structure that impedes the most direct path between the wereshark and the place he seeks to be.
----
==Level Five==
'''Blood of Darkness''' — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Halo of the Sun (Rokea see light as the blood of Oversea).
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.
----
'''Sea’s Winds'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202''
'''Description:''' The Rokea surrounds herself with a blazing nimbus of light and battering winds or currents. No one may approach her unbidden, and any that try risk being burnt by the light.
'''System:''' The player spends two Willpower points. For the remainder of the scene, anyone wishing to approach the Rokea unbidden must accumulate 15 successes on an extended Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 8). Each turn they attempt this, they must soak three levels of bashing damage; Qyrl-minions suffer aggravated damage instead. If the intruder manages to reach the Rokea, they have only one action before they are swept away and must start again.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-dimwater" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Dimwater Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-dimwater">
=Dimwater Gifts=
==Level One==
'''King Fish'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows the Dimwater to command the respect of others. A shark spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The Rokea permanently adds one die to Leadership and Intimidation rolls.
----
'''Resist Pain'''
''W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.
----
'''Sea’s Voice''' — As the Galliard Gift: Beast Speech.
''W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift's effects are permanent.
----
'''Strange Blood''' — As the Lupus Gift: Sense the Unnatural.
''W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.
----
==Level Two==
'''Crushing Depths'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Rokea crushes an enemy beneath the vast weight of the ocean, immobilizing them. The target labors to do anything other than breathe so long as the Dimwater maintains eye contact. Any deep-sea-spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The character must make eye contact with the target. The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). This Gift’s effects persist until the wereshark breaks eye contact, or the victim frenzies or suffers injury.
----
'''Lord of the Seas''' — As the Philodox Gift: King of the Beasts, save that it commands only aquatic creatures.
''W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.
----
'''Spit Teeth'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Rokea can fire her teeth at a distant opponent. This Gift may be used in any form — even Homid. It is taught by a shark-spirit.
'''System:''' The player rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 6) to aim the blast of razor-sharp teeth, with a maximum range of 25 feet. The attack has a base aggravated damage of the wereshark’s Valor. It takes one turn to regenerate the fired teeth.
----
==Level Three==
'''Drown'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Rokea causes an air-breather to grow gills, forcing her to breathe water or suffocate. While the Gift has its diplomatic uses, it is more often used to kill humans, or force them to leap into the water... where the Dimwater’s slew awaits. Any fish-spirit can teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the victim’s Stamina + 4, maximum 9). Success forces the target to breathe water (fresh or salt) to survive for the next hour.
----
'''Sea’s Wisdom'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Dimwater swims in circles, creating a small whirlpool. He hears the voice of Sea in the rushing water, and asks her advice. This gift is taught by a spirit-servant of Sea.
'''System:''' The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 7). The more successes rolled, the clearer Sea’s advice. Sea has not, at present, offered an opinion on betweeners.
----
==Level Four==
'''Living Sea'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Rokea causes water to come to semi-solid life. This can be used to propel the Rokea at great speeds (trebling her aquatic movement speed), or can be aimed at a target, immobilizing — or even strangling — a victim. On land, nearby sources of water may be made to extend tendrils of living water to similar effect. A spirit-servant of Sea teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6). The Rokea may command a body of water equal to 5 cubic feet per success. If used to inflict damage, the water inflicts the Rokea’s Harmony in lethal damage each turn. The effect lasts as for a scene.
----
'''Quick Currents''' — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Strike the Air.
''W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Child becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker.
----
==Level Five==
'''Leviathan'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The wereshark becomes a hungry terror of primal nightmare. A servant of Kun teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Willpower points and two Rage points. The Rokea becomes a monstrous shark, nearly 80 feet long, gaining +5 to all physical attributes after Fighting Jaws modifiers, and regains a minimum of one Rage point per turn. This Gift lasts until the end of the scene.
----
'''Wound Undersea'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' This Gift is used only in times of truly dire need. The wereshark opens a vent in the sea floor, calling lava from it. This boils the water in the immediate area while also producing earthquakes throughout the region. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Unsea herself.
'''System:''' The Rokea slashes herself and lets her blood seep toward the sea floor (suffering one level of aggravated damage). The player spends one Rage and Willpower point, then rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 8). Success opens the sea floor; the Rokea has three turns to escape before the lava boils up, inflicting three aggravated damage per turn to everything in the area. The effects of earthquakes, whirlpools, and tidal waves triggered by this Gift are left to the Storyteller’s discretion.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-darkwater" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Darkwater Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-darkwater">
=Darkwater Gifts=
==Level One==
'''Blood of the Deeps'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' Most sharks aren’t built to operate in environments of extreme cold or pressure, but Darkwaters must go where Sea’s greatest secrets are hidden. This Gift allows them to do so. Any deep-sea spirit can teach it.
'''System:''' The wereshark becomes permanently capable of surviving deep-ocean environments.
----
'''Chill'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Darkwater may summon up the essence of the abyssal depths and saturate the area with it. This chills both the water (or air) around him and the souls of those not of his slew. A servant of Sea teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point. The temperature in her immediate area drops significantly for the rest of the scene. All characters not of the wereshark’s slew suffer a +1 difficulty to all non-physical actions.
----
'''Qyrl’s Blood''' — As the Uktena Gift: Shroud.
''W20 Core, pg 197, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Uktena can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Garou's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.
----
'''Sudden Surge''' — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Lightning Reflexes.
''W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' Fenrir are Gaia's ultimate warriors, effortlessly switching from offense to defense as the needs of battle demand. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player reflexively spends one Willpower point. For the next day, the character need neither make a Willpower rill nor spend a Willpower point to abort to a defensive action.
----
==Level Two==
'''Enter Sea’s Soul'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may swim sideways to cross the Gauntlet in the same fashion as werewolves do. Any servant of Sea may teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
'''Piercing Shriek'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Darkwater emits a terrible wail that paralyzes any who hear it. This Gift is taught by a dolphin-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Wits + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6). Anyone within 30 feet (in the water) or 15 feet (on land) must oppose the Rokea’s roll with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). Those who do not match or beat the Rokea’s successes collapse in agony for a number of turns equal to the difference in successes — including the Rokea’s slewmates. Characters with superhuman hearing cannot roll to resist.
----
'''Sight From Beyond'''
''W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.
'''System:''' Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.
----
==Level Three==
'''Scent of Blood''' — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Direct the Storm.
''W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Shadow Lord can direct the primal instincts of a frenzied werewolf, friend of foe, causing him to attack targets of the Lord's choice. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the target's Rage). Success indicates that the Shadow Lord controls the target's frenzy and can set him on anyone he chooses for two turns per success. Using this Gift on a Garou in the Thrall of the Wyrm is possible, but doing so requires the player to roll Rage (difficulty 7) to check for frenzy for her own character.
----
'''Swim Through the School'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Darkwater moves through crowds with ease, whether schools of fish or crowds of humans. This Gift even mitigates the Curse. An eel-spirit teaches it.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, crowds part before the Rokea, allowing her to move unimpeded at her top speed. Additionally, her Rage rating is cut in half (round down) for the purpose of the Curse.
----
==Level Four==
'''Sea’s Breath'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Rokea may ’swim’ through the air as though it were the open ocean, even breathing normally in her water-bound forms. A flying fish-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. The wereshark may ’swim’ through the air for the rest of the scene. However, she cannot get much altitude — 10 to 15 feet off the ground (or ocean’s surface) is as high as she can rise.
----
'''Shock Wave'''
''W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Darkwater emits a powerful shockwave, like a depth charge. This Gift can be used in or out of water, although water conducts force much better than air. This Gift is taught by a wave-spirit.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Rage (difficulty 6 in water, 7 on land). Success creates a concussion wave that travels out from the Rokea in a cone reaching Stamina yards on land and twice that in the water. Anything caught in the blast suffers a number of levels of lethal damage equal to the successes on the Rage roll. On land, targets must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8) or be knocked prone.
----
==Level Five==
'''C’et’s Shell''' — As the Red Talon Gift: Shield of Gaia.
''W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' The Garou becomes so attuned to the laws and Rhythms of Gaia that the Weaver's laws cease to have any hold on her. The werewolf becomes immune to the effects of one form of technology, such as bullets, photography (i.e. cannot be photographed), electricity, chemical toxins, etc. This Gift is taught by Griffin.
'''System:''' The player must determine what this Gift grants immunity to at the time of purchase. Its effects are permanent.
----
'''Madness'''
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203''
'''Description:''' Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.
----
</div>
----
=Rites=
==Rite of Passing the Net==
Level Two, Mystic
Rokea sometimes refer to the Gauntlet as the Net. As they cannot swim sideways normally, they require this rite. It must be enacted in a grotto, where the Rokea asks Sea for her leave to pass the net. Success grants the Rokea 28 days within the Umbra, at the end of which she reappears in the grotto where she began.
System: The player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7) to swim sideways.
----
==Sea’s Distant Voice==
Level Two, Accord
This rite was rarely used in the past, but has become more popular among the increasing number of Betweeners who don’t want to get caught out by their low Renown. The Rokea communes with Sea, sending word of her deeds to the water itself. Tales of those deeds circulate among other weresharks, with nobody quite sure of their source.
System: The Rokea must be partially immersed in salt water, and remembers her significant deeds and achievements, dedicating them to Sea. She rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 5 , +1 for every ten miles from Sea). Success allows her to gain (or lose) Harmony and Innovation Renown as her deeds dictate.
----
==Lure of Sea==
Level Three, Punishment
The Rokea performs this rite using some item that once belonged to his victim — an item of clothing, number plate, left foot, or something else he has left in the water. The rite compels him to come back to Sea, immersing himself in her waters at some point over the next lunar month.
System: Once the rite is successfully enacted the victim feels Sea calling to him. For the next lunar month, he wants to return to the water no matter how much anyone tries to persuade him otherwise. At some point in the month he will return to where he lost the item to the waves, and nothing short of physical restraints can stop him. The Rokea does not know when he will return, nor exactly where, but she does know it will be within a mile of where the item was lost. When the victim returns to Sea, the wereshark can make a reflexive Perception + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 6) to know exactly where her victim is.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Totem Creation">
=Pack Totems=
The binding force that holds a pack of werewolves together is their association with a totem spirit. Although a pack of werewolves chooses the totem that they feel best represents them, a quest to find a totem also gives the spirit a chance to decide whether it really wants to adopt the Garou. It’s for this reason that totems often refer to their packs as their “children.”<br>
Totem spirits are almost universally Incarnae. While many are animal spirits, a number of packs hold to mythological beings, elemental forces, and even stranger spirits as totems. When a spirit chooses the pack, it sends a totem avatar — a Jaggling—to attend to the pack. The devotion of the Garou gives the totem and its representative power, and their actions further the totems’ goals. In return, the totem empowers them to carry out its goals in a direct fashion.
=Totem Spirits=
'''Totem Spirit broods:''' It’s rare for an Incarna to be truly independent. The vast majority have a range of lesser spirits allied to them, known as that Incarna’s brood. Members of a brood are respectful of and subservient to the brood master. Each member is related in some way to the themes and nature of the totem. Thunder-spirits and Stormcrows are both members of Grandfather Thunder’s brood, while Cockroach’s brood includes spirits related to modern urban life, such as technology-spirits, money-spirits, and spirits of modern warfare.<br>
If a pack is in good standing with its totem, they may expect easier dealings with spirits of their totem’s brood. A Garou who insults a spirit can raise the ire of the Incarna to whose brood the spirit belongs.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-respect" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Totems of Respect</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-respect">
=Totems of Respect=
As spirits representative of virtue and honor, werewolves look to these grand spirits for advice on leadership and diplomacy. Some of the greatest Garou leaders have followed totems of respect.
==Falcon==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Falcon is one of the noblest spirits, befitting of the Silver Fangs’ tribal totem. His piercing eyes see deep into the hearts of his children, inspiring the valorous and rewarding the honorable. Falcon is known as a bringer of unity to the Silver Fangs and to the Garou as a whole, and he remains above rumors of in-breeding among his chosen tribe.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Falcon gain two points of Honor Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs that follow Falcon gain three dots of Leadership, as well as four Willpower points per story.<br>
'''Ban:''' Dishonor is worse than death to Falcon: none of Falcon’s children can ever lose permanent Honor Renown. If they do, they must either put right the wrong immediately, or perform a Rite of Contrition and further atone for their dishonor by hurling themselves at a powerful minion of the Wyrm. On the one hand, it’s likely to be a suicide run. On the other, their blood will wash away the stain on their names — as would their victory.
''W20 Core, pg 373''
----
==Grandfather Thunder==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Grandfather Thunder is feared rather than respected by many Garou, and that suits his Shadow Lords just fine. Thunder is a patient and subtle patron, whose influence builds over time to an almighty crescendo. Most of his totem avatars are Stormcrows, who act as go-betweens for the Incarna and his chosen. <br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Grandfather Thunder gain one point of Honor Renown, and gain two extra dice to any Intimidation rolls when they invoke Thunder’s name. <br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs that follow Grandfather Thunder gain three dots of Etiquette, as well as five points of Willpower per story. Shadow Lords follow their activities with interest.<br>
'''Ban:''' Thunder’s children must not accord their peers and their rivals more respect than those werewolves have earned through their actions. Sycophancy goes against Thunder’s nature.
''W20 Core, pg 373''
----
==Lion==
'''Background Cost:''' 8<br>
Lion is king of the savannah, and for good reason. His immense roars and powerful jaws put him on top of the food chain, and guarantee his position against any would be predators. Lion’s folly is that he is hardly a team player. His pride might work together, but his aloof nature keeps him distanced from them. While the women hunters of the pride work to feed the young, he rests lazily awaiting tribute.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Lion gains a dot of Charisma and Strength. Additionally, on any contested roll using a Social Attribute, a follower of Lion wins on any ties as if she were the defender. This effect requires a point of Gnosis.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Lion’s pack can belt out a powerful roar. One member at a time can use the Shadow Lord Gift: Thunderclap, but focused on the sound of her roar. Additionally, Lion’s pack can access two Gnosis and two Rage.<br>
'''Ban:''' Lion is known as a glory hound, taking credit for his pride’s kills. For this reason, followers of Lion lose one point from any Glory rewards, and increase the difficulty of any teamwork rolls by 1.
----
==Pegasus==
'''Background Cost:''' 4<br>
Pegasus is a protector of sacred places, much like the Black Furies it supports. Appearing as a winged horse with fire in its eyes, Pegasus can teach Gifts of travel and air to those it chooses. The Get of Fenris have long troubled Pegasus, possibly due to their rivalry with the Black Furies. As such, Pegasus has not yet accepted any pack that counts one of the Get as a member.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Pegasus’ children gain two points of Honor Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Pegasus’ packs can call on three dots of Animal Ken and three points of Willpower per story. Black Furies are well disposed towards the pack. <br>
'''Ban:''' Children of Pegasus cannot refuse offer help to females of any species, especially young females.
''W20 Core, pg 373''
----
==Reindeer==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Reindeer stands tall, stands proud, despite the terrible conditions of his living space. Reindeer is a totem of pride and survival; he teaches his followers to not let setbacks and circumstance weigh them down. Reindeer is all the stronger for his ability to stand against the odds. He’s not Cockroach, who will hide from the environment.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' While standing their ground — not moving more than a few steps on their turn — a follower of Reindeer reduces the difficulty of soak rolls by 2. Additionally, Reindeer’s followers gain a dot of Stamina.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' A pack to Reindeer has three points of Willpower available to spend, and can share three dots of Survival to share.<br>
'''Ban:''' Reindeer’s followers rise to the occasion, and they stay standing. While they can dodge attacks in the heat of battle, they can’t dodge without attacking. Sometimes, Reindeer forgives avoidance of massive Wyrm emanations, and other grievous attacks. But that’s all at Reindeer’s discretion.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 121''
----
==Stag==
'''Background Cost:''' 6<br>
Stag is an ancient spirit of respect, far older than the Fianna who claim him as their totem. An embodiment of masculinity and the unrestrained power of nature, Stag has both light and dark sides. He gives the Garou their affinity with nature, and he teaches responsibility towards humans. He is also the master of the Wild Hunt, running wild until much blood is spilled in his name.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Stag’s chosen gain three points of Honor Renown, and an additional point of Stamina usable only for long-distance running.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Stag’s packs can access three dots of Survival and three points of Willpower per story. Fianna are well-disposed towards the pack, and faeries, spirits, and changelings may also honor them.<br>
'''Ban:''' Children of Stag can’t refuse to aid fae creatures and spirits when asked. They must also respect their prey at all times, including performing a Prayer for the Prey after every successful hunt.
''W20 Core, pg 373''
----
==Standing Stone==
'''Background Cost:''' ??<br>
Standing Stone is an old and respected totem. He was born with some of the earliest human civilizations. Standing Stone represents the desire of a community to come together and create something eternal. Patient and uncompromising, Standing Stone represents the desire for immortality through great works.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Standing Stone’s children are as durable as the earth itself — they gain a point of Stamina.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs that attract Standing Stone’s personal attention can share three dots of Crafts and an extra two dice to all soak rolls.<br>
'''Ban:''' In order to attract Standing Stone, the sept must come together to create an impressive feat of architecture. The feat is more important than the actual result, so a sept that erects a menhir using stone age techniques is as valid as a sept that builds and designs a skyscraper with modern tools. The sept must keep this monument in good repair and boast of it to visitors.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 31''
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-war" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Totems of War</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-war">
=Totems of War=
These totems spur Garou to greater heights of violence and Rage. Predatory animals and ancestral warriors are the most common totems of war. While packs focused on fighting the Wyrm are the chief followers of these spirits, scouts, healers, and other packs who expect to see a lot of combat will ally themselves with these spirits.
==Bear==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Bear is wise in peace and fierce in war. He is a master of healing and mysticism, but the Garou mistrust him, for Bear’s true children are the Gurahl — werebears with no fondness for the Garou.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Bear’s children gain a dot of Strength, can use the Gift: Mother’s Touch once per day, and can hibernate for up to three months at a time without need for food or water. Garou lose five points of temporary Honor renown (if they have it to lose), and reduce all Honor Renown awards by one point.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Bear’s packs can use three dots of Medicine, and are well-regarded by werebears.<br>
'''Ban:''' Bear asks no specific behavior of his Garou. Petitioning for his favor has already cost them a great deal of standing among their own people.
''W20 Core, pg 374''
----
==Boar==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Hunters fear the boar, and for good reason: he is too angry to pass up a challenge, to fierce to ever give ground, and to ornery to die before doing massive damage. Combative young packs see theses as virtues — especially Garou among the Fianna and Get of Fenris — and choose Boar as their totem.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Boar’s children gain a dot of Stamina.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Boar’s packs can use two dots of Brawl.<br>
'''Ban:''' Children of Boar must never hunt or eat wild boars.
''W20 Core, pg 374''
----
==City Father/Mother==
'''Background Cost:''' 6<br>
A City Father or Mother is the manifestation of the city’s inhabitants both human and machine. It represents the city’s history and quirks but is also capable of acting of its own accord to advance the city’s interests. The totem will only manifest in what locals think of as a city. In some parts of Europe, anywhere with at least 50,000 people living in it generates a City Father, while in much of the United States a city needs at least a quarter of a million people to produce a City Father. It cannot leave the city limits except to travel into the Near Umbra and even then it can only visit urban realms. The totem appears in an anthropomorphic form that somehow represents the city and its people. San Diego’s City Father, for instance, takes on the form of a Spanish missionary. Paris’ City Mother only ever appears to foreigners, as the city has always been its most beautiful in the imaginations of its admirers.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of the City Father may interact with the spirits of their city as if they had the Bone Gnawer Gift: Attunement. Glass Walkers gain one point of temporary Wisdom Renown when accepted by a City Father, but members of other tribes lose one temporary Honor. Also, the totem may on occasion offer warnings of impending danger, either directly or through a messenger.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs of the City receive three additional dice to any Streetwise tests relevant to their city.<br>
'''Ban:''' City Fathers or Mothers will often ask their packs to perform tasks for the good of the city. If the pack refuses, the totem will withdraw its support. Some individual City Fathers or Mothers will offer slightly different traits based on their individual nature.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 56''
----
==Clashing Boom-Boom==
'''Background Cost:''' 8<br>
Clashing Boom-Boom is the ancient spirit of War. She chooses only the greatest warriors as her children, and expects to be obeyed at all times. She is not only a great warrior, but also a great tactician and leader. She takes on the form of an iconic war machine of an age; while many of her packs still see her as a stealth bomber, some werewolves now see their totem as a Predator drone. The Garou that follow her are fierce and disciplined soldiers.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Clashing Boom-Boom gain two extra dice on their Firearms and Melee rolls and the maximum difficulty for any roll involving weapons is 8.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs that follow Clashing Boom-Boom gain three dots of Leadership.<br>
'''Ban:''' Clashing Boom-Boom does not tolerate insubordination of any kind. Her followers must follow any orders given to them by a higher-Ranked Garou. Refusing a direct order from Clashing Boom-Boom herself will result in her turning on the pack.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 106''
----
==Fenris==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Norse legends speak of the ravening God-Wolf Fenris, the beast that will eat the sun at the end of days. Fenris is powerful, bloodthirsty, and never gives nor expects quarter. The patron spirit of the Get of Fenris is a warrior’s totem, interested only in packs of Garou that spill their foes’ blood frequently.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Each werewolf gains two points of Glory Renown, and increases one of their Physical Attributes by 1 (choose which when accepted by the totem).<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' The Get of Fenris respect any pack who follows Great Fenris, and will test their worthiness to the totem by inviting them to Wild Hunts and battles against powerful enemies.<br>
'''Ban:''' Fenris’ children must never pass up an opportunity for a worthy fight.
''W20 Core, pg 374''
----
==Griffin==
'''Background Cost:''' 4<br>
Griffin remembers those species lost to extinction, and he mourns each and every one of them. This has kindled a terrible rage against humans — the slayers of entire species—that he shares with his chosen Red Talons. Always hunting, always hungry, Griffin embodies the swift hunter.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Griffin’s children can communicate with birds of prey without the use of a Gift, and gain two dots of Glory.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Griffin’s packs gain three dots of Alertness, and Red Talons show their respect for the pack.<br>
'''Ban:''' Followers of Griffin cannot associate with humans. Griffin has not yet accepted a pack containing a homid Garou.
''W20 Core, pg 374''
----
==Honey Badger==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Most predators are loath to attack a Honey Badger, and they are right to do so. Not only is the Honey Badger a fierce and tenacious predator, but it is a tireless fighter and has a tough defensive hide that allows it to escape most dangers. The Honey Badger is reckless and will enter a fight even if the odds are against it.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of the Honey Badger gain a dot of Strength and reduce all wound penalties by 1.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs who follow Honey Badger gain access to the Gift: Resist Pain.<br>
'''Ban:''' Honey Badger’s children may never back down from a fight, no matter how bad the odds are against them.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 107''
----
==One Voice==
'''Background Cost:''' 4<br>
Spirits of revolution are nothing new and have empowered packs in some form or another for centuries. In the last few years, though, advances in instantaneous mass communication both cultural and technological have given rise to a new variety of totem. One Voice is the spirit of a crowd speaking in unison to make their voices heard, having quickly pulled together a full protest while the adrenaline was high. While it is not going to complain about planned protests, it prefers flashmobs and sudden protests thrown together through chains of telephone calls or Internet posts.<br>
One Voice speaks in the whispers of forgotten thoughts. Its voice is a composite of words said to the dialing tone, brought together to make new words, urging its pack to action. It communicates through cellphones whenever possible, either speaking to the pack directly or flashing up text messages from an unknown sender. If it must physically appear, it manifests as a faceless everyman with physical characteristics and clothing who is entirely average for the local area.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Packmembers each gain two dots of Leadership, the better to gather and coordinate crowds.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' One Voice’s packs gain access to the Philodox Gift: Command the Gathering.<br>
'''Ban:''' One Voice’s packs cannot through action or inaction subvert the will or purpose of any group with which they’re working.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 56''
----
==Polar Bear==
'''Background Cost:''' 10<br>
Bear is a long-standing totem among Garou. Due to Bear’s ties to the Gurahl, his followers are considered less honorable than their comrades. Polar Bear is a similar to Bear but specifically relates to the Ice Stalkers, the Siberian bear shifters. Where Bear is a resting defender, Polar Bear fights the rising tides and sinking landmasses of her homeland. This makes Polar Bear a much more urgent and violent totem.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Polar Bear gain a dot of Strength, and a dot of Stamina. They can also use the Gift: Mother’s Touch once per day. They can regrow limbs with a Willpower point. This heals any non-aggravated health levels that resulted in the disabled or removed limb. As with Bear’s followers, adopting Polar Bear causes distrust within the Garou community. Followers lose five points of temporary Honor, and all Honor rewards are reduced by one point.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Polar Bear’s pack gains access to two dots of Medicine, and two dots of Brawl.<br>
'''Ban:''' Unlike Bear, Polar Bear does not accept her honor loss as ban enough. She also requires her followers strike out at any threats that threaten to end a species.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 121''
----
==Rat==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Rat is the swift, silent master of hit-and-run warfare — the original totem of guerrilla fighters. While Rat fights to weaken, cripple, then overwhelm, he can be as vicious as any other totem when cornered.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Rat’s children subtract one from the difficulty of all bite rolls, and from the difficulties of rolls involving stealth or quiet.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Rat’s packs can call on a pool of five Willpower points per story. Bone Gnawers will aid the pack, and even Ratkin will be somewhat tolerant of the pack’s existence.<br>
'''Ban:''' Rat’s children must not kill vermin of any kind.
''W20 Core, pg 374''
----
==Trapdoor Spider==
'''Background Cost:''' 6<br>
A cunning strategist, Trapdoor Spider is patient and aggressive. It will wait days for prey to come along before it strikes. It waits for the precise moment, and then attacks, quickly and efficiently. The target rarely knows it has fallen into a trap until it is far too late for escape.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Trapdoor Spider gain one dot in Dexterity.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Packs that follow Trapdoor Spider gain three dots of Athletics as well as four points of Willpower per story.<br>
'''Ban:''' Children of the Trapdoor Spider are forbidden from entering any combat situation without a plan.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 106''
----
==Wasp==
'''Background Cost:''' ??<br>
Wasps are dispassionate creatures, working together to hold territory and drive out invaders. Wasp is a totem of cooperation. She demands that Garou followers emulate her children: tireless, harmonious, and vicious in defense what is theirs. Because female wasps rule the nest, Black Furies have a certain fondness for this totem.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' When she is invoked, Wasp grants all her children the Mental Speech Gift, though it can only be used to communicate with septmates.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' A pack that is imbued with Wasp’s blessing deals an extra point of damage with all unarmed attacks. The pack’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage even in Homid form. The pack also gains the effects of the Resist Toxin Gift.<br>
'''Ban:''' Wasp will abandon a sept if it is riven by internal strife. She also asks that her followers sing while they work.
''W20 Rage Against the World, pg 32''
----
==Wendigo==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Appearing as a cannibal-spirit cloaked in ice, the Wendigo stalks the frozen wastes, eating the hearts of his foes. He teaches the Garou to be as relentless as the storm, leashing the cold bitterness that lurks within and turning it into a lethal rage.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Wendigo’s children start each story with five extra Rage points, regardless of their rating. Each werewolf also gains two points of Glory Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Members of the Wendigo tribe respect those packs who take their patron as a totem, though they do not fully trust them.<br>
'''Ban:''' Wendigo’s children must offer aid to animistic peoples in need.
''W20 Core, pg 374''
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-wisdom" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Totems of Wisdom</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wisdom">
=Totems of Wisdom=
Keepers of mystical secrets, these totems ally with Garou to discover hidden truths, and in return can teach rare Gifts. While many Garou are reluctant to trust those werewolves who hunt secrets and answers rather than more tangible prey, a few recognize the crucial part that they play in Gaia’s defense.
==Chimera==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
The patron of the Stargazers, Chimera is the personification of Enigma. She of Many Faces invites her packs to find the wisdom that each werewolf holds inside himself, beneath layers of puzzles and self-delusion. <br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Chimera’s Garou subtract two from the difficulty of all rolls involving riddles, dream interpretation, or enigmas, and gain two points of Wisdom Renown. They can also disguise themselves as something else when in the Umbra with a Gnosis roll (difficulty 7).
'''Pack Traits:''' Chimera’s packs gain three dots of Enigmas and one of Perception.<br>
'''Ban:''' While Chimera requires the pack to seek enlightenment, she does not place any restrictions on how they do so.
''W20 Core, pg 375''
----
==Cockroach==
'''Background Cost:''' 6<br>
Cockroach is quick, hardy, and persistent. He’s also everywhere in the modern world, watching and waiting. If one listens to his chosen tribe, he’s one of the totem spirits of the modern age.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Chosen of Cockroach subtract two from all difficulties involving computers, electricity, and applied science. They can also perceive the contents of data streams in the Umbra, watching along with a YouTube video or listening in on a cellphone call with a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 6).<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Cockroach’s packs gain three dice that apply to any roll to activate a Gift that affects technology.<br>
'''Ban:''' The pack members must never kill a cockroach.
''W20 Core, pg 375''
----
==Dog==
'''Background Cost:''' ??<br>
Dog is a humble spirit who represents the power of cooperation and adaptability. Dogs have thrived by becoming mankind’s companion, working alongside mankind to both species’ benefits. Septs that follow Dog stress harmony over everything else. Some of the wilder tribes — especially the Red Talons — disdain Dog as a sell-out, but more patient Garou understand that Dog’s ultimate victory has been to teach compassion to humanity.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Dog can grant all of his children an extra point of Stamina and an extra point of Survival.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' A pack that receives Dog’s special blessing gain a pool of three Willpower points and an extra two-die bonus when they use Pack Tactics.<br>
'''Ban:''' Septs must grant sanctuary to wild dogs, allowing them free run of the bawn.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 32''
----
==O’ Mighty Dolla’ and Easy Credit==
'''Background Cost:''' 4<br>
O’ Mighty Dolla’ started as a Gaffling and worked his way up after World War I as the American economy grew. Normally he takes the form of a man wearing modern ‘cowboy’ chic with a ten-gallon hat, a suit with an obvious Old West influence and with a Bane-stuffed cigar clenched in his teeth. In the past he’s been obviously ‘well-fed’ but the current state of the American economy has him looking a little ragged and hollow, like he’s been on a diet — but he wouldn’t dare let you fuss over him by bringing it up. He’s still quick with a smile and a boisterous laugh although his bad knee’s certainly not getting any better.
His recent competition has come out a little better. Easy Credit, who manifests as a seductive young woman in a sharp suit, has been around since 1995. She’s been going around to packs potentially interested in O’ Mighty Dolla and has been offering them her ‘support plan.’ The two are obviously connected in some way but neither will explain how aside from the bitter rivalry they share.
'''Individual Traits:''' Each Garou serving either totem gets 2 dots of Resources.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' All rolls involving Commerce have a -3 difficulty bonus.<br>
'''Ban:''' O’ Mighty Dolla’ insists that his ‘children’ use American currency when possible and won’t adopt a pack outside the United States. When his packs are outside the country, they can only use his benefits to make a profit. In either case his packs are prohibited from using credit cards, which is becoming more and more of an issue these days. Easy Credit is international, by contrast. She demands that her ‘clients’ always finish each financial year with more money than they started and never use coins or paper money.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 55''
----
==Owl==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Owl watches silently in the darkness, learning all that he can. Like the Silent Striders who claim him as their totem, Owl holds hidden wisdom, especially about death and the mysteries of the Dark Umbra.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Owl’s children gain wings when in the Umbra, allowing them to fly from place to place. They also subtract two from difficulties involving stealth or silence, and gain two points of Wisdom Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Owl’s packs often receive premonitions and prophetic dreams that draw them to mystic places long forgotten. The pack gains three dice that apply to any Gift that involves air, travel, movement, or darkness. Silent Striders may appear to aid the pack when it is in danger, but packs that follow Rat (and Ratkin) are not well disposed towards Owl’s Garou.<br>
'''Ban:''' Owl’s children must leave small rodents tied and helpless in the woods for him and his kind.
''W20 Core, pg 375''
----
==Raven==
'''Background Cost:''' 5<br>
Raven is the cleverest bird, though not clever enough to keep that fact to himself. He feeds without hunting, following wolves or bringing them to dead animals so they can feed. He teaches wisdom by taunting cubs into trying to catch the uncatchable bird. Raven watches the world, ever hungry for new secrets. His knowledge makes him a totem of wealth — if werewolves trust in him, Raven will provide.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Pack members gain a point of Wisdom.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Raven’s packs have three dots of Survival, one of Subterfuge, and one of Enigmas. Wereravens are well-disposed towards the totem’s followers.<br>
'''Ban:''' Raven’s children can’t carry wealth, trusting their totem to provide for them.
''W20 Core, pg 376''
----
==Uktena==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
The Uktena is an ancient water spirit that blends the features of cougar, serpent, and deer. He is the spirit of riverbeds and dark places, and he knows secrets that even other totems of wisdom have not discovered.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Followers of Uktena add three dice to all soak rolls when in the Umbra, and gains two extra experience points per story that can only be applied to improving Enigmas, Occult, Rituals, Gifts, or other mystical knowledge. Garou also gain two points of Wisdom Renown. Uktena’s children add one to the difficulties of social rolls when interacting with werewolves of tribes other than Uktena or Wendigo.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Garou of the Uktena tribe treat the pack like brothers.<br>
'''Ban:''' Uktena asks that its Children recover mystical lore, objects, places and animals from the minions of the Wyrm.
''W20 Core, pg 376''
----
==Unicorn==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Unicorn is a totem of peace, purity, healing, and harmony. As such, she is the tribal totem of the Children of Gaia. She embodies the blissful and encompassing love of Gaia.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Unicorn’s children move at twice their normal speed in the Umbra, and subtract two from all difficulties involving healing and empathy, though they add two to all difficulties to harm other Garou (except Black Spiral Dancers and others tainted by the Wyrm). Unicorn’s Garou gain three points of Wisdom Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Unicorn’s packs gain three dice when using Gifts of healing, strength, and protection. Children of Gaia will aid the pack, and will usually side with them in disputes.<br>
'''Ban:''' Unicorn’s children must protect and aid the weak and exploited, as long as they do not aid the Wyrm in doing so.
''W20 Core, pg 376''
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-cunning" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Totems of Cunning</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-cunning">
=Totems of Cunning=
While most Garou don’t look kindly on trickery and stealth, some understand the benefits and seek out totems of cunning. As more and more young Garou try new ideas and new ways of thinking to fight the Wyrm, these totems are becoming more common, though more traditional Garou find little to trust about them.
==Bird of Paradise==
'''Background Cost:''' 6<br>
Bird of Paradise is a bright, colorful, small corvid; a distant cousin to Raven. What he lacks in Raven’s wisdom, he has in pure glory. He uses his brilliant plumage to attract mates, in spite of the many vicious creatures in the rainforest. He fancies himself the king of the trees, and all evidence supports that claim. He laughs down at Crocodile, and flies far too fast for Cobra. His followers pride themselves in drawing attention.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' By reflexively spending a point of Rage when an opponent’s player has announced an attack, the follower can force the opponent to attack her instead of the opponent’s intended target. She can still roll to dodge and soak as normal. Additionally, Bird of Paradise’s followers gain a dot of Dexterity.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' A pack to Bird of Paradise has access to three additional points of Rage, and two points of Willpower.<br>
'''Ban:''' Bird of Paradise demands its followers bear bright obvious adornments to their clothes, and remain majestic and obvious at all times. His followers cannot hide, even when fleeing from an assailant.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 120''
----
==Coyote==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
The ultimate trickster, more Ragabash than Ragabash, Coyote is an avatar of chaos. Utterly unpredictable, often foolish, but undoubtedly brilliant, Coyote is both a master of deception and a very clever warrior.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Each pack member subtracts one from any awards of temporary Wisdom Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Coyote’s packs gain three dots of Stealth, three dots of Streetwise, one dot of Subterfuge, and one dot of Survival. Coyote’s avatars can always find their packs — the pack does not need to spend Totem points on that ability.<br>
'''Ban:''' The very idea that he would limit his packs runs against Coyote’s nature.
''W20 Core, pg 376''
----
==Cuckoo==
'''Background Cost:''' 6<br>
The cuckoo is nature’s master infiltrator, laying her eggs in the nests of other birds, then having those birds raise her young. Likewise, Garou who dedicate themselves to Cuckoo are master spies and manipulators, able to bluff their way into any situation without being challenged — from the best quarters in the sept to the center of a Black Spiral Dancer Hive.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Cuckoo’s children subtract two from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Cuckoo’s packs gain a dot of Manipulation and two dots of Subterfuge. One pack member at a time can use the ability to be overlooked: roll Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6, or higher if the Garou doesn’t look like he should be there). Anyone who notices her must make a Perception + Alertness roll and score more successes than the Garou to realize that the werewolf isn’t supposed to be there. Guards assume that the werewolf has clearance, and ranking officers don’t think twice about the tech in the corner. If the character does anything to draw attention to himself, the player rolls again with a +2 difficulty penalty or loses the benefits of this effect.<br>
'''Ban:''' Cuckoo’s children must never pass up an opportunity to improve their pack’s situation at the expense of others.
''W20 Core, pg 376''
----
==Fox==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Fox is used to being both predator and prey and out-thinking everything that he faces. Whether he creeps up on a rabbit without his prey being aware, or leads a pack of hounds into a hornet’s nest, he loves to trick and trap his opponents. He loves it even more if that trap also teaches a lesson.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Each pack member gains a dot of Manipulation, but subtracts one from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Fox’s packs can call on two dots of Stealth, two dots of Streetwise, and three dots of Subterfuge.<br>
'''Ban:''' Children of Fox can never participate in a fox hunt, and must sabotage any hunts they encounter.
''W20 Core, pg 377''
----
==Hidden Glade==
Hidden Glade represents the secret beauty of Gaia. Even as the Wyrm and Weaver overwhelm the world, Gaia’s beauty survives. Life blooms in blasted warzones, humans include parks in their biggest cities, and small glades and springs escape the notice of developers and despoilers. Among the most precious of Gaia’s hidden redoubts are her caerns, and Hidden Glade’s avatars are more than happy to dwell in such places.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' Hidden Glade grants his children an extra dot of Gnosis. Garou blessed by Hidden Glade add one to the number of successes necessary on a Rage roll to succumb to frenzy.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' When Hidden Glade graces a pack with his presence they gain the Territory Gift.<br>
'''Ban:''' Hidden Glade’s septs must work tirelessly to found more septs and build more caerns.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 33''
----
==Singing Dog==
'''Background Cost:''' 7<br>
Singing Dog is a shy, clever canid. She’s an amazing communicator; her namesake voice is complex and carries over great distances. She’s also adept with interpersonal interaction, her skill with body language is remarkable in the animal kingdom. She’s immensely rare; singing dog is almost certainly extinct in the wild today.<br>
'''Individual Traits:''' All members of Singing Dog’s pack gain the Gift: Singing Dog’s Cry (above) for free, and decrease the difficulty of the activation roll by 1. They also gain a dot of Charisma.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Members of Singing Dog’s pack gain access to three dots of Expression, and three points of Gnosis.<br>
'''Ban:''' Singing Dog is all but extinct in the wild. However, her iconic howls ring out across New Guinea. For one full day of every full moon, Singing Dog’s pack must go completely unseen, but a great number of people must hear their howls.
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 121''
----
==Tick==
'''Background Cost:''' 4
Tick is a parasite, but tougher than her size might lead you to expect. Her creed is that you do what you have to in order to survive, no matter how distasteful others might find your actions. She is more of a trickster than a warrior, stealing her food from others and using sickness as a weapon instead of provoking a fair fight.
'''Individual Traits:''' Tick’s children gain an extra soak die versus bashing damage.
'''Pack Traits:''' Tick’s packs can call on three dots of Survival and two points of Willpower per story.
'''Ban:''' Tick requires regular tithes of blood. Her pack must offer her a health level’s worth of blood (theirs or someone else’s) per packmate roughly once per week (at the night of the purest new moon, half moon and full moon). She also doesn’t permit her Garou children to kill ticks or remove them once they’re attached and feeding on a host.
''W20 Skinner, pg 8''
----
</div>
==Background Costs and Traits==
Players use their pooled points in the Totem Background to “buy” the totem spirit that has chosen their pack. Each pack can only be affiliated with one totem. Each totem in this section lists the benefits that the pack gain when accepted by it; unless the totem’s description says otherwise, all bonuses and penalties apply as soon as the totem accepts the pack.<br>
'''''Example:''' Ali’s pack has just been accepted by Falcon. Each member of the pack immediately gains two points of Honor Renown. Every scene, one member of the pack adds three additional dots to her Leadership until she passes it on to another packmate. Any member of the pack can draw on the totem’s pool of four Willpower points — at least until they’re all expended.''<br>
Players can enhance their pack’s totem by spending experience points to increase their characters’ Totem rating, per the Background’s description. Totem spirits can also teach Gifts relating to their affiliation and powers. Some totems allow their children to use a particular Gift without teaching it to them, channeling the spirit’s power directly.<br>
A totem does not just grant power to a pack; it also has restrictions that the werewolves must follow. These constraints on the pack’s behavior form part of the totem’s Ban. If the pack members don’t follow the Ban, their totem will cut off assistance. In this case, the werewolves lose all of the benefits of their totem, including access to extra Willpower, Gifts, and Traits, until they undertake a Rite of Contrition to appease their totem. A pack who repeatedly offends their totem may find that the spirit abandons them entirely.<br>
The totems that follow are among the most common patrons to Garou packs. Several of these totems act as tribal totems, but members of that tribe don’t gain the benefits of that totem. Only individual packs who ally with an avatar of those totems gain the benefits. Most cubs learn their tribal Gifts through the spirits that they meet during their Rite of Passage.
==Totem Traits==
Totems can give members of a pack a wide range of Traits. These Traits come in two forms: Individual Traits and Pack Traits.
'''Individual Traits:''' Every member of the pack gains all of a totem’s Individual Traits as soon as they gain the totem’s favor, and retain these Traits while they remain allied with the totem. The most common Individual Traits include temporary Renown, but some totems offer Attribute dots and even Gifts as Individual Traits.
'''Pack Traits:''' Any member of a pack can draw upon a Pack Trait, but only one at a time. If a totem grants dots in a Skill, or a Gift, the first werewolf to draw upon the bonus in a given scene holds on to that specific Trait until the end of the scene, or until they relinquish it. In combat, relinquishing or claiming a Pack Trait is a reflexive action. A pack member can’t “pass on” a Pack Trait to another member of the pack, it instead goes back to the totem spirit, who gives it to the next packmate who requests it. A pack can’t divide a Trait between members — one of Falcon’s children who claims his totem’s Leadership dots gets all three. He can’t take one or two and leave the others for another packmate.<br>
Pack Traits that include pools of points, such as the Willpower pool granted by Falcon, are available to any member of a pack to draw on. If the totem’s pool has any points remaining, any member can choose to spend a point from the pool rather than his own pool. Such pools of points refresh at the end of each story.
=Totem Background and Creation=
''W20 Core, pg 140, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 212''
Totem is a Background that applies directly to the character’s pack, rather than the individual. Unlike other pooled Backgrounds, the pack spends all of the points that members have invested in this Trait to determine their totem’s power.<br>
Each totem has a Background cost rating; the pack must spend that amount to ally with that totem. Some totems are willing to lend great powers to their adherents; their point costs are correspondingly greater. See Pack Totems (W20 Core, pg 373) for a list of possible totems. In addition to their Totem bonuses, all beginning totems have a base of eight points to divide among Rage, Willpower, and Gnosis. The totem also begins with the Airt Sense and Re-form Charms. Apart from bestowing power, totems start out somewhat aloof from the pack, and they have little influence among spirits, unless the players buy a closer connection with Background points. With time, roleplaying, and experience points, pack totems can grow in power as their pack grows in Rank and influence. Some totems can even become the totems of whole septs or — in legendary circumstances — even tribes.<br>
Most of the powers that totems bestow are available to only one pack member at a time. At the end of each turn, the Garou with the power declares who the power may be given to next turn (assuming that she doesn’t keep it). After spending the initial cost of the totem, the players can spend any remaining Background points to add to the totem’s strength and abilities.
A multi-Fera pack may pool its Background points to buy its Totem in the same fashion as a Garou pack. Owing perhaps to some similarity to the rites used by the hengeyokai, even Corax and Gurahl are able to participate in the rite, giving up Raven or Bear’s favor in exchange for that of the pack totem. The inclusion of a Nuwisha still guarantees that the totem attracted will be a trickster of some variety, however. In the incredible event that an Ananasi or Nagah participates in the rite, they gain only the ability to participate in pack tactics and the totem spirit’s favorable regard; Queen Ananasa will not relinquish her children to another, while the Nagah remain outside of the Pact that facilitates congress between the spirit world and the other Fera.
{| class="wikitable"
! Cost !! Power
|-
|1 ||Per three points to spend on Willpower, Rage, or Gnosis
|-
|1 ||Totem can speak to the pack without the benefit of the Gift: Spirit Speech.
|-
|1 ||Totem can always find the pack members.
|-
|2 ||Totem is nearly always with the pack members.
|-
|2 ||Totem is respected by other spirits.
|-
|2 ||Per charm possessed
|-
|3 ||Per extra pack member who can use the totem’s powers in the same turn
|-
|4 ||Totem is connected mystically to all pack members, allowing communication among them even at great distances.
|-
|5 ||Totem is feared by agents of the Wyrm. Either minions of the Wyrm flee from the pack, or they do their best to kill the pack.
|}
The listed cost is in Background points, which can be bought through experience (see Spending Experience Points, p. 244) at the rate of two experience points per Background point. (Therefore, three points of Rage would cost two experience points.) The Storyteller should allow increases in totem powers only when it fits in to the story, such as when pack members gain a higher rank, a new member joins the pack, or when pack members gain new insight into the nature of their totem. When the totem is affiliated with a more powerful spirit, the greater spirit might grant the strengthening of its servant (pack totem) in return for a great service done it by the pack.
* As social creatures, werehyenas are much more likely to have pack totems than personal ones.<br>
* Queen Ananasa also serves as the totem for all werespiders, granting Occult +3 and Enigmas +2 while the werespider meditates in his Sylie. In return, they must obey her laws.<br>
* Bastet often use personal rather than pack totems, however (calling such patrons “Jamak”).<br>
* Corax have no pack or personal Totems, either; Raven claims each Corax for his own, granting them one free dot of Athletics, Enigmas, and Subterfuge. In return he asks only that they whisper each secret they learn into the air, that he might hear it as well.<br>
* All Gurahl have an aspect of Bear as their personal Totem.<br>
* Those Kitsune not associated with a sentai or other pack-group may have either a personal totem or no totem at all.<br>
* Virtually all Nuwisha have a personal totem, inevitably a trickster spirit of some sort. Rarely, a Nuwisha will bind herself into a pack of other Fera — but only if the pack is united under a trickster totem.<br>
* Some wererats establish themselves under a permanent Totem, while others use a special rite to temporarily assume a Totem for the duration of only a single mission or quest, dissolving their bond to the spirit once their task is done.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Spirits">
=Spirits=
Garou may encounter an infinite variety of spirits (minor or mighty, hostile or friendly) and the Storyteller is encouraged to create a wide range of spirits to suit her chronicle.
----
=Spirit Charms=
Spirits have a number of powers called Charms at their command. Some are spiritual reflections of werewolf Gifts, while others are powers that a spirit could teach a Garou — with sufficient cause.<br>
The following Charms are a starting point for Storytellers. Many Charms can reflect a whole host of different phenomena that happen to have the same effects. The Blast Charm, for example, could represent thorns shooting from a nature spirit, shards of glass thrown by a glass elemental, or electrical discharge from a lightning spirit.<br>
Be creative when assigning Charms to spirits.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-common" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Common Spirit Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-common">
=Common Charms=
All spirits have the following Charms. They’re notable only in their absence — a spirit that’s weakened or being punished may not be able to use one or more of these Charms.
----
'''Airt Sense'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit has a natural sense of the “airts” (directions) of the spirit world, and can travel about without much difficulty. The spirit can create or find spirit tracks at will. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis if it has to locate a particular place or individual in the Umbra. Even spirits aren’t infallible, and a botch can lead them to an unforgiving Realm.
----
'''Materialize'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit takes physical form on Earth. The spirit’s Gnosis must be equal to or greater than the area’s Gauntlet rating. The spirit appears the same in the material world as it does in the Umbra. The spirit uses its Traits in the same way as it would in the Umbra, rather than having Attributes and Abilities. Materialized spirits do possess health levels like other corporeal beings. If a spirit dies in the material world, it returns to the Umbra and enters Slumber, just as if the spirit had lost all of its Essence in the Umbra. Most spirits won’t use this Charm except in extraordinary circumstances; the modern world is far from welcoming to their kind.
----
'''Realm Sense'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can sense what transpires in its Domain both in the Umbra and on Earth. Sensing a specific area requires a successful Gnosis roll. Though this Charm is usually associated with Naturae (woodland spirits of Gaia), most spirits bound to an area possess this ability. Spirits without direct ties to a location on Earth may have this Charm, but are only able to sense their dens in Near-Umbral Realms or home Domains.
----
'''Re-form'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can dissolve its body in order to travel through the Umbra to their home Domains. It takes a spirit a full turn to try to re-form. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Gnosis successfully for this Charm to succeed. Spirits use this Charm to flee their enemies.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-special" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Specialty Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-special">
=Specialty Charms=
These Charms are commonly possessed by a wide variety of spirits.
----
'''Armor'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' By spending two points of Essence, the spirit gains a soak pool equal to its Gnosis for the remainder of the scene.
----
'''Blast'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can attack from a distance — breathing fire, unleashing ear-splitting sound, hurling shards of glass, or spitting razor-blades. The Storyteller spends a point of Essence and rolls the spirit’s Rage as a damage dice pool, dealing aggravated damage. The spirit does not need to roll to hit, and the attack cannot be dodged.
----
'''City Tree’s Trunk'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 125''
'''Description:''' The spirit has a permanent soak pool of eight dice, and can increase that by the spirit’s Gnosis by spending two points of Essence. Alternatively, it can grant this additional soak to other spirits by spending another point of Essence. A spirit receiving this blessing applies the soak pool from City Tree’s Trunk in addition to its own armor.
----
'''Charmed Journey'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 126''
'''Description:''' The Gridlock Beetle rolls Gnosis at a Difficulty of (2 + the number of targets). Until the end of the scene, the target’s overland movement suffers no ordinary obstacles or delays. All the lights turn green. No one cuts her off in traffic and then drives under the speed limit. Even police will not stop her regardless of how far over the speed limit she is driving. This benefit extends to movement on foot or off-road, as well. The Jeep doesn’t get stuck in the mud. The frozen lake holds up under the traveler’s weight. Even in a crowd, bystanders never seem to get in her way as she pursues her target (or flees her pursuer). The target subtracts two from the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (minimum 3).
----
'''Cleanse the Blight'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can purge spiritual corruption in its vicinity. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis; the difficulty depends on the strength of the Blight. Most spirits can only use this Charm in an area that reflects their nature.
----
'''Control Electrical Systems'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit exerts control over an electronic device. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3–9 depending on the system’s complexity). The spirit can shut the system down, control it as though it were standing at the controls, and even overload the system.
----
'''Create Fires'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can create fires. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a torch-sized flame, 6 for a bonfire, or 9 for an inferno). Without a source of fuel, the fire only burns for one turn.
----
'''Create Wind'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can create or quell winds. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a strong breeze, 6 for a storm, or 9 for a tornado).
----
'''Demand Audience'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 129''
'''Description:''' As Rite of Summoning (W20 Core, pg 212) with the following alterations: Srador can complete the ritual in a single turn. The spirits who arrive are passively benign (if Gafflings) or neutral (if Jagglings) toward Srador. More powerful spirits are always initially hostile, so Srador seldom uses this Charm to summon them. The number of successes instead determines the speed with which the spirit answers Srador’s summons:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 200px" | Effect
|-
|1
|The spirit arrives within 24 hours.
|-
|2
|The spirit arrives within an hour.
|-
|3
|The spirit arrives immediately.
|-
|4+
|For each additional success after the third another spirit comes with the summoned spirit. These are either lesser spirits with natures similar to that of the target, or random spirits of a similar power level.
|-
|}
Srador cannot use this Charm more than once per day.
----
'''Dreadful Presence:'''
''W20 Core, pg 182''
'''Description:''' This Charm is available only to Incarna avatars, and is constantly in effect. All spirits hostile to the Incarna avatar lose two dice from all their dice pools while they remain in the avatar’s vicinity.
----
'''Fetch Brand:'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 101''
'''Description:''' The spirit can mark a mortal with a small brand, visible only to Garou, in the shape of the glyph of its brood’s allied tribe. The spirit can place the brand just about anywhere on the body, including even the inside of the lip or the scalp. Most werewolves instruct the Kin-Fetch to make the brands hard to find (the Black Spiral Dancers in particular); some, too proud for their own good, want an easily evident sign of glory (such as many Silver Fangs). If the marked mortal undergoes the Change, the brand is burned away and the Kin-Fetch is immediately aware of the Change, whether or not it’s viewing the material world at the time.
----
'''Flood'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can raise the natural water level in an area. The spirit spends a point of Essence to flood an area. The size depends on the power of the spirit — a Jaggling using this Charm could flood several blocks or a small town, while a Gaffling could flood a building or a city block. Flooding a larger area could require the spirit to expend more Essence.
----
'''Freeze'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit drastically lowers the temperature of its immediate area. Reduce the spirit’s Rage by one for the remainder of the scene. Everyone in the area suffers the spirit’s new Rage in dice of aggravated damage. Using this Charm may have additional effects, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
----
'''Healing'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can heal physical beings. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (6 to heal lethal damage, 8 for aggravated). The target heals a number of health levels equal to the spirit’s Gnosis. A spirit can only use this Charm once per scene per target.
----
'''Illness''
''W20 Skinner, pg 16''
'''Description:''' The spirit can infect a target with a wasting spiritual sickness. The spirit spends a point of Essence and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target’s Stamina. Success means that the target loses a point of Stamina, and all wound penalties increase by 1 (including at the Bruised health level, which effectively becomes a –1 penalty). The effects last for a day if the target can regenerate, or until supernaturally cured if the target can’t.
----
'''Illuminate'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can light an area reaching to 20 yards (20 meters) from its body, or change the color of lights in the area. Doing so doesn’t normally require a roll.
----
'''Open Moon Bridge'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can open a moon bridge to a desired location. This charm can operate anywhere, and does not need a caern present. The moon bridge has a total potential distance of 1000 miles (1600 km).
----
'''Peek'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can look into the physical world from the Penumbra.
----
'''Road Rage'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 127''
'''Description:''' The Gridlock Beetle rolls Rage at a Difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower. Until the end of the scene, countless small obstacles or minor delays hamper the target’s overland movement — a traffic jam, a flat tire, a stubbed toe, etc. The target adds two to the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (maximum 9). Additionally, shapeshifters under the influence of this Charm use Rage less effectively. Reduce the total amount of Rage the target may spend in a single turn by one (to a minimum of zero) for as long as the Charm lasts.
----
'''Royal Decree'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129''
'''Description:''' This Charm is functionally the same as the Theurge Gift Command Spirit (W20 Core, pg 164), except it costs one Essence per command instead of one Willpower, and the Storyteller rolls Srador’s Gnosis (difficulty is the spirit’s Gnosis) to activate the Charm. It also functions on creatures of half-spirit, including shapeshifters (difficulty is the shapeshifter’s Willpower), but Srador seldom calls upon it unless he is desperate.
----
'''Savage'''
''W20 Core, pg 182''
'''Description:''' By spending one Essence, the spirit adds two dice to all damage rolls for the remainder of the scene.
----
'''Shapeshift'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can look like anything it desires. This Charm only changes the spirit’s form, not its abilities or powers. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Willpower if it tries to appear as a specific being.
----
'''Shatter Glass'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can break all of the glass in the area. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).
----
'''Short Out'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can short out electrical systems, damaging the circuits. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).
----
'''Subtle Watcher'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 102''
'''Description:''' The Kin-Fetch can make itself invisible at no cost, and maintain the invisibility for as long as it chooses, as long as it remains within roughly three meters of its fetch-branded target. Other spirits will not be able to detect it unless they have specific counter-charms.
----
'''Swift Flight'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can fly at three times the normal speed, up to 60 + (Willpower x3) yards or meters per turn.
----
'''Tongues'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129''
'''Description:''' Srador understands all human and spirit languages and is able to speak telepathically. He can address one, some, or all creatures within 100 yards, and they hear him in their native tongues. If a target has a Gift or other supernatural ability the grants her resistance to mental influence, the Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower).
----
'''Tracking'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can follow its prey unerringly, though it must spend a point of Essence to do so.
----
'''Umbraquake'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The Umbra shakes with such force that everyone standing is thrown to the ground. Everyone in the area suffers half the spirit’s Rage in dice of bashing damage.
----
'''Updraft'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can lift a man-sized creature into the air with a gust of wind. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Willpower (difficulty 6).
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-weaver" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Weaver Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-weaver">
=Weaver Charms=
These Charms are granted by the Weaver. A spirit with one of these Charms can use Airt Sense to travel via the Pattern Web.
----
'''Calcify'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit binds a character into the Pattern Web. The Storyteller rolls Willpower, contested by the target’s Rage. Each success subtracts one dot from a Physical Attribute of the spirit’s choice (or Essence in the case of spirits). When the target’s Essence or Attributes drop to zero, the target is held in the Pattern Web. Werewolves must be freed by their packmates, while Wyld energy can disrupt the Pattern Web to free spirits.
----
'''Coercion'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 134''
'''Description:''' The spirit influences the target’s emotions, causing her to feel and react a certain way. The Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty the target’s Willpower). This Charm can be used across the Gauntlet.
----
'''Gremlin'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 135''
'''Description:''' The spirit can choose to inhabit its truck self or its legal owner (or owners). The Storyteller spends one Essence and rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the owner’s Willpower if unwilling, or 4 for the truck or a willing owner). This possession lasts the time indicated:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 150px" | Duration
|-
|1
|One turn
|-
|2
|Five turns
|-
|3
|One minute
|-
|4
|Five minutes
|-
|5
|One hour
|-
|6
|Three hours plus one hour per success above 6
|-
|}
If the spirit successfully possesses its truck self, it gains control of all the vehicle’s functions as if the truck were running. If the Truck Guardian successfully possesses its owner, it increases her Strength and Stamina by one and adds two dice to all her Athletics rolls. This bonus applies for as long as the Charm lasts. The spirit can allow its owner to act independently but can also seize control of her motor functions at any time if it wishes.
----
'''Solidify Reality'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit extends and strengthens the Pattern Web. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis. Each success increases the target’s Essence (or effective health levels) by one per success. The effects last for a day. A target can only benefit from one use of this Charm at a time; all further uses before the effects wear off automatically fail.
----
'''Spirit Static'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit increases the Gauntlet in an area by one. Up to three spirits may work in concert (increasing the Gauntlet by three). The spirit must remain in the same area and is distracted, reducing all of its dice pools by 2.
----
'''Time Rend'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133''
'''Description:''' The spirit attacks the very time and essence of its target, tearing away the past and the future with its strikes. The Storyteller spends two points of Essence and rolls to attack. Instead of dealing normal damage, the attack permanently reduces the target’s Rage by one dot per Health Level that would be lost. Once the target has run out of Rage, the attack targets Gnosis, then finally Willpower. If the victim is completely depleted of all three of these Traits, he dies immediately.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-wyld" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Wyld Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wyld">
=Wyld Charms=
'''Break Reality'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can change something’s Umbral form: turning water into acid, turning part of a wall into a door, or even changing a couch into a steak dinner. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty depends on degree of change), with one element of the target changing with each success. On a failure, the spirit loses a point of Essence. On a botch, it loses a point of Gnosis as well.
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'''Disorient'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can alter landmarks and directions. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6 or the Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher).
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'''Inspire'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 136''
'''Description:''' The spirit can use this Charm to increase the chance of success of an action, lowering the difficulty of the action by 1. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6). A spirit can only use this Charm once per scene per target.
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'''Secure Permission'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 138''
'''Description:''' Whenever the Made-Me-Do-It-Devil makes a request of an authority figure (police officer, teacher, parent, boss, etc.), the Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (Difficulty is the victim’s Willpower). If this succeeds the target gives the spirit whatever it asks for until the end of the scene as long as it doesn’t immediately endanger anyone. Made-Me-Do-It Devils use this Charm to get their accomplices out of trouble or to reward them for especially imaginative pranks.
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</div>
==Spirit Traits==
Spirits have different characteristics than creatures native to the physical world. Each spirit has four Traits: Willpower, Rage, Gnosis, and Essence. Spirits also have abilities defined by their nature, called Charms. A spirit’s Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower ranges from 1 to 10, as for werewolves, but spirits have only dots in these Traits, not points that can be spent for extra actions or successes.
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'''Willpower:''' Willpower covers many “physical” actions — striking an enemy, flying through the Umbra, or clambering through the webs that hold the Umbra of cities in bondage. Spirits use Willpower for any action that would normally use the Dexterity or Stamina Attributes.
'''Rage:''' A spirit’s Rage covers actions that need power rather than finesse — holding an opponent in a clinch, breaking through doors and weak walls, and harming opponents. Spirits use Rage for actions that would otherwise involve the Strength Attribute.
'''Gnosis:''' Gnosis allows a spirit to perceive the world around it, communicate with other spirits, and think quickly in strange situations. Spirits use Gnosis for actions that would otherwise involve the Social or Mental Attributes, and for many Charms.
'''Essence:''' A spirit’s Essence usually equals the sum of its Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower, though the Storyteller should adjust it up or down for particularly hearty or frail spirits. Essence represents the spirit’s Health, and its energy reserves for powering Charms.
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=Broods and Types=
All along the different levels of spiritual awareness and power, spirits organize themselves into families called broods much like the Garou do tribes. (W20 Core, pg 373) All of these broods descend from one or more Incarnae and, by extension, Gaia. And as with the Garou tribes, a number of these relations are through adoption rather than having any direct relation to the Incarna patron. They are all related in terms of philosophy or nature, though to a spirit the distinction is fuzzy.
Whether born literally from other spirits in the brood or adopted, they consider each other true family. Even if they don’t all get along with each other, they still show proper respect to each other and reverence to the Incarna from which they’re descended. If a shapeshifter greatly offends a spirit of Chimera’s brood, Chimerlings and other assorted spirits of wisdom or enigmas will be hostile and uncooperative until she can redeem herself. In extreme cases she might have difficulty dealing with other shapeshifters following Chimera as a pack or personal totem. She needs to make amends, starting with an offer of chiminage, and if she is fortunate the right chiminage will settle the debt.
On the other hand, on very rare occasions a spirit brood will adopt a worthy werewolf into its ranks. Spirits treat such an honored individual as family, a bond even closer than the one between the Garou and her tribal totem if they aren’t already one and the same. Such a blessing often comes with an offer to serve the brood after death in the form of an ancestor spirit. A rare honor but an Incarna has few higher ways to honor one of the Garou.
Spirit relations can get complicated in ways that make perfect sense to the spirits themselves but seem random or arbitrary to someone raised in the physical world where heritage and genealogy are understood concepts. For example, after the fall of the White Howlers their tribal totem Lion was adopted by Griffin and is considered a part of his brood in every way that matters. At the same time, the aspect of Lion that serves as patron to the Simba werelions isn’t related to Griffin at all. As Incarna exist on multiple levels of reality at once, this is part of the natural order to them whereas beings that experience one reality at a time might need a chart to wrap their heads around it.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-types" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Spirit Types</div>
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==Gafflings==
Depending on whatever spawned them, whether event or Incarna, new spirits often come into being as Gafflings. Gafflings are the equivalent of simple animal wildlife of the spirit world, sometimes appearing clever but only really capable of perceiving the world in specific ways. Each has a purpose, even if they can’t understand or articulate what that purpose is. For many spirits, ‘what I do’ is the same as ‘what I am’ and that is true for typical Gafflings more than anything else.
Gafflings see the world in terms of their nature, like people who view their experiences through the lens of their job. They have a duty that they obsessively uphold whether that duty is to represent the interests of a breed of animal or to maintain a section of the Pattern Web. Each is a servant of something much larger and much more aware than themselves and even the ones smart enough to question orders have no desire to. They feed by attaching themselves to an object or place that allows them to embody what they are — all a Gaffling generally wants to do — and sustain themselves from the energy that comes from that interaction.
Spirits also gain sustenance by entering the state of Slumber, replenishing themselves like humans do by sleeping. For many spirits of objects and places, simply being available if needed is enough to do their duty so they conserve their strength through hibernation. In some cases, acting out the place in the ecosystem appropriate to their concept allows them to feed. The spirit of a predatory animal hunts and eats the spirits of appropriate prey animals, consuming their essence for themselves.
Banes also often feed by consuming other spirits, but do so solely for destruction’s sake with no respect for the natural order.
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==Jagglings==
If a Gaffling’s purview increases in strength, like a sapling growing into a massive oak or the ‘adopted’ weapon of a war-spirit being used in battle after battle, the spirit itself can grow. As spirits grow in strength and power they become more aware. Eventually, if they cross a particular threshold, the spirit develops into a Jaggling. They can also earn ‘promotions’ from more powerful spirits and take on greater roles in the world. The oak spirit is empowered to represent the forest; the war-spirit takes a military unit or base under its wing.
If Gafflings are the clever animals of the spiritual world, Jagglings are the people. Once a spirit has progressed beyond the Gaffling level, they are no longer an appendage of their superiors but have usually achieved sentience in the way humanity would think of it. Jagglings have thoughts and personalities and agendas all their own. While they typically serve Incarnae, Jagglings’ goals don’t always have to align with those of their master.
Jagglings feed much like Gafflings do, although they are more likely to reap the benefits of service and worship than replenishing themselves through Slumber. They tend to be more actively involved in spiritual affairs, primarily due to their awareness and self-determination, and because of their greater strength their purview grows in scope as well. A forest is a more important part of nature than an individual tree. A military unit will see more action than any individual rifle.
Because Jagglings encompass such a broad range of spiritual strength, from something on the power level of a Stormcrow to the sheer might of the Nexus Crawlers or a caern totem, a Jaggling has a lot of room to grow without ascending to a higher rank. Few ever achieve that higher degree of enlightenment and fewer still accomplish it without help. The transition from Jaggling to Incarna is almost always a promotion by another Incarna on the rare occasions it happens at all.
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==Incarnae==
New Incarnae rise up from the ranks of the Jagglings at the will of their own deific patrons. They often serve Gaia or a member of the Triat more or less directly, though some serve a Celestine like Helios or Luna. Jagglings rise to the rank of Incarna often because some new concept has come into being and needs a patron to fill the new spiritual niche. Sometimes they fill the role of a destroyed Incarna. In rare circumstances Gaia or the Triat will create an Incarnae wholecloth, like the werespiders’ mistress Queen Ananasa.
Incarnae embody important concepts — organized war or all oak trees as a whole — but they represent those concepts as opposed to literally being them. If the Oak Incarna is slain a new one will rise from the Jagglings to take its place, but not every oak tree in the world would wither and fall in the meantime. It would, however, mean a certain degree of disarray in the Incarna’s minions and retainers for a time. Fortunately for Jagglings, the ability to take hold of such a situation is usually a good way to prove itself worthy of the vacated position.
Because of the nature of such promotions a Jaggling’s form shifts as it fills the vacated spot, sometimes muddying attempts to trace its history. As a result some Incarnae appear almost from nowhere. Some Incarnae leave well known and traceable histories as they rise through the ranks. O’ Mighty Dolla’ (Rage Across the World, p. 55), for example, started as a Gaffling nickel-spirit and became a Jaggling quarter-spirit before achieving Incarna status after World War I. Conversely, his rival Easy Credit is entirely unknown before her 1995 appearance.
Most Garou encounters with an Incarna are likely to be with their pack or tribal totem. When werewolves do so, except for the rarest of occasions, they’re interacting with an avatar rather than the spirit itself — a fragment of the Incarna’s power made manifest as a Jaggling. Even a pack that has truly proven itself worthy of a totem’s protection or guidance can’t expect to be able to command the totem’s full attention on a regular basis. The avatar speaks with the Incarna’s authority with regards to the pack even though it is considered a spirit in and of itself.
Incarnae neither fall into Slumber nor stop to take the time to feed. They don’t have to. At this point, their Celestine patrons and the forces over which they have dominion sustain them. They’re too tightly woven into the grand scheme of things to require traditional sources of spiritual energy.
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==Celestines==
To the various Changing Breeds and their allies, Incarnae and Celestines both come across like deities of a sort. Celestines, however, are the real deal in terms of raw power. Unlike an Incarna, a Celestine is literally the thing it represents and produces its phenomenon rather than the other way around. Each astronomical phenomenon has a spiritual presence, the true form of which is all but unknowable. Helios and Luna are literally the sun and moon and if slain those heavenly bodies would cease to be. That said, destroying a Celestine is nigh impossible. Even the asteroid belt, a destroyed planet, still has a presence in the Aetherial Realm and an active Incarna. If destroying a planet isn’t enough to snuff out a Planetary Incarna, what would it take to kill a Celestine? The Apocalypse likely contains the answer to that question.
Despite the common belief among Incarnae that they could eventually ascend to the level of Celestine, the myths and fantasies so far prove to be just that. None of the few identified Celestines worked their up the hierarchy to earn their place in the heavens as far as anyone knows. Some legends suggest that, as the Mother Goddess, Gaia Herself may have the power to elevate an Incarna to this level. Celestines reside in both the Deep Umbra and the Aetherial Realm (W20 Umbra, pg 46), in personal realms where their power and awareness are effectively infinite. They only rarely send avatars to Earth and instead focus their energies to nudge and influence those capable of listening. A Celestine can maintain multiple avatars at once. The power of even a weak avatar is such that they only dare affect the physical world with light, indirect touches. The unenlightened mistake their few, mysterious efforts for astrological forces or similar phenomena.
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==Outside the Cycle: Emanations==
Emanations are spirits that neither fall into the hierarchy nor the life-cycle of spirits in a traditional manner. They only manifest in the Near Realms, apparently produced by the realm itself, and they often appear as humans or animals appropriate to the realm in question. These denizens are often unaware of their spiritual nature and act like normal people or animals for their given context. As expressions of a particular realm’s nature, some Garou suspect they’re a way for the realms to attempt to communicate with material beings.
The biggest difference between emanations and the traditional spirits also found in the Near Realms is that emanations do not follow the same rules as spirits do. A human-looking emanation is a human for all intents and purposes — it has no sense of its rank or purpose, no Charms, and no ban. That makes it very hard for werewolves to differentiate between the emanations of tortured souls in Malfeas and the very real humans that the Wyrm’s minions bring to that blasphemous place.
Not every entity found in the Near Realms is an emanation. Most of them are typical spirits who simply make their homes in places suited to them and use the normal traits of Rage, Willpower, etc. A Pattern Spider in the CyberRealm is pretty much the same as it is anywhere else in the Umbra. Emanations are specifically the human and animal-shaped ‘mundane’ creatures that make up a Near Realm’s population.
===Emanation Mechanics===
Emanations don’t use traditional spirit traits. Instead, they have the normal assortment of Attributes, Abilities, and so forth. If a Garou gets into conflict with the hunters of Wolfhome or a Nazi guard in the Atrocity Realm, the Storyteller rolls the emanation’s Dexterity + Firearms instead of Willpower to attack. When the Garou retaliates, his attacks harm the emanation’s health levels, not its Essence.
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</div>
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==Spirits in Combat==
While the Garou can deal with many spirits through bargains and appropriate chiminage (W20 Core, pg 319), some spirits won’t listen to anything short of a werewolf’s teeth and claws.<br>
Fighting spirits is much the same as fighting anything else for the Garou, and they use the same Traits as in the physical world. Spirits, on the other hand, use their Willpower to attack and Rage to damage on a successful hit. When damaged, spirits soak with Willpower (possibly enhanced by the Armor charm). Spirits with high Willpower can also use it to dodge, but they must split their dice pool if they want to dodge more than once, or to attack and dodge.<br>
All unsoaked damage is subtracted from the spirit’s Essence, whether it’s bashing, lethal, or aggravated. A spirit that runs out of Essence slowly fades into the Umbra. Garou can harvest Gnosis from such spirits, bringing them to a permanent end, or bind them into fetishes. Without a werewolf’s interference, the spirit must rebuild its Essence before rematerializing in the Umbra.
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==Spirit States==
The Umbra is unlike the physical world in a number of ways, and spirits are unlike physical beings. As such, different rules apply.
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'''Communication:''' Spirits “speak” via shared thoughts and feelings, rather than what humans consider a language. Some spirits, such as the servants of tribal totems, can speak the Garou tongue or other human languages. The Gift: Spirit Speech is required to speak with and understand spirits in their own language. Gifts that deal with spirits do not need the user to understand spirit speech — the power of the Gift transmits the Garou’s intent without needing to translate his words.
'''Movement:''' Spirits can fly or float up to (20 + Willpower) yards or meters per turn, and can float in place if they wish. In the Penumbra, the distance between any two points is the same as it is in the physical world; further into the Umbra the concept of “distance” and “time” can both warp in unpredictable ways.
'''Slumber:''' Spirits regain Essence by entering an inactive state called Slumber, during which it floats in a secluded part of the Umbra. A spirit slain in the Penumbra fades away into the Umbra after several minutes. A Slumbering spirit can be bound through a rite without regard for the spirit’s willingness. The spirit in a fetish is always in Slumber — the user activates the fetish’s powers, not those of the spirit.
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-gaian" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Gaian Spirits</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-gaian">
<div class="mw-customtoggle-naturae" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Naturae</div>
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=Naturae=
The spirits a Garou is mostly likely to encounter are nature spirits. Long ago, the Umbra was filled with active spirits, and every stream, every tree, every stone, every thing had a living spirit connected to it. Now, the Umbra is largely barren and featureless. Only a few nature spirits still exist, and most of them are in Slumber.<br>
All spirits listed here possess the Charms of Airt Sense and Re-form in addition to those listed.
==Animal Spirits==
Animal spirits look like an ideal of the species they represent. There are far too many varieties of animal spirits to list here; many others have disappeared as species have become extinct.<br>
In addition to teaching Gifts to select Garou, many werewolves find it wise to appease animal spirits after hunting their kind for food. Most Garou, particularly Wendigo and lupus, believe that animal spirits have totem Incarnae, called Animal Fathers. The Animal Fathers watch their children from lodges in the Near Umbra. Werewolves who don’t show proper respect to animal spirits may draw the ire of an Animal Father, who can prevent births of that animal in the physical world.
The following are some sample animal Gafflings:
'''Deer'''<br>
''Willpower 4, Rage 4, Gnosis 6, Essence 14''<br>
'''Charms:''' No special Charms
'''Falcon'''<br>
''Willpower 8, Rage 6, Gnosis 5, Essence 19''<br>
'''Charms:''' Swift Flight
'''Snake'''<br>
''Willpower 5, Rage 6, Gnosis 8, Essence 19''<br>
'''Charms:''' Paralyzing Stare (as the Level Three Shadow Lord Gift)
'''Wolf'''<br>
''Willpower 6, Rage 7, Gnosis 5, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Tracking
''Source: W20 Core, pg 368''
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==City Tree==
City Tree is just what it sounds like, a tree in the city. City Tree is an iconic rebel of the urban landscape; it forces its way through concrete, feeding itself with trash and polluted water, yet still rises strong. It bears fruit that feeds the homeless and less fortunate. It holds the precious little topsoil in place, guaranteeing years of fertility for those few square feet. It’s a little victory for the Wyld, but sometimes a little victory means the difference between survival and all-out defeat.
City Tree doesn’t exist by every single tree in the city, only the very healthy ones that stand against the odds. But where City Tree stands, Garou should take notice. It’s a very useful spirit that will help any working toward making the city inhabitable for its kin. It can heal and protect war-torn warriors.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' City Tree’s Trunk, Cleanse the Blight, Create Wind, Healing
'''Image:''' City Tree looks like a tree. It’s vaguely anthropomorphized. It uses its branch/limbs to press down on the ground, constantly trying to free itself from the cement around it. It struggles slowly and constantly. Knife cuts along its bark act as eyes and a mouth. It speaks with frustration and impatience, but shows empathy and concern for the city and its inhabitants. It’s often found with numerous other, smaller spirits around. It shields them from bigger threats, and becomes a makeshift shelter for the less capable.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 125''
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==Glade Child==
The spirits of trees, Glade Children appear as robed luminescent figures. A Glade Child’s appearance depends on its tree’s location in the physical realm. In a forest, the spirit appears majestic and powerful; near a busy intersection, the spirit will seem grimy and waiflike. This extends to the information it can impart to the Garou — the more a tree has become tainted, or the more tightly it is woven into the Pattern Web, the less reliable its information becomes. The spirits of deciduous trees are bright-eyed and watchful during the summer months, becoming sluggish and harder to rouse in late fall and winter.<br>
''Willpower 7, Rage 3, Gnosis 8, Essence variable (20 for a sapling, 35 for a mature oak, 50+ for an ancient redwood)''<br>
'''Charms:''' Cleanse the Blight, Realm Sense
''Source: W20 Core, pg 368''
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-common" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Common Spirits</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-common">
==City Mascot==
The fans of professional sports teams awaken City Mascots, feeding the spirits with their devotion and their intense interest in every aspect of the game. The team takes the role of the city’s army of warrior-priests, dedicated to its defense and that of its patron’s honor. Their contests against the teams of rival cities have replaced the battles between eternally warring city-states.
City Mascots often act as servants of City Mothers (or Fathers) but Theurges frequently find them more approachable — or at least easier to coax. A local shapeshifter can often attract a City Mascot’s attention simply by wearing branded merchandise to a game. These spirits regard their billion dollar stadiums as great cathedrals, and the shouts of their fans as prayers of devotion. A supplicant who approaches the City Mascot as it basks in the glory of its warriors’ victory can usually win an audience with it. A few cities have multiple City Mascots that represent different sports. In some places the City Mascots engage in friendly rivalries. In others, they compete fiercely for the hearts of local fans.
A City Mascot has an inherent mistrust of outsiders. It will tolerate out-of-town fans, especially those who take care to express their devotion to it. In the company of those hailing from a rival city, the spirit remains aloof at best, and it might actually play tricks on or otherwise inconvenience those it believes worship a rival City Mascot. Despite their apparent devotion, rival cities can sometimes woo a City Mascot elsewhere by offering it a greater and more glorious stadium or a more fanatical pool of worshippers. When the City Mascot’s team goes to another city, the spirit goes with it, and it quickly adopts the character of its new home.
These spirits can be valuable allies, however, for few know the city and its inhabitants better than they do. They also occasionally come to shapeshifters for help dealing with problems they cannot resolve on their own, and more than one pack has been put on the scent of a Wyrm plot by a tip from a City Mascot.
''Rage: 8, Willpower 8, Gnosis 5, Essence 21''
'''Charms:''' Armor, Cleanse the Blight, Disorient, Healing, Illuminate, Open Moon Bridge, Shapeshift, Tracking
'''Image:''' A City Mascot’s true form frequently resembles the official mascot of the team that gave it form. As a tutelary deity it also reflects the architecture, history, and present fortunes of the city it protects. The personalities and customs of its citizens similarly come across in its temperament and mannerisms.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 125''
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==Crowdfunding==
With the rise of the Internet, creative professionals have looked to new outlets to sponsor their endeavors. Crowdfunding has grown as a particularly successful method over the past couple of years. With crowdfunding, a creative professional puts forward a proposal, puts it before the Internet’s collective scrutiny, then would-be patrons offer money to bring the project to life.
Though not strictly Gaian spirits, Crowdfunding spirits are undirected at the moment of their creation. They soon move towards one of the Triat, depending on their environment. Depending on their bent, they can possess Corruption (Wyrm), Solidify Reality (Weaver), or Break Reality (Wyld) as an additional Charm. Those few that remain in service to Gaia often attach themselves to projects that benefit a community and promote harmony or re-growth. They possess Cleanse the Blight as an extra Charm. For each character attacking Crowdfunding in the same round, the spirit regains one point of Essence. This can go above its normal limit, but anything above the limit fades at the end of the scene.
''Rage: 2, Willpower: 10, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 16''
'''Charms:''' Armor, Healing, Peek, Break Reality/Cleanse the Blight/Corruption/Solidify Reality (see above)
'''Image:''' Every Crowdfunding spirit takes on a symbolic composite of its source. The spirit for the Golden State 2™ film project looks like a stainless steel bear that spews gold from its every orifice. The Machine Age Time Machine Prototype™ project looks like a small brass dirigible. The Aspect System Game™ project looks like a mechanized gorilla with a raygun.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 126''
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=Elementals=
Elementals are spiritual manifestations of the “classical” elements: the core substances that make up all things.<br>
For centuries, the only elementals known were of the four classical elements: earth, fire, air, and water. In recent times, Garou have discovered spirits that look like elementals but that embody other substances — Glass Walkers frequently traffic with glass and plastic elementals, while the spread of industrial society spawned electricity and metal elementals. No werewolf has yet discovered a spirit related to an element from the periodic table; fluorine elementals remain the stuff of horror stories for chemically-minded Garou.<br>
Elementals vary wildly in power, from the minor Gafflings in a candle-flame to the Incarna-like power of the water in an ocean. The following Traits apply to minor elementals:
'''Earth Elemental:''' These spirits often appear as collections of rocks connected in a vaguely humanoid form, or simply as a moving bulge in the ground.<br>
''Willpower 9, Rage 4, Gnosis 5, Essence 20''<br>
'''Charms:''' Armor, Materialize, Umbraquake
'''Air Elemental:''' Air elementals are invisible unless passing through a field of dust or fog, but can be easily heard or felt.<br>
''Willpower 3, Rage 8, Gnosis 7, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Create Wind, Updraft
'''Fire Elemental:''' These mercurial spirits typically manifest as a swirling column of flame.<br>
''Willpower 5, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Essence 20''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blast (Flame), Create Fires
'''Water Elemental:''' These elementals can appear as individual pools of water, a “thickening” in a larger body of water, or even a transparent humanlike form.<br>
''Willpower 6, Rage 4, Gnosis 10, Essence 20''<br>
'''Charms:''' Cleanse the Blight, Flood, Healing
'''Glass Elemental:''' Glass elementals appear as a humanoid form made up of numerous shards of glass.<br>
''Willpower 4, Rage 7, Gnosis 7, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blast (Glass shards), Materialize, Shatter Glass
'''Electricity Elemental:''' These spirits can appear as arcs of electricity, St. Elmo’s Fire, or ball lightning.<br>
''Willpower 6, Rage 7, Gnosis 5, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blast (Lightning), Control Electrical Systems, Short Out
''Source: W20 Core, pg 370''
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==Gridlock Beetle==
These urban spirits form along busy, congested streets and highways. A single traffic jam or a few months of lane closures caused by road construction doesn’t generate enough frustration to give birth to a Gridlock Beetle. Only the most notorious of traffic trouble spots in large cities can awaken them. Gridlock Beetles coaxed away from their native territory wield considerable influence over travel times. Glass Walkers and other urban Garou sometimes dispatch them to delay an enemy, but they are more often called upon to expedite the shapeshifter’s journeys.
''Rage: 5, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 5, Essence: 15''
'''Charms:''' Calcify, Charmed Journey, Road Rage
'''Image:''' Gridlock Beetles look like the body of a car walking on six insectoid legs and are the size of large dogs. Each “model” of Gridlock Beetle exhibits personality quirks in keeping with similar such spirits of that model. Sports car-bodied Beetles are often impatient and favor making haste over slowing down opponents, for example, while large sedans sometimes create delays for passersby out of pure spite. Storytellers should feel free to adjust the Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower of a Gridlock Beetle based on its model.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 126''
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==Lune==
The most common of Luna’s Jagglings appear as shimmering ribbons of light outlined in gold or blue. They communicate empathically, spiraling or undulating more rapidly as they become excited. Most Lunes are positively disposed toward Garou, as long as the werewolves don’t get too bossy. Lunes can open moon bridges at will, and they may create moon bridges for Garou who petition them. During the full moon, however, there’s no guarantee where the moon-mad spirit’s pathways will send them.<br>
''Willpower 8, Rage 4 (8 during the full moon), Gnosis 7, Essence 19–23''<br>
'''Charms:''' Open Moon Bridge
''Source: W20 Core, pg 369''
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==Meme==
Memes are a type of Epiphling, spirits of the thoughts and ideas that take hold in the mind of people, and spread in a pattern very similar to an infectious disease. These conceptual spirits are often small and short lived, flitting from one thing to the next without much heed to anything but the information they feel they must convey. Most Memes are found within the Astral Umbra, unable to grow big enough to leave, sometimes so small and short lived as to barely gain notice. Some gain quite a bit of power and influence, pushing their idea into the minds of people across the world.
Each Meme spirit represents a single idea. They thrive on that idea being remembered and passed from one person to another. In the past, the growth of a Meme spirit was often slow and ponderous, taking years for a particular Meme to grow enough to reach beyond its original location, or to eventually spread influence across the world. Memes of old were content to grow in power and influence slowly, and did very little to actively push ideas forward, expecting word of mouth to be sufficient.
As the world enters the information age, Memes have the capability to grow and gain influence faster than ever. This also means a Meme can die just as fast as it grows, sometimes gaining worldwide influence, only to be forgotten within the year. The prospect of such a fast death scares most Memes. They take an active role in spreading ideas to people, pushing concepts and information into as many channels as they can in hopes to create a legacy that lasts. Some Memes fluctuate in power and influence as their ideas travel the globe and back again — their popularity rekindled sometimes without rhyme or reason.
Some of the most powerful Meme spirits have been able to adapt and evolve, conveying their information in new forms as a previous form loses traction and people forget it. These Memes urge people to share information through whatever medium possible. Some Garou find binding Memes to fetishes helps them retain large amounts of information to share later.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 19''
'''Charms:''' Control Electrical Systems, Short Out
'''Image:''' When materialized, Memes take on the image of whatever bit of information they conveyed. Sometimes the information is so small and truncated, the spirit looks like nothing more than a photograph or scrawled word on a piece of paper. Otherwise, the spirit may take on the form of an animal or person to which the information pertains. In the Umbra, the spirits look like small pieces of the Pattern Web, etched into a defined space.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 127''
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==Nuntius==
Nuntiuses are spirits of the ice and rock debris that shoots through space, unattached to any particular celestial body. These spirits act as messengers, moving between the Celestines in the Deep Umbra and their avatars in the Aetherial Realm, or even carrying messages from one Celestine to another.
Some Nuntiuses are only found within the Deep Umbra — spirits of objects that never come within the Earth’s orbit and lack any grounding there. These spirits are large alien creatures with little to no concept or care for the Earth or her inhabitants. Other Nuntiuses are small and short lived, breaking away from a Celestine bearing a specific message. Once the Nuntius delivers his message he returns home, waiting for redeployment. Some never make it back, remaining attached to the new Celestine after delivering their message. Yet, others still are large and long lived traveling the sky in predictable patterns carrying messages across the Umbra a bit like a mail service among the stars.
The most common Nuntiuses are small affairs, what people would call meteors often making a single pass from one spirit to another. Garou sometimes report watching them burn tracks through the night sky as the spirit travels into the Near Realms to deliver its message. Mostly the spirits deliver messages from a Celestine to one of its Jagglings, or from a Totem to its pack spirit. On rare occasions, a spirit is sent from far off with a message for Gaia herself.
Despite the probability that the spirit only has a single message to deliver, they are all quite well informed. Nuntiuses share messages and information with each other, sometimes to speed a message along, and sometimes just for the sheer joy of sharing a message. It seems that what one Nuntius knows, all Nuntiuses will know in short order. If a Garou is lucky, he can stop one of these little spirits in its tracks and ask for news or information. They move fast though, and stopping them is not an easy prospect.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 5, Essence: 14''
'''Charms:''' Open Moon Bridge, Peek, Swift Flight, Tracking
'''Image:''' Nuntiuses appear in the physical realm as the rock or ice they are bound to. In the Umbra, they appear as bright flashes of colorful light, streaking across the sky.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 127''
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==Stormcrows==
The most common of Grandfather Thunder’s spirit servants, Stormcrows are the totem’s eyes and ears. They are connected to him at all times, and they often serve as pack totem avatars for Thunder. <br>
''Willpower 9, Rage 7, Gnosis 6, Essence 22''<br>
'''Charms:''' Create Wind, Tracking
''Source: W20 Core, pg 369''
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</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-unique" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Unique Spirits</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-unique">
=Ancestor-Spirits=
Garou serve their tribe and Gaia, and not even death can end their service. The spirits of the long-dead wait in the Umbra, watching over their descendants. Some can aid the living, lending their knowledge, wisdom, or even their expertise in combat.<br>
Most ancestor-spirits reside in their tribe’s Umbral homeland. A few might exist near their sept’s caern, while some are bound to powerful fetishes. Garou can bargain with an ancestor-spirit for aid or Gifts, much as with other spirits — though an ancestor is likely to be favorably disposed to her descendants, assuming they’ve not brought the bloodline into disrepute. The Ancestors Background allows a Garou to call upon his ancestors, allowing an ancestor-spirit to possess his body temporarily, granting him that ancestor’s skill and knowledge.<br>
It’s fair to question whether ancestor-spirits are really the spirits of dead Garou. Some believe them to be the spirits of the departed, while others believe that they are a combination of the memories and personalities of the departed werewolves wrapped around an ephemeral spiritual core — the spirit of the Garou has returned to Gaia to be reborn, but her personality lives on. While a werewolf’s opinion on her ancestor-spirits says a lot about his views on the spirit world, the answer doesn’t alter the very real impact of ancestor-spirits in Garou society.<br>
Some rare humans can leave ancestor-spirits, especially Kinfolk. These ancestor-spirits aren’t as powerful as the ancestors of Garou, because humans don’t share the werewolves’ spiritual might when alive. Even so, it is a mark of honor for any being to become an ancestor-spirit on passing.<br>
Ancestor-spirits vary greatly in ability, depending both on their power before death and their strength of will. The following is a sample Garou spirit:<br>
''Willpower 6, Rage 8, Gnosis 7, Essence 21''<br>
'''Charms:''' An ancestor’s Charms relate to their tribal, auspice or breed Gifts. For example, an Ahroun may possess the Armor Charm, a lupus might have the Tracking Charm, and a Glass Walker may have powers similar to an electricity elemental or a Net-Spider.
''Source: W20 Core, pg 370''
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==Fenris' War Avatar==
Few spirits — short of Incarnae themselves — are as frightening and dangerous as the war-avatar of Great Fenris. The avatar of Fenris Wolf appears as an enormous wolf, 10 feet tall at the shoulder. His eyes burn with rage and his jaws drip with the blood of countless enemies. His coat is a deep gray that seems to shimmer from black to red and even to white as the light shifts across it. The war-avatar of Fenris is not as powerful as the Incarna himself would be, but it still defies the usual limitations of spirits, and has Traits even more powerful than Nexus Crawlers.<br>
''Willpower 15, Rage 20, Gnosis 10, Essence 45–80''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Armor, Blast (thunderbolt), Dreadful Presence, Materialize, Re-form, Savage, Swift Running (as Swift Flight), Tracking<br>
----
==Murica==
America the beautiful, America the bold, America the brave. Whatever else may be said about America, it is among the most diverse and multicultural nations in the world, and the people who live there love it. They may not all agree on how it should be run, or if its foreign policy is the best, but they all agree that they love the country they live in. That love often leads to deep divides between the citizens of the nation, the sheer force of their patriotism blinding them to truths on either side of a line.
Nation spirits are as old as nations, the pride of nationalism and the loyalty of its citizens giving birth to spirits who protect those lands. Murica is no different, though he is one of the youngest such spirits, and is still undergoing quite a bit of change. National pride takes many forms, and in the past, Murica called himself America the Beautiful. He was born of the ashes of the many smaller tribal spirits that protected the Native American nations before the Western settlement of the land. As the new people of the land adopted it as their home, America the Beautiful began to change to match the atmosphere of desire for freedom wrapped in a self-serving sense of entitlement. As the American people grew, so did America the Beautiful, growing up next to American Dream and O’Mighty Dolla, and later Easy Credit. The loyalty of the citizens to their homeland and their nation made him powerful, and his influence stretched from one coast to another.
Despite economic hardships and sometimes lack of faith in the country, America the Beautiful always had a hand in pushing patriotism back into the forefront of the nation’s mind. He changed drastically from year to year, becoming more aggressively protective of the country in sync with the citizens.
In recent years, after struggling to maintain belief in the American way of life, he took up the mantle of Murica as a drastic effort. He chose to adopt a symbol of blind patriotism rather than true nationalism to keep people vested in him. No longer did they need to truly understand the hardships their beloved nation was going through. Instead one simple word, uttered in defiance, washed away all their doubts about America’s greatness. He urges paradoxes such as fighting for freedom and justice, enforcing military acts to ensure peace, and the rights of citizens to protect their families with weapons. He doesn’t care if the American people fight amongst themselves over what is right and wrong, as long as they have passion for him and the land they live in.
Over the years, Murica’s aggressive nature and self-serving interests negatively influenced some of the other great spirits of the nation. Each became self-centered, in an attempt to counteract Murica’s influence on the nation. This effect lead to increased national debt and inflation as O’Mighty Dolla’s influence waned. It caused the banking crisis of 2008 as Easy Credit became too greedy. It is also evident in the vast number of unemployed and indebted college graduates who still strive for an American Dream that is moving further from their grasps.
''Rage: 10, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 40''
'''Charms:''' Cleanse the Blight, Create Wind, Flood, Freezes, Peek, Shapeshift
'''Image:''' When Murica manifests in the physical realm, he prefers to take on the form of a darkly tanned man wearing blue jeans, a button-down shirt, a large belt buckle, a bolo tie, and a Stetson hat. It talks slowly and precise, but does not have a drawl or any other discernable accent. In the Umbra, it looks like a waving American flag.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 127''
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==Srador — King of Pets==
Humans have domesticated animals for millennia. Dogs serve as hunting companions and household guardians. Horses and oxen act as beasts of burden. Cows and sheep provide food and wool.
Not all the animals a person invites into his home have a practical purpose, however. The pet snake will never hunt at her master’s side, nor will the rat or the hamster be more than a furry ball of warmth that spends most of its time in a cage. They are just pets, and Srador is the spirit who rules over them. It isn’t a glamorous empire, but it’s enough to earn Srador a surprisingly high place in the spirit world.
One pet species is notably absent from Srador’s divine portfolio — cats. Domesticated cats are unusual in that they serve a function among humans by controlling the rodent population, but they do so because they choose to and not because Man trained them to hunt mice. Millennia ago, Srador courted Tibia, the First among Cats, and offered to make her his queen in exchange for her influence over her feline sons and daughters. Tibia refused him, insisting that housecats would remain independent — neither pet nor partner of Man but a companion by choice. Srador bears cats an eternal grudge because of her refusal, and he will not countenance any felines within his demesne. He treats any host or a guest who has regular contact with housecats with royal suspicion and may send his spies to watch her.
Srador grants audiences to those shapeshifters who seek him out, although he can be imperious and condescending. Anyone willing to turn over an unfinished basement for his use and lavish him with all the gifts a pet frog could desire — fresh water, regular food offerings, and a suitable environment — can easily coax Srador into an alliance. In exchange for these trifles, Srador will teach Gifts related to leadership, communication, and navigating the Umbra, as well as those taught by frog spirits (such as Hare’s Leap — W20 Core, pg 158).
Srador richly rewards those envoys who provide him with truly impressive and decadent gifts — such as a hundred frog “subjects” captured by the supplicant’s own hands, a large plastic castle with working drawbridge, and an indoor breeding pond. He arranges meetings between his most lavish hosts and the circle of misfit spirits that hover around him hoping to eat the proverbial crumbs from his table. While these spirits are not powerful, some have useful, if strange, Charms at their disposal. Srador also hosts lavish banquets for many of his spirit peers — some of whom are quite powerful and influential in their area.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 9, Gnosis: 9, Essence: 22''
'''Charms:''' Demand Audience, Open Moon Bridge, Peek, Royal Decree, Tongues
'''Image:''' In the Umbra, Srador looks like a large frog that wears a golden crown and an ermine cloak. His amphibious face is remarkably expressive, capable of conveying the full range of human emotions. In the physical world he looks like a large but otherwise ordinary frog.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 128''
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==The Road Warrior==
In the late 1940s, men took to the road looking for adventure and excitement, riding motorcycles with wind in their hair and not a care in the world. The popularity of riding bikes grew, and soon clubs were formed based on the common love of riding. Thus was born the Road Warrior, the spirit of freedom on the open road.
The Road Warrior has seen her ups and downs. She has grown steadily over time, but spent a few decades slowing progress as interest and memberships stagnated. She has made a recent comeback as American television’s recent focus on motorcycle clubs and biker gangs has sparked interest in more people than ever before.
The Road Warrior is a wanderer, traveling all across the country, feeding on the sense of adventure and power that comes from groups of people riding together. She is often found at motorcycle rallies and races, absorbing the energy of the love of the road. She uses her influence to entice people to take to the road, journeying for the sake of travel without a destination in mind.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Open Moon Bridge, Tracking
'''Image:''' In the physical realm the Road Warrior appears as a woman in riding leathers with a black tinted helmet covering her head. In the Umbra, the spirit appears as a great winged creature made of metallic gears and sharp metal feathers. In either case, she smells of dust and the faint odor of oil.
''Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 129''
==The Wendigo==
A blue humanoid with great claws and fangs, the Wendigo has fiery eyes and black stumps for feet. The Wendigo runs through the sky on missions of vengeance, tracking its prey. If it succeeds, it eats its victim’s heart; if thwarted, the Wendigo eats the heart of the one who summoned it. This is the spirit summoned with the Wendigo Gift: Call the Cannibal Spirit.<br>
''Willpower 7, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Essence 32''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blast (Ice), Create Wind, Freeze, Materialize, Tracking
''Source: W20 Core, pg 369''
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==The Wild Hunt==
The Wild Hunt is the personification of fury and an instrument of Stag’s vengeance. The Fianna can call upon it when in dire straits from a Wyrm menace. It is not called lightly, for the Garou can get caught up in the Hunt and consumed by it. The Huntsman and his pack are a morass of wild spiritual energy rather than specific entities.
'''The Huntsman:''' The Huntsman appears as a tall, stag-antlered man following his hounds.<br>
''Willpower 10, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Essence 40''<br>
'''Charms:''' Armor, Materialize, Tracking
'''The Hounds:''' These Gaffling servants of the Huntsman, who usually travel in packs of nine (although there may be as many as three times that number), sport black coats and eyes of cold green fire. They can easily pace a Garou in Lupus form, and are tireless.<br>
''Willpower 6, Rage 7, Gnosis 2, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Materialize, Tracking
''Source: W20 Core, pg 369''
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==Tick==
The trickster-spirit Tick is a potent Jaggling, and one with ambitions. She’s never been revered; she has no legion of followers. But she’s pretty certain that if that were to change, then she could move up to Incarna status. Becoming a tribal totem, taking her place among Rat and Cockroach — the thought makes her salivate. The events of Skinner are set in motion by Tick’s ambition. She’s drawn to the Skin Dancers because she sees a likely set of followers just waiting for some guidance. Their current patron, Minotaur, is a disaster waiting to happen. And the “skin” motif they’re bound by has its charms. Tick has a particular spirit ban: she dislikes vinegar and kerosene. Thorough research may uncover this ban between scenes in the story.
''Rage 9, Gnosis 9, Willpower 10, Essence 70''
'''Charms:''' Blast (blood spit), Healing, Illness, Tracking, Umbraquake
''Source: W20 Skinner, pg 17''
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-enigmatic" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Enigmatic Spirits</div>
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=Enigmatic Spirits=
Garou typically deal with spirits tied to concrete entities in the physical world. As such, they’re inherently understandable — though a mountain can’t speak, it’s fairly easy to envision the spirit of a mountain and hear its voice. A few spirits instead relate to abstracts; lacking a frame of reference, many werewolves find them difficult to comprehend. Some Garou have overcome these obstacles, and all were richer for their efforts.
==Chimerlings==
Chimerlings are Jagglings of the totem Chimera. They are Enigma given form, changing shape as they choose. They haunt dreams, passing on messages that often don’t make sense until after the prophecy has come to pass. Some Garou seek out Chimerlings and find them at the end of dream-quests, where the spirit is willing to teach Gifts to those who understand its lessons.<br>
''Willpower 3, Rage 5, Gnosis 10, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Shapeshift
''Source: W20 Core, pg 371''
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==Englings==
Englings are Jaggling spirit-servants of Gaia herself, spirits of Gnosis that Garou hunt during moots. Once caught, werewolves thank the Engling for giving itself to strengthen the Garou. If the ceremony is performed properly, the participants regain all their Gnosis, and the Engling re-forms elsewhere in the Umbra (see Sacred Hunt, W20 Core, pg 146).<br>
''Willpower 5, Rage 1, Gnosis 10, Essence 16''<br>
'''Charms:''' No special Charms
''Source: W20 Core, pg 371''
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==Curiosi==
Spirits of curiosity, Curiosi are small Gafflings that flit about the Umbra seemingly at random, though they seem attracted to werewolves and other Umbral travelers. Each Curiosus appears as a nested set of brightly-colored filigreed spheres, each spinning inside the next. Each spirit is a puzzle that a suitably-minded Garou may be able to solve, if he can keep the spirit around for long enough — which usually requires spending a point of Gnosis. Solving the puzzle is a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty 9); if successful, the werewolf gains both a point of Gnosis and a point of Willpower per success.<br>
Careful observation and meditation can reveal that the Curiosus is fascinated by physical beings, and that it will watch them for as long as they watch it.<br>
''Willpower 5, Rage 3, Gnosis 9, Essence 17''<br>
'''Charms:''' Illuminate
''Source: W20 Core, pg 371''
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=Epiphlings=
Each Epiphling embodies an idea or concept. Common Epiphlings include those of peace, envy, lust, death, and speed. Although Epiphlings are easier for Garou to understand than Chimerlings, most Garou aren’t sure where these spirits reside in the spiritual hierarchy. The Stargazers, who have studied this kind of spirit more than other tribes, suggest that Epiphlings are the spirits of pure thought and platonic ideals made manifest. Some clearly spawn from strong emotions and powerful thoughts in the physical world, while other Epiphlings seem to spring into being deep in the Umbra. Besides learning Gifts from them, Garou often bind Epiphlings into fetishes — especially those that deal with thoughts or emotions. Each Epiphling is a unique spirit, and the Storyteller should create appropriate Traits. Most of these spirits that Garou encounter are Gafflings, but some werewolves have encountered particularly powerful concept-spirits that ranked as Jagglings and, rarely, even Incarna.
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-kinfetch" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Kin Fetch Spirits</div>
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=Kin Fetches=
Like other spirits, all Kin-Fetches have Airt Sense, Materialize, Realm Sense, and Re-form, although only the strongest ones will even consider Materializing. Most also have the following Charms.
Fetch-Hawks are just one example of one of the more insidious arms races between Gaia’s own and the Wyrm’s chosen. The Black Spiral Dancers work to develop new rites and seek out possible Gifts that would allow them to detect and subvert Gaian Kin-Fetches. If they had their way, they’d rig the spiritual game so that the children of the Thirteen Tribes would deliver themselves right to the nearest Hive.
Gaian Theurges don’t sit idle, either. They puzzle out the details of countermeasures to protect their nursemaid spirits: rites that can baffle Spiral divinations, fetishes that can detect Fetch-Hawks, and so on. The Charm: Subtle Watcher is an old example. Back before the White Howlers fell, there wasn’t as much need for Kin-Fetches to hide themselves. They remained visible near their charges, and most spirits would avoid them the moment they saw the tribal brand. When the Black Spiral Dancers started actively targeting Kin-Fetches, the Thirteen Tribes figured out a way to modify the spirits. Whenever a sept manages to raid a Spiral Hive, at least one of the Theurges carefully hunts for evidence of any new advances in the race.
==Kin-Fetches by Brood==
Every tribe has Kin-Fetches that resemble smaller versions of their tribal totem’s avatar. Here are some ideas for Kin-Fetches that resemble other spirits in a tribal totem’s brood.<br>
'''Chimera:''' Living mandalas, glass moths, mirage serpents, patchwork animals, incarnated names<br>
'''Cockroach:''' Coin spiders, digital insects, glass mice, data clouds, tiny mechanical drones<br>
'''Falcon:''' Herons, pelicans, cranes, merlins, egrets, swifts<br>
'''Fenris:''' Ravens, cuckoos, squirrels (children of Ratatoskr), weapons and shields<br>
'''Grandfather Thunder:''' Crows, bats, shadows, whispering voices, St. Elmo’s Fire<br>
'''Griffin:''' Badgers, wolverines, lion cubs, carrion birds<br>
'''Owl:''' Skeletal mice, nightjars, scarabs, cobras, jackals, scorpions, tiny crocodiles<br>
'''Pegasus:''' Winged animals, gazelles, goats, drakainae, weaver-women<br>
'''Rat:''' Stray dogs, raccoons, mice, newspaper animals, alley cats, opossums<br>
'''Stag:''' Hares, luna moths, white deer, foxes, boars, salmon<br>
'''Uktena:''' Feathered serpents, hummingbirds, quetzals, roadrunners, sea snakes<br>
'''Unicorn:''' Doves, swans, ducks, otters, mutts<br>
'''Wendigo:''' Wolverines, geese, jackrabbits, porcupines, living auroras
==Kin-Fetch==
The most basic Kin-Fetch is a Gaffling, small and weak. This represents a Kin-Fetch that hasn’t successfully alerted its tribe to a newly Changed cub more than once, or a freshly adapted spirit. They are quiet, modest spirits, fully dedicated to their job once they’ve placed the fetch brand on a charge.
''Rage 3, Gnosis 4, Willpower 5, Essence 12-20''<br>
'''Charms:''' Fetch Brand, Peek, Subtle Watcher; one of Swift Flight or Tracking<br>
'''Image:''' The typical Kin-Fetch resembles a member of its totem’s brood, or perhaps a small version of its totem’s avatar: shaggy wolf-spirits with steely teeth, barn owls and screech owls, small horned snakes, rats of every color. Some are smaller and more innocuous, and others are larger and more majestic. Since the purpose of a Kin-Fetch is to serve a tribe, they all bear a silvery glyph of their allied tribe on their form.<br>
'''Background:''' Kin-Fetches remember little of their previous existence as animal-spirits or more abstract Gafflings. They shift from a mental focus on the good of a tribe to the mental focus on a single child or cub, and then back again once their mission is complete. They are poor conversationalists at best.
''Source: W20 Kinfolk, pg 102''
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==Blood Fetch==
Some Kin families are so old and prosperous that their Kin-Fetches have altered further to match them. Blood Fetches are invariably attached to bloodlines with high Pure Breed, as they’re strengthened and shaped by the higher birthrate of Garou. They have risen to Jaggling rank, and act something like household deities for their families.
''Rage 7, Gnosis 8, Willpower 8, Essence 23-35''<br>
'''Charms:''' Fetch Brand, Peek, Subtle Watcher, Swift Flight, Tracking; one other of the Storyteller’s choice<br>
'''Image:''' Blood Fetches are like their weaker brethren, but clearly larger and more resplendent. Most Blood Fetches are of the “resembles the tribal totem” variety, though it doesn’t seem clear that they started out that way. Perhaps centuries of faithful service just makes one of Owl’s Kin-Fetches more like Owl. Certainly some Blood Fetches have a distinct appearance all their own: an owl-headed sphinx, an articulate mengu (samurai’s mask), a stag with six antlers. A few aristocratic Kin families even have heraldic devices that resemble their Blood Fetch.<br>
'''Background:''' Kinfolk families who’ve had Pure Breed for many generations may have a Blood Fetch attached to their clan — sometimes more than one, especially in the case of Silver Fang houses — though usually only one per household. The Blood Fetch has an individual name, invoked during the Baptism of Fire. It is invariably bound to the most promising-seeming child.
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 102''
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</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-weaver" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Weaver Spirits</div>
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==Bot-Net==
Bot-Net is a specialized type of spirit of gossip or rumors. They first sprang up as a few weak spirits more than thirty-five years ago. As people used bulletin boards to talk about topics of interest, create meetings, and to talk about general socializing, the spirits formed around them. Bot-Nets remained low in numbers as small Gafflings for some time, growing slowly and steadily as more and more people started to use the internet for socializing. In the late 1990s, the spirits exploded in numbers as people across the world turned from socializing in groups of people, to socializing through the internet.
Bot-Nets do not gather with people, but instead reside in the server hosting whatever media site they most identify with. Sometimes, a spirit hangs out near a person whose sole interaction is through the internet — each update, like, +1, #tag, @reply, and share feeds the spirit, making it fatter. Bot-Nets entice people to use the internet for socializing more and more, encouraging them to eschew face-to-face activities in favor of updating or checking different social media sites.
Bot-Nets love conversing and sharing stories, information, and news. They are just as happy to lend an ear to any who will share a story with them, as they are to tell one. They pass news quickly, though they rarely bother to get the whole story or make sure the story is correct before adding it to their repertoire of information. Most Bot-Nets take on characteristics of the servers they inhabit. Sometimes only holding small easily digested social niceties and in- formation, other times enjoying lengthy stories or news of loved ones. They can cause problems by spreading lies and rumors about people, or revealing secrets as whistle blowers. Most werewolves attempt to ensure that any one Bot-Net does not gain too much power and influence over people.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 13''
'''Charms:''' Control Electrical Systems, Peek, Short Out
'''Image:''' When Bot-Nets manifest, they appear as a cloud of pop-up windows — filled with photos, and scrolling text — opening and closing continuously. They give off a faint sound of millions of voices droning on in a soft chorus of status updates and sharing. Bot-Nets look exactly the same in the Umbra, though bits of the Pattern Web can be seen holding each of the pop-up windows together.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 130''
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==Brand Loyalty==
Brand Loyalty is a Weaver embodiment that specializes in codifying and compartmentalizing every little thing it comes across. It skitters around, organizing and defining. To Brand Loyalty, everything must have a label, and is a rogue element until properly grouped.
It uses seemingly arbitrary criteria to organize people and objects. It’ll physically grab and move things into piles. Of course, many things don’t wish to be grabbed and filed away, so Brand Loyalty coats the victim in cable ties, cellophane, and vinyl labeling.
As it creeps along the ground, it codifies the space beneath it, crafting a makeshift red carpet out of vinyl.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 10, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Calcify, Solidify Reality, Spirit Static
'''Image:''' Brand Loyalty is a machine that stands just taller than a Crinos form Garou. It looks something like a thresher, an assembly line, a cement mixer, and a series of nine robotic armatures that act as limbs all jumbled together. It can expand out to double its size, and usually does so when cornered or threatened. Its limbs unfold into dozens of narrow replicas of themselves, stretching up to thirty feet to grab every object in its vicinity for rapid collection.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131''
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==Consumer Entertainment==
Consumer Entertainment is a Weaver spirit that represents the perverse love of a more ridiculous corner of consumer culture. People will buy into civilization, into a system, purely because it’s a system. People deny the opportunity to choose something better; they simply choose to like what’s in front of them, by virtue of convenience. Consumer Entertainment is all about embracing the lowest common denominator, and justifying it by any means necessary.
Consumer Entertainment has a special version of the Shapeshifting Charm. He cannot use it on himself, but can use it on anyone else that is willing. The Charm can only make subjects look like him. If they resist, the Charm fails instantly. If a target resists, he’ll immediately switch to the Calcify Charm, attempting to wrap the resisting element into the Pattern Web. With any particularly strong resistance to his calcification, Consumer Entertainment will lash out with violent, ear-splitting shouting. Represent this with the Blast Charm.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Blast, Calcify, Shapeshifting (Special, see above)
'''Image:''' Consumer Entertainment is a stark white male with shiny teeth, blonde hair, and just enough attitude to catch attention, but not upset or offend anyone. Around him is a panel of tiny figures that all look something like him. Every time he begins to act against someone, he pauses to wait for the panel’s approval. Assuming he does as expected, and makes no surprising choices, they approve enthusiastically. If they disapprove, he withdraws his action instantly, and switches courses of action back to the expected.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131''
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==Cultural Appropriation==
Cultural Appropriation is a timeless spirit with a fresh, modern name, and a newfound power. Every dominant culture has borne at least some of these spirits, but they’ve kept to the shadows, working quietly, discreetly. In the twenty-first century, they come out swinging.
Cultural Appropriation is a spirit that embodies the theft of culture. It’s not as simple as using fireworks the Chinese invented at your house in Seattle. Cultural Appropriation takes something from a culture, then puts it on display in such a way that robs uniqueness from its people. For example, leprechauns are a staple of Celtic mythology. Yet, they’ve become silly stereotypes, used for advertising cheap products every year. They’ve been appropriated.
For the Weaver’s purposes, it stagnates culture. It builds a widespread expectation of a culture, one its members must perpetuate if they wish to fit in with a dominant culture. Members of the appropriated culture must wade along with stereotypes, and accept typecasting and limited opportunity. This effectively seals creativity, while simultaneously keeping the culture alive on proverbial life support.
In one famous case, Cultural Appropriation influenced a pop star’s entourage to use a specific dance associated with a minority group in a high-profile performance. Unfortunately for the Weaver, the effort was a massive failure, drawing too much attention from other nearby spirits of rage, arousal, and disgust. They slaughtered the Cultural Appropriation spirits involved.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 12''
'''Charms:''' Cleanse the Blight, Illuminate, Peek, Spirit Static
'''Image:''' Cultural Appropriation spirits are a strange lot. They’re melting pots of identifying, stereotypical cultural traits, creating an amalgam shape with a single eye in the center, and a single arm and hand which both moves the spirit, and allows it to manipulate the world around it.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131''
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==Digital Game==
Digital Game is at the forefront of the Weaver’s PR efforts to raise modern children into slobbering, worshipers of the Pattern Web. While Digital Game runs the gamut of personalities, the bulk of its manifestations focus on hyper-masculine violence simulation, often couched in just enough irony to defray society’s concerns of malicious intent.
Digital Game doesn’t participate directly in the war for the Apocalypse; it prepares humanity to blindly and rabidly fight in its name. Its efforts have been a wild success in the past decade; Digital Game’s sycophants will actively seek out detractors in far reaching corners of the world, and use their own, very human methods to bully, threaten, and denigrate critics into silence. This both makes Digital Game look innocent, and benefits from the true warriors using their own ideal tactics, not those directly taught by the spirit. Its victims fight not with the guns and swords Digital Game glorifies, but with violent rhetoric and mob mentality.
''Rage: 8, Willpower: 2, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 16''
'''Charms:''' Control Electrical Systems, Corruption (per the Wyrm Charm), Solidify Reality
'''Image:''' Digital Game looks like any number of anthropomorphized entertainment concepts. Some are animals. Some are robots. Some are wizards. A popular form is a muscle-bound man with an enormous gun, sunglasses, and a cigar. They share one common trait, however. Their faces are mirror images. If you look into Digital Game, you see yourself staring back. Digital Game can communicate, but it’s limited to saying things the listener has already heard. It cannot communicate new concepts. This makes it particularly dangerous to educated people, as it’s better able to express complex ideas and manipulate them using their own biased knowledge.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131''
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==Downtown Train==
Downtown Train is a massive, benevolent Weaver manifestation. It exists to facilitate peaceful movement. It asks minimal, fair payment, but will carry large groups over significant distances.
Downtown can transport any number of smaller creatures through a Moon Bridge as if they were part of the train. Given the right incentive or persuasion, it can help a pack pursue a target rapidly. Downtown Train is patently against bullying and abuse, so the goal must at least appear noble for Downtown Train to take a stand. A pack abusing Downtown Train’s nobility will find themselves with a powerful enemy.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 10, Gnosis: 10, Essence: 45''
'''Charms:''' Open Moon Bridge, Spirit Static, Swift Flight, Tracking
'''Image:''' Downtown Train is enormous. Just how enormous, it’s hard to say. From any given spot along the train, you cannot see the end of it. To find its front or rear sections, you have to approach them specifically and intentionally from the outset, or you’ll find yourself walking in perpetuity along the side. Downtown Train exists in deep, underground places and looks every bit a 1920s train, made of blackened steel, warmed with a soft, reddish glow.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 132''
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==Fetch Spider==
The Weaver poses a constant threat to Kin-Fetches operating in big cities and other such places. Weaver-spirits try to assimilate Kin-Fetches much as they would any other spirit. The Glass Walkers found one way around that threat by binding spirits that could pass for the Weaver’s servants.
''Rage 1, Gnosis 5, Willpower 4, Essence 10-20''<br>
'''Charms:''' Fetch Brand, Peek, Subtle Watcher, Weaver Camouflage<br>
'''Image:''' Fetch Spiders look largely like Pattern Spiders; in much the same way a robber fly resembles a bee or a viceroy butterfly takes after a monarch. Close examination reveals a more organic rounding to their joints, and the Glass Walker glyph is subtly marked on the underside of their abdomens.<br>
'''Background:''' Nobody’s sure whether the Glass Walker Theurges modified Weaver-spirits to change their very allegiance, or infused Gaian spirits with Weaver essence for a powerful camouflage. Either method would be considerably more challenging than creating a Kin-Fetch from one of a tribal totem’s brood. Still, the Fetch Spiders are a notable success, fooling even Banes. The only drawback is that they’re fragile. The higher the spirit’s Rage, the harder it is to pass as a Weaver-spirit — its vital energy feels too different. Fetch Spiders aren’t the best at defending themselves, but with luck it doesn’t come down to that.
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 103''
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==Lenocinor==
Lenocinor spirits embody the concept of buying the next new thing, over-consuming, and over-spending. The spirits thrive when people buy luxury goods and non-essentials. Many of the spirits attach themselves to specific advertisements, influencing people to spend money to feed them. They grow fatter each time someone makes a frivolous purchase, and therefore take a vested interest in ensuring product placement and advertisement reaches the most people.
In 2013, a 30 second advertisement slot during the most viewed American television program in history cost companies an average of $4 million. Each 30 second slot had a Lenocinor attached to it, just waiting to grow fat on the resultant purchases. Smaller Lenocinors infest billboards and radio advertisements. Some crafty Lenocinors attach themselves to companies that encourage purchasing through discounts, deals, and false advertising. The Lenocinors tend to take on the traits of their chosen medium, making them more likely to actually influence consumers, forcing them into making more purchases than they would without the spirit’s presence.
The largest known Lenocinor is Madison Avenue, the spirit that embodies the concept of advertising in the United States. Madison Avenue formed in the early 1920s as the advertising industry took hold in the area. The spirit grew fat on the advertising agencies in the area, and the resultant consumerism they produced. In the past few decades, ad agencies have moved away from the original street, but Madison Avenue has grown so large as to have influence over all of New York, and it retains influence over agencies that have moved.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Peek
'''Image:''' In the physical realm, Lenocinors look like men in business suits carrying black leather briefcases. In the Umbra, the spirits take the form of small ads, “buy one get one free” flyers, or discount coupons.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 132''
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==Old Is New Again==
Old Is New Again comes from a sense similar to nostalgia, felt by people without the experiences necessary to feel nostalgia for a thing. Twenty year olds wearing bellbottom jeans and talking the merits of the Doors? That’s Old Is New Again.
Old Is New Again is something of a Weaver guerrilla. It isn’t trying to calcify reality or grow the Pattern Web. Old Is New Again is trying to add value to old things, in order to keep them from the junkyard; thus keeping them out of the Wyrm’s tendrils, and leaving less room for Wyld expansion.
The spirit uses subtle manipulative tactics to achieve its ends. It convinces twenty-somethings to disassemble old watches and turn their parts into jewelry. It makes that jacket in the thrift shop look just a little more vibrant. It makes your grandpa’s jacket clean, fresh, and sexy as it was in the 1960s when he met grandma. In some cases, it’s been known to nudge and inspire pop stars to write affectionate songs about used clothing — but Old Is New Again’s influence ended in that case when a nest of Cultural Appropriation spirits (see p.131) took over.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Blast, Illuminate, Shapeshift, Solidify Reality
'''Image:''' Old Is New Again looks like an iconic example of something long gone, something that probably never really existed as we remember it. A common example looks the part of a cowboy. Others include delighted, obedient 1950s housewives, benevolent industrialists, and incorruptible, white knight police officers.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 132''
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==Pervium==
Perviums are a specialized kind of Net-Spider determined to move people through the pattern as fast as possible. They hide in the Umbra in the Computer Web, attaching themselves to highly trafficked websites, sites that engage in high volumes of data sharing such as torrent sites, and sites that allow video streaming. They grow fat on each data packet exchange — the larger the packet, the better.
When someone with broadband internet access visits one of the sites, the Pervium downloads itself to the computer, similar to a virus. Once there, it pushes the bandwidth of the user’s signal, making it larger and capable of sucking down more data at once. Each download is a little faster, load times are shorter, and streaming is more precise. As the Pervium works, the user becomes more and more dependent on the Pervium’s speed, and soon craves faster internet access. As the victim begins searching for ways to increase her internet speed, such as cleaning her system, applying open DNS server addresses, or making adjustments to her router, the Pervium doubles the internet speeds these adjustments would normally produce. The Perviums’ ultimate goal is to download the user as one large data packet.
Glass Walkers are aware of the Perviums, but are unsure of their purpose or goals. They often bind them as fetishes to their own computers, creating mobile broadband connections with faster than normal speeds.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 21''
'''Charms:''' Calcify, Control Electrical Systems, Short Out, Solidify Reality
'''Image:''' When manifested, Perviums appear as normal men and women, dressed in khakis and a polo shirt lacking any specific logos. The Perviums found in the CyberRealm look like frequency waves of colored energy.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133''
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==Polyteron==
Polyterons are strange elusive spirits only found in the Deep Umbra, anchored to objects that occupy four or more dimensions within space. On Earth, any such object is nothing more than mathematical theory, but far within the Deep Umbra, the laws of reality on Earth do not apply. Such objects not only exist, but the spirits attached to them thrive and grow strong.
Polyterons keep themselves to the Deep Umbra as much as possible. They serve the Celestines and Incarnae found there, and rarely have reason to leave the realm. Every once in a while, one of the spirits will travel to the Astral Umbra on an errand for a Celestine, or to converse with the mathematical concepts found there. Beyond the Astral, Polyterons do not cross the Membrane as it forces them to conform to Earth’s reality. Despite the mathematical theories that describe such objects, the spirits cannot remain in their true form in the Middle Umbra or physical realm. The rigid laws of nature attempt to mold the extra dimensions into finite shapes, instead of the more fluid suggestions of the Deep Umbra.
Polyterons can be dangerous spirits to deal with. The spirits exist in time and space differently than Garou, and find the werewolves interesting. They do not take kindly to intruders in their homeland, and will capture a Garou for study if one stumbles into their realm. The dimensions of the spirit make fighting them difficult. Though Garou claws and teeth can rip the flesh of the spirit in the Umbra, they cannot damage all parts of the spirit, making it resistant to attacks. The attacks of the Polyterons are similarly different, as they do not claw at the flesh of a Garou, but instead the time of one, cutting away bits of his future and past as they strike. A Garou killed in this way simply falls to dust as his life force meets with timelessness and ceases to exist.
''Rage: 9, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 40''
'''Charms:''' Blast, Shapeshift, Time Rend
'''Image:''' Polyterons normally appear as the objects they are anchored to, multifaceted constructs occupying dimensions in space and time beyond mortal imagining. They are capable of shifting their forms to appear as three dimensional objects, though only bother to do so when examining a caught Garou. They have learned from experience that exposure to their true forms drives a werewolf insane, making research impossible.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133''
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==Silver Screen==
The technology of the first moving pictures, and talkies fascinated people. Movies were an instant hit, drawing audiences and viewers of all ages across the world. The wild popularity caused Silver Screens to awaken in all major towns, and later in smaller towns.
Silver Screens started out as spirits invested in the hope and inspiration that film brought to audiences. The emotional high of watching a good film fed the spirits and they grew large from it. But, as some Weaver spirits tend to do, they were not content to simply grow fat on the random emotions of viewers. Instead, they became attuned to specific types of films — including comedies, action, adventure, drama, or romance. The spirits started competing with each other, attempting to gather audiences for a specific film type over others they found inferior.
Eventually, the spirits resorted to influencing audiences into enjoying a specific kind of film. At some point, the Silver Screens stopped caring about joy and overall audience satisfaction, so much as the type of film. Silver Screens now care only about immediate emotional reactions. They grow fat as the audience reacts to tear jerking scenes, big explosions, and slapstick comedy. They don’t care if the audience is satisfied with a film, as long as cinemagoers keep coming back to feed them later.
Silver Screens are not satisfied with natural audience reactions to movies. If everyone in an audience is not laughing, acting scared, or impressed at appropriate times, the Silver Screens become angry. They feel that people must follow the order and pattern set forth by the film, and force people to act as ideal audience members. The idea of the perfect audience goes beyond the cinema, and some Silver Screens have attached themselves to a person in an attempt to pattern his actions more like a film. The world around him becomes the audience for the movie that is his life.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 21''
'''Charms:''' Calcify, Coercion, Control Electrical Systems
'''Image:''' Silver Screens take on the form of movie characters when in the physical realm. While in the Umbra, they appear as a neat roll of film, communicating by revealing images to observers.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133''
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==Skepticism==
Skepticism reflects a powerful Weaver effort to build a religion around its accomplishments, teaching humans to blindly exalt the personalities behind scientific achievement. It’s not a religion of creators and ingenious minds; it’s a religion of celebrities that bring clever memes and pearly white smiles to science. It’s about keeping the depths of science from the hands of the masses, and distracting them with talking heads. It’s a modern embodiment of the Great Man Theory, and it’s been remarkably successful.
Skepticism latches on to specific personalities, exalting them and pushing them into the limelight. It uses its Charms to bolster those personalities, and help them build cults. Skepticism uses a special version of the Aura of Confidence and Seizing the Edge Shadow Lord Gifts; it can use them on a human, but not itself. It spends a single point of Essence to activate both on a given target. It’s worth noting that with these particular versions of these Gifts, their effects work over the Internet. With Aura of Confidence, their online interactions show no discernible weaknesses, no matter what they do or say. With Seizing the Edge, they win clear ties in online interactions.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 10, Essence: 22''
'''Charms:''' Aura of Confidence and Seizing the Edge (Shadow Lord Gift; W20 Core, pg 188), Armor, Healing, Illuminate, Peek, Solidify Reality
'''Image:''' Skepticism loos like a well put-together man in a pristine lab coat with exaggerated features. His smile’s just a little bigger than human. His eyes communicate a sense of wonder. He’s inhuman enough to invoke the uncanny valley response in humans, but still impresses and awes.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 134''
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==Truck Guardian==
Motor vehicles of all kinds fulfill the same roles that horses and oxen did centuries ago, so it is not surprising that they inspire similar feelings of respect and loving attention. They are more than a tool to be wielded and forgotten; they are a partner without which the driver cannot function in his day-to-day work. Urban and rural shapeshifters occasionally awaken the spirits of vehicles in order to strengthen their bond with these cherished allies. While economical compact cars and luxury sedans have spirits that a Garou can awaken too, few vehicular spirits are as hard-working, practical, and devoted as the guardian spirit of a pickup truck.
Truck Guardians cherish their owners and trust them the way a skilled rider trusts his mount. Some Theurges speculate that as shapeshifters perceive Truck Guardians as humans, the spirits see their owners as their horses — to be guided and cared for but always respected and allowed the freedom to roam at will. A Truck Guardian regards any opportunity to haul cargo with the same enthusiasm that an Ahroun greets battle, and it grows restless if denied a chance to test its mettle regularly. Partially, this is because nothing makes the spirit feel more alive than carrying heavy burdens, but they also know that other Truck Guardians feel contempt for trucks who reach old age without earning the right to boast about their glorious cargoes. They also tend to snicker at other Truck Guardians whose owners are in some way inferior — physically weak, unfamiliar with the mechanical workings of their vehicle, or neglectful of the truck’s maintenance.
While Truck Guardians accept that not all vehicles are like themselves, they feel naturally superior to all non-pickups. They regard sports cars as cowardly dandies, consider compact cars and luxury sedans beneath notice, and treat large family vehicles with disdain for sacrificing so much cargo space while demanding multiple riders. They revere construction, cargo trucks, and diesel rigs but tend to consider these massive vehicles a bit unstable and not suitable for polite company on account of their single-minded devotion to hauling. Truck Guardians live to haul and tow, but they also think it important to make time for the occasional light duty work of a tailgate partyor drive across town.
''Rage: 9, Willpower 5, Gnosis 3, Essence 25''
'''Charms:''' Armor, Gremlin
'''Image:''' Truck Guardians do not appear as vehicles in the Umbra. Rather, they look like archetypal barbarian warriors. They bear a superficial resemblance to the physical truck — scratches and dents manifest as scars, custom detailing appears as elaborate tattoos, bumper stickers and accessories appear as badges or trophies worn on the Truck Guardian’s clothes or in its hair. Each one carries a large, heavy weapon strapped to its back — typically a battle axe or two-handed sword. A new truck’s Guardian is a young warrior as yet untested in battle, while an aging model is a grey-haired warrior with wiry strength and bright, fearless eyes.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133''
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</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-wyld" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Wyld Spirits</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-wyld">
==Anonymous==
Anonymous is a spirit of anonymous camaraderie; it represents purpose without context. It exists as pure momentum, moving from one goal to the next, washing over each and moving on without a second thought. Its power is in their randomness. Some of its targets are immense, far away, or daunting. Sometimes, its targets are small, close by, and simple. Its targets rarely make sense at the time. But it tackles, eliminates, and jumps to the next quarry. However, it can never manifest — if forced to manifest, it immediately dies. It possesses the Manifest Charm; it just cannot use the Charm. Anonymous is technically of the Wyld; its wild, chaotic, random motion fits right in with the mad, creative part of the Triat. However, it’s generally found deep within havens of the Weaver. It moves faster along pattern webs and other bastions of complex human civilization.
Creative Garou can sometimes influence Anonymous by finding subtle clues and patterns in Anonymous’ choice of targets, and emphasizing those features. But every cell of Anonymous is different, so the Garou must watch and learn those patterns for any given spirit.
''Rage: 8, Wisdom: 5, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Blast, Short Out
'''Image:''' Anonymous presents as a legion of faceless white humanoid figures. The figures are each lanky and sickly, with dozens of long, slender digits. It moves in a wave formation, rushing forward, up, and outward rapidly. The humanoids trip and tumble over each other, scrambling hungrily like zombies toward their quarry. Their Blast Charm represents the mass of bodies ripping and tearing at the target.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 135''
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==Beleben==
Beleben is one of the Wyld’s children, awakened as people began to use the extracts from plants such as coffee and tea more than the plants themselves. Belebens are high strung, fast moving and erratic spirits. They enjoy a fast paced life and attach themselves to places with people who are constantly moving. They work to inspire people to be alert, aware, and to do creative things.
Belebens awaken in places devoted to natural stimulant use. In coffee shops and cafés all across the world, Belebens grow fat from people drinking caffeinated beverages and being on the go. Belebens move fast, flitting from person to person inspiring them to creative endeavors. Belebens inspirations tend to linger with people, giving them time afterward to really explore and develop ideas conceived under Beleben’s influence. Some Belebens attach themselves to a person’s home, watching tea bags, small pills, and percolator with rapt attention, just waiting for the person to imbibe the caffeine.
People do not need to ingest caffeine to be inspired by a Beleben, but few of the spirits would bother with a person unless he is showing proper worship by drinking a caffeinated beverage, or eating a caffeinated food or pill. Garou often ask Belebens for assistance when they need to be extra alert, or need to get something done quickly. Often the only chiminage a Beleben accepts is proper worship through ingestion.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 18''
'''Charms:''' Healing, Open Moon Bridge, Inspire
'''Image:''' When manifested, Belebens are invisible to the naked eye, though the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans or freshly brewed tea fills the senses. In the Umbra, Belebens take on the shape of the plant their stimulants are derived from, such as the coffee plant, various tea bushes, or a guarana. The image of the plant is faded and reduced to not much more than dry leaves and twigs, or dried out beans.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 136''
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==Chirurgeon==
Chirurgeons are a new manifestation of the Wyld, born from advances in health care and medical science. These spirits are not derived from medical technologies — instead they come from medical chaos, and the spontaneity of medical research and new ways to grow.
Chirurgeons appear in places where people perform any type of surgical procedure to graft, transplant, or otherwise add body parts onto an organism. Chirurgeons may appear in surgical suites used by doctors renowned for daring reconstructive surgeries or in research labs where scientists are growing human body parts on animal vectors.
Once the Chirurgeons awaken, they immediately get to work on their own agenda — creating new life. They use the modern medical techniques that awoke them to stitch pieces of unrelated creatures and spirits together to create new creatures and new spirits. They use whatever they find around them, and grow stronger with each successful life altering surgery.
Most Chirurgeons are incapable of splicing life together from much more complex organisms than plants and bacteria. Some have started creating new spirits by stripping down parts of other spirits and splicing them together. The newly awakened spirit is purely of the Wyld, not representing anything in particular except the unchecked chaos of creation. These small spirits require new creations to survive, and rarely grow beyond Gafflings, though they do try to seed chaos around them as much as possible while awake. These spirits are also classified as Chirurgeons, though they bear little resemblance to the spirits that created them.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Cleanse the Blight, Healing, Tracking
'''Image:''' Chirurgeons in the physical realm appear as figures in long white lab coats, their faces hidden behind a dust mask and goggles. They wear thick latex surgical gloves, and hair caps, as though they are ready for surgery. In the Umbra, Chirurgeons appear as chimeras of many different animals and creatures.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 136''
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==Creepypasta==
Creepypasta is a Wyld spirit fueled by the spontaneous, viral urban legends disseminated across the Internet. It’s a fiery, energetic thing caused by fleeting bouts of enthusiasm and fright.
It’s a spirit perpetually grasping for straws, struggling to stay alive. Every day it exists, it loses a point of Essence. It can only gain Essence through application of its True Fear Charm. When it uses the Charm successfully on a new subject, it gains a point of Essence, and it creates a clone of itself with a single point of Essence. Its modified version of True Fear will never work on the same character twice. This limitation applies to the clones as well; Creepypasta’s True Fear will only ever work on a victim once.
''Rage: 7, Willpower: 1, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 12''
'''Charms:''' Disorient, True Fear (Ahroun Gift, W20 Core, pg 171, use its Rage to activate)
'''Image:''' Each Creepypasta looks different; every example takes the appearance of a different urban legend. Some look the part of tall, slender, nondescript men with shadowy tendrils. Some look the part of vinyl blowup dolls. Some look like terrifying clowns. Some like little drowned girls covered in television static. Their existence, and their particular application of True Fear caters to the story that inspired them.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 137''
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==Farm-to-Table==
Farm-to-Table is something of a compromise on behalf of the Wyld, to keep up with the times. Usually, Wyld spirits are born, exist, and die without much in the way of direction. They simply are. They act against their environments, and react to outside stimuli. That’s the extent of their purpose. The Wyld thrives through that randomness. Despite its edge in randomness, the Wyld has not done as well these past few years. Farm-to-Table looks like an experiment for the Wyld. The Wyld corrupted numerous Weaver spirits associating with food supply chains. The idea is to re-introduce more organic, locally raised foods to local economies, in order to fight back the Wyrm and the Weaver on a subtler, less directly dangerous level.
Fortunately for the Wyld, it largely affects a generally privileged and influential class. Pentex still funnels deeply processed, genetically-modified toxins to the vast majority of the population. If the Wyld intends on expanding its Farm-to-Table forces, it’ll need to branch out and use its influence to subsidize programs to bring clean food to heavily urban areas. Unfortunately, education is an uphill battle for the Wyld. Some Farm-to-Table Gafflings have taken to hunting weaker GMO spirits. Only time will tell which side comes out on top.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Armor, Break Reality, Cleanse the Blight
'''Image:''' Farm-to-Table manifests as a carpet of grains that blow about, whipping up little whirlwinds of oats, barley, and other live foodstuffs. It communicates mostly through smells and subtle sounds; it only indirectly influences and inspires people toward desired behaviors. The smells of fresh honey tempt well, though.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 137''
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==GMO==
As the Weaver gains power over the world, edging out the Wyld faster and faster each year, the Wyld must adapt, forcing change where he can. GMOs are spirits of the Wyld, created to cause chaos and change beneath the Weaver’s notice. The GMOs are a cunning group of spirits, designed to trick the Weaver into creating vectors the spirits can use to create chaos. These subtle spirits seek to hurry the genetic progression of nature for good or for ill, in hopes to give the Wyld an edge.
The GMOs create change via chaos, often causing more harm than good just for the sake of change. The spirits are not placid plant spirits watching over crops as they grow. Instead, these spirits are foot-soldiers in the Wyld’s losing battle. GMOs gain power whenever organisms are genetically modified — the more mutations within a single organism, the better.
The true purpose of the GMOs is to induce spontaneous mutations in crops and plants leading to wild uninterrupted growth and change. The spirits create winds to carry genetically altered seeds to unmodified plants, they induce crosspollination between species and varieties, and even nourish plants with harmful mutations in hopes that the new species will create even more change as they grow. They influence insects to feast on GMO crops, knowing that the insects will also begin to adapt and change. They tend to GMO bacteria released into the ocean, keeping them safe from cleanup procedures intended to destroy them.
Most GMOs are still in the early stages of spiritual development, mostly Gafflings, with very few Jagglings. As production and use of genetically modified organisms increases, the GMOs have more chances of creating the havoc they need to thrive, allowing them to grow larger.
''Rage: 5, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 18''
'''Charms:''' Armor, Cleanse the Blight, Create Winds, Healing, Open Moon Bridge
'''Image:''' When materialized, GMOs look like children with a mischievous gleam in their bright eyes. They are often covered in dirt, laughing and giggling as they dart about creating chaos and change. In the Umbra, the spirits appear as a swirling mass of color and light shining bright, though confusing to look at.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 137''
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==Made-Me-Do-It Devil==
Made-Me-Do-It Devils are trickster spirits that encourage children, adolescents, and immature adults to engage in acts of mischief and petty rebellion. Some Theurges speculate these beings are related to the Fair Folk — a breed of Unseelie fae who love performing pranks by proxy. These Wyld-born spirits are not malevolent. They seldom encourage their young accomplices to engage in crimes more serious than petty theft, vandalism, and crank calls, but these minor offenses frequently carry serious, unexpected consequences.
A kid who pulls a fire alarm wouldn’t ordinarily provoke a deadly stampede, but the prank might turn fatal if a Bane uses the confusion to whip the crowd into a panic. A truant who calls in a bomb threat might direct the attention of the local bomb squad away from the explosives ready to detonate just across town. Servants of the Wyrm exploit the Made-Me-Do-It Devils’ pranks when they can, even if the spirits are not allies. What’s more, the young people who do the Made-Me-Do-It Devil’s dirty work regularly will eventually run afoul of the law. This puts them on a collision course with elements of society that are likely to lead them into associations with monsters — whether human or supernatural in origin. Ragabash occasionally treat with Made-Me-Do-It Devils, offering their services as pranksters exchange for the spirit’s help — or just to convince the trickster to stop goading its current favorite accomplice into further acts of mischief.
''Rage: 3, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 15''
'''Charms:''' Corruption, Healing, Peek, Secure Permission, Shapeshift, Shatter Glass, Short Out
'''Image:''' Made-Me-Do-It Devils almost always manifest either as the target’s favorite toy or as a roguish but charismatic new kid who takes a shine to her. Occasionally the spirit will not materialize at all, instead taking the role of the invisible friend who whispers suggestions from the other side of the Gauntlet. In the Umbra, Made-Me-Do-It Devils look like the observer did as a teenager. Even lupus and metis see them as what they would have looked like as human teenagers.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 138''
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==Stood Ground==
Many recent high-profile news items have included homicide cases billed as “self-defense.” These cases predominantly feature minority groups as victims, and questionable circumstances at best. Complexities in legal systems, racial and gender-based prejudices, and bureaucratic convenience have led to many cases not even ending with a verdict. The outrage caused by this phenomenon causes surprisingly little violence.
But the pent-up aggression can sometimes lead to Stood Ground spirits. Stood Ground is a Wyld manifestation; it exists as an outward, reactive energy. Not infectious. Not corrupt. Just more energy than it can fit in a small space. Stood Ground is raw dynamism.
Stood Ground feeds on rage, frustration, and all the very human things that often foster Wyrm spirits. It’s very territorial, and often fights off Wyrm spirits in its area. More than a few have been corrupted after such confrontations.
''Rage: 14, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 28''
'''Charms:''' Armor, Blast, Disorient, Shatter Glass
'''Image:''' Stood Ground spirits look like young, trim people, nondescript in casual clothing. Jeans, hooded sweatshirts, sports jackets, ballcaps, always things to obscure features. Each bears the mark of numerous fatal wounds, from gunshots, to extensive external hemorrhaging. When provoked, they scream with the sound of thousands of voices, which is the vehicle for their Blast, Disorient, and Shatter Glass Charms.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 138''
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==Superhero==
Comic books have featured superheroes for most of a century, and artistic renderings of classic larger-than-life heroes like Hercules and Theseus have inspired children for millennia. The idea of a courageous, muscular figure who rescues innocent people from villains and cataclysms is nothing new, and sometimes those idealized visions manifest as a spirit. Such beings seldom realize they are spirits. They manifest in the material world when they hear a plea for help strong enough to penetrate the Gauntlet. They rescue the innocent and dematerialize as soon as they are satisfied that they have saved the day. Superheroes’ Charms vary considerably, but these spirits are not as invulnerable as they act. They fling their power around in flashy displays until they achieve their goals or fall into slumber trying.
''Rage: 8, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 18''
'''Charms:''' Peek, two or three other Charms that mimic the powers of the a specific character, such as Armor, Blast, etc.
'''Image:''' Each Superhero looks and acts like the character that inspired it.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 139''
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==Urban Art==
Urban Art is one of the Wyld’s most prolific elements in modern cities. It’s a spirit of raw, creative energy, of wild rebellion, and of passion for one’s home. Urban Art expresses pain, anguish, passion, and love in a way that allows urban youth a powerful voice. It sends messages seen by people of every social and economic class. Perhaps more importantly to the Wyld, it lets artists create new language out of nothing.
The Urban Art spirit is a muse and a protector. It inspires artists, and it maintains their work, helping to fight back against cleaning efforts.
''Rage: 8, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Break Reality, Cleanse the Blight, Disorient, Peek
'''Image:''' Urban Art changes constantly. It looks like spray-painted figures that mutate, warp, and shift. Sometimes they’re stenciled police officers spraying teargas, sometimes they’re gang signs, sometimes they’re crudely-drawn penises, sometimes they’re stylized words. They never maintain a shape for more than a minute at a time.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 139''
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==You-Only-Live-Once==
You-Only-Live-Once spirits represent youthful energy and a danger seeking behavior. These spirits are unpredictable and erratic, valuing daring escapades and life threatening antics. They gain power by encouraging people to act with abandon.
You-Only-Live-Once spirits find that young adults and teenagers are more susceptible to their influence than anyone else. Many of the spirits attach themselves to schools, parks, malls, and any other locations where young people gather together in groups. The spirits send gentle urging to the teenagers, prodding them into antics, pressuring them to outdo their peers. The concept of only living once and doing things while in the moment is not a new one, but with the ability to share stories and antics over the world through the internet, these spirits have grown in size and numbers.
The erratic nature of You-Only-Live-Once spirits ensures that they will do all sorts of things to inspire acts of daring, up to and including causing otherwise well-adjusted young people to engage in dangerous activities. Sometimes their antics can be so dangerous they end up hurting someone, though that is never their intent.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 5, Essence: 15''
'''Charms:''' Coercion, Create Fires, Peek
'''Image:''' In the physical realm, the You-Only-Live-Once spirits look like young boys wearing jeans and polo shirts with the collars popped up. In the Umbra, the spirits resemble cascading water, falling, rippling, and are ever shifting.
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 139''
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</div>
</tab>
</tabs>
----
<tabs>
<tab name="The Tainted">
=The Tainted=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 179''
<font color=red> '''''Note:''' Antagonist such as Fomori or BSD are not available as player-characters, but are welcome as NPCs in plots. Here's information to help you bring your story bad guys to life!''</font>
==Corruption and Free Will==
The Wyrm cannot force any living creature to swear loyalty to it. Even Black Spiral Dancers, Buzzards, Skull Pigs, and other Changing Breeds who belong to the Wyrm ultimately do so by choice. Of course, this choice may not be entirely free, and such choices can almost never be undone. Some creatures grow up with the Wyrm whispering to them in the back of their minds, surrounded by mentors or parents who use some combination of threats, brutality, and temptation to encourage them to embrace corruption. Ultimately, however, each individual must make his or her choice.<br>
For many, the choice is an exceptionally final one. Garou who dance the Black Spiral, Skull Pigs who devour Wyrm-tainted bones, and Rokea who willingly accept balefire into their bodies and minds become not merely servants of the Wyrm, but living avatars of corruption. No force short of death can undo such a drastic and final choice. Even thinking of going against the Wyrm’s desires requires a great effort. Rejecting the Wyrm would kill them. Other members of the Changing Breeds who fall to the Wyrm retain slightly more of their free will, but their choice is still brutally final.<br>
The few members of tainted groups like the Scabs or Black Spiral Dancers who reject the Wyrm usually do not survive long. Their teachers and fellows view refusing to accept the Wyrm as a betrayal punishable by death. Most take the easy and final escape of suicide, but a very few flee from their own kind. These creatures live lonely lives, battling with insanity and fearing discovery by either the Changing Breeds or agents of the Wyrm. A handful find ways to spy upon the Wyrm’s other minions and pass messages to members of the Changing Breeds, but other shapeshifters will never embrace or even trust them. These rebels have not fallen to the Wyrm, but their upbringing still taints their bodies and minds sufficiently that none of the Gaian Fera will ever accept them. Most eventually either kill themselves, or give into the corruption in their blood.
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==The Tainted==
Becoming an agent of the Wyrm is sometimes the result of a swift and hideous choice, but more often, the path to corruption is far slower and more complex. The Wyrm can warp the minds and bodies of anything that it comes into contact with. Contact with some of the most potent of the Wyrm’s toxins will taint any who manage to survive. Others spend too long in a Wyrm Caern, a Hellhole, or in Malfeas itself and become physically or mentally tainted; coming too far under the influence of an Urge Wyrm is a sure-fire route to mental taint. A shapeshifter or occultist might attract the attention of a powerful Bane, or perhaps even one of the Maeljin Incarna, and find that it has formed a connection to her mind through which it can poison her thoughts. Some attract attention by fighting against Wyrmspawn, others because they are powerful or important individuals who demonstrate a vice or weakness that the Wyrm can exploit.
===Physical Taints===
The Wyrm corrupts everything it touches, including the bodies of its victims. These physical transformations and sickness can include everything from deformities like those common to metis Garou to wounds that refuse to heal and which even a werewolf’s regeneration cannot repair. Such transformations cause victims pain and disgust at the fact that their body now contains visible and often hideous traces of the Wyrm. Someone afflicted with this sort of taint owes no allegiance to the Wyrm, and it cannot affect him in any way, except by the problems his affliction causes him. Minions of the Wyrm can sense these tainted individuals, and they show up as Wyrm-tainted to Garou using Sense Wyrm to investigate the sickness or deformity.<br>
Afflicted with hairlessness, a withered limb, masses of writhing warts or something even more disturbing, the victims of these problems often search for cures and solutions. However removing deeply embedded physical traces of the Wyrm is exceptionally difficult. While certain spirits and rites have the power to cure completely Wyrm afflictions, finding such cures takes a great deal of time and effort. The Wyrm can offer a cure, either sending a Bane or Black Spiral Dancer, or appearing in the victim’s dreams. This cure might fade over time, or cure only part of a larger affliction. In either case, only continued service to the Wyrm can cure a physical deformity permanently, and even then, only as long as the heads of the Hydra find benefit in doing so.
===Mental Taints===
Sometimes exposure to especially strong manifestations of the Wyrm provides a conduit into the mind of an individual, allowing one of the Urge Wyrms to corrupt her thoughts and dreams. She can also attract an Urge Wyrm’s attention by giving in to excesses of a particular emotion, receiving taint simply because she gives in to her vices one time too often.<br>
Urge Wyrms cannot forcibly corrupt someone, but they are insidious and persistent. The victim hears an aspect of the Wyrm whispering advice and commentary in the back of her mind. In addition to being an uncomfortable and confusing experience, Urge Wyrms seek out individuals who have personalities they can most easily influence. Someone inclined to fear would most likely be contacted by Foebok, just as a greedy individual would hear Vorus in his head.
'''Mental Taint Effects'''<br>
Mental corruption has two effects. First, the victim must make a Wits + Primal Urge roll with a difficulty of at least 6 in situations where giving into the Urge Wyrm’s emotion would make sense. A character who fails this roll must give in to the emotion for the rest of the scene. In order to free herself of the compulsion for a single turn, she must spend a point of Willpower.<br>
The tainted individual also regularly hears whispers from the Urge Wyrm, attempting to persuade her to surrender to her base urges and embrace corruption. Vorus might whisper that the character should take what she desires and that the world owes it to her because of all she has done. Unless she succeeds in a Wits + Enigmas roll (difficulty 8), the character doesn’t recognize that these thoughts come from an outside source. If the character is aware of the existence of Urge Wyrms, or has an ally who understands what might cause her symptoms, the difficulty of this roll decreases to 6.
==The Path of Corruption==
In return for a cure or because of ceaseless whispering by an Urge Wyrm, sometimes one of the Changing Breeds signs on the metaphorical dotted line and swears allegiance to the Wyrm. That sort of clean and final choice is relatively rare. In cases like the Balefire Sharks, where the choice is to serve the Wyrm or die, a few of the Changing Breeds value life more than loyalty and honor, but most are unwilling to so obviously betray everything they believe in. The Wyrm can however be both subtle and patient. In return for curing an affliction, the Wyrm may ask an individual to perform some small service. A bane may ask someone to arrange to have a captured Black Spiral Dancer escape before she can be questioned and killed, or make a call to warn a Pentex employee of a planned raid on one of the company’s facilities. Often, this task is both easy and essentially free of risk. If she performs the task, she had aided the Wyrm, but just as importantly, she has started on the path of corruption.<br>
When corrupting someone who suffers from a physical taint, an agent of the Wyrm approaches the target and offers a cure, for a price. If the individual performs the first task, in short order there’s a second, usually just as risk free but perhaps a bit more difficult and involved. In return, the dream voice, Bane, or Black Spiral Dancer cures some of the less obvious but lingering symptoms of the character’s affliction. Each task comes with a promised reward, but the tasks become more difficult and dangerous as time goes on. If the victim’s allies ever discover his betrayal, the Wyrm’s agents will offer to help the victim escape without asking anything in return — this time. After a while, the tasks requested bring nothing in return beyond not informing the character’s pack or other allies of what he has done. Somewhere in the midst of performing these “small favors,” the individual performing them belongs to the Wyrm, but the exact point where this happens may not be obvious except in retrospect, which is exactly the way agents of the Wyrm prefer it.<br>
The path of mental corruption is far simpler. The Urge Wyrm continues to whisper warnings and suggestions that to at least some degree align with the character’s unconscious desires, slowly leading him to betraying his principles and falling to the Wyrm. If he covets another Garou’s klaive, Vorus might suggest that he steal it, whispering that the klaive’s owner doesn’t deserve it and reasons why he should hate the klaive’s owner. Sykora might suggest that a character’s romantic rival is plotting to kill her or that her friends are about to betray her and that the character must strike first if she wishes survive. If the character follows through on these urgings, she eventually becomes an agent of the Wyrm.
==Avoiding Corruption==
Physical and mental taints can never force anyone to swear allegiance to the Wyrm. Although the process can be difficult and potentially humiliating, almost everyone who is tainted by the Wyrm can eventually throw off this taint. Accomplishing this feat typically involves two steps. The first step is admitting to someone who understands and can help that the character has become corrupted and requires aid. For obvious physical changes, this process is simple, but most Garou feel great shame at becoming corrupted, as well as no small amount of fear that they might soon fall to the Wyrm. As a result, many attempt to conceal any physical transformations that can be hidden. The Changing Breeds regard mental taint even less well, looking askance at anyone who admits that they hear the Wyrm’s whispered threats and promises, believing them to be already fallen or at best unworthy of any trust or responsibility. Worse, most shapeshifters believe that only individuals who were previously weak or corrupt are tainted by the Wyrm.<br>
Admitting what is wrong and seeking aid can undo both physical and mental corruption, but it is only the first step. The next step is finding a cure, a process that usually requires significant effort. The path to accomplishing any such cure is far from easy. In the early days of being tainted, a simple Rite of Cleansing might suffice to wash the Wyrm’s stench away. Beyond that point, a wise and experienced Theurge might know some method of purifying the victim, but this purification often requires a journey deep into the Umbra. She might have to find a fount of pure Wyld energies to cleanse her mind and body, or bargain with a powerful spirit in return for its help curing her of the Wyrm’s mark.<br>
Regardless of the cure, the Wyrm will not let go without a fight. Agents of the Wyrm may try to discredit anyone the victim goes to for help, or simply attempt to kill them and frame the tainted one for the murder. Others use far subtler forms of trickery, sending Banes disguised as friendly spirits, or offering a Rite of Cleaning that intensifies the victim’s taint unless she does something for the ritemaster.
==Redemption for the Fallen==
Someone who falls to the Wyrm suffers irrevocable changes. Her will is no longer fully her own and her mind — and in some cases her body — is now sustained by the Wyrm’s corrupt energies. She has no way back; no one who makes this choice can ever unmake it and return to being a whole person. Any of the fallen who struggle against their fate: face either failure or death as their only options.<br>
Some experiences, like walking the Black Spiral Labyrinth or feeding on Wyrm-tainted flesh make any who survive them completely unable to even consider betraying or working against the Wyrm. Individuals who fall to the Wyrm through less extreme forms of corruption can work against their dark master, but only with great difficulty and greater cost.<br>
When anyone who has fallen to the Wyrm betrays it, banes and other creatures associated with the Corrupter know of what has happened. Some fomori, and other Wyrmspawn like the Balefire Sharks, rely on the Wyrm’s corrupt energies to survive. Were one to turn against the Wyrm it would soon suffer a painful death, as the power that sustains them suddenly cuts off.<br>
Otherwise, the Wyrm’s minions try to destroy the betrayer. Those who manage to escape or survive gradually become physically and mentally ill as the strain of working against the Wyrm wracks their minds and bodies. All the Wyrm’s servants understand this price, although many only learned it after they swore allegiance to it. The few who bitterly regret their choice and are willing to help make amends often choose to betray the Wyrm in a way that ends in their death. Myths tell of a silver lake in the Umbra that could bring them redemption, but many die before they ever find it.
</tab>
<tab name="Banes">
=Banes=
Each thing upon Gaia radiates out into the Umbra, announcing its nature and giving rise to spiritual representations. For each tree, river, and house, there is a spirit; for each moment of joy, bright ripples spreading out through the world of spirits and perhaps giving birth to an Epiphling.<br>
But also, there is a spirit for the flash of murderous rage, the long, simmering, and life-draining depression; for the polluted creek, the rotten tree, and the broken home. Once, some Garou believe, these things were part of the natural cycle of the world, but if so, that was long ago. The Wyrm’s talons hold Gaia in an iron grip and its coils choke the cosmos, and all things that are destructive or corrupt come to dwell in its shadow. If they do not serve it today, then its minions will see to it that they join its ranks tomorrow.<br>
Banes, then, are the revealed face of the Wyrm in the spirit world. They are a category of spirits bearing their patron’s hideous touch and the taint of its nature. It encompasses both “born” children of the Wyrm, as well as formerly Gaian spirits that have fallen into corruption. Few Garou believe in the possibility of purifying a Bane, and indeed, in most cases, there exists no prior “pure” state for a Bane to return to. As a result, Banes are the most elemental enemies of Gaia’s warriors, a foe against whom no quarter can ever be asked or offered. The only answer is to move forward, claws and fangs bared. The enemy’s numbers are limitless; the Garou can only hope their determination is the same.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-spiritcharms" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Spirit Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-spiritcharms">
=Spirit Charms=
Spirits have a number of powers called Charms at their command. Some are spiritual reflections of werewolf Gifts, while others are powers that a spirit could teach a Garou — with sufficient cause.<br>
The following Charms are a starting point for Storytellers. Many Charms can reflect a whole host of different phenomena that happen to have the same effects. The Blast Charm, for example, could represent thorns shooting from a nature spirit, shards of glass thrown by a glass elemental, or electrical discharge from a lightning spirit.<br>
Be creative when assigning Charms to spirits.
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<div class="mw-customtoggle-common" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Common Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-common">
=Common Charms=
All spirits have the following Charms. They’re notable only in their absence — a spirit that’s weakened or being punished may not be able to use one or more of these Charms.
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'''Airt Sense'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit has a natural sense of the “airts” (directions) of the spirit world, and can travel about without much difficulty. The spirit can create or find spirit tracks at will. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis if it has to locate a particular place or individual in the Umbra. Even spirits aren’t infallible, and a botch can lead them to an unforgiving Realm.
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'''Materialize'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit takes physical form on Earth. The spirit’s Gnosis must be equal to or greater than the area’s Gauntlet rating. The spirit appears the same in the material world as it does in the Umbra. The spirit uses its Traits in the same way as it would in the Umbra, rather than having Attributes and Abilities. Materialized spirits do possess health levels like other corporeal beings. If a spirit dies in the material world, it returns to the Umbra and enters Slumber, just as if the spirit had lost all of its Essence in the Umbra. Most spirits won’t use this Charm except in extraordinary circumstances; the modern world is far from welcoming to their kind.
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'''Realm Sense'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can sense what transpires in its Domain both in the Umbra and on Earth. Sensing a specific area requires a successful Gnosis roll. Though this Charm is usually associated with Naturae (woodland spirits of Gaia), most spirits bound to an area possess this ability. Spirits without direct ties to a location on Earth may have this Charm, but are only able to sense their dens in Near-Umbral Realms or home Domains.
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'''Re-form'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can dissolve its body in order to travel through the Umbra to their home Domains. It takes a spirit a full turn to try to re-form. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Gnosis successfully for this Charm to succeed. Spirits use this Charm to flee their enemies.
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</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-specialty" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Specialty Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-specialty">
=Specialty Charms=
These Charms are commonly possessed by a wide variety of spirits.
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'''Armor'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' By spending two points of Essence, the spirit gains a soak pool equal to its Gnosis for the remainder of the scene.
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'''Blast'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can attack from a distance — breathing fire, unleashing ear-splitting sound, hurling shards of glass, or spitting razor-blades. The Storyteller spends a point of Essence and rolls the spirit’s Rage as a damage dice pool, dealing aggravated damage. The spirit does not need to roll to hit, and the attack cannot be dodged.
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'''City Tree’s Trunk'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 125''
'''Description:''' The spirit has a permanent soak pool of eight dice, and can increase that by the spirit’s Gnosis by spending two points of Essence. Alternatively, it can grant this additional soak to other spirits by spending another point of Essence. A spirit receiving this blessing applies the soak pool from City Tree’s Trunk in addition to its own armor.
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'''Charmed Journey'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 126''
'''Description:''' The Gridlock Beetle rolls Gnosis at a Difficulty of (2 + the number of targets). Until the end of the scene, the target’s overland movement suffers no ordinary obstacles or delays. All the lights turn green. No one cuts her off in traffic and then drives under the speed limit. Even police will not stop her regardless of how far over the speed limit she is driving. This benefit extends to movement on foot or off-road, as well. The Jeep doesn’t get stuck in the mud. The frozen lake holds up under the traveler’s weight. Even in a crowd, bystanders never seem to get in her way as she pursues her target (or flees her pursuer). The target subtracts two from the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (minimum 3).
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'''Cleanse the Blight'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit can purge spiritual corruption in its vicinity. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis; the difficulty depends on the strength of the Blight. Most spirits can only use this Charm in an area that reflects their nature.
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'''Control Electrical Systems'''
''W20 Core, pg 366''
'''Description:''' The spirit exerts control over an electronic device. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3–9 depending on the system’s complexity). The spirit can shut the system down, control it as though it were standing at the controls, and even overload the system.
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'''Create Fires'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can create fires. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a torch-sized flame, 6 for a bonfire, or 9 for an inferno). Without a source of fuel, the fire only burns for one turn.
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'''Create Wind'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can create or quell winds. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a strong breeze, 6 for a storm, or 9 for a tornado).
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'''Demand Audience'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 129''
'''Description:''' As Rite of Summoning (W20 Core, pg 212) with the following alterations: Srador can complete the ritual in a single turn. The spirits who arrive are passively benign (if Gafflings) or neutral (if Jagglings) toward Srador. More powerful spirits are always initially hostile, so Srador seldom uses this Charm to summon them. The number of successes instead determines the speed with which the spirit answers Srador’s summons:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 200px" | Effect
|-
|1
|The spirit arrives within 24 hours.
|-
|2
|The spirit arrives within an hour.
|-
|3
|The spirit arrives immediately.
|-
|4+
|For each additional success after the third another spirit comes with the summoned spirit. These are either lesser spirits with natures similar to that of the target, or random spirits of a similar power level.
|-
|}
Srador cannot use this Charm more than once per day.
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'''Dreadful Presence:'''
''W20 Core, pg 182''
'''Description:''' This Charm is available only to Incarna avatars, and is constantly in effect. All spirits hostile to the Incarna avatar lose two dice from all their dice pools while they remain in the avatar’s vicinity.
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'''Fetch Brand:'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 101''
'''Description:''' The spirit can mark a mortal with a small brand, visible only to Garou, in the shape of the glyph of its brood’s allied tribe. The spirit can place the brand just about anywhere on the body, including even the inside of the lip or the scalp. Most werewolves instruct the Kin-Fetch to make the brands hard to find (the Black Spiral Dancers in particular); some, too proud for their own good, want an easily evident sign of glory (such as many Silver Fangs). If the marked mortal undergoes the Change, the brand is burned away and the Kin-Fetch is immediately aware of the Change, whether or not it’s viewing the material world at the time.
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'''Flood'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can raise the natural water level in an area. The spirit spends a point of Essence to flood an area. The size depends on the power of the spirit — a Jaggling using this Charm could flood several blocks or a small town, while a Gaffling could flood a building or a city block. Flooding a larger area could require the spirit to expend more Essence.
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'''Freeze'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit drastically lowers the temperature of its immediate area. Reduce the spirit’s Rage by one for the remainder of the scene. Everyone in the area suffers the spirit’s new Rage in dice of aggravated damage. Using this Charm may have additional effects, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
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'''Healing'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can heal physical beings. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (6 to heal lethal damage, 8 for aggravated). The target heals a number of health levels equal to the spirit’s Gnosis. A spirit can only use this Charm once per scene per target.
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'''Illness''
''W20 Skinner, pg 16''
'''Description:''' The spirit can infect a target with a wasting spiritual sickness. The spirit spends a point of Essence and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target’s Stamina. Success means that the target loses a point of Stamina, and all wound penalties increase by 1 (including at the Bruised health level, which effectively becomes a –1 penalty). The effects last for a day if the target can regenerate, or until supernaturally cured if the target can’t.
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'''Illuminate'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can light an area reaching to 20 yards (20 meters) from its body, or change the color of lights in the area. Doing so doesn’t normally require a roll.
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'''Open Moon Bridge'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can open a moon bridge to a desired location. This charm can operate anywhere, and does not need a caern present. The moon bridge has a total potential distance of 1000 miles (1600 km).
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'''Peek'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can look into the physical world from the Penumbra.
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'''Road Rage'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 127''
'''Description:''' The Gridlock Beetle rolls Rage at a Difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower. Until the end of the scene, countless small obstacles or minor delays hamper the target’s overland movement — a traffic jam, a flat tire, a stubbed toe, etc. The target adds two to the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (maximum 9). Additionally, shapeshifters under the influence of this Charm use Rage less effectively. Reduce the total amount of Rage the target may spend in a single turn by one (to a minimum of zero) for as long as the Charm lasts.
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'''Royal Decree'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129''
'''Description:''' This Charm is functionally the same as the Theurge Gift Command Spirit (W20 Core, pg 164), except it costs one Essence per command instead of one Willpower, and the Storyteller rolls Srador’s Gnosis (difficulty is the spirit’s Gnosis) to activate the Charm. It also functions on creatures of half-spirit, including shapeshifters (difficulty is the shapeshifter’s Willpower), but Srador seldom calls upon it unless he is desperate.
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'''Savage'''
''W20 Core, pg 182''
'''Description:''' By spending one Essence, the spirit adds two dice to all damage rolls for the remainder of the scene.
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'''Shapeshift'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can look like anything it desires. This Charm only changes the spirit’s form, not its abilities or powers. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Willpower if it tries to appear as a specific being.
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'''Shatter Glass'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can break all of the glass in the area. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).
----
'''Short Out'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can short out electrical systems, damaging the circuits. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).
----
'''Subtle Watcher'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 102''
'''Description:''' The Kin-Fetch can make itself invisible at no cost, and maintain the invisibility for as long as it chooses, as long as it remains within roughly three meters of its fetch-branded target. Other spirits will not be able to detect it unless they have specific counter-charms.
----
'''Swift Flight'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can fly at three times the normal speed, up to 60 + (Willpower x3) yards or meters per turn.
----
'''Tongues'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129''
'''Description:''' Srador understands all human and spirit languages and is able to speak telepathically. He can address one, some, or all creatures within 100 yards, and they hear him in their native tongues. If a target has a Gift or other supernatural ability the grants her resistance to mental influence, the Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower).
----
'''Tracking'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can follow its prey unerringly, though it must spend a point of Essence to do so.
----
'''Umbraquake'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The Umbra shakes with such force that everyone standing is thrown to the ground. Everyone in the area suffers half the spirit’s Rage in dice of bashing damage.
----
'''Updraft'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can lift a man-sized creature into the air with a gust of wind. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Willpower (difficulty 6).
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-bane" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Bane Charms</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-bane">
=Bane Charms=
The Wyrm grants these Charms to its minions. Creatures allied to Gaia cannot (and would not) learn Gifts related to these Charms.
----
'''Awaken the Blight'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146''
'''Description:'''  A Crimson Pestilent may spend two Essence to use this Charm on a person afflicted with some manner of disease. The Bane makes a contested roll of its Rage against the target’s Stamina; if the Bane wins, whatever ailment the target suffers from flares up, and their next roll to resist or recover from the effects of the ailment suffers a penalty equal to the Bane’s Gnosis. A fever might spike to life-threatening temperatures, while a cancer metastasizes and spreads like wildfire throughout the body.
----
'''Blighted Touch'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' If the spirit deals damage on an attack (including using the Blast Charm), the target must make a reflexive Willpower roll. If she fails, her negative characteristics dominate her personality for the next few hours. If she botches, the change is permanent.
'''Nihilach Blighted Touch'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148''
'''Description:''' The Nihilach’s version of Blighted Touch is different from that of other Banes. Rather than bringing the worst elements of the target’s nature to the fore, this Charm instead induces a deadening lassitude and crippling depression. Effort seems futile, dreams unattainable, and the world a sick and pointless joke at best, a gauntlet of needless indignities as prelude to meaningless nothingness at worst. A botch attempting to resist this Charm is capable of sending a Garou spiraling directly into Harano.
----
'''Brother Against Brother'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 123''
'''Description:''' The Flame War almost never fights its own battles. It instead convinces its enemies to fight each other. The Storyteller makes a Rage roll for the spirit (the difficulty is each target’s Willpower). On a success, the Charm has the following effect until the end of the scene:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 500px" | Effect
|-
|1
|The target refuses to take orders from any of the other targets and becomes argumentative if anyone bosses him around. If forced to obey, the target does so sulkily and behaves passive-aggressively.
|-
|2
|The target argues with the other targets and refuses to cooperate with them. Werewolves gain one point of Rage and make a Rage roll to resist frenzy.
|-
|3
|The target hurls insults and makes threats directed at other targets in an attempt to provoke them into attacking her. Werewolves subjected to this treatment make a Rage roll to resist frenzy. Other sentient beings are likely to respond in kind and may escalate the situation further.
|-
|4
|The target starts something — throws a punch, draws a weapon, kicks in a door, etc. This almost certainly turns into a brawl, but the target’s rage turns to panic as soon as he suffers bashing damage equal to his Stamina or even one point of lethal or aggravated damage. If this happens, the target flees the scene. If the target is a werewolf, she makes a Rage roll to resist frenzy, and the difficulty of the roll is decreased by two (minimum 2).
|-
|5
|The target goes berserk and attacks all the other targets. Werewolves frenzy and make a Rage roll with the difficulty of the roll reduced by two (minimum 2). Those who score any successes on this frenzy enter the thrall of the Wyrm. Other creatures fight until they are incapacitated or no other targets remain on the scene.
|-
|6+
|The target goes berserk as above, but his fury is not limited to fellow victims. He attacks innocent bystanders and friends, unable to distinguish between friend and foe. If the target is a werewolf, he must enter a berserk frenzy. Fox frenzy is not an option even if he is not in the thrall of the Wyrm.
|-
|}
----
'''Carrion Walk'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149''
'''Description:''' This Charm is similar to Possession, but can only be used upon a corpse. Any corpse will do: a dead Pentex employee, a road kill raccoon, a slaughtered steer, and — on one horribly memorable occasion — a freshly deceased elephant can all host a Rot Walker. The cadaver must still have some flesh on its frame (so no possessed dinosaur skeletons), and it cannot already be possessed or animated by other means (putting vampires off-limits). A corpse animated by Carrion Walk uses the traits it had when alive, rather than the controlling Bane’s spirit traits, but uses the Bane’s Essence instead of a health track. Carrion Walk puts a tremendous strain on the corpse being possessed; the necrotic energies of the Bane rapidly accelerate the process of decay, so that most possessed shells become flyblown horrors in short order. Few cadavers manage to last for more than a week before devolving into an immobile stew of bones and pulpy meat.
----
'''Corruption'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit whispers a suggestion to the target, and the target acts upon it. The Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). This Charm can be used across the Gauntlet.
----
'''Darkweaving'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 151''
'''Description:''' This Charm more than anything else defines a Rust Spider. Darkweaving’s effects are permanent, and stain the spirit’s every works with an indelible trace of Wyrm-taint. When a tainted Pattern Spider reinforces the Gauntlet, it weaves in blackly glistening, Wyrmish strands of spiritual effluvia, which Banes find it easier to pierce (–1 to the local Gauntlet for Wyrm spirits only). When they work on the great Pattern Webs that span cities, the strands they weave act as efficient superhighways for Banes. When a Hunter Spider scans for enemies in need of destruction, they heed the distress cries of Banes and treat them as a summons of the Weaver. When a Net-Spider ushers data packets from place to place, it subtly taints them, imparting a negative tone to digital communications, or promoting data loss or corruption in vital transactions. The individual effect of this Charm upon any action is small, but the cumulative result is a spirit that remakes Gaia into the Wyrm’s image as efficiently and tirelessly as its brothers and sisters calcify the world into the Weaver’s design.
----
'''Dissolution'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146''
'''Description:''' The Bane may pay one Essence when attacking a target to coat its claws or fangs with a hideous spiritual acid. The difficulty to soak such an attack is 9.
----
'''Dream Warp'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149''
'''Description:''' The Nighthag spends one Essence to corrupt a dream with the intent of disturbing the sleeper and driving a wedge between her and one of her loved ones. The target does not regain Willpower from this troubled sleep.
----
'''Everybody’s Secret'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146''
'''Description:''' This Charm is similar to the Shadow Lord Gift: Whisper Catching, save that it encompasses every secret event or exchange to occur within a building. The echoes of domestic violence, perversion, and hate slowly work their way through the building’s ducts and corridors. Eventually, everyone who lives in the building knows the secrets of everyone else: perhaps they drift under a door, or through an air conditioning vent, or rattle about in an old elevator as it carries tenants up through the building’s black throat. Speaking of the secrets of a building learned through Everybody’s Secret is extremely difficult, requiring a point of Willpower and a Willpower roll (difficulty 9); failure causes the desired words to die in the tenant’s throat, and a certainty to fall down around him that it’s just not the business of anyone from outside the building.
----
'''Incite Frenzy'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit can cause a werewolf to enter a frenzy. The Storyteller rolls Rage (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Any success causes a frenzy; six or more successes causes the werewolf to fall into the Thrall of the Wyrm. All normal frenzy rules apply.
----
'''Innocuous'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 147''
'''Description:''' Harpies excel at hiding in plain sight. By spending one point of Essence, witnesses overlook a Harpy and its nest. This Charm doesn’t make the Bane or its taint invisible, but rather keeps anyone from noticing it. Only those specifically looking for something out of place will have a chance of seeing the spirit, and even then an observer must succeed at a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) to overcome the effects of the charm. The effect lasts for one scene.
----
'''Lightning in the Meat'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 150''
'''Description:''' This Charm allows the Rot Walker to spend one Essence per day to re-animate the brain of a corpse possessed with Carrion Walk. There must be a brain present for this to work. While the body’s soul has long since moved on to whatever awaits beyond the veil of death, a residue of memories and personality still dwell in the wrinkles of the mind, and it is this shadow of the deceased that the Rot Walker resurrects, up until the body falls apart. The revived persona knows nothing of the possessing Bane, and may even believe itself alive at first. It is likely to try to head back to familiar surroundings, such as the house where its grieving family awaits. Some Rot Walkers resume control at this point; others prefer to simply let the lightning continue to drive the meat, watching the corpse and its loved ones go through the agony of decay, dissolution, and a second and final demise.
----
'''Obscure'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 124''
'''Description:''' The spirit blankets a small area with a wash of neutral, boring space. It moves outward from the creature about five feet per dot of the spirit’s Gnosis. Roll Will. Any Perception or Investigation action must exceed the Will roll’s successes to notice anything interesting or out of place within. As well, anything within the cloud gains the spirit’s Gnosis as a bonus to any rolls to hide or move unseen.
----
'''Parasitic Possession'''
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 104''
'''Description:''' As the Possession Charm, save that the Fetch-Hawk can sink its essence into that of another spirit. The Fetch-Hawk gains three extra dice to the Gnosis roll to possess Kin-Fetches.
----
'''Possession'''
''W20 Core, pg 367''
'''Description:''' The spirit may inhabit a living being or inanimate object. The Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower, or 4 for an object). The possession takes the time indicated:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" width="25%"
! style="min-width: 100px" | Successes
! style="min-width: 125px" | Time Taken
|-
|1
|Six hours
|-
|2
|Three hours
|-
|3
|One hour
|-
|4
|15 minutes
|-
|5
|5 minutes
|-
|6+
|Instantaneous
|-
|}
The spirit can take no other actions. If it does, or is engaged in spirit combat, the link is broken. A spirit that possesses a human can warp and change the victim’s body, making a fomor (see W20 Core, pg 428 for more on fomori). Possession is permanent.
'''Thinbone Possession'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 152''
'''Description:''' A Thinbone’s Possession Charm is different from that of other Banes. Thinbones are incapable of creating fomori through permanent possession, or of directly controlling the host. Instead, a possessing Thinbone consumes everything the host eats before it can nourish him. Once the host begins starving, the Thinbone uses its Corruption Charm to whisper suggested meals that might sate the host; each time the host partakes of such a meal, the Thinbone gains one point of Essence. Soon after, the gnawing hunger returns and the host’s starvation continues. Thinbones never suggest ordinary food to their unlucky host; instead, they recommend the host consume something he values. A devout Christian might be compelled to tear out the pages of his Bible and eat them, one by one, while a fashionista sits down and methodically eats every outfit and shoe in her closet. The strongest of Thinbones turn their hosts against loved ones, starving the possessed individual into a cannibal feast. Once the host starves to death, the Thinbone departs to begin the cycle anew.
----
'''Sleaze Aura'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149''
'''Description:''' The Bane can lend the effects of the Gift: Persuasion (see W20 Core, pg 153) to anyone who goes along with the suggestions it whispers through Corruption, so long as they continue following those suggestions.
----
'''Smoke'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 151''
'''Description:''' By spending a point of Essence, a Shattered Hart can snort out a cloud of sulfurous smoke that shrouds the Bane in darkness. Increase the difficulty of all rolls to hit the bane by one, or two for Garou in Lupus form due to the stench. The Shattered Hart can see clearly through the smoke and suffers no penalties.
----
'''Yawning Void'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148''
'''Description:''' This Charm stands as the most fearsome of the Nihilach’s powers. It activates reflexively by paying one Essence whenever something dies in the Nihilach’s presence, be it a discorporate spirit or a murdered Garou, and the death need not be at the Nihilach’s hands. The billowing emptiness of the Nihilach’s body unfolds into a sheer, sanity-scraping void that draws in the soul of the slain. Anything swallowed by the Yawning Void is gone forever. A Garou hero will not persist as an ancestor spirit, nor be returned to Gaia’s embrace and reincarnated. He, like anything else swallowed by this Charm, will simply cease to be.
----
</div>
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-banes" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Common Banes</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-banes">
'''Bioweapon'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 121''
These banes are terrible mutations of normal spirits of war, bound to the corrupting violence of the Wyrm. Bioweapons are spirits of insidious infectious agents alive and capable of replicating inside a host body. The banes move easily from person to person, infecting and corrupting as they go, leaving behind hollowed out husks ready to be possessed by another bane.
Pentex Corporation uses Magadon Pharmaceuticals to culture Bioweapons. The original goal was to use these banes to prime people to become fomori, in hopes that they would last longer. The project failed, and Pentex repurposed the banes to spread the Wyrm’s corruption as far and wide as possible. Magadon has deployed the banes in third world countries in the form of medicines, infecting sick individuals. As the banes take hold, they corrupt healthcare workers, and eventually entire communities.
Based on the success of Bioweapons in smaller communities, Pentex has increased utilization of these banes and spread to the global arena. Garou are just now catching wind of the number of major first world countries stockpiling bioweapons, and the banes associated with them. The threat of Pentex infesting the entire world with Bioweapon banes has the Garou Nation on high alert. Septs encourage their members and Kinfolk to engage in politics in an attempt to gain access to important decision making individuals. Dealing with the situation is a priority, but with the banes already in the hands of many governments, a resolution requires intense work and planning.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 16''
'''Charms:''' Corruption, Possession
'''Image:''' In the physical realm, Bioweapons appear as dark smudges in the air, thick miasmas that cling to a possessed person’s head and chest. In the Umbra, they appear as small black voids, where no light escapes their inky black surfaces.
---
'''Blood Currency'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 122''
Blood Currencies are a new manifestation of the Wyrm’s corruption. They evolved from Blood Moneys, minor Banes that attach themselves to large denomination dollar bills. Blood Moneys feed on the crimes of those who handle those bills – drug deals, blackmail, assassination, and human trafficking of every kind – and inspire their victims to engage in more extreme forms of degradation. Blood Moneys seldom receive more than a few opportunities to feed before the bill makes its way into a bank vault or becomes so worn out that it is destroyed, and so they seldom present a threat except on a very local scale.
Blood Currencies, however, take advantage of the rise of virtual currencies — or cryptocurrencies. World governments do not monitor or regulate these mediums of exchange, and they afford considerable anonymity to those who use them. While these virtual currencies attract some perfectly legitimate business, they frequently facilitate commercial interests that range from distasteful to abominable. Users buy into a virtual currency either with mainstream currencies (dollars, euros, pounds, etc.) or by providing goods or services to existing users and taking their pay in the virtual currency. A distributed network of computer servers tracks the virtual money and facilitates its exchange between users.
When a Blood Currency infects one of these servers, however, it feeds on all the misery that the virtual currency funds. For example, a single Silkbuck valued at approximately one hundred U.S. dollars moves from a snuff film maker to an assassin, from an assassin to a pimp, from a pimp to a kidnapper who “recruits” prostitutes, from a kidnapper to a drug dealer, and from a drug dealer to a weapons dealer. Each transaction carries the spiritual weight of the horrible deeds it funds as it passes through the Bane-infected server, and the Blood Currency grows fatter with each transaction. While users can sell most cryptocurrencies to other users for ordinary currency, the Blood Currency discourages users from ever selling any part of their stake. They instead feel compelled to buy more misery-generating goods and services with it.
To ensure a fresh supply of victims, the Blood Currency’s server will occasionally email ordinary people telling them they’ve won a recently unlocked supply of the virtual currency. Those who accept the windfall find themselves tempted to spend it on things they might never purchase — whether out of fear of being caught or because it reflects a secret desire they are ashamed of. As their supply of the cryptocurrency dwindles, they seek ways to earn more, and many soon become purveyors of their own twisted goods and services.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 9, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Blighted Touch, Control Electrical Systems, Corruption, Possession
'''Image:''' In the physical world, Blood Currencies are almost undetectable except by the traces of Wyrm scent they leave on the servers they possess and on those who have handled their virtual currency. In the Umbra, they resemble a mass of writhing serpents comprised of pure darkness.
----
'''Consciousness'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 123''
Consciousness is a strange Bane. Consciousness is an embodiment of loud, permeating communication. Each Consciousness Bane centers on a different topic, and attempts to blast that message to the world. This might be a noble cause, if not for the Bane’s ability to instill witnesses with fear and loathing. Most witnesses burst into a violent frenzy upon experiencing Consciousness’s message. Even if they can’t comprehend the message due to language barriers, ignorance, or other impediments, Consciousness inspires rage and vitriol.
Consciousness Banes generally don’t live long; they have a terrible time keeping to themselves. They’re often found marching out in the open, where they fall victim to their own rage-induced listeners. If their listeners have nobody else to attack, they’ll lash out at the Consciousness.
''Rage: 2, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 16''
'''Charms:''' Incite Frenzy
'''Image:''' Consciousness exists as a nigh-incoherent jumble of information. It’s loud, it’s convoluted, and it’s extensive. The information is never presented with full clarity. If the Consciousness takes the shape of a computer screen, jumbled, garbled text will interrupt the intended message. If it takes the shape of a radio broadcast, it’ll wash with static and interrupting signals. Newspapers are wet and mashed together. Regardless of the form, Consciousness requires scrutiny and attention to decipher more than just a jumbled mess.
----
'''Disease Bane'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 104''
The Bane released from the Jiangsu Province well is a type of H’ruggling that spreads disease and pestilence through flood. It had been sealed away for hundreds of years before the Black Spiral Dancers released it on the Yangtze River during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in a plot to flood out all of the Garou caerns in the area.<br>
''Willpower: 5, Rage: 4, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 15''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blighted Touch, Flood, Materialize
----
'''Flame Wars'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 123''
This spirit is the manifestation of a large scale conversation in which diplomacy has broken down and rational debate has given way to shouted invective — but where no violence has erupted. In previous centuries these spirits were rare, appearing during a relative handful of fierce political and religious debates. As a single drop of any of the participants’ blood shed by another participant causes Flame Wars to wither and die, few such spirits lasted long enough to awaken — much less spread their mayhem to others.
It wasn’t until the rise of the Internet that Flame Wars proliferated enough to attract the attention of the Garou — particularly the Glass Walkers, who gave them their name. Although these spirits can create unwanted interpersonal conflict, some Garou bind them into fetishes to sow discord between their enemies.
''Rage: 7, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 17''
'''Charms:''' Blast, Brother Against Brother
'''Image:''' Flame Wars almost never manifest, but when they do they look as they do in the Umbra — a sphere of turbulent air a foot across. Those within ten yards of a Flame War can hear the whispered insinuations and too-dry sarcasm that gave it life. Those within ten feet plunge into a veritable hailstorm of raised voices that shout every imaginable form of insult and wield creative profanity like hammers on the inside of the skull.
----
'''Greed Bane'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 105''
A particularly powerful Psychomachiae had been trapped in a volcano by Garou centuries ago. It had slowly worked its way up and through a vent before it was stopped by the immense pressure. Later, the Bane was freed when its prison was exposed by diamond mining. It immediately began influencing the local populous intent on pulling diamonds from the mine. Soon, Pentex took notice of the activity and moved in to harness the ancient Bane’s power.<br>
''Willpower: 6, Rage: 8, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 30''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blighted Touch, Corruption, Materialize
----
'''Obscenity'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 124''
Obscenity is an insidious, unhealthy, irrational sense of disgust made flesh. Obscenity spawns forth from a desire to denigrate and control others, not dissimilar from dehumanizing, objectifying impulses toward slavery and sadism. When enough people with these desires for control get together, an Obscenity births from their negativity.
The Obscenity delivers upon these people exactly what they think they want. It brings outrage. It brings pain. It brings control. Typically, its victims don’t know that they were wrong to want these things until it’s too late. The Bane slides into them, and takes possession of them, in the way they wish to possess and control others. An Obscenity Bane will perpetuate its existence, inspiring others into these emotions in order to create other Banes.
Often, an Obscenity will emerge around hate groups, and intolerant religious sects. Most rural cults will have at least one Obscenity Bane nesting nearby, if not actively influencing its leadership.
''Rage: 7, Willpower: 3, Gnosis: 3, Essence: 13''
'''Charms:''' Corruption, Incite Frenzy, Possession
'''Image:''' Obscenity appears like so much flesh all in one place. In fact, more flesh than should logically be able to fit in a physical space. It looks like arms, legs, hands, asses, breasts, cheeks, feet, tongues, and everything in between, writhing together in a vague pillar. It caresses itself, bites itself, screams at itself, and fondles itself all over, constantly, and to horrific effect.
----
'''Oil Bane'''
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 105''
The spill of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico released thousands of barrels of crude oil into the waters. Wakshaani from all over were attracted to the spill and fed from the oil washing up in southern Louisiana, growing fat on the toxins. Even after the spill was mostly cleaned up, the Banes continued to thrive all along the Mississippi River due to industrial complexes routinely dumping wastes into the river.<br>
''Willpower: 8, Rage: 6, Gnosis: 10, Essence: 40''<br>
'''Charms:''' Blast, Flood, Materialize
----
'''Reroute'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 123''
Reroute is a Bane of espionage and distraction. While the Wyrm hasn’t made as much headway into the Internet as it would like, it has advanced in secondary avenues. Reroute helps to obscure the Weaver’s electronic soldiers, hiding their tracks and offering smokescreens for attack against bastions of the Wyld.
Functionally speaking, it cloaks everything in its vicinity. The spider clasps on to larger Weaver spirits as they pass by, hiding them from sight. Whenever possible, Reroute will help obscure a Weaver nest under attack, offering them the element of surprise and ease of escape.
''Rage: 4, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 16''
'''Charms:''' Blighted Touch, Obscure, Open Moon Bridge
'''Image:''' Reroute looks the part of its host systems. It’s a small, oily black creature with eight legs that could be mistaken for a Pattern Spider in a crowd, or at a casual glance. Under its oily exterior lies hundreds of tiny wires, designed to interface with whatever systems are nearby. When using its Obscure Charm, the area around it becomes pixelated, blurry, and vague, so it can attach to larger spirits passing by, obscuring them as well.
----
'''Trendy Hat'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 124''
Trendy Hat is a spirit of cultural zeitgeist, one the Wyrm has fostered well. Trendy Hat embodies the self-celebration of young men. Specifically young men that fancy themselves as “gentlemen,” clinging to outdated concepts of chivalry. The original idea of chivalry is selfish and objectifying, when these individuals present it as being beneficial it hurts the culture at large. Which makes it a prime philosophy for Wyrm emanations.
The Trendy Hat anchors itself in a piece of clothing, usually a hat. Sometimes a trilby. Sometimes a trucker hat. The wearer opens himself to possession, which Trendy Hat takes eagerly. The spirit then spreads negativity and anguish all about itself. It manipulates others’ emotions, it uses its Charms to cause complications in their personal and romantic relationships, and it destroys what they hold dear. Then, it looks for an opening. When the victim is vulnerable enough to allow possession, it births a Bane to possess them. Needless to say, Garou root Trendy Hats out quickly once discovered. Left unchecked, a Trendy Hat can leave an empire of Banes in its wake.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Blighted Touch, Corruption, Incite Frenzy, Possession
'''Image:''' The Trendy Hat is a faint, almost invisible humanoid feature with vague, dumpy features. Atop its head is the signature hat, the only opaque part of the creature.
----
'''Witch Hunt'''
''W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 125''
Witch Hunt is a spirit of uncompromising desire to end a target for a perceived slight, whether or not the target is actually guilty. Where Obscenity (see p. 124) is a general sense of outrage brought to fore, Witch Hunt always has a very specific target.
Witch Hunt’s mobs always come about quickly and viciously. Often, an entire community will wake up in the middle of the night, grabbing weapons. They’ll seek out the spirit’s victim, string him up, and head back to bed without a second thought.
Witch Hunt chooses its victim. The choice is typically arbitrary; the affected mob finds reasons and rationalizes the hunt. It uses its Corruption Charm to affect the mob. So long as it is encouraging the mob to attack the victim, it only costs a single Essence to bring the a number of mob members equal to Witch Hunt’s Gnosis to bear.
''Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20''
'''Charms:''' Corruption (Special), Peek, Possession
'''Image:''' Witch Hunt looks like a ghastly priest, with shadows for vestments and fire coming from his mouth at every word.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-unibane" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Unique Banes</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-unibane">
=Unique Banes=
==Abliphet==
These city-dwelling Banes appear to be a hideous fusion of Weaver and Wyrmish forces. They make their lairs atop tall buildings designed for human habitation: apartment blocks, tenements, and even the occasional run-down hotel are the normal hunting grounds of Abliphets. They extend spiritual tendrils down through the hidden ducts and vents of the building and slowly turn the building they’ve chosen as their prey into a hotbox of tension, despair, and rage. No one in such a cursed building can keep a dark secret to himself; no one can keep their mind off the failings of their neighbors; but equally, none can bring themselves to take the building’s problems outside of its borders. Once the building has collapsed into a spiritual Wound or self-destructs in an orgy of domestic violence, murder, or arson, the Abliphet moves on to find new prey.
''Rage 9, Gnosis 9, Willpower 6, Essence 25-35''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Blighted Touch, Control Electrical Systems, Domain Sense, Everybody’s Secret, Illuminate, Shatter Glass, Short Out<br>
'''Image:''' An Abliphet is a massive Bane: A huge, jellylike, white-and-purple thing squatting at the top of a building. If possible, Abliphets lair in attics or storage spaces, but in a pinch they will squat on the roof, open to the elements. Most of the Bane’s substance takes the form of long, pulsing veins, bladders, and tubes dangling down through the substance of the building. They choke its Umbral ducts and pipes writhe invisibly along the walls of its elevator shafts. It is through these pipes and arteries that it conducts the building’s dirty secrets after processing them in its main body. <br>
'''Background:''' No one is quite sure where Abliphets come from, but they’re among the most destructive Banes of the modern urban environment. The Hakken of Japan are well-acquainted with these horrors, where they exist in unparalleled numbers, finding the nation’s ant-hive overcrowding much to their liking.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Abliphets are good for running the Werewolf equivalent of a haunted house story, or a combat raid. Finding out about the Bane’s presence is only the beginning of a pack’s troubles; running the gauntlet of the thing’s environment-manipulating Charms to actually reach it is a job in itself. In worst-case scenarios, an Abliphet may act as a central misery-focus to attract lesser Banes, and a pack may find itself stumbling into a run-down tenement full of spiritual shock troops and even some fomori.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 145''
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==Blight Nurse==
Kin-Fetches can be tainted like any other spirit, and Kinfolk can be just as brutal and psychopathic as any other mortal. A Kin-Fetch corrupted by the twisted deeds of its charge may become a Blight Nurse, compelled to find other children and help them grow up “properly.” They whisper horrible suggestions from the Umbra, and sometimes even go so far to possess their charges, turning them into fomori. To make it even worse, Blight Nurses have a real knack for sniffing out Kinfolk, and prefer them to any other children.
''Rage 4, Gnosis 5, Willpower 4, Essence 13-20''<br>
'''Charms:''' Corruption, Fetch Brand, Peek, Possession, Subtle Watcher, Tracking<br>
'''Image:''' Blight Nurses look something like their original forms, with a strong tendency to become emaciated or obese. The tribal glyphs on their form have shifted, with many of the pictographic strokes ending in warped Wyrmish spirals. They speak in wheedling whispers, although they address only their charges. “Tell that nasty wolf you don’t want to go with him,” they say. “Make me proud.”<br>
'''Background:''' Sometimes Kin-Fetches go bad. It happens most often when the children they’re bound to aren’t quite right. The child goes to darker and darker places, especially as they grow into adulthood, and the Kin-Fetch has nowhere to go. It can’t abandon its precious charge. With enough accumulated taint, the spirit becomes a Blight Nurse.
The Blight Nurse’s purpose veers away from “tell the Garou,” and into “make sure the child comes up right.” Once it’s released — usually by the death of its charge, since most aren’t bound to actual shapeshifters — it finds another child to latch on to, preferably another Kin. They’ve been known to kill and devour Kin-Fetches and take their place. Some Black Spiral Dancers even bind Blight Nurses with their own version of the Baptism of Fire. They find it dreadfully amusing. If all goes well, a child grows up with an affinity for the Wyrm even before their First Change.
''W20 Kinfolk, pg 102''
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==Crimson Pestilent==
Crimson Pestilents are Banes of sickness, parasites, disease, and dysfunction. Their deepest delight is to witness flesh in revolt against itself, and so they congregate where humans breathe in toxic chemicals, re-use needles, drink from parasite- or mercury-tainted waters, and drink irradiated water. They revel in sudden flare-ups of Ebola and evangelize cancers. Moreover, when they find a human afflicted with the marks of the Wyrm, one whose flesh is sick and fighting against itself, they set the terrible red tendrils of their power upon that person, and empower the sickness.
''Rage 6, Gnosis 3, Willpower 8, Essence 17''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Awaken the Blight, Blighted Touch, Materialize, Swift Flight<br>
'''Image:''' Crimson Pestilents appear as winding red fogs from a distance; upon closer inspection, one sees them as composed of millions of hair-fine blood vessels, all twisting and writhing around one another.<br>
'''Background:''' Crimson Pestilents are a new menace, first sighted in the 1960s. They were extremely rare until the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, when their numbers swelled, now they fester throughout the world. Black Spiral Theurges believe they are the breath of the Wyrm, exhaled into the world.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Crimson Pestilents are particularly loathsome Banes, striking as they do at the weak and the wounded. They’re best used as a reminder that the Garou must remain vigilant, and that in the final days, even a hospital or medicine lodge may be part of the battlefield.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146''
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==Fetch-Hawk==
These wasp-like spirits were carefully groomed by Theurges of the Black Spiral. Their purpose is to hunt Kin-Fetches, parasitize them, and then misdirect them to bring news of a First Change to the Dancers instead.
''Rage 3, Gnosis 4, Willpower 6, Essence 13-18''<br>
Charms: Corruption, Parasitic Possession, Tracking<br>
'''Image:''' Fetch-Hawks are named after tarantula hawk wasps, not avians. They look something like wasps the size of a man’s thumb, with long syringe-like abdomens and extra sets of bale-green compound eyes. Their speech is a wheezy whisper formed by the beating of their wings.<br>
'''Background:''' The Black Spiral Dancers don’t have that many pure Kin-Fetches left. The original White Howler familiars died out long ago, and the Dancers often cope by keeping their children in captivity rather than recruiting spirits to let them grow up a little more free-range. But the Dancers always love recruiting, and so their Theurges modified these spirits to serve an insidious purpose.<br>
A Fetch-Hawk uses Tracking to scent out Kin-Fetches, then attempts to possess them. The insectoid Bane lies dormant in its host spirit, waiting. When a parasitized Kin-Fetch watches its charge undergo the First Change, the Fetch-Hawk then takes control and flees back to the nearest Hive to inform the Black Spiral Dancers that a new target awaits recruitment. As an added bonus, the Gaians may take a while to notice one of their children is missing...
''Source: W20 Kinfolk, pg 104''
==Halassh==
Heavy-hitting shock troops of the Wyrm, Halassh are straightforward killers. Pentex and the Black Spiral Dancers both make frequent use of Halassh as spiritual muscle; they have few other uses, but then, muscle is useful enough. Halassh rarely attempt to manifest unless bid to do so; they prefer to hunt other spirits, disdaining mortal prey.
''Rage 8, Gnosis 2, Willpower 8, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Armor, Dissolution, Materialize<br>
'''Image:''' Halassh are hulking terrors, broad-shouldered, bare-skulled, with huge claws and fangs and wild, staring eyes. Their pale hides seem pitted and acid-scarred, and they stand nearly as tall as a Crinos Garou does.<br>
'''Background:''' Halassh are spirits of powerful corrosives, spilled carelessly. Pentex entices the spirits to guard its installations through haphazard disposal of dangerous chemicals; the Black Spiral Dancers simply summon and bind the things. The spirits have no particular great agenda; they simply hate anything that is pure, and seek to rend it with their claws and fangs.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Halassh are heavy line-breaker troops compared to the “standard infantry” of the Scrag. They exist to provide combat challenges — nothing more, nothing less — although the hideous wounds they inflict may also pose a challenge for the healers of the Garou nation.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146''
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==Harpies==
Silent stalkers of human and Garou alike, Harpies circle the sky, scanning for any sign of dissension and jealousy upon which to feed. Unhealthy rivalries soaked with envy attract the Banes, who then find an adequate place up high and out of sight in which to build their nests. From their vantage points, they spy on the goings on about them, leaving their nests to steal small items of value . The trinkets end up back in their nests, where the spirits wait for opportune moments to place them in strategic locations to implicate others in the theft, sowing distrust in even close relationships.
''Rage 5, Gnosis 7, Willpower 10, Essence 22''<br>
'''Charms:''' Incite Rage, Innocuous, Materialize, Peek<br>
'''Image:''' Harpies appear as falcons with mangy green feathers that never sit flat. Thick overgrown talons clasp at their perches as they constantly shift, never quite able to hold their balance. A Harpy’s eyes glow brilliant toxic green in the darkness, shining with malicious intelligence. Their nests are crafted from branches and leaves of nearby foliage, gnawed from still living limbs. The bark twists and withers from the agony of its final moments of life, looping in with other dead branches to create a woven wall. Such nests hide various tokens of import that the Harpy has stolen; letters, thumbdrives, talens, and the occasional fetish have all found their way into a Harpy’s talons.<br>
'''Background:''' Carved from the essence of captured Falcon spirits, Harpies are terrors for Garou to behold, especially the Silver Fangs. Harpies prefer to nest high in the Umbra above septs or on the top of office buildings where they watch for victims. Pentex employees have fallen to the corrupted falcon spirits more than once, and the corporation finds the Banes to be a nuisance at best. Black Spiral Dancers, however, take a wicked glee in observing a sept over which a Harpy has nested. The birds steal whatever they can from the Garou, taking utmost caution when doing so. They then place the valuables with others, inciting blame for theft. When tempers start to flare within the sept, the Harpy waits for an opportune moment to throw as much of the sept into chaos as it can. The Bane is fond of turning Garou against their elders, and its favorite targets are the strict hierarchies of the Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Harpies target any sept that has dissension boiling within its boundaries. Items go missing, Garou blame one another, and Harpies are patient enough that the descent into chaos can take weeks or even months. If a pack has been doing particularly well and is basking in its success, a Harpy might start turning others in the sept against them, especially the younger packs. A packmate could find himself framed for numerous thefts, leaving it up to his fellows to clear his name and find the true thief.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 147''
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==Nihilach==
The Nihilach, blessedly rare, figure prominently in the tales of modern Garou. Pessimists hold that these Banes are spirits of the Apocalypse itself, manifesting to pave the way for the coming of the Wyrm. Others hold that they are the talon-tips of the Corrupter, gaining its first all-destroying hold upon Gaia directly. The Silent Striders know the truth, but do not speak it. It is no better than the rumors. Nihilach appear at portentous moments in the war against Gaia, usually moments when a significant piece of the Mother is about to die. First, they stand and watch, impassively surveying the course of events; and then they move in to fight. That is the only mercy of the Nihilach — that they eventually condescend to do battle with Gaia’s warriors. These great Banes are terrible, all-consuming forces in battle, and many brave Garou cannot even muster the strength to raise a claw against them. Nevertheless, those that do fight discover that the Nihilach are not invincible. In that fact alone, the Garou strive to find hope.
''Rage 10, Gnosis 4, Willpower 9, Essence 30-50''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Armor, Blast, Blighted Touch, Materialize, Re-Form, Yawning Void<br>
'''Image:''' Nihilach look like very little, in a way. They’re null impressions on the world around them, a shadow that drinks light, understood as impressions rather than details. They’re tall, standing higher than a Garou in Crinos, and when they act, there is the understanding of long, painfully thin limbs. Nothingness hangs about them like a shroud, and that shroud gives the impression of a wide, powerful body. A Nihilach cannot properly be said to have a face, but those looking where a face should be often glimpse impressions of those they have known in the past, individuals they associate with memories of loss and regret. Nihilach are silent, making no noise as they stand and watch, nor when they swoop in to attack.<br>
'''Background:''' The Silent Striders, with their greater understanding of the Dark Umbra, understand what the Nihilach are. They’re Banes of Oblivion, the annihilation that waits beyond the hunger of the Wyrm, when the Destroyer has eaten even itself. That they are beginning to appear in the Umbra and upon the face of Gaia is the direst of many dark omens in these final days.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' The presence of the Nihilach is an existential threat, a whispered promise that there will be no world beyond the Apocalypse, no recovery, no new age to rise from the ashes of the old. They challenge both the martial prowess and the convictions of the Garou, and best brought forth at the climax of a chronicle, to underline the import of whatever disaster the Garou fight to avert. To win a battle where a Nihilach took the field is to have definitively prevented Gaia from moving deeper into the final night from which there is return, and that is an act worthy of celebration.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148''
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==Nocturna==
The Nocturna, also known as a Nighthag, is a defiler of hopes and dreams. These Banes wander the Umbra in search of particularly potent dreams or noteworthy dreamers. When they’ve found an appropriate sleeping victim, they poison that individual’s sleeping hours, twisting his dreams into visions of despair and distrust. A dream of success and wealth might suddenly become a nightmare of ruin and failure due to the betrayal of a loved one. The common refrain of these dreams is the downfall of the sleeper, always at the hands of a trusted friend, lover, spouse, parent, packmate, or other close ally.
''Rage 6, Gnosis 7, Willpower 5, Essence 18''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Dream Warp, Materialize, Peek<br>
'''Image:''' Nighthags appear as beautiful women with long tangled hair, wickedly hooked claws, and a mouth full of pus.<br>
'''Background:''' The Garou believe Nocturnae to be tiny fragments of the nightmares of the Wyrm itself, shaken loose from its dark dreams to roam the Umbra. Nighthags tend to form a particular attachment to a single victim, revisiting him repeatedly until she destroys a relationship with one of her loved ones, egged on by mounting fatigue and paranoia. If a Nocturna’s target steadfastly refuses to give in to the dire portents of her dreams, the Bane eventually grows frustrated; one night it will materialize and kill whichever loved one its victim seems most loathe to abandon, and then frames her for the crime.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' While Nighthags present little direct threat to the Garou in a physical confrontation, they rarely bother with mere violence. Garou are a special prize for a Nocturna. A werewolf living outside the safety of a caern is a boiling cauldron of Rage and hair-trigger instinct at the best of times, and given to believing in dream-omens in a way most modern people aren’t. If the Garou themselves seem unlikely to fall for a Nighthag’s manipulations, then their Kinfolk make even more inviting targets.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148''
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==Raptor==
Raptors are Banes that feed off of pain and lust — not affection or simple sexual desire — but a twisted and desperate need for dominance and conquest. Their targets of choice are those who view others as mere objects existing for their own gratification. The Bane whispers across the Gauntlet, urging humans to act on their desires, and enhancing them with an aura of false confidence and persuasiveness. The Raptor picks a particular human as its “special project” and doesn’t let go, riding a wave of one-night stands, abusive relationships, and broken hearts to the Raptor’s desired conclusion: rape, depravity, and murder. It moves on once the host is a hollowed-out shell, leaving behind a shadow of a human being, something moving through a routine of abuse in the hopes of reigniting some feeling in the burnt-out cinder that used to be his soul.
''Rage 5, Gnosis 8, Willpower 6, Essence 19 (plus upto 10 more if the Bane has fed recently)''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Sleaze Aura<br>
'''Image:''' A Raptor looks like a great, fleshy flower atop an array of slim, well-toned legs of both genders.<br>
'''Background:''' This Bane feeds from the lusts of its host, the act of consummation, and then the pain of the host’s victims when he casts them aside; it needs all three in order to feed. The more profound the victim’s residual sense of use or violation, the more Essence the Raptor gains. A regular one-night-stand with someone as worn-down as the host himself is worth only a single point, while ruining someone else’s life might be worth five all at once.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Once, Pentex tried to bond Raptors to various products, including cosmetics and colognes. The Raptors refused to cooperate, and now despise Pentex-created Enticers. A Raptor will go out of its way to guide its host into an Enticer’s path, with the intent of using and ruining the fomor, even killing it, if possible.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149''
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==Rot Walker==
While not the mightiest or cleverest of the Wyrm’s children, the Banes known as Rot Walkers are among the most disturbing. They are spirits of decay: not of death, but of the corruption that follows, not of endings, but of unresolved conclusions left to fester. They are the Wyrm’s promise for the future, a world inescapable even in final dissolution: a world where there is no afterlife for valiant heroes, but only an eternity of shuffling footsteps and putrid meat.
''Rage 5, Gnosis 4, Willpower 7, Essence 16''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Armor, Blighted Touch, Carrion Walk, Lightning in the Meat, Tracking<br>
'''Image:''' A Rot Walker in the Umbra looks like a collection of rotting corpse-parts from a variety of different animals, bound together with gut and sinew. One might be a crude centaur made of the rotting lower parts of a horse, topped by a decaying human torso and a half-flayed cattle skull; another could be a dead hound, creeping along on a multitude of mismatched and rotting arms and legs.<br>
'''Background:''' The Silent Striders were the first tribe to encounter Rot Walkers. When they speak of these Banes at all, they say that they were once lesser spirits of death that watched over the moment when spirit and corpse separated. Curious, they listened at cracks between their domain and the Low Umbra of the dead; whatever whispers came through to them changed them forever, filling their eyes with darkness and their forms with decay. Now they are harbingers of the world beyond the Apocalypse, a soulless land of ugly, senseless destruction; and of meat silently rotting beneath a red and wounded sun.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Rot Walkers are opportunists, taking whatever corpse seems most interesting to them at any given moment, but they take especial joy in presenting the Garou with evidence of their handiwork. If a werewolf loses control and kills an innocent in the grip of Frenzy, a Rot Walker will ensure she meets her victim again, she may even go so far as to restore the victim’s control of the corpse, so she can ask the werewolf why she had to die. Rot Walkers also enjoy dragging dead Kinfolk out of their graves.<br>
Uktena Theurges have catalogued the existence of a similar, weaker Bane known as a Meat Puppet, which animates only the remains of the young, such as dead children and drowned kittens. Meat Puppets possess Carrion Walk, but not Lightning in the Meat.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149''
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==Rust Spider==
Rust Spiders aren’t really a single variety of Bane. Instead, they’re the catch-all name that both Garou and Black Spiral Dancers use to refer to those cases where the spirit-servants of the Weaver — Pattern Spiders, Net Spiders, Chaos Monitors, and so on — are corrupted by the vile essence of the Wyrm, yet retain their basic shape and function.<br>
Rust Spiders seem to serve two masters, rather than tumbling completely into the grasp of the Wyrm as most corrupted spirits do. That distinction is, in truth, what makes a Rust Spider a Rust Spider, rather than just another urban-conceptual Bane. A former Pattern Spider continues to weave according to the Weaver’s design.<br>
A former Net-Spider continues to herd data packets to and fro across the networks where it makes its lair. Corrupted guardian spirits, such as Hunter Spiders, show the greatest deviance in their behavior, for they always allow Wyrm-tainted spirits free passage, and never treat them as enemies.
''Rust Spiders keep the traits they had prior to their corruption.''<br>
'''Charms:''' Rust Spiders continue to use the Charms they originally possessed as Weaver spirits. In addition, they gain Blighted Touch and Darkweaving.<br>
'''Image:''' The average Rust Spider closely resembles a Pattern Spider, or whatever sort of spirit it was before its corruption. Indeed, from a distance it might even be mistaken for one. Upon closer inspection, the spirit’s altered nature is unmistakable; its shining body is corroded and pitted, while unwholesome organic growths replace formerly mechanical elements. The overall first impression is that the spirit has contracted some form of biomechanical cancer, and its movements bear this out. They’re shuddering and jerky, lacking the elegant clockwork precision that is the usual hallmark of the Weaver.<br>
'''Background:''' Some Rust Spiders are “naturally occurring,” appearing at the peripheries of blights, Pits, and other badly Wyrm-tainted areas of the Umbra. More often, Black Spiral Dancers create Rust Spiders through the Gift: Claws of Corrosion (see p. 121). This is often part of establishing an urban Pit, transforming the city’s spiritual antibodies into guardians and reinforcements for the spiritual power of the nascent Wyrm-caern. Because many Rust Spiders are non-aggressive if left alone, less-experienced Garou are sadly apt to overlook them, treating them almost as a background detail. Only those canny in the ways of the Wyrm are likely to recognize dense concentrations of Rust Spiders as a likely sign that a Pit is somewhere nearby.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Rust Spiders work well as set pieces for urban stories, showing that the war for Gaia is bigger than a simple clash of Wyrm vs. Garou. Even the cold, terrible purity of the Weaver is a target for the Wyrm’s poisons as the Apocalypse looms. This is a particularly sobering threat for Glass Walker characters.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 150''
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==Shattered Harts==
Raging through once pristine Umbral landscapes, Shattered Harts find sustenance in agony and misery. They prefer to feed from the pain of Gaian spirits that have been subjected to the desecration of once sacred land. Insane and violent, the Harts roam their hunting grounds, attacking anything that would end the misery in which they bask. When there aren’t any adequate victims, a Shattered Hart spends its time inflicting further injury on the weaker Banes and creatures in the area.
''Rage 10, Gnosis 8, Willpower 6, Essence 24''<br>
'''Charms:''' Armor, Materialize, Smoke, Tracking<br>
'''Image:''' A Shattered Hart resembles a stag spirit with an over-exaggerated muscle structure similar to a bull’s. Its hide is oil-slicked and reflects all light in a sickly yellow hue, regardless of the source. Stark white eyes gleam from under antlers that twist in a tight gnarl over its head; these overgrown antlers are covered in inch-long thorns. Wisps of smoke curl from the bane’s nostrils. They have no permanent places of rest, but wander their territory endlessly, always on the hunt for intruders.<br>
'''Background:''' When the Wyrm’s minions capture a Stag spirit and carve out its Gaian essence, they create a Shattered Hart. With only emptiness inside, the spirits seek to fulfill themselves by wreaking the agony they faced back upon the world. Shattered Harts haunt Blights and Hellholes that exist in the wilderness. They feel at home anywhere Pentex has leveled forests or started a fracking operation. Rarely materializing, the banes stalk the Umbra, attacking anyone or anything it perceives as a threat to it or its territory. Only when they detect an overwhelming threat in the physical world will the spirit materialize to attack it. A Shattered Hart will lash out at any Garou, including the Black Spiral Dancers.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Shattered Harts work well to add a new level of horror to Hellholes and Blights. All Garou go into such places knowing they’re going to face banes, but not necessarily banes crafted from Gaian spirits they revere. Black Spiral Dancers take delight in taunting Shattered Harts and leading them to packs or septs with large numbers of Fianna.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 151''
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==Thinbone==
The Banes known as Thinbones are insatiable spirits of hunger, born in places of terrible famine. Unlike many conceptual Banes, Thinbones don’t hang around the places of their creation, but instead seek out places of richness and opulence — lands of plenty. It is here that they hunt, using humans to feed their own insatiable appetites and to amuse their bizarre whims. Thinbones are at least easy for the Garou to spot once they arrive in an area, as their victims’ deaths are usually strange enough to make local headlines.
''Rage 7, Gnosis 7, Willpower 5, Essence 19 (up to 25 if possessing a host)''<br>
'''Charms:''' Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Possession, Tracking<br>
'''Image:''' Thinbones look like tall, genderless, emaciated humans with elongated features dominated by an eternally gaping mouth. Their long, thin bones protrude through their flesh in places, whittled down to sharp points.<br>
'''Background:''' Once uncommon, Thinbones have proliferated in the second half of the twentieth century. This puzzles many Garou, for famine has always been a great scourge of humanity. There seems no obvious reason for the sudden increase in this Bane’s numbers. Thinbones lust after the incredible power of caerns, but have no means of consuming them. They will target off-duty caern guardians if at all possible.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' As solo Banes, Thinbones present little physical threat to a mighty werewolf; instead, they are opportunities for the Garou to act as heroes, saving the unfortunates that Thinbones possess from a terrible, demeaning, prolonged death. On the other hand, Thinbones tend to target those in positions of privilege and plenty; certain Garou (such as Bone Gnawers and Red Talons) may not want to help the spirit’s victims.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 152''
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</tab>
<tab name="Wyrm Spawn">
=Spawn of the Wyrm=
If Banes and their twisted flesh-puppets were the Wyrm’s only creations, the work of the Garou would be much more straightforward, if no less daunting. However, the Wyrm’s polluted loins are fecund indeed, and multitudes of horrors walk the Earth, stamped by its taint. Some of these are twisted things the Wyrm has spawned upon the face of Gaia; its servants at Pentex made others. Each is a threat unto itself.
==Heart Eaters==
The monstrosities known as Heart Eaters are an old, old work of the Wyrm: rare, subtle, and insidious. They’re strange things, neither Banes nor fomori nor the product of any other Wyrmish artifice of which the Garou are aware. They seem to exist only to reap a harvest of death and betrayal, and to worship the Maeljin known as Empress Aliara.<br>
Heart Eaters are soft-bodied, writhing, flexible things. No creature of Gaia could feel anything save revulsion for a Heart Eater. However, the Heart Eaters understand the emotions and relationships of others all too well. Possessed of an uncanny empathy and a genius for relationship dynamics, Heart Eaters find it easy to sniff out deep bonds between others. When they find a particularly deep or vital bond, they go to work. Heart-Eaters are a sort of skin-walker, eating an individual’s heart and brain to absorb their identity. They then wear the skin of their victim and masquerade as them, the better to get close to the victim’s paramour.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 0 (uses host-skin’s Appearance), Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Empathy 5, Expression 4, Performance 5, Subterfuge 5<br>
'''Traits:''' Rage 5, Gnosis 8, Willpower 7<br>
'''Health Levels:''' OK, –1, –1, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated.<br>
'''Attacks:''' Strength +3 bite (lethal), Strength tentacle attack (bashing, out to 10 feet), Strength +1 sting (lethal, see below)<br>
'''Powers:''' Body Barbs, Clean Scent, Empathy, Extra Limbs, Sting<br>
* '''''Clean Scent:''''' The Heart Eater may spend one Gnosis point per scene to hide its Wyrm-taint from detection.<br>
* '''''Empathy:''''' With a Wits + Empathy roll (difficulty 5) the Heart Eater can discern not only whom an individual loves passionately, but if the object of the target’s desire feels the same way. By consuming an individual’s heart and brain and spending two Gnosis points, the Heart Eater can perfectly impersonate the victim. They instinctively mimic the victim’s personality, mannerisms, and even habits, and have access to the victim’s memories. This access is instinctive rather than deliberate, however. The Heart Eater can’t “rifle around” in the victim’s memories selectively. Instead, memories arise and present themselves as necessary for the Heart Eater to maintain its masquerade.<br>
* '''''Sting:''''' The Heart Eater can inject a paralytic toxin into its victim through the tips of its tentacles. Unless the target makes a Stamina roll against difficulty 9, they will be rendered unable to move for the rest of the scene. Injecting a dose of toxin costs one point of Rage.<br>
'''Image:''' When a Heart Eater emerges from a stolen skin, it is a hideously malformed thing that only fits the description of “human” by a great act of generosity. The monster is mottled mold-green and maggot-white, its body plump, segmented, flexible, with collapsible flesh, and many-jointed limbs. Its face consists of two perfectly human eyes, which can change colors at a whim, set in the midst of puffy flesh and a great, sharp-fanged, lipless maw. Two long, stinger-tipped tentacles extend from the flesh of the thing’s lower back; it wraps them around itself when sliding into a skin. The monster is able to compress its body radically, so that it always fits into any flayed skin it has stolen, and the hideous secretions that coat its flesh are able to preserve a stolen skin almost indefinitely.<br>
'''Background:''' No one knows where the Heart Eaters come from. They feature in Uktena songs that date all the way back to the War of Rage, making them one of the Wyrm’s most enduring horrors. Heart Eaters have always primarily been found in the Americas, with only a very few ever stalking the towns and woods of Europe. They feature prominently in the cautionary songs and foe-litanies of the Pure Tribes, but were almost unknown to European Garou during the era of the Wyrmcomers. As a result, the Heart Eaters reaped a great and terrible harvest among their new and unwary foes up until the twentieth century, when shared knowledge informed all the Garou Nation of these creatures.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Heart Eaters are willing to play the long game when wearing a loved one’s skin. They’re cowardly things, more interested in destroying hearts and shattering sanity than in simple murder. As a result, they often leave the paramours of their victims alive after paralyzing them, “disrobing” in front of a horrified captive audience. The greatest of Heart-Eaters may stalk a preferred target throughout his life, returning to check on him every few years, waiting patiently for him to fall in love again, and then repeating their masquerade. Supernatural beings, already alienated from the rest of the world, are particularly tempting targets.<br>
Heart Eaters are mostly solo operators, seeming to reserve their Wyrmish devotion exclusively for Empress Aliara, but will work occasionally with other Wyrm-horrors or even Black Spiral Dancers if they can be convinced that their allies are also true servants of Aliara. Heart Eaters are especially dangerous when working alongside others, restraining their natural impulses in order to act as long-term deep-cover spies within Kinfolk families or even septs of the Garou.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 152''
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==Thunderwyrms==
Vast and deformed children of the atomic age, Thunderwyrms are among the more recent Wyrm-birthed monstrosities, and among the largest. Massive, pale, bloated terrors, Thunderwyrms live only to consume and grow. They sleep deep beneath the ground for many years before the need to feed drives them to the surface in an orgy of destruction: trees, cars, livestock, a Thunderwyrm can digest almost anything, but only living things truly satisfy the monster’s massive appetite.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 8, Dexterity 4, Stamina 8, Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 2<br>
'''Note:''' The Attributes listed above reflect the statistics for an average (30-foot) Thunderwyrm. Strength and Stamina increase substantially the larger the creatures grow, and there appears to be no upper limit on how much they can grow. Grandmother Thunderwyrm is allegedly strong enough to shatter concrete by rippling her skin. <br>
'''Abilities:''' Athletics 5 (cannot dodge), Brawl 5<br>
'''Traits:''' Rage 6, Willpower 5<br>
'''Health Levels:''' OK, OK, OK, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –3, –3, –4, –4, –5, –5, Incapacitated<br>
'''Attacks:''' Bite (Strength lethal), Roll (Strength bashing — more than 3 successes indicates the target is pinned under the creature’s bulk), Body Slam (Strength + 3 bashing)<br>
'''Powers:''' Armor (four extra soak dice), Burrow (as the Garou Gift, but with no cost) <br>
'''Image:''' Thunderwyrms range in size from merely huge to unspeakably gigantic. The most commonly encountered normally stretch 30 feet in length, and almost eight feet wide. The largest, and presumably oldest, is Grandmother Thunderwyrm: she spans the length of two football fields and is almost three hundred feet around. Rumor has it that she contains an entire Wyrm caern in her gut. The smallest Thunderwyrm yet seen — presumably newly hatched — was only the length of a man.<br>
These pillars of pale grey flesh constantly secrete a thick, mucus-like substance to speed their way through the earth. They move through muscular contractions, and by eating everything ahead of them and defecating the earth out as they pass, leaving little trace of their presence. Thunderwyrms resemble earthworms with enormous mouths filled with row upon row of jagged teeth. Some are aquatic and develop rubbery black hides more like a leech.<br>
'''Background:''' According to the Uktena, the first Thunderwyrms were born from the radioactive soil at the Trinity nuclear test site. Reports of Thunderwyrm attacks are rising in frequency. A new generation of the things appears to have recently hatched, and Thunderwyrms are born hungry.
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Encounters with Thunderwyrms are rare, and generally in rural areas. Many Thunderwyrms follow trends in their attack patterns: only coming out during storms, for example, or repeatedly stalking favored locations. The marks they leave on the ground strongly resemble the patterns left by tornadoes. While their digestion-trails are badly Wyrm-tainted, they leave no chemical digestive residue in the soil for scientists to examine.<br>
Thunderwyrms are perfect for stories where “something” is beginning to terrorize a small farming community, or isolated desert town. If the Garou don’t step in, a hungry Thunderwyrm — or its newly hatched brood — might devour the entire settlement.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 153''
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==Skull Pigs==
The Skull Pigs are twisted horrors, the only surviving trace of the once powerful Grondr. Once charged with cleansing Gaia, the wereboar’s fallen descendants became their opposite. Skull Pigs attempt to befoul or devour everything they touch. They eat carrion and draw sinister strength from the flesh of the dead, though they can subsist on almost anything: including garbage, toxic waste, or even radioactive corpses. Skull Pigs dig through graveyards seeking human bones, devouring them to regain their Rage. When they eat bones of Wyrm-creatures, the Pigs gain a malevolent cunning that makes them all the more dangerous. The Skull Pigs can smell such tainted remains, and devouring such a feast raises a Skull Pig’s intelligence within only a few minutes.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 7, Dexterity 4, Stamina 8, Charisma 0, Manipulation 0 (2-4), Appearance 0, Perception 2, Intelligence 1 (2-5), Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 2, Athletics 5, Brawl 5, Intimidation 4, Primal-Urge 3, Stealth 2, Survival 4<br>
'''Powers:''' Regeneration (as Garou)<br>
'''Traits:''' Rage 5, Willpower 3<br>
'''Health Levels:''' OK, OK, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated<br>
'''Attacks:''' Body Slam, Tusks (Strength +3) <br>
'''Note:''' Each meal of Wyrm-tainted bones increases the Skull Pig’s Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 5. These increases last for one year. Eating the bodies of especially powerful fomori, or devouring large numbers of them at once, makes these increases permanent. An intelligent Skull Pig learns at least one Black Spiral Dancer Gift per dot in Intelligence. Because of their toxic diet and innate corruption, the flesh of a Skull Pig is poisonous; any creature biting one suffers a point lethal damage per turn for the next six turns (see “Poisons and Drugs,” W20 Core, pg 258-259).<br>
'''Image:''' Skull Pigs resemble huge, somewhat emaciated wild boars that stand six feet at the shoulder and are almost seven feet long. Their bristles are coarse and malformed and they stink of grave-rot. The deathly pale flesh covering their skulls is so thin, and the bone structure so distinctive, that it’s easy to get the impression that they have no flesh to their heads at all. Despite their deathlike appearance, they obviously possess a wiry strength.<br>
Unlike many of the Wyrm’s creatures, Skull Pigs do not have obvious sores or deformities like withered limbs. Corrupted so long ago, the Skull Pigs have fully adapted to the Wyrm’s foul energies. They have lost the ability to change shape, and are born and grow up as nothing more than clever animals. They must devour flesh poisoned by the Wyrm to regain the intelligence once common to all of their ancestors.<br>
'''Background:''' All of the Changing Breeds know that the War of Rage brought about the Grondr’s extermination. So enraged were the members of one of the last Sounders (packs) of Grondr, by the Garou’s slaughter of their Breed that their lust for vengeance and their hatred of the Garou attracted the attention of Lord Steel, the Maeljin Incarna of hatred. He offered these Grondr the chance to survive the werewolves’ onslaught and for them and their descendants to strike back against their enemies. The wereboars accepted this foul deal and they and their descendants became agents of the Wyrm.<br>
Today, Skull Pigs roam in packs of three to seven. Often family groups, packs drive off young or elderly males, who form their own especially violent and predatory packs. Ordinary Skull Pigs have an evil cunning, but are only slightly more intelligent than gorillas or chimpanzees. However, if they are able to feed on the bones of a creature tainted by the Wyrm, they become fully intelligent and more actively malevolent. Intelligent Skull Pigs can be almost as dangerous as Black Spiral Dancers, but still lack the ability to change shape.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Even the unintelligent Skull Pigs will attack Garou, though they ignore humans who are not obviously easy prey. Most humans either do not remember seeing a Skull Pig, or believe that they have seen a normal, if often terrifying wild boar or feral pig. They inflict Delirium the same as seeing a Garou’s Crinos form.<br>
Ordinary Skull Pigs have keen senses and are skilled and ever-hungry pack hunters. They can smell weakness, and make a special effort to prey upon the weak. Intelligent Skull Pigs revel in tainting the land and corrupting or killing other Changing Breeds, especially the Garou. Despite now being creatures of the Wyrm, intelligent Skull Pigs retain a faint racial memory of the destruction of their kind at the hands of the Garou.<br>
In addition to becoming intelligent, Skull Pigs who devour Wyrm-tainted remains also gain the ability to imitate perfectly sounds and voices. They use this ability to trick humans and members of the Changing Breeds into thinking that an ally or comrade is calling for help. The pigs then lie in ambush when their victim comes to help. Skull Pigs can use their hooves to dig tunnels, and the intelligent members of their Breed occasionally construct large warrens to act as traps. They collapse these tunnels upon enemies who enter attempting to slay the Skull Pigs.
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 154''
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</tab>
<tab name="The Fallen">
=The Fallen=
The Black Spiral Dancers are the only tribe of Garou that has fallen to the Wyrm, but they are far from the only members of the Changing Breeds fallen to corruption. Agents of the Wyrm work to corrupt individuals as well as groups. Every year, a few individuals among the Changing Breeds forswear their duty to Gaia and become servants of the Wyrm. Some are willfully blind to the consequences of their actions and choose corruption because they so firmly believe the ends justify the means that they lose sight of the ends they seek to accomplish. Others might ally with the Wyrm to save their own lives, or carry previous taint by the Wyrm and fell due to shame and self-loathing. A few simply decide that they want to be on what looks to them like the winning side in the coming Apocalypse.
==Antara: The Spider-Queen’s Fallen==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 156''
Queen Ananasa rules the werespiders. The Tenere, Kumoti and Hatar each obeys one of the Triat, as decided by the Queen. Even the Kumo have their place in the Ananasa’s web, corrupting and killing to her ultimate design.<br>
Not the Antara. Also known as Breakers, the Antara walked Queen Ananasa’s web, obediently following the strands until they saw her trap for what it is. Refusing ensnarement they entreated the Wyrm for power and broke free of the webs. While the Hatar follow the Wyrm’s original purpose, the Antara follow the Wyrm into freedom.<br>
The Antara believe Queen Ananasa uses the Ananasi for her own goals, not Gaia’s. Why should they serve when they can choose their own path? Breaking free of the Queen’s web opens their eyes — they understand corruption is inevitable, and everything must fall. Entropy is unceasing — even the most debased and degraded can erode further. The Antara see freedom in what others call the Wyrm’s madness. It is insanity on a cosmic scale, and only the uncontrolled can begin to understand it.<br>
The Antara know that everything will eventually be of the Wyrm. They didn’t choose the Wyrm because they want to increase its power and speed its inevitable victory — although their existence does both. The Breakers choose the Wyrm’s power to gain freedom from the Queen’s machinations and to experience everything life has to offer before the Wyrm takes it all.<br>
Antara are the hedonists of the Ananasi. Much like the Kumo, they revel in emotional release, often acting in spontaneous, seemingly irrational ways. The Antara see no kinship with the Kumo, and even their apparent irrational behavior is driven by perceptions and goals that are alien to other Ananasi. The Kumo are given to the Wyrm’s service by Queen Ananasi and still serve her plans — duped into believing they serve only the Wyrm. The difference between the Antara and Kumo is invisible to other werespiders, evoking deep anger within the Breakers. To the Antara the difference is immense. Where the Kumo still indirectly serve the Queen, the Antara are free of her webs. Their independence and lifestyle aligns them with the Wyrm but they do not serve it. Their act of breaking from Queen Ananasa is a victory for the Wyrm, and every free action they take damages the threads of her plans. Their existence empowers the Wyrm but the Antara serve only their own whims.<br>
The Antara are free of manipulations and control. They command their own destinies, and they will fight to the death before they submit to any other master, including each other. They reject others binding them, but love to ensnare victims in their webs. In freeing them, the Wyrm may have doomed itself to a prison of its own making. The inescapable core of their being as Ananasi is to weave and build and control. The Antara will inevitably even seek to bind the Wyrm. <br>
More than other werespiders, Breakers are solitary. They will sometimes work with other Antara, or other Ananasi, but they chafe under anyone giving them instruction or controlling their actions. For a Breaker to follow another requires tremendous strength of will to not murder the transgressor. Antara only follow if they independently believe it will further their own goals.
===The Shadow War===
The Antara don’t just think they’re free. They are free. They see the threads of Queen Ananasa’s webs and the corruption of the Wyrm more clearly than anyone else. What they don’t understand is that they play a more important role in the war against the Wyrm than anyone knows.<br>
When the Wyrm kidnapped Queen Ananasa it was incapable of destroying her, but the Wyrm is patient and understands the rules governing the Triat better than any lesser being ever could. Its corruption is insidious. The Wyrm knows how the purest objects are those most quickly tarnished. Perfection attracts degradation. It could not kill the spider queen, but while she languished in her self-made tomb in the heart of Malfeas she could not prevent the Wyrm’s corruption slowly seeping through her web.<br>
When the Garou recovered Ananasa’s prison-orb from Malfeas, the Queen could already feel the Wyrm’s tendrils seeking a way into her mind. When the werewolves cracked it open she could not tell whether she was already corrupted — what if it was so subtle she never recognized that her decisions were not her own?<br>
Fighting the Wyrm’s touch from her thoughts, Queen Ananasa made the only choice she knew the Wyrm couldn’t predict or counter. She introduced random flaws into her web that only her most independent children could find, although Ananasa has no influence on which qualities lead an individual Ananasi to the Wyrm. These clever, wicked children desert their Queen, but in doing so they sever the threads binding them to any master. She cannot choose who should walk this path — that would give her influence and make the choice untrustworthy. The Antara are truly free agents, and their nature must lead them to turn on the Wyrm as surely as they turned on the Queen.<br>
Unfortunately, the Wyrm is not as easily deceived as Queen Ananasa believes. The Wyrm knew of her impending escape and manipulated events to further its goals. It allowed the Garou to succeed, setting opposition that was merely devastating instead of impossible. It could not mar Ananasa’s opal shell but it believed the manipulated and misguided Garou heroes might succeed.  The crack in the shell gave the Wyrm access to Ananasa, and a hook into her mind.<br>
Both the Wyrm and Ananasa believe the freeing of the Antara was the first act in the next stage of their shadowy war. The actions of the Antara may decide in these final days who is victorious – the master manipulator or the supreme seducer.
===Creating Breakers===
Antara creation is the same as for other Ananasi. They still have the markings showing which member of the Triat they originally served — their fall to the Wyrm does not include any visual sign for others to notice.<br>
Antara may purchase any Ananasi Gift as though it was favored. Queen Ananasa relinquishes all restrictions on these rebellious children, as this is the only way she can ensure they act fully of their own will and are free of her influences. Though this harms the resistance provided by her faithful Ananasi, the Queen has to hope that eventually the gambit will be rewarded when they bind the Wyrm within their webs.
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==Histpah: The Liar-Kings==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 157''
The Bastet are Gaia’s eyes, hunting out secrets in hidden places, guided by their cunning and grace to enter the darkness and emerge triumphant. The werecats are Gaia’s beautiful, proud children. They were born last of the shapeshifters and embody perfection. The Bastet play a coy game with Cahlash, the Father of Night and Author of Mysteries, following him into the unknown but always keeping themselves aloof and in control. The Garou call Cahlash the Wyrm, the embodiment of corruption.<br>
The Bastet know better. Cahlash is the ancient embodiment of the Balance Wyrm, not the modern, lesser, form. This vanity is the Bastet’s greatest downfall; though the cats believe they have control, with every venture into the darkness the Wyrm tempts them with the promise of the greatest secret of all. Every triumphant return brings with it the possibility that the Bastet has opened her eyes to the truth and joined the ranks of the Histpah. The most curious Bastet discover the final obstacle to unlocking Cahlash’s truth is to bind an unbreakable geas into the essence of their being to never reveal a secret’s answer. Thus over-curious Bastet willingly corrupt their Gaia-given purpose.<br>
Having witnessed the new Histpah accept the geas, Cahlash reveals the truth as he knows it. All of Creation is irrelevant. The Wyrm was never the embodiment of balance; the Wyrm is bigger than anything else, it is the void within which everything else sits. The Wyrm conceded tiny parts of its unknowable self to permit the Weaver and the Wyld to exist as brief diversions in its infinite expanse. These two, lesser, elements of the Triat are no more capable of ever being balanced than a Bastet is balanced by one of her claws. Gaia herself is even less significant than the Triat; she is a momentary experiment in the Wyrm’s brief diversion. This diversion was never meant to be permanent and it has run its course, so the Wyrm returns it to the nothingness from which it came.<br>
The Histpah emerge from the darkness full of truth and knowing they can never reveal this or anything else to anyone ever again. To any other creature this would be a nuisance, but the Bastet were made to uncover secrets and bring truths to the light. The Histpah have sold out their purpose and ability to ever again feel the satisfaction of fulfilling their duty, all in exchange for the ultimate nihilistic understanding of the pointlessness of existence.<br>
The Histpah can’t reveal the truth they’ve learned, and they can never share the answer to any other secret. They are still Bastet and they still yearn to know what hides behind the secrets they encounter, but now they must hoard the truths they’ve worked so hard to uncover.
===The Cycle of Lies===
Most Histpah soon learn that their geas does nothing to prevent them sharing falsehoods as though they were true and they turn their Bastet instincts to spreading misinformation. The spiritual stain they feel in spreading lies is insignificant to the ever-building pressure of denying their natures. They also learn that the pressure only eases if the recipient of information believes it to be true. Other Bastet are canny, skeptical creatures and are unlikely to accept a secret that doesn’t feel right. Most Histpah soon learn how hard it is to fool their own kind, and must take drastic action to prevent their secret from spreading to the Bastet. This is the Histpah’s wretched existence until she dies; a cycle of lies, misinformation and murder to keep hold of the outlet she so desperately needs.<br>
Some Histpah, desperate for release, delight in revealing what they know to helpless victims who will soon die by the Bastet’s claws. This outlet relieves a tremendous amount of stress for the werecat, but many Histpah have learned to their regret that fate sometimes conspires to give their doomed victims a chance to escape, in turn dooming the incautious Histpah. Whether this ends the victim or the werecat, the Wyrm is sated as long one dies.<br>
No tribe of Bastet is more likely to fall victim to Cahlash’s temptations than the others — Father Night intimately understands the curiosity of the werecats and knows how to twist his tantalizing secrets to attract the attentions of any tribe. The Bastet themselves tend to believe Bubasti fall to the Wyrm more than the other tribes, but this is simple prejudice spread by the Histpah to protect their own fallen existence. In fact, the Bubasti are better at uncovering their fallen cousins than other tribes but they have difficulty sharing this knowledge due to the mistrust. Cahlash delights when his fallen children use Bastet pride and arrogance to turn suspicion on innocents.<br>
Cahlash still whispers to fallen Bastet long after they learn his secret. He listens to confessions in the darkness and knows where cunning hunters may find new secrets. Histpah who know that a secret exists but have not learned it may listen to Cahlash’s whispers for clues. Roll Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) with each success giving the Histpah a clue where the answer may be found. This could be the location of a vault, the name of a lost tome, or the image of someone who knows the secret. Cahlash will never directly reveal the answer to the Histpah but will tease the werecat with tantalizing hints. Should the Histpah follow the clues to learn the secret, she is no more capable of revealing it than any other she knows. A fallen werecat can only listen to Cahlash’s whispers once per secret.
===Creating Histpah===
A Histpah character is made the same as any Bastet character but has an additional Yava. The Histpah may never reveal the true answer to a secret. This applies to all forms of communication — the Histpah is prevented in word, thought or deed from sharing the truth.<br>
Histpah can be tricked into revealing an answer — for example by another character presenting a series of choices and watching the Histpah’s involuntary reactions carefully to discern the truth. Unfortunately for the corrupted werecat, even involuntary revelation violates the terms of her geas.<br>
Any violation of this Yava starts to unravel the Histpah’s existence. She suffers one level of unsoakable aggravated damage per day and appears increasingly translucent until she dies and fades away to nothingness, becoming a secret whose existence Calash has scrubbed from history. Other Bastet may have vague memories of the Histpah and search for proof she existed, but such secrets are very hard to find.<br>
The Histpah may halt the dissolution by destroying everyone who learned the secret she carelessly revealed. Though individual Histpah may find such killing distasteful, few are willing to sacrifice themselves when others could die in their place. Fortunately for the Histpah, the nature of her curse leads her in the direction of the closest victim, but how she gets there is up to her.<br>
The doomed werecat can indulge in straight-forward murder if only one person knew the secret, but if more than one person knows, or if those people told others, the Histpah must slaughter her way to safety or accept the dissipation of her being.
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==Buzzards: Raven’s Lost Children==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 158''
Every pair of wereravens must deliberately create their children using the Rite of the Fetish Egg. As the child matures, this egg begins to crack. It hatches when the youth nears adulthood, transforming the young human, or raven into one of the Corax. At least, things ''should'' work that way.<br>
The Rite of the Fetish Egg is extremely difficult and demanding. Many Corax only perform it once in their lifetime, and so they protect the fetish egg with their lives. Corax consider their duty to guard the eggs of their children to be one of their most sacred responsibilities, but sometimes even the most dedicated guardians fail. Occasionally, Black Spiral Dancers or other agents of the Wyrm discover a wereraven’s Umbral nest and steal the fetish egg — usually from the cold dead talons of its guardian.
===Deleterious Effects===
The thieves carry the egg back to Malfeas. Once there, the spiritual thread connecting the fetish egg with the raven or human who would grow up to become a Corax begins to fray. After several weeks, the spiritual thread snaps. If heroic wereravens rescue the fetish egg before this connection vanishes, all is well, and the young Corax eventually undergoes her First Change, experiencing nothing worse than periodic nightmares.<br>
However, once the connection snaps, the young human or raven becomes catatonic. Most die soon after. At the same time, the egg begins to decay, soon leaving nothing but an empty shell. The thieves plan a far more terrible fate for the egg. In Malfeas, they place it in a foul birthing pit along with a stolen human infant.<br>
Here, the thieves perform the Rite of the Broken Wing, a hideous mockery of the Rite of the Fetish Egg that connects the stolen and dying egg to the infant next to it. Completing this relatively simple ritual requires the ritemaster it to shatter systematically every bone in the left wing of a captive bird. Although agents of the Wyrm can use any bird, most prefer to use a raven — or a captive Corax.<br>
If the Rite of the Broken Wing fails, the egg dissipates and the infant dies. If it succeeds, it binds the two together in a horrible imitation of what should happen to a young wereraven. The damage to the egg and the corrupt energies of Malfeas both serve to warp the final creature. The Corax call these cursed unfortunates Buzzards or Scabs.
===Growing Up Scabby===
The Rite of the Broken Wing instantly triggers the infant Buzzard’s First Change. Rather than becoming a wereraven as a young adult, the trauma instantly overwhelms the child with the bizarre torture of feeling his body warp and twist in unnatural ways. The shock of this transformation and the sudden combination of human and raven drives the Buzzard permanently insane. Then, to ensure its full corruption, other Buzzards either raise it in Malfeas or take it to earth where Black Spiral Kinfolk or other willing agents of the Wyrm raise it to be a mad and dangerous soldier of corruption.<br>
Regardless of where they grow up, a Buzzard’s corrupt guardians train the young Scab as a spy and assassin. He studies the arts of subterfuge and sabotage and learns to be a sneaky and careful observer. His mentors also teach them everything they know about Corax life and customs.<br>
A few of the less obviously deformed or insane Buzzards can successfully pass for Corax for a short time. Their erratic behavior prevents them from accomplishing any sort of extended deception. Eventually even the most careful Buzzard strikes other Corax as being wrong in some fundamental way. Instead, the bulk of a Scab’s training about the Corax enables him to spy successfully unseen upon wereravens, to understand what he learns, and to kill any lone Corax that he encounters.
===Madness and Malformation===
Created using a perversion of the wereraven’s sacred birthing Rite and nurtured amidst the twisted energies of Malfeas, Scabs lack the elegance and internal harmony of normal Corax. They are inherently clumsy and discordant individuals. Rather than giving them the best of both species, the Rite of the Broken Wing pits human and raven drives and psychology against one another. Most Buzzards suffer nervous tics and inappropriate mannerisms, and are naturally ungainly while flying and walking. Some Corax who have met Scabs claim they walk like a bird, fly like a human and generally consist of the worst features of each. Buzzards are also prone to violent outbursts of temper, alternating between fits of rage, depression, and euphoria.
===Creating Buzzards===
Buzzards are in most ways identical to Homid Corax. They share the same addiction to shiny things, the same compulsion to gossip and share what they learn. A few of the most insane Buzzards share all of their knowledge with everyone they encounter, to the point of becoming another insane person standing on a street corner ranting about the End of Days.<br>
They also share the same physical traits, including hollow bones and a vulnerability to gold. Buzzards differ from Corax in only two major ways. They cannot gain Raven’s patronage as a Totem, and they each suffer a physical deformity, their bodies reflecting their twisted origins.<br>
Most have the same deformities found in metis Garou, like incomplete transformations or a total lack of feathers. Other Buzzards have afflictions that more obviously come from the Wyrm, such as rotting flesh, large numbers of warts, extraneous fleshy growths, or a tendency to vomit up large numbers of live worms. Almost all have somewhat ragged feathers, leaving some behind after every transformation. In human form, even Buzzards who are not obviously deformed have a somewhat skeletal appearance and look arthritic, sickly, and generally unattractive. Buzzards can never possess an Appearance higher than two.<br>
Despite suffering such horrors, they’re not fomori and they haven’t traveled the Black Spiral Labyrinth. Instead, they are simply deformed, insane, and generally malevolent Corax. They still possess Rage, Gnosis, Renown, and all other standard Corax traits. They can learn the tribal Gifts of the Black Spiral Dancers, but lack any innate powers associated with the Wyrm.
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==Mnetics: The Eaters of Secrets==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 160''
The Mnetics have many names, most of which they gave themselves. Dumenkara, Mindborn, Sasahai, Katikasasa, Vanus, and more, all which relate in some way to twisting the Mnesis. They do this partly to confound the Mokole and give the appearance of enemies everywhere, but they also use different names for their own amusement, because they like the way they sound, and, ultimately, because none like the name ‘Addict’.
The Mokolé guard Gaia’s memory. They witness history and wait for the turning of the age. They’re not naïve enough to hope the other changing breeds learn from past mistakes and use this knowledge to avoid the same tragic paths. Maybe the Mokolé once had this hope for the young breeds in ages past, but the Mnesis’ endless parade of repeated mistakes demonstrates its futility. So the Mokolé watch the world dying around them and await the next Apocalypse. Whatever happens, the Mokolé believe they will emerge out the other side to continue watching and remembering for Gaia.<br>
The Mnetics know the other Mokolé’s faith is beautifully tragic, and wish they could remember which of their kind twisted the Mnesis to so completely fool the weresaurians. The Mnetics have opened their eyes to the truth that memories are ephemeral, malleable things no harder to reshape than a ball of soft putty. Mnesis isn’t the secure vault the Mokolé believe it to be. Even the unfallen Mokolé know that memories from ages past are difficult to dream with clarity. They trust in the similarity of symbols and ideas shared by streams. If every Mokolé of a given stream dreams the same, the Mnesis must reflect the truth.<br>
This is wrong. Just ask the Mnetics, who manipulate memories and twist the gossamer threads of recollections as easily as other Mokolé breathe. They know first-hand how unreliable memory is, as they rewrite history every day. This knowledge makes most fallen Mokolé live for the present. Mokolé often have a reputation for being mired in the past, but the Mnetics buck this trend. They adopt new technology to better understand how to twist, pervert and use it to their advantage. Many develop an interest in photography and recording technologies, to better understand how to edit and delete these records that are beyond Mnesis. The Mnetics have a particular love/hate relationship with the internet and social media. They love the many methods of lying, twisting and distorting the truth on a massive scale, but loathe the externalizing of humanity’s knowledge and experiences — their memory — as it makes it difficult for the Mnetics to permanently destroy something so widespread. Fortunately the nature of today’s media means people often accept lies as truth, and the way media, politicians and entertainers spin facts to better reflect the message they want, not the truth as it is, gives the Mnetics a niche to control.<br>
It is the Mokolé trust in Mnesis that leads some to reject what they thought to be true and join the Wyrm. Such a simple foundation of faith is an easy target for the Wyrm — often merely demonstrating the lie is enough to tip a faithful weresaurian from his purpose. Deleting something the Mokolé would be sure of, twisting a memory to render important details incorrect, or inserting a new memory that is clearly fantasy but absolutely true to the victim are common weapons used to tear apart the weresaurian’s purpose, leading them to abandon Gaia and choose the Wyrm.<br>
Other Mokolé fall from the addictive rush they first experience altering memory. Some try to forget an act so terrible it must be buried, others wish to relieve the pain of a tragedy they cannot face. These small tweaks begin innocently enough, but each time the justification for a new alteration becomes easier to make, and soon the new Mnetic is altering the memories of others to protect his secret, and twisting his own recollection of the event to feel better about it. Eventually they become solipsistic nihilists, trapped forever in the now because the past is one great canvas of superficial, pretty lies.<br>
The existence of the Mnetics is an infectious meme to other Mokolé, memory worms that burrow inside and plant doubt in the Mokolé’s suitability to serve as Gaia’s memory. Mnetic numbers grow faster than the fallen of any other Changing Breed, as the fallen weresaurians hope to bring the entire species to extinction with this modern day Apocalypse. Few Mnetics regret their decision to fall. The weresaurians ruthlessly practice their Gifts on their own memories, changing regrets to relief, and excising unpleasant and unwanted recollections. As a result, the Mnetics are unreliable witnesses but have one of the most positive outlooks of any shapeshifter.<br>
Other Changing Breeds have Gifts that alter, suppress or fool the memories of their victims, but these do not affect the true Mnesis and the Mokolé look upon them with disdain. A Mokolé may be irritated to learn her mind was violated by another Breed, but she knows a healing sleep will cleanse her memories as they wash through the tides of Mnesis. This attitude instils great faith in Mnesis, which makes the Mnetics’ manipulation of the memory source all the more devastating, and shocks an ever-increasing number of weresaurians into falling to the Wyrm’s blissful embrace to escape the realization.<br>
The Mnetics have a special affinity with the Innocents, who also twist and remove Mokolé memories. Many Mnetics who didn’t experience their crisis of faith at the hands of another Mnetic experienced their first doubts of Mnesis from the powers of Innocents. The stillborn spirits both love and hate their fallen cousins. They delight in tormenting the once-Mokolé by twisting their memories when they think they can do so without being noticed, but also teach memory-corrupting powers to their Mnetic partners.<br>
The Mnetics tend to work well together, as they have the best defenses against the memory tampering of their own kind. They also don’t tend to care if their memories are accurate — it’s no trouble to edit them afterward. Clutches may work together for years with each member having a very different recollection of the experience. Mnetics are also notoriously difficult to interrogate — if they think capture is inevitable, they quickly erase their memories or rewrite them to prevent giving up their co-conspirators or to reveal their plans. Mokolé find it particularly frustrating when they finally capture one of their fallen kind, only to discover his last remaining memory is to tell them he deleted it all.<br>
The Mnetics hide in plain sight, twisting the memory of those around them to forget when they’re gone. Some delight in confounding others through their tinkering. For two decades covering the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, a group of Mnetics convinced Mokolé, Garou and most of the Pentex board of the existence of a particularly depraved member of their kind who engaged in vile acts within the Atrocity Realm. Calling their creation Braney, hundreds of people believed that a fallen No-Sun Mokolé called Deep Purple Dark was the dark inspiration behind the children’s television show. Each of these witnesses swore that they had seen poorly-copied, smuggled tapes of ‘Braney’ performing depraved acts of torture and violation, and pointed to ‘innocent’ events within the children’s show that they said were hidden references to the filth. ‘Braney’ never existed, but Deep Purple Dark did. The Mnetics wanted to see how far and for how long they could twist perceptions. When they grew bored of their game, they made sure various hunters suddenly knew how to find Deep Purple Dark and bring him to ‘justice’. Deep Purple Dark’s full confession before his execution helped reassure the Mokolé that they had the right person. The Mnetics clutch is now pondering who their next victim will be, and how far they’ll push it this time.<br>
Secret, precious memories are the most vulnerable to the Mnetics and are those considered most interesting. Memories that everyone recalls are harder to change or eliminate because of their distribution through the Mnesis. Those held by only a few — or ideally just one person — are targeted by Mnetics for surgical strikes.
===Creating Mnetics===
Mnetics are mostly the same as other Mokolé and follow usual character creation rules. Mnetics may learn the Steal Mnesis and Corrupt Mnesis powers normally restricted to Innocents (W20 Changing Breeds, pg 142), who delight in the partnership with the fallen reptiles and sometimes act as totems.<br>
A Mnetic may alter her own memories at will through a Mnesis quest, taking several hours. She may attempt to alter the memories of those she meets with a Manipulation + Mnesis roll. The difficulty depends on how many people share the memory — difficulty 5 for memories known only to the victim, difficulty 6 if known by less than 10 people, difficulty 7 for 10 to 100 people, and difficulty 8 for more than 100. The Mnetic can reduce the difficulty by 1 by touching the victim while attempting the alteration.<br>
The Mnetic may attempt to quickly alter the Mnesis of members of her clutch, stream, or Mokolé she can physically touch. The player makes a Manipulation + Mnesis roll (difficulty 7 for clutch, 8 for stream), resisted by the victim’s Perception + Mnesis (difficulty 7). Each success for the Mnetic allows one minor alteration.<br>
With more time and extended Mnesis quests, the Mnetic may more slowly alter her stream’s Mnesis. She makes an extended Manipulation + Mnesis roll (difficulty 6) per night of Mnesis quest. Every 10 successes allow her to make a minor alteration to the collected pool of memory, such as changing the name of a storied hero. Alternatively, she can save those successes to attempt to gain 50 successes, to make a major Mnesis alteration, such as having an ancient human civilization existing alongside the dinosaurs. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what constitutes a minor or major modification. Rolling a botch at any time during this extended roll leaves a memory stain that everyone sharing that Mnesis can find — some may have the skill and clarity to follow the stain back to the Mnetic.
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==Bitter Grins: The Hollow Laughter==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 162''
The Bitter-Grins — also called the Nokhomi — want to see the conclusion of the greatest prank of all. Long ago, the Wyrm looked at the balance between the Triat and saw that its siblings took that balance for granted. With a bitter grin, the Wyrm designed a prank to teach its siblings the value of what they had.<br>
The Wyrm spoke to the Weaver and teased her that the Wyld had greater dominion over Gaia. Though this was untrue and the three forces were balanced, the Weaver listened to the Wyrm and grew jealous of her sibling. Everywhere the Weaver placed order the Wyld crept through, desecrating the fixed structures with teeming life and chaos. What the Weaver did not see was the Wyrm conspiring with the Wyld to subvert the order and break its cohesion. The Wyrm nipped at the structures to make cracks through which the Wyld energies couldn’t help but spring through.<br>
Enraged by what she perceived as inequality, the Weaver desperately covered dynamic Wyld with static forms, with little success. The Wyld kept breaking through. The Weaver lamented to the Wyrm and the Wyrm grinned and enacted the second part of his plan. He empathized with the Weaver but conceded he had to obey his nature and weaken the order she imposed on the world. The Weaver snapped and enacted her plan to ensnare the Wyrm in her webs and defeat the Wyld. Her anguish blinded her to seeing that this was the Wyrm’s plan all along.<br>
Trapped within the Weaver’s webs, the Wyrm was able to alter its nature — something it could not achieve while the Trait was balanced. It whispered to itself in the darkness and changed, gaining dominion over corruption and decay. With this newfound influence the Wyrm degraded the Weaver’s bonds. Free of its bonds, and able to affect the demeanor of a force gone mad, the Wyrm threw itself into the role, corrupting and perverting everything that it had once balanced.<br>
This is what the Nokhomi know — the Wyrm cannot be defeated because the Wyrm is not really fighting. It is playing a prank on everyone and everything and any action besides complete surrender is pointless. The Weaver is too stubborn and staid in its ways to learn from the prank, and the Wyld is too capricious and fickle to comprehend the lesson offered to it.<br>
The fallen Nuwisha understand the joke better than anyone else, even old Coyote himself. They know that the Wyrm fell victim to its own prank, and that is the funniest joke of all. It did once want to teach its siblings, but its new nature as corruptor twisted its vision. Now the Wyrm drags everything to oblivion because it can’t stop the decay any more than the Weaver can loosen up or the Wyld can settle down.<br>
The Apocalypse can’t be stopped — it’s the punchline of the whole tragic triumvirate, and the fallen werecoyotes weep at how fucking pointless and hilarious they find the whole drama.<br>
Knowing that nothing matters, the Bitter-Grins work towards ever more perverse and destructive pranks against their fellow shapeshifters. The unfallen Nuwisha prank other Changing Breeds so they can understand and learn to overcome their flaws. The Nokhomi only ever try to teach one lesson to their victims — surrender. Only when Gaia’s warriors, eyes, ears, and other pointless functions realize the futility of their purpose and cease their fruitless struggle can the Wyrm strangle his siblings and dismember their rotting corpses. Then the pain can stop and the Bitter-Grin’s laughter will cease.<br>
Until then, the Nokhomi exult in telling the ultimate joke, driving their victims to despair and surrender by destroying their treasures and perverting their loves. Their preferred targets are other Nuwisha and their best prank is aimed at Coyote himself. The Nokhomi believe if they can pervert enough of their brethren the old bastard may open his eyes to the truth and fall with his children. The Bitter-Grins giggle to themselves at night as they think of Coyote turning his wicked talents to the Wyrm’s service. Some Nokhomi think Coyote’s aspect Xochipilli has already fallen, and works from within to corrupt the old dog.
===The Twisted Totems of Coyote===
The Nokhomi still follow the many faces of Coyote, but they interpret the role of each aspect through their fatalistic lens. For unknown reasons, most Coyote totems don’t abandon their fallen followers. Most Bitter-Grins laugh that this is a sign of Coyote’s inevitable fall, but some wonder if the old trickster is setting up his fallen children for some incredible prank.
'''Chung Kuel:''' Luck is an illusion that disguises brief respite from the inevitable doom. These Nokhomi hasten despair by ensuring a cascade of ever larger problems beset their enemies.<br>
'''Kishijoten:''' These Bitter-Grins use gentleness to lull enemies to drop their guard, before striking with an explosive punchline.<br>
'''Kokopelli:''' Celebrating to excess makes enemies unwary. Nokhomi who follow Kokopelli develop prodigious tolerance for drugs and alcohol, to better play their lethal tricks on intoxicated victims.<br>
'''Loki:''' Ferocious Bitter-Grins who follow Loki urge their temporary allies to overcommit — before betraying them and laughing at the ensuing slaughter.<br>
'''Oghma:''' Bitter-Grins who retain the hidden history of their fallen kind, they study to identify weaknesses in the Nuwisha and lead them to doom, making them the most successful at corrupting their blind cousins.<br>
'''Ptah:''' Ptah is the only totem to refuse patronage to the Nokhomi, but they gain the last laugh, as they are unbound by the pact limiting Nuwisha on earth. Nokhomi may return to the physical as they choose, and in doing so force an unfallen Nuwisha to take to the Umbra.<br>
'''Raven:''' Some of the most cunning Nokhomi, they walk among Garou and lead werewolves to war with their own kind and slaughter innocents in Gaia’s name.<br>
'''Ti Malice:''' Bitter-Grins find easy kinship with Ti Malice’s treachery. They favor influential figures with truth of purpose and strength of character as their prey, for the highest stars have the farthest to fall.<br>
'''Xochipilli:''' Nokhomi believe Xochipilli is already of the Wyrm, playing a risky game in convincing unfallen Nuwisha to follow it and further the Wyrm’s goals. The Nokhomi find this hilarious but few follow the totem themselves, out of respect for the epic prank it plays.
===Creating a Bitter Grin===
Bitter-Grins are exactly like other Nuwisha, but have opened their eyes and chosen the Wyrm. Nuwisha who follow Ptah before they fall lose its patronage and must choose another totem. For reasons known only to Ptah, the totem does not tell other Nuwisha of the new Bitter-Grin.
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==The Mad Destroyers: Forsaken by Rat==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 163''
The Wyrm is insane and hates the Weaver for ensnaring it in her web. Both its madness and its loathing of the Weaver give it common cause with at least some wererats. Ratkin are prone to madness and many of them consider the Weaver to be an even greater threat than the Wyrm. The rulers of most Ratkin nests wish to build up their numbers before they strike at humanity, and are content that the Apocalypse will arrive soon enough. A few wererats have grown tired of waiting. The ones who glory in the idea of watching the entire world burn, or who fixate on plans to destroy humanity sometimes find like-minded allies among the legions of the Wyrm.<br>
Thurifuge, the Maeljin Incarna of disease, takes the most interest in recruiting Ratkin. He finds work for most of them in his Duchy in Malfeas, where they create ever more deadly plagues. He also assigns some of them to work in Pentex medical research facilities back on Earth.
===A Corrupt Courtship===
Black Spiral Dancers regularly look for hints that one of the Ratkin holds Wyrmish sympathies, as do Mad Destroyers who have already embraced the Wyrm. If an agent of the Wyrm encounters a wererat pack that seem like they could be possible recruits, he attempts to befriend them and aids the pack in their attacks on the Weaver. Some Black Spiral Dancers also arrange ambushes or other threats and then “rescue” the wererats from the supposed danger.<br>
The agent of the Wyrm spurs the potential recruits to increasingly more violent attacks on targets associated with the Weaver, preferably attacks that cause a maximum of death and suffering or that release various persistent and deadly toxins. Some of the most violent Ratkin gladly accept a gift of nerve gas — produced by one of Magadon’s many subsidiaries — and use it to kill people in sealed office buildings or subway tunnels, not considering the lasting corruption that results. The tempter then congratulates them on their efforts and tries to make them proud of the death and suffering they have caused. Some packs recoil in horror at such treatment, but others grow bolder and increasingly violent.<br>
The tempter’s next step is to convince the pack to attack a target related to the Wyld. If the pack goes through with the attack, striking against that which they are supposed to hold dear, the tempter reveals her true nature and purpose and offers the new recruits considerably more power. At this point, many Ratkin, overcome at the horror of working with the Wyrm, strike out at their former ally. If their tempter survives this attack, he makes certain that other shapeshifters learn the truth about the Ratkin’s actions and delights in the ensuing carnage.<br>
Other wererats either hate the Weaver sufficiently to not care who they are working with, or believe they have already fallen and serve the Wyrm either to survive or out of hatred the world. The most violent and dangerous Ratkin believe that their desire to bring about an apocalyptic end to humanity dovetails perfectly with the Wyrm’s goals, and enthusiastically join the ranks of the fallen.
===Creating Fallen Ratkin===
Mad Destroyers are exactly like any other Ratkin, except that they’ve chosen to work for the other side. None of them was born corrupt, they all choose their fate. In addition to their ordinary Gifts, Mad Destroyers can also learn Black Spiral Dancer tribal Gifts. Rat turns her back on them, so the Mad Destroyers can only make a connection to Wyrm Totems.
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==Balefire Sharks: The Defiling Sea==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 164''
In 1955, a nuclear blast killed more than three quarters of all of the immortal Rokea. While the blast vaporized the oldest sharks as well as all of the other Rokea who were near the center of the gathering, some sharks took a lethal dose of radiation but did not die immediately. Covered with hideous burns and suffering from fatal radiation sickness, the vast majority died within a day or two of the blast. Tentacled minions of Lord Kerne, the Master of Hellfire, approached these dying weresharks and offered them a chance to survive by embracing the radiation that was killing them. Out of many hundreds of dying sharks, only a handful accepted this hideous offer, but these few, maddened sufficiently by their pain and fear, swore allegiance to the Wyrm — despite knowing that the same force that was killing them now asked for their loyalty.<br>
The balefire elementals sent to aid these traitorous weresharks healed them, but in the process also warped and twisted them. As a result, all of these Rokea bear marks of their ordeal and their transformation. In addition to large and terrible scars, all of them also possess some warped features like an additional eye or fin, or some malformed body part that grew back twisted when they healed from the bomb blast.<br>
In return for their life, these Balefire Sharks pledged loyalty to the Wyrm. Because Gaia charged the weresharks to survive, not to fight the Wyrm, most had few regrets about this alliance. Swearing allegiance to creatures allied with the deadly radiation of the atomic blast that killed them was a very different matter. Only the most desperate Rokea made this terrible choice. Some soon regretted their decision but like all bargains with the Wyrm, this one was far easier to make than to break. The nature of their transformation means that most Balefire Sharks have difficulty even considering disobeying Lord Kerne’s orders and any who attempt to forswear the Wyrm swiftly die from radiation sickness.<br>
The balefire elementals ordered these sharks to patrol the polluted waters around nuclear power plants and factories producing toxic chemicals, keeping them safe from anyone on land or sea who would interfere with their operation. Balefire Sharks can exist comfortably in both fresh and saltwater, as long as this water is radioactive or otherwise polluted. As a result, a few Balefire Sharks now patrol areas in the Great Lakes, Lake Baikal, the Caspian Sea, and other similar bodies of water.<br>
Since the mid-1950s, many of the Balefire Sharks have learned more about the land, so that they can better protect factories and power plants. Most, however, still have little real understanding of human technology or society. Instead, their methods of providing protection remain exceedingly direct. They attack and devour anyone who interferes with a location they are guarding. The Wyrm affected their minds as well as their bodies, altering their loyalties so that most of them see nothing wrong with killing other weresharks who threaten their charges. Most Balefire Sharks are now far more comfortable with other minions of the Wyrm than with non-corrupted Rokea. The corruption that balefire inflicts upon a creature has driven a few Balefire Sharks entirely mad. These creatures take every opportunity to spread the radiation that nourishes them all across the oceans.<br>
Instead of protecting nuclear sites from interference, they destroy reactors and rip open radioactive waste dumps in order to spread poison across a large area. These insane Balefire Sharks are sometimes too indiscriminately destructive for the Wyrm’s more careful and subtle agents. On a few occasions, agents of the Wyrm have found ways to pass messages to either Rokea or members of another Changing Breed, encouraging them to slay a Balefire Shark whose indiscriminate destruction and overt pollution has gotten in the way of some of the Wyrm’s plans.
===Habitat===
Balefire Sharks lack the freedom of the open seas because they need to feed on radiation too often to stray far into open waters. In addition, all but the most thoughtless or self-serving Rokea is horrified and enraged at seeing a wereshark who has become a radioactive monster. Almost all Rokea feel a strong desire to attempt to kill the Balefire Shark and then to dispose of its body on land or in one of the deepest undersea trenches. Most Balefire Sharks give up the wide-ranging travels of their former Breed and lurk near a particular corrupt location. Some become the guardians of Wyrm Grottos, protecting the vile location from outside interference and using it to summon banes and fomori that go forth to do the Wyrm’s bidding. Others protect coastal nuclear power plants from interference. These Balefire Sharks bask in illegal radioactive discharges into the ocean, and spend time both on land and in the water making certain that none of the Changing Breeds can interfere with the reactor.<br>
Nothing like the blast that killed most of the Rokea has happened since the 1950s, but periodically weresharks encounter radiation seeping into the ocean. Some become fatally ill from this exposure and balefire elementals seek them out and offer to heal them. Like in 1955, a few choose to become Balefire Sharks.
===Creating Balefire Sharks===
Balefire Sharks have all of the traits of ordinary Rokea, except that they can regain Gnosis in any body of polluted or radioactive water and they are immune to the effects of any of the four elemental Wyrms. They possess the same Gifts as other Rokea, but can also learn Black Spiral Dancer tribal Gifts. In addition, they can only possess Wyrm Totems and summon Banes, since other spirits refuse to deal with these corrupt creatures.<br>
Balefire Sharks require regular exposure to radiation to survive. At least once a month, every Balefire Shark must spend at least one full day in an undersea Wyrm Grotto associated with the element of balefire or swimming in a source of moderately strong radiation. Spending time in an intense source of radioactivity also allows them to recover all of their Gnosis within an hour. Only the cracked reactor core of a sunken nuclear submarine or other similarly massive sources of radiation are powerful enough to allow the Balefire Shark to accomplish this feat.
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==Xibalan: The Chittering Darkness==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 166''
The Xibalan denied the truth of what they had become. They believed they served Bat as his only true followers, who understood his enduring service to the Wyrm. They thought his temporary service to Gaia was a brief period of daylight in his existence before he rediscovered the beauty of night. The Xibalan were his heralds, who explored the endless darkness to mark a path for Bat to find his way home.<br>
The claws of the Garou proved the Xibalan correct.<br>
Small groups of Xibalan emerged from every Camazotz population. Ironically, the South American Camazotz who drew the Shadow Lords’ ire were the least corrupted population. These Camazotz openly practiced blood rituals and sacrifices and brought the rites out of the darkness. This openness let them quickly identify and destroy the few Xibalan who couldn’t resist the Wyrm’s lure.<br>
The other Camazotz tribes across the world performed blood magic in secret, limiting participation in the mysteries to werebats who were initiated into the cults only after careful scrutiny. These cults attracted the Wyrm’s attention and many individuals accepted its offer of additional power — they believed the Wyrm’s whispers of Bat’s imminent return to its embrace, becoming Xibalan, the fallen bats. Several new Xibalan tried converting their cult members to the Wyrm’s cause. While some were successful, more fled the claws and shrieks of the loyal Camazotz.<br>
The Xibalan were as social as the rest of the Camazotz and listened for chitters of other werebats, to try and join their swarms. The Xibalan remembered the lessons from the hidden blood cults and set up their own groups, teaching other Camazotz the ways to power — modifying what they taught to include greater influence and appreciation for the Wyrm in the hopes of ensnaring promising new disciples to spread the word and forge Bat’s path back to the darkness. In this way the Wyrm’s influence spread throughout the Camazotz population.<br>
The Xibalan were a persistent weeping boil to the Camazotz breed. Though they never accounted for more than one-tenth of the werebats, their teachings and beliefs seemed impervious to permanent eradication. Loyal Camazotz worked tirelessly to locate and destroy the Xibalan but there always seemed to be some who would escape and restart the infection no matter how thorough the Camazotz were or how carefully they planned — almost as if Bat himself helped ensure some of his fallen children always existed, just in case.<br>
The number of Xibalan seemed to ebb and flow with the state of Bat’s mind and his dedication to Gaia. When Bat’s faith in the Celestine wavered, the Xibalan population thrived. When he regained confidence and committed himself to her cause, the Camazotz seemed better able to find and destroy Xibalan nests.<br>
When the Garou destroyed the South American Camazotz, Bat’s most pure and uncorrupted children, the spirit’s identity fractured. The Xibalan flew from their earthly hiding places to be by his side and fight the loyalist Gaian Camazotz who would keep him divided. They helped convince Bat of the futility of the struggle. When the Australian Camazotz lost hope — as the Garou nation slaughtered the Bunyip — the Xibalan flew ahead of the fallen Bat into the depths of the Wyrm’s strongholds in the Umbra, never to be heard from again. Whether they’re truly gone, or just masters of killing everyone who discovers their existence remains to be seen.
===Bloodbats===
The Xibalan may be gone but their legacy lives on. Garou and Fera alike tell of giant bats whose jaws drip with acidic blood, and whose shrieks herald madness. These Bloodbats are all that’s left of the Camazotz. Some Mokolé and Ananasi claim that they are all that remains of the Gaian Camazotz who tried to stop Bat falling to the Wyrm. Others believe that the Bloodbats are nothing but a vicious mockery, an attempt by the great deceiver to dishearten the Garou by reminding them of their great folly.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 7, Stamina 4, Charisma 0, Manipulation 2, Appearance 0, Perception 4, Intelligence 1, Wits 4<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 4, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Intimidation 3, Primal-Urge 2, Stealth 5, Subterfuge 3<br>
'''Traits:''' Rage 5, Willpower 4<br>
'''Health Levels:''' OK, OK, –1, –1, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated<br>
'''Attacks:''' Bite (Strength + 1 aggravated), Wing Swipe (Strength + 1 lethal)<br>
'''Powers:''' Burning Blood*, Regeneration, Terrifying Shriek*
* '''''Burning Blood:''''' A Bloodbat’s acidic ichor can burn even Garou flesh. In addition to making the Bloodbat’s bite deal aggravated damage, anyone who successfully bites a Bloodbat suffers three dice of aggravated damage as caustic fluids burn her mouth and throat. Damage from this power (including a Bloodbat’s bite damage) is always soaked at difficulty 9.<br>
* '''''Terrifying Shriek:''''' A Bloodbat can unleash an ultrasonic shriek that instills primal terror in anyone who hears it. Spend a point of Willpower and roll Manipulation + Subterfuge. Everyone within twenty yards of the Bloodbat suffers the Delirium, even if they are normally immune. Reduce the victim’s effective Willpower by one for each success rolled.<br>
'''Image:''' Bloodbats are black bats the size of a human being, with wicked talons on their wings. Their heads look like a cross between bat and wolf, much like some Black Spiral Dancers. Their jaws contain too many needle-like fangs, which constantly drip acidic blood. Each Bloodbat has a unique pattern of burn-marks where their own blood has dissolved their fur.<br>
'''Background:''' Whether descended from the Xibalan or not, the Bloodbats are a recent appearance in the World of Darkness. Nobody had encountered one until three years ago, when a Bloodbat attacked a clutch of Mokolé in Australia. Since then, they have grown in number, and their attacks have grown more frequent.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Bloodbats prefer wild, shadowy places where they can hide in the dark, swooping out to attack their prey. They create a cacophony of sounds to distract their prey, then send them fleeing with a terrifying shriek, and swoop down to pick off stragglers.
===Creating Xibalan===
The Xibalan no longer exist — they died out with the rest of the Camazotz. No evidence contradicts their research. No stories tell of the Xibalan past the final fall of Bat. The fallen werebats are dead and gone, never to trouble Gaia’s children again. What everyone knows so often has an exception. Storytellers wanting to put the lie to this received wisdom should use the rules for Camazotz in W20 Changing Breeds for Xibalan characters.
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</tab>
<tab name="Mockery Breeds">
=The Mockery Breeds=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 167'''
Now and then, things go right for Pentex. Neuro Dynamic Laboratories is a Pentex front established several decades ago for the primary purpose of conducting corporate asset raids against Developmental Neogenetics Amalgamated, and finding something useful to do with any research it managed to steal.<br>
Much to the sorrow of the Garou and all other things that are of Gaia, Pentex considers the program a rousing success. Until recently, NDL was officially a sub-operation of Project Iliad, Pentex’s fomor-creating operation, with the internal company code-name of Project Lycaon. The purpose of Project Lycaon is nothing less than the artificial creation of a Changing Breed under Pentex’s direct control. They want a more cooperative and pliable alternative to the temperamental and arrogant Black Spiral Dancers, able to provide Pentex with easy access to Wyrmish magic on par with that of the Dancers, and also capable of fighting the Garou head to head.<br>
Project Iliad was initially unaware of NDL’s overall aims. This changed in the whirlwind of exposés, smears, and lies as part of the latest election to the Board of Directors (W20 BotW, pg 62). Discovering that part of his operation wanted to do away with the need for Black Spiral Dancers, Francesco was incensed. He would have destroyed Project Lycaon if it hadn’t split away in a flurry of mergers and backroom deals. In the end, NDL split away from Project Iliad, becoming its own entity under the control of Sir Frederick Appleton — himself the result of one of NDL’s experiments.<br>
To date, none of NDL’s major projects has fully succeeded in realizing these goals, but none has been abject failures, either. Pentex continues to funnel research funds into Project Lycaon, and continues to keep word of it well away from the company’s Spiral allies.
==War Wolves==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 167''
The abominations known as War Wolves were Project Lycaon’s first successful project. Using genetic material from several captured werewolves as well as copious amounts of stolen DNA research, Pentex scientists managed to create perfect, custom-built killing machines, able to get close to their Garou targets and strike with the advantages of both surprise and overwhelming force. War Wolves have no higher intelligence, and certainly nothing resembling morals; they have no need for understanding, only an in-born hunger for the flesh of the Garou.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 4 (7), Dexterity 4 (3), Stamina 4 (5), Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 2<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 2, Primal-Urge 3, Stealth 3, Survival 4<br>
'''Traits:''' Rage: 8; Willpower: 6<br>
'''Powers:''' Immunity to the Delirium; Regeneration, Shapeshifting*
* '''''Shapeshifting:''''' War Wolves are capable of only one transformation: from Lupus (their natural form) to Crinos, and back again. Shapeshifting is always automatically successful and immediate, and costs the War Wolf one point of Rage. The number in brackets for their Physical Attributes is for Crinos form.<br>
'''Image:''' War Wolves appear to be emaciated, drooling wolves with ragged pelts. In Crinos form, they are rangy and savage. They smell rank and ill, and reek of the Wyrm to spiritual senses. Unfortunately, they also smell enough like wolves to be able to work their way close enough to wolf Kin that once their victims realize something is wrong, it’s much too late.<br>
'''Background:''' War Wolves were Neuro-Dynamic’s first answer to the Garou: genetically altered dogs and wolves with immunity to the Delirium and the ability to fight on the same level as the Garou. These “artificial werewolves” have a very selective diet, and remain constantly hungry until they encounter either Kinfolk or Garou. Other meat nourishes them, but does not satisfy. Pentex goes to great pains to steer War Wolves away from Black Spiral Dancer Kinfolk, but the Spirals are naturally secretive about the location and numbers of their kin. Accidents are inevitable.<br>
The Wolves’ shapeshifting is semi-mystical in nature, but because they aren’t half-spirit like true Garou, they can’t manage any forms other than Lupus and Crinos. They can’t use Gifts, have no Gnosis, and the spirit word doesn’t consider them shapeshifters in any way by the spirit world, yet they share the Garou’s weakness to silver. They are also incapable of stepping sideways.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' War Wolves hunt in packs, and the rare nature of their preferred prey means that when encountered, they will almost invariably be starving. These mongrel horrors are perhaps Pentex’s greatest insult to the Garou to date, and can provide terrifying stories beginning with the characters finding gnawed bones and racing against the clock to find out what is hunting their Kin, and to avenge them against the creators of the War Wolves.
----
==Anurana==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 168''
It’s difficult to say quite what drove the creation of the Anurana. Officially, they were supposed to shore up a critical deficiency in Pentex maritime security, acting as a counterbalance to the Rokea; they might have also been deployed in the sewers to flush out Bone Gnawer packs, or to patrol heavily polluted rivers, lakes, and estuaries around Pentex factories. Privately, the Pentex Board of Directors suspects that personnel from the disastrous Freakfeet fomor project (see W20 BotW, pg 132), reassigned from Project Iliad to Project Lycaon, simply wanted another shot at doing things right.<br>
In the end, they screwed up again.<br>
The Anurana are the result of a mixture of repurposed NDL technologies based on those that created the War Wolves and improved techniques from the Freakfeet project. The aim was to create a breed of true shapeshifters under Pentex control, codenamed the Anurana (a portmanteau of order: Anura, genus: rana, presumably because “werefrog” didn’t sound sufficiently intimidating). The project was a limited success, but the Anurana proved entirely uncontrollable. Hypnotic, mystical, and Bane-implant conditioning all failed utterly, and the first generation of test subjects, sent out on a scouting mission to investigate Rokea activity off the coast of New England, never returned.<br>
They survived, though, and now thrive in the wild. The Anurana have a strange, lingering connection to Pentex, and stalk its facilities and personnel to this day, preferring to dwell and breed in the pollution-rich waters near the Wyrm-corporation’s factories. This does not make them allies of the Garou, however; the Anurana are terrible things, designed to thrive in the polluted waters of the Apocalyptic world, and fiercely attack any who attempt to cleanse the tainted places the Anurana call home. They have a kind of understanding with the Balefire Sharks who also patrol those horrific waters.
'''Traits:''' Anurana vary as much as any other “shapeshifter,” though they have a distinct tendency toward low Intelligence and Appearance ratings, and toward high Brawl, Primal-Urge, Athletics, and Willpower. Their particular features are as follows:<br>
'''Breeds:''' Anurana have only two Breeds, homid and metis, as they are entirely incapable of reproduction with any kind of earthly amphibian. Homid Anurana begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 1, Willpower 5; the more powerful, monstrous Metis Anurana begin with Rage 5, Gnosis 2, Willpower 3.<br>
'''Forms:''' Anurana have three forms: Homid, Anuran (roughly equivalent to Glabro), and Dagon (roughly equivalent to Crinos).<br>
The trait modifiers for Anuran are Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1, Appearance –2. The character can swim at his full movement speed as though he were on land. The character can hold his breath for up to (Stamina) hours.<br>
Dagon form modifiers are Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Appearance 0. The character gains claw and bite attacks as a Garou, can swim at twice his normal movement speed, and triples his leaping distances. The character can operate underwater indefinitely. Witnessing a character in Dagon form induces the Delirium in humans.<br>
'''Powers:''' Anurana can step sideways by submerging themselves in polluted waters, or emerging from the same. They regenerate damage at the same rate as Garou, but do not suffer any vulnerability to silver or any other substance. They are immune to the Delirium. The Anurana are not part of the Pact with the spirit world, and no spirits will consent to teach them Gifts. Even Banes look down on these pretend-shapeshifters. Instead, Anurana have a number of innate, fomor-like powers in Dagon form. These include: Eyes of the Wyrm, Frog Tongue, Maw of the Wyrm and Nimbleness.<br>
'''Image:''' Anurana in Homid form seem distinctly off. They suffer from a number of subtle malformations. Wide-set eyes, broad thin-lipped mouths, tiny or huge ears, and elongated fingers are all common for them.<br>
In Anuran form, a werefrog’s bodily and facial hair vanishes, and any hair on their head becomes slick and patchy. Their limbs elongate and bulge with rubbery muscle. Their fingers and toes develop webbing, and their skin takes on a grayish or greenish cast. Eyes bulge, lips vanish, and the skin develops a distinct sheen.<br>
A werefrog in Dagon form is both absurd and terrifying — a great hulking hunch-backed frogman, with staring eyes, a huge mouth, and long gangling arms and legs. Something of the fish is present in this form as well, for some reason, the form’s limbs terminate in wicked, webbed talons, and its mouth is crowded with tiny needle teeth.<br>
'''Background:''' The Anurana haven’t spread very far beyond the confines of the American East Coast, at least as far as Pentex is aware. The details of their reproduction help to slow their spread, while also precluding any sort of normal life away from their polluted nests. Anurana have no Kinfolk and are incapable of producing any; most pregnancies borne or caused by an Anurana end in a singularly hideous miscarriage, as the swirling stew of altered genes and polluted magic simply fail to come together to produce anything viable; the final product is a rush of briny water, malformed bones, and dead frogs. On the rare occasions when a werefrog’s spawn manages to survive to full term and birth, the result is always Anurana.<br>
Anurana Metis are worse. They’re much less likely to fail in utero, but are born sterile, deformed, and monstrous. Rather than an infant, an Anurana metis is born as something like a cat-sized tadpole with a human-ish face; they reach full maturity in only five years, and are able to abandon their immature form in favor of shapeshifting into Homid, Anuran, and Dagon forms after only three years. They have, as best Pentex can tell, a life expectancy of little over two decades.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Given their penchant for abducting Pentex employees as breeding stock, Garou briefly may consider thinking of the Anurana as allies. Nothing could be further from the truth; the “werefrogs” are a slap in the face to Gaia’s design, a new almost-Changing Breed manufactured in a Pentex laboratory. The Anurana harass Pentex simply because they don’t like getting poked, prodded, or intruded upon.<br>
The Anurana are outsiders in the war for Gaia, and routinely snubbed or even hunted during their forays into the spirit world, but they’re slowly learning about the various powers and factions of the supernatural world. They know enough to understand that the Garou will stop at nothing to destroy them, once the werewolves become aware enough of the Anurana to realize they’re something other than unusually resilient fomori. Some werefrogs are formulating plans to strike first, while the most cunning of their kind ponder what elements they may be missing that Gaia’s shapeshifters have. Perhaps breeding with normal humans has been a mistake; perhaps Garou Kinfolk already carrying changing blood is what they need.
----
==Samsa==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 169''
Project Metamorphosis aimed to produce the ultimate corporate espionage tool — a swarm-based shapeshifter that could infiltrate anywhere and immediately pass information back through the link shared by every member of the swarm. NDL’s product marketing personnel sold the idea of an assassin concealed in a hundred different places in a room, waiting for a target to arrive before reforming into a single killing form.<br>
Unfortunately, the NDL scientists could not meet these goals. They have created a human/insect hybrid, but it cannot separate into a swarm. Instead, the Samsa are mind-shattered eight-foot tall bipedal cockroaches that are terrified of the dark. Pentex closed Project Metamorphosis as an abject failure, leaving NDL with several dozen prototype Samsa gibbering with fear in their cells.
'''Traits:''' Samsa are highly variable but tend toward high Stamina and low Appearance. Samsa also tend toward high Alertness, Streetwise and Survival. High Willpower is useful, but their mindset rarely supports such strength of character. All Samsa have the Paranoia Derangement (W20 Core, pg 486) and must choose a second Derangement.<br>
'''Breeds:''' Samsa have two Breeds, homid and metis. Homid Samsa begin with Rage 2, Gnosis 4, Willpower 3, while metis Samsa begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 2, Willpower 4.<br>
'''Forms:''' Samsa have only two forms: Homid and Ungeziefer. Homid Samsa invariably have a disheveled and confused appearance, and a feverish madness in their eyes. Ungeziefer are nightmarish eight-foot tall bipedal cockroaches with greenish-brown armored carapaces and clicking mandibles.<br>
Ungeziefer trait modifiers are Strength +3, Dexterity +1, Stamina +3, Appearance 0. Their serrated exoskeleton permits claw attacks (Str +2 L) but they cannot bite. Ungeziefer inflicts the Delirium on vulnerable witnesses.<br>
Each time a Samsa takes Ungeziefer she chooses two traits from the following list. The majority are fomori powers function as per W20 Core, pg 430-439 except as noted; Antenna and Swarm are unique to the Samsa. They can manifest different traits with the first transformation each scene, but keep those traits until the scene ends.<br>
• Antenna: Add 3 dice to Perception rolls, and can etect spirits only as Sense the Unnatural (W20 Core, pg 436).<br>
• Armored Carapace: Samsa armor cannot soak aggravated damage caused by insecticide.<br>
• Claws<br>
• Darksight: Even when Samsa can see in pitch blackness, it doesn’t stop the voices.<br>
• Extra Limbs: All Ungeziefer have an extra pair of limp, useless arms. With this the arms are as capable as their primary set.<br>
• Wings: Samsa are clumsy fliers. They have Dex –2 while airborne.<br>
• Swarm: Each turn, dozens of cockroaches fall from beneath the Samsa’s carapace. These cockroaches obey the Samsa’s spoken commands.<br>
• Wall Walking<br>
'''Powers:''' Samsa are incapable of stepping sideways but they hear nearby spirits whenever they enter deep shadow or darkness — feeding the Samsa’s paranoia and dread. Samsa are only immune to the Delirium in Ungeziefer form — in Homid they are as vulnerable as any human.
Samsa heal at the same rate as Garou. They are not vulnerable to silver but suffer aggravated damage from insecticides in Ungeziefer form. Samsa never suffer damage caused by radiation or toxic waste. Samsa all have the fomori powers Animal Control (for cockroaches only), and a unique version of Cause Insanity.<br>
Samsa are as difficult to eradicate as natural cockroaches. When a Samsa takes lethal or aggravated damage in her last health box she automatically spends one permanent Willpower dot and dissolves into a thousand cockroaches scrambling in all directions. All but one cockroach dies within the following hour. This final cockroach has only one health level and is ravenously hungry — each day it must consume twice its body weight, growing in size and regaining another health level. When the Samsa regains seven health levels the now giant cockroach spontaneously shapeshifts to Homid form. The Samsa has no memory of several hours before her near death, and can only recall snippets of her cockroach experience through terrifying nightmares. Each use of this power inflicts another permanent Derangement on the Samsa.<br>
Cockroach spirits will teach the Samsa Gifts if the wretches listen long enough to learn. The Glass Walkers recently discovered this tutelage and are confused and saddened, exacerbated by the fact that their totem refuses to discuss it with the tribe.<br>
'''Image:''' Samsa look entirely human in Homid form, with haunted expressions and a tendency to jump at sudden noises. Most Samsa have a mild sensitivity to bright light and a fear of darkness.<br>
In Ungeziefer form the Samsa is an oversized cockroach standing on human-like legs. His entire body is covered in a sickly green-brown exoskeleton and has four arms — the lower pair often hangs limp and useless. The arms end in three-fingered claws where one serves as an opposable ‘thumb’. The Ungeziefer’s mandibles make hissing, clicking sounds that can’t be understood by humans — Samsa can understand and speak these sounds in either form.<br>
'''Background:''' Pentex has little use for the Samsa except for psychological warfare or as distractions for other, more important missions. Pentex teams drop Samsa into an area and wait for the inevitable chaos to erupt. Clean-up teams try to recapture Samsa after missions, but are just as happy to hose them down with industrial strength insecticide if they prove difficult.<br>
A number of Samsa exploded into cockroaches when Pentex collection teams tried to recapture them, revealing the Samsa’s last-ditch survival ability. Pentex doesn’t realize what happened, assuming that the thousands of dead cockroaches were just another flaw in the Samsa design — unaware that the werecockroach had escaped the company’s clutches.<br>
These free Samsa are even more insane, unable to cope with, or relate to, the world around them. Although these werecockroaches haven’t yet bred, their genes are true and any offspring will likely be new Samsa.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Samsa will most likely be encountered as a Pentex distraction or as part of a psychological warfare operation. These Samsa are confused, vulnerable and volatile. Anyone attempting to help them will become a victim of their Cause Insanity power. Cockroach may enlist Glass Walkers and other city-based shapeshifters to help the Samsa. His servants noticed the escape of the first Samsa and Cockroach instructed them to follow, watch and try to help. These spirits assist individual Samsa to find each other but the werecockroaches are very unwilling to trust whispering voices from the darkness.
===Cause Insanity===
The Samsa inflicts her own fears and mental illness on her victim, gaining brief respite in return. The Samsa spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7), adding 2 dice per Derangement she currently has.<br>
Every success passes one of the Samsa’s Derangements to her victim for a scene. The Samsa chooses which Derangement is inflicted. With five or more successes the victim’s mind breaks with the sudden strain and he shuts down for the scene, refusing to act except to try and flee violence.<br>
A Samsa loses access to this power whenever she passes all her Derangements to others. She can use the power multiple times to inflict separate Derangements on different victims, but can’t invoke the power again on a victim already suffering one of her Derangements.
===Wait, Cockroach Does What?===
Yes, cockroach spirits will teach Gifts to Samsa, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the totem Cockroach is the spirit courts’ great survivor. He intends to exist even if the Wyrm wins. Long after the Wyrm’s minions turn on themselves and devour each other, Cockroach plans to survive with his brood. The Samsa may prove useful in this regard.<br>
Secondly, Cockroach is curious about these new creations. The Samsa stink of corruption, but Cockroach knows his children adapt to survive almost anything. Samsa definitely aren’t his, but he’s intently watching their survival strategies.<br>
Either way, Cockroach is investing in the possible future. The Samsa are deeply paranoid, broken, and loathed even by other Wyrm creatures. Cockroach intends to be the only one Samsa can trust. One day they may even betray the Wyrm and fight for Gaia.<br>
If the Samsa prove to be more trouble than they’re worth, he can always call on the Glass Walkers to destroy the mockery breed. Until then, he refuses to discuss the issue with the Garou, has cockroach spirits teach the Samsa Gifts, and plans as only the greatest survivor can.
----
==Kerasi==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 171''
Pentex is very interested in the African continent, with its multitude of nations, constant factional differences, millions of people, and wilderness to destroy. Africa is also witness to the largest, bloodiest shapeshifter war since the Wars of Rage, and the Wyrm gleefully takes part.<br>
The Kerasi are young even for a mockery breed; intended to be shock-troops in Africa where War Wolves would draw unwanted attention. NDL experimented on both white and black rhinoceroses, using techniques learned from other breeds to create the Kerasi.<br>
Pentex considers the Kerasi to be a success second only to the Yeren. NDL is keen to improve upon the initial Kerasi by improving the mental capabilities of the breed and adding a workable Homid form. If they succeed, some factions in Pentex would to elevate the Kerasi above the Yeren, making them NDL’s main focus. This displeases the corporate-climbing wereapes, who will interfere with further development of the breed.<br>
The Kerasi are mystically weak compared with other mockery breeds, but they can disguise their origins as Wyrm-creations better than most Pentex assets. They also breed true — both with other kerasi and with natural rhinoceroses. The Kerasi are fertile with both the white and black rhinoceroses, linking the two distinct species in a decidedly unnatural way. Further, Kerasi mating with rhinoceroses will result in pregnancy more often than natural rhino pairings, and the offspring are almost always Kerasi.<br>
The Kerasi compound misery in Africa by slaughtering human communities where they can, and creating discord for both sides of the Ahadi-Black Tooth war. Their herds travel at Pentex’s behest, and ravage at the company’s command. The Kerasi also breed and experience an independence they never had in the laboratories, and start to wonder why they take orders from Pentex. Their thoughts turn slowly, but each new day may be the one when the Kerasi rebel from their corporate masters and choose their own destiny.<br>
'''Traits:''' The Kerasi genes favor physical prowess and tend towards high Strength and Stamina. Despite their reputation for being simple-minded, many Kerasi blend low Wits with high Intelligence, retaining more information than anyone suspects. Kerasi usually have high Athletics, Brawl, and Intimidation.<br>
'''Breeds:''' Kerasi have two Breeds, faru (rhinoceros) and metis. Faru Kerasi begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 2, Willpower 5; metis Kerasi begin with Rage 5, Gnosis 2, Willpower 3. Metis Kerasi are fertile but have greater success mating with other Kerasi than with natural rhinoceroses.<br>
'''Forms:''' Kerasi have three forms: Bandia (Glabro), Kiforu (Crinos), and Faru (rhino).<br>
Bandia has Strength +3, Stamina +2, Manipulation –2, Appearance –2. Banda’s coarse, leathery skin counts as armor and gives +1 soak die.<br>
Kiforu trait modifiers are Strength +5, Dexterity –1, Stamina +5, Manipulation –4, Appearance 0. Its armored hide gives +3 soak. The Kiforu form may make claw attacks as per Crinos Garou but cannot bite. It can make a gore attack with its horn (difficulty 6) for Strength +2 aggravated damage.<br>
Faru form modifiers are Strength +4, Stamina +4, Appearance 0. Faru can gore with their horn (difficulty 6) for Strength +2 lethal damage — this increases to Strength +4 lethal if the character charges at the target before attacking.<br>
'''Powers:''' Kerasi heal at the same rate as Garou, have no vulnerability to silver or any other substance and are immune to the Delirium. Kerasi invoke Delirium in Bandia and Kiforu forms. Kerasi cannot acccess the spirit world or learn Gifts. As well as the inherent power of their forms, they may use the fomori powers Sense Gaia, Sense the Unnatural and Triatic Sense (Wyld).<br>
'''Image:''' Kerasi in Bandia form are thick-skinned, barely human slabs of muscle, with bulky, oversized heads, tiny eyes, and a large, bumpy nose with a distinctive proto-horn protruding from it. Their thick, rough skin has an off-colored grey tint that doesn’t hide the massive muscles moving underneath. Bandia can only be mistaken for human in the dimmest light.<br>
Kiforu form is an armored bipedal monster with a giant rhinoceros head, two massive snout-horns and clawed four-fingered hands. It stands between 12 and 14 feet in height and weighs between one and two tons. Solid grey armored plates cover its body and its head is that of a rhinoceros. Its massive primary horn is the deep crimson color of old blood.<br>
Kerasi in Faru form appear as larger, healthier specimens of their parent breed. Metis Kerasi take the appearance of either of their parents, and their primary horn has a red tint. This coloring is subtle, but does give canny observers a ‘tell’ to distinguish Kerasi from natural rhinos.<br>
'''Background:''' Pentex uses the Kerasi to sow misery and confusion in Africa. The Kerasi leave devastation in their wake, all without any trace of the Wyrm’s involvement. Human-dominated First Teams go in after each slaughter planting evidence implicating either Ahadi or Black Tooth’s supporters, to increase the war’s hostility and bloodshed. Pentex also facilitated contact with Black Tooth’s senior lieutenants and introduced them to the Kerasi. The wererhinos turned the tide of several hard-fought battles with the Ahadi, with the lieutenants singing the Kerasi’s praises with the plan of introducing them to Black Tooth. Even though Black Tooth is gone, his followers still fight and may win the war with Pentex’s help.<br>
The Kerasi’s ability to suppress its Wyrm taint gives it the potential to be the most successful mockery breed for interacting with Gaia’s servants and infiltrating their groups, but the lack of Homid form and generally low intelligence renders this particularly challenging. NDL scientists are under considerable pressure to improve these deficiencies, but so far every successful increase in mental ability has resulted in the new Kerasi reeking of Wyrm-taint, and no amount of tinkering has produced a human-like form that doesn’t appear monstrous.<br>
One of Pentex’s ‘animal conservation’ subsidiaries has seeded African rhinoceros populations with dozens of Kerasi as part of its public environmental program. The early success of this program gives the appearance of replenished black and white rhinoceros populations, but in reality the Kerasi population thrives, while rhinoceros species are closer than ever to extinction.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' Kerasi are short-tempered, brutish and impatient. Garou are unlikely to encounter them outside Africa and any first encounter is likely to be confusing for Gaian shapeshifters as these strange new shapeshifters suppress their Wyrm’s stink. The Kerasi will try to convince other shapeshifters of their allegiance to Gaia, but Kerasi are not notably cunning or persuasive. If persuasion fails, the wererhinos will attack to prevent their secret being exposed.
===Kerasi and Black Tooth===
Kerasi are active causing confusion and havoc while Black Tooth’s war rages. They have encountered various members of his army — even some of the Endless Storm — but they weren’t introduced to Black Tooth before the Ahadi killed him (see W20: Changing Breeds for more information on Black Tooth’s fall).<br>
Black Tooth’s followers are desperate in the wake of his death and forge alliances with the Kerasi to continue the fight. The Ahadi may have won the war, but the insurgency will linger for many years if Pentex can help it.<br>
Storytellers may choose to bring Black Tooth and the Kerasi together earlier. The Kerasi will be formidable allies for Black Tooth, and may repel the Ahadi’s strike that will kill the Simba. An Africa that experiences this outcome will be a much darker place indeed.
----
==Yeren==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pf 173''
All top-level Pentex projections are clear: the Garou are fighting a losing battle, in every sense. In particular, the battle for Earth’s rainforests, reefs, and other “pure” ecosystems is a foregone conclusion: they’re going to vanish. That the majority of the Garou Nation has chosen these sacred places as the grounds to make their final stand suits Pentex fine. They think their victory in the Amazon and in other hotspots is a certain victory. The Board of Directors know the final battles in the Wyrm’s march of triumph will take place in the cities, in the skyscrapers, in the black and heaving heart of the urban jungle that will be all that remains in the end. They suspect the Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers will be the last tribes standing in any strength (what else is to be expected of the followers of Rat and Cockroach?), and that the ragged remnants of the other tribes will pour into the cities in a desperate attempt to continue their doomed, futile crusade.<br>
With the aid of Project Lycaon, Pentex will be ready for them.<br>
The Yeren are the most advanced and successful result of NDL’s research on behalf of the Wyrm, or so the project’s Directors claim. Yeren are shapeshifters who take on the form of apes, designed to thrive in the modern city, and to hold an edge over the savage and primitive Garou. The Yeren’s instinctive domain is the halls of power. They’re naturally attracted to money and authority. Creatures of appetite and greed, the majority have nestled themselves into the upper-middle management of corporations, banks, and law firms, where they remain in sporadic contact with Pentex. A few Yeren have even begun climbing the corporate ranks of Pentex-owned companies, and most of those few have their eyes on a seat on the Board of Directors. They’re one of the major influences pushing Toads (see W20 BotW, pg 137) out of their traditional niches, and they’re territorial to boot. Yeren bristle when they become aware of other supernaturals dipping their talons into a wereape’s self-proclaimed domain. This makes them natural rivals of the Glass Walkers, and they take a particular delight in using their mastery of political and financial influence to demolish, or re-zone Bone Gnawer septs. Of course, the wereapes’ rapacious greed and territorial instincts also bring them into conflict with vampires, urban Black Spiral hives, and other Wyrmspawn.<br>
In the end, the Yeren want it all: all the money, all the power, all the respect; and they’ll happily backstab, undermine, and eat anyone who gets in their way. They may be the newest players on the battlefield of the Apocalypse, but they’ve already gone all-in. Let the Garou satisfy themselves with glorious, Pyrrhic final charges, and the Anurana with subsistence survival in toxic swamps, closers close, and winners win.<br>
'''Traits:''' Yeren traits vary as much as those of the Garou or any other Changing Breed, but there are some generalizations. They tend toward high Manipulation and decent Intelligence or Wits, with physical traits often tertiary. Politics, Leadership and Subterfuge are often high, and many Yeren begin to cultivate Athletics after their First Change.<br>
'''Breeds:''' Yeren have only one Breed, homid. They cannot produce metis, and are entirely incapable of reproduction with other primates. All Yeren begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 1, and Willpower 4.<br>
'''Forms:''' Yeren have only two natural forms: Homid and Crinos.<br>
In Crinos form, Yeren have Strength +3, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Appearance –3, and Athletics +2. The character gains a bite and claw attack like Garou, but these inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage. Witnessing a Yeren in Crinos form induces the Delirium in humans.<br>
'''Powers:''' Yeren can step sideways in the same fashion as Garou, but must use fabricated reflective surfaces such as mirrors or chromed installations. The surface of a still pond is of no use to a wereape. They regenerate damage in the same fashion as Garou, suffer no vulnerability to silver or any other substance, and are immune to the Delirium.<br>
Unlike the other “Mockery Breeds” developed by Project Lycaon, the Wyrm’s spirit minions have provisionally accepted the Yeren into the arm of the Pact that grants Black Spiral Dancers their Gifts. Specifically, they’ve been sponsored by Relshab, the Faceless Eater (see W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 126), and gain their Gifts from corrupt spirits of man, the city, consumption, and greed. As a result, Yeren may take Gifts from the homid list, and are developing a number of their own Yeren Gifts (see below). Yeren gain renown for acquiring power, status symbols, and influence, but do so slowly, for even their handful of spirit-sponsors remain wary of these unnatural creatures. No Yeren has currently advanced beyond Rank Three.<br>
'''Image:''' In Homid form, a Yeren looks much like anyone else trying to climb her way up the professional ladder: well-groomed, young, hungry. Those spending any degree of time around them discover they have a certain manic intensity that speaks to either immense personal drive or mild psychosis.<br>
A Yeren’s Crinos form is a hybrid of man and primate, the particular ape or monkey whose features crop up in the Crinos form seems to depend on the personality of the Yeren in question. Pentex has recorded monstrous blends of human and orangutan, mandrill, mountain gorilla, and chimpanzee, as well as a number of wereapes of indeterminate species. Their battle form gains over a foot of height and an enormous amount of muscle mass, as well as long, hard nails.<br>
'''Background:''' The Yeren have spread far and wide throughout corporate America, and have finally begun to branch out to other countries in recent years. They “reproduce” through something resembling the Corax Rite of the Spirit Egg, save that Yeren are incapable of producing Kinfolk. Instead, they pass on the “shadow of the ape” to potential wereapes. Desirable recruits have certain characteristics, such as overwhelming greed and appetite. The Yeren conduct the rite through a four-day careening debauch, reeling from party to party, and bar to bar. The Yeren and their prospective offspring use and abuse anyone and everything they come across, lurching in and out of blackouts, and as the rite progresses, stumbling in and out of the Umbra, as well, where the new “pledge” steadily fuses his flesh and the nature of his spirit together. The rite culminates in the First Change and a bloody rampage. Often, the sponsoring Yeren has arranged to have Pentex clean up. Anyone with important goals and ambitions nobler than simple greed cannot become Yeren, and probably dies from the conspicuous consumption or becomes a meal for a frustrated Yeren during the rite.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' The Yeren are pointless, open-ended greed writ large. They embody everything short-sighted, petty, and rotten that the Garou condemn in human nature when they refer to people as “apes.” Their territoriality keeps Yeren from working in close groups very often (though they network extensively), and this is a blessing for urban Garou; on the other hand, the Yeren are very new, and few Garou are even aware of them as a threat, meaning they often have no idea they’re being targeted by a wereape until the hammer drops.<br>
The Yeren largely support Pentex because Pentex supports them, but they’re not satisfied as pawns and cats-paws. There’s no such thing as a stable relationship of master and servant where Yeren are concerned. Their ambition is without limit, and when they see power they don’t have, they want it for themselves. Pentex may not fully appreciate what it has unleashed upon itself in the form of the Yeren, who appear in the company’s middle management in greater numbers with every passing year.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-yeren" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Yeren Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-yeren">
==Yeren Gifts==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 174''
The following Gifts from this book and W20 are appropriate for the Yeren Gift list:<br>
'''Level One:''' Balance, Bane Protector, Bestowing the Predator’s Shadow, Eye of the Hunter, Falling Touch, Glass Canyon Predator (as Ways of the Urban Wolf), Gorilla’s Embrace (as Falcon’s Grasp), Monkey Tail (as the Level Three Gift), Open Seal, Resist Toxin, Trash is Treasure, Sense Wyrm, Venom Claws <br>
'''Level Two:''' Between the Cracks, Blissful Ignorance, Distractions, Glib Tongue, Monkey Leap (as the Level One Gift: Hare’s Leap), Odious Aroma, Nimblefeet (as the Level Three Gift: Catfeet), Taking the Forgotten, Wyrm Hide<br>
'''Level Three:''' Beautiful Lie, Bloody Feast, Call the Rust, Feast of Essence, Flame Dance (as the Level Two Gift), Gorge (as the Level Four Gift), Intrusion, Spider’s Song (as the Level Two Gift), Spirit of the Fray (as the Level Two Gift)
In addition, the Yeren have started to develop some Gifts unique to themselves.
===Level One===
'''Middleman'''
'''Description:''' The Yeren can push on far past the point of exhaustion, taking strength from the activity around him.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage or Gnosis. For the remainder of the scene, the Yeren regains a point of the same trait for every two points spent within the wereape’s hearing range. Middleman only keeps the Yeren fighting on dwindling resources and cannot restore his pool above three points. The character chooses whether to focus on Rage or Gnosis when activating the Gift; both aspects may not be used in the same scene.
----
'''Shit Rolls Downhill'''
'''Description:''' The Yeren transfers all blame and negative social consequences for an activity to a chosen victim. The Yeren is praised for success, but the victim will be disciplined for any failure. Any corporate investigation, police enquiry or Garou pack that tries to find the person responsible for the project will discover the victim.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis and touches the victim. All non-supernatural enquiries to discover the Yeren’s involvement with an activity will instead find solid evidence of the victim’s responsibility — even if parts of a project succeed the negatives will all point to the victim and obscure the Yeren’s involvement. Anyone using supernatural powers to penetrate this shield add the Yeren’s Gnosis to the difficulty.
----
==Level Two==
'''Fistful of Filth'''
'''Description:''' The Yeren flings steaming gobs of corrosive filth at its enemies. This filth smells like excrement but is produced by the Gift — The Yeren need not supply his own ammunition.
'''System:''' The filth is a thrown weapon with traits equivalent to a knife (W20 Core, pg 302). Its corrosive nature continues to inflict 2 levels of lethal damage for a number of turns equal to the Yeren’s Rage. The waste burns through most natural substances including wood and metal; some Yeren have come up with creative uses for this Gift as a result.
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'''Dressing Down'''
'''Description:''' The Yeren berates a subordinate for real or imagined failures and steals her self-worth to boost the ape’s confidence.
'''System:''' The player rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty 6). Each success transfers one Willpower point from the victim to the Yeren. The Yeren can’t take more Willpower than the victim has and he can’t be targeted more than once per day. This power can only be used on the wereape’s inferiors.
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'''Artist’s Lament'''
'''Description:''' All creators instil their work with some part of themselves. The Yeren abuses this link by destroying the creation to harm its maker. This Gift applies to anything invested with time and energy by its creator, such as speeches, software, or corporate presentations.
'''System:''' The Yeren destroys the creation and the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower). Each success removes a point of an Attribute or Willpower from the victim for the remainder of the scene (though it can’t reduce the trait to zero). These points return at the end of the scene. The Yeren must know the victim for this Gift to work. The Gift works best on unique items — add 1 to the difficulty for mass-produced or widely-published works.
----
</div>
</tab>
<tab name="Stranger Things">
=Stranger Things=
The horrors spawned from the maddened dreams and loins of the Wyrm know no limits. The enemy’s ranks include wicked spirits, corrupted shapeshifters, possessed and corrupted humans and animals, and even outright monsters.<br>
Then there are the other things, the things that just don’t fit into the big picture. The things the Garou just don’t have a frame of reference to explain. The things that don’t seem to have any origins, and yet are. The things that don’t seem to be part of the war, but whose existence the Garou simply cannot tolerate. The other.
==Inquisitors==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, 175''
No one knows where the Inquisitors come from or what they’re after. That they have an agenda is clear; they’re no-nonsense creatures, clearly acting with purpose. Inquisitors appear in search of particular bits of information, and are willing to do whatever it takes to acquire it. Nor are they unreasonable beings, or so they insist. They give subjects the opportunity to talk freely, and those victims who answer an Inquisitor’s questions openly and honestly are left puzzled but otherwise unmolested.<br>
Those who try to impede the Inquisitors die painfully.<br>
The Inquisitors reek of the Wyrm, but seem as interested in gathering information on the Corrupter as they are in finding patterns within the madness of the Wyld or plotting out the works of the Weaver. Those few who have compared notes on the Inquisitors suspect they are taking some sort of survey of the strength and deployment of the various forces involved in the Apocalypse, but for what reason? If they are agents of some higher power, then why does that being want the information the Inquisitors gather?
'''Attributes:''' Strength 6, Dexterity 6, Stamina 6, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 6, Intelligence 6, Wits 6<br>
'''Abilities:''' All save Primal-Urge and Rituals at 4.<br>
'''Traits:''' Rage: 5; Gnosis: 5; Willpower: 10<br>
'''Powers:''' Armor (as the spirit Charm; cost: 1 Gnosis), Control Electrical Systems (as the spirit Charm; cost: 1 Gnosis), Cyber-Senses (as the Glass Walker Gift), Mind Probe*<br>
* '''''Mind Probe:''''' Inquisitors may extend a series of thin metallic filaments from their fingertips. They use these probes to pierce the skull of a restrained victim and literally to drain away his knowledge. The Inquisitor spends 1 Gnosis and rolls Wits + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. Each success removes one year of memories the Inquisitor suspects may contain useful information. This process also lowers the victim’s Intelligence by one dot. The Inquisitor may repeat this process until the results satisfy him, or until he runs out of Gnosis.<br>
For humans, all damage done by Mind Probe is permanent; the brain of a person fully drained appears smooth and unwrinkled — a clearly unnatural state. Garou are able to regenerate most of the damage of this Charm, restoring Intelligence and memories at a rate of one dot and one year’s worth of memories per day of rest and recovery. Even for the Garou, a few minor details are unrecoverable: a childhood friend’s phone number, what the character got for her tenth birthday, that sort of thing.<br>
'''Image:''' Inquisitors are flat, matte black humanoid shapes. They have no distinguishing features. They have no faces at all, only vague suggestions of where facial features might be. They come in two varieties — roughly male and almost female — but all have identical cold, inflectionless voices. They tend towards nondescript, conservative clothing. They drive black rental cars when they use any sort of transportation at all.<br>
'''Background:''' The Inquisitors are an enigma. Everything about their behavior suggests they are creatures of the Weaver, but they positively reek of Wyrm-taint. Pentex has become especially interested in them after the Inquisitors reduced a number of their agents in Dallas, Boston, and London to drooling husks. Whatever their agenda might be, they’ve yet to reveal it to anyone, and they don’t answer questions.<br>
'''Storytelling Notes:''' The Inquisitors are meant as an unknown threat, and an opportunity for Storytellers to come up with a dire conspiracy of their own choosing.
----
==Chulorviah==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 176''
The abyssal depths of the sea hold mysteries and terror beyond the reckoning of the Garou and beyond the counting of the Rokea. Of all the horrors given up from the sea, the Chulorviah are perhaps the most enigmatic.<br>
Other names for them are Kraken-Born or the abyssal strain; Chulorviah are neither species, nor spirit, nor even disease, though they share the traits of all three. Certainly, they are an infection, but the few Glass Walkers who have autopsied Chulorvian corpses could isolate no biological cause for their condition. Certainly, they are creatures, they live in flesh and expand their numbers by physical reproduction. And certainly, there is a spiritual element to what they are; their elders wield terrible and potent magic, and they know of the Triat, though they seem not to concern themselves with it.<br>
Viewed as an infection, the Chulorviah are peculiar in the extreme. They afflict themselves upon humans, and cephalopods, and really nothing else: there are no whale, shark, or crab Chulorviah. Viewed with spiritual senses, a murky, tattered halo surrounds a Chulorviah, mottled like rotting flesh.<br>
The Chulorviah are clearly intelligent, and carrying out some great and organized plan, but what that might be remains a mystery. They exhibit no particular interest in the doings of the Garou, Pentex, or other elements of the war for Gaia; instead, the Chulorviah quietly infiltrate small seaside communities, corporate offices, and maritime trade routes. In recent years, they have taken a great interest in offshore drilling, working to promote and expand the practice; those few that have fought the Chulorviah conjecture that Kraken’s children seek the unearthing of something lost beneath the bottom of the sea — lost — or deliberately sealed away.<br>
The Chulorviah come in two basic varieties: infected humans and infected cephalopods. Chulorvian cephalopods, known as Petryani, perpetuate the abyssal strain through direct physical injection—piercing flesh with their unnaturally powerful tentacles or beaks. The vector for human infection remains unknown, but appears to be at least somewhat non-physical; some evidence shows it being sexually transmitted, while others have it passed from one person to another by prolonged conversation, or through a long enough period of cohabitation with a Chulorviah.<br>
Regardless of original species, anyone infected simply becomes Chulorviah afterward. Although the Kraken-Born retain full knowledge of their lives prior to infection, they no longer possess any emotional attachment to those thoughts or memories; their loyalty to the strain is absolute.
===Markings of the Abyss===
All Chulorviah share a few traits in common. They are able to communicate silently with one another regardless of any language barriers through a form of psychic communion similar to the Galliard Gift: Mindspeak. All Chulorviah are fully amphibious, able to survive for unlimited periods above or below the waves, and at any depth. Chulorviah can sense other carriers of the abyssal strain; whenever a Chulorviah sleeps, it awakens with a certain awareness of exactly how many other Chulorviah can be found within 50 miles of its location, where those Kraken-Born are, and what identities they wear, if any.<br>
Finally, all Chulorviah register very powerfully to the Gift: Sense Wyrm. The difficulty to detect a Chulorviah at close range is only 5. The particular sensation they produce when analyzed with the Gift is almost overpowering, like being engulfed in a tide of rot. It’s the kind of aura of corruption one might expect from a Wyrmish Incarna, not a monster little stronger than a fomor. Perhaps each Chulorviah is but a tentacle extruded from some terrible, central mind.
===The Enfolded===
The lowest among the abyssal strain, the Enfolded are infected humans. They’re generally treated as disposable in the plans of the Kraken-Born, used as manual labor or shock troops in Chulorvian plans. Some have theorized that these wretches represent the future of humanity, should the great work of the Chulorviah come to fruition.<br>
'''Image:''' People infected with the abyssal strain continue to look completely human, with only a slight mottling of the skin to show anything is wrong... at first. Over time, more changes creep in. Teeth fuse into a chitinous beak; suckers appear at random, odd points on the body; a small cluster of anemone-like tendrils replaces the Enfolded’s genitalia. Once the Enfolded can no longer pass for human, he returns to the depths to perform unknown services for his cephalopod superiors.<br>
'''Traits:''' Enfolded retain the same traits they had prior to infection<br>
'''Powers:''' Basic Chulorviah powers, Immunity to the Delirium, Numbing
===Petryanos===
Petryani are infected cephalopods who have developed a cold, malign sentience and a talent for mind control. They oversee the implementation of the Chulorvian agenda, moving from useful host to useful host and directing the more numerous Enfolded under their command. While Petryani normally focus on human hosts, they’re not exclusively limited to them; in times of war, a Petryanos may bore into the cartilaginous skull of a shark, or enslave the mind and body of a killer whale to act as a living weapon.<br>
It is worth noting that while Petryani can infect the humans they puppeteer, transforming them into Enfolded, the Petryani prefer to dispose of them once their usefulness is ended. Generally, the Petryanos forces the host to swim far out to see, deep beneath the waves, and then disentangles itself and swims away, leaving the wounded host to drown. Nobody’s certain why the Petryani are selective in the spreading of the abyssal strain. Perhaps they fear exposure; perhaps initiating infection takes some great toll on them; perhaps they simply consider humans unworthy of elevation to the ranks of the Kraken-Born, and make no more Enfolded workers than they need.<br>
'''Image:''' Petryani take the form of small cephalopods, most commonly nautili, octopi, and cuttlefish. They possess a few more tentacles than their mundane cousins do; these extras are long and slender, perfect for burrowing through a victim’s skull, and coiling around his brainstem. Petryani are almost never larger than a human head, all told. They can change color at will, and use this talent to conceal themselves both on and off of host bodies.<br>
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3-5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Manipulation 4, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4. Petryani use the host’s Charisma and Appearance; without a host, they possess 0 in both traits.<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Enigmas 2, Occult 4, Stealth 5. Petryani may also use the Abilities of its host.<br>
'''Traits:''' Willpower: 7<br>
'''Health Levels:''' OK, –1, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated<br>
'''Powers:''' Basic Chulorviah powers, Brain-Burrow, Immunity to the Delirium.<br>
To use Brain Burrow, the Petryanos must initiate a clinch and spend a Willpower point. This inflicts one level of lethal damage, as the Petryanos makes a hole in the base or back of the victim’s skull. Afterward, the Petryanos exercises full control over its victim’s body, while the victim’s mind remains fully conscious and helpless. The victim can attempt to gain control of his body for a few moments by spending a point of Willpower and making a Willpower roll at difficulty 9; each success grants one turn of free action. Petryani often deny a recalcitrant victim sleep for days on end in order to deplete their Willpower reserves.<br>
Petryanos possession can be ended through Gifts such as Exorcism, or by driving away or surgically removing the Chulorviah. Simply ripping a Petryanos loose is possible with a successful grapple attempt, but rarely a good idea, as the Chulorviah generally comes away with big chunks of grey matter grasped in its tentacles.<br>
'''Notes:''' Petryani generally fight as the host body; in a pinch, they can grapple and bite for +1 lethal damage.
===Chulorviah Elder===
The changes that drive the Enfolded into the waves do not cease once they abandon the world of light and air. Few survive long in the courts of the abyss, but those that do continue to become stranger and stronger—they grow, and grow, until after hundreds or thousands of years, they become Chulorvian elders. These vast horrors orchestrate the great plans of the Chulorviah, and send the Petryani here and there to carry out the will of the abyssal strain. If the Kraken-Born find it ironic that only the lowliest among them may grow to become the rulers of their kind, they keep their thoughts to themselves.<br>
The Chulorvian elders are timeless and ageless. They claim to inherit the memory of the abyssal strain, and speak of events that happened long before their birth as though they had witnessed them personally. The memories of the Chulorvian elders stretch back and back, ever into deeper darkness, through geological ages. They remember a time before humanity. They remember the time before land or light, when all was simply icy darkness. At the great extremes of their recollection, they do not know if they recall the past or the future; perhaps it is both, and this is the goal toward which the abyssal strain strives, attempting to meet itself across the bridge of time.<br>
Few not of the abyssal strain ever meet a Chulorvian elder and live. Most of those that do are powerful Rokea, who find themselves the target of Chulorvian aggressions ever afterward.<br>
'''Image:''' Each elder is an individual nightmare of writhing, cephalopod horror, a cauldron of flesh twisted without rhyme or reason. Chitinous beaks snap, great eyes stare, tentacles writhe and coil and rubbery skin mottles, all these elements placed without rhyme or reason. Almost all retain a few vestigial indicators of the people they once were: a few fingers waggling at the end of a tentacle, or a woman’s lovely green eyes staring out of a nest of rustling mantles. The speech of the Chulorvian elders tolls hollowly in the minds of those they address.<br>
'''Attributes:''' Strength 9+, Dexterity 5+, Stamina 9+, Charisma 3, Manipulation 6, Appearance 0, Perception 5+, Intelligence 6+, Wits 4<br>
'''Abilities:''' Elder abilities vary wildly. They retain any skills from life, and most are accomplished fighters with Brawl ratings at 4 or 5. All have Occult 6+.<br>
'''Traits:''' Willpower: 8+<br>
'''Health Levels:''' OK, OK, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –5, –5, Incapacitated<br>
'''Powers:''' Basic Chulorviah powers, Immunity to the Delirium.<br>
All Chulorvian elders are capable of Mindspeak-style communication with other Kraken-Born from up to 500 miles away. Finally, each elder possesses a unique array of Gifts chosen by the Storyteller, generally between five and 15.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Fomori">
=Fomori: The Wyrm’s Conscripts=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 129''
Slavering mutants, twisted killers, and hideous blasphemies wrought in flesh—these are the faces of the Wyrm’s conscripts in its war against Gaia. Fomori are what happens when the pure spiritual essence of the Wyrm invests itself in Earthly flesh. Though blessedly few fomori are strong enough to challenge a werewolf one-on-one, the Wyrm’s mutants come in near-infinite variety, and all too often, that element of surprise is enough to spell the end of one of Gaia’s defenders. Whether the fomor itself lives to fight another day is of little import. So long as life and corruption both remain in the world, the Wyrm can always bring forth new fomori.
==The Role of Wyrm Taint==
The Garou rightly describe many things as “Wyrm tainted,” and one of their most common Gifts helps them to detect the presence of the Corrupter’s spiritual effluvia. Indeed, one of the major purposes of Pentex is to flood the world with Wyrm-tainted products, from toys, makeup, and films to food, drink, and therapeutic retreats. But what does eating Wyrm-tainted food and using Wyrm-tainted products do to a person?<br>
It does a lot of small, subtle things. It makes people a tiny bit quicker to anger, it makes them a little less tolerant of those around them, it makes dark thoughts and selfish urges rise up more easily than they otherwise might. But the biggest and — from the perspective of Pentex — most important result is that Wyrm-tainted individuals are much easier targets for the Possession Charm (see W20 Core, pg 367). Depending on the severity of the Wyrm-taint a person has taken into himself, the difficulty of the Possession Charm lowers by between –1 and –3. As Pentex’s profits rise, the number of fomori grow year by year.<br>
In essence, when the Garou look upon the twisted face of a fomor, they’re witnessing the future the Wyrm has in store for the entire human race.
==Playing Fomori?==
The “Quick and Dirty Fomori” rules found on page 429 of W20 are useful for generating fomori characters. But what does it mean to play a fomor? What are fomori, from a player’s perspective?<br>
It’s easier to start by establishing what fomori are not — they’re not the X-Men. They’re not misunderstood targets of unwarranted prejudice, sporting badass superpowers. A fomor is a person who has fused, body and soul, with a spirit of pure corruption. Fomori can be complex and even conflicted, but the source of their powers—the Bane within—is a thing of pure and unambiguous evil.<br>
How much impact this has on the fomor varies. Some fomori, such as Freakfeet or Hollow Men, retain the classification of “human” only by the most generous definition of the word. Others retain much of their former personality and code of ethics. Usually, fomori weren’t very nice people before their possession, but that’s not a universal rule, sometimes fomori are just unfortunate. It’s easier for a Bane to curl up and make a home in the soul of the weak-willed or the already-corrupt, but the truth is, a Bane strong enough or lucky enough can infest just about anyone.<br>
From the perspective of the Garou, this makes fomori tragic, but any pity or sympathy for the mutant generally only extends so far as to try to give it a clean, swift death. The Galliards do know tales of Garou packs who worked with fomori — generally possessed Kinfolk — but none of those tales ends well, and all those sung are with shame.<br>
Ultimately, to play a fomor is to play an unfortunate victim of the supernatural world, probably doomed to a short life and an agonizing death. Play it as a blackly funny one-shot splatterpunk romp, or for tragic pathos, depending on the desires of the group. Alternately, fomori can make decent characters for “everything goes” World of Darkness crossover games. If you already have, say, a dhampyr, a ronin Garou, and a Hollow One mage rambling around in a Winnebago, what harm is there in tossing a fomor into the mix?<br>
For those wishing to play fomori, character creation works much the same as Garou, subject to the modifications mentioned above. The Storyteller decides how many powers you can take when making your character, and will hand out new ones at no experience point cost when he decides your inner Bane is asserting itself. Often accompanied with a new, attendant Flaw; because nobody said possession was going to be pleasant.
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=Fomori Breeds=
While the majority of fomori are unique horrors, there are a few commonly recurring “breeds,” either the result of possession by a peculiarly focused type of Bane, or the product of intentional development programs, generally either those of Black Spiral packs, or Pentex’s Project Iliad. What follows are a selection of some of the fomori breeds most commonly encountered by the Garou.
==Blighted Men==
''Source: Rage Across the World, pg 105''
'''Attributes:''' Strength 4+, Dexterity 1+, Stamina 3+, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1+, Appearance 1, Perception 2+, Intelligence 1+, Wits 2+<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 2, Brawl 1 or 2, Intimidation 3, Melee 1 or 2, Stealth 2, Survival 2 to 4<br>
'''Powers:''' While The Blighted Men are not fomori, the effects of the balefire have given them each one of the following Powers as a fomori: Berserker, Numbing, Regeneration, Unnatural Strength.<br>
'''Equipment:''' The blighted men wear tattered and worn clothing. They carry whatever was on them when they were picked up an imprisoned by their Pentex captors. Often they have wallets with identification and some have cellular phones with dead batteries.<br>
'''Description:''' The Blighted men are mutated due to an exposure to an extraordinary amount of balefire. Those who do not die immediately from exposure develop a strange supernatural strength and resistance to pain. They are also driven completely insane by the nearness to the Wyrm and the only thing they know now is violence.
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==Enticers==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 130''
Enticers are subtle by fomori standards. Outwardly, they don’t appear to be the usual slavering mutants Garou stay alert for, they look perfect. Of course, what an Enticer really looks like and what the people around her see is rarely the same thing.<br>
An Enticer is a social predator, carefully groomed and deployed by Pentex to lure the company’s enemies into traps, turn Gaian loyalists into besotted traitors, or act as the leading wedge of a divide-and-conquer operation. The Enticer doesn’t have much of a choice. Pentex binds him in chains of addiction and dependence. Those few “wild” Enticers created outside of the company’s control normally burn themselves out in a downward spiral of parties, flings, and abusive relationships.<br>
Enticers emit supernaturally potent, psychoactive pheromones that cause those around them to perceive the Enticer as their ideal sexual partner, the literal man, or woman of their dreams. Moreover, these pheromones are addictive; those who’ve been around the Enticer for even a short while soon can’t conceive of living without him. Essentially, an Enticer can seduce almost anything.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Charisma 6, Manipulation 6, Appearance 6, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Drive 1, Empathy 3, Etiquette 3, Expression 2, Firearms 2, Performance 3, Subterfuge 3<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' Allies 4, Contacts 4, Resources 3<br>
'''Powers:''' Addictive Presence, Claws and Fangs, Siren’s Veil.<br>
'''Willpower:''' 5<br>
'''Equipment:''' Luxury clothes, jewelry, and car; a small concealed knife or pistol; cell phone with Pentex handler on speed-dial.<br>
'''Image:''' On the rare occasion when someone glimpses an Enticer’s true face, he or she looks like an attractive man or woman, that is until he or she opens his or her mouth, displaying a double-row of barbed fangs.<br>
'''Genesis:''' Few Enticers come from “the wild,” but most come from Magadon’s subsidiary Siren Pharmaceuticals. In addition to makeup and cosmetics, Siren targets men with body sprays, moisturizers, shaving creams, hair dyes, and other products advertised as increasing their sex appeal. Ordinary Siren products are simply Wyrm-tainted cosmetic products designed to attract Banes of insecurity and vanity, but a few times a year, Siren sponsors various beauty contests and fashion shows, giving the winner a year’s supply of exclusive, limited-edition products. These are loaded with Wyrm-taint, Banes, and addictive additives; a few months later a Pentex representative swings by to rescue the winner from their life-destroying transformation into a fomor, which should be well underway at this point. The company plies the fomor with more addictive cosmetics, as well as doing its best to supply them with other, harder addictive narcotics, and takes over their finances by putting them on the company payroll, anything to get the Enticer on the company’s leash in the long term.<br>
Pentex also targets models sliding out of their prime who are desperate for some edge to help them hang on. The process seems to work just as well as the more traditional methods. They used to use this as their main source of male Enticers, but in the last few years, the numbers of male and female Enticers have balanced out.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' It’s good to be needed. Most people have their day in the spotlight and then wither away, but not you, everyone loves you, everyone wants you, everyone hangs on your every word, and they always will. That’s good, because it lets you keep living in the style to which you’re accustomed: uppers in the morning, downers to stop at the end of the day, and a whirlwind of self-satisfaction in-between, at least when the boss doesn’t need something taken care of. You don’t like to fight, but you can when you have to, you’d much rather send one of your many admirers off to take care of problems, though.
----
==Ferectoi, the Larvae of the Wyrm==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 131''
The Ferectoi, also sometimes known as Bane Children, are princes among the ranks of fomori, standing among the strongest and most stable of the Wyrm’s mutants. Pentex makes frequent use of Ferectoi, and the upper ranks of its division management are peppered with Bane Children. The normal glass ceiling blocking fomori from rising high in the ranks of the Wyrm’s servants doesn’t apply to Ferectoi.<br>
This is because the Ferectoi are perfect creations of the Wyrm’s will. Ferectoi are pre-natal fomori, conceived in a twisted mockery of natural reproduction and born already twisted by the will of the Corrupter. No Ferectoi was ever seduced or enticed into the Wyrm’s service; they were made to be what they are, one and all.<br>
The Ferectoi know it. They’re arrogant, self-assured creatures; mostly raised by powerful servants of the Wyrm such as Pentex executives, Wyrmish mages, or relatively “stable” Black Spiral families, and are well aware of their birthright. They burn with a desire to hasten the Apocalypse and bring about a world where they can display their superiority openly.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Computer 2, Empathy 2, Enigmas 2, Etiquette 3, Intimidation 4, Larceny 2, Leadership 4, Occult 3, Science 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 4<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' Allies 3-5, Contacts 3-5, Resources 2-4<br>
'''Powers:''' At least five fomori powers, as Ferectoi are unique. All Ferectoi are able to hide their nature completely. Extra limbs are retractable into the body, for example.<br>
'''Willpower:''' 7<br>
'''Equipment:''' Most Ferectoi have whatever they need provided for them by powerful patrons.<br>
'''Image: Bane Children look outwardly human until they choose to reveal their hellish powers. At that point, they may look like anything. No two Ferectoi have precisely the same mutations.<br>
'''Genesis:''' A unique monstrosity known as a Breeder Bane produces Ferectoi. The Breeder Bane is a grotesque jar of disconnected anatomy, a self-impregnating monstrosity designed solely to pervert the natural processes of human reproduction.<br>
Breeder Banes manifest to steal the genetic material of sleeping mortals, using their Charms to keep the mortals unaware of their violation (though they may suffer tormented dreams of the experience in years to come). Though they prize human sperm and eggs, they can use any living cells, taking half an ounce of muscle or bone marrow for example. The Breeder Bane must gather both male and female flesh, and then combines them in the Wyrm-tainted cauldron that is its hideous anatomy, gestating a Ferectoi. It later manifests again to give birth to the Bane Child, leaving the twisted babe in the care of mighty servants of the Wyrm. Among those who conspire to kill the world, they consider it a high honor from the Corrupter to find a gravid Breeder Bane on one’s doorstep.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You may look human, but you’re something greater than those around you are, and you know it. You’re stronger, smarter, more evolved. You have a great role to play in shaping the future. Your only regret is that you have to hide that power so much of the time. You long to unfurl your chitinous limbs, spew balefire upon your enemies, and proclaim your ascendance over a dying and obsolete human race.<br>
Until then, you’re a wolf among sheep, and that has its own pleasures.
----
==Flesh Packs==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 132''
The fomori known as Flesh Packs represent one of Pentex’s most impressive technical achievements in the field of spiritual corruption. It is an infectious fomor, capable of spreading its mutant state to others. Unfortunately, Flesh Pack fomori aren’t just infectious, they’re virulently infectious, making them of very limited use outside of contained purge-and-burn operations in remote regions. Of course, many caerns are located in remote, rural areas where outbreak containment is possible...<br>
Once possessed, a Flesh Pack fomor suffers rapid, severe decline of his mental faculties, at the same time the possessing Bane pumps him full of aggression and a growing hunger for raw meat — any kind will do. Most Flesh Pack “alphas” begin by raiding the nearest grocery store, but quickly proceed to devouring neighborhood pets and then neighbors. A growing Flesh Pack is easily capable of depopulating a small town or village, and indeed Pentex has recorded Flesh Packs doing so in Mexico, Chile, Somalia, and Siberia.<br>
Flesh Packs orient around the leadership of an alpha, the original fomor that infected the rest of the pack. This “Patient Zero” is usually a bit smarter and stronger than his fellows are, and is, thankfully, the only one capable of spreading the infection. Unfortunately, the “beta” fomori sense this; and they will sacrifice themselves to protect the pack’s alpha.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Intimidation 3, Melee 2, Stealth 3
'''Backgrounds:''' None
'''Powers:''' Claws and Fangs (alpha only), Extra Speed, Immunity to the Delirium, Regeneration.
'''Willpower:''' 4
'''Equipment:''' Whatever the Flesh Pack has come across that works as a weapon.<br>
'''Image:''' Flesh Pack “betas” look outwardly human, but seem anything but normal. They’re disheveled, filthy, and utterly manic with the need to eat. Any meat will do. A flesh pack will descend on a supermarket and tear apart its meat section as readily as they’ll consume the shoppers. They’re never sated, and their regenerative powers will allow them to feast on in agony almost indefinitely, even as their stomachs rupture and re-seal around lumps of raw flesh.<br>
The alpha fomor of a Flesh Pack is bigger than the rest, and develops jagged fangs and bony claws about a week after succumbing to full possession.<br>
'''Genesis:''' Flesh Packs spawn from Banes known as Winding Hungers, a kind of cannibal-spirit of gluttony and murder. Winding Hungers are only capable of possessing those who have eaten human flesh, making their fomori blessedly rare. Although when Pentex needs an outbreak badly enough, it’s not averse to slipping a burger made of long pork into a local O’Tolley’s. Pentex targets Kinfolk when possible, in the hopes that they’ll carry the infection inside the bawn of an isolated, self-sustaining caern.<br>
“Beta” fomori are infected when someone survives a bite from the “alpha” fomor. The fomor’s murderous aggression acts as a vector for the Winding Hunger to possess additional hosts while remaining rooted in the “alpha” fomor. Two factors limit the size of Flesh Packs: only the alpha can create more fomori, and the absolute power of the Winding Hunger, which can only muster enough power to spread itself across fifteen to twenty-five fomori in total.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' Hard to think, don’t need to think, need to eat; you’ve never needed anything so bad. Wait, did something move over there? Meat! Does it look familiar? The screams don’t matter, just the blood on your tongue and the flesh ripping between your teeth.<br>
Damnit, you’re still hungry.
----
==Freakfeet==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 132''
Freakfeet were among the earliest of designer Fomori, initially created by the Magadon subsidiary Panacea in the late 1970s. They were intended to be an easily controlled, cheaply-produced, self-replicating fomori breed, and to thrive in the abandoned nooks and crannies of the urban wasteland — particularly in the sewers and storm drains which many Bone Gnawers of the time used as supply caches and bolt holes. However, a spate of attacks on Panacea facilities allowed a number of un-indoctrinated Freakfeet to escape, resulting in these urban nightmares reproducing in the wild outside of Pentex’s control.<br>
Despite their variable appearance, all Freakfeet are genetically identical. They are the result of a genetic-spiritual fusion of human and amphibian DNA with a H’ruggling Bane. They’re dull-witted and cowardly but vicious creatures, experts at creeping, slinking, and abducting targets from within their own homes, the better to either feed or grow their home nest.<br>
Freakfeet have their own crude language, it is a deep-throated chittering comprehensible only to other Freakfeet and H’rugglings.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 2, Intelligence 1, Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Athletics 4, Brawl 3, Primal-Urge 1, Stealth 4<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' None<br>
'''Powers:''' Fangs, Immunity to the Delirium, Malleate, Rat Head, Slobbersnot<br>
'''Willpower:''' 2<br>
'''Equipment:''' None.<br>
'''Image:''' Freakfeet look like grotesque little toad-monkeys. They’re generally human in outline from the waist up, although with weirdly elongated arms. Their eyes are enormous, popping out of heads bulging up from wide, powerful shoulders; Freakfeet have no necks to speak of. Their legs are tiny, from six inches to a foot in length, ending in enormous feet with long prehensile toes. Freakfeet skin is waxy and rubbery beneath its glistening layer of slime, and these fomori come in a wide array of different colors, of which the Freakfeet are inordinately proud. Although they move with a seemingly awkward lope, Freakfeet are capable of impressive ground speeds.<br>
Every Freakfeet hive has a single “Queen” which is at least three times the size of a normal fomor of this breed, with a grossly bloated and bulbous body and a stinger mounted at the base of her spine.<br>
'''Genesis:''' Freakfeet are unusual among fomori, in that the only Banes that create new Freakfeet incubate in the flesh of a Freakfeet Queen. Freakfeet perform home invasions, sliding in through the pipes, or snatch lone individuals off the streets and down into storm drains; these unfortunate souls become the fodder for new Freakfeet. Their captors fuse the abductees to the floors or walls of the local hive, where the Queen injects a spiritual “egg” with her stinger. The new fomor gestates inside the body of the host, eventually tearing free of its parent’s flesh a few weeks later when the possession is complete.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You have only the haziest memories of the host-flesh. You remember places, faces, names, facts, but have no emotional connection to them. They are likely to be the first things you hunt. You are born hungry. You love sliding through the pipes and drains of the city, collapsing your rubbery skin and using your natural slime to glide smoothly along. You like playing with the malleable flesh of those you capture. You must serve the Queen and you must serve the hive. Food, new brothers, and a bit of amusement are all that you need now.
----
==Gorehounds, Take Two==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 133''
Slaughterhouse Video, a small subsidiary of Pentex, is the exclusive producer of Gorehounds. In the past, Gorehound fomori emulated their classic slasher-film heroes — usually unstable to begin with — Bane possession killed most of their higher reasoning and turned them into silent, hulking, nigh-unstoppable murder machines with a penchant for power tools and ambushes.<br>
Times change, though, and the Gorehounds are changing with them. While the “classic” model of enormous, masked, overtly murderous Gorehound remains a going concern, Slaughterhouse has also recently begun creating a “Take Two” version of the Gorehound as well. These creatures are less blatant than the classic Gorehound, and focus less on racking up a huge body count quickly, and more on extracting the maximum possible amount of suffering from each victim. Where classic Gorehounds are crude, The Bane possessing it imbues the new Gorehounds with a sort of hellish cleverness. This allows it intuitively to construct elaborate traps and torture chambers. Possessed of a relentless drive to kill, both types of Gorehounds rarely manage to last very long before going out in a blaze of terrible violence.
'''Attributes (old):''' Strength 6, Dexterity 3, Stamina 6, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 2<br>
'''Attributes (new):''' Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 4<br>
'''Abilities (old):''' Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Stealth 5<br>
'''Abilities (new):''' Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Craft 5, Investigation 4, Melee 3<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' None<br>
'''Powers (old):''' Immunity to the Delirium, Mega-Strength, Mega-Stamina, Regeneration.<br>
'''Powers (new):''' Cause Insanity (via prolonged torture), Immunity to the Delirium, Mega-Intelligence, Regeneration<br>
'''Willpower:''' 10<br>
'''Equipment (old):''' Household implements such as meat cleavers, chainsaws, pitchforks, cordless drills, or screwdrivers, to be terribly misused.<br>
'''Equipment (new):''' Chloroform-soaked rag, concealed knife, detailed map of next victim’s house, elaborate torture chamber.<br>
'''Image:''' Gorehounds continue to look human, save that the classic model bulks up dramatically after possession. Most fade away from their former identities, adopting a new persona for themselves, and may fashion some sort of crude costume, mask, or pattern of scarring to signify this new identity.<br>
'''Genesis:''' In the past, Slaughterhouse Video produced heavily Wyrm-tainted direct-to-VHS slasher films, occasionally with minor banes sleeping inside the tapes, distributed through seedy video stores. These days, business is better than ever. While their Classic Slaughter line has jumped from VHS to the direct-to-DVD market, Slaughterhouse has also expanded with a Grim Reality line of “real” gore documentaries, compiling animal attacks, industrial accidents, and other purportedly genuine compilations of human death and mutilation. The videos have just enough obviously staged fakery to deflect suspicions about their primarily real content.<br>
Slaughterhouse has also jumped enthusiastically into the modern “torture porn” genre, discovering that aficionados of their Blood Trap line of low-budget films are ripe breeding grounds for a whole new kind of Gorehound. Slaughterhouse no longer bothers to pre-package banes with its products. It’s simpler to flood the market with cheap, low-cost Wyrm-tainted DVDs and just let the taint’s clarion call do the rest of the work, attracting appropriate Banes out in the wild. The company is currently experimenting with direct-streaming services as well, and early results look promising; the internet seems as suitable a vector for Wyrm taint as any other does.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You stopped really feeling pain a long time ago — or much of anything else, for that matter. Now you only feel alive when screams ring in your ears, or when you feel hot wet blood soaking your arms up to the wrists. You’re living the dream; you’re carrying out a mission. It’s all that matters.
----
==Hollow Men==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 134''
The ultimate origins of the Hollow Men are a mystery. They are among the oldest of all the fomori breeds. They first appear in Fianna ballads dating back to Roman-era Britain, and that they’re extremely long-lived. Hollow Men serve the Wyrm effectively and with intense drive, having led many great assaults against Gaia down through the centuries.<br>
They’re also among the most disturbing of fomori.<br>
A Hollow Man (or Woman) is an individual who has been possessed by a Scavenger Pack Bane, they are a hollowed-out skin animated by a colony of vermin, little more than a channel for the black urges of the Wyrm.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Expression 2, Firearms 2, Intimidation 4, Occult 3, Primal-Urge 4, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' None<br>
'''Powers:''' Colony Powers (see sidebar), Dispersion, Immunity to the Delirium, Prolonged Life, Regeneration. Regeneration requires calling more animals from the surrounding area to replenish and mend wounds; if no such creatures are available, the power doesn’t work.<br>
'''Willpower:''' 8<br>
'''Equipment:''' Heavy trench coat and wide-brimmed hat, revolver.<br>
'''Image:''' A Hollow Man can only pass for human at a distance or in poor light. Up close, it becomes clear that they have no eyes, teeth, or tongue. Their skin rustles and surges with the motions of the colony within, and occasionally a member of that colony will peek out through an available orifice, or crawl across the surface of the Hollow Man’s skin. Despite their mutilations, Hollow Men are still able to perceive the world, and to speak, although their voices are the modulated buzzing of hornets, or the chorused hiss of serpents.<br>
'''Genesis:''' Hollow Men are thankfully rare, as the circumstances that permit their creation are quite uncommon. Scavenger Pack Banes can only possess a relatively fresh, mostly hollowed out body. The ideal body is one still in the process of dying. The Bane drives packs of its patron vermin, such as rats, snakes, roaches, or wasps, to stampede into the gutted husk and complete the task of hollowing it out. Within a matter of minutes or hours, the new fomor rises and goes about carrying out the Wyrm’s will.<br>
There is some evidence that the Hollow Man population is now on the rise and that they are associating with one another for the first time in the memory of the Garou. A Hollow Man discovered in Phoenix last year kidnapping students and eviscerating them in a foreclosed ranch house, then called termite swarms out of the walls to create new Hollow Men. Reports of similar stories out of New York, Brisbane, and Cairo circulate among concerned Garou as well. It remains unknown why the Wyrm should desire a greater number of these fomori, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You’re empty. You have your old memories, but not your old life. You hate everything, especially the colony that nips at your skin and skitters across your bones. Nevertheless, you need them. Without them, you’d be so empty. So alone. Without the rats in your eyes, you couldn’t see. Without the rats in your head, you couldn’t think. They’re everything to you now. You need them. You hate them. You need them.
===Example Colony Powers===
Hollow Men are among the upper echelon of fomor power, but the exact nature of that power differs depending on the type of Scavenger Bane possessing them. Some examples are below:<br>
'''Spider Colony:''' Venomous bite, Wall Walking, Webbing<br>
'''Rat Colony:''' Footpads, Infectious Touch, Rat Head<br>
'''Constrictor Colony:''' Maw of the Wyrm, MegaStrength, Rat Head
----
==Normalites==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 135''
These tragic horrors are the result of a number of Pentex projects started during the late 1980s to crush the wills of homosexual men and women through “curative therapy” programs. The ultimate result of the program is a Normalite: a faceless, sexless fomor capable of instinctively detecting the presence of supernatural entities, and filled with an equally instinctive desire to destroy them. Pentex First Teams use packs of these baying, featureless monstrosities to hunt Garou and Kinfolk, and then neutralize their Gifts while strike teams take them apart.<br>
In the twenty-first century, much of the developed world is more accepting of homosexuality than it was, thus it’s much harder to start up the programs needed to make Normalites. Production is mostly concentrated in the United States, Italy, and Africa; Russia started a couple of experimental programs, but hasn’t had time enough to show success. Pentex remains dedicated to expanding their presence abroad by any means necessary, however; they’re simply too useful to give up on.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Brawl 3, Intimidation 4, Primal-Urge 2, Stealth 2<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' None<br>
'''Powers:''' Homogeneity, Immunity to the Delirium, Sense the Unnatural, Venomous Bite<br>
'''Willpower:''' 3<br>
'''Equipment:''' Generally none, not even clothes.<br>
'''Image:''' A Normalite’s bone structure distorts, allowing it to run on all fours. Its body is hairless, sexless, and without distinguishing characteristics such as scars or tattoos. The Normalite’s pigmentation shifts over time until the fomor is an unearthly paper-white. The Normalite’s facial features disappear save for a gaping mouth; somehow, this fails to impair their keen senses.<br>
'''Genesis:''' The first Normalites were the products of a Pentex subsidiary known as Homogeneity, Incorporated, a business centered around “curing” homosexuals of unwanted sexual desires through a $2,000, ten-week course of isolation, religious services, and hypnotherapy. Project Iliad has since diversified, branching out from the original company to sponsor the use of its methods by a number of homosexual “rehab” programs, both Pentex-sponsored and wholly independent. In recent years, it has expanded its operations to include “treatment” of transgendered individuals as well. The banes that create Normalites prey on self-loathing and identity conflicts, and the programs that create Normalites create and magnify these feelings to a disturbing degree. Full possession and transformation takes between six and ten months. The psychological changes begin in a matter of weeks, while physical transformation doesn’t begin until the final month of the process.<br>
In countries where homosexuality isn’t broadly condemned, Pentex funnels significant funds to hate groups, preachers of intolerance, and socially conservative political movements in the hopes of wedging open markets for more projects like Homogeneity, Inc. The Normalites are among their most useful fomori for finding and targeting the Wyrm’s enemies, making further expansion of the program that creates them a vital priority.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' At first, the program seemed like it worked. You realized that your desires were disgusting and wrong, but over time, they faded away. Granted, no heterosexual impulses rose up to replace them, but that was okay, it was enough just to be free, for a while. Then your other desires began to fade as well, even as you became acutely sensitive to the freaks around you. Your rage toward anything “abnormal” grew, even as everything else dimmed out, you managed to become normal, so why couldn’t everyone else? Worst of all were the freaks — and you knew them to be freaks — who seemed completely normal on the outside.<br>
By the time your genitals atrophied away, and your smooth flesh reabsorbed your eyes and nose, all you could think of was to hunt down the other, hate the other, kill the other. That’s when the nice men from Project Iliad came, and showed you how you could help shut down all deviation, once and for all.
----
==Shadowfiends==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 136''
Stalking through the dark corners of the world, Shadowfiends are assassins for Pentex. They strike targets chosen by the company with no emotion or remorse. Difficult to find and extremely loyal, almost all Shadowfiends work within the limits of cities and towns, exterminating whichever threats to the corporation and to the Wyrm as a whole. Their targets often include rabble-rousers and activists who would strike down the company’s power. Pentex also trusts the fomori to confront supernatural targets, sending them after Kinfolk and individual Garou, eliminating problems as they arise.<br>
Shadowfiends are physically dark enough that they must use their abilities to lighten their coloration to blend with the shadows in which they hunt. The fomori rely entirely on stealth and silence to complete their Pentex-given missions before slipping away as quietly as they came. Commonly, the only sign of a Shadowfiend’s work is the lack of a struggle and the look of complete surprise left on the victim’s face.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 6, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 4<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 1, Firearms 2, Investigation 3, Melee 4, Stealth 5, Subterfuge 3<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' Allies 2, Contacts 4, Resources 3<br>
'''Powers:''' Chameleon Coloration (Shadowwalking), Darksight, Immunity to the Delirium, Shadowplay, Silent Aura<br>
'''Willpower:''' 6<br>
'''Equipment:''' GPS tracker; light pistol with silver bullets; silver knife<br>
'''Image:''' Shadowfiends appear as lithe humans, their features slightly elongated. The formor’s skin and eyes are pitch black, making them appear as human-shaped voids rather than actual living beings. Shadowfiends tend to shave all of their hair and work naked due to their natural camouflage.<br>
'''Genesis:''' A product of Project Iliad, all Shadowfiends are created using a special serum crafted by Pentex’ twisted scientsits. Specialists observe potential participants over the course of at least two months before sending invitations offering a large sum of money simply for attending a special seminar. People who respond are treated to a formal dinner and stay in a hotel where the seminar is held. Pentex specialists filter through the attendees, watching them from cameras and listening to their conversations. By the end of the night, they decide who they want.<br>
Everyone will sleep well the following night from the time-release drug laced through the food at the dinner. Those chosen by Pentex are then injected with the serum that sends the victim into pain-laced nightmares for the remainder of the night. The serum opens the person up for possession, and, by the time morning comes, Pentex has created a monster.<br>
The full unification of the Bane and human takes place over the course of two days in which the skin of the victim turns stark black. Upon completion, the Shadowfiend is fully active and capable, ready to complete its first deadly mission.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' Pentex is everything. You live and breathe the will of the company, and you will do all you can to fulfill its requests. You’re not stupid, however. You take your time, analyze your targets, and when you strike, you do it quietly and without fanfare. You’re curt and only speak and do what’s necessary. Your job is to exterminate the enemies of Pentex, and no one is better suited for the task.
----
==Shock Troopers==
''W20 Rage Across the World, pg 105''
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3+, Dexterity 3+, Stamina 2+, Charisma 1+, Manipulation 1+, Appearance (usually) 0, Perception 2+, Intelligence 1+, Wits 2+<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 2, Athletics 2 to 4, Brawl 1 to 3, Intimidation 3, Firearms 3 to 5, Melee 1 or 2, Survival 3, Investigation 2, Medicine 2<br>
'''Powers:''' Each fomor gains the power Fiery Discharge to represent their acidic blood from the Bane infesting it. Chose two more from the following list for each fomor:<br>
Armored Skin, Body-Barbs, Chameleon Coloration, Extra Speed, Immunity to Delirium, Noxious Breath.<br>
'''Equipment:''' These fomori wear military grade armored vests and clothing. They rarely carry spare weapons, as their own bodies constitute their weaponry — treat each one as carrying an assault rifle or assault shotgun. One of them might have a cellular phone or some other communication device to keep in touch with their paramilitary units.<br>
'''Description:''' These formori are bound to Banes of violence. They have mutated weapon-like appendages and acidic blood that they can spit or shoot from their bodies. These troopers are covered in a thin metal covering which protects them. Unfortunately, they do not live long, as they are not immune to the acid in their own blood and it slowly devours them from the inside out.
----
==Sons of Typhon==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137''
Sons of Typhon spawn from depraved antics of the Tau Upsilon Phi fraternity on college campuses around the United States. They spend their time in college drinking to excess, skipping classes, and using drugs and alcohol to get laid. They also learn the nuances of social manipulation from the fraternity system, and make important contacts in secret societies. Even though the brothers commonly work against one another for top positions within the fraternity, they meet any outsiders making a move against the fraternity with unified force.<br>
Sons of Typhon put in the minimum effort necessary to pass classes, and commonly try to get on athletics teams to avoid being kicked out. Upon graduation, Pentex recruiters pick the best and the brightest from the fraternity for high paying jobs, while others find their way into lower positions. Once within the company, they take positions in public relations and other departments where their social manipulation abilities are put to best use. The most athletic of the graduates are often recruited for First Teams, while those with a predatory bent sometimes find roles in Pentex’s competitors, moving them towards a hostile takeover.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4, Perception 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Academics 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Computer 2, Drive 2, Empathy 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Intimidation 3, Leadership 3, Melee 1, Subterfuge 3<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' Allies 3, Contacts 5, Resources 4<br>
'''Powers:''' Armored Skin, Disguise*, Immunity to the Delirium, Tongue of Typhon<br>
'''Willpower:''' 5<br>
'''Equipment:''' Expensive car; concealed pistol; smartphone; tablet<br>
'''Image:''' Sons of Typhon typically appear as they did when they were human. In their true visage, they smile literal ear-to-ear smiles, revealing sharp teeth. Their eyes have vertical slit pupils and the irises are either emerald green or blood red.<br>
'''Genesis:''' Becoming a Son of Typhon requires being accepted into the Tau Upsilon Phi fraternity, which makes itself as appealing as possible to the campus populace. Heads of the fraternity sift through freshman classes and pass out pamphlets depicting attractive women clinging to members. The fraternity’s promises are simple: a place to belong, have fun, and have access to all the women a man could ever need.<br>
The initiation process, however, is hell. Once a potential member is selected to apply, the brotherhood proceeds to tear down his pride. For two weeks, the applicant is subjected to varied forms of humiliation and pain that range from holding heavy bags at arm’s length until told to stop, to straight-up sexual assault. Failure reflects an inability to comply with authority, something the frat won’t accept. Failed pledges are beaten and shamed in any way the members see fit.<br>
The culmination of the two weeks results in a rave. The parties of Tau Upsilon Phi are legendary, and everyone knows only the best get in. This attracts women that frat members drug so they will do anything and everything the men want. The frat is powerful enough that members never face rape charges, often blaming the victims. While Banes commonly lurk around the fraternity buildings, the initiation raves attract more than usual. The Banes seek out new initiates to meld with in the orgy of pleasure and humiliation, bonding with the freshly depraved souls of the successful initiates.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' The world is your puppet to play with as you please. You love to be on top in every respect of your life. The more people who run around and do your bidding, the better you feel. But you also understand authority, and until you hold the reins, you respect it and follow those who do.
----
==Toads==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137''
Toads first emerged during the 1980s, although nobody is sure quite from where. Neither terrible warriors of the Wyrm nor scheming masterminds, Toads tend to pop up in the forgettable middle management of the corporate world. They’ve proliferated since they first appeared, often serving as key actors in Pentex corporate espionage and asset acquisitions operations, but are now a breed on the decline. More brutally competitive creatures are spilling out of the labs of Project Iliad and Project Lycaon (see W20 BotW, pg 167), and the Toads are looking for a new safe haven.<br>
Unfortunately for them, nobody really likes a Toad. Toads spread misery to those beneath them while coveting the more exclusive positions above them, but generally lack the ambition to work for those titles. Late-night office “accidents” along with a spot of well-placed human resources intimidation may suffice to move a Toad up the corporate ladder, but the higher a Toad climbs, the more of a target it becomes.
'''Attributes:''' Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3<br>
'''Abilities:''' Alertness 3, Brawl 2, Intimidation 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 4<br>
'''Backgrounds:''' Contacts 3<br>
'''Powers:''' Barbed Tongue, Immunity to the Delirium.<br>
'''Willpower:''' 5<br>
'''Equipment:''' Automatic pistol, large car, cell phone, laptop.<br>
'''Image:''' Toads seem human at a glance. They’re overweight (but not grossly so), situation-appropriate-but-shabby dressers, with wide-set, bulging eyes. A Toad’s fingers are like damp, clammy sausages, and their complexion starts at bad and gets worse over time.<br>
The true distinguishing feature of a Toad is, of course, his tongue. A Toad’s tongue can extend a full 15 feet and ends in a viciously sharp barb. A Toad can shoot its tongue out to full length in a fraction of a second. When not in use, the tongue collapses into a wad stored in the mouth and throat, sort of like a huge glob of chewing gum; as a direct result, most Toads mumble.<br>
'''Genesis:''' Toads seem to have just ''happened''; no program takes credit for them. They’re not considered particularly valuable by Pentex, and the Black Spiral Dancers hold them in open contempt; as a result, nobody is particularly worried about their declining numbers in the present day, or their ongoing exodus from Pentex into the private sector.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' It’s all about control: the power to hire, to fire, to reward and to punish. You enjoy it when others labor to please you, and hate being looked down on. You let disrespect roll off your back like water when it happens, while making sure you always get even later. You’re a bully at heart. You try to avoid any fight where the odds aren’t stacked in your favor.
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=Fomori Families=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 138''
Not all fomori are created. Some are born.<br>
As the number of fomori increase, they encounter one another more frequently. Drawn together by taint, mission, and sometimes chance, fomori typically work towards a common goal — or just as often, tear each other apart. But occasionally, in a fit of domination, lust, or (rarely) sympathy, fomori become sexually involved. The product of such a union is usually human, but not always. Families of fomori who bred true have appeared in remote areas and cities alike. While still relatively rare, the influx of Wyrm taint has their numbers increasing year by year, and with each successful birthing of a new fomori the creatures come that much closer to overrunning Mother Earth.<br>
The first such family arose in a small community in the heart of Wyoming. One of the locals struck a nest of slumbering Banes while digging for a well. The disruption awoke the spirits, which proceeded to wreak havoc on the town. After a day of terror, the Banes had possessed fully half the town. The other half lay about, feeding the ground with their remains. The new fomori, still human enough to be horrified at what they had done, cut off connections with anyone outside the town. They barricaded themselves in with only one another for company.<br>
They soon fell prey to their urges, and soon enough the fomori produced children. As the community degraded in a swirling mass of debauchery and sadism, the children born lived short, horrible lives full of various tortures. It wasn’t until three years later that a child bred true, emerging from the womb with a Bane in its heart. Inspired by the infant fomor, the townsfolk developed rites and rituals to attract more Banes as they partook in bloody orgies. Soon enough, fomori births became more common. Human children suffered as they always had, and though some were possessed after their births, none lived past their tenth birthday.<br>
The community allowed nobody to leave, and as they reached sexual maturity, the new generation joined in the orgies of sex and violence. More offspring spawned from the unholy unions and, after two generations, the town started to slowly expand with a growing fomori population. The Black Spiral Dancers dubbed the town Hell, Wyoming, and the name stuck.<br>
Pockets similar to Hell, Wyoming exist throughout the rural areas of the world. The isolated fomori families are masses of inbreeding, caring not about who has mated with whom. Conceived from taint and sin, the children of such families have the best chance of breeding true. Half are born with a Bane clinging to their soul. The community looks down upon those who aren’t born possessed as second-class citizens and use them as victims for their sick games. They often die after just a few years. Children who do breed true are greeted with enthusiasm and ritual. The young usually inherit a deformity from each of their parents, but the communities need and desire diversity. Over the years, the elders have created a number of rites to give their offspring more power. When a fomor child survives to the age of five, the community gathers for an infernal baptism. They brand gylphs into the skin of the child as the elders call for the Wyrm to bestow favor on the youth. At the culmination of the ritual, the fomor gains a new deformity fitting of her personality.<br>
Outsiders stumbling upon these isolated groups rarely leave. They’re used as twisted playthings or subjected to torture depending on the whims of the families. The fomori commonly kill their victims in brutal survival games or lock them up and torture them until they die — or accept the Wyrm and become fomori themselves. The fomori don’t use captives as breeding stock. The chances of a child breeding true are much smaller with a non-fomor parent. Conceiving children with outsiders is a waste of time and effort. When elders discover forbidden couplings, they carve the unborn out of the mother’s womb. If the mother dies in the process, it is of no concern to them.<br>
Remote communities are not the only places an unwary victim might find fomori families. As their numbers increase in urban areas, so have families started to spread. Ironically, the poor and downtrodden are not the most likely to harbor Bane-ridden families. Instead, the lower-middle class hide most of the urban atrocities.<br>
Deluded into believing that they are an evolution above humans, the urban families strive to keep their powers secret from the public while maintaining seemingly ordinary lives. Members who can pass as human find occupations through which they can spread their taint. Those who can’t take low-level jobs at various Pentex subsidiaries. Company recruiters keep tabs on the families, offering education to any children who can’t attend a normal school due to their deformities.<br>
Urban families do not fall into the mass of inbreeding that is prevalent among their rural counterparts. Instead, their children spread out into the world, through Pentex initiatives and through cults masquerading as family support groups, meeting other humans and fomori with whom to start relationships. Such relationships devolve into hatred, anger, and abuse, but sometimes the two fomori form a permanent link and, despite hating each other, they find themselves drawn back to one another time and again.<br>
Large fomori families are very rare in the cities. The possessed, after all, have access to an unlimited human population. Because their blood is not as strong, they breed true with other fomori only one time in ten. Any offspring conceived with a human has no chance of being born with a Bane in her heart. Due to the lack of inbreeding, the children are all born with one inherited deformity — which can come from either parent — and a new power of their own. Their deformities are not as obvious to casual observation, and they are more likely to pass as normal in society. The children have a chance to accept their Bane and grow with it. Many who survive to adulthood are true horrors, fully accepting of what they are and the powers and deformities they possess.<br>
Inspired by the fomori ability to breed true, Pentex started Project Echidna, using genetic engineering to take spiritual decay into its own hands. All of the Project’s attempts to create fertile fomori in a controlled environment has failed. All children conceived in the labs have either been normal humans or have died in their mothers’ wombs. Frustrated, the company has turned its attention elsewhere.<br>
Hidden in zoo laboratories around the world, Project Echidna employees work fervently to recreate fomori families in various lines of animals. Unlike humans, the experiments have met with some success. They’ve created fertile fomori among carnivores, with the greatest success rate occurring among wolves and the great cats. They keep the offspring away from their parents after birth to stop the young killing their siblings — or the parents feasting upon their children. Project Echidna nurseries have found that fomori animals bred and raised in this manner have more control over themselves than their wild counterparts, making them trainable. The company raises and trains the creatures, keeping them separated, until they reach maturity. Siblings share most of their powers and deformities, and only a select few gain more as they mature. Project Echidna is actively working to make their fomori spawn stronger, keeping the best for future breeding stock, but their funding is being siphoned off into Project Lycaon’s attempts to create shapeshifters.<br>
When the fomori come into their full powers, they are shipped off to different departments and subsidiaries where they commonly act as guard animals. Some make their way into First Teams where they are used to track down Garou in a similar fashion to police K9 units. Black Spiral Dancers will sometimes buy the less deformed creatures and then use them against Garou and Fera alike. Werewolves suddenly ambushed by great cats with strange powers might find themselves placing blame where it doesn’t belong.
----
=Fomarchs=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 139''
Standing in direct contrast to the tried-and-true fomori breeds, the atrocities-in-flesh known as fomarchs are a new experiment by Pentex, part of the company’s ongoing efforts to lessen its dependence on other Wyrm-spawn such as the Black Spiral Dancers. Fomori are all well and good as disposable shock troops. They’re cheap, easy to replace, and versatile in their variety of hideous forms, but their benefits are generally their drawbacks. They’re short-lived, generally dying by their third deployment, and most of them have to be housed and trained well out of the public eye due to their hideous mutations. Most of all, they’re weak—very few fomori are capable of standing up to a werewolf in single combat. Fielding them in strike teams only mitigates this problem to some degree, since the Garou normally operate in packs as well.<br>
Fomarchs are a next-generation experiment in “elite” fomori. Pentex designed fomarchs to have fully concealable powers. Each fomarch has, at minimum, the Bestial Mutation power. They should work as solo operatives, or with backup from “normal” fomori. To be considered a success, a fomarch must be free of any drawbacks that severely curtail its life-expectancy, must have powers at least on par with a Ferectoi, must be able to completely conceal its powers by adopting an outwardly-human guise, and must be at least functionally sane. Pentex has attempted a number of methods to create fomarchs, experimenting with multi-Bane possession, binding of exceedingly mighty Banes into hosts, and even with mystic and genetic augmentation of standard fomori. The majority of these experiments have created deformed, hulking failures, which become as fodder for the front lines or the vivisection tables, but each success helps the company zero in on a reliable method to augment its forces with elite special operatives and mighty leaders, at least, so Pentex hopes.<br>
A handful of fomarchs is detailed below; each considered a success by Pentex. All fomarchs are, to date, unique. Pentex has yet to devise a method of reliably creating fomarch “breeds.”
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===Icomammus===
The fomarch Icomammus is a horse-sized, wraith-like being that seems to hover over the ground. Unlike other fomarchs, extreme physical violence isn’t its strength. The threat of Icomammus comes from within. The monster’s body is a semi-translucent shell of deceptive hardness, with the general shape and bioluminescent appearance of a jellyfish, down to the hundreds of whip like stingers that dangle from its body. But the bell-like horror isn’t just an empty cartilaginous ball of mesoglea. As the ghostly fomarch drifts in the wind, the cloudy liquids floating within its body clear, and a gray, human-sized fetus suspended within, lacking a nose or mouth. Its enormous jet-black eyes sometimes cut through the liquor amnii to peer out. Those who catch its gaze can feel Icomammus rifling through their thoughts and memories.<br>
In addition to this telepathic probe, Icomammus supports itself by psychic projection, though its telekinetic gifts do not extend beyond self-propulsion. The rest of its vast psychic powers depend entirely on the delivery of a toxic sting from one of its many tentacles. After injecting a target with the psychoactive venom of Icomammus, the fiend may project illusions intense enough that they become like reality, to the point of doing extreme psychosomatic damage to victims.
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===Temenathus the Great===
The fomarch called Temenathus was adapted from a failed NDL (see W20 BotW, pg 167) project attempting to recreate the extinct Camazotz using a genetic werewolf-fomor hybrid and the spirit of a bat. The charnel beast that resulted was not a proper shapeshifter, but rather a man-bat horror whose slavering, unhinged jaw, and incessant screaming made it one of the most terrifying fomarchs produced by Pentex. Temenathus is a hulking beast with arms that drag the ground, trailing the leathery membranes and long bony fingers of a bat’s wings. Its wings don’t allow flight, but they do support enough of its considerable weight to allow it to glide. With its coal-gray, wolf-like fur, the beast is rather adept at blending into shadows, getting the moon at its back and then descending down on its victims.<br>
Temenathus screams when it moves, its shrieking echoes creating a sonic reference point for its auditory senses. When it fights, it primarily uses the long, diseaseinfested claws at the ends of its human-like hands to slash victims, using its giant unhinging jaw full of bristling needle sharp teeth to rip the flesh from corpses. In addition to its tremendous speed and strength, that rivals some Crinos Garou, Temenathus’s salivary glands can release acid when it bites, allowing it to deliver a festering, and mortal wound. Recently, Temenathus developed incredibly overdeveloped shoulder muscles that open up to reveal soft glands that can squirt streams of this acid up to 10 yards away. Opening its shoulder glands releases such a terrible stench that the smell alone can send victims reeling; allowing even a human nose to detect and track Temenathus for hours after it uses this attack.
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===Unicorn===
The fomarch codenamed Unicorn is a deliberate insult to the Children of Gaia. In many ways, it is more limited than other fomarchs, though Pentex scientists hope to generate arms and legs in the next iteration of the horror. For now, Unicorn remains of use only in aquatic deployments. Having the body of a great white shark with a huge proboscis from the top of its head, and four pectoral fins rather than two, Unicorn is so-named for the gigantic conical chitin spike that juts from its proboscis. This appendage pushes down at the monstrosity’s skull so forcefully that its eyes are sunken beneath their sockets, leaving bloody, ragged holes where they should be.<br>
This headspike is not just a weapon, but also a beacon that makes the Unicorn receptive to sensations generated by Wyrm-based Gifts. As a result, the Black Spiral Dancers can use their Gifts to both lead and track Unicorn. Its horn also leads it to nature spirits, which it can strike from the physical world. Unicorn’s horn contains so much tainted Gnosis that it can strike both physical and Umbral targets with equal facility. Finally, the creature’s horn allows it to hear the prayers and rituals used by the warriors of Gaia. Though limited by where it can swim, it has led Pentex-crewed ships right to the shores of remote islands and hidden coasts sporting the cairns and holdfasts of the Garou and their allies on half a dozen occasions.<br>
Kinfolk whom Unicorn hunts dream of a great glowing-eyed single-horned beast pursuing them through the shadows. Other times, their nightmares feature a great shark-shadow passing under the clouds.
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=Supernatural Fomori=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 141''
Possessing Banes twist human flesh and human minds into a mockery of Gaia’s design, but what happens when a person has already become something other than human? What happens when a Bane tries to possess an already-supernatural beings?<br>
In short: nothing good.<br>
Most Banes simply can’t do it. Supernatural beings tend to have some built-in protection against possession, meaning that only the strongest or most specialized of Banes have a shot at possessing a vampire, mage, or — Gaia forbid — a werewolf. Still, it happens occasionally, and the results can be among the most gruesome things a pack of Garou may ever have to face.
==Vampires==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 141''
Vampires are hard to possess. Perhaps the Curse of Caine is such a potent form of damnation that any lesser affliction has trouble taking root; perhaps it has something to do with vampires already being dead. Whatever the reason, very few Banes can find any purchase in a vampire’s pale and withered soul. Those that do tend to be Banes of blood and madness, and they can make a vampire’s unlife very short and very unpleasant indeed. Detailed below are two examples of the kind of fomori possible when a Bane manages to curl up in the black and empty pit that was once a vampire’s soul.
===Bloodworms===
The Garou regard vampires as blood-sucking cannibal corpses, thus obviously making them servants of the Wyrm. Vampires would differ. They have a flowery adage — ''a beast I am lest a beast I become'' — that describes their fundamental dilemma. Each vampire wages an eternal battle to hold onto some shreds of the person she used to be, lest she become nothing but a mindless animal howling for blood. However, in order to maintain that control, the vampire must do terrible things to appease her cursed nature, things corrosive to maintaining her soul. It’s a poignant and complex struggle, which plays out over a span of centuries or even longer.<br>
Or, it ends quickly and prematurely when a Bane known as a Thirster manages to slip into a vampire’s soul during frenzy.<br>
It’s an excellent partnership at first. The vampire grows more resilient, and her blood seems more powerful and potent. But her self-control starts eroding soon after, and it becomes much easier for the scent of blood to send her into a killing frenzy. The Bane eats another piece of what’s left of the vampire’s soul during each murderous revel, until there’s nothing left but a creeping, blood-thirsty corpse. That’s when the real renovations begin.<br>
Unlike a normal vampire lost to the Beast, there’s still something controlling a Bloodworm — the Bane. A Bloodworm is a cunning, canny predator, using its mutated body and its vampiric Disciplines to seek out the blood of Gaia’s defenders.
'''Powers:''' Blood Gorge, Corpse Hide. After losing all Humanity: Darksight, Rat Head, Slobbersnot, Wall Walking.<br>
'''Image:''' At first, the vampire seems no different than she did before possession. Once the Bane finishes eating her soul, the vampire’s body undergoes radical alteration. Her fangs disappear as the Bane repurposes her tongue into a far more effective blood-drinking tool in the form of a three-foot long, jointed siphon ending in a deadly sharp needle, which folds up in the throat when not in use. The vampire’s skin turns deep red, and glistens with a thin layer of bloody lubrication. Her limbs wither into corpselike sticks, after about six months they fall off entirely. The vampire’s torso elongates into a fleshy sack designed to store blood, while her pupils grow to take up almost the entirety of her eyes. Muscular, rasp-like bands line the underside of the torso, allowing the vampire to move with terrifying speed through muscular contraction, and even to ooze up walls and across ceilings.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You’re an ambush predator, and don’t have any worries in the world to distract you from the hunt for blood. The blood is everything, and when you’re warm and sloshing full of it, you’re content to hide and digest. It’s perfect. You can’t remember why you wanted to fight this.
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===Draugr===
Most young Garou are understandably paranoid about vampire bites, but their more seasoned septmates know that it doesn’t work like the movies, and thank Gaia, or else the world would be up to its neck in Leeches. The vampires themselves are well aware of how difficult it is to create more of their kind, and this lets them hunt and kill with impunity.<br>
Then a Rot Walker enters the picture.<br>
Draugr are among the rarest fomori in the world, and this is a very fortunate thing. Rot Walkers normally only possess the dead, and have little interest in vampires. When such a Bane does turn its attention to a vampire, it normally lacks the strength to adapt its normal form of possession from the dead to the undead. However, on those few occasions when it works, the result is a nightmare: for the vampire, for the Masquerade, and for the sept that has to clear out the Draugr and its brood. Possession by a Rot Walker erases some of the vampire’s distinguishing characteristics. On the plus side, it no longer needs to sleep more than a couple of hours during the day, and sunlight inflicts bashing rather than aggravated damage. Less welcome are the fact that its fangs shorten and dull (inflicting lethal rather than aggravated damage), and its bite no longer inflicts a hypnotic euphoria, it just hurts. Nor can the vampire close its own bite wounds. Given that most vampires bite right into a major artery and then seal the wound, a Draugr leaves its victims bleeding out. What makes the Draugr so dangerous though comes after a victim dies of its bite.<br>
They get back up.<br>
A Draugr victim isn’t a vampire, though it’s vampire-like. Twelve hours after death, the corpse reanimates with most of its mind and personality intact, driven by a strange homing instinct to seek out the Draugr. Though the homing instinct remains, everything else fades quickly. The victim’s psyche breaks down in less than six hours, rendering the corpse a shambling cadaver no smarter than a dog, though it can and will follow simple instructions from its maker. The corpse becomes violent when something gets in the way of finding its creator. Twelve hours after reanimation, the corpse develops fangs like the Draugr’s, and it seeks out blood if left unattended. The corpse avoids sunlight at this point, though it will be another 24 hours before sunlight actually harms it in the same way it does the Draugr. A Draugr-thrall never develops Disciplines, and can’t use the Blood Points it consumes for any purpose other than to keep itself animate for another day, a requirement that begins three days after reanimation. The thrall can be destroyed by filling its health track with lethal damage; it doesn’t experience torpor.
'''Powers:''' The Rising. Anyone killed by the fomor’s bite rises as a corpse-servant, as detailed above.<br>
'''Image:''' The Draugr looks a little more dead than other vampires do. His complexion is waxy and ashen, his eyes dull, his mouth and hands dry. His eyes become dull and corpselike. His thralls look like exactly what they are: ambulatory, hungry cadavers, which look more and more gruesome as they collect incidental wear and tear, which the blood they consume cannot heal. They give urgent moans upon scenting fresh blood.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You’re not sure why this is happening — it’s hard to feed, now, and when you kill someone, they come back. You don’t have to sleep so much during the day, which at least gives you time to watch over your growing collection of corpse-servants and to think about what to do with them. You know you’ve become a Masquerade breach waiting to happen, but at this rate, you’re going to have enough loyal muscle to get even with all the other vampires in the city before they start calling for your head. Maybe this could be your ticket to becoming Prince...
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==Werewolves==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 143''
Can a werewolf become a fomor? Absolutely. It doesn’t happen very often, though. Any Garou who isn’t already deep in the Wyrm’s thrall will feel something amiss as soon as possession begins, and the Garou are uniquely capable of stopping the process (generally by stepping into the Umbra and tearing the offending Bane to shreds). Once in a while, though, it happens, and the resulting fomor is one of the gravest and most personal insults to Gaia and the Garou Nation that a werewolf can conceive of.<br>
Generally, only the youngest of cubs gets possessed. It’s not a fast or simple process where a werewolf is concerned (the difficulty of possession is always 9), and even making the attempt is usually enough to set the local sept on the warpath. Most Banes are smart enough to realize it’s not worth the trouble. There are always a few exceptions, though, and there is one particular breed of Bane specializing in possessing werewolves.<br>
The Garou aren’t the only shapeshifters on the block, of course. Curiously, the other Fera do not share a uniform resistance to possession. In general, the deeper a Changing Breed’s link to the Umbra, the more possible possession becomes. Those shapeshifters that can’t naturally step sideways into the Umbra tend to be nearly immune to Bane possession.<br>
Finally, the Black Spiral Dancers vary on the subject of Bane possession. A few of the tribe’s most hardcore Wyrm fanatics see the invitation of a Bane into their soul as an act of ultimate communion with their Dark Father. The majority of the Spirals, on the other hand, look on the idea of werewolf fomori with revulsion and horror. Fomori are sick jokes, the lowliest of the Wyrm’s minions, disposable chaff fit only for shock troops and servants. For a Black Spiral Dancer to submit himself to that sort of slavery and indignity is repugnant. Most Banes know better than to attempt to possess a Black Spiral Dancer without an invitation first; the Wyrm’s wolves can be creative indeed in exacting retribution.
===Howling Shamblers===
One particular sort of Bane, known as a Howling Insanity, specializes in possessing Garou. The  Bane still doesn’t have a terribly high rate of success, but Pentex is busy working on a way to standardize the process and make it easier.<br>
The fomori created by Howling Insanities are known as Howling Shamblers, and they’re among the most wretched of the Wyrm’s conscripts. The sheer spiritual poison of the Bane bonded to the Garou’s soul rots the werewolf’s mind and body from the inside out. Derangements blossom soon after possession, even as regeneration-resistant cancers unfurl inside the werewolf’s body. The need to howl becomes a compulsion, and the werewolf’s cry echoes with the voice of the Wyrm. Few Howling Shamblers manage to live more than six months, and there is only the beginning of the horror.
'''Powers:''' Howling (as Roar of the Wyrm), Shambling.<br>
'''Image:''' A living Howling Shambler tends to look like a crazy homeless person: shaking, filthy, mumbling to himself, and bursting out with periodic howls as the tumors and other diseases eat away at his mind. In Crinos, the Shambler’s fur is mangy and falling out, and his body is covered in weeping sores. After reanimation, the fomor looks like a shuffling, hungry corpse, rotting as it shambles toward its next meal.<br>
'''Roleplaying Notes:''' You’re so confused now—a few months ago, you were strong and proud, but now everything seems to be going wrong. It’s — AROOO! — it’s hard to concentrate, and you itch and ache all the time. Sometimes your thoughts don’t line up so well. Sometimes you want to do awful things, like something was whispering in your ear. AROOO! But the wolf’s still alive and well in you, and it wants to hunt and howl.
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==Mages==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 144''
Mages, for all that they dabble in powers Gaia did not intend for humanity, remain fundamentally human. As such, they’re susceptible to Bane possession, and all the horrors that come with it.<br>
Mages ''do'' have a few things going for them. Their souls are particularly powerful and resilient. The difficulty to possess a mage is three higher than it would otherwise be. Once possession begins, many mages are capable of wielding magic to contest the Bane’s efforts directly.<br>
On the other hand, mages who deal with spirits don’t always know what they’re getting into, and some foolish or wicked mystics may actively invite Banes into themselves, believing they will be able to command the spirit, or not understanding the bargain they’re making. Either way, the result is a fomor wielding both the degrading blessings of the Wyrm and the mystic power of an Awakened soul.<br>
In the long run, this isn’t a good thing for anybody other than the Wyrm. A mage fomor retains full access to her magic, and gets new powers, to boot. It seems like a great deal. At least until the mage attempts her next Seeking (a kind of mystic trance in which the mage communes with a portion of her soul in the hopes of achieving greater enlightenment). The mage discovers that her Avatar partially fused with the possessing Bane, covered in weeping sores, rugose scales, or some other outward sign of its corruption. A fomor cannot successfully complete any further Seekings. The Avatar doesn’t even offer enlightenment, but instead tempts the mage deeper and deeper into the sick philosophy of the Wyrm. Rather than Ascension, it speaks of the glory of destruction, the purity of annihilation, and the joy of scourging and defiling an ignorant and malleable reality. “Success” on such a Seeking simply allows the mage to escape with her sanity intact; failure bestows a Derangement and costs the mage a dot of Arete.<br>
Worse, the mage’s corruption spreads out into her magic. Her vulgar magic taints the substance of reality with the Wyrm’s taint, acting as a beacon to Banes, who may glean an extra point or two of Essence from the free-floating, tainted energies. Soon, swarms of Banes constantly follow the mage in the Penumbra. If left unchecked for long enough, it may act as a catalyst to despoil an entire city. Certainly, she’s a severe threat to any place of spiritual power she interacts with.<br>
Excising a Bane from its fomor host with magic is a possible, but difficult, and a fomor mage can’t perform the exorcism on herself. Even with the Bane removed, the mage is likely to suffer lingering damage to her soul and magic. If she’s lucky, it won’t persist into her next incarnation.
----
==Changelings==
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 144''
Those few fae remaining on Earth are strangely resilient to the power of the Wyrm. Their faerie souls shrug off the attentions of Banes without the changeling even being aware of the attempt. It is as though they are another order of being, indifferent to the wars of the Triat.<br>
Yet, changelings are not purely fae. To survive in the magically barren modern world, most of the Earth’s remaining faeries have hidden themselves away in a guise of mortal flesh, and this flesh remains vulnerable to the attentions of the Wyrm’s minions. A changeling who has forgotten, temporarily or permanently, her fae nature is susceptible to Bane possession (though the difficulty to do so is still one higher than normal or two higher in the case of sidhe). A changeling who becomes a fomor in this fashion cannot recall her fae soul so long as the possessing Bane remains in residence. Her true nature remains trapped and slumbering, and in deadly peril. Generally speaking, barring miraculous treasures of the Dreaming, or the assistance of Fianna Theurges capable of driving out the Bane, a changeling fomor is doomed to live out the remainder of its days as an ignorant thrall of the Wyrm.<br>
When a changeling fomor dies, its faerie soul is in terrible jeopardy, and may fall into the jaws of the Wyrm to be destroyed forever. Roll the fomor’s Glamour rating against difficulty 7. If the roll succeeds, the changeling’s soul passes on to its next incarnation as normal, if it fails, the soul is destroyed as surely as if struck down by cold iron.
----
=Everything Else=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 145''
What of the other odd residents of the World of Darkness? Generally, they’re out of luck.<br>
Kinfolk are as susceptible to Bane possession as anyone else, to the lament and horror of their Garou relatives. Indeed, Pentex often specifically targets Kinfolk when able; who better to strike against the Garou than those closest to them?<br>
Those blood-addicted servants that vampires know as ghouls are still fundamentally human, and thus similarly vulnerable. So too, might Banes possess those of the strange bloodlines of “ghoul families” known as revenants, and even —hypothetically — the rumored and possibly apocryphal children of mortals and thin-blooded vampires.<br>
Mortals who dabble in the world of the supernatural generally have no special protection from becoming fomori, with the exception of the Imbued, “hunters” of all stripes, from the Society of Leopold and the Arcanum to Strike Force Zero and the Shih, are all vulnerable to possession.<br>
Hedge mages, psychics, and mediums are also at risk of possession. Pentex has a specialized program known as Project Aeneid dedicated to experimenting with psychic fomori. Such individuals do not even enjoy the slight protection afforded to greater supernatural beings, due to the way their gifts require them to open themselves up to the world.<br>
Finally, those fae-blooded individuals known as kinain are considered entirely mortal for the purposes of the possession Charm.
----
=Nope, Doesn't Work=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 144''
So what kinds of creatures are Banes simply incapable of tackling at all? Quite a few things.<br>
Among the Fera, both the Nagah and Corax cannot be possessed. The Nagah tricked the whole spirit world into thinking they are extinct, and this spirit-blindness helps them even now. The Rite of the Spirit Egg that creates a new Corax ends up with the wereraven’s spiritual half “possessing” the young shapeshifter, blocking further attempts at possession.<br>
Wraiths, being incorporeal spirits themselves, can’t be possessed by Banes. Even those re-embodied spirits known as the Risen are immune to possession, as they are essentially corpses being driven around by a resident ghost. It seems the body doesn’t have room for a second possession.<br>
The Kuei-Jin are immune to Bane possession as well, possibly for reasons similar to the Risen; indeed, the Kuei-Jin often make use of fomori as lieutenants, lackeys, and ceremonial guards. The same sort of protection also seems to apply to the ''hsien''.<br>
Those hunters known as the Imbued cannot be possessed. Presumably, this is another gift from their enigmatic patrons.<br>
Mummies are completely impervious to Wyrmish possession, thanks to some mystic protection granted by the Spell of Life. There are persistent rumors of “Bane mummies” created thousands of years ago, but those appear to have been raised up through a corrupted version of the Spell of Life.<br>
Finally, demons are entirely immune to possession of any kind.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Fomor Powers">
'''Addictive Presence'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 130''
'''Description:''' Addictive Presence requires the Enticer to spend a scene interacting with a target, and then to spend a point of Willpower and roll Manipulation + Subterfuge against the target’s Wits + Primal Urge (difficulty 6 in both cases). If the Enticer wins, then the subject is addicted to his presence, and will go to extremes in order to be with the Enticer again; once per week, the target may make another roll to attempt to break this addiction.
----
'''Barbed Tongue'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 138''
'''Description:''' Barbed Tongue functions as a hybrid of both Lashing Tail and Frog Tongue, being capable of both capturing targets and inflicting damage with its sharp tip at the fomor’s discretion. Particularly old or vicious Toads may also possess Venomous Bite, which can be applied with their tongue.
----
'''Blood Gorge'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 142''
'''Description:''' This power doubles the size of a vampire’s Blood Pool, but causes her to fail all hunger frenzy rolls, and to automatically fail any Humanity rolls she makes.
----
'''Corpse Hide'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 142''
'''Description:''' Corpse Hide allows the vampire to soak damage at a difficulty two lower than normal.
----
'''Disguise'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137''
'''Description:''' Sons of Typhon can hide their true appearance. They look exactly as they did before they were possessed. They can drop the disguise if they so choose, but few rarely do.
----
'''Howling''' - as Roar of the Wyrm
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 143''
'''Description:''' Editor's note: Where the fuck is Roar of the Wyrm details??
----
'''Silent Aura'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 136''
'''Description:''' Silent Aura creates an area of silence around the Shadowfiend. By rolling Wits + Stealth (difficulty 6), the Shadowfiend can negate all sound within a fifteen-foot radius. The whole area is entirely silent. The effect lasts for a one turn per success.
----
'''Shambling'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 143''
'''Description:''' When a Howling Shambler dies, it gets up one turn later and finishes whatever it was doing — making dinner, fighting a Pentex First Team, whatever. Once that task is accomplished, the Howling Shambler goes ambling off to find, kill, and eat anything with werewolf blood in it. The reanimated Shambler is nearly unstoppable. Its chopped off limbs keep crawling or rolling along with the rest of the body. Only burning, melting, or smashing it into a raw pulp of meat and gristle will stop it (in game terms, the thing must be killed with fire or acid, or have its health track filled with aggravated damage twice over; even then, the parts keep twitching and flopping until they’re burned).
----
'''Siren’s Veil'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 130''
'''Description:''' Siren’s Veil adds two to the fomor’s Social Attribute ratings, and allows him to roll Appearance + Empathy against a difficulty of a target’s Willpower to appear as their ideal mate, even radically changing the Enticer’s age, or making him appear as a different gender. If this roll fails, the Enticer simply appears to be a generic, attractive individual.
----
'''Tongue of Typhon''' - As Homid Gift: Persuasion.
''W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137''
'''Description:''' This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).
----
</tab>
<tab name="Black Spiral Dancers">
=Playing the Wyrm’s Bastards=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 117''
Just to put this up-front: We don’t recommend allowing Black Spiral Dancers as playable characters. The Black Spiral Dancers are monsters. Not heroic monsters, not ferocious avenging angels of nature unbound to seek retribution for the rape and plunder of the Earth, not implacable warriors driven by righteous anger, they’re just monsters. That is both their purpose and their self-justification for not trying to be anything more. They torture, maim, and ruin because doing those things is easy and satisfying on a childish, simple level, and they’ve lost or given away whatever part of them once aspired to something more.<br>
The Black Spiral Dancers are intelligent monsters, capable of reason and emotion and self-reflection, and so they drape their atrocities in self-serving philosophy and lies. They claim to be enlightened, even as they send their sons and daughters to have their minds broken upon the wheel that is the Black Spiral Labyrinth. They claim to be free, even as they do the bidding of the Wyrm’s various avatars. They claim to be predator kings ruling over a dead Earth, the victors of an Apocalyptic war that is already done and over, but they still hunt the Garou, and are hunted in turn. In the stillness of their black hearts, they know that their words are lies and that they are brutes gnawing at the still-beating heart of the world. They believe that their hatred, hunger, and rage are justified, and pretend that their ‘love’ doesn’t ruin and degrade those humans and wolves unfortunate enough to share in their tainted blood. They’re wrong.<br>
The Black Spiral Dancers are broken, twisted things imagining that they stand tall. They’re slaves marveling over the gilding of their chains. They’re the worst excesses and mistakes of the Garou once the urge to do or be something better is taken away.<br>
We don’t recommend playing them. We’ve only gone into as much detail on the Wolves of the Wyrm as we have in this book to give Storytellers a chance to give Garou heroes a good, hard look at the path that leads to damnation, and how easy it is to justify that trip. Perhaps a player wants a character who plans to escape the Tribe and seek atonement and reconciliation with Gaia. If, for whatever reason, a Storyteller finds himself needing to generate a Black Spiral Dancer character on equal footing with a starting Garou the rules to do so can be found on page 425 of W20. Expanded mechanics for Storytellers to represent Black Spiral characters make up the remainder of this chapter.<br>
Do not push for this if everyone at the table isn’t comfortable with it. The Black Spiral Dancers are dark subject matter, even for a dark game like Werewolf. Please be respectful of your fellow gamers’ boundaries, and try to tackle the very real horrors that are part and parcel to the Black Spiral experience responsibly if it’s done at all.
----
=Blessings of the Destroyer=
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118''
Few Garou spend much time dwelling on the sacred Pact that grants them their Gifts. A Gift is second nature to a werewolf once bestowed. It seems entirely right and natural. As such, only a few Theurges understand that the Pact is a binding contract between all werewolves and all courts and branches of the spirit world. No right-minded Garou would ever seek instruction from the Wyrm’s foul children, but under the conditions of the Pact, they could.<br>
The Black Spiral Dancers are anything but right-minded Garou, and they have discovered a world of spiritual power offered by the Destroyer’s children that their Gaian brethren could hardly imagine. What follows is a list of Wyrmish Gifts, not merely “Black Spiral Dancer tribal Gifts,” although they’re here too, but an entire constellation of corrupted spirit-blessings suited for all Breeds and Auspices.
----
=Black Spiral Dancer Gifts=
<div class="mw-customtoggle-breed" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] BSD Breed Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-breed">
Black Spiral Dancers draw Breed Gifts from many of the same sources as the Garou, save that they undertake communion with deeply corrupt or mercenary spirits, or hunt down Gaian spirits and subject them to corruption in order to make proper teachers of them.
=Homid Gifts=
Black Spiral Dancers have access to the same homid Gifts as Gaian Garou, with the exception of Calm the Savage Beast.
==Level One==
'''Aura of Poison'''
''Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer surrounds herself in a toxic miasma strong enough to cause even a human’s dull sense of smell to pick up the reek of a lethal stew of mercury, sulfuric acid, formaldehyde, and countless other chemicals. The message is clear: the Dancer is death, and should not be trifled with. A Halassh teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' After a turn spent concentrating and the expenditure of a point of Gnosis, the werewolf is surrounded by a lethal scent for the rest of the scene. No creature lacking a Rage rating will initiate violence unless attacked first.
----
==Level Two==
'''Power Surge'''
''W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118''
'''Description:''' By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.
----
==Level Three==
'''Call the Rust'''
''W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118''
'''Description:''' By whistling softly through his teeth, the werewolf can summon sudden and destructive rust onto any metal within his immediate vicinity. Guns corrode and jam, knives crumble, and cars become flaking hunks of junk. This Gift is taught by a water elemental.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Crafts, with a difficulty depending on the amount of metal being corroded. A gun or knife would be difficulty 6, while a car might be difficulty 8.
----
==Level Four==
'''Feast of Man-Flesh'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancers know of the power locked away in the flesh of men. By eating the uncooked flesh of a human being, the werewolf may temporarily borrow that person’s knowledge and skills. A cannibal spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift’s effects are permanent. By eating at least one pound of human flesh, the Spiral Dancer may absorb up to (Gnosis rating) of the following: dots of Abilities the victim possessed (up to a maximum of the victim’s rating in the Abilities in question) or facts the victim knew (chosen by the Dancer’s player). These stolen benefits continue for (Rage rating) days. The Dancer may retain Abilities and information from only one victim at a time. Non-human beings wearing human forms such as homid Garou, changelings, fomori, and vampires do not count as human for the purposes of this Gift, but Kinfolk, ghouls, Imbued hunters, and mages do.
----
=Metis Gifts=
Black Spiral Dancer metis have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for Totem Gift.
==Level One==
'''Bleed'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' The metis can leak phantasmal blood, manifesting false injuries if she is unwounded, or producing enormous quantities of blood from minor wounds. Many Spirals use this Gift to ‘play dead’ when a battle is going poorly, or to frame innocents for vicious attacks. A Crimson Pestilent teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the character may issue fake blood in whatever quantities she likes, so long as it doesn’t exceed the volume actually contained in her body (assume 10 pints in Homid, 20 pints in Crinos, and 7 in Lupus). She can’t drown her enemies in a tsunami of blood. Since the ichor is fake, she takes no damage; it fades at the next sunse.
----
==Level Three==
'''Nobody’s Bastard'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' Nobody wants to recognize a metis, and with this Gift, nobody will. A metis using this Gift is unrecognizable to all who see her. A Bane of abandonment teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, nobody who sees the metis will know who she is for the rest of the scene. Observers don’t mistake her for anyone else; they simply see her as an unknown stranger. Their memories remain even after the scene — they don’t suddenly remember that the Garou using this Gift is the stranger.
----
'''Visceral Agony'''
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.
----
=Lupus Gifts=
Lupus Black Spiral Dancers have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts.
==Level One==
'''Ways of the Urban Wolf'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancers are free to indulge in those natural urges that Gaia bids her defenders to restrain: to hunt man through the streets of the cities, to revel in his fear-stench, to drink his blood and eat his flesh. This Gift, taught by Wyrm elementals, makes the Dancer a master of such urban hunts.
'''System:''' Reduce difficulty of all Perception, Stealth, and Survival rolls to track and hunt prey in urban environments by 2. The effects of this Gift are permanent. It doesn’t enhance any rolls once combat begins, and can only be used to track intelligent prey such as humans, Garou, and vampires.
----
==Level Three==
'''Thousand Teeth'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' Sharp teeth are the hallmarks of the ultimate predator, and the ways of the Wyrm’s wolves celebrate nothing if not excess. The muzzle of a werewolf using this Gift erupts with dozens of extra teeth. Black Spiral Dancers learn this Gift from Scrags, while Gaian Garou occasionally learn it from shark-spirits.
'''System:''' The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 5). She enjoys +3 damage dice on bite attacks. The Gift lasts for one bite attack per success; any remaining boosted bites are lost at the end of the scene.
----
==Level Five==
'''Instincts Unbound'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' Gaia’s warriors must explain the behavior of their fallen cousins as madness — why else would a wolf seek to despoil the world? The greatest among Black Spiral lupus use this Gift to teach the Garou the folly of their thinking by showing them the joys of unbound freedom. Psychomachiae teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Black Spiral Dancer’s player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, and rolls Wits + Primal Urge against a difficulty of her victim’s Willpower. For one day per success, the target cannot resist her instincts. She takes what she wants, kills when the urge is upon her, and gives in to her least impulse. If the target possesses Rage, all Rage rolls are at difficulty 4; if the target is a vampire, all rolls to resist or control frenzy are against difficulty 9. The target may reduce the duration of this Gift by 12 hours per point of Willpower spent.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-auspice" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] BSD Auspice Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-auspice">
=Ragabash Gifts=
Ragabash Black Spiral Dancers may use the same tricks as their Garou brethren, save for Luna’s Blessing.
==Level One==
'''Bestowing the Predator’s Shadow'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' It would be fair to say that Black Spiral Dancers have even less tolerance for being tricked or mocked than other werewolves. This valuable Gift helps Dancer Ragabash survive the fallout of their Auspice’s duties by passing their identity onto someone else. Phantasmi teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The Black Spiral Dancer must secure a tiny bit of her body on someone else. A bit of spit or blood, or a lock of hair or fur will do the trick. The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6). The target will look and sound (but not smell) like the Black Spiral Dancer to everyone but himself for one hour per success.
----
==Level Four==
'''Cassandra’s Blessing'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119''
'''Description:''' The Wyrm’ tricksters use division and isolation as instructive tools, particularly against their many enemies. The victim of this Gift’s ‘blessing’ will find that nobody will believe anything she has to say, no matter how much evidence she has to back it up. A Nocturnae teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The Black Spiral Dancer must touch her target. Then his player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Nobody will believe anything the target says for a number of hours equal to the successes rolled.
----
'''Silver Reprisal'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' Luna’s servants only rarely extend her blessing to those who have danced the Black Spiral, but some Banes can add their own retributive curse to the Garou’s vulnerability to silver. Rather than protecting the Dancer, as Luna’s Blessing does to Gaian Garou, this Gift causes silver to burn its wielder in the same moment it harms the werewolf. A Furmling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, anyone who uses silver to inflict damage on the character suffers debilitating pain and burns on the hand used to strike the blow, receiving one level of unsoakable aggravated damage — as if caused by silver, in the case of Garou — per damaging attack delivered. The attacker must make a Stamina roll against difficulty 8 or drop whatever they’re holding in that hand; even if she succeeds, increase the difficulty of all attacks using that hand by 2.
----
==Level Five==
'''Patience of the Wyrm'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' This Gift allows incredibly elaborate acts of sabotage and revenge by allowing the Spiral Dancer to dictate the moment her curses strike her foes. A Black Spiral Dancer must petition a Nexus Crawler to teach this Gift.
'''System:''' This Gift can enhance any other Gift that affects another character, as long as it does not deal damage. Spend a point of Willpower in addition to the other Gift’s cost. The Black Spiral Dancer then dictates when the enhanced Gift will take effect, either in simple measures of time, or a set of conditions that she can utter as a single sentence. For example, she might lay Cassandra’s Blessing on an enemy spy stating that the Gift will not take effect until the victim attempts to relate what she has learned.
----
=Theurge Gifts=
Black Spiral Dancer Theurges have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for As In the Beginning. It’s possible for a Black Spiral Dancer to learn Mother’s Touch, but it’s rare.
==Level One==
'''Poisoned Gauntlet'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer can breathe spiritual toxins into the wall between worlds, turning the Gauntlet into a deadly trap. A Rust Spider teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf spends a turn in concentration, and then her player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult against a difficulty of the local Gauntlet. Until the sun next crosses the horizon, anyone stepping sideways within (Gnosis x 100) yards of the point where this Gift was used takes one die of aggravated damage per successes rolled. The Gift: Resist Toxin can protect against this Gift’s effects.
----
==Level Three==
'''Feast of Essence'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws are covered with barbed hooks, which catch and absorb the tattered power of slain spirits, refreshing the werewolf. A Thinbones teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Willpower when the character deals a blow that destroys the last of a spirit’s Essence. The character gains Gnosis depending on the power of the destroyed spirit: one point for a Jaggling, two for a Gaffling, and three for any stronger spirit. This cannot raise the character’s Gnosis points above her maximum value, but is in addition to any Gnosis gained by harvesting the depleted spirit.
----
==Level Six==
'''Prelude to Apocalypse''' — As the Gaian Gift As In the Beginning, this version might be learned by a Black Spiral Theurge and summons Wyrm-spirits of all kinds. No Black Spiral Theurge has yet learned this Gift.
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Theurge can tear away aeons of the Weaver’s works for a short while. This Gift rips down the Gauntlet entirely, merging the worlds of flesh and spirit as they were in the days of legend. Moreover, this mended region acts as a shining beacon to Gaian spirits, calling a flood of nature-spirits and other allies to assist the Theurge. An avatar of Gaia Herself teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends three points of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The Gauntlet is torn open within the local area. The thinner the Gauntlet, the wider the rip: from a few rooms in the midst of a skyscraper to an entire mile of landscape in the depths of the Amazon. Friendly spirits of the Storyteller’s choosing come flooding out to aid the Theurge — the more successes, the greater the number or power. The Gauntlet is permanently lowered by 1 in an area where this Gift has been used; this benefit doesn’t stack with repeated use.
----
=Philodox Gifts=
Black Spiral Dancer Philodox have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, with the exception of Fangs of Judgment.
==Level One==
'''Acid Talons'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws become a vibrant mixture of black, red, and yellow, and burn anything they cut. A Wakshaani teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the werewolf’s claw attacks inflict one extra die of damage, and the difficulty to soak her claw attacks rises by 1.
----
==Level Five==
'''Omen Claws'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws become blades of anti-light, the area surrounding them suffused with a false glow as a contrast to their nullity. Anyone struck by these terrible claws suffers visions of the Apocalypse. An avatar of the Maeljin teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls her character’s Rage. The Gift’s effects last for one turn per success. Any character that takes damage from Omen Claws must roll Willpower against a difficulty of the Dancer’s (Gnosis + levels of damage inflicted, maximum 9) or be incapacitated by nightmare visions of everything they love tortured by the talons of the Wyrm. The victim cannot do anything when so afflicted, and loses one point of Willpower per turn. The victim’s player may attempt another Willpower roll to break free each turn.
----
=Galliard Gifts=
Black Spiral Dancer Galliards have access to the
same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for Howls
in the Night.
==Level One==
'''Howl of the Hunter'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' Setting a particular quarry in her mind, the Black Spiral Dancer crafts a howl specifically designed to elicit terror in her prey. If her victim can hear the howl, it strikes terror into his heart, haunting him whenever he tries to find rest. A Nocturna teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the desired target hears the howl he will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours; every time he attempts to rest, the howl will echo in his ears as though uttered from mere feet away. The terror increases the difficulty of most Mental and Social actions by +2 (maximum 9) until the character can sleep.
----
==Level Two==
'''Shadows of the Impergium'''
''W20 Core, pg 186, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' The Red Talon becomes the embodiment of all humanity's primal fears of the wolf, carrying a heavy miasma of ancient terror about her. A fear spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The werewolf inflicts the Delirium in Hispo form, though observers are considered to be at +2 Willpower when judging their reaction (see W20 Core, pg 262). Anyone who succumbs to the Delirium because of seeing the werewolf in Crinos form is considered to have a Willpower 5 points lower than their true rating (minimum 1) for the purposes of determining their reaction. This Gift's effects are permanent, though they can be suppressed for a scene if desired.
----
==Level Four==
'''Howl of Death'''
''W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' A Talon with this Gift may infuse her howl with Rage and pain, causing grievous wounds to one target. The werewolf must be able to see her target clearly, and the target must be able to hear the howl. Only the intended target is affected by the Gift, though anyone else who hears it is disquieted and frightened. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage, which the target may soak if he is able. The damage manifests as massive internal damage, as the targets innards suddenly rupture.
----
==Level Five==
'''Madness'''
''W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.
----
=Ahroun Gifts=
Ahroun Black Spiral Dancers have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for Full Moon’s Light
==Level One==
'''Acid Talons'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120 and 121''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws become a vibrant mixture of black, red, and yellow, and burn anything they cut. A Wakshaani teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the werewolf’s claw attacks inflict one extra die of damage, and the difficulty to soak her claw attacks rises by 1.
----
==Level Two==
'''Tar Shadow'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' The Ahroun’s shadow becomes solid and sticky, trapping unwary foes and making them easy prey. A H’ruggling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, any character making a close-combat attack against the Dancer must make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8). If they fail this roll, the attacker is stuck in the Ahroun’s shadow until she can pull herself free with a Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 6). While stuck in place, characters cannot move and all attempts to dodge attacks automatically fail.
----
==Level Three==
'''Visceral Agony'''
''W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.
----
==Level Five==
'''Strength Without Limit'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' Wyrmish power suffuses the flesh and bones of the warrior who uses this Gift, exaggerating his power beyond the limits of his body. His muscles bulk up until they tear through his skin, and his flesh peels back from wildly elongated teeth and claws; even his nerves thicken until they pulse like veins. An avatar of the Maeljin teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two points of Rage and the character suffers one level of unsoakable aggravated damage. For the rest of the scene, the werewolf adds one dot to each physical Attribute, and two dice to the damage of all Brawl attacks.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-tribebsd" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] BSD Tribe Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-tribebsd">
The following Gifts are a mixture of the signature blessings of the Wyrm upon the Black Spiral Dancers, and adaptations or corruptions of other tribes’ Gifts, brought to the Wyrm’s wolves by converts from the Garou Nation.
==Level One==
'''Bale Armor'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer’s body is limned in a terrible green-black radiance that saps the strength from her enemies’ blows and inflicts toxic burns upon their flesh. A Furmling teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point to activate the Gift. The light illuminates a 100-foot area around the Dancer for the rest of the scene. All attacks against the werewolf suffer a –1 die penalty while this Gift persists, and anyone who lands a Brawl attack against the Dancer takes one level of bashing damage.
----
'''Spiral-Shadow Dance'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer learns to twine herself through the darkness, becoming swift as a scream. A variety of Banes teach this Gift.
'''System:''' Whenever the Black Spiral Dancer is concealed by poor lighting (no brighter than the light of the half-moon), she adds +3 to her Initiative. This Gift’s effects are permanent.
----
==Level Two==
'''Grave Claws'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' The werewolf’s claws and fangs become obsidian daggers, capable of tearing the soul loose from Gaia’s cycle and pinning it to the Dark Umbra. Any creature slain by this Gift is guaranteed to leave behind a ghost, which is anchored by dark magic to its killer. Outside of risky Umbral quests, only killing the Black Spiral Dancer who used this Gift can return a victim’s soul to Gaia. A Nihilach teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one point of Gnosis. Anyone killed by the character’s claw or bite attacks for the rest of the scene is guaranteed to linger as a wraith. A wraith created using this Gift cannot directly harm the Black Spiral Dancer, and is tormented by dark urges.
----
==Level Three==
'''Claws of Corrosion'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121''
'''Description:''' One of the greatest Black Spiral Gifts, this wicked magic allows the werewolf to poison a spirit with mystical toxins that slowly corrupt it into a servant of the Wyrm. A variety of Banes teach this Gift.
'''System:''' When the Black Spiral Dancer makes a successful claw attack against a spirit, the player may spend one point each of Rage, Willpower, and Gnosis, and roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6). This infects the spirit with a number of ‘corruption points’ equal to the successes rolled; multiple applications of this Gift are cumulative, and corruption points dissipate at a rate of one per day. Should a spirit ever have more corruption points than its current Essence, over the next lunar month it suffers a slow, painful transformation into a Bane.
----
==Level Four==
'''Hungry Rust'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' The werewolf summons a Bane and invests it into a mechanical device. The Bane awakens when someone next uses the device, spewing corruption throughout. The tool rusts and twists, both degrading and attempting to bond with its user. A gun might fuse to a person’s hand, coating her arm in plates of stamped metal and loops of corroded casings, while a vehicle might partially absorb its driver into the seat and seal his hands to the steering column. A Nexus Crawler teaches this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends two Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Craft against a difficulty based on the size and complexity of the device. A revolver would be difficulty 6, a vehicle 9. The next individual to use the cursed tool must gain more successes on a Wits + Occult roll than the werewolf, or fuse with the tool. This transformation is permanent for humans, but Garou may forcibly tear themselves loose from the intruding technology at a cost of (activation successes) levels of lethal damage.
----
'''Stolen Hide'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' The Black Spiral Dancer can don tormented spirits like a cloak, consigning them to oblivion to protect himself. A Nihilach teaches this Gift, but only to those who have already mastered Grave Claws.
'''System:''' The character can only use this Gift against a ghost that she has created with Grave Claws. She spends a turn in concentration and her player spends one point each of Gnosis and Willpower, then makes a contested Stamina + Primal Urge roll against the ghost’s Willpower. Success stretches the ghost’s tortured plasm across the Dancer’s body as a kind of grotesque ablative armor. The werewolf gains two additional Bruised health levels for each ghost worn in this manner. These health levels are the first lost to damage, and when they both disappear, the ghost used to create them is destroyed.
----
==Level Five==
'''The White Howl'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' Once the most sacred blessing of the White Howlers, this mighty Gift is still passed down among the ranks of the Black Spiral Dancers as a reminder of the past to their Garou enemies. The sound of the White Howl is sufficient to rend both the workings of the Wyrm, and the hearts of Garou who hear it and realize how much Gaia has lost. It was once taught by an avatar of Lion, but no spirit teaches this Gift in the modern age; it survives entirely through a history of Black Spiral Dancers handing it down from warlord to warlord.
'''System:''' The player spends two points each of Gnosis and Rage. The character spends a turn unleashing a mighty, full-throated howl, and the player rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). Every Wyrm-tainted being within earshot suffers a number of levels of unsoakable lethal damage equal to the successes rolled — including the Black Spiral Dancer herself — and any of her nearby packmates. Each Gaian Garou who hears the howl, by contrast, loses one point of Willpower per success rolled, as they recognize the lost purity of the White Howlers, and must face the reality of all that Gaia has lost to the hunger of the Wyrm. Any Garou reduced to 0 Willpower by this Charm falls into Harano.
----
</div>
<div class="mw-customtoggle-stolen" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Stolen Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-stolen">
Black Spiral Dancers who fall after a long period of service to Gaia bring their own Gifts with them, though the infectious energies of the Labyrinth warps these abilities. Most of these Gifts started out as Gaian Gifts, but have additional or changed effects.
==Level One==
'''Repress Taint'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' In order to infiltrate the Gaian Garou, a Black Spiral must be able to hide the touch of the Wyrm. This Gift allows him to repress his taint, hiding it from the prying eyes of the suspicious. The werewolf must still take care, however, as more talented Garou might sniff him out. Scryers teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player rolls Perception + Subterfuge, difficulty 7. Every success increases the difficulty to detect the character’s taint by one, to a maximum of 9. The effect lasts one scene.
----
'''Bale Aura'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' Twisted from the grandeur of Lambent Flame, a Dancer can shroud herself in the green light of balefire. The light causes no physical damage, but shadows cast by the light seem to move of their own accord and the whispers of the Wyrm crackle within the green flames, stoking the Rage within the Garou. Furmlings and Harpies teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Willpower point to activate the gift. The light illuminates a 50-foot area around the character for the rest of the scene. Garou and Fera require one fewer success to frenzy, and to enter Thrall of the Wyrm, as the whispers taunt them from the shadows
----
==Level Two==
'''Hidden Killer'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' As the Red Talon Gift, but the werewolf can also choose to alter the evidence to match another Garou so long as she has a piece of the target, such as hair or blood. Abliphets teach this Gift.
'''System:''' As the Red Talon Gift. To change the forensic evidence to match another Garou, the player must roll Intelligence + Larceny (difficulty 8). Success means the physical evidence remains unchanged, but forensic evidence changes to match the target.
----
'''Submit'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122''
'''Description:''' Stolen from the Black Furies, with a snarl, a Black Spiral Dancer can force a target to kneel before him, agony coursing through her body until she submits. Spirals with this gift delight in forcing a proud Garou to the ground just to kill her while she’s on her knees. Raptors teach this Gift.
'''System:''' As the Black Fury Gift: Kneel. Any target who resists the Gift subtracts two from their dice pools for the Gift’s duration. This penalty can only be offset with the Gift: Resist Pain.
----
==Level Three==
'''Ichor Blade'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123''
'''Description:''' The Spiral’s arm changes into a black blade dripping with dark green poison. The ichor poisons the blood of anyone injured by the blade, causing crippling agony. Harpies and Wakshaani teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends a point of Rage to transform one hand into a blade. For the rest of the scene, she may use her arm like a sword, rolling Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 6). Such attacks inflict Strength + 1 aggravated damage. The poison causes excruciating pain, forcing the target to subtract two from his dice pools for a turn per success. Resist Toxin and Resist Pain both negate the effects of the poison.
----
'''Gift of the Tainted Totem'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123''
'''Description:''' A twisted version of an Uktena Gift, a Dancer can not only bar a pack totem from aiding its children, she can temporarily replace the totem with her own pack or personal totem. The horror of having a Wyrm spirit binding a Gaian pack, even temporarily, is disorienting, and the taint left behind might be difficult to explain. Nexus Crawlers teach this Gift.
'''System:''' As the Uktena Gift: Banish Totem. If the player succeeds on the Gnosis roll, the pack not only loses all traits associated with their totem, they gain all traits associated with the Dancer’s totem. The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the number of successes. Upon departing, the tainted totem leaves behind enough Wyrm taint to show up to users of Sense Wyrm for the rest of the scene at difficulty 7. If a member of the pack used any of the totem’s powers, the lingering Wyrm taint remains for a day, and is difficulty 5 to detect.
----
==Level Four==
'''Howl of the Bane'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123''
'''Description:''' The Dancers have their own fearsome spirits to call, and in a blatant mockery of the Wendigo, a Spiral dances in a Blight or Hellhole, hooting, laughing, and slashing profane glyphs into the air. A bane of the user’s choosing coils from the darkness, taking a description of the target before it leaves on its murderous quest. Any powerful Bane can teach this gift.
'''System:''' As the Wendigo Gift: Call of the Cannibal Spirit. The user can choose which Bane to summon, so long as its Essence rating is no higher than 30.
----
'''Summon Wyrm Elemental'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123''
'''Description:''' The Dancer performs a short dance around a piece of a pure element. The dance corrupts the element and summons forth a Wyrm Elemental (Hogling, Furmling, H’ruggling, or Wakshanni). A Wyrm elemental teaches this gift.
'''System:''' As the Uktena Gift: Call Elemental. Black Spiral Dancers only bother trying to make a Wyrm elemental amenable if they need a specific task completed. Many often summon Wyrm elementals simply to wreak havoc.
----
==Level Five==
'''Mask Taint'''
''W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123''
'''Description:''' A Skin Dancer possessing this Gift may completely camouflage Wyrm-taint from all senses, including Gifts that detect such taint. This Gift is taught by a servant of Minotaur. Scryers also teach this Gift.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolling Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The effect lasts for one scene per success scored.
----
'''Cloak of Anthelios'''
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123''
'''Description:''' Sculpted from Halo of the Sun, the character speaks the sacred word of Helios while drawing on his own Wyrm-tainted powers. The character is wreathed in violent red flame that drapes about him as a cloak. A servant of Helios who breaks under torture can teach this Gift, as can fallen Children of Gaia who know the sacred word of Helios. The gift is exceedingly rare, if even acquired as of yet.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, and the effect lasts one scene. The character adds two dice of aggravated damage to all Brawl-based attacks in all forms. Any attack that causes more than three health levels of any kind of damage burns the glyph of Anthelios into the flesh of the victim. The victim bears Wyrm taint (detectable by Sense Wyrm at difficulty 4) until he is cleansed. Anyone looking directly at the werewolf adds two to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Vampires are unaffected by the Cloak of Anthelios.
----
</div>
----
=Rites=
The Black Spiral Dancers make use of perversions of many of the same rituals as the Garou. They have mystic rites to summon and bind spirits, punishment rites, acceptance rites, rites used to build and defend their Pits, and more. Detailed below are a small selection of their most notable and vital rites.
==The Dance of the Black Spiral==
''Level Two Rite of Renown (Cha + Rituals vs 6)''
This is the Black Spiral Dancers’ tribal Rite of Passage, granted to Spiral-born cubs after their First Change, or to defectors from other tribes.<br>
This is the most sacred rite of the tribe, and is usually attended by all the Dancers in a Hive who are able to do so. They bring the cub to the Pit’s spiritual heart, where the ritemaster paints an elaborate spiral on the floor. While the ritemaster works, the Hive’s Galliards recite the tale of the betrayal of the White Howlers by the other tribes of the Garou Nation, and the rebirth and dark enlightenment of the tribe as the Black Spiral Dancers. When the tale concludes, the cub must pass each member of the Hive present for the rite before approaching the ritemaster. Any member of the Hive who objects to the pup’s inclusion in the tribe is free to attempt to murder him without fear of reprisal. Assuming the pup makes it to the ritemaster, he is bid to enter the spiral drawn on the floor.<br>
This is a spiritual representation of the true Black Spiral Labyrinth, and as the pup walks the spiral, Banes rise up to challenge, test, and enlighten her. The spiral seems to twist, growing to dark enormity, and the pup actually passes in and out of the Umbra at times. Should she reach the center of the spiral, she glimpses the true face of the Wyrm for one stark, impossible moment, shattering her mind. Her education continues as she staggers back the way she came, soul now torn open and receptive to the Wyrm’s dark miracles. Banes taste her agony and madness, and grant her their blessings in response. When she emerges from the spiral, she is now a full-fledged member of the tribe.<br>
By custom, the first thing a Black Spiral Dancer utters becomes her tribal name, which is usually a gibbering collection of nonsense syllables. Much respect is accorded to those rare few with the presence of mind and strength of will to bestow mighty deed-names upon themselves in expectation of future triumphs.<br>
'''System:''' Though there are many paths by which a werewolf might fall to the Wyrm, and Spiral culture has a concept of “Dancing the Heart-Spiral,” becoming a Dancer in spirit, no werewolf is formally a member of the Wyrm’s tribe until he has undergone this rite.
----
==Rite of the Flayed God==
''Level Four Mystic Rite (Wits + Rituals vs 7)''
This rite is among the most powerful and terrible practiced by the Wyrm’s children. It requires a captive spirit, and can only be performed in the heart of a Pit. Over the course of a ritual lasting from sunset to sunrise, the Black Spiral Dancer ritually murders and hollows out a spirit, usually a bound Gaian spirit, though some Hives are happy to sacrifice lesser Banes for power. This rite destroys the spirit forever, but a tattered shell of its power remains, and is bound into a special fetish.<br>
This fetish is an article of easily donned and removed clothing; usually a cloak or belt, and its construction must incorporate some element symbolic of the spirit. Thus, a flayed bear-spirit might be bound into a bear pelt, while a murdered forest spirit might be bound into a crown of hawthorn.<br>
Upon donning the fetish, the Black Spiral Dancer is able to assume the stolen power of the flayed spirit. With this mantle of power usually comes a dramatic and grotesque physical transformation. The wearer of the bear pelt might grow a second set of powerful, ursine arms, and a gaping set of bear jaws might frame her head, granting her extra attacks and a vicious bite. The wearer of the hawthorn crown might find sharp thorns erupting from her flesh, and her scent masked by the verdant smell of the woods.<br>
'''System:''' The difficulty of the rite’s roll is the spirit’s Gnosis rating. Failure means that the spirit dies without empowering the fetish. Donning or removing a flayed spirit to gain its power costs two points of Gnosis. Only the ritemaster can benefit from a fetish created by this rite, and only one such fetish can be worn at a time. The exact effects of a fetish created by this rite are up to the Storyteller but the transformation is usually physical and grotesque. The benefits are comparable to the Gift: Totem Gift, though focused on personally empowering the werewolf.
----
</tab>
<tab name="Skin Dancers">
=Skin Dancers=
Once upon a time, a Kinfolk figured out something terrible. If you took the skins of five Garou and performed a blasphemous rite, you’d become a werewolf yourself. That man, the Skinner, is long gone. But he taught others the trick, the euphemistically named “Rite of Sacred Rebirth.” Now they’re a mock-tribe, who recruit new members whenever they can get the pelts together. They call themselves the Skin Dancers, and the Garou Nation despises them.
The Skin Dancers weren’t originally designed as antagonists for Kinfolk chronicles, but they’re perfect in the role. They were Kin once, before they turned on their Garou relatives. They committed atrocities, maybe for understandable vengeance, maybe just out of envy and ambition. And any Kin could become one of them. A Skin Dancer is a possible threat to a character’s loved ones, but also a source of valid temptation. She points out the power imbalance between the Kinfolk and their shapeshifter relatives, and offers a way to balance the scales. Her very presence raises the question, “How much do I want power?”
==The Seductive Creed==
One of the reasons the Skin Dancers continue to be successful is that they often get to introduce themselves. Many Garou don’t like to tell their Kin that the Skin Dancers exist — that might put ideas in their heads, after all. So when a smooth-talking new friend starts talking about ideals, about how great it’d be if the Kinfolk could stand eye-to-eye with the Garou, odds are you don’t even know why you shouldn’t be listening.
The hard part of the pitch, of course, is the requirement of the skins. Five Garou pelts is a lot to ask. The first Skinner was a serial killer on a level most Kin can’t match. But to make the question more complicated, the skins can be taken any way possible. A potential Skin Dancer doesn’t have to murder five Garou. A little grave-robbing or covert cleaning work will do the trick. There’s even rumor that if all five skins are deliberately bequeathed, like a voluntary organ donation, that the new Skin Dancer will be completely free of Wyrm-taint.
And if you can pull this off? Well, every Kin who knows the truth about the Garou has dreamed about Changing themselves, at least once. Most have told themselves “If I had the power, here’s what I’d do with it.” There’s so much to be gained. And much to be lost as well... but the Skin Dancers don’t dwell overmuch on that part when they’re recruiting. It can get demoralizing.
==The Greater Danger==
The truth of the matter is that the Skin Dancers aren’t that dangerous themselves, at least to the average Kin. True, some act out old grudges after the Rite, killing hated family members before fleeing into the night. But most Skin Dancers would rather recruit or subvert than murder. Frankly, they need the numbers. No, the real danger of the Skin Dancers comes from listening to them. A Kinfolk suspected of Skin Dancer sympathies is at much greater risk from her own Garou cousins.
This is also the reason why it’s dangerous as hell to keep secrets from your werewolf relatives. The Garou remember how the Skinner’s gruesome legacy started. Secret Kinfolk societies are taking their lives into their hands, because sooner or later their wolf-blooded relations are going to equate them with the Skin Dancers.
==Using the Skin Dancers==
Mechanically, Skin Dancer antagonists are fairly simple. The process is much like building other Garou characters, but they tend to focus heavily on Abilities and Attributes — they had to be skilled and tough Kin to be able to collect those skins — even if only through subterfuge. Their Gift selection is a bit shoddy, and focuses more on breed and auspice Gifts, as they lack any tribal affinity. But most are good with rites, thanks to the demands of learning the Rite of Sacred Rebirth.
The Skin Dancers are fundamentally underdogs; a role we usually reserve for the protagonists. They lack the numbers and resources that help make the Black Spiral Dancers so intimidating. In order to be proper antagonists they need to be clever and ruthless; a slow-witted werewolf hunter never lasts long, blood or no. They also tend to be cults of personality, built around a charismatic and capable leader who seduces unhappy Kin with promises of retribution and power. Their threat is in subversion. They can turn a Garou’s family against her — and nobody knows where best to stick the knife like family.
At the core, the Skin Dancers’ complaint is understandable. But what sets a Skin Dancer apart from any other abused, resentful or rebellious Kinfolk is atrocity. Like the Spirals, the Skin Dancers are able to articulate a reason for what they’re doing. And like the Spirals, their methods aren’t justifiable — as we’d see it. But it makes sense to them. And once they’ve got those skins on their backs, it’s all the easier to justify. Performing the Rite of Sacred Rebirth is effectively writing your own death sentence — you just have to be smart enough, hard enough, and quiet enough that the Garou don’t get a chance to enforce it.
=Skin Dancer Gifts=
==Learning Gifts==
While the totem-spirit broods of Gaian Garou will refuse to work with or assist the Skin Dancers in any manner, the Skin Dancers have, in the past, forged alliances with Banes and unassociated spirits with a modicum of success. In some cases, the Storyteller may opt to allow Black Spiral Dancer Gifts to be learned by Skin Dancers. While this is perhaps not the most desirable of arrangements for the Skin Dancer or, in fact, for the Banes involved, it is the most readily accessible avenue to spiritual power for the mock-werewolves. Skin Dancers have no rank, but the sort of spirits that instruct them can be convinced to teach them higher level Gifts at an additional cost. Skin Dancers buy all Gifts (other than those specifically listed as Skin Dancer Gifts) higher than Level One at a cost of Gift level x 6.
<div class="mw-customtoggle-skingift" style="cursor:pointer; color:cornflowerblue">[+/-] Skin Dancer Gifts</div>
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-skingift">
Even the Black Spiral Dancers have tribal pacts with loathsome Banes and other Wyrm-affiliated spirits. For those werewolves who exist outside the structure of the tribes and their pacts, prospects are bleak.
Without the support of a tribal totem, spirits regard dealing with a Ronin Garou as a shameful thing, and will be loath to honor even those ancient pacts touching on his Auspice and breed. Unless he is able to locate a spirit willing to serve as a personal or pack totem, a Ronin must buy all Gifts at the Gift’s level rating x 7, cannot learn Gifts above level one, and must bargain for each Gift on an individual basis. Even with a totem’s support, the Ronin only regains discounted costs for breed and Auspice Gifts.
Skin Dancers (see W20 Core, pg 512) suffer similar difficulties, and only a tiny handful of spirits will ever consent to act as totems for such creatures. Most Skin Dancers are forced to turn to bargains with Banes, learning Black Spiral Dancer Gifts. Those who manage to find an ally in the spirit world sometimes learn one of Minotaur’s blessings, detailed below:
==Level One==
'''See Past the Skin'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' While the Gaian Garou use the Gift: Sense Wyrm to root out Skin Dancers in their midst, Skin Dancers use this Gift to detect the supernatural presence of one of their own. The user of this Gift is able to discern the faint, mystical patchwork on a Skin Dancer’s fur when in Crinos form. This Gift is taught by a servant of Minotaur.
'''System:''' The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6). Only one success is required.
----
==Level Five==
'''Mask Taint'''
''W20 Core, pg 199''
'''Description:''' A Skin Dancer possessing this Gift may completely camouflage Wyrm-taint from all senses, including Gifts that detect such taint. This Gift is taught by a servant of Minotaur.
'''System:''' The player spends one Gnosis point, rolling Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The effect lasts for one scene per success scored.
</div>
=Rites=
==Rite of Sacred Rebirth==
Level Five
'''Description:''' This blasphemous rite allows a Kinfolk to transform himself into a Garou, but only after the successful acquisition and preparation of five Garou hides.
'''System:''' Each of the hides must be taken under the same lunar phase; if the first werewolf slain by the Skin Dancer was slain under a gibbous moon, all subsequent hides must be gathered under a gibbous moon for the rite to be enacted successfully. The final ceremony of the rite must be conducted under a moon that matches the phase under which the hides were claimed and preserved, and must conclude exactly an hour after it is initiated.
The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals against a difficulty of 9. Only one success is required for the transformation, and there is no known rite of reversal once completed successfully. If successful, the preserved, stitched hides of the slain Garou meld onto the ritemaster’s body, permanently becoming a part of the ritemaster’s body and spirit. Unless the Garou who were slain by the ritemaster gave their lives to him willingly, the Wyrm will grievously taint the ritemaster.
''Source: W20 Core, pg 513''
</tab>
<tab name="Wyrm Totems">
=Wyrm Totems=
''W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 125''
Black Spiral Packs bind themselves together under Totems in much the same fashion as their Gaian counterparts, save that the Wyrm’s bastards make pacts with bleak spirits of corruption and destruction, rather than mighty spirits of Gaia.
=Totems of Cunning=
==The Whippoorwill==
'''Background Cost:''' 6
This totem fell to the ways of the Wyrm in the dawn-days of the world, when it discovered that its cry attracted the drifting souls of the dead, and that lost souls made for a fine feast.<br>
This totem’s great strength is finding those who have lost their way, especially those who have lost sight of the reason to keep fighting for Gaia.
'''Individual Traits:''' Whippoorwill’s bastards gain the ability to imitate perfectly any birdcall, as well as one extra die on all Empathy rolls to spot individuals who are questioning their ideals.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Whippoorwill grants two dots of Perception, but only at night and in dark environments.<br>
'''Ban:''' Whippoorwill forbids its bastards to harm any bird, and demands a moot held in its honor twice a year.
----
==Kirijama, “The Hidden Foe”==
'''Background Cost:''' 7
Kirijama has no manifested form. It is the foe unseen, unfelt, unknown. Some Garou believe Kirijama does not even exist, but something grants blessings to those who honor Kirijama.
'''Individual Traits:''' Kirijama’s bastards gain the Uktena Gift: Invisibility.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Kirijama’s bastards gain two extra dots of Stealth.<br>
'''Ban:''' Kirijama’s bastards must never become famous, making it hard for them to rise in Rank.
=Totems of Strength=
==The Green Dragon==
'''Background Cost:''' 9
The Green Dragon is a mighty Bane, often believed to be a lesser avatar of the Wyrm itself. Its hide is armor, its claws calamity, and its breath scours the Earth. It offers its patronage only to those who have proven their might.
'''Individual Traits:''' Thrice per day, the Green Dragon’s bastards can spew forth toxic flames. This is a Dexterity + Brawl attack with a range of six yards. It inflicts two levels of unsoakable aggravated damage if it hits.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' The Green Dragon grants its bastards two additional soak dice and one extra point of Brawl.
'''Ban:''' The Green Dragon withdraws its blessings from any coward who flees a battle in fear of his life.
==Bat==
'''Background Cost:''' 7
This bitter aspect of Bat fell to the Wyrm after Gaia’s warriors hunted its children, the Camazotz, to extinction. Bat instills terror in its foes, and bids its bastards to do the same.
'''Individual Traits:''' Bat grants its bastards their choice of the Black Spiral Dancer Gifts: Patagia or Ears of the Bat.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Bat’s bastards receive one extra die on all Intimidation, Stealth, and Survival rolls.
'''Ban:''' Bastards must not harm bats, and must sleep hanging upside down.
==Hakaken, “The Heart of Fear”==
'''Background Cost:''' 9
Hakaken is a Bane Incarna who appears as a primeval crab-reptile hybrid. This nightmare dinosaur-crustacean was once a great Ahroun of the Shadow Lords before his pride led him into the Wyrm’s coils.
'''Individual Traits:''' Hakaken’s Bastards may buy Gifts off the Shadow Lord list for one experience point more than they would pay for Black Spiral Dancer Gifts.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' Hakaken’s bastards add one die to Intimidation rolls.
'''Ban:''' Hakaken’s Bastards must terrorize their foes before slaying them.
=Totems of Corruption=
==The Dark Fungus==
'''Background Cost:''' 3
The Dark Fungus is believed to be an aspect of one of those great and primal spirits discarded from Gaia’s order in the time before history, a heaving and blasphemous thing boiling deep beneath the surface of the Earth.
'''Individual Traits:''' The Dark Fungus’s bastards gain one extra dot of Enigmas and Occult.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' When under the influence of psychoactive fungi, this totem’s Bastards have access to the Gift: Pulse of the Invisible.<br>
'''Ban:''' Bastards must tend growing mushrooms wherever they find them.
==Relshab, “The Faceless Eater”==
'''Background Cost:''' 8
Relshab is a Bane Incarna that manifests as a huge man-shaped form, covered in rolls of flesh, which crawl and ripple in sickly waves. It has no face, only a great gelid roll of fat. Its right “arm” is a snuffling feeding tube. Relshab is an incautious spirit of unlimited greed and hunger.
'''Individual Traits:''' Relshab’s bastards gain the Ragabash Gift: Whelp Body.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' By spending one point of Gnosis, a bastard of Relshab may chew, swallow, and digest anything she can get her mouth around.<br>
'''Ban:''' Relshab’s bastards must eat everything put before them.
==G’lough, “Dance of Corruption”==
'''Background Cost:''' 12
G’lough manifests as an ever-shifting panoply of horrors, constantly flowing like wax and reforming into increasingly horrid configurations. Sometimes elements of G’lough slough off to become independent Banes. Some Theurges believe it to be the mother of all Nexus Crawlers.
'''Individual Traits:''' G’lough grants its bastards the Gift: Fabric of the Mind.<br>
'''Pack Traits:''' G’lough’s bastards enjoy two extra dots of Occult.<br>
'''Ban:''' Bastards must always oppose the status quo, even when it benefits them.
----
==Minotaur==
'''Background Cost:''' 6
Minotaur is the embodiment of the man that becomes the beast: the sentient being who craves animalistic power. He respects strength and holds contempt for the weak, and thus has come to favor the Skin Dancers, who parlay a small strength into a much greater one. Although not a direct servant of the Wyrm, Minotaur bears a faint touch of Beast-of-War’s taint. He hates and envies Pegasus, particularly her high status among other Gaian spirits. He is misogynistic to some degree, although a strong female Skin Dancer can earn his respect in ways that a human female never could.
'''Traits:''' Minotaur places his children in contact with spirits that can teach them Gifts, and thus his children can learn most Gifts of Rank Three or lower (at out-of-tribe costs, of course). He also grants each of his children an extra dot of Stamina and an extra dot of Survival.<br>
'''Ban:''' Minotaur demands that his children hurt and slay any of Pegasus’ children that they meet. They do not have to exact Minotaur’s vengeance immediately, but they can never let a Black Fury or other werewolf who follows Pegasus live in peace.
''Source: W20 Core, pg 514''
----
</div>
</tab>
</tabs>

Latest revision as of 02:03, 5 May 2025

Buying Gifts

Cost

What gifts cost

Wait Time

How long it takes to learn gifts

Method

Staff preferences on +requests and chiminage

Level Six Gifts

W20 Core, pg 152

Level Six Gifts are the blessings of the gods and the stuff of legend, even to creatures that walk among the spirits all their lives. Such Gifts are available only to the greatest heroes of a generation, Garou whose legends will be retold until the very end of days; and then only if the hero can make her way to an Incarna's court and fulfill a quest or deed for the godlike spirit - such incredible powers are never gained in response to a ritemaster's summons. Because they are so rare, only a few representative examples are provided here; most of these gifts are known by only one living Garou at a time, if that.

Breed Gifts

Many spirits bestow breed Gifts, usually to honor ancient pacts or as rewards for past deeds. For example, tales speak of how an ancient metis helped a mole to hide from predators; in return, the mole taught the metis how to burrow into the earth to hide from his own enemies, and mole spirits have continued to pass down the trick to metis ever since.

[+/-] Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts involve humanity's skills and abilities, not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Mankind's struggle to dominate the natural world has given humans great control over their environment, but also alienated them from the world they live in, producing a disquiet of the soul. Because humans have become strangers to the world of spirit, many homid breed Gifts are taught by ancestors rather than by nature spirits.

Level One

Apecraft's Blessing

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Though many of Gaia's children use tools, none have mastered them so thoroughly as humanity. The homid focuses this mastery into the tools she uses, causing their spirits to awaken and lend her aid. An ancestor-spirit or spirit of a man-made object teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf spends a turn concentrating, and then the player rolls Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success reduces the difficulty by one on the next roll she makes for her character to employ a tool made by human hands. The purpose is irrelevant—this Gift is equally efficacious for attempts to repair an engine, drive a car or fire a gun.

City Running

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.

System: The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.

Master of Fire

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Smell of Man

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.

System: Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.

Level Two

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Mark of the Wolf

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The werewolf marks those she comes in contact with, leaving them to carry the same aura of the predator the Garou does. This subtle curse can wreak havoc in a target's private or professional life, and is a favorite of many homids looking to provoke discord in the ranks of the enemy. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player selects a target that has had some interaction with the Garou during the scene (even something as simple as a light conversation in an elevator counts), then rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The target inherits the Curse (see pg 262 of the W20 Core book) as though she had a Rage rating equal to that of the Garou for one day per success.

Speech of the World

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Staredown

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.

Level Three

Calm the Savage Beast

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.

Cowing the Bullet

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.

Disquiet

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Body Shift

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.

Bury the Wolf

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.

Successes Duration
1 One scene
2 12 hours
3 One day
4 One week
5 One lunar cycle

Cocoon

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.

Spirit Ward

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Assimilation

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Beyond Human

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The Garou is human plus - Human plus strength, agility and health. Human plus devoted, assured spirituality and meaning. Human plus animal instinct and lightning reflexes. Human plus righteous fury with which to meet the Apocalypse. He is a man, but greater. Every Garou radiates this to some extent, but this Gift warps that perception, changing the Garou from a figure to be avoided to one to be admired or adored. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once learned, this Gift's effects are permanent. Humans dealing with the werewolf instinctively pick her out as more desirable, important, and interesting than those around her - regardless of the character's capacity in such matters. The Curse still applies, but rather than being instinctively feared as a predator, the werewolf becomes an intimidating figure of great presence. Finally, the character may boost her Social Attributes by spending Rage or Gnosis. Each dot of either spent raises one Social Attribute by one point for the rest of the scene. Social Attributes may be raised above 5 in this fashion.

Part the Veil

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.

[+/-] Metis Gifts

Metis Gifts

The spirit world has never hesitated to provide its blessings to metis - in the eyes of the spirits, a metis is as true a Garou as any other. Metis Gifts tend to be an eclectic collection of pacts and powers. Constantly scorned by their brethren and denied pride of place, metis learn to make friends where they can and take what allies they can get.

Level One

Create Element

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.

Primal Anger

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.

System: The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).

Rat Head

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: Metis are born into a world where they metaphorically don't belong; it seemed only natural to rat spirits to teach them to get into such places into the literal sense as well. This Gift renders the metis's bone structure collapsible, allowing her to squeeze through any gap she can fit her head into.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the metis may squirm through any gap she can fit her face into, moving at her walking speed to do so.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Shed

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.

Level Two

Burrow

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.

Curse of Hatred

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.

Form Mastery

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Sense Silver

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Level Three

Chameleon

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: Like the Gift's reptilian namesake, the Garou can blend with her natural surroundings. Unlike the lizard, the werewolf shifts fluidly with changing backgrounds, this allowing the Garou to move about and even attack. A chameleon or octopus spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to activate the Gift. Anyone trying to see the werewolf, even in open ground, must make a Perception roll (difficulty of the Garou's Wits + Stealth) to detect her. Once the Garou attacks, the difficulty drips by 3. The Gift affects only sight; it does not mask the Garou's sound or scent.

Eyes of the Cat

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.

Mental Speech

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Shell

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: Shell places an emotional and instinctual barrier around the metis, shutting out the hostility of the world and suppressing his own powerful, destructive impulses. It is taught by a turtle spirit.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the character's own Rage). Success insulates the metis for a scene behind a mystical and psychological barrier, immunizing him against mind-altering magic of all kinds for the rest of the scene. However, he cannot gain any successes on Empathy, Primal Urge, or Rage rolls, nor can he spend Rage points.

Level Four

Gift of the Porcupine

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.

System: The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.

Lash of Rage

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The metis harnesses all of the shame, hate, and fury coiled in his heart and lashes out with it, destroying another. Bones snap, organs rupture, and cavities fill with blood as the metis's Rage tears the target apart. A spirit of fury teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls his Rage rating. A target within 100 yards (91 m) takes one level of unsoakable aggravated damage for each success. This Gift can be used safely only once per scene. Any additional uses inflict the Gift's full damage on both the metis and his target.

Rattler's Bite

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The metis's eyeteeth lengthen, and she can inject a deadly poison with her bite. Spider and snake spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point when attempting to bite an opponent. If the bite is successful, any remaining damage after soak is doubled.

Wither Limb

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: With a snarl and a baleful stare, the werewolf ruins an opponent's limb" bones twist, muscles whither, flesh desiccates. Creatures with regenerative capabilities will recover after one scene; all others are permanently crippled. Venomous spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 4). The victim adds two to the difficulties of all Dexterity rolls. If a leg is crippled, he can move at only half his normal speed.

Level Five

Madness

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.

Protean Form

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: Born misshapen, the metis takes her deformity and makes it a source of power. She can twist her flesh in any number of ways, sprouting a number of unnatural features, from extra limbs to additional mouths to grasping tentacles. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The character's ability to partially transform (see W20 Core pg 286) is permanently modified, allowing her to make almost any grotesque modifications the player can imagine. These modifications must logically bestow one of the following benefits: +2 dice on a certain category of attack rolls (extra clawed limbs for claw attacks, tentacles for clinches, etc), +t damage on a certain category of attack rolls (a chest-mounted squid beak for extra damage on clinches, arms coated in shark teeth for boosted claw attacks, etc), or +5 yards per turn of movement (extra legs, vestigial wings, etc.)

Totem Gift

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: Metis are Garou from the moment of their birth, and their ties to the spirit that guides their tribe run deep. The metis may plead with her tribal totem for power, with effects varying from tribe to tribe. Rat might send a swarm of rodents to attack the werewolf's enemies, while Grandfather Thunder might send down the lightning to strike aside obstacles and opponents. The potential of this Gift depends on the favor of the totem, and may extend into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the aid provided. One success might cause a minor distraction whereas 10 successes could produce volcanic eruptions or country smashing tornadoes.

[+/-] Lupus Gifts

Lupus Gifts

Lupus Gifts reflect the breed's powerful ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.

Level One

Hare's Leap

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Sense Prey

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.

Predator's Arsenal

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: One of the most unnerving aspects of the Homid shape is its lack of proper weapons. This Gift remedies that problem (while still retaining much of the Homid shape's ability to blend in with the human world), granting the Garou battle-ready claws and teeth in Homid form. It is taught by a wolf spirit.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn to gain access to bite and claw attacks in Homid form for the rest of the scene, or until she dismisses the transformation. These attacks inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage, and may be concealed by simple expediencies such as the werewolf keeping her mouth closed, wearing long sleeves or keeping her hands in her pockets. She can even speak normally without giving herself away, as long as she's careful not to open her mouth too wide or smile so that her teeth show, although her voice sounds rough and a bit distorted (attempting to discern that there's something amiss with a Garou taking such precautions requires a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 9).

Prey Mind

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: As Gaia dies and her natural order is perverted, predators become prey with increasing frequency - this is a sorrowful truth that lupus know all too well. This Gift assists the Garou in evading their enemies that they might fight another day, showing them places to hide, ways to run, and even chances to strike back. A hare or deer spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Primal Urge; difficulty 7 in the wilderness, 9 in urban environments. Each success adds one die to all pools made to escape, out-distance, hide from or evade pursuit for the remainder of the scene.

Level Two

Axis Mundi

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.

System: The Gift's effects are permanent.

Eye of the Eagle

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to see over impossibly long distances, though not through obstacles - good vantage points are invaluable, and this Gift is in much demand among caern guardians. It is taught by an eagle spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of miles added to the Garou's clear visual range.

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Scent of Sight

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.

Trapper’s Bane

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 81

Description: Dingoes throughout Australia, but especially near the dingo fence, face a constant threat from human traps — snares, steel traps, and poison. The dingoes have become adept at detecting these dangers and even disarming them. This Gift allows the werewolf to identify lures, traps, and even ambushes. Dingo spirits teach this Gift.

System: The Storyteller rolls Perception + Primal Urge when the werewolf comes within (Gnosis x 5) yards of a trap’s trigger. The difficulty is 5 for the werewolf to detect simple snares, pits, and poisoned bait in the area. Identifying more technologically complex traps such as electrified objects and motion-activated traps is difficulty 6. Supernatural traps are difficulty 7. Additionally, whenever the werewolf approaches an ambush, the Storyteller rolls Perception + Primal Urge against difficulty 6 for the werewolf to recognize the ambush before it springs. The werewolf does not have to activate this Gift, it provides a “sixth sense” at all times.

Level Three

Cat Feet

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

Monkey Tail

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Silence the Weaver

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The lupus releases a shattering howl, destroying all nearby delicate electronics - computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and the like. Simpler machines such as land line phones, cars, and firearms are unaffected. A storm spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The lupus spends a turn howling. The player then spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge. Delicate electronics are destroyed within a radius of (20 x successes) yards (or meters) in a flash of sparks.

Strength of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Goddess blesses the lupus with the fullness of his might when he wears the most natural of his skins. While wearing lupus form, the Garou enjoys the full might of Crinos. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. His lupus form base strength increases by four, rather than the normal one, for the rest of the scene.

Level Four

Beast Life

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Gnaw

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.

Scream of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.

Terror of the Dire Wolf

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: Wolves haunt the ancestral nightmares of humanity, and of those monsters that were once human. The werewolf lets out a fierce snarl that triggers primordial terror in opponents and drowns them in the Delirium. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or, if he is affecting a group, the highest Willpower represented). If successful, the werewolf invokes the full effect of the Delirium on any human, formerly human, or partly human creature who can see her - including those normally immune to the Delirium, such as mages and vampires. Only other werewolves and Fera are immune. It may be used in any form, although Homid and Glabro raise the difficulty of the Primal Urge roll by one.

Level Five

Elemental Gift

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).

Song of the Great Beast

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

Auspice Gifts

These Gifts are the secrets given to Gaia’s children by Luna. She bid her many servants teach the Garou their various tricks, arming them with magical skills with which to protect Gaia.

[+/-] Ragabash Gifts

Ragabash

Luna's Gifts to the Ragabash defy tradition and conventional wisdom. Well suited to tricksters, scouts and saboteurs, the eclectic blessings of the new moon are nothing if not effective.

Level One

Blur of the Milky Eye

W20 Core, pg 161

Description: The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.

Infectious Laughter

W20 Core pg 161

Description: Laughter is the tool with which Gaia’s tricksters promote enlightenment and the knife that slashes through the veil of Rage. When the Ragabash laughs, those around her are compelled to follow along, forgetting their grievances. A coyote or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Ragabash must make some comment mocking the present situation in which she finds herself, then laugh at it. The player then rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the highest Rage rating of anyone listening). Success causes those who hear the Ragabash's comment and laughter to lose hold of their ire, and forget what it was that had them upset in the first place - although their temper will return if they are reminded of what the New Moon has made them forget.

Liar's Face

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The Ragabash wraps herself in such a deceitful attitude that nothing she says can be trusted - not even the clear and unvarnished truth. The werewolf may make a single truthful statement, and no human who hears it will believe her. A platypus spirit teaches this gift.

System: After the character makes a truthful statement, the player spends one Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). This Gift is automatically effective on humans, causing them to believe the Ragabash is lying. Supernatural listeners whose Willpower is lower than the Ragabash's successes will also refuse to believe the Ragabash's words.

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Scent of Running Water

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.

Level Two

Blissful ignorance

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Spider's Song

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The Ragabash can steal messages from the Weaver's web, plucking them from the air or eavesdropping as they race through telephone lines. The Ragabash must be aware that conversation is happening to listen in on it (thought she doesn't have to know who's on the other end of the line). For conversations across land lines, the Ragabash must place her ear against a telephone pole or cord; to listen in on cell phone discussions (or even to intercept text messages) she need only be able to see one of the phones being used. Spider and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. She listens in on the conversation (or receives mental translations of text messages) for as long as she keeps her ear to the line or keeps the cellphone user in sight.

Taking the Forgotten

W20 Core pg 162

Description: A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

Level Three

Gremlins

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
6 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Liar's Craft

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.

System: The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.

Monkey Tail

W20 Core pg 162, and 159

Description: The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).

Open Moon Bridge

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).

Pathfinder

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The werewolf can strike implausible trails through pristine wilderness and the urban jungle alike, locating the fasted and shortest routes from one place to another. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Survival (for wilderness) or Streetwise (for urban environments) against difficult 7. The number of successes equals the quality of the path she blazes and how much she decreases her travel time. Every success reduces travel time by approximately 10 percent, up to a maximum of half the original travel time. The difficulty of any rolls to track the werewolf increase by two when this Gift is active; this decrease is cumulative with other similar effects, such as Scent of Running Water.

Level Four

Luna's Blessing

W20 Core pg 162

Description: When Luna stands visible in the night sky, silver ceases to act as a bane to the Garou. Indeed, when the moon waxes full, silver may well turn on those who would wield it against Gaia's children. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: When the moon shows in the sky in a visible phase, the character suffers lethal or bashing damage from silver, rather than aggravated (damage type depends on the form of attack - a silver-headed cane would do bashing damage, while silver bullets inflict lethal damage). Additionally, all attacks against werewolf with silver weapons at this time are considered to roll a 1 in addition to all dice actually rolled - or a pair of 1s during the full moon. The Garou retains his normal vulnerability to silver during the day, on nights of the new moon, and when the moon is below the horizon.

Umbral Dodge

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Ragabash finds that the best way to deal with an enemy is to send him far away - perhaps to a place where he'll learn the folly of his ways. She may tear open a hole in the Gauntlet while dodging an enemy's attack, sending him to the land of spirits. A trapdoor-spider spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When attempting to dodge a close-range attack, the player spends one Gnosis point and increases the difficulty of the dodge by one, or to the rating of the local Gauntlet, whichever is higher. If the dodge succeeds in avoiding the attack completely, the attacker is dropped into the Penumbra (or into the physical world if this Gift is used in the Penumbra).

Whelp Body

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.

Level Five

Thieving Talons of the Magpie

W20 Core pg 163

Description: The Ragabash can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued might be exempt, at the Storyteller's discretion). Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Ragabash steals the targeted power, depriving the owner of its use. Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Ragabash who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2). The Garou may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn. The werewolf's Ggnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Ragabash must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!"). This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.

Thousand Forms

W20 Core pg 163

Description: The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.

Level Six

Firebringer

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The Ragabash performs the ultimate trick, stealing a supernatural power and turning it into a Gift, which may in turn be bestowed upon others as though the New Moon were a spirit teacher. Alas, the Ragabash must first survive having the power used upon him. Coyote or another trickster Incarna teaches this Gift.

System: After having a power used on him, the Ragabash may spend one point of permanent Gnosis to internalize it into a Gift. The Ragabash cannot use this Gift himself, and in fact forfeits all defenses against that power if ever used on him in the future; it exists instead as a treasure to bequeath upon the Garou Nation. Any power may become a Gift in this fashion - even the vile magic of the Wyrm may be stolen and turned to the defense of Gaia. The Storyteller determines the new Gift's appropriate level and what sort of spirit Garou should be able to learn it from. In the case of mages, this power steals particular rotes rather than entire Spheres.

[+/-] Theurge Gifts

Theurge

Luna's Gifts to the children of the Crescent Moon grant insights into the Umbra and its denizens, as well as power over spirits and the minds of others.

Level One

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Spirit Snare

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Umbral Tether

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The Umbra is a shifting world where logic doesn't always apply and losing one's way is easy. Theurges ensure they can always find their way back to the point where they entered the Umbra with this Gift, which creates a silvery "umbilical cord" connecting the Garou to the point where they last crossed the Gauntlet. Only the werewolf who creates the tether can see it. This Gift is taught by a spider spirit.

System: No roll is needed to create the thread. However, after each full day the character spends in the Umbra, a point of Gnosis must be spent to maintain the cord; otherwise, it slowly corrodes from the point of entry and toward the Garou.

Level Two

Battle Mandala

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: A mystical sigil burns itself into the ground around the Theurge, visible only to those with Gnosis ratings. This circle drains the Essence from spirits caught within its web. A spider or ant-lion spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 7). The battle mandala encompasses a radius of (50 x number of successes) feet (or 15 meters per success) around the Garou; spirits (other than the Garou's pack totem) within the mandala lose one Essence per turn. The mandala dissipates at the end of the scene or when the werewolf steps outside of its bounds, whichever comes first.

Command Spirit

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 165 and 159

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Sight From Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.

System: Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.

Level Three

Exorcism

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.

Pulse of the Invisible

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.

System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.

Umbral Camouflage

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift.

Web Walker

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: The Garou may travel on the Pattern Web through the Umbra without physical difficulty, and without attracting the unfriendly attention of Weaver spirits in the area. Any Weaver spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science (difficulty 7). Success enables the Garou (and her pack, so long as they stick close to her) to travel through the Umbra across the Pattern Web as though she were on a moon bridge. Whether the Web's strands go where the Garou wants to travel is another matter entirely.

Level Four

Blurring the Mirror

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: This Gift allows the Theurge to cloud the minds of other beings, making it impossible for them to find the Umbra or step sideways into it. Once used as a form of punishment for arrogant pups, this Gift is more often deployed as a weapon against Black Spiral Dancers in the days of the coming Apocalypse. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for every individual she wishes to affect. The Gauntlet increases by 5 for those targets for the rest of the scene. Up to five individuals can be affected at once. While normally used against other Garou, this Gift is effective against any being capable of entering the Umbra sideways, including other Fera and some mages.

Grasp the Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.

Spirit Drain

W20 Core, pg 165

Description: The Garou may drain power from a spirit to feed her own resolve. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player makes a resisted Gnosis roll against the spirit. If the player succeeds, the spirit loses one Essence point per success for the rest of the scene. For every two points drained, the Garou gains a temporary Willpower point. She loses any points exceeding her maximum at the end of the scene.

Spirit Ward

W20 Core, pg 166 and 155

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Feral Lobotomy

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Ggarou can destroy the target's intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.

Malleable Spirit

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficult is based on what the garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.

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

Ultimate Argument of Logic

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: Those who speak with the Theurge leave convinced of some fact they might otherwise have disbelieved. If successful, the Garou can cause the target to believe implicitly in one aspect of existence (true or false) - that the Earth is the center of the universe, that there is such a thing as a spirit world, or that cities are unnatural affronts to nature, for example. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player needs three successes on a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty of the target's Wits + Enigmas).

[+/-] Philodox Gifts

Philodox Gifts

Luna gifts her Half Moon children with powers of balance, judgement, and enforcement of law. The judges and mediators of the Garou nation use their magic to discern the truth, lead in times of peace, and mediate among their fellows.

Level One

Fangs of Judgement

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgement but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction).

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153 and 166

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Scent of the True Form

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".

Truth of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Level Two

Call to Duty

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, all spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call - such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose.

Command the Gathering

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.

King of the Beasts

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.

Strength of Purpose

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: Philodox use this Gift to fortify themselves in the face of the Apocalypse, turning hot passion and burning Rage into cold, steely resolve. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once per scene, the player may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). For every two successes, the Philodox recovers one point of Willpower, up to her maximum.

Level Three

Mental Speech

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Scent of the Oathbreaker

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: Oaths sanctified before a Philodox are a serious matter indeed, so this Gift grants the judges of the Garou nation the ability to know when an oath has been broken and to track down the oathbreaker to correct him personally. A dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Philodox may spend one Gnosis point to sanctify any oath or promise he personally witnesses, no matter how formal or informal. If at any point in the future one of the individuals sworn to the oath breaks it, the Philodox immediately becomes aware of this, and all rolls for the werewolf to track the oathbreaker by scent drop to difficulty 4. This benefit lasts until the Philodox next stands in the oathbreaker's presence.

Sense Balance

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: As the arbitrators of the Garou Nation, the Philodox have developed an attunement with the cosmic forces that balance the Tellurian. The werewolf may sense an overabundance of Wyrm, Wyld, or Weaver energies in a location. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to detect the spiritual balance of an area, if any. Wyrm manifestations feel dense and oily, Weaver presence feels cold and unyielding, and Wyld energies feel hot and trembling. The Philodox must be at peace and without distraction to use this Gift.

Weak Arm

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.

System:The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Level Four

Roll Over

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: The werewolf radiates authority and power, allowing him to exert his dominance over others. Humans bow or kneel, while Garou roll over to expose their throats. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player begins an extended, resisted Willpower contest. The results are compared to each of her opponents in turn; when the player has scored three more successes than an opponent, that opponent drops out of the contest and submits. If one of the opponents accumulates three more successes over the character, the contest ends. For the remainder of the scene, any individual who has submitted will take no actions at all without the approval of the character, unless their life depends on it.

Scent of the Beyond

W20 Core, pg 167

Description: With a moment's concentration, the werewolf can hurl her senses to any place with which she is familiar (even an Umbral location), no matter how far away it may be. Because a bird spirit teaches this Gift, her senses perceive the scene from above.

System:' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). If the target location is in the Umbra, the difficulty is 8 or the local Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher. This far-seeing continues for as long as the werewolf desires, but the character suffers a -3 penalty to any attempts to react to local stimuli while her senses are projected.

Take the True Form

W20 Core, pg 168

Description: The Philodox can force a being into its true form. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, Changing Breeds (including Garou) are forced to revert to their breed form for one turn per success. Other shapeshifted creatures such as vampires masquerading as wolves) targeted by this power are likewise forced to revert to their true forms.

Level Five

Geas

W20 Core, pg 168

Description: The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.

Wall of Granite

W20 Core, pg 168

Description: Philodox have a stronger relationship with the elementals of earth than other werewolves do; just as the earth upholds those upon it, the Philodox uphold the Litany that sustains their people. While in contact with earth or rock, the Philodox can invoke a wall to protect himself. This wall moves with the Garou, defending him from all angles. Earth elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The wall's dimensions are three yards high, two yards long, and one yard thick *or similar number of meters), and if the Garou desires, it may be extended to encircle a number of allies up to the werewolf's Gnosis so long as they huddle close. It has a soak pool of 10 dice, and 15 health levels must be inflicted to penetrate it at any point. The wall lasts for one scene or until released into the earth by the Garou.

Level Six

Break the Bonds

W20 Core, pg 168

Description: This Gift shatters all bonds, whether physical or mental, from sturdy iron chains to the slavery of a vampire's bewitched blood. The Garou may use it to benefit any being, including herself. It is taught by any Incarna with the freedom to come and go as they please.

System: The Garou is automatically immune to any supernatural coercion, and may break bonds as though she had Strength 15. She may also break another's physical bonds with that same Strength, or banish mental bonds from another with a Manipulation + Leadership roll (difficulty 11 - target's Willpower).

[+/-] Galliard Gifts

Galliard Gifts

The Moon Dancers burn with passion and song, and so Luna gives them Gifts that allow them to weave dream, fantasy and emotion into a tapestry that serves Gaia's best interests.

Level One

Beast Speech

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Call of the Wyld

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: The werewolf may send her howl far beyond the normal range of hearing and imbue it with great emotion, stirring the hearts of fellow Garou and chilling the bones of all others. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: the player rolls Stamina + Empathy; the number of successes determines how far away the Call can be heard (double the normal range for each success) and how stirring it is to those who hear it. This Gift should be used in conjunction with one of the Garou howls (see W20 Core, pg 58). The Storyteller determines the effects as appropriate to the purpose to which it is put, perhaps awarding a bonus die to revel participants for each two successes, or granting a point of Rage to all listeners for an exception battlefield howl.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 169 and 158

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Mindspeak

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.

Perfect Recall

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: The werewolf is able to remember and relive any memory with perfect clarity. An elephant spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend one Gnosis point to perfectly remember any one detail, no matter how small, from any point in her character's entire life.

Level Two

Call of the Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: This dangerous Gift attracts creatures of the Wyrm, luring them into traps and ambushes or flushing them from hiding. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7). If the Wyrm creature loses the contest it must come to the source of the Call.

Command the Gathering

W20 Core, pg 167 and 169

Description: The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.

Distractions

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.

Dreamspeak

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.

Howls in the Night

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: The werewolf sends a full throated howl shivering into the night sky, evoking primal terror in Gaia's enemies. Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl find themselves troubled and unable to rest easily while their enemies are on the prowl. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours.

Level Three

Eye of the Cobra

W20 Core, pg 169

Description: With an unearthly stare, the werewolf can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.

Song of Heroes

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: Reciting a tale of ancient Garou heroism, the Galliard conjures up the spirit of fallen heroes and infuses those listening with some portion of their power. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift requires the full recitation of a story of epic heroism, taking at least several minutes. At the end of the tale, the player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Every two successes on this roll add one point to a single Ability score for all listening Garou and Kinfolk, much like the Ancestors Background. This bonus lasts until the sun rises.

Song of Rage

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: This Gift unleashes the beast in others, forcing werewolves, vampires, and other such creatures into frenzy and turning humans into berserkers. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim flies into a violent rage (or frenzy, if naturally prone) for one turn per success.

Song of the Siren

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: The Garou's song or howl can entrance anyone who hears it. A songbird spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower) and spends one Gnosis point. Packmates resist the Gift automatically; all others in earshot whose Willpower is exceeded are affected. Enchanted targets can't perform any actions for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled, unless one Willpower point is spent per turn of free action.

Level Four

Bridge Walker

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: The Galliard may create minor moon bridges through which she alone can travel. Such travel takes one percent of the time the journey would take normally , allowing the werewolf to disappear from in front of a foe and reappear behind him instantly. These moon bridges are not protected by Lunes, and may attract the interest of spirits. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to create the bridge. The moon bridge lasts for only one passage, unless the player spends an additional three Willpower, in which case it lasts until the next full moon. The maximum distance that can be traversed by the bridge is the garou's Gnosis in miles (1.6 km per Gnosis dot).

Gift of Dreams

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: The Galliard crafts a dream, then breathes it into a sleeping individual. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to craft the dream; more successes allows for more vivid and impactful dreams. To ensure that an individual experiences this dream, the Galliard must breathe it into the target's mouth while they sleep. The player spends a Gnosis point to complete the Gift. Dreams crafted with this Gift are often unusually vivid and dramatic, often leaving even lifelong skeptics convinced that they hold some deep meaning.

Shadows by the Firelight

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.

Level Five

Fabric of the Mind

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.

Head Games

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: Emotions become a palette with which the Galliard may paint whatever picture takes her fancy. She may change the target's emotions as she pleases, from love to hate and back again. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Success allows the Garou to steer the emotions of any one individual for the rest of the scene. These emotions don't last beyond the end of the Gift's duration unless events naturally reinforce them (such as the Galliard acting friendly toward an individual she has forced to regard her warmly).

Level Six

Break the Bonds

W20 Core, pg 168 and 170

Description: This Gift shatters all bonds, whether physical or mental, from sturdy iron chains to the slavery of a vampire's bewitched blood. The Garou may use it to benefit any being, including herself. It is taught by any Incarna with the freedom to come and go as they please.

System: The Garou is automatically immune to any supernatural coercion, and may break bonds as though she had Strength 15. She may also break another's physical bonds with that same Strength, or banish mental bonds from another with a Manipulation + Leadership roll (difficulty 11 - target's Willpower).

[+/-] Ahroun Gifts

Ahroun Gifts

While all Garou are Gaia's warriors, the Ahroun are the fighters among fighters. Burning with the gift of Luna's Rage, Ahroun channel their righteous fury into terrible weapons or cunning leadership on the battlefield.

Level One

Falling Touch

W20 Core, pg 170

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.

Inspiration

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in battle, and this Gift helps them to live up to that trust. The werewolf employs this Gift to lend her resolve and righteous anger to those who share her cause. A lion or wolf spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one Willpower point, which disappears if it is not used before the end of the scene.

Pack Tactics

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: While the Ahroun's role as the overall leader of Garou is questionable, there's no doubt at all who should take control of the pack in battle. By taking the lead and coordinating pack actions, the Ahroun gifts all her packmates with great competence in the heat of battle. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point before initiating a Pack Tactics maneuver (see W20 Core, pg 300) and divides a pool of extra dice equal to her Leadership score among everyone performing the maneuver. The dice should be divided as evenly as possible, although the player may choose where to distribute extra dice (or in case of the Ahroun's Leadership score granting fewer dice than the number of packmates involved).

Razor Claws

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Spur Claws

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: In ancient times, Ahroun warriors made common cause with the spirit Queen of Bees. As her own hive children rallied to protect her, so too did the Garou fight in defense of Gaia, and the Queen decreed that they should be properly equipped for the fight. This Gift, taught by a bee spirit in recognition of that alliance, allows the Ahroun to transform her claws into hooked and barbed spurs.

System: The player spends one Rage. The next successful claw attack the character makes hurries her claws into the victim, where they stick after breaking free from the werewolf's fingertips. Until the victim takes the time to pull them out (which takes a full turn), they suffer +2 difficulty to all actions. The Garou's claws take a full turn to regenerate.

Level Two

Sense Silver

W20 Core, pg 156 and 171

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Shield of Rage

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: Such is the Rage burning within an Ahroun's heart that all lesser furies quail before it. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, all spirits' Rage scores are considered two less than their real values for the purpose of rolling damage against the Ahroun.

Spirit of the Fray

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.

System: Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).

True Fear

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).

Level Three

Combat Healing

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to mend his injuries without rest or hesitation - even in the heart of combat - as claws and bullets tear fresh rents in his flesh. While other Garou struggle to mend their wounds under fire, the Ahroun never stops fighting. Elemental spirits teach this Gift, although they must generally be bested in battle first.

System: The Ahroun no longer needs to pause or roll Stamina to heal during combat, and automatically regenerates one non-aggravated health level every round. This benefit is permanent.

Heart of Fury

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: The Garou steels himself against anger, suppressing his Rage and creating a mental wall to hold back the tide of righteous fury that threatens to drown him. the anger always returns, however, and the Garou had best be ready to pay its bill. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the character's permanent Rage). Every two successes add +1 to the character's frenzy difficulties for the scene, making it harder to frenzy. When the scene ends, past slights and injuries come rushing back to haunt the werewolf, refilling his heart and soul. He must spend one Willpower point or make an immediate frenzy check at regular difficulty.

Silver Claws

W20 Core, pg 171

Description: Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.

Wind Claws

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: The Ahroun's claws and fangs pass through the flimsy protections of their enemies as though they were but air and hope. An air elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. For the rest of the turn, all of the Ahroun's attacks completely ignore any armor (mundane or magical) that targets might be wearing; the targets forfeit all soak dice from such protection.

Level Four

Body Shift

W20 Core, pg 172 and 154

Description: Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.

Clenched Jaw

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).

Full Moon's Light

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: The full moon is Luna's warrior phase, when she searches out her enemies. The Ahroun can call upon her determination in finding her foes, illuminating any who oppose her. Lunes teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the remainder of the scene, anyone within one mile who is working against the Ahroun or her pack emits a soft glow, as though illuminated by moonlight. This Gift can be used to confound powers of stealth or even invisibility, but only if the target is actively attempting to harm, compete with, or otherwise foil the Ahroun or her pack.

Stoking the Fury's Furnace

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to husband his Rage, keeping it burning for as long as Gaia's enemies remain to be defeated. A wolverine spirit teaches this gift.

System: This Gifts effects are permanent. The werewolf regains one Rage point during any turn in which he takes damage. This Rage does not cause a frenzy check, though other sources will induce checks as usual. Additionally, the player can spend one Rage point per turn without losing any temporary rage. If multiple Rage points are spent during any turn, however, all are marked off.

Level Five

Kiss of Helios

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: The Ahroun can invoke the sun's power to gain immunity to flame. Additionally, she may ignite any portion of her body and keep it burning as she desires. Garou with this Gift are as likely to light their mane to honor the sun during rituals as they are to ignite their claws or fangs in battle. A fire elemental or sun spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character is unharmed by any natural source of flames or heat. Artificial (napalm, gas fires, etc.) and supernatural flames can inflict no more than a single level of bashing damage during a turn. The character inflicts two additional dice of damage with burning attacks.

Strength of Will

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: A werewolf with this Gift is a pillar of indomitable will. He can share his terrifying strength with others as well, leading them through the gates of Malfeas without a moment's fear or hesitation. A wolf spirit or an Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success grants all the Garou's allies within 100 feet (and her packmates anywhere within 100 miles) an extra point of Willpower. The extra points last for the rest of the scene and may raise an ally's Willpower above its maximum (and even above 10). This Gift can only be used once be used once per scene.

Level Six

Unstoppable Warrior

W20 Core, pg 172

Description: The werewolf with this potent Gift may shrug off even flames and the claws of his own kind. A warrior Incarna teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou becomes permanently capable of healing all aggravated damage as though it were lethal damage, save for wounds inflicted by silver.

Tribe Gifts

Spirits in service to or allied with a tribe’s totem teach Tribal Gifts. Some tribes’ Gifts haven’t changed in centuries, while others (such as the Glass Walkers) regularly reinvent their relationship with the spirits.

Learning a Gift from another tribe usually requires the Garou to be on good terms with at least one member of the tribe (generally a packmate) who can summon the appropriate spirit. Even then, the Garou must convince the spirit she is worthy of its blessings, and that she won’t turn them against its tribal allies.

Some Garou are extremely touchy about outsiders learning their tribal blessings, while others believe the practice strengthens the Garou Nation as a whole in its war against the Wyrm.

[+/-] Black Fury Gifts

Black Fury Gifts

The Black Furies' Gifts reflect their closeness to the Wyld and allow them to unleash their centuries of tribulation on others. They possess some of the most effective war-Gifts of all the tribes.

Level One

Breath of the Wyld

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: Furies embrace the energy of creation, and they can share that passion with others. With this Gift, the Black Fury instills a feeling of vitality, life, and lucidity in another living being. It is taught by a servant of Pegasus.

System: The Fury must touch her target's skin. The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 5 against Garou and Kinfolk; difficulty 6 for others). Success grants the recipient a rush of mental vitality - in game terms, one additional die on all Mental rolls for the rest of the scene. It also adds one to the difficulties of any Rage rolls made during the scene.

Man's Skin

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: Distasteful though it may be, the Black Furies sometimes find it necessary to pass unnoticed through the world of men. This Gift allows a Fury to effectively change gender in the eyes of onlookers. Her features and build become decidedly more masculine, and her garb seems of a masculine cut. Her hair, eye and skin color remain the same; the result is a man who shows a slight family resemblance to the Fury. Despite this Gift's name, it works equally well when male metis Furies employ it to disguise themselves as women. This Gift is taught by an ancestor spirit or a seahorse spirit.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The illusion lasts for one scene per success, or until the Fury shifts form. The disguise withstands casual tactile contact, although heavy or violent contact will reveal the truth.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158 and 173

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupus, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156 and 173

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Wyld Resurgence

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: Bent to Gaia's service, the creative, living essence of the Wyld roars through the Fury's body, shining beneath her skin as a rippling wave of prismatic energy which focuses on and shines out through her wounds. This surge super charges the werewolf's regenerative powers, quickly mending even the most grievous of wounds. A servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.

System: The Fury spends a turn in concentration and the player spends one Gnosis point. The werewolf immediately heals either three levels of bashing damage, or two levels of lethal damage. With the expenditure of a Willpower point in addition to the Gnosis point, one level of aggravated damage may be healed instead. Damage caused by silver weapons cannot be healed with this Gift.

Level Two

Curse of Aeolus

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through her own fog with no difficulty. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player makes a Gnosis roll, with the difficulty depending on humidity and closeness to a body of water (a lake shore might be difficulty 4, while a desert would be 9). Those other than the Fury who are enveloped in fog lose half of their dice on all Perception rolls (rounded up). All those enveloped within the fog also lose one die from all Willpower rolls, save the Fury and her packmates.

Form Mastery

W20 Core, pg 156 and 173

Description: The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spends a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Kali's Tongue

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: A terrible Wyrm creature terrorized the land in ancient days of myth. For every drop of blood it spilled, another monster would spring up from the ground. A goddess of destruction spread out her tongue to catch each drop of blood as it fell, and in this fashion enabled the monster's defeat. Modern Black Furies apply similar magic in their struggles against Black Spiral Dancers and other resilient foes. A cobra spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Medicine (difficulty equals the target's Rage or Willpower -3, whichever is lower). Each success prevents the target from healing damage by any means (including Gifts like Mother's Touch) for one turn.

Kneel

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: By pointing a finger or claw at a target, a Fury can force him to his knees. Only the strongest willed can do anything but strain and swear in response. This Gift is taught by one of Pegasus's brood.

System: The Fury rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the subject's Willpower). Her target falls to his knees unless he spends a Gnosis point to resist the Gift's effects (other supernatural beings may spend their own form of mystic energy, such as blood or quintessence, but mortals remain helpless). The target kneels for one turn per success.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161 and 173

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Level Three

Coup de Grace

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: The Garou finds the point of her foe's greatest weakness - and strikes at it. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty of the target's Stamina + Athletics). If successful, the player doubles her damage dice on the Garou's next successful attack.

Heart Claw

W20 Core, pg 173

Description: The Fury breaks one of her claws off in a wound, imbuing it with all of her killing intent. The claw continues to burrow into her opponent's flesh, and will not stop until it finds his heart. A wasp spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Upon making a successful claw attack, the player spends one point of Willpower. The burrowing claw inflicts one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage each subsequent turn until it either kills the target or is dug out of the wound (a Dexterity + Medicine action, difficulty 7, requiring a full turn's concentration).

Visceral Agony

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.

Wings of Pegasus

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: The Fury can sprout majestic wings when in Hispo form, allowing her to fly at will. An avatar of Pegasus teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to produce wings capable of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) flight, which last until dismissed. Fine flying maneuvers require a Dexterity + Athletics roll at a difficulty determined by the Storyteller.

Level Four

Beast Life

W20 Core, pg 160 and 174

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Body Wrack

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: Pouring her Rage and pain into an opponent, the Fury induces debilitating agony. Victims tend to fall to the ground, screaming between convulsions. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 3). If successful, the target is left stunned and convulsing for one round per success. Additionally, the target subtracts one die from all rolls for the rest of the scene.

Wasp Talons

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: The Fury with this Gift can fire her claws from her hand like darts. She cant make claw attacks with that hand until her claws regenerate, of course, but this is rarely a problem when her opponent lies eviscerated on the other side of the room. A wasp spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Brawl to hit. The difficulty is figured as though the character is using a firearm; the medium range is 20 yards (18m). Damage is calculated normally for a claw strike. Regenerating fired claws takes one turn.

Level Five

Gorgon's Gaze

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: The Fury's eyes burn red, gold, and green as this hideous power of legend transforms living flesh into stone with but a gaze. Difficult to find and even more dangerous to approach, legendary Basilisk teaches this Gift.

System: After making eye contact, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim is completely paralyzed for one turn per success; five successes permanently transforms the target to stone.

Thousand Forms

W20 Core pg 163 and 174

Description: The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird andd a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.

Description: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.

Wyld Warp

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: This Gift summons a swarm of Wyld spirits to aid the Fury. When they arrive, the Wyldlings behave in a wildly unpredictable, but beneficial, fashion. They might tear the Fury's foes limb from limb, replenish the pack's Rage, destroy all Weaver tools in the area, or haul opponents away into the Deep Umbra. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, then rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty equals the local Gauntlet). Successes summon a variable number of Wyldlings.

[+/-] Bone Gnawer Gifts

Bone Gnawer Gifts

The Bone Gnawers are survivors without peer, and Rat's blessings help make this so.

Level One

Cooking

W20 Core, 174

Description: The Bone Gnawer takes up a small pot (an old coffee can will do) and a spoon, and fills it with whatever he can find - cigarette butts, beer cans, old newspapers, dead leaves, whatever - adds water (spit will do), and stirs. The result is a pasty and bland tasting, but filling and nutritious mush. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 6). The resulting meal feeds one person per success.

Desperate Strength

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: The werewolf calls on desperate reserves for a sudden surge of strength. A badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When rolling a Feat of Strength (see W20 Core, pg 270), the werewolf may add one die to the roll for each level of bashing damage he willingly accepts as the price of this Gift.

Resist Toxin

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).

Scent of Sweet Honey

W20 Core, pg 174

Description: A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.

Trash is Treasure

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: The refuse of humanity provides all the canny Bone Gnawer needs. Through the use of this Gift, any broken object can be temporarily restored to full functionality and usefulness. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player takes hold of a broken object and rolls Wits + Crafts. The object functions perfectly for one turn per success, and also supplies its own power, fuel, or ammunition - a dull knife cuts, a busted microwave runs (without being plugged in to anything) an old rusty Saturday night special fires even without bullets, a junked car starts up and runs. The lifespan of the object's renewed usefulness can be extended to one full day by spending a point of Willpower, but the object requires proper power, fuel, and ammunition in such circumstances.

Level Two

Between the Cracks

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: Urban blight is the very underbelly of the Wyrm, and the Bone Gnawers know it better than any other tribe. The werewolf's instincts guide him to the nearest barren spot within an urban area - a place where no human has set foot in at least a week, one which is not only isolated and currently unoccupied, but also likely to remain so for at least the rest of the night. This may be a boarded up, abandoned building, a vacant apartment, or even a dead subway station. Bone Gnawers find this Gift useful for securing ritual spaces, setting up ambushes while preserving the Litany, and finding a place to sleep for the night. Any urban spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Wits + Streetwise (difficulty 5). The more successes, the more secluded and difficult to locate the destination will be.

Blissful ignorance

W20 Core pg 161 and 175

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Cornered Rat's Ferocity

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: When backed into a corner with nowhere to run, there are only two options - beg for mercy or turn and fight. Rat spirits teach Bone Gnawers to excel at the latter.

System: The players spends one Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 8). Each success grants the character an additional die to his Brawl pools for the rest of the combat. This Gift sends the Bone Gnawer into an automatic and unavoidable berserk frenzy; any magic that stops the frenzy also ends the Gift.

Guise of the Hound

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: The Bone Gnawer masks herself so that she blends into the urban landscape, disguising her lupus form so that it appears as a large dog rather than a wolf. Despite its enormous utility, most other tribes spurn this Gift as degrading to the dignity of the Garou. A dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The disguise lasts for one scene per success.

Odious Aroma

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.

Level Three

Call the Rust

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: By whistling softly through his teeth, the werewolf can summon sudden and destructive rust onto any metal within his immediate vicinity. Guns corrode and jam, knives crumble, and cars become flaking hunks of junk. This Gift is taught by a water elemental.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Crafts, with a difficulty depending on the amount of metal being corroded. A gun or knife would be difficulty 6, while a car might be difficulty 8.

Gift of the Skunk

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.

System: The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.

Gift of the Termite

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: The Bone Gnawer can cause wood and paper to rot with astonishing speed. Furniture falls apart, documents disintegrate, and buildings may even collapse. A termite spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Crafts (difficulty7). One success can rot a ream of paper, three can destroy a wall, and five can collapse the roof of a small building.

Laugh of the Hyena

W20 Core, pg 175

Description: Hyena follows no one; instead, she laughs at those who would name themselves kings. The Bone Gnawer wields the power of this mocking laughter, allowing her to resist any attempt to command, cajole, force, or demand to do anything she doesn't wish to. Such refusals are never subtle; the werewolf cackles like a hyena when calling upon this Gift. A hyena spirit teaches it.

System: All attempts to mentally compel the werewolf suffer a +2 difficulty penalty, so long as she laughs out loud at them.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154 and 176

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

Description: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Attunement

W20 Core, pg 176

Description: The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Blink

W20 Core, pg 176

Description: The Bone Gnawer can duck into a shaded area (an open dumpster, a dark alley, beneath a parked car) and pop out in another shaded area some distance away. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 6). The character can reappear in any shaded area within (number of successes x 20) yards (18 m per success).

Infest

W20 Core, pg 176

Description: The Bone Gnawer summons a horde of vermin to invade a structure no bigger than a large building. The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area - usually a lively variety of insects, slugs, and rodents. The vermin behave according to their natural instinct, generally settling down for permanent infestation rather than attacking humans. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success warrants an immediate call to an exterminator, five makes the building completely uninhabitable for quite some time.

Level Five

Riot

W20 Core, pg 176

Description: The werewolf summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Goft plays on the hatred and fear of the down and outs of the city: the poor, the homeless, immigrants, and others the citizenry would rather not acknowledge. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a limited degree. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice - though things tend to escalate and spin out of control easily. The riot engulfs an area with a radius of one mile per success rolled.

Survivor

W20 Core, pg 176

Description: The werewolf becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need of food, water, or sleep. She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons. Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her. A tortoise spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival. The effects last for one day per success. Bu spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the Gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later. The Garou must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.

[+/-] Children of Gaia Gifts

Children of Gaia Gifts

The Gifts of the Children of Gaia aid in calming others and strengthening themselves. Yet those who would dismiss the most peaceful of tribes as ineffective pacifists will be surprised to discover how well the spirits prepare the children for the inevitability of battle - the Children know that peace is an ideal to strive toward, while the looming Apocalypse is a reality.

Level One

Brother's Scent

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: Drawing upon the universal brotherhood of all creatures of Gaia, the werewolf seems to fit in wherever he goes. Those given no reason to suspect the Child's presence simply overlook her. A servant of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (difficulty 6). All individuals not specifically on guard against intruders overlook any incongruity in the Garou's appearance - for example, a naked man covered in blood and carrying a grand klaive walking through a high society ball would draw no particular notice, nor would a wolf wandering through a residential neighborhood. The Garou isn't invisible, he simply doesn't stand out when he otherwise should, and his appearance is considered unremarkable even when he's interacted with. If the werewolf's actions alone would draw attention to himself (shouting, starting a fight, attempting to kick down a locked door) the Gift's illusion is immediately broken. Those specifically on the lookout for individuals who don't belong (security guards at a private facility, for example) don't succumb to this Gift unless their Willpower is lower than the Garou's successes on the activation roll.

Jam Weapon

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: The Child may stop any Weaver-born weapons from working within the range of his voice. A dove spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou shouts an ancient word of power and grace and spends a Gnosis point. The player rolls Willpower against the difficulty of the highest Willpower of any armed individual within ear shot. For each success, all manufactured weapon will not function for one turn. This includes guns, crossbows, flame throwers, and even knives and swords, which refuse to cut. Natural weapons (such as claws) and any natural objects appropriated as weapons (such as rocks or naturally fallen tree limbs) are unaffected.

Mercy

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: Children of Gaia see no use for lethal force when not fighting minions of the Wyrm, but even they succumb to frenzy. This Gift allows the Garou to use her natural weaponry and Rage without fear of killing her opponent. A dove spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all damage that the Garou inflicts with her own body is considered bashing. A creature "killed" by such damage merely falls unconscious, and he may heal the wounds at the usual rate for bashing damage.

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164 and 177

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the undead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166 and 177

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Level Two

Calm

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.

Grandmother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: As the Level One Theurge Gift: Mother's Touch, save that the Garou may use it to heal himself as well as others. Mother's Touch must be known before this Gift can be learned.

System: From Mother's Touch: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Luna's Armor

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.

Para Bellum

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: Though the Children love life, spring, and all that is good of Gaia, they aren't pacifists; they always stand ready to protect their Mother. The werewolf's Rage bursts forth in a torrent when another breaks the peace she so cherishes. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift may only be used at the beginning of a battle that was not initiated by the Garou, her pack, or her allies. The player spends one point of Rage; for the rest of the scene the character enjoys one additional dot of Strength and Dexterity when attacking the enemy who fired the first shot of any battle, or any character that has inflicted an injury on a member of the Child's pack during the scene.

Unicorn's Arsenal

W20 Core, pg 177

Description: The werewolf's claws and fangs become dazzling and pearlescent, shining with an inner multi-hued glory. Those wounded by these natural weapons lose the will to fight. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis to initiate the transformation. Any opponent bearing a wound delivered by the Unicorn's Arsenal loses two dice from all attack rolls until the wound has healed.

Level Three

Calm the Savage Beast

W20 Core, pg 154 and 178

Description: Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.

Dazzle

W20 Core, pg 178

Description:' The Garou can flood a target's mind with the glory and love of Gaia, rendering him harmless for a short while. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of the target's Willpower (+1 if the target is a creature of the Wyrm). As long as the target isn't attacked, he stands mutely in awe for the remainder of the scene. This Gift can be attempted against a given target only once per scene.

Lover's Touch

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The Garou can restore what another lacks: not only wounds healed, but also strength of will and even spiritual essence. Any spirit of love or an avatar of Unicorn may teach this Gift.

System: The Garou touches the afflicted individual kindly. The two need not be lovers, but the contact must convey affection and warmth - an embrace, a caress, or yet more intimate contact. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Medicine; each success heals one level of bashing or lethal damage, or restores one point of Willpower or Essence (of the target is a spirit). The difficulty is the Rage or Willpower of the target (whichever is higher). The player may choose to divide the successes among multiple results. Alternately, by neither healing wounds nor restoring Willpower or Essence, the Garou may suppress a Derangement for one day per success. This Gift cannot provide permanent relief from such afflictions, but it can act as a start on the road to recovery.

Spirit Friend

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The werewolf projects a feeling of tranquility and fellowship that spirits naturally perceive. Save for the mad or corrupt, spirits treat the Garou with courtesy and chivalry. This Gift is taught by a unicorn spirit.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7). Each success adds one die to all of the Garou's dice pools for interacting with any non-Bane spirits for the rest of the scene.

Level Four

Beast Life

W20 Core, pg 160 and 178

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Serenity

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The Garou can fill a hot heart with the peace of Gaia, even in the midst of battle. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). for one turn per success, the target automatically fails at all Rage rolls, cannot frenzy, and cannot spend Rage.

Strike the Air

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The Child becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker.

Uncaught Since the Primal Morn

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: This Gift grants Unicorn's perfect speed to the werewolf, allowing her to outrun virtually any pursuer. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Stamina + Athletics of any pursuer). The Garou is unfailingly faster than her pursuers for one scene per success.

Level Five

Halo of the Sun

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.

The Living Wood

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The Child of Gaia calls upon the powers of the forest to rise and aid her. Nearby trees begin to move and attempt to protect the Garou. Limbs and vines will restrain, block and even fight those attempting to harm her. A Glade Child teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Survival (difficulty 8). The character animates one tree for each success rolled.

[+/-] Fianna Gifts

Fianna Gifts

The Gifts of the Fianna speak to their vigorous natures and fae allies, and are often granted by spirits originating in their native lands.

Level One

Faerie Light

W20 Core, pg 178

Description: The Fianna conjures a small, bobbing sphere of light. It's no brighter than a torch, but that's usually enough to light the werewolf's way - or lead foes into an ambush. A marsh spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The light can appear anywhere within the Garou's line of sight, and bobs at about 10 feet (3 m) per turn if bidden to do so. It lasts for the rest of the scene.

Hare's Leap

W20 Core, pg 158 and 179

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153 and 179

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Resist Toxin

W20 Core, pg 174 and 179

Description: The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).

Two Tongues

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: The glib words and clever schemes of the Fianna are wasted on a single mark. This Gift teaches the werewolf to talk out of both sides of her face, literally carrying on two conversations simultaneously, and to decide who hears what. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Fianna may simultaneously carry on two conversations at the same time, which need have no relation to one another. She decides which listeners hear which version of the words she's speaking. Anyone suspecting something odd about the Fianna'e behavior must roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 9) to detect the Garou's other conversation and to understand what she's saying there.

Level Two

Glib Tongue

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.

Flame Dance

W20 Core, pg 179

Description:' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.

Form Mastery

W20 Core, pg 156 and 179

Description: The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Howl of the Banshee

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: The werewolf emits a fearful howl that causes those who hear it to run in terror. A Banshee - a mournful spirit of the dead - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. All who hear the howl must roll Willpower (difficulty 8; 6 for allies of the Fianna) or flee in terror for one turn per success on the Garou's roll.

Howl of the Unseen

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: This Gift allows a howl or proclamation from one side of the Gauntlet to echo across into both realms. It is taught by a cricket spirit.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet), after which the Garou may howl or speak for up to one turn per success rolled; the words or howl will be clearly audible on both sides of the Gauntlet.

Level Three

Faerie Kin

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the werewolf can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. When used on Earth, this Gift most commonly calls dream spirits known as chimera, though with higher Gnosis expenditures changelings or their dark-kin cousins may appear; true fae answer the summons only in appropriate Umbral realms.

Fair Fortune

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: The Fianna is blessed with a lucky streak a mile wide. A chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player may re-roll any failed or botched roll by spending a Gnosis point. The result of the second roll must be kept, and this Gift may only be used once per scene.

Ley Lines

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: By manipulating ley lines - a spiritual grid that crisscrosses the planet - the Fianna can disorient would-be trackers or hunters. The victims of this Gift find themselves following false trails, making wrong turns or walking in circles. An earth spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 7). Any attempt to track the Garou must begin with a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 8), garnering more successes than the Garou's player. Otherwise, the tracker's attempt to follow the Fianna will automatically botch.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154 and 179

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Song of the Siren

W20 Core, pg 170 and 179

Description: The Garou's song or howl can entrance anyone who hears it. A songbird spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower) and spends one Gnosis point. Packmates resist the Gift automatically; all others in earshot whose Willpower is exceeded are affected. Enchanted targets can't perform any actions for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled, unless one Willpower point is spent per turn of free action.

Level Four

Balor's Gaze

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: One of the Fianna's eyes glows a livid red, and all enemies caught by his gaze are stricken with terrible agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis, then rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). For the rest of the scene, any foe at whom the Garou glares must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and exceed the player's successes or double over in pain, suffering a -5 wound penalty as though Crippled, regardless of their current health. Any characters already at Crippledd are considered incapacitated by the pain.

Phantasm

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.

Level Five

Call the Hunt

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The werewolf calls forth the Huntsman of Celtic mythology to harry and slay a great evil. The Huntsman himself teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must chant and concentrate for one full hour. The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 8). The Huntsman appears with a single hound, plus one hound for each extra Rage or Gnosis point the player wishes to expend. If the Huntsman judges that the evil he has been summoned to hunt is insufficiently mighty or wicked to warrant his talents, or if the Garou has already summoned the Huntsman within the last month, then the Garou becomes the target of the hunt.

Fog on the Moor

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: This Gift transforms the Fianna into a ghostly outline of himself, allowing him to pass through anything except silver as though he were incorporeal. He may communicate and strike opponents normally. He cannot be harmed by anything except silver; all incoming attacks pass harmlessly through him. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to instantly assume a ghostly form. Each success allows the character to stay in that form for one turn, though he may change back at will. The character cannot regenerate while in this form.

Gift of the Spriggan

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The Fianna grows to three times her normal size or shrinks to the size of a small puppy. A chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). The effects last for one hour per success or until the Garou cancels the Gift. If the Garou grows larger, she gains three Strength dice for every 100% increase in size. If she grows smaller, she retains her normal Traits, but she may sneak around unnoticed or masquerade as someone's pet.

[+/-] Get of Fenris Gifts

Get of Fenris Gifts

Fierce fighters one and all, the Get beseech their spirit allies for Gifts of war. Even their Ragabash and Theurges are expected to stand out in battle.

Level One

Lightning Reflexes

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: Fenrir are Gaia's ultimate warriors, effortlessly switching from offense to defense as the needs of battle demand. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player reflexively spends one Willpower point. For the next day, the character need neither make a Willpower rill nor spend a Willpower point to abort to a defensive action.

Master of Fire

W20 Core, pg 152 and 180

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Razor Claws

W20 Core, pg 171 and 180

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166 and 180

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Visage of Fenris

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The Get appears larger and more fearsome, commanding respect from peers and cowing his foes. A wolf or toad spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Only one success is necessary to affect non-Garou and Garou of equal rank; to affect Garou of a higher rank, the player must score a number of successes equal to twice the difference of rank between the Garou and the target. For instance, to affect a Rank 4 Garou, a Rank 2 character would need to score at least four successes. Allies and peers affected by this Gift see the Garou as impressive and noble (-1 difficulty bonus to all Social rolls). Foes pause a moment to summon the resolve necessary to fight such a monster (losing one from their initiative ratings). This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Two

Fangs of the North

W20 Core, pg 180

'Description: Blue smoke rolls off the werewolf's claws and teeth, which are transformed into curving daggers of hardened ice. Wounds inflicted with these terrible weapons turn black and fester, all the warmth and life driven out of them. A snow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 7). The transformation lasts for the rest of the scene, or until banished voluntarily. Any individual wounded by the werewolf's fangs or claws suffers a -1 penalty for the rest of the scene as chills wrack her body. Additionally, any such wounds heal badly; mortals are likely to lose injured limbs as the tissue necrotizes, and beings capable of supernaturally swift healing (such as vampires or Black Spiral Dancers) are unable to heal these wounds for one day per success on the Gift's activation roll. This gift cant be used in Homid, but applies fully to the claws and or fangs of all other forms.

Halt the Coward's Flight

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The Get may slow a fleeing (not charging) foe, making him easier to catch. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must spend one turn concentrating, and the player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the target's speed is halved for the rest of the scene.

Snarl of the Predator

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The Garou lets out a feral snarl that terrifies opponents and cows them into submission. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits +3). Each success subtracts one die from an opponent's dice pool for the next three turns. This Gift takes one full turn to invoke.

Troll Skin

W20 Core, pg 181

Description: The Fenrir draws on the power of the earth for protection. Her skin grows tough and thick, covered with stony knots of hard, armored flesh. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The character receives an extra die per success on all soak rolls for the rest of the scene (damage from silver remains unsoakable). The character suffers a +1 difficulty to all social rolls save for Intimidation while this Gift is in effect.

Might of Thor

W20 Core, pg 181

Description: The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.

Redirect Pain

W20 Core, pg 181

Description: This Gift allows a Fenrir to visit the pain of his wounds upon those who inflicted them. A cuckoo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). For one scene, the target incurs whatever wound penalties are indicated by the Fenrir's current wound levels, regardless of whether or not the Fenrir actually feels the pain.

Venom Blood

W20 Core, pg 181

Description: The werewolf may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake or spider spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the roll.

Level Four

Body Shift

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.

Heart of the Mountain

W20 Core, pg 181

Description: The werewolf becomes as untiring and eternal as the mountains, and cannot be defeated in a test of endurance. A mountain goat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou cannot fail any tasks involving Stamina. Torturers can never break him; though he can't breath underwater and his lungs may fill with water, he will not die. The only exception to this is soaking damage. While this Gift is active, the werewolf is guaranteed to always soak at least one level of damage, but otherwise takes damage normally.

Hero's Stand

W20 Core, pg 181

Description: The Get channels the power of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. Though he may not retreat or even move from the spot for the duration of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all physical dice pools. In addition, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or fled.

Scream of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160 and 182

Description: The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.

Endurance of Heimdall

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: The Fenrir's body is suffused with hardiness beyond that of lesser beings. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If successful, the Garou's Stamina rating is doubled for the duration of the scene.

Horde of Valhalla

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: When a Get evokes this Gift, he summons Great Wolves to aid him. It cannot be used lightly, and it requires a good standing with Fenris as well as a truly worthy circumstance. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend as many points of Rage and Gnosis as desired, and then rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). The number of Great Wolves that appear is equal to the number of Rage and Gnosis spent. The wolves are functionally identical to the hounds of the Wild Hunt (see W20 Core, pg 370), and they remain for the rest of the scene.

Fenris' Bite

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: The werewolf's already vicious bite now easily mangles and severs limbs. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless unless the target can regenerate the damage, pr permanently in the case of humans or other creatures who cant regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Primal Urge roll, the limb is severed.

Call Great Fenris

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: As the ultimate expression of the pact between tribe and totem, the greatest Get heroes may summon the war avatar of their tribal totem to aid them in their hour of need. The avatar joins in combat, slaying all that are not Get of Fenris or under their protection. However, Great Fenris demands a sacrifice for his intervention - usually the left hand of the summoner. It's said that if the war avatar is called for no good reason, it will devour the summoner entirely before departing. This Gift is taught by Great Fenris himself.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 6). Success summons the war avatar of Great Fenris, who will fight at the Fenrir's side for the duration of the scene. At the combat's end, the summoner automatically gains the Battle Scar: Maimed Limb (see W20 Core, pg 260) as the war avatar claims Fenris' due; even if the Garou already possessed that Battle Scar, he gains it a second time as Fenris devours another limb.

[+/-] Glass Walker Gifts

Glass Walker Gifts

Many Glass Walker Gifts involve Weaver spirits of one type or another. This association grants the Glass Walkers great versatility and an unparalleled rapport with modern technology; Hopefully, it's enough to make up for the lack of respect with which other tribes view their pacts.

Boli Zousizhe Gifts

[+/-] Boli Zousizhe Gifts

A Chinese offshoot of the Glass Walkers, the Boli Zousizhe are somewhat more traditional than their ever-changing Western cousins, and employ several ancient Gifts rarely seen among other branches of the tribe.

Sheng-Nong's Eyes (Level One)

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: The Boli Zousizhe can see from the perspective of his tools and draw on their concentration for the task at hand, allowing him to perform multiple actions with ease. While this was originally used to wield two swords with equal dexterity, any tools can be used; even the werewolf's own hands count as a "tool". Either a monkey spirit or a spirit of war teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to receive an extra action. For the rest of the scene, the Garou need not be able to see his opponents in order to attack them. No visibility modifiers or off-hand penalties affect his actions while this Gift is in effect.

Fu Xi's Honor (Level Two)

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: When confronted with a threat to a helpless member of the werewolf's family or pack, the Boli Zousizhe can rise above her normal limits to defend them. The spirit of any animal that mates for life may teach this Gift.

System: The Storyteller must agree that the member of the Garou's family or pack is indeed helpless and unable to defend himself. (With rare exception, any human facing a werewolf should be considered helpless.) The player may then spend one Rage and add one die to all her character's Physical Attributes for every point of permanent Honor the character possesses, for the duration of the scene.

Yao's Commands (Level Three)

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: As the Glass Walker Gift: Elemental Favor. When this Gift is taken, the Boli Zousizhe must choose to be able to command Eastern elementals (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal) or urban elementals. The character may never command elements of the other group.

From: Elemental Favor, W20 Core, pg 184: By begging, threatening, or cajoling an urban elemental, a werewolf can convince the spirit to do her a favor such as manipulating or even destroying its earthly shell. Thus, a glass sheet might explode at the Garou's foes an unlocked door might refuse to open, or a car's breaks might fail. An urban elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.


Yu's Endurance (Level Four

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: Yu was given the tremendous task of protecting Ancient China against the Yellow River flooding, a task so exhausting that none but he could do it. This Gift is identical to the Get of Fenris Gift: Heart of the Mountain.

From: Heart of the Mountain, W20 Core, pg 181: The werewolf becomes as untiring and eternal as the mountains, and cannot be defeated in a test of endurance. A mountain goat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou cannot fail any tasks involving Stamina. Torturers can never break him; though he can't breath underwater and his lungs may fill with water, he will not die. The only exception to this is soaking damage. While this Gift is active, the werewolf is guaranteed to always soak at least one level of damage, but otherwise takes damage normally.

Huang Di's Sacrifice (Level Five)

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: Whilst Huang Di was known for his inventions, he was also the Yellow Lord and a great leader. Normally used by the pack's alpha, this Gift allows a leader to revitalize his followers in moments of darkness. This Gift is taught by only one spirit, who lives at the foot of Bull Mountain and cries eternally. The spirit resembles nothing, and only teaches the Gift at sunrise.

System: The Boli Zousizhe spends two points of Gnosis and rolls Stamina + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success allows one packmate to heal a number of health levels (even aggravated) equal to the number of successes rolled.

Level One

Control Simple Machine

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: The Garou may command the spirits of the simplest machines, causing levers to flip, doors to unbolt, pulleys to roll, and so on. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.

System:The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Garou's control lasts until the end of the scene.

Diagnostics

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: The Glass Walker can tell at a glance what is wrong with a machine. He can then enlist the aid of the machine's spirit in repairing it. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The character automatically succeeds at all attempts to diagnose a problem with broken technological devices. The player spends one point of Gnosis as the Garou mentally convinces the spirit of a broken device to aid her in fixing it. The time required to fix the device is halved, as are the number of successes needed to repair it.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153 and 183

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Plug and Play

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: All of the Weaver's works are connected through the same web, the same song. The Glass Walkers exploit this truth to draw more power from the modern profusion of technology, making their devices compatible with almost everything. A Net Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the next day, any computer the Glass Walker uses - no matter how simple - becomes fully compatible with any other digital device, regardless of obstacles such as different operating systems, lack of physically compatible access ports, or even the complete absence of any means of receiving or interpreting a wireless signal, Generally, Glass Walkers use this Gift to turn their smart phones into omni-capable access keys to computer networks, security feeds, and even car GPS systems.

Trick Shot

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to execute brilliant feats of sharpshooting, such as shooting a weapon from an opponent's hand or firing down the barrel of an enemy's gun. The Garou cannot use this Gift to harm an opponent directly, however, and can use Trick Shot only with rifles or pistols. Air spirits teach this Gift.

System: As a permanent enhancement, the player adds his character's permanent Glory rating to his dice pool when performing a really outlandish shooting trick. Again, the Gift does not allow direct damage to the targets ("I'll shoot the armored fomor through the eye!"), but can be used to injure opponents indirectly ("I'll shoot out the blacked out window behind the vampire so the sunlight hits him!").

Level Two

Cybersenses

W20 Core, pg 183

Description: The Garou may exchange his natural senses for those of machines, witnessing the world in ways more traditional werewolves could never imagine. He might exchange normal hearing for radar, or ordinary sight for infrared or UV vision. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point per sense affected. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Hands Full of Thunder

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: Many Glass Walkers regard the gun as the ultimate sign of the power of the modern age, and make pacts with these spirits to assure that their firearms do not become useless, primitive clubs in the midst of battle. A technological spirit or a war spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, any gun the Glass Walker fires won't run out of ammunition, so long as it had ammo to begin with. Burst restrictions are still recommended with automatic weapons to keep the gun from overheating and jamming.

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153 and 184

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Power Surge

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.

Steel Fur

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: Focusing on his own being, the Glass Walker wraps himself in spiritual steel, turning his fur into hardened metal. Metal or earth elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Science (difficulty 7). Each success adds one die to the Garou's soak pool for the rest of the scene. While this Gift is active, the Garou suffers +1 difficulty to all Dexterity rolls, and any Social rolls not involving other Glass Walkers. This Gift only functions in Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus forms.

Level Three

Control Complex Machine

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: Similar to Control Simple Machine, the Glass Walker may now converse with and command the spirits of electronic devices such as computers, smart phones, and cars. A Net Spider teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Science or Computer. The Storyteller sets the difficulty based on how complex the machine is (8 for a standard laptop). The Garou's control lasts for one scene.

Intrusion

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: It's impossible to keep a cockroach out of a house, and equally impossible to keep out a Glass Walker with this Gift. Once activated, this Gift allows the Glass Walker to open any barrier presented to her: doors unlock at her approach, and padlocks fall open with no explanation. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.

System: the player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7). For exactly one minute afterward, all forms of locks and barriers allow her passage, from computerized vault locks to barricades of 2x4's nailed up across doors. Mystically sealed barriers still require a roll to bypass, but every success on the initial Gnosis roll adds one automatic success to such attempts. Barriers disabled by this Gift do not automatically re-seal themselves.

Electroshock

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: The Glass Walkers are the tribe of glass, steel, and electricity. This last element can be used to directly damage opponents that the Glass Walker can either touch, or who are touching a conductive material such as metal or water. An electricity spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a number of Rage points. Each point of Rage spent inflicts two levels of aggravated wounds on the Glass Walker's opponents. These levels of damage may be divided among as many opponents as the number of rage points invested in this Gift. As usual, the character cannot spend more Rage than half of his permanent rating in one turn.

Elemental Favor

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: By begging, threatening, or cajoling an urban elemental, a werewolf can convince the spirit to do her a favor such as manipulating or even destroying its earthly shell. Thus, a glass sheet might explode at the Garou's foes an unlocked door might refuse to open, or a car's breaks might fail. An urban elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.

Level Four

Attunement

W20 Core, pg 176 and 183

Description: The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Glass Walkers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Doppelganger

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).

Signal Rider

W20 Core, pg 184

Description: From the telegraph to the cell phone, the Glass Walkers have always kept up good relations with spirits of cutting edge communication. This Gift allows the Garou to open a moon bridge that rides the back of a telephone signal, transporting her instantly to the location of whoever is on the other end of the line. A pattern spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and one Gnosis to open the moon bridge. The Garou must have a connection between a telephone at her location and one at the target destination to use the Gift, although it doesn't discriminate between landlines or cell phones - some werewolves have even reported success in riding the back of online conferencing software, although doing so successfully requires a Wits + Computers roll (difficulty 7). Signal Rider can take the character no more than (Gnosis x 5) miles (or 8 km per Gnosis dot) - if the other end of the line isn't within that range, the Gift fails.

Tech Speak

W20 Core, pg 185

Description: This Gift allows the Glass Walker to contact others through any technological device. The Garou speaks to a Pattern Spider in or near a technological device and tells them the message to be delivered and whom it should be delivered to. The Pattern Spider then finds the receiver and uses any communications technology near them to deliver the message: Phones yell it out (without picking up the handset or needing to be turned on), electronic billboards display it, and computer printers print it out as text. If no communications technology is present, any other technology will activate, though no message will be imparted. If no technology whatsoever is present near the receiver, the gift fails. A pattern spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science. The difficulty depends on the distance the message needs to be sent. The more successes achieved, the longer the message can be. A single success will only allow one word to be sent; five would allow unlimited length.

Difficulty Distance
4 The next room
5 The same building
6 One block away
7 10 miles away (16 km)
8 A time-zone away
9 Anything farther than the above

Level Five

Chaos Mechanics

W20 Core, pg 185

Description: Werewolves pulse with the Wyld's energy, but all creatures form and nature have something of the Weaver in them as well. Upon learning this Gift, the Glass Walker reconciles these aspects of his being, enabling him to summon primal energy and mystical form at the same time. Luna, who balances mercurial chaos into an orderly cycle of phases, sends the most powerful of her Lunes to teach this Gift.

System: A werewolf with this Gift may use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn with no penalty. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Summon Net Spider

W20 Core, pg 185

Description: The Garou carries a great technological blessing, granting him an intuitive understanding of the ways of computers; additionally, he can summon a Net Spider - a Weaver spirit that gives its summoner near-absolute control over any computer system. The Spider can disrupt, erase, or destroy whatever system it is sent into. (The exact effects are left to the Storyteller, but are typically destructive.) An avatar of Cockroach teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Computer (difficulty 8). If successful, the Net Spider appears and heeds the Garou's commands. In addition to the destructive power of the summoned spirit, this Gift allows the Garou to permanently halve the difficulties of all rolls to use, build, or hack computers.

[+/-] Red Talons Gifts

Red Talon Gifts

The feral Red Talons hate humanity for what it has done to Gaia and their Kinfolk. Griffin's Gifts, geared towards the "red in tooth in claw" aspects of nature, suit the Talons' disposition.

Kucha Ekundu Gifts

[+/-] Kucha Ekundu Gifts

Africa has no true wolves, but is still a part of Gaia's body and in need of protection. Some years ago, the Red Talons adapted to breeding with African hunting dogs in order to prove their worthiness to live in Africa and fight to defend it. In this they have succeeded, and the Kucha Ekundu, as these strange Garou are known, have forged unique pacts with both the spirits of Africa and the continent's other Fera, the better to carry out their duties to their Mother. These blessings are learned in addition to the traditional Gifts of the Red Talons.

Speed of Thought (Level One)

W20 Core, pg 186 and 191

Description: The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

Feed the Pack (Level Two)

W20 Core, pg 186

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to "eat for the pack". Any food the Kucha Ekundu ingests feeds not only him, but the rest of his pack as well. The spirit of a hunting dog teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6 for packmates, 7 for Kinfolk) before the character eats. For each success, whatever the character eats also nourishes another being.

Predator's Many Eyes (Level Three)

W20 Core, pg 186 and 187

Description: The Kucha Ekundu don't regard themselves as "Lords of the Savannah", especially given the strength of Africa's other Fera, but they still wish to do their job as Garou. This Gift facilitates that job, allowing the werewolf to "mark" a predator and thereafter look through its eyes.

System: (As the Red Talon Gift: Territory.) The Red Talon needs not urinate on the animal it wishes to mark; the player must merely roll Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7) while the predator is in sight. Using this Gift on other Fera is possible but it requires the Fera's consent. In all other aspects, this Gift functions as Territory.

Clenched Jaw (Level Four)

W20 Core, pg 172 and 186

Description: The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).

Crocodile Pact (Level Five)

W20 Core, pg 186

Description: When the Red Talons first came to Africa and struck their deal with the Mokole, the mighty were crocodiles agreed that if the Garou could breed with the hunting dogs and do their appointed task in Africa without making war on the other Fera, they could stay. The Red Talons have (thus far) made good on their promises, and the eldest of the Kucha Ekundu have been rewarded with this Gift. The werewolf may call upon the Mokole-Membe for aid, in battle or otherwise. The spirits of the Dragon Kings teach this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the Garou receives aid within the hour, whether it's from a local clutch or from the spirits who witnessed the pacts between the Memory of Gaia and the Garou. The Storyteller has the final say over exactly what form the Garou's succor takes, but it might range from rampaging were crocodiles arriving to fight with the Kucha Ekunddu to great ancestor spirits called forth by the Mokole to give the Garou advice.

Level One

Beast Speech

W20 Core, pg 169 and 185

Description: The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Eye of the Hunter

W20 Core, pg 185

Description: Just as wolves may assess a herd of prey animals, this Gift enables the Garou to correctly determine the weakest and strongest member of any group she can see. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, then the Garou learns which members of a chosen group within sight are the strongest or weakest and which is the leader. If the Garou attacks the group after employing this Gift, she gains one extra attack die against only the weakest individual for the rest of the scene.

Hidden Killer

W20 Core, pg 185

Description: The Red Talons didn't survive for so long without learning ways to conceal themselves. This Gift allows a werewolf to leave behind no physical evidence that would betray her hand (or claws, or teeth) in a slaying. This Gift is taught by a snake spirit.

System: After a battle, the Garou must touch or lick once each corpse she slew. The player rolls Intelligence + Larceny (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the wounds alter themselves so that they resemble stabbing or slashing injuries rather than bite or claw marks. Any peripheral damage (smashed furniture, for example) remains as it was, but all forensic evidence such as hair, saliva, or blood from the werewolf's body disappears from the scene.

Scent of Running Water

W20 Core pg 161 and 185

Description: The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.

Wolf at the Door

W20 Core, pg 185

Description: This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the wilderness, and it makes any human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must make eye contact with the target, but can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest, tundra, swamp, or other untamed wilderness area without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave his home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses three dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. Alternately, this Gift can affect a number of humans equal to his Rage at once (difficulty equals the highest Willpower in that group). In this case, rather than making eye contact, the humans must hear the werewolf howl in lupus form. This Gift can be used on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two.

Level Two

Beastmind

W20 Core, pg 186

Description: The werewolf can reduce the mental faculties of his victim to that of an animal for a time. The victim doesn't necessarily become less intelligent, but human thinking (logic, complex tool use, language, and the like) becomes impossible. An avatar of Griffin teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. The effects last for one minute per success, during which the target behaves like a wild animal. If a point of Rage is spent when directing Gift at an ordinary human target, its effect lasts for one day per success.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161 and 186

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Howls in the Night

W20 Core, pg 169 and 186

Description: The werewolf sends a full throated howl shivering into the night sky, evoking primal terror in Gaia's enemies. Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl find themselves troubled and unable to rest easily while their enemies are on the prowl. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours.

Shadows of the Impergium

W20 Core, pg 186

Description: The Red Talon becomes the embodiment of all humanity's primal fears of the wolf, carrying a heavy miasma of ancient terror about her. A fear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf inflicts the Delirium in Hispo form, though observers are considered to be at +2 Willpower when judging their reaction (see W20 Core, pg 262). Anyone who succumbs to the Delirium because of seeing the werewolf in Crinos form is considered to have a Willpower 5 points lower than their true rating (minimum 1) for the purposes of determining their reaction. This Gift's effects are permanent, though they can be suppressed for a scene if desired.

Level Three

Elemental Favor

W20 Core, pg 184 and 186

Description: By begging, threatening, or cajoling an elemental, a werewolf can convince the spirit to do her a favor such as manipulating or even destroying its earthly shell. The Red Talon can only affect the four classical elements - earth, air, water, and fire. A natural elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The Storyteller determines the precise effects.

Render Down

W20 Core, pg 186

Description: The Talon can destroy any man-made substance. Plastics, alloys, and other materials not found in nature disintegrate with just a touch. Lawn chairs dissolve into oily puddles and steel melts into iron and carbon. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must touch the material; only materials that are not naturally occurring are viable targets. For instance, a wooden table would be unaffected, whereas a plastic table would melt to the ground. The player makes a Rage roll (difficulty 7); each success reduces twenty pounds of the target material to its base components.

Territory

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: The Red Talon with this Gift doesn't need to patrol his hunting ground to know what transpires there. With but a moment of concentration, he may extend his senses to any area he has marked. This Gift is taught by a wolf spirit.

System: The Red Talon must first mark one or more areas with his own urine. A Talon may have a number of marked locations equal to his Gnosis (and doesn't have to establish such a mark in every place that he urinates). Thereafter, the player may roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7) to extend the Talon's senses to that location. The character can sense the area as though standing in the same place he was in when he marked the area originally. The scent marks last for one week per dot of Gnosis the character possesses (for wilderness), or one day per dot of Gnosis (for urban environments).

Trackless Waste

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: The Talon calls upon the spirits of the wilderness to mislead and confuse any who invade her home. Humans and other travelers are confounded by this Gift, with even skilled survivalists and hikers soon becoming hopelessly lost. Even werewolves are not wholly immune to its effects. Any wilderness spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Gift affects up to a two mile (3.2 km) radius per success. Humans automatically fail at all attempts to navigate such an afflicted wilderness. Other werewolves can roll Perception + Primal Urge; if they score more successes than the Talon, they are able to navigate normally. Those led by the Talon herself through the domain remain unaffected. This Gift lasts until the sun next rises.

Level Four

Gorge

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: Wolves will eat as much as possible when food is available, to carry them through the lean times ahead. Who knows when their next meal will arrive? With this Gift, a Red Talon can similarly gorge on Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Upon learning this Gift, the player chooses which trait (Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower) the character can store. Thereafter, the character can hold three more points in the appropriate Trait than her permanent rating. These extra points must be regained as normal, and they don't add extra dice to rolls involving the Trait in question. To amplify more than one Trait, the character must learn the Gift (i.e., pay the experience cost) again.

Howl of Death

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: A Talon with this Gift may infuse her howl with Rage and pain, causing grievous wounds to one target. The werewolf must be able to see her target clearly, and the target must be able to hear the howl. Only the intended target is affected by the Gift, though anyone else who hears it is disquieted and frightened. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage, which the target may soak if he is able. The damage manifests as massive internal damage, as the targets innards suddenly rupture.

Quicksand

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: The Garou turns the ground into a sticky morass that catches foes and prevents them from escaping or even walking. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficult 7). Success changes the ground into a quicksand-like bog for a ten foot (3 m) radius; each additional success extends the radius of the morass an additional 10 feet (3 m). Anyone trying to move through it, save for the Garou and her pack, moves at half walking speed, and may not execute combat maneuvers that require overland movement. Additionally, all other combat maneuvers take a +1 difficulty penalty. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

Level Five

Curse of Lycaon

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: The Red Talon can force the wolf-skin onto another. If the target is a werewolf, he becomes trapped in Lupus form for the rest of the scene. If the target is a human or animal, it becomes a normal wolf forever. This Gift is taught by a wolf spirit.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target's Willpower).

Gaia's Vengeance

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: The Red Talon calls upon the Mother herself to strike on his behalf. The terrain responds as best it can: Rocks roll and smash, vines constrict, and water sucks victims under. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (Difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The exact effects depend on the terrain and are left to the Storyteller.

Scabwalker Curse

W20 Core, pg 187

Description: The Red Talon suffuses a target with a super-abundance of Wyld energy, making them violently allergic to the Weaver-works of Man. Any artificial material blisters and abrades the target's skin; concrete sidewalks and artificial carpet fibers shred their feet, polyester clothing causes her body to break out in weeping sores, and steel tools blister her hands. An avatar of Griffin teaches this Gift.

System: The Red Talon spends a turn snarling at a target within 20 feet (6 m). The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Survival (difficulty 7). The target takes one level of bashing damage per turn of physical contact with any non natural material (crafted objects formed entirely of natural materials, such as wooden furniture held together with iron nails, are safe). This curse lasts for one day per success, and can easily prove fatal if invoked in the heart of a city.

Level Six

Shield of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 188

Description: The Garou becomes so attuned to the laws and Rhythms of Gaia that the Weaver's laws cease to have any hold on her. The werewolf becomes immune to the effects of one form of technology, such as bullets, photography (i.e. cannot be photographed), electricity, chemical toxins, etc. This Gift is taught by Griffin.

System: The player must determine what this Gift grants immunity to at the time of purchase. Its effects are permanent.

[+/-] Shadow Lord Gifts

Shadow Lord Gifts

The Shadow Lords appreciate both subtlety and power, and this is reflected in their spirit pacts. The tribe's Gifts grant power over shadows, intimidation, control, asserting dominance over others, and the raw fury of the unleashed storm.

Hakken Gifts

[+/-] Hakken Gifts

A Japanese offshoot of the Shadow Lords, the Hakken have struck many pacts with the spirits of the Land of the Rising Sun which are unknown to their Western counterparts. Hakken prize honor, sophistication, and skill with the blade in equal measure.

Dream of a Thousand Cranes (Level One)

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: By folding an origami crane, the Hakken enjoys good luck for a short period of time. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The origami takes a full turn to complete; the player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Occult. For the rest of the scene, the Hakken gains one die per success to add to other dice pools; each die can be used only once.

Fair Path (Level One)

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: The Hakken appears at formal ceremonies clean and dressed in proper attire, even if he has just returned from battle. A water spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Hakken places her hand in clean water; the player rolls Charisma + Etiquette. The Hakken gains one die to all Appearance related rolls for the rest of the scene.

Storm Winds Slash (Level Two)

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: Hakken may use their blades to injure Wyrm creatures at a distance. This Gift is taught by a metal or wind spirit.

System The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 7). Success enables the Hakken to strike an opponent from as far away as 50 yards (45 m); the opponent may attempt to dodge the strike and takes lethal damage as usual for a weapon strike.

Dark of Night (Level Three)

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: A Hakken can cause an opponent to become temporarily blinded. Hakken reserve such underhanded tactics for use against minions of the Wyrm. This Gift comes from a raven spirit.

System: The Hakken spills a vial of ink; the player spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Gnosis (if any). Each success blindds the victim for an hour.

Living Treasure (Level Four)

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: A Hakken can convince the spirit of a treasure in his possession to relate its history and lore. An ancestor spirit imparts this Gift.

System: The Hakken touches the object; the player rolls Manipulation + Etiquette (difficulty 7). Each success causes the spirit to reveal one fact about itself. Hakken may use this Gift on common items as well, making it a useful tool for investigations or problem solving. This Gift may only be used once per object.

Divine Wind (Level Five)

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: The Hakken can call forth a powerful storm in a designated area. The storm uproots trees and overturns cars in its fury. An ancestor spirit or a servant of Narukami, Lord of Thunder, teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 7) and spends a minimum of one Rage point. Each success equals a one mile (1.6 km) radius for the storm. Each Rage point spent adds a success and, therefore, increases the size of the storm, which lasts for no more than one scene.

Level One

Aura of Confidence

W20 Core, pg 188

Description: The werewolf projects an aura of superiority, preventing attempts to find flaws or read auras (but not to read the werewolf's thoughts). An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift's effects are permanent.

Fatal Flaw

W20 Core, pg 188

Description: The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.

Seizing the Edge

W20 Core, pg 188

Description: Shadow Lords don't acknowledge the idea of the draw. If neither competitor wins, then they both lose. This Gift allows the Garou to swing the balance, ever so slightly, in her favor. A spirit servant of Grandfather Thunder teaches this Gift.

System: Whenever the Shadow Lord is involved in an opposed roll with another being, any ties go to the Shadow Lord. This Gift's effects are permanent, but invoking them more than once in a scene costs one Gnosis per additional tie broken.

Shadow Weaving

W20 Core, pg 188

Description: Slightly flexing her fingers or claws, the Garou pulls and weaves shadows as she desires - lengthening or shortening them, lightening or darkening, or even twisting them into grotesque and frightening shapes. A shadow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the Shadow Lord may warp shadows within 100 yards (91 m) as she wishes. Among other creative uses, this lowers the difficulty of all Stealth and Intimidation attempts by 1.

Whisper Catching

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: What good purpose could there be to keep secrets from Gaia's protectors? This Gift allows the werewolf to supernaturally eavesdrop on whispered conversations - what she does with the information learned is, of course, up to her own conscience. A crow or bat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower. For the rest of the scene, all whispers within 200 feet are fully audible to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to her.

Level Two

Clap of Thunder

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: The Shadow Lords slams her hands together, creating a mighty thunderclap that stuns those who hear it. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All characters within 20 feet (6 m) must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 8 for foes, 4 for packmates) or be stunned and unable to act for one turn. The Garou must be in Homid, Glabro, or Crinos form to use this Gift.

Cold Voice of Reason

W20 Core, pg 189

Description: A cunning Shadow Lord can talk his way out of just about anything. If attacked, the werewolf may invent a clever remark that will detain his attacker for at least one round. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The attacker is detained one round for each success as long as he, in turn, is not attacked (being attacked immediately breaks the Shadow Lord's spell). The attacker is free to take any other actions he wishes (including attacking individuals other than the Shadow Lord.

Howls in the Night

W20 Core, pg 169 and 190

Description: The werewolf sends a full throated howl shivering into the night sky, evoking primal terror in Gaia's enemies. Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl find themselves troubled and unable to rest easily while their enemies are on the prowl. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Creatures of the Wyrm who hear the howl will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours.

Luna's Armor

W20 Core, pg 177 and 190

Description: The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.

Song of the Earth Mother

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to sense the presence of supernatural activity within a broad area. Essentially, the Garou communes with the earth and listens to what it says. The Gift is taught by an earth spirit.

System: The user spends 10 minutes communing with the earth, during which time she may take no other actions. The player then spends two Gnosis points and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). Success indicates that the earth tells her about any supernatural presence within an area of 100 yards (91 m) per success. While the Gift doesn't offer specific information about the being or beings detected, it does indicate whether or not the presence is Wyrm tainted.

Level Three

Direct the Storm

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The Shadow Lord can direct the primal instincts of a frenzied werewolf, friend of foe, causing him to attack targets of the Lord's choice. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the target's Rage). Success indicates that the Shadow Lord controls the target's frenzy and can set him on anyone he chooses for two turns per success. Using this Gift on a Garou in the Thrall of the Wyrm is possible, but doing so requires the player to roll Rage (difficulty 7) to check for frenzy for her own character.

Icy Chill of Despair

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The Shadow Lord appears to grow larger and more imposing, becoming a terrible, shadowy version of herself. This change in aspect can severely intimidate any onlookers. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7). Anyone who means the Shadow Lord harm must make a Willpower check (difficulty 8), and score more successes than the Lord does in order to act normally. Failure means that the victims must spend a Willpower point to attack, take action against or even verbally oppose the Shadow Lord. This Gift doesn't give the Lord actual control over her intimidated victims - they're simply too spooked to actively oppose her.

Paralyzing Stare

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn, rendering her unable to move or attack (though she may still defend herself). The target must be able to see the Garou.

Shadow Cutting

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The Shadow Lord can wound an enemy by striking at his very shadow. Such attacks are difficult to dodge. this Gift is taught by a night spirit.

System: The character spits into his opponent's shadow and the player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the character may strike at his foe's shadow to wound him. Only fetish weapons or natural weaponry serves for such attacks. The Victim has two fewer dice to dodge attacks directed at his shadow, and cant parry them at all.

Under the Gun

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The Shadow Lord lays a curse on her foe, ensuring certain death by bullets. While the curse is in effect, bullets (as well as arrows, hurled knives, and any other missile weapons) are strangely attracted to the target. Although this Gift is useful in battle, most Shadow Lords prefer to use it secretly on a chosen foe before a fight begins, ensuring an "unfortunate accident". A raven spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Shadow Lord touches the intended target with her fingertips. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Firearms. The curse lingers for one day per success. While it is in effect, the difficulty to strike the target with any sort of missile attack drops by two.

Level Four

Open Wounds

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The werewolf causes the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening his opponent further. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, suffering one unsoakable lethal damage per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.

Durance

W20 Core, pg 190

Description: The werewolf dominates a talen-bound spirit, spinning webs of metaphysical authority to forcibly lengthen its service to her. Some consider this Gift disrespectful, but the Shadow Lords find it ridiculous to discard a weapon that might serve Gaia, just for the sake of politeness. This Gift is taught by a spider spirit.

System: Upon using a talen, the player may reflecively spend one Gnosis point to keep the spirit bound within from departing. This Gift is ineffective on talens which are destroyed as an inherent aspect of their use (such as the nightshade talen, which must be drunk to active its powers), but preserves talens whose destruction is a metaphysical result of their use (such as moon glow and Wyrm scales).

Strength of the Dominator

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The werewolf draws on a target's anger to feed his own. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Intimidation (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). For a number of turns equal to the successes scored, the target will lose a point of Rage per turn, while the Shadow Lord gains that Rage. The character can use this Gift only once per target per scene.

Level Five

Obedience

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceeds the Garou's successes, or they succumb to the Gift's effects. If the werewolf wins by one success, targets follow any orders that don't directly inconvenience them. Three successes cause the targets to treat the Lord as their alpha and fight for her. Five successes make the targets follow her into the Abyss or perform virtually suicidal actions. This Gift's effects last for one full day.

Shadow Pack

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The werewolf summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and share some of his capabilities. A night spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a number of Gnosis points. One shadow-duplicate appears for each point spent. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but not his fetishes and may not use Gifts, Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level. The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.

[+/-] Silent Strider Gifts

Silent Strider Gifts

The spirits bless the enigmatic Silent Striders with Gifts of travel and speed.

Level One

Heaven's Guidance

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The Strider is never lost while the stars shine in the sky. This Gift is taught by a spirit servant of the North Star.

System: The werewolf gains an innate sense of direction; he always knows which way is north and the path he took to reach where he is. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can gling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Silence

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The Strider can muffle any sound she makes, the better to creep up on the Wyrm's minions or escape them unnoticed. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player adds two dice to all Dexterity + Stealth rolls.

Speed of Thought

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

Visions of Duat

W20 Core, pg 191

Description: The werewolf's eyes become cloudy and pale as she attunes her vision to the ashen landscape of the Underworld. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the character can see (and hear) ghosts and detect haunted areas with another Perception + Occult roll (difficulty corresponds to the severity of the haunting). The Gift bestows no power to touch or communicate with the dead, however - that usually requires the use of the Descent into the Underworld rite. A botch causes the Garou's eyes to shine as beacons in the underworld, drawing the notice of broke, vengeful shades.

Level Two

Axis Mundi

W20 Core, pg 159 and 192

Description: The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.

System: The Gift's effects are permanent.

Blissful ignorance

W20 Core pg 161 and 192

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Messenger's Fortitude

W20 Core, pg 192

Description: The Strider can run at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water. When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day. A camel or wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. Doing anything other than running ends the Gift. Others may be granted the Messenger's Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis point per additional runner.

Tread Sebek's Back

W20 Core, pg 192

Description: The werewolf calls upon the river to support her steps, allowing her to walk or run across water or other liquids. Her feet gain no special protection if she chooses to run across Wyrm-toxins or other hazardous liquids. A crocodile spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Survival (difficulty 7). The Strider may travel across liquid as if it were open ground for one hour per success.

Level Three

Adaptation

W20 Core, pg 192

Description: The Strider takes no damage from poison or disease, and he may exist in any environment, regardless of pressure, temperature, or atmospheric conditions. This Gift doesn't protect the Garou from hazardous situations (such as falling), only hazardous environments. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one hour per success.

Great Leap

W20 Core, pg 192

Description: The Strider can jump truly astounding distances. A jackrabbit spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Strength + Athletics. The character may jump 100 feet per success.

Mark of the Death Wolf

W20 Core, pg 192

Description: The Silent Strider uses his claws to gouge an eerie sigil into a nearby surface, which fascinates and attracts the unquiet dead. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point upon making the mark, which takes a full turn, and then rolls Wits + Occult (difficultly 7). The mark retains its mystic potency for one week per success, leaving the area around it badly haunted if there are any ghosts in the area at all. Destroying the mark can end this Gift's effects prematurely.

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Level Four

Attunement

W20 Core, pg 176 and 193

Description: The werewolf may commune with spirits of an area and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When this Gift is learned, the Strider must decide whether the Gift functions in the city or the wilderness. The "city" version is identical to the Bone Gnawer Gift of the same name; the player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The "wilderness" version is similar, but the roll required is Perception + Survival (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Black Mark

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The Strider's claws darken with the leaden sheen of the Dark Umbra, marking her foes fit for the attentions of the restless dead. An owl spirit teaches Gift.

System: The player may spend a point of Gnosis when the Strider successfully strikes an opponent with her claws, but before rolling damage. The target becomes haunted for one day per level of damage inflicted, as with Mark of the Death Wolf.

Dam the Heartflood

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: No tribe hates vampires more than the Silent Striders, who lost their homeland to the leeches. This Gift allows Strider heroes to nullify the magic inherent to blood. It is taught by a cobra spirit.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success prevents the target from using any magic related in any way to blood for one turn. It also prohibits spending blood points for any purpose for the same duration, should the target possess a blood pool trait (such as that of vampires, ghouls, and Ananasi).

Speed Beyond Thought

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The werewolf can run at 10 times his normal land speed. The effects last for up to eight hours, during which the Strider can do nothing but concentrate on running. When the Gift's effects end, the werewolf must eat immediately or face frenzy from hunger. A cheetah or air spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift.

Gate of the Moon

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: This Gift creates a specialized moon bridge that takes the Strider to her destination instantly. At least a sliver of the moon must be visible at her area of departure. A lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for every 100 miles the Strider needs to travel. She then rolls Intelligence + Alertness (difficulty varies by how far the journey is and how well the Strider knows the way). Success transports the character instantly to her destination.

Reach the Umbra

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The Garou may step in and out of the Umbra at will, without need of a reflective surface or even any effort at all. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou may step sideways instantly at any time, with no fear of being "caught". No roll is necessary. All rolls to enter or leave Umbral Realms receive a -2 difficulty bonus. She may not, however, spend Rage on the turn that she steps sideways. The Garou may not step sideways quickly enough to dodge an attack that has already been declared.

[+/-] Silver Fangs Gifts

Silver Fangs Gifts

The regal Silver Fangs are the traditional leaders of the Garou, and their Gifts reflect - and support - that birthrite.

Siberakh Gifts

This obscure, reclusive Siberian sub-tribe has little to do with the Western Concordiat, and likes it that way. Descended from a mixture of Silver Fang and Wendigo stock, the Siberakh claim Sable as their only particular spiritual ally; otherwise they use a mixture of Wendigo and Silver Fang Gifts. Generally, Siberakh characters may purchase any Gifts from the Silver Fang and Wendigo lists except those taught by Falcon, his servants, and falcon spirits, or by Great Wendigo and his servants.

Level One

Eye of the Falcon

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The werewolf's vision gains the predatory clarity of a bird of prey. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all long range attack rolls and visually based Perception rolls are made at -1 difficulty.

Falcon's Grasp

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The werewolf's hands or jaws tighten in a mighty death grip, making it nearly impossible to escape. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou's grip (with both hands and jaws) is much stronger - her Strength is considered three points higher for grappling or maneuvers such as the jaw lock (see Special Maneuvers, W20 Core, pg 299). This extra Strength does not apply to damage rolls.

Inspiration

W20 Core, pg 171 and 193

Description: Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in battle, and this Gift helps them to live up to that trust. The werewolf employs this Gift to lend her resolve and righteous anger to those who share her cause. A lion or wolf spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one Willpower point, which disappears if it is not used before the end of the scene.

Lambent Flame

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: The werewolf causes her body to ignite with silver light. A lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point to activate the Gift. The light illuminates a 100 foot (30 m) are around the Garou for the rest of the scene. All attacks against the Garou suffer a +1 difficulty penalty while this Gift persists.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156 and 1913

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Level Two

Empathy

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: Among wolves, alphas rule by strength, but leaders of men must be able to read their subjects if they are to keep their crown. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty 4). One success indicates that the Garou knows the general feelings and expectations of any one group. The more successes the player rolls, the greater her understanding of the Garou's wants and needs.

Hand Blade

W20 Core, pg 193

Description: Many Silver Fangs are trained in swordplay as part of their birthright. This Gift allows them to rely on such skills at any time by turning their arm into a razor sharp blade that slices and cuts like the best forged sword. An ancestor spirit, usually a former klaive-dueling master, teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Rage to transform one or both hands. For the rest of the scene, he may use his arm like a sword by rolling Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 6. Such attacks inflict Strength + 2 aggravated damage, as his claws are part of the blade.

Luna's Armor

W20 Core, pg 177 and 194

Description: The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.

Sense Silver

W20 Core, pg 156 and 194

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Unity of the Pack

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: It is only natural for those guided by canny leaders to excel. This Gift allows the Silver Fang's pack to enjoy the benefits of her unifying aura, making them deadlier warriors against the Wyrm's minions. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Whenever the Silver Fang is present, all members of her pack (including herself) gain one extra die on all rolls to execute Pack Tactics (see W20 Core, pg 300). This Gift's benefits are permanent. The Silver Fang cannot benefit from this Gift when she is alone.

Level Three

Burning Blade

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: This Gift causes a Garou's weapon, whether it's a sword, klaive or axe, to burn with a deadly fire that burns her enemy even as it bites into their flesh. A firebird spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn, and the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gift. The weapon now does two extra dice of aggravated fire damage. Flammable objects will catch fire if struck by the blade. The weapon remains ignited for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.

Silver Claws

W20 Core, pg 171 and 194

Description: Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.

Talons of the Falcon

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: The Silver Fang's claws transform into impaling weapons, allowing her to cut muscle, bone, and sinew as though they were paper. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and makes a Dexterity + Brawl roll to attack. The attack does three additional levels of damage, and its damage may not be regenerated for the rest of the scene.

Wrath of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: The werewolf shows himself in full, terrible glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou during the rest of the scene must either roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes, or flee in terror.

Level Four

Mastery

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: The Silver Fangs can command other Garou - even Black Spiral Dancers - to do her bidding. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the target's Wits + 3). If the rolls succeeds, the Garou can give the target one non-suicidal command, which he must obey for one turn per success. This Gift works only against Garou.

Mindblock

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: The Garou fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but do not apply to magic which sways the Garou's emotions.

Sidestep Death

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: Legends say that when the first Silver Fang died, he was reborn with this Gift. The Fang simply sidesteps what would have become his deathblow. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once per scene, the player may spend three Willpower points to evade a single attack that would inflict enough damage to place the Fang's health levels below Crippled (before soak). The Garou simply appears instantly at the nearest location not affected by the attack, which may be an inch, a mile, or even further away.

Level Five

Luna's Avenger

W20 Core, pg 194

Description: The Silver Fang transforms his greatest weakness into his greatest strength, transforming his body into living silver. A lune teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou concentrates for a full turn to activate this Gift. The player spends a Gnosis point; for the rest of the scene, the Garou is immune to the effects of silver. All damage inflicted by attacks made with the werewolf's body are considered to have been made with silver weapons. Additionally, the character gains two additional points of Stamina and one extra health level for the duration of this Gift (any damage marked to this additional health level vanishes harmlessly when the Gift ends).

Paws of the Newborn Cub

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: With only a glare and a snarl, the Silver Fang can temporarily suppress an opponent's supernatural tricks, leaving him to face the werewolf's wrath as nothing more than an animal or human. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success removes all supernatural powers (shapeshifting, Gifts, Disciplines, and any other sort of supernatural or magical power) from the target for one turn.

Level Six

Renew the Cycle

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: One of the most potent powers available to the Garou, this Gift allows the correction of a grievous wrong done to the natural cycle of Gaia. The undead, whose very existence is an affront to the natural order of things, whither and crumble to dust when struck by the power of this Gift. Whether the undead is a shambling, month old animated corpse or an ancient vampire, the Fang can destroy it with but a glance. Only an avatar of Gaia herself can teach this Gift.

System: The player and the target enter into a resisted contest of Gnosis vs Willpower (both difficulty 8). If the Garou wins the contest, the undead is reduced to its natural state - fresh corpses simply lose their animation, whereas an elder vampire would crumble to dust. Mummies are simply banished to a season of sleep. The Garou must spend one Gnosis for every hundred years (or fraction thereof) the undead has existed in its unnatural state; should the target's age exceed the Garou's capacity to spend Gnosis points, permanent Gnosis may be sacrificed to account for 500 years of age per dot spent.

[+/-] Stargazer Gifts

Stargazer Gifts

The Stargazers' search for insight and wisdom has naturally led them deep into the spiritual realm. Their Gifts are a by-product of their penchant for visions and riddles, as well as outgrowths of their pursuit of non-lethal combat methods.

Balance

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind spirits teach this Gift.

System: Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Channeling

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: Rage is both a boon and a bane to the Garou, and the Stargazers feel this more than most. Many Stargazers seek new ways to harness and direct their divine fury, and those with this Gift have at least one more option: to channel the vast stream of Rage into a single action, intensifying and clarifying it. This Gift is taught by a fire spirit.

System: The player may spend up to three Rage points on a single action. Each point spent in this manner gives the werewolf an extra die for that roll.

Falling Touch

W20 Core, pg 170 and 194

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.

Iron Resolve

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: Through the blessings of the spirits, the Stargazer's resolve is tempered like steel, allowing great feats through application of sheer will. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once per scene, the Stargazer may spend one Willpower to gain two automatic successes on an action rather than one.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Level Two

Inner Light

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: The Stargazer can step sideways into the Umbra using his own inner light; he needs no mirror. This Gift is taught by an Epiphling of Truth.

System: The character is always considered to be using a mirror when attempting to step sideways, regardless of the presence of any reflective surface.

Inner Strength

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: After a brief meditation, the Garou may convert her inner anger into iron resolve. Ancestor spirits teach this Gift.

System: The character concentrates for five minutes; the player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8). Each success converts one point of Rage into a point of Willpower.

Resist Temptation

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: Using a series of ritual gestures to equalize the flow of energy through her chakra points, the Statgazer can resist worldly, material, and spiritual temptations, including corruption. This Gift is taught by an earth spirit.

System: The player rolls Wits + Rituals and spends one Gnosis point. Each success raises others' difficulties to ensorcel or supernaturally coerce the character by one for the rest of the scene. This Gift is automatically successful against non-supernatural coercion.

Surface Attunement

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: The Stargazer becomes as one with her environment, gaining the ability to easily traverse Gaia's face - no matter what obstacles it may present. She may pass at normal speed across water, mud, snow, and quicksand without falling through or leaving tracks. The spirits of small, often overlooked animals (such as rabbits, sparrows and mice) teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; her player rolls Dexterity + Athletics difficulty 6. This Gift lasts for a scene.

Wuxing

W20 Core, pg 195

Description: The Stargazer exploits the mystical resonance between the Asian elements of water, fire, earth, metal, and wood, transforming the element into another. An avatar of Chimera teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty 7). Each success allows for one square foot of a particular element (water, earth, fire, metal, or wood) to be changed into an alternate type of the same group of elements: Fire may become wood, water may become earth, and so on. The dimension and shape of the element doesn't change - a fire in a fireplace still retains its "shape", but may now be made of wood, or even water (which retains the same shape, becoming liquid held fast to a specific contour). The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the character's Gnosis rating.

Level Three

Clarity

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: This Gift grants the ability to see through fog, pitch darkness, and invisibility, and to recognize illusions. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Stargazer attempts to see someone else's illusion, the number of successes rolled by the creator must be matched or beaten by the Garou; otherwise, this Gift negates visual penalties.

Merciful Blow

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: The Garou can subdue a foe in combat without harming him. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and the Stargazer attunes himself to the body of his foe. For the remainder of the scene, although the Garou's attacks inflict damage, no actual injuries appear upon the opponent's body. A foe incapacitated through the use of this power immediately regains all health lost to the Garou's Merciful Blows, and is guaranteed to remain unconscious for at least the rest of the scene.

Sense Balance

W20 Core, pg 167 and 196

Description: As the arbitrators of the Garou Nation, the Philodox have developed an attunement with the cosmic forces that balance the Tellurian. The werewolf may sense an overabundance of Wyrm, Wyld, or Weaver energies in a location. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) to detect the spiritual balance of an area, if any. Wyrm manifestations feel dense and oily, Weaver presence feels cold and unyielding, and Wyld energies feel hot and trembling. The Philodox must be at peace and without distraction to use this Gift.

Wind's Returning Favor

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: A Stargazer with this Gift may be a master of weapons, but rarely goes about unarmed. She may rely on her opponents to bring weapons to her hand. This Gift is taught by a wind spirit.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics in response to an opponent's close range melee attack (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits + Melee). The Stargazer's successes take away the successes on the opponent's attack roll; if the Stargazer's successes outnumber the opponent's, she steals the attacker's weapon and may use it the following turn.

Level Four

Preternatural Awareness

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: The Stargazer attunes all her senses to her surroundings, becoming preternaturally aware of her opponent's doings and allowing her to anticipate them somewhat. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Athletics (difficulty 7). All opponents' dice pools to hit the Garou decrease by a number of dice equal to the successes rolled. This penalty applies even if the werewolf cannot see the attack coming. This Gift's effects last for one scene.

Mindblock

W20 Core, pg 194 and 196

Description: The Garou fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but do not apply to magic which sways the Garou's emotions.

Strike the Air

W20 Core, pg 178 and 196

Description: The Child becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker.

Level Five

Circular Attack

W20 Core, pg 196

DDescription: The greatest Stargazers have no fear of fighting even a horde of opponents. They can not only avoid their foes' attacks, but can channel those attacks toward other enemies. Thus the Stargazer's flowing movements turn a mob of murderous fomori into a weapon directed against itself. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Wits of any present opponent + 3). Each success enables the Garou to perfectly dodge one attack or to redirect one attack directed at her to strike a different target during that turn. The Stargazer may not use this Gift multiple times in one turn or spend Rage during the same turn, although she may take multiple actions in the standard fashion.

Harmonious Unity of the Emerald Mother

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: The wisest of Stargazers understand that all divisions of the flesh are mere illusion. The only true separation is of spirit - Wyrm from Weaver, Weaver from Wyld, Triat from Gaia. But even then, the great forces of the universe are connected, Drawing upon this wisdom, the Garou banishes the boundaries dividing the mind and body of a man from the power of the werewolf. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the next day, the Stargazer enjoys the physical attribute bonuses and regenerative powers of the Crinos form while in Homid. This Goft doesn't grant Crinos form's claws, fangs, or expanded senses, nor does it inflict the Delirium.

Wisdom of the Seer

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: By gazing into the night sky for an hour, the Stargazer becomes a channel for the wisdom of the Tellurian, and can find the answer to almost any question. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If successful, the player can ask anyone a simple question of the storyteller and expect an answer that is honest, if vague and wrapped in symbolism. The clarity of the information depends on the number of successes, and it is rare to gain a complete and straightforward answer.

[+/-] Uktena Gifts

Uktena Gifts

Uktena Gifts reflect the tribe's predilection toward magical study and animal powers. Many of their Gifts were long forgotten secrets, recently unearthed as the fight for Gaia grows more desperate.

Level One

Sense Magic

W20 Core, pg 196

Description: The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on the strength and subtlety of the magic. The Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156 and 197

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Shroud

W20 Core, pg 197

Description: The Uktena can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Garou's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.

Spirit of the Lizard

W20 Core, pg 197

Description: The werewolf's hands and feet sprout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing her to climb across or cling to any surface - even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings. A gecko spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character can move across any solids surface at her normal walking speed. Staying attached to a vertical surface or ceiling while taking any more strenuous movement (fighting, moving faster than a walking speed, attempting to dislodge a steam grate) requires a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 7).

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164 and 197

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Level Two

Coils of the Serpent

W20 Core, pg 197

Description: The Uktena calls forth dark tentacles of mist or fog that wrap around enemies and hold them in a vise-like grip. Each coil is 30 feet long and possesses the same Physical characteristics as the werewolf who summons them. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 7. Each success causes a single coil to emerge from the air at a point within 100 feet (30 m) of the Uktena. The player must use a turn's concentration and a Dexterity + Brawl roll to aim the tentacles. The coils focus on a single target, unless the player makes attack rolls against multiple targets, with the normal penalties for multiple actions. The coils only bind; they cant inflict damage. To break free, the victim must first make a Strength roll, (difficulty 7); if his successes exceeds the number of coils entangling him, he struggles free. The tentacles last until the end of the scene, or until dismissed, whichever is sooner.

Fetish Fetch

W20 Core, pg 197

Description: The Uktena need not carry her fetishes with her. She may draw them from a hidden cache whenever she needs them, no matter the distance, and return them just as easily. A packrat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The first part of the Gift involves creating the secret hiding spot for the fetishes. The player spends one Gnosis and buries or covers her items. Once this ritual is complete, she need only spend a Gnosis point to summon any or all of her fetishes, or to return them to her hiding place. The fetish appears in her hand as if from thin air. Only one hiding spot can exist at a time, but the Uktena can replace it with a new one whenever she wishes.

Shadows at Dawn

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: Sometimes, one must give information to get information. However, Uktena are notoriously tightfisted with secrets. With this Gift, the werewolf can share a bit of knowledge that later vanishes from a subject's memory. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After relating a bit of lore, the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the opponent's Wits + Subterfuge). If the rolls succeeds, whatever information the Uktena imparted completely vanishes from the target's memory when the sun next rises.

Spirit of the Bird

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above - an excellent reason to do so, in the eyes of the Uktena. The Garou using this Gift may hover, fly, or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and with an audible rush of mighty but unseen wings, the character takes to the air. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.

Spirit of the Fish

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: The werewolf can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Any fish spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effect lasts one hour per success.

Level Three

Banish Totem

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: By speaking words of forbiddance, the Uktena can bar pack or personal totems from giving their children aid. Doing so also disrupts the spiritual rapport between packmates, making it difficult for them to execute pack tactics or act in concert. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Uktena must concentrate for a full turn, and he must know which totem his victims follow. The player spends one Gnosis point and one Willpower point, and he rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the pack's combined Totem score (maximum of 10). If successful, members of the targeted pack lose all Traits associated with their totem, and they cannot use pack tactics or act in concert for the remainder of the scene. If the Uktena is rendered unconscious or killed, the Gift is canceled.

Chains of Mist

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: Silvery filaments spin out from the Garou's claws, becoming streamers of mist that enwrap and confound nearby spirits, sapping their strength. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Uktena concentrates for a turn; and the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 7). One spirit of the player's choice within 200 feet (60 m) is affected per success. Spirits struck by this Gift treat their Rage, Gnosis and Willpower ratings as though they were one lower than they truly are for the purpose of all dice rolls for the rest of the scene.

Invisibility

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: The Garou can vanish from sight, though she must concentrate concentrate to maintain her invisibility. She cant move faster than half normal walking speed, and cant draw attention to her herself, a servant of Uktena reaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in the open, 9 in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll. Anyone not actively seeking the Garou will not spot her at all.

Rending the Craft

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: The werewolf's claws burn with mystic force, rending apart the delicate workings of magic. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After the werewolf makes a successful claw attack, the player may spend a point of Willpower to end the effects of any on-goiong magical power enhancing the target (such as the Gift: Razor Claws, or the Charm: Armor). Permanent magical effects cannot be rent asunder by this Gift, nor powers that are innate to the nature of the target. For example, a werewolf's Gifts could be cancelled, but not her ability to shapeshift; a vampire's Disciplines could be disrupted, but not her immortality or her ability to spend blood to raise her Attributes. In the event that a magical effect mixes permanent and temporary elements, the permanent elements are retained while the transitory elements are disabled. For example, a Vampire's Potence would continue to grant extra Strength dice, but blood could not be spent to transform those dice into automatic successes.

Scrying

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: The Uktena may view events elsewhere by staring into a reflective surface. Many supernatural beings, particularly those capable of scrying themselves, know defenses against this Gift. A fly spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 10 unless the Uktena possesses an item belonging to the person or place being viewed, in which case the difficulty is 8). The Uktena may view everything that happens in that area for the rest of the scene.

Level Four

Call Elemental

W20 Core, pg 198

Description: The Garou is able to call one of the four classic elementals to his aid (earth, air, fire, or water). An elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty is equal to the area's Gauntlet). She must then roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7) to make the summoned elemental amenable to helping her. The elemental vanishes at the end of the scene.

Durance

W20 Core, pg 190 and 199

Description: The werewolf dominates a talen-bound spirit, spinning webs of metaphysical authority to forcibly lengthen its service to her. Some consider this Gift disrespectful, but the Shadow Lords find it ridiculous to discard a weapon that might serve Gaia, just for the sake of politeness. This Gift is taught by a spider spirit.

System: Upon using a talen, the player may reflexively spend one Gnosis point to keep the spirit bound within from departing. This Gift is ineffective on talens which are destroyed as an inherent aspect of their use (such as the nightshade talen, which must be drunk to active its powers), but preserves talens whose destruction is a metaphysical result of their use (such as moon glow and Wyrm scales).

Hand of the Earth Lords

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: By drawing on the land's energies, the Uktena can move any one object weighing up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) simply by gesturing at it. An air elemental and an earth elemental must teach this Gift in concert.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). Concentration is necessary to move an object, which travels at roughly 20 mph (32 kph). The Garou's control lasts for one turn per success.

Level Five

Fabric of the Mind

W20 Core, pg 170 and 199

Description: The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.

Fetish Doll

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: Sympathetic magic is among the oldest principles of sorcery - possibly the oldest - and still as effective as it ever was. The Garou can harm his victims from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll to incorporate the prize. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The doll takes one week to construct and enchant. The player rolls Perception + Crafts (difficulty 8) to do so. When the doll is complete, the player may roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty is equal to the victim's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage on the victim, soakable if the victim is capable of doing so. After 10 successes, the doll is too mutilated to be of further use.

[+/-] Wendigo Gifts

Wendigo Gifts

The magic of the Wendigo is that of the black heart of winter, the howling hunger of the blizzards, and the barren majesty of the north wind.

Level One

Beat of the Heart Drum

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: The werewolf becomes an inescapable hunter, drawn ever onward by the beat of his prey's heart until that heart grows still. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must have an object belonging to his target, a piece of the victim (a blood sample, a lock of hair), or must have tasted his quarry's blood in the past. The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Survival (difficulty 7). The Wendigo can hear her quarry's heartbeat for one day per success, no matter how far away they may be. The beat grows louder as the werewolf draws near, making tracking effortless.

Call the Breeze

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: The werewolf calls up a strong (~20 mph/36 kph), cold wind and directs it as she wills. The wind chills anyone not prepared for it, and can disperse (or redirect) clouds of vapor (including tear gas or airborne toxins) as well as Swarms of insects. An air elemental teaches this Gift.

System: the Garou whistles or breathes out to summon the winds. Anyone caught in it loses one die from Perception rolls as long as the breeze lasts, and suffers a -1 penalty to all actions after one minute of exposure if not dressed appropriately for cold weather.

Camouflage

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, the better to evade enemies or prepare ambushes. A deer spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties to spot the Garou in the wilderness increase by three.

Ice Echo

W20 Core, pg 200

Description: The Wendigo conjures a perfect reflection of himself. The image is identical to the Garou, except that it is reversed, as though seen in a mirror (so any writing on the Garou's clothing would be backwards, scars would be on the wrong side, etc). The Wendigo can control the image easily, giving it voice and guiding its motion. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis to create the Ice Echo at any point within 100 feet (30 m). The echo moves and sounds exactly like the Garou in addition to taking on her precise appearance, but gives off no scent or heat, and is intangible. Discerning which is the echo and which is the original requires a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty of the Garou's Gnosis).

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166 and 200

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Level Two

Cutting Wind

W20 Core, pg 200

Description: The Wendigo conjures up a bitterly cold blast of wind and directs it at will. The wind can knock opponents off their feet and chill them to the bone. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo itself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. Directing the gust requires a Dexterity + Occult roll. Anyone hit by the wind loses two dice from all dice pools for two turns. The wind can also knock foes off ledges, into traffic, or into pits. The wind's medium range is 20 yards (18 m), and it is modified as per the rules on firearms (see W20 Core, pg 293). The wind lasts for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled.

Claws of Frozen Death

W20 Core, pg 200

Description:Description: Blue smoke rolls off the werewolf's claws and teeth, which are transformed into curving daggers of hardened ice. Wounds inflicted with these terrible weapons turn black and fester, all the warmth and life driven out of them. A snow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 7). The transformation lasts for the rest of the scene, or until banished voluntarily. Any individual wounded by the werewolf's fangs or claws suffers a -1 penalty for the rest of the scene as chills wrack her body. Additionally, any such wounds heal badly; mortals are likely to lose injured limbs as the tissue necrotizes, and beings capable of supernaturally swift healing (such as vampires or Black Spiral Dancers) are unable to heal these wounds for one day per success on the Gift's activation roll. This gift cant be used in Homid, but applies fully to the claws and or fangs of all other forms.

Salmon Swim

W20 Core, pg 200

Description: The Wendigo can swim as easily as a fish or walk on the surface of the water as if it were land. Salmon Swim only works on freshwater bodies; any natural body such as a lake, pond, or river is fair game, but the Gift doesn't function for swimming pools or other purely artificial containers of freshwater. It is taught by a salmon spirit.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For each success, the character can move freely on or under the surface for one scene. Additionally, during this period, the Garou can use the effects of the Lupus Gift: Hare's Leap, so long as he begins and ends his leap in a sizable body of fresh water.

Speak with Wind Spirits

W20 Core, pg 200

Description: The Wendigo may call upon wind spirits for knowledge and guidance. She can ask them one question, which must concern the immediate area (wind spirits have short attention spans). A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Upon learning this Gift, the Garou can automatically speak with wind spirits while in the Umbra. To ask a question in the physical world, the player must roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 8). The number of successes reflects the accuracy of the information. If no wind spirits are present (such as indoors, where the air is still and stagnant) this Gift cannot function.

True Fear

W20 Core, pg 171 and 201

Description: The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).

Level Three

Blood of the North

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: The Wendigo takes winter as his brother, infusing the spiritual essence of the howling cold into his very flesh and bones. A snow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Wendigo ignores all penalties due to cold or chilling effects, and gains an extra five dice of soak against all cold based attacks. All Survival rolls made in cold environments are at -2 difficulty. This Gifts effects are permanent.

Bloody Feast

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: Great Wendigo, as a hungry cannibal spirit, can teach his favored children how to gain strength from an enemy's flesh and blood. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must bite his opponent and taste blood - he must inflict at least one lethal or aggravated health level of damage, and his victim must be something that bleeds. If the opponent has toxic blood or non at all, this Gift cannot function. The player then rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3. The Wendigo gains one extra dot in Strength for every two health levels of damage inflicted by the bite (maximum of + 5 to Strength). The extra Strength bonus lasts for two turns per success on the Gnosis roll. However, flesh and blood can be addictive; the Wendigo's player must make an immediate frenzy roll the turn after activating the Gift.

Sky Running

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: The Wendigo gains the ability to run at 50 mph (80 kph) through the skies, leaving a track of fire behind him as he goes. He must continually remain in motion or he falls. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Great Wendigo.

System: The Wendigo concentrates for one turn. The player then spends one Willpower point. This Gift lasts for four hours and may be replenished by further Willpower expenditure.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

W20 Core, pg 167 and 201

Description: All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Level Four

Call the Cannibal Spirit

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: By dancing under the night sky, the werewolf can summon an avatar of Great Wendigo to hunt down a target of the Garou's choice. The werewolf must possess a piece of his target, whose hear the Wendigo will devour. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must dance for three full turns. The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis point, then rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 8). If the roll botches or if the Wendigo is somehow prevented from Killing its target, the spirit will return to kill the summoner.

Chill of Early Frost

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: The werewolf calls down a mystical chill from Great Wendigo himself, freezing the surrounding land and anyone in it. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The playing spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies; 4 if it is already winter, 6 for spring, 9 for summer). Success drops the temperature a bit below freezing in a five mile (8 km) radius, or even further below zero if it was already winter. All creatures without a natural coat of fur lose two dice from all pools. This Gift wreaks particular havoc in urban environments as pipes burst and roads freeze. This Gift lasts for one day per success.

Hero's Stand

W20 Core, pg 181 and 201

Description: The Get channels the power of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. Though he may not retreat or even move from the spot for the duration of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all physical dice pools. In addition, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or fled.

Scream of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.

Level Five

Invoke the Spirits of the Storm

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: The Garou can summon nearly any weather effect she desires: Fog, tornadoes, blizzards, and thunderstorms all await her call. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower. (The difficulty varies based on how conceptually close the desired effect is to the current weather patterns of the area). The storm covers 10 miles per success. If the Garou summons a thunderstorm, she may spend Gnosis to call lightning down on her enemies (Wits + Occult to hit, 10 dice of aggravated damage).

Heart of Ice

W20 Core, pg 201

Description: The werewolf can call down the curse of the Wendigo on an enemy. The Garou must whisper the target's name to the hungry winds; thereafter, the victim's innards begin to turn to ice. An avatar of great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of unsoakable aggravated damage at a rate of one health level per turn until all damage has been done.

Rites

Rules on how to buy rites with time or xp

Type Roll Difficulty
Accord Cha + Rituals 7
Caern Varies (max. Gnosis) 7
Death Cha + Rituals 8 - Rank
Mystic Wits + Rituals 7
Punishment Cha + Rituals 7
Renown Cha + Rituals 6
Seasonal Sta + Rituals 8 - Caern Level
Minor None None

These rolls are the standard ones required by type to enact any given rite. If no roll is mentioned in a system’s description, assume that the roll is standard

[+/-] Accord Rites

Rites of accord restore a particular place or Garou to harmony and balance with Gaia. These rites purify and renew through a symbolic rebirth from Gaia’s womb.

System: Any Garou attempting to perform a rite of accord must possess a talen, fetish, or some piece of Gaia never touched by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands. The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise noted).

Level One

Rite of Cleansing

W20 Core, pg 203

Description: This rite purifies a person, place or object, allowing it to be used without fear of Wyrm-taint. The most common form of this rite involves the ritemaster inscribing a circle on the earth, walking counterclockwise around the afflicted person(s) or object(s) while holding a smoldering branch or torch. She must use a branch (preferably willow or birch) dipped in pure water or snow to sprinkle the object or person cleansed. As the ritemaster does so, all Garou present release an eerie, otherworldly howl in an attempt to frighten away the corrupting influence. Ideally, this rite is performed at dawn, but may function at any time.

System: This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the ritemaster must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing in need of cleansing. Only one success is required. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. For instance, taint caused by a spirit might carry a difficulty of the spirit’s Gnosis. If the rite is performed at dawn, the difficulty decreases by one. This rite cannot heal wounds or damage caused by Wyrm-taint — it only removes the spiritual contamination itself. This rite cannot cleanse taint of the most innate sort, either, instead inflicting agony when performed upon a fomor, vampire, unrepentant Black Spiral Dancer or other similarly corrupt being.

Rite of Contrition

W20 Core, pg 204

Description: This rite is a form of apology. The offending party uses it to prevent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has offended, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. The ritemaster may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact the rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual or, in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon) that he pays homage to.

System: The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or werewolf. A single success suffices for a gracious apology, but may not be enough to mend friendships or undo grievous errors. The more successes rolled, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Werewolves who refuse to recognize a Rite of Contrition are looked upon poorly by elders. Most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite.

Level Two

Rite of Renunciation

W20 Core, pg 204

Description: In this rare rite, a werewolf rejects the auspice under which he was born and chooses a new one. The Garou must perform this rite during the phase of the moon he wishes to adopt. Most commonly, water from a silver basin exposed to Luna’s radiance is poured over the naked supplicant, washing him clean of all he once was, including all rank. He is now free to start anew as a member of his adopted auspice. Many werewolves view such a “Shifting Moon” with suspicion, especially Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs — who is the Garou, after all, to decide he knows better than Luna?

System: A character who changes auspices must start anew at Rank 1. Although he keeps any Gifts he has already learned, he may never learn new Gifts from his old auspice no matter the instructor. However, Gifts of his adopted auspice now cost (rank x 3) experience. Variants of this rite also exist to allow Garou to renounce their tribe and join a new one — but this is counted not only as a grave insult to the abandoned tribe, but also to the tribe’s totem. In no case can this rite be used to return a Garou to a renounced auspice or tribe.

Level Three

Rite of the Loyal Pack

W20 Core, pg 205

Description: A leader needs respect from those that follow him if he (and they) wish to succeed. Usually, only packs that have been working together for some time and who trust each other enough to further cement those bonds perform this rite.

The rite makes the whole pack’s focus and commitment dependent on the pack alpha. In effect, they submit completely to him, in the hope of gaining an advantage from his commitment to working for the benefit of all. Each member of the pack must take a small item of personal significance and a length of his or her own hair and give it to the ritemaster. She then binds together all the objects using the hairs and buries the bundle within the pack’s home caern.

System: The ritemaster’s player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 9 minus the pack alpha’s Leadership). If the roll succeeds, the entire pack gains two extra points of Willpower at the beginning of each session as long as the pack alpha is acting in the best interests of the whole pack. (Note that this cannot put a character over their maximum Willpower.) However, if the alpha has not been acting in the pack’s interests, the entire pack loses two points of Willpower at the beginning of each session. The gain or loss is entirely at the Storyteller’s discretion. Should the pack alpha change, the rite’s effects immediately end.

Level Four

Enchant the Forest

W20 Core, pg 205

Description: Everyone’s heard of enchanted forests in which the trees themselves seem aware, strange voices whisper, wicked witches roam, and goblins and fae of all manner plague the weary traveler. Though the Garou used to rule the wilds, humanity encroaches more and more on their ranges. Hundreds of years ago, Theurges developed a rite with which to frustrate such expansion. This rite, Enchant the Forest, awakens the spirits of the land and urges them to protect the Wyld. These spirits awaken and move to resist any human settlements in the area.

Springs dry out. The winter grows harsher than ever before, yet the trees are remarkably fast-growing and resilient. Food decays and rots in no time, and vermin and insects infest the area. Attempts to construct power lines fail inexplicably. On the rare occasions when cell phones are able to get any reception at all, their calls are interrupted by threatening screeches of static and disturbing whispers. Humans eventually either leave or die, and the wilderness reclaims its lost property.

The area seems haunted for years afterwards. The trees are dark and threatening, and strange sounds emanate from the woods at night. The spirits, once roused, don’t rest again for a very long time. Superstitious tales of haunted lands circulate, and many humans give the area wide berth. Unfortunately, many others may become interested — government agencies, paranormal investigators, and other supernatural beings.

The ritemaster must take a twig from a tree never seen by human eyes, make a container from the belly of an animal never hunted by humans, and fill the pouch with water from a pond never touched by mankind. He then stirs the water, pours it close to the borders of the wild woods, and calls on the spirits of nature to awaken and defend themselves. He sends messengers to the north, south, east and west, to call to the spirits there. The ritemaster must sing to the spirits for three days.

System: Standard roll. The immediate effects of this rite last for a full year, if they are not disrupted by some sort of supernatural intervention. The area so charmed cannot exceed the farthest distance the messengers have traveled by foot in the three days. If a caern is located within five miles (8 km) of the ritual location, the difficulty is reduced by one.

Rite of the Opened Sky

W20 Core, pg 205

Description: By sacrificing something of personal value and dancing a complex rain dance, the ritemaster can beckon great, purifying showers of rain to fall from the skies. This rain cleanses all Wyrm impurities, and can even heal wounds.

System: This rite works in much the same way as the Rite of Cleansing, but can encompass an entire caern and those within it. The ritemaster expends only one point of Gnosis to cleanse an area, but for every two additional points he spends, every character within the caern heals one level of damage — even aggravated damage. The difficulty of this rite depends on the level of taint, such as a tainted spirit’s Gnosis rating. Like the Rite of Cleansing, the difficulty of this rite can also be lowered by one if performed at dawn. Beings of the Wyrm and vampires suffer excruciating pain if exposed to this rite, though they are not cleansed or genuinely damaged. To use this rite outside a caern, the ritemaster must spend ten points of Gnosis — a feat only the most potent ritemasters of the Garou are capable of.

[+/-] Caern Rites

Caern Rites

These rites are of vital importance to Gaia, for they aid in the opening, protection, and renewal of her most sacred spaces. Without such rites, the mystical flow of Gaia’s spiritual essence might cease, bringing spiritual barrenness and eventually death to even the most ferocious of werewolves.

System: These rites can be performed only within a caern. The dice pool required varies with each particular rite, but the maximum number of dice used cannot exceed the ritemaster’s Gnosis. Unless otherwise stated, the difficulty is 7.

Level One

Moot Rite

W20 Core, pg 206

Description: A moot cannot open until this rite is completed, recharging the caern with Gnosis. The rite always includes a prolonged howl led by a werewolf known as the Master of the Howl. This howl varies by tribe and sept, but always expresses the unique nature of the sept. All werewolves present must form a circle within the caern itself before they commence howling. Numerous variations on the basic requirements exist: The Red Talons often bite their paws and scratch blood into the earth, while Uktena pass their most powerful fetish from one to another as each in turn adds her voice to the howl. However it is done, the howl must echo forth and the eternal circle must form.

System: The rite must be performed at least once per month to keep the caern consecrated. During the course of a moot, the participants must empower the caern with a combined total of five Gnosis points per caern level in order to replenish it fully.

Rite of the Hearthfire

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 120

Description: The Nanets people have few Garou amongst their population. But those few Garou have taught this important rite to any gifted Kinfolk. The group make a fire and with a few quiet, contemplative blessings, the fire becomes the center of a small sanctuary — a warm field that remains protected from the elements. While the area within isn’t luxurious, it becomes comfortable enough for safe, secure sleeping.

System: Once the fire is built, roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). If successful, the fire creates a safe zone, a bubble big enough for three people plus one per success. It lasts a full night. During this time, snow, wind, rain, and other environmental phenomena remain outside the bubble. Inside the bubble, people remain warm and the ground is comfortable for sleeping. A level three version of this rite exists. This version affects a large area — equivalent to the bawn of a caern — and lasts one day per success.

Rite of the Opened Caern

W20 Core, pg 206

Description: Each caern has a specific power associated with it, generally of a beneficial nature. Thus, there are caerns of Rage, caerns of Gnosis, Strength, Enigmas, and so on. If a character is knowledgeable enough, she may tap into the caern’s power and use it herself. Doing so is commonly known as “opening” a caern. Such a feat shouldn’t be attempted lightly — Gaia’s sacred places don’t give up their power easily, and failure to harness such power can seriously harm the Garou.

Each caern has its own requirements of the ritemaster. In order to open a caern of Enigmas, a Garou might walk a spiral path while calling out the Greek myth of Persephone; to open a caern of Rage, the Garou might change into Crinos and chant the litany of his ancestors who have fallen in battle against the Wyrm. The key is forging a connection to the particular spirit of the caern.

System: To open a caern, the character engages in a resisted, extended test of Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7) against the caern’s spirit, seeking to gain a number of successes equal to the caern’s level. The caern spirit uses the caern’s level as its dice pool (difficulty of the ritemaster’s Gnosis), seeking to gain (Ritemaster’s Willpower) successes. The first party to reach their target number of successes triumphs.

If the character wins the test, she can add the caern’s rating to her dice pool when performing actions appropriate to the caern’s focus. If she loses, she takes lethal damage equal to the number of successes by which the caern beat her; a botch makes this damage aggravated. See W20 Core, pg 310 for a list of caern types, their powers, and the spirits that can be encountered near them.

Level Three

Rite of the Glorious Past

W20 Core, pg 206

Description: A caern has its own history and heritage, regardless of the Garou that currently inhabit it. Learning the history of a caern is a fascinating undertaking that can take years. However, this rite allows the Garou to experience the nuances of the caern’s development as a fever dream, causing those years to seem to pass in a few short moments.

To enact this rite, the ritemaster must draw up a map of the caern as it was when it was first founded (which may require some research). This map is then burnt at the center of the caern. As the map burns, all Garou present growl quietly as the ritemaster recites the history of the caern. All werewolves present see the caern’s formation and any other important details in its history as though in a dream.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 9 minus the ritemaster’s Ancestors rating). If performed successfully, each participant receives an additional dot of Ancestors until the next dawn; this occurs even if the character is normally incapable of possessing this Background (as the ancestors thus contacted are former guardians of the caern rather than a given character’s personal forebears).This ritual also “primes” the caern; the next caern rite performed therein receives a –1 difficulty.

Level Four

The Badger's Burrow

W20 Core, pg 206

Description: The guardians of the caerns become so connected to their bawn that they can sense all that goes on within its boundaries. The ritemaster enacting this rite gazes intently into a bowl of water, pool of ink, mirror, or some similar focus. At the same time, the werewolf pours a small amount of witch hazel or other strongly scented astringent (even urine) on the ground in front of her. Any other Garou watching or participating encircle the ritemaster and growl softly in the backs of their throats. Some of the younger Garou (Glass Walkers and Wendigo in particular) enhance the ritual through the use of mild psychotropic drugs, although many werewolves frown upon this practice.

System: The celebrant must make a successful Perception + Rituals roll against the given difficulty level. Each success enables the ritemaster (or the caern Warder) to ask one question regarding a defined area. Failure indicates that the Garou sees nothing.

Difficulty Complexity
5 Small room
6 Ballroom
7 House
8 Acre of land
9 Small forest

Rite of the Opened Bridge

W20 Core, pg 207

Description: This rite creates a moon bridge, a shimmering portal serving as a mystical means of transportation between two caerns. Such moon bridges are vital links among the sacred spaces of Gaia. Once per year, a caern must renew its connection with other caerns to which it wishes to maintain moon bridges. This rite is always held during a moot, and it must be enacted simultaneously by both participating caerns.

The primary requirement to open a moon bridge is a pathstone. Pathstones are found in the Umbra, and they are often the objects of quests. These extraordinarily rare stones resemble flat pearls with the imprint of a wolf’s paw on one side. It is possible to steal a pathstone from a caern, but such a theft is considered blasphemous, and it may well result in war between two septs.

The rite establishes (or reestablishes) a spiritual connection between the pathstones of two separate caerns by way of the caerns’ totem spirits. At the rite’s culmination, a moon bridge opens between the two participating caerns. During this time, Garou from both septs can travel between the caerns to join in a wild revel. Moon bridges allow Garou to traverse distances in 1/1000th the normal time required. This rite must be renewed once every 13 moons (roughly a year).

System: The roll is Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8 minus the level of the ritemaster’s caern). If the ritemaster’s pack totem is the same as the totem of the caern, she receives a bonus of three dice to the roll. If the rite was unsuccessful previously, the difficulty level of the rite increases by one.

The ritemaster needs to obtain a number of successes equal to the target caern’s level to complete the rite. If the rite succeeds, the moon bridge opens immediately, and the spirit-bond between the two pathstones is established. Moon bridges may now be opened at any time between the two caerns. The bridges may be opened with the Rite of the Opened Caern or the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge (if performed at the caern). If the rite fails, no moon bridge opens, and the rite must be tried again next year. Moon bridges to the caern may still be opened, but they aren’t as safe as they might be.

See page 311 for moon bridge distances.

Rite of the Shrouded Glen

W20 Core, pg 207

Description: This rite causes an area within the Umbra to become invisible, so that it cannot be seen from any other part of the spirit world. At least five people must participate in this ritual, and they must fast for at least three days to purify themselves. The Uktena, who are particularly adept at this rite, maintain that all participants must come to the rite with their bodies clad only in painted symbols representing earth, air, water, fire, and (for the ritemaster) the spirit world.

System: The difficulty of this roll is the caern’s Gauntlet + 4. Any participating Garou can contribute Gnosis to this rite. The participants must spend a total of 10 Gnosis points to make the effect permanent. Otherwise, the number of successes achieved equals the number of hours the Umbral Glen remains hidden. If the area the Garou attempt to hide is larger than the caern itself, the amount of Gnosis required increases by two for each one mile (1.6 km) radius the participants attempt to enshroud.

Level Five

Rite of Caern Building

W20 Core, pg 208

Description: This powerful rite creates a new caern by drawing the spirit world and the physical world closer together. Simply reciting the rite draws the attention of the Wyrm’s servants, and actually performing the rite has been known to prove fatal. Only the most powerful and wise mystics dare lead such an undertaking.

A powerful Theurge is almost always selected to perform this most sacred of rites. Many Garou must channel their energy through a powerful leader to have even a hope of success. Whole packs have been known to die in the agony of failed attempts.

Once the physical focus for the heart of the caern is chosen, the area must be cleansed of all taints in preparation for its transformation. All Garou participating in the rite must undergo a Rite of Cleansing, at minimum. The ritemaster performs a series of minor rituals, meditations, and other physical preliminaries to prepare for her awesome task.

The sept must post sentries, for servants of the Wyrm almost invariably attempt to disrupt such a great rite. Only the mightiest warriors are chosen for such an assignment, and their protection is critical to the success of the rite. The leader of the rite is helpless while he chants a long litany of verses designed to draw a great spirit into the prepared caern. Although it is possible to create a specific type of caern, most leaders leave this choice to Gaia and accept whatever caern she grants the sept.

The rite must be performed between the hours of sunset and sunrise during the waxing of the moon. Only the Black Spiral Dancers create caerns during the moon’s waning.

System: The rite lasts from dusk until dawn. As the sun breaks over the horizon, the ritemaster makes a Wits + Rituals roll at difficulty 8 (modified downward by one for every five Garou participating in the rite and spending Gnosis over and above the 13 necessary participants, to a minimum of difficulty 4). The number of successes gained determines the level of the resulting caern:

Successes Level
1-3 Level one
4-6 Level two
7-8 Level three
9+ Level four

Because an enormous amount of Gnosis is needed to break through the Gauntlet and empower the new caern, a minimum of 13 Garou, one for each moon of the year, must participate in the rite. At the end of the rite, the participating Garou channel Gnosis into the nascent caern — a total of 100 points of Gnosis is necessary to awaken the sacred site. If an insufficient amount of Gnosis is offered, the rite’s participants begin to suffer aggravated wounds as their life-force is sacrificed to create the caern. Each wound counts as three more Gnosis points toward the total. The complete the ritual, each of the 13 core participants must sacrifice a dot of permanent Gnosis.

Such is the damaged state of the world that the Rite of Caern Building can no longer naturally awaken a level five caern — only an additional offering of Gnosis can bring that sort of purity and power back to the dying earth. Offering an additional 100 points of Gnosis — 200 Gnosis in total — empowers the rite, creating a caern one level higher than the ritemaster’s successes would otherwise indicate.

The dangers of the rite are many. Failure scours the bodies and spirits of all Garou involved in the rite, both those donating Gnosis and those protecting them, inflicting four levels of lethal damage from spiritual backlash. A botch inflicts seven levels of lethal damage; those driven below Incapacitated by this damage suffer severe Battle Scars (see W20 Core, pg 259).

Minions of the Wyrm ultimately pose the greatest threat to the rite. As soon as it begins, all Wyrm-corrupted beings (Banes, fomori, Black Spiral Dancers, even particularly degenerate vampires or depraved ghosts) for miles around become aware of the rite; many will stop at nothing to prevent its completion. The Garou can expect a siege lasting at least until dawn, and likely longer.

If a player’s character should somehow assume the role of ritemaster and succeed, she receives three points of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown, and seven points of Wisdom Renown. Anyone else participating in the rite receives five points of Glory Renown and three points of Honor Renown. This task is a legendary one that deserves a suitable reward.

[+/-] Death Rites

Death Rites

Garou perform rites of death both to honor the departed and to reaffirm their connection to the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. In facing and acknowledging death as a necessary part of the dance of life, the pack and sept escape the burdens of grief and fear.

System: The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 8 minus the Rank of the honored Garou).

Level One

Gathering for the Departed

W20 Core, pg 209

Description: This rite is enacted in honor of the newly dead. A Galliard or a packmate of the departed werewolf usually performs the rite. The specifics of the rite vary dramatically from tribe to tribe. For example, a Fianna ritemaster leads the sept in the telling of tales, both raucous and heroic, about the fallen Garou. In contrast stands the Wendigo’s solemn rite in which the ritemaster and all the fallen one’s packmates stand on the highest peak available, tails to the wind, and howl out their pride and grief to speed their companion onward to her next life. The exact form of the rite is less important than the acknowledgment it represents.

System: The ritemaster leads the release of the Garou’s combined emotions into the spirit world. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this rite may make the deceased’s spirit easier to contact through the Ancestors Background.

Last Blessing

W20 Core, pg 209

Description: The mere existence of metis threatens the Veil, as they are born and die in Crinos form. This blessing is given to a dying or just-deceased metis by the ritemaster. It ensures that the corpse will assume the natural form which the metis most preferred — human or wolf — arousing no suspicion. Many metis have received this rite with joy, seeing it as a sign of Gaia’s forgiveness.

System: Standard roll. The ritemaster lays hands on the metis and chants the Song of the True Form, then spends one Gnosis point. The metis’s body changes to Homid or Lupus form, and the change is permanent. This rite must be performed within an hour of death, and has no effect on a live metis.

Level Three

Rite of the Winter Wolf

W20 Core, pg 209

Description: Once a werewolf becomes too wounded or aged to fight with his tribe, he performs this bleak and solemn rite. Upon announcing that he will undergo the rite, the werewolf sits at the center of a gathering of his pack- and sept-mates. The meeting is an onerous, solemn affair during which the Moon Dancers sing hymns of the celebrant’s life and deeds and invoke the spirits for glory in the next world or life. The celebrant then slowly and proudly walks through the closed ranks of the tribe. As he passes his people, they begin howling a dirge similar to that sung during the Gathering for the Departed. Some Garou beat heavy drums or play mournful pipes as the celebrant drags himself to a secluded site where he ends his life, usually with a klaive. Rarely, two werewolves, usually packmates, will perform this rite together, sometimes killing each other simultaneously, although Ahroun may give each other a last fight to finish, with the victor ending his life beside his fallen opponent. Immediately after the suicide, the sept performs the Gathering for the Departed.

Red Talons and Get of Fenris are the staunchest supporters of this rite. It is almost unheard of among the Children of Gaia and Bone Gnawers, who value the knowledge and experience of their aged and wounded.

System: The rite is always performed at night, typically under the auspice moon of the departing werewolf. Three other Garou must be present to acknowledge the character’s life and departure. Failure to perform the rite properly is considered an omen that Gaia still needs some final service from the Garou.

[+/-] Mystic Rites

Mystic Rites

These rites bring the Garou into direct contact with the Umbra and its denizens. Unlike most other rites, mystic rites are generally performed alone.

System: When performing a mystic rite, the ritemaster must make a Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated).

Level One

Baptism of Fire

W20 Core, pg 210

Description: Most tribes attempt to track down all children born to their Kinfolk within one a month of the child’s birth to see if they “share the blood.” (Most commonly, this inquiry involves the Gift: Scent of the True Form.) Those who are Garou are “baptized” in the light of their auspice moon, beside a ritual fire. Such a baptism most commonly involves mingling ashes with a few drops of Garou blood; the mixture is then touched to the child’s ears, nose, eyelids and tongue.

In the presence of a lesser tribal spirit known as a Kin-Fetch, the babe is then held up to the moonlight while the baptizing Garou howls Gaia’s greeting to the newborn. The ritemaster then has the Kin-Fetch kiss the infant. The spirit’s fiery kiss inscribes a spiritual brand upon the babe in the form of the newborn’s tribal glyph. This mark is invisible — a thing of pure spirit — and impossible to remove. It can be traced and recognized by all Garou (including Black Spiral Dancers, who target such cubs and capture them in order to swell their own vile ranks).

The participating Kin-Fetch spirit is assigned to watch over the young Garou as she grows to maturity, so that the tribe may always know the child’s location and whether she is endangered. When the First Change is imminent, the spirit alerts the tribe. Unfortunately, such minor spirits are notoriously weak-willed and easily distracted.

System: The ritemaster makes a Charisma + Rituals roll. Only one success is required, but additional successes improve the chance that the Kin-Fetch will keep track of the child. The rite must be performed at night under the child’s auspice moon. Although generally performed within a month of birth, it remains effective at any time before the First Change. The brand vanishes after the cub’s Rite of Passage.

Rite of Binding

W20 Core, pg 210

Description: This rite binds a spirit to a werewolf, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is. Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. Binding spirits for excessive lengths of time is generally viewed as callous abuse of those who should be the allies of the Garou. This point doesn’t go uncontested, however, particularly by the mystics of the Uktena tribe.

Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens (see W20 Core, pg 227). No spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character’s totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places, and people, although the Garou generally don’t perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic.

System: A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum of one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit’s Gnosis rating by one. The Garou’s player must then roll Willpower (difficulty equals the spirit’s adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service, with each success binding the spirit for one week. In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used.

Rite of Growth

W20 Core, pg 210

Description: This favorite of urban Garou, particularly Glass Walkers, allows plants to grow in strange locations. The plants don’t grow unusually quickly, but can grow in plastic, concrete, or other unusual places, drawing nutrients from the source. Three Garou are needed to make this rite work.

The ritemaster makes an indentation in the surface using a claw, and plants the seed of the plant into it. The three then hold hands in a triangle around it, kneeling, and request the spirit of the material that it nurture and care for the plant. If the spirit agrees, a small green shoot will appear immediately.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals. The difficulty depends on the surface and area. An abandoned lot is 5, a typical city building is 7, and an oil spill would be 9. Each success guarantees the plant’s survival for one month. After that, as much regular watering and care as for any other plant is required.

Rite of Heritage

W20 Core, pg 211

Description: Galliards and Philodox alike favor this genealogical rite, albeit for slightly different reasons. Some Garou use it to verify the identity of a hero’s descendants before passing on an inheritance; others use it to identify the father of a metis cub if none is forthcoming. The ritemaster draws the blood of the subject with a silver knife and sings a long paean to the ancestor-spirits of his tribe and any others that might be watching over the subject. As he completes the song, the ancestor-spirits whisper the subject’s heritage into his ears.

System: Standard roll. Success reveals the subject’s true heritage for one generation back per success (for example, two successes would reveal the subject’s heritage as far back as his grandparents). In addition, the ritemaster receives the answer to one specific question about the subject’s heritage per success; e.g., “What was this cub’s paternal grandfather’s profession?” or “Does the blood of any other tribe run in this cub’s veins?” The answer will be accurate, as long as the answer can be found within the number of generations revealed; if the ritemaster gained four successes, for example, he could not ask “Is this child descended from Frode,” but he could accurately tell if the child’s great-great-grandfather claimed descent from Frode or not.

The Rite of Heritage works just as well with humans or wolves (although wolves, lacking names, are harder to accurately identify), even non-Kin or mages. It does not, however, work on the undead or on fae.

Rite of the Cardboard Palace

W20 Core, pg 211

Description: A Bone Gnawer favorite, this rite allows the Garou to transform any flimsy structure into a decent place to sleep. This often involves a lot of cardboard and newspaper, but this rite can be invoked just about anywhere a werewolf needs to call home for the night — a few torn down branches arranged into a messy lean-to in the woods functions as well as a pile of converted trash in an alley. The “walls” of the dwelling become water-resistant and insulated, keeping everyone inside warm and dry. The rite can even be performed in full view of humans without breaking the Veil.

For powerful Theurges, the cardboard palace is even a place of healing, as well.

System: The ritemaster’s player rolls Intelligence + Survival (difficulty 6). One success is all that’s needed to create a comfortable place to sleep. If a point of Gnosis is spent before making the roll, the shelter is more than just comfortable — the Garou (and any other Fera) living inside the cardboard palace can roll Stamina after a full day of rest within; three successes heals one aggravated health level. A cardboard palace lasts for one full day per success on the activation roll.

Rite of the Questing Stone

W20 Core, pg 211

Description: This rite allows the werewolf to find a person or object (but not a location). She must know the name of the object or individual, and must dangle a stone or needle from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought. Glass Walkers often use maps and substitute a compass for the traditional stone and thread.

System: Standard roll. If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual (a clipping of hair, a piece of cloth) the difficulty drops by one. The werewolf gains only a sense of the object’s general location, not its exact position.

Rite of Talisman Dedication

W20 Core, pg 211

Description: This common rite allows a werewolf to bind objects to her body, allowing them to fit her various forms (jeans will grow to accommodate the Crinos form rather than splitting at the seams, for example) and accompany the Garou into the Umbra. Such talismans are most commonly mundane items, for spiritual items such as fetishes and talens remain with the werewolf in all forms and in the Umbra automatically. A werewolf most often performs this rite during the phase of the moon under which she was born. Each auspice has its own peculiar ritual.

System: The cost is one Gnosis point per object dedicated, and a character may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. Conceptually linked groups of objects may count as a single object as the Storyteller’s discretion. For example, as a set of clothing would be considered one object rather than one shirt, one pair of pants, two socks, and so on; or a box of ammunition might be dedicated to the character, rather than requiring one dedication per bullet.

Objects will generally resize themselves to accommodate the character’s various forms (such as a backpack’s straps lengthening to accommodate Crinos form), but may simply meld with the character in forms where they can be of no use — for example, a knife may become a knife-shaped tattoo in Hispo. Others must spend a point of Willpower to attempt to steal dedicated objects from the werewolf.

Level Two

Rite of Becoming

W20 Core, pg 211

Description: Werewolves must perform this rite at an Anchorhead Domain. Once completed, it enables them to travel into the Deep Umbra. The most common version of this rite requires the Garou to make a braid from three of her hairs, three pieces of fine copper wire, and three tendrils of ivy or other vine. Lengths of silk thread are sometimes substituted for the hair or wire. When the braid has been constructed, the Garou ties it around his own wrist and howls three words of power.

System: If the braid is destroyed while the Garou is in the Deep Umbra, the werewolf takes one level of aggravated damage and risks becoming lost forever if she doesn’t return quickly to the Near Umbra.

Rite of Spirit Awakening

W20 Core, pg 212

Description: This rite is used to awaken a sleeping (inactive) spirit. To perform this rite, a Garou must play a rhythm on some form of instrument (drums are the most common). While the Garou plays, any other participating werewolves pace around the ritemaster, howling and growling in counter point to the beat.

When performed on a mundane item, this rite enlivens the object’s spirit, causing it to awaken and appear in the Umbra. For example, if the rite is performed on a VW bus, any Garou stepping sideways could see the bus as a true part of the landscape. However, it would appear as a stationary object in the Penumbra unless someone on the physical plane began to drive it, in which case it would appear as a driverless vehicle to anyone in the Umbra. When performed on plants, this rite is known as sanctification. Plant-spirits are generally benevolent, and an awakened plant spirit will lend its powers as though it were a talen (one use). Different plants grant different abilities when sanctified. For example, sanctified foxglove protects against faerie magic (adding two to the difficulty of any faerie spell).

System: The ritemaster must play a musical instrument or sing a song (talent doesn’t matter). The difficulty of the roll is the spirit’s Rage. Failure means that the spirit remains dormant. The Storyteller must decide whether the spirit is hostile or friendly to its awakener. Awakening a spirit doesn’t allow any control over it. Commanding an awakened spirit requires either a Rite of Binding or a Gift. This rite doesn’t work on sentient beings such as humans. Such individuals are already as “awakened” as they’re going to get.

Rite of Summoning

W20 Core, pg 212

Description: Garou mystics are adept at calling spirits, be they minor Gafflings, totem spirits, or even Incarna. Summoning spirits involves complex rituals, long periods of meditation, and tribal mantra chanting. Within the Umbra, this process is far easier. This rite compels spirits to seek those who call them. Furthermore, the spirit cannot escape its caller once the summoning is completed successfully, and it must attend the mystic. Many spirits, particularly minor ones, are too weak to resist a powerful summoning. Powerful ones come out of curiosity. The chance of a successful summoning depends upon the skill of the mystic, the power of the spirit, and the strength of the area’s Gauntlet.

System: The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the local Gauntlet level). A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine difficulty from the following chart:

Difficulty Spirit Type
4 Gaffling
5 Jaggling
7 Totem Avatar
8-9 Incarna
10 Celestine Avatar

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

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

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

A Garou who summons an Incarna or Celestine avatar successfully gains two points of Wisdom Renown, unless the summons is done frivolously.

=Level Three

Descent into the Underworld

W20 Core, pg 213

Description: Most Garou think of the Umbra, the Gaian spirit world, as the only spirit realm that sits close to the physical world. Most Garou are wrong. The Underworld — the Land of the Dead, the Dark Umbra — sits astride the physical realm just as the Umbra does. Within it are trapped the ghosts of countless humans who died unable to let go of their lives and pass on into the cycle of souls, as Gaia intended.

The Underworld is a bleak landscape mirroring all that is decayed or departed in the living world, as the Penumbra is a reflection expressing the world’s spiritual nature. Terrible, unstable portals lead deeper yet into the Underworld, a land of spirit-storms and nightmare mazes where few Garou have ever ventured and from which fewer still have ever returned.

This rite is primarily known and used by the Silent Striders, but a few other tribes and camps make use of it as well (most notably the Black Furies and Uktena).

System: This rite takes five minutes to perform. The ritemaster must sacrifice a living mammal and touch every character to be affected by the rite with at least a fingerprint of its blood. He then draws sigils on the ground nearby with the remaining blood. The player should roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty equals the local Gauntlet). Success on this roll takes the ritemaster to the Underworld; each additional success takes one of the other characters marked (if there aren’t enough successes to go around, those with the highest Gnosis are transported first).

Rite of the Fetish

W20 Core, pg 213

Description: This rite allows a werewolf to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do so, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (sufficiently drinkable flowing tap water counts), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object to constant breezes, or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best.

System: The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10). Each point of permanent Gnosis that the character spends during the rite reduces the difficulty by two. The difficulty can also be lowered by roleplaying, if the ritemaster does a good job persuading the spirit to enter the fetish (by providing chiminage, undergoing a quest to prove her sincerity or worthiness, flattery, etc). If the Garou attempts to force a spirit into the fetish, she must first attack the spirit and reduce it to zero Essence before attempting to bind it into the fetish.

Rite of the Totem

W20 Core, pg 213

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

System: Characters must purchase the Totem Background to benefit from this rite. Otherwise, the rite is simply not performed. The roll is standard.

Additional Information: The Rite of the Totem is particularly calibrated to the sensibilities and capabilities of the Garou — those Fera who cannot innately step sideways would have particular difficulty with it. The equivalent rites used by the other Changing Breeds are similarly specialized.

A rare and particular rite exists, however — the Rite of the Joined Circle — which may be used to attract a spirit to act as a totem for a diverse pack of Fera. Mechanically identical to the Rite of the Totem, it requires the ritemaster to prepare a ritual space decorated with items pleasing to the spirit they hope to attract while singing of Gaia’s need for renewal. Some Mokolé with powerful Mnesis remember this rite from the times before the War of Rage, and a few African packs have recently independently re-discovered or re-created the rite. The Beast Courts of Asia use very a similar rite to form their sentai.

Level Four

Rite of The Guardian Spirit

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 30

Description: This rite binds a spirit to a sept, making it into the sept’s totem. The details of this rite vary depending on the spirit. However, the rite always begins with a lavish sacrifice to attract the spirit’s attention. Then, one or more champions acting on the sept’s behalf proves their worth with a display of strength or skill. A sept hoping to attract the attention of a Totem of War might pit its champion against a captured Bane in ritual combat, while a sept attempting to woo a Totem of Respect might perform a play commemorating an ancient Garou victory. A Totem of Wisdom or Cunning, on the other hand, might be impressed by a ritualized debate on arcane details of the Litany. Finally, if the rite is successful, it ends with a second, even larger thanksgiving sacrifice and a celebration honoring the sept’s new totem.

System: Although the champions and the sacrifice are necessary components, only the ritemaster needs to roll. This ritual must be performed in the presence of an opened caern (see W20 p. 206). A sept can only have one totem at a time; this ritual automatically fails if the caern is already occupied.

[+/-] Punishment Rites

Punishment Rites

Punishment rites levy the sanction of the tribe or sept against a transgressing werewolf. Such rites strengthen the Garou by establishing clear limits of acceptable behavior. By joining in the punishment, each Garou strengthens her commitment to the pack over the individual, and to the Nation over the pack.

System: Punishment rites are performed only for major transgressions or after less structured punishments fail to cause a werewolf to mend her ways. The ritemaster must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 unless otherwise stated). A failed rite is considered a sign from Gaia that the offending werewolf’s crimes aren’t significant to warrant such a punishment. Because these rites are enforced and empowered by the spirit world, truly unjust punishment rites may fail automatically, leading to a sure loss of Honor for the one who ordered them.

Level One

Rite of the Jackdaw

W20 Core, pg 214

Description: The Rite of the Jackdaw is used to punish those Garou who have broken a promise of secrecy. It causes the subject to uncontrollably tell everyone he meets about the most private and trivial matters of his life. This ritual won’t cause the subject to reveal other secrets he’s been sworn to keep — and cannot force him to break the Litany by revealing his nature to humans — but it will almost certainly cause him to reveal personal information that embarrasses only him.

This rite can be rather humiliating, and many Garou who are subject to it find themselves overcome by Rage at their embarrassment. It is considered the height of dishonor to take retribution against a Garou who has used this ritual in a just fashion. Subjects who wish to avoid the rite’s effects simply abandon all contact with others for a few days, which is considered to be an acceptable response.

System: This rite takes ten minutes to perform. The ritemaster symbolically carves a number of open-mouth sigils into bits of wood and distributes them ritualistically around the subject of the rite (who must remain more or less still during the rite, though he doesn’t necessarily have to be willing). The ritemaster rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). For each success, the target suffers from the effects described above for one day. The target can expend Willpower to avoid stating some particularly odious personal secret.

Level Two

Rite of Ostracism

W20 Core, pg 214

Description: This rite is a fairly common punishment for lesser crimes, yet its effects can be devastating during wartime. This rite estranges the punished Garou from her tribe, sept, and sometimes even her pack. The tribe will thereafter treat the individual as a nonentity. She is ignored as much as possible and forced to fend for herself for even basic needs, although no hostile actions are taken against the non-wolf (in theory at least, although some Garou have been known to injure ostracized werewolves “accidentally”). In a life-or-death situation, the tribe (friends and packmates in particular) might aid the offender, but even then only grudgingly. Otherwise, the punished Garou is ignored utterly. Garou present at this rite form a circle around the chastised werewolf (if present), and each participant calls out once to Gaia, then to her brethren the name of the offender, followed by the words: “Of all Gaia’s children, I have no such brother/sister.” The speaker then turns counterclockwise to face away from the circle. Once all present have spoken, they drift away into the night.

System: This punishment normally lasts from one phase of the moon to the next. It can, however, last as long as the sept or tribe leaders desire. For serious crimes, the punishment may even be decreed permanent, essentially exiling the offender from her sept or tribe. The ostracized Garou loses one point of Glory Renown, five points of Honor Renown, and one point of Wisdom Renown.

Stone of Scorn

W20 Core, pg 214

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

System: Standard roll. The punished Garou usually loses eight points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown.

Voice of the Jackal

W20 core, pg 214

Description: When a werewolf’s behavior has shamed not just herself, but her entire sept or tribe, then this rite may be called. When the ritemaster performs this rite, he blows a handful of dust or ashes onto the offender and speaks the following: “Because thy (cowardice/gluttony/ selfishness/etc.) has proved thee to be of jackal blood, let thy voice proclaim thy true breed!” As the dust and words envelop the punished Garou, her voice changes. Thereafter, she will speak in an annoyingly shrill and piercing nasal whine until the ritemaster repeals the punishment.

System: Jackal-hounds, as such punished Garou are known, subtract two dice from all Social rolls. They also lose two points of Glory Renown and five points of Honor Renown. The ritemaster can repeal this punishment at any time, although it may be made permanent for particularly serious crimes (and the Renown loss always remains). Certain jackal-hounds have reclaimed their true voices by completing a quest of great benefit to Gaia.

Level Three

The Hunt

W20 Core, pg 215

Description: The Hunt is called against a werewolf who has committed a capital crime such as unwarranted murder, yet who still retains a vestige of honor. All Garou participating in a Hunt streak their bodies with ancient symbols in paint or clay. These symbols mark the werewolves as part of a Hunting Pack, and all other Garou will make way for Hunters so marked. It is an honor to be chosen for inclusion in a Hunt. The ritemaster, or Master of the Hunt, leads the pack. The Hunt is just that; the criminal is hunted down and killed by the pack. There is no quarter given, although (for what it’s worth) death exculpates the condemned Garou. Many tragic stories tell of a werewolf forced to choose between violating his word and committing a grave crime. Such Garou, so the stories go, chose to honor their word and were Hunted, but displayed such valor during their last stand that they gained much posthumous renown.

System: This rite can be roleplayed using the tracking rules given on W20 Core, pg 284.

Rite of the Omega Wolf

W20 Core, pg 215

Description: Some tribes and septs takes the failure of a pack alpha very seriously indeed. If all the members of a pack agree that their alpha has failed them catastrophically, then they may enact this rite to formally reject his leadership and punish his incompetence. The pack takes their fallen alpha and sits him on a rock. They then crown him with a mock crown and bow down in pretend obeisance to him. They then stand up and commence mocking him one by one, before tearing the crown from his head and casting him to the ground. When each member of the pack has spat or urinated on the fallen alpha, the rite is done.

System: Standard roll. The fallen alpha loses four points of Honor Renown and two points of Wisdom Renown. If he ever becomes a pack alpha again, he suffers a –3 penalty to all Leadership actions until he either relinquishes the position or wins some great victory for his pack through his leadership.

Satire Rite

W20 Core, pg 215

Description: A more serious version of the Stone of Scorn, a Satire Rite is a special song, dance and/ or drama crafted by the Half Moons and Moon Dancers for the sole purpose of ridiculing the offender. This rite is always performed at a moot while the offender sits in full view of the sept. Because the Garou keep careful oral histories, the Satire will be remembered and passed down through the ages. Any werewolf so “honored” loses much renown. Cubs snicker as they sing lewd verses from the rite, and adults will forever use some of the wittier quotes and embarrassing movements from the rite when referring to the offender. While such stories are usually confined to members of the offender’s own sept, Tricksters and Moon Dancers are all too happy to spread the new Satire to any Garou they encounter.

System: The difficulty of this rite is the offender’s current Rank + 4. If successful, the offender loses one permanent Rank level (reduce his Renown to the beginning amounts for the next lowest rank). The Garou can earn new renown and rank normally. If this rite fails, the Garou loses nothing, while a botch causes the ritemaster to lose five points of Wisdom as she becomes the object of the rite.

Level Four

The Rending of the Veil

W20 Core, pg 216

Description: Sometimes known as Actaeon’s Folly, this rite is used to punish a human who offends the Garou greatly. The offense doesn’t have to be against the Garou per se, but it may be any act against Gaia or Her children. This rite drops the Veil, forcing a human to see and remember the Garou for the duration of an all-night hunt. The ritemaster leaves a small bag of burning dung and herbs near the sleeping victim. When the victim awakens, the Veil has been burned away from his mind. The following hunt may or may not end in the human’s death. Those humans left alive are often rendered insane, as their unprepared minds are unable to accept the truth revealed by the rite. Some few, however, overcome their fear and heal. This rite is not considered a breach of the Litany.

System: The ritemaster must place the specially prepared bag of dung and herbs within 10 feet of where the victim sleeps. The bag smolders when the ritemaster performs the rite. The ritemaster doesn’t need to be near the bag to enact the rite. Failure leaves the Veil intact. A botch causes the Garou herself to fall under the Delirium for one night.

Level Five

Gaia's Vengeful Teeth

W20 Core, pg 216

Description: As one of the greatest punishments among the Garou, this rite is reserved for traitors, those who consort with the Wyrm or cowards whose actions (or lack thereof) cause the deaths of many others. At least five werewolves drag the traitor to a spot of hard, cracked earth and stones. The ritemaster then stabs a sharpened twig or stone into her own hand as she recites the traitor’s sins against Gaia. Smearing her blood over the traitor’s eyes, ears and forehead, the ritemaster cries in grief and rage. As the blood and tears drip to the hard ground, the rite takes effect. From that moment on, whatever of Gaia touches the traitor transforms into razor-sharp silver so long as it touches his flesh. Crinos hunters then chase the traitor like a dog. The ground beneath the traitor chews into his feet, and his death becomes an agonizing ordeal. The offender’s name is then stricken from all histories, and it will be spoken only as a curse from that moment forward.

System: As long as the ritemaster’s blood touches the traitor’s body, the traitor cannot step sideways into the Umbra. No one survives being subject to this rite.

[+/-] Renown Rites

Renown Rites

These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual werewolf and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.

System: The ritemaster’s player must make a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 6).

Level One

Rite of Boasting

W20 Core, pg 216

Description: Boasting and bragging have always been a vital aspect of warrior cultures. Boasts serve to work up a fighter’s courage while putting fear into the opponent. But to truly impress, the boaster must back up his claims. This rite is more than formalized bragging, for it forces the Garou to “put up or shut up.” Before a battle or mission, the Garou boasts before all assembled that he will perform a particularly impressive feat (for example, “I will kill three Black Spirals with only my claws,” “I will scale the electrified razorwire of the refinery” or “I will be the first to reach the shield wall, there to wrest the enemy’s standard from his dead hand.”). The boast is performed in a ritual fashion, with a short recitation of lineage and a summary of glorious deeds performed to date. If he makes good on his boast, he magnifies the Glory of the act. If he fails, the resulting derision of his peers costs him Glory; boasting is only respected if you can back it up. This rite is most commonly used among the Fianna, Get of Fenris, and Wendigo, but most tribes have some version of it.

System: Standard roll, though the difficulty may be modified by the difficulty and glory of the proposed feat — modest goals are harder to boast about than impressive lunacy. For every two successes, the boast earns a potential extra temporary Glory, up to the amount of Glory the feat would ordinarily garner. If the boast is carried through, the Garou earns the Glory bonus. If he fails and lives, he loses that amount. If he dies while carrying out his deed, there is neither loss nor gain of extra Renown. A single pack may boast of a deed, but only the pack leader can perform the rite. In this case, the difficulty is increased by one, and the entire pack gains or loses the Glory award.

Rite of Wounding

W20 Core, pg 217

Description: This rite celebrates a Garou’s first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honor this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Fenris always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting. By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures.

System: Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf’s pack and sept are normally present. The wounded character receives two points of Glory if this rite succeeds.

Level Two

Rite of Accomplishment

W20 Core, pg 217

Description: This rite is used to honor a werewolf and recognize the trials he has endured to attain his current standing. An elder will call the honored Garou forward, much as the Garou might be called forward should the elders want to punish or criticize her. As the Garou advances, the elder begins listing all of the things the Garou did to gain the acclaim. The Rite of Accomplishment then takes place, and anyone who wishes to speak on behalf of the Garou being honored may do so. In conclusion, the elder says something along the lines of, “She is made greater in her tribe, her sept and greater among the People everywhere. Let this be known.”

System: This rite is performed when a character has 10 points of temporary Renown in a category and wishes to gain a point of permanent Renown. The difficulty is only 4 unless someone disputes the rite. (In such an instance, the difficulty rises to 6). Only one success is required.

A failure on the roll is considered indicative of a failing in the applicant. The ritemaster often receives a portent from Gaia showing the unworthiness of the applicant. If the roll botches, the applicant must undergo a penance before anyone will again give him the Rite of Accomplishment. Such is the injustice of Garou society.

It is possible, although rare, that someone will dispute the rite. In this case, the disputer stands and heckles the ritemaster as he performs the rite, making bold assertions about the negative qualities of the applicant. The applicant so insulted must make a Rage roll not to frenzy; if he frenzies, the rite is over. If he keeps his cool, and the rite is successful, no one can rightfully question his worthiness for at least three moons (i.e., no one can dispute any Rites of Accomplishment performed on him during the next month and a half), and the heckler may lose a point of Honor or Wisdom Renown.

Rite of Passage

W20 Core, pg 217

Description: After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed. Similarly, a cub is not a member of any tribe until his Rite of Passage. A male cub born to the Black Furies, for example, becomes a member of whatever tribe will offer him a place among them by use of this rite.

During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have the courage, honor, and wisdom befitting a werewolf. However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also coming of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multi-tribal septs usually reach a compromise. A Wendigo rite often takes the form of a vision quest, while the Get of Fenris commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn. Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders.

If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou. These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes.

If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves.

System: Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1.

Rite of Praise

W20 Core, pg 217

Description: This rite honors a werewolf who has given more, risked more, and sacrificed more than necessary for the good of other Garou, Gaia, or anything related. The entire sept is gathered as the ritemaster presents the commendation, often with a token worthy of the honoree, such as a fetish, as a final reward. This rite is not used lightly, or to reward expected behavior — it honors only the greatest.

System: The ritemaster presents to the sept the deeds and actions of the chosen Garou warranting such praise. For each success on a Charisma + Rituals roll (difficulty 6), the praised Garou gains an extra die to use for Social dice pools within the sept over the next three months.

[+/-] Seasonal Rites

Seasonal Rites

Seasonal rites vary from tribe to tribe and sept to sept. Each has its own means of celebrating the turning of the seasons. Some septs celebrate only the major rites of the solstices and equinoxes; others perform a rite at least once per moon. These rites renew the People’s connection to Gaia as the Earth Mother. Some Garou even believe that were such rites to cease entirely, the balance of the world would tumble out into chaos.

System: Seasonal rites must, obviously, occur at the proper time of year, and at least five Garou must attend. The ritemaster’s player must make a Stamina + Rituals roll (difficulty 8). If performed at a caern, the difficulty of the roll is 8 minus the caern’s level.

Level Two

Rite of the Winter Winds

W20 Core, pg 218

Description: On the longest night of the year, Garou enact this rite as a salute to Helios and an encouragement for him to begin lengthening the days again. Some werewolves believe that if this rite is not performed, the nights will continue to lengthen until Gaia has fallen into a terrible twilight state of perpetual pain. Most modern werewolves consider this mere superstition, but even such skeptics participate enthusiastically in the rite.

The Rite of the Winter Winds is rarely the same from sept to sept. European Garou practice a common version that begins with the ritemaster gathering the Garou in a circle around a small bonfire. She then leads the group in an extended howl that begins as a low, rumbling growl and eventually rises to an ululating crescendo. When the ritemaster feels that the tension is at its height, she leaps forward, snatches up a burning branch and runs into the woods. The other Garou follow her, grabbing branches as they go. Running as swiftly as they can, the werewolves make as many frightening and strange noises as possible. This rite is performed both to encourage Gaia’s labor in giving birth to the sun, and to frighten off any minions of the Wyrm that might be lurking about, ready to snatch the newborn sun or harm Gaia as she turns her attention away from the surface world.

The ritemaster finally leads the howling pack back to the bonfire, where they hurl their branches into the conflagration. Once the fire is raging, the Garou celebrate with a revel that lasts until dawn, at which time they greet the newborn sun with one last, triumphant howl.

Rite of Reawakening

W20 Core, pg 218

Description: This rite celebrates the vernal equinox, the time of rebirth. The ritemaster begins the rite at sundown by leading the gathered Garou on a quest into the Umbra. Such a quest is sometimes symbolic, but more and more often as the time of the Apocalypse draws near, the questors seek true danger in the Umbral Realms — or it finds them on its own.

The quest always involves seven trials. These trials represent the seven gates that bar the way to the Underworld. Such trials vary dramatically from tribe to tribe, but there are always a variety of challenges presented to the members. One test might involve facing a Bane in combat, while another challenge might consist of finding a fetish lost within the Deep Umbra. Each test requires the participants to relinquish something of themselves, be it a cherished personal fetish, an old grudge or false pride. If the Garou can win their way past these challenge gates, they can renew the Earth, banishing the winter-spirits and paving the way for the green, growing season.

At the end of the rite, the werewolves return to their bodies. At this time many tribes seek out Garou Kinfolk, or other humans and wolves, and reacquaint themselves with the joys of the flesh, celebrating the incredible beauty of life and the necessity of its continuation in future gen- erations. Not surprisingly, this is the night when a large percentage of metis cubs are conceived. Although such couplings are always taboo, the intense drama of the rite sometimes overrides such concerns.

The Great Hunt

W20 Core, pg 218

Description: This rite falls on the eve of the summer solstice, or Midsummer, when Helios stays longest in the sky and is thus at the zenith of his influence. The short hours of darkness offer the creatures of the Wyrm little place to hide, and the werewolves respond by holding a sacred hunt.

Exactly at midnight, just at Midsummer begins, the ritemaster calls upon Gaia to bring to the attention of the sept a creature or creatures worthy of the Great Hunt. In preparation, the Garou chant, howl, and tell tales of bravery. Also common is a ritual bloodletting, wherein each Garou cuts herself and sheds some of her blood into a large bowl. The mingled blood is then used to paint pictograms on the forehead or breastbone of each of the hunters. At dawn, Gaia sends the waiting sept a sign proclaiming the target of the Great Hunt. This sign may come in any form, from a vision seen by an entranced Wendigo ritemaster to a news story flashing on the screen of an old television in a Bone Gnawer caern. Although the person or creature chosen by Gaia is almost always associated with the Wyrm, Gaia demands on rare occasions that one of her own be sacrificed in the Great Hunt. Only the greatest warriors are ever chosen as the targets of a Great Hunt, and Gaia demands such a sacrifice from her children only in times of great need, for the freed spirit of such a warrior is said to transform immediately into an avenging angel for Gaia.

The Garou have only until midnight to complete the Great Hunt. If successful, the blood of the fallen creature is spilled onto Gaia’s soil (or into the ether if the Great Hunt takes place on the Umbra) as a sacrifice to Gaia. If the hunters fail to slay their quarry, it is considered a terrible omen for the coming year. Some Theurges say that no sept will succeed at the Great Hunt during the year of the Apocalypse. At the least, a failed Great Hunt means poor luck for the sept in the year to come. Anyone participating in a successful Great Hunt gains Glory. The danger of the particular Great Hunt determines the amount of Glory gained.

System: Characters participating in a successful Great Hunt gain — presuming the target is of average threat level — three points of Glory Renown. If the Great Hunt is unsuccessful, each participating character loses two points of Glory Renown. In addition, the difficulty levels of all rites performed by the sept increase by one until the next Midsummer.

Level Three

The Long Vigil

W20 Core, pg 219

Description: This rite marks the autumnal equinox, when the season of long days gives way to the season of long nights. Although summer is the traditional season of war among many human cultures, the Garou know that their shadow war will be all the more difficult during the lengthening hours of darkness. To prepare themselves, they hold the Long Vigil, a rite designed to sharpen their appetite for the battles ahead.

The Long Vigil begins at sundown, around a raging bonfire (some urban caerns make substitutions). The sept spends the day before the Vigil bedecking the caern with trophies of war collected during the previous year. From bent rifles and shredded flak jackets to broken Wyrm-fetishes and strings of teeth, to the skulls of Wyrmish monsters, to smeared blood mixed with the dust of vampires, all manner of mementos adorn the heart of the caern. As the sun slips below the horizon, the ritemaster begins to chant praise to Helios, thanking him for his blessings during the summer, and praying for his safety in the coming winter. The ritemaster then praises Luna and beseeches her aid in the long nights to come.

To aid in the ritemaster’s plea for aid, the Galliards of the sept come forward and begin to recite tales of the most glorious battles of the last year and the deeds done in her name. They point to each trophy in turn to tell the story of how it was won from its owner. Particularly eloquent members of other auspices who distinguished themselves in the previous year are sometimes allowed the honor of being the first to tell their own tales. Once the Galliards have finished, the other members of the sept begin to recount their own versions of the great deeds of the previous year. The tale-telling lasts all night; as dawn approaches, the ritemaster invokes Luna one final time. He dedicates all the deeds of the previous year to Luna, her brother Helios, and her sister Gaia, and he promises that the year to come will be just as glorious with Luna’s blessing. As the rite concludes, the Garou hurl as many trophies as possible into the bonfire, destroying their hard-earned mementos as a sign of faith that they will take many more in the year to come.

[+/-] Minor Rites

Minor Rites

Minor rites are the rituals that the Garou incorporate into daily living. Almost all Garou know and use at least a few such minor rites. Many werewolves develop their own unique minor rites to help them reaffirm their connection to Gaia, or to meet the Final Days with bravery and grace.

System: Minor rites may be learned in half the time it takes to learn other rites, and generally take only a few minutes to enact. They can be purchased for half the normal Background cost of other rites (two for one point).

Bone Rhythms

Description: A werewolf performs this rite to honor her totem spirit. Each spirit has a different rhythm connected to it, and the Garou taps out her spirit’s rhythm with special sticks to honor it. Such “sticks” are traditionally made of bone, but they can be fashioned from any material.

System: Any werewolf who performs this rite three times per day for at least three consecutive days gains an additional die to any one roll while in the Umbra. Once this die is used, the Garou must rebuild the energies for an additional three days before regaining the extra die.

Breath of Gaia

Description: During this rite the werewolf breathes deeply of the Mother’s breath — clean air — 13 times. While so breathing, she clears her mind of all things save her love of Gaia.

System: The character must perform this rite at least once per day for one full cycle of the moon. Doing so enables her to lower the difficulty of any one healing or detection roll by two.

Greet the Moon

Description: This rite is an exuberant paean to Luna. During this rite, the werewolf howls an elaborate greeting at moonrise; the howl varies with the phase of the moon.

System: Performing this rite each night at moonrise for a full phase of the moon enables the character to add one die to all rolls involving social interactions with Garou of that phase’s auspice the next night the moon is in the phase in question.

Greet the Sun

Description: Certain Children of Gaia and a few Uktena and Wendigo practice this rite. It is similar to Greet the Moon, but is performed at sunrise.

System: The werewolf must sing Helios’s praises for nine consecutive sunrises. If the Garou does so, Helios grants his devotee an additional die when attempting to sense Wyrm creatures or Wyrm-taint, provided the werewolf continues to sing his praises daily. If even one sunrise is missed, the rite must be begun anew to restore its benefits.

Hunting Prayer

Description: This common rite takes many form, but always involves pausing before the start of a hunt to praise Gaia and all her creatures. In addition, the Garou selects some item to hold her prayers. The item could be anything from an old belt to a shark-tooth necklace, but the werewolf must have it with her when she hunts. If she loses the item, she must choose a new one and begin her devotions anew.

System: If the Garou performs this rite before every hunt for three lunar months, she receives an additional die to all tracking rolls as long as she continues her pre-hunt prayers. If she neglects the prayer before even one hunt, she must begin the cycle again before she regains the bonus.

Prayer for the Prey

Description: A specific form of the Rite of Contrition, this rite involves the werewolf stepping sideways into the Umbra just after making a kill, in order to thank her prey’s spirit for giving its life that she might survive.

System: The character must perform this rite upon every beast of Gaia (not including Wyrm-spawn) she slays for one full turning of the moon. Should she do so, all of her difficulty numbers drop by one when dealing with nature spirits. This bonus lasts until she kills an animal without taking time to thank the creature’s spirit.

[+/-] Tribal Rites

Tribal Rites

These rites are specific to certain tribes.

Silent Striders

Level Three

The Rite of Luna’s Eye

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 81

Description: The Rite of Luna’s Eye is one of the best weapons of the Garou of the Tullu Demtu Caern. The War of Rage made the Garou many enemies among the Fera that claim most of Africa as territory, and werewolves travel those lands at their own peril. As well, Garou cannot keep vigil over every place on Earth to spot places where the Wyrm will strike. With this rite, however, nothing is beyond the gaze of those Silent Striders standing watch from Tullu Demtu (W20 RAtW, pg 72).

System: The ritemaster’s player must make a successful Perception + Rituals roll against a difficulty based on the distance the Garou wishes to see:

Difficulty Distance
5 Less than 500 Miles
6 500 - 1,000 Miles
7 1,001 - 2,000 Miles
8 2,001 - 3,000 Miles
9 More than 3,000 Miles

The number of successes the ritemaster’s player scores on this roll determines how much the Garou can focus on a particular place:

Successes Effect
1 A view as wide as a satellite image of a single location.
2 A view of an area the size of a small forest, and the ritemaster can view several such areas before the vision passes.
3 A view of an area as small as an acre, and the ritemaster can maintain this watch for as long as she remains.
4 A view as little as a few yards to each side, allowing the Garou to identify individual humans and animals.
5 The Garou can peer through solid objects, such that he can observe the interior of a house or scrutinize a cave deep under the earth.

Buying Gifts

Cost

What gifts cost

Wait Time

How long it takes to learn gifts

Method

Staff preferences on +requests and chiminage

It is possible for Kinfolk to possess and use Garou Gifts, but a number of restrictions apply. Players of Kinfolk characters cannot purchase Gifts during character creation.

In order to learn a Gift, a Kinfolk must be taught by either a spirit or a Garou. Learning from spirits often requires petitioning a Theurge to summon a spirit, as well as to act as translator and intermediary.

In rare instances — perhaps the Kin has performed a task that pleased a spirit or served it in some manner — that spirit may contact Kinfolk without being summoned, and offer to teach her a Gift as a reward. Learning a Gift from a spirit takes Kinfolk several hours.

It is also possible for a Garou to teach a Kin a Gift. This process is much less efficient than learning from spirits, and it often takes Kin months to learn a Gift in this fashion.

A Kinfolk who has earned Renown may have an easier time finding a teacher for Gifts. He may recite his deeds as part of the price for teaching or in making a case to a Theurge. Any negative Renown will certainly be held against a Kin hoping to earn a Gift.

Regardless of Renown, Kinfolk are unlikely to find a teacher for Gifts outside of their breed or tribe. Both spirits and Garou tend to stand firm on this practice.

Most Kinfolk don’t have Gnosis, meaning they can only learn Gifts which do not require spending it. The rare Kin who does possess Gnosis has the potential to learn any Level One Gifts, except for those that require Rage. That said, because Kinfolk may not have rank (regardless of how much Renown they possess), they may not learn any Gift higher than Level One.

After long sessions of bargaining with Garou and spirits, hours or months of practice, and suitable bribes and pleas, if the character still wants to acquire a Gift, she may spend experience points to do so. Learning a Gift costs 15 points if it is a breed or tribe Gift for the Kin, and 20 points if it is not. Additionally, any Gift taught by a Garou rather than a spirit costs an additional 5 experience points when purchased by a Kinfolk (for a total of 20 or 25 points).

General Gifts

[+/-] General Kinfolk Gifts

Having useful and powerful Kinfolk reflects well on a tribe. Many encourage their Kin who are capable of learning Gifts, and even have helped create unique Kinfolk Gifts. These Gifts automatically count as being within any Kinfolk’s breed or tribe for purposes of spending experience. Garou can learn these gifts, as well, but they are generally seen as inferior to typical Garou Gifts.

Eve’s Touch

W20 Core, pg 383

Description: This Gift allows the Kinfolk to soothe the wounds of others through his touch.

System: The Kin must roll Intelligence + Medicine, difficulty 6, and touch the wound with his hands. The wound can’t be from any source that would normally be considered aggravated; the only aggravated wounds it can heal are those that have been converted from an excess of lethal wounds. The target’s injuries heal one Health Level per two successes. The Kinfolk may attempt this healing only once per person per day; the Gift is taught by a Pelican-spirit.

Dona Nobis Pacem

W20 Core, pg 383

Description: The Kinfolk is able to maintain an aura of peace over herself and anyone she touches.

System: The Kinfolk can use this Gift only once per scene, and must expend one Willpower point for the effect to manifest. Humans in her immediate vicinity must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 8, to begin or continue any sort of argument or violence for the remainder of the scene. Garou so touched are at +2 difficulty to frenzy for the remainder of the scene. A unicorn-spirit or dove-spirit teaches this Gift.

Echoes

W20 Core, pg 384

Description: A Kinfolk uses this Gift to hear the “echoes” of earlier conversation in an empty room.

System: At least five minutes must have passed since the end of the conversation before the Kin can invoke the Gift. He rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty 7) to “hear” what words have been spoken. With one success, he can hear conversations that occurred within the past hour; with two successes, he can hear the past day’s chatter. With three or more successes, he can tune in to a conversation up to a week old. Conversations take place in real time, however, so listening to an hour long conversation takes a full hour, and eavesdropping on an afternoon of chatter takes several hours. A dog-spirit or wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

Tribal Gifts

The Gifts presented here are, in most cases, slightly altered versions of the Garou Gifts of the same name. Kinfolk versions may have a shorter duration, require expenditure of either Gnosis or Willpower, or must make an additional effort to make an effect permanent. This list does not include all the possible Gifts, but stands as a sampling of what Gifts are possible. The Storyteller and players may add or subtract to this list or create unique Gifts. Learning Gifts from other tribes is possible, but only under certain circumstances.

[+/-] Black Fury Kinfolk Gifts

Black Furies

Owl’s Speech

W20 Kinfolk, pg 66

Description: Black Furies and their Kinfolk may draw on the connection between Athena and her sacred owls by means of this Gift. This Gift combines the effects of the Galliard Beast’s Speech Gift and the Philodox King of the Beasts Gift, though it only works on owls. The Moon-Daughters often share this Gift with Kinfolk, particularly those with Gnosis.

System: If a Kinfolk possesses Gnosis, this Gift is permanent and may be used at any time. If a Kinfolk does not possess Gnosis, she may learn this Gift, but must spend a point of Willpower to invoke it each time. It lasts for 8 hours.

[+/-] Bone Gnawer Kinfolk Gifts

Bone Gnawers

Chain Talk

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: This Gift enables a human Kinfolk to participate in the Bone Gnawer’s Barking Chain for a brief time. Because they cannot change shape, Kin do not have the ability to shape lupine noises. For the duration of this Gift, the human Kinfolk’s normal voice can mimic to that of a wolf’s. The human speaks normally, but the sounds that he produces mimic the language of the Barking Chain.

System: The Kinfolk spends either a point of Gnosis or Willpower to evoke this Gift. With Willpower, the Gift lasts for the length of one series of conversations (usually one scene). A Kinfolk who possesses the Gnosis Merit may use Gnosis instead of Willpower to extend the duration to 24 hours. A wolf- or dog-spirit teaches this gift.

Trash Hound

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: This Gift resembles the Bone Gnawer Level One Cooking Gift except that Kinfolk without Gnosis can learn it. A Kinfolk uses a special cooking pot, such as a cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or other all-purpose vessel and fills it with some sort of liquid and any food or food-related items that happen to be nearby. The food need not be still edible. Items can include wrappers from fast food to gourmet deli-paper, cereal box-tops, coffee filters, and similar goodies. The result is a meaty stew, a hearty casserole, mac and cheese, or spaghetti and meatballs — enough to feed a family for a main meal.

System: The Kinfolk combines the ingredients while concentrating on the desired meal, spends a point of Willpower, and waits 15 minutes. At the end of this time period, the food is piping hot and ready to eat. The meal must be consumed before the next morning or it will disappear. If a Kinfolk possesses Gnosis, spending one point of Gnosis instead of Willpower also erases tiredness and ensures a good night’s sleep for all partakers. This Gift is taught by a fire-spirit.

[+/-] Child of Gaia Kinfolk Gifts

Children of Gaia

Water-Conning

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: A Child of Gaia Kinfolk can evoke this Gift to purify any but the most tainted water by putting her hand into the water or touching her forehead to the surface. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift after the Kinfolk performs an appropriate service for Unicorn.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis (or Willpower) and rolls Perception + Intuition. Water polluted by feces or parasites has a 6 difficulty. Water fouled by chemical wastes or other man-made toxins has an 8 difficulty. Wyrm-taint may be cleansed only by a Garou possessing this Gift. Each success purifies enough water for one person for one day.

[+/-] Get of Fenris Kinfolk Gifts

Get of Fenris

Safe Haven

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: This Gift allows a Fenrir Kinfolk to put a supernatural watch on her house or territory so that she instantly knows when anyone tainted by the Wyrm trespasses. Kinfolk who live within the bawn of a sept find this a useful Gift to know. An Owl-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower) to activate this Gift. Afterward, one point of Willpower (or Gnosis) per day maintains it. When anyone possessing Wyrm taint enters the designated area, the player may roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 7) to detect the intrusion. More successes enable the character to pin down the type and strength of the intruder. Kinfolk may only protect an area they can lay claim to, whether within the bawn (excluding the actual caern) or in the outside world.

[+/-] Glass Walker Kinfolk Gifts

Glass Walkers

Control Simple Machine

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: Similar to the Glass Walker Garou Gift, this Gift allows Kinfolk to command the spirits of simple machines, cause switches to flip, operate levers, push buttons, etc. A technological spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one scene.

Diagnostics

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: As with the Glass Walker Garou Gift, this Gift enables a Kinfolk to tell just by looking what is wrong with a machine. She may then enlist the machine’s spirit to aid in repair. Any technological spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player must spend a point of Willpower to enable the Kinfolk character to correctly diagnose the problem. By spending a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower), the Kinfolk may convince the spirit to aid in the repair process. The player rolls Dexterity + Repair (difficulty 6). The repair time is halved as well as the number of successes needed for a successful repair.

Well-Oiled Running

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: This Gift enables Kinfolk to keep their fighting equipment in the best possible condition, free from dust, damp, or other environmental factors. It is taught by a dust, war, or water spirit.

System: The player spends one point of Willpower and rolls Stamina + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success allows the Kinfolk to protect one piece of machinery from environmental damage for one day. Direct hits or physical attacks still affect it.

[+/-] Red Talon Kinfolk Gifts

Red Talons

Howl to the Pack

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: This Gift enables the wolf Kinfolk to raise her voice in a howl that any pack member of hers can hear, regardless of distance. Garou associated with her pack can also hear this howl and may respond to it. This Gift is instilled by a wolf-spirit.

System: The player spends one point of Willpower to activate this Gift along with a howl.

Purify Meat

W20 Kinfolk, pg 67

Description: This Gift allows a wolf Kinfolk to cleanse tainted meat of poison, chemicals and other toxic substances not produced naturally. Foods that are toxic to wolves and other animals are not affected. The wolf must sense (usually by smell, touch, or taste) that the meat is corrupted. This Gift can cleanse 50 pounds of tainted meat. A wolf-Kin must possess at least one point of Gnosis to learn this Gift, which is taught by a water-spirit.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. The character must touch the meat to activate the Gift.

[+/-] Shadow Lord Kinfolk Gifts

Shadow Lords

Aura of Confidence

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: This Gift enables the individual Kinfolk to project an aura of superiority toward other humans, preventing anyone from detecting his flaws or read his aura. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Kinfolk must spend a point of Willpower to enact the Gift, which has a duration of one week.

Whisper Catching

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: This Gift allows a Kinfolk to supernaturally overhear conversations, giving her a chance to get a heads up on any potential plots against the Garou or their Kin. A crow-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and can hear whispered conversations within earshot as if the speakers were next to her. If obstacles or distance could impede ordinary conversations, the player may need to make a Perception roll to succeed.

[+/-] Silent Strider Kinfolk Gifts

Silent Striders

Heaven’s Guidance

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: A Kinfolk with this Gift can always find her way when there are stars visible in the sky. This Gift is taught by a spirit servant of the North Star.

System: The Kinfolk must spend a point of Gnosis to learn the Gift, but after that, it always operates from twilight to dawn. The user of the Gift is never lost so long as she can see a single star; she always knows where north is and the path she took to get to her present location.

Silence

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: The Kinfolk can muffle any sound he makes. This Gift enables Kinfolk to assist his Strider Kin when necessary. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower and gains +2 dice to all Dexterity + Stealth rolls. This Gift lasts for one scene.

[+/-] Silver Fang Kinfolk Gifts

Silver Fangs

Osprey’s Eye

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: This Gift enables a Kinfolk to spot objects or people through water, ignoring any distortion or discoloring of the water that might otherwise impede sight. It enables the user of the Gift to see someone who is underwater as clearly as if they were on dry land. An osprey- or salmon-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower). The Gift lasts for one scene and cannot be used again for 12 hours. When the user is underwater, the difficulty of Perception rolls is at a -2 difficulty for seeing objects or people.

[+/-] Stargazer Kinfolk Gifts

Stargazers

Balance

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: The Kinfolk achieves near perfect balance and can walk across ledges, ropes, or other narrow objects regardless of how slippery or mobile the surface is. A wind-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis or two points of Willpower and centers himself upon the task. Climbing difficulties decrease by 3, and maintaining balance is automatic. While this Gift is permanent for Garou once enacted, a Kinfolk must enact this Gift once each day or when necessary.

Iron Resolve

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: The Kinfolk uses her resolve to execute great feats •through Willpower alone. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Kinfolk spends a Willpower point to gain 2 automatic successes instead of one. This ability may be enacted no more than three times per day for Kinfolk.

[+/-] Uktena Kinfolk Gifts

Uktena

Sense Magic

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: The Kinfolk can detect the pulses of magic and mystical energies, whether the spiritual Gifts of the Garou or the blatant power of wizards or the more harmonious magics of healers, shamans, and other tribal practitioners. They can also sense the darker energies that emanate from vampires or those who practice infernal magic. A spirit-servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas, with a difficulty that varies according to the nature and strength of the magic being sensed. One or two successes merely suggests that some spiritual energy is present. Three or more successes provide additional information. For example, the user can tell if the magic relates to dreamcraft, herbal magic, blood magic, or demoncraft. The radius is 20 feet per success.

[+/-] Wendigo Kinfolk Gifts

Wendigo

Call the Breeze

W20 Kinfolk, pg 68

Description: The Kinfolk can conjure up a strong, cold wind (20 mph) that chills anyone not prepared for it. The wind can redirect or disperse clouds of vapor or airborne toxins such as tear gas. It can also deflect swarms of insects. An air elemental teaches this gift.

System: The Kinfolk spends a point of Gnosis (or two points of Willpower) and whistles or hums to summon the wind. She can direct it by thought. Anyone caught in it loses one die from Perception rolls for the duration of the wind and, unless dressed appropriately for such a wind, suffers a -1 penalty to all actions after one minute of exposure.

Kinfolk Rites

Many Garou tribes include Kinfolk in a number of their rites. These rites usually honor Gaia, mark seasonal changes, or address milestones in the life of an individual or family. Some rites, of course, are for Garou only. In the same fashion, Kinfolk have devised their own rites intended to bring them closer to each other as Kinfolk or to mark gatherings of Kinfolk from a number of different tribes. While most of these rites do not require Gnosis and do not involve mystic powers, they do serve to renew Kinfolk’s connections to their tribes, to Gaia, and to one another.

Usually, a Kinfolk elder acts as ritemaster to enact the rite. If a Garou is present, she is often asked to lead the rite or participate in it as a matter of courtesy or respect. Garou are free to refuse to lead the rite with no negative implications, since these rites are properly led by Kinfolk. For a Garou to refuse participation in a rite when asked might imply some sort of criticism. Therefore, such requests never happen lightly.

Many of these rites are versions of Garou rites of the same name, but a few are unique to Kinfolk, or to Kin of certain tribes. Kinfolk group their unique rites under the same categories as the Garou use, for convenience. The following list of Kinfolk rites present a sampling of ceremonies and does not purport to be exhaustive. Players and Storytellers should feel free to create their own rites for Kinfolk chronicles.

One rite common to many kenning Kinfolk is the Baptism of Fire (W20 Core, pg 210), whereby a Kin family can assign a Kin Fetch spirit to one of their offspring. Although the Kin ritemaster cannot summon the spirit, a Kin Fetch that is already present to the family can be used. Such a spirit can make itself known and visible to the ritemaster. For more on Kin Fetches, see W20 Kinfolk, pg 99-104.

Type Roll Difficulty
Accord Cha + Rituals 7
Homestead Varies 7
Milestones Cha + Rituals 7
Punishment Cha + Rituals 7
Renown Cha + Rituals 6
Seasonal (Changing Year) Sta + Rituals Varies
Minor None None

Where Gnosis is necessary, its use and related difficulty is indicated in the rite description.

[+/-] Accord Rites

Rites of Accord

Rites of Accord for Kinfolk seek to restore or create harmony within a Kinfolk family or group. An element of symbolic rebirth or new beginning is usually present in these rites. They have no supernatural power attached unless the Kin acting as ritemaster possesses Gnosis and chooses to spend it to add to the rite. They are usually quite psychologically and spiritually effective for Kin who practice them.

Level One

Rite of Apology

W20 Kinfolk, pg 69

Description: When members of a Kinfolk family have a serious disagreement and wish to make amends and permanently put animosity behind them, they may enact the Rite of Apology. The concerned individuals stand facing one another and forswear any feelings of anger or blame, declaring that no disagreement, whoever is at fault, is worth enmity between Kin. Each person focuses on transferring her anger or blame or negative feeling onto a single sheet of good writing paper. Once this is done, each person enacting the rite exchanges papers so that each person touches each piece of paper. The papers are put together and each person takes a turn at ripping the paper in half. With each tear, the anger dissipates. The torn paper is burned and discarded, along with the ill feeling.

System: Nothing needs to be written on the paper, but the Kinfolk must spend a point of Willpower to transfer her feeling onto it. No roll needs to be made, but the Willpower point cannot be regained for 24 hours. The effect is permanent for that quarrel.

Level Two

Rite of Unity of Purpose

W20 Kinfolk, pg 69

Description: This rite is enacted on one of two occasions. Either some major issue has divided a Kinfolk family and needs to be reconciled, or the family is about to undertake some major project as a group.

System: This can involve moving from one location to another, or going into combat as a family unit.

Sway the Hand of Anger

W20 Kinfolk, pg 69

Description: This Garou rite protects a related Kinfolk from a Garou’s frenzy. The ritemaster convinces a protective trickster-spirit to bond to the Kin. If the designated Garou (who must be related to the Kin by blood or tribe) loses control and attempts to attack or threatens the Kin (or if the Kinfolk feels threatened), the spirit awakens and redirects the Garou to attack other targets. Once this has happened, the spirit is freed. The rite must be repeated each time to continue to provide the Kinfolk with protection.

System: The ritemaster locates a household or trickster-spirit (usually with help from a Garou, a fetish, or through personal encounter) and, through gifts or persuasion, convinces it to latch onto the Kinfolk who is the subject of the rite. The ritemaster spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the spirit’s Willpower).

[+/-] Milestone Rites

Rites of the Milestones

These rites do not use any mystic power nor do they require the expenditure of Gnosis. Willpower helps strengthen the impression the rite leaves on its participants but is not absolutely necessary. Kinfolk use these rites to mark various stages in their lives, to acknowledge and reaffirm their identities as Kinfolk and as individuals. Tribal variations may distinguish the rites from those of other Garou tribes, but the enactment of each rite differs from household to household. Some Kinfolk do not see the necessity of these rites, while others hold them very near and dear to their hearts.

Level One

Rite of Welcoming (Birth)

W20 Kinfolk, pg 70

Description: The birth of a new Kinfolk is a cause for rejoicing. This rite takes place as soon as mother and child return home from the hospital (if the child is born there) or, if the child is born at home, as soon as mother and child are rested and aware. The family gathers in one room of the house. One of the Kinfolk elders, usually the father, but sometimes a grandparent, aunt, or uncle, takes the infant from the mother and holds him up for everyone to see. The ritemaster introduces the child by his name, first to Gaia, then to the tribe totem, and, finally, to the other family members, by name and relationship. If non-family members are present by invitation and expect to stand in relationship to the child as god-parent, protector, etc., that individual is also introduced to the child by name and relationship.

The child is returned to the mother’s arms after that, and, unless any tribe-specific events occur, the rite concludes, usually with a ceremonial meal or a toast. Fianna Kinfolk generally throw a party, while Silver Fangs usually spend time discussing the child’s lineage or drawing up an individual family tree. One Silver Fang family adds a stylized leaf-painting with the child’s name and birth date to a mural of the family tree. Bone Gnawers sometimes give the child some sort of trinket so that she will not be entirely without resources, while Silent Strider Kinfolk take the child for his first official “outing,” even if it is just around the yard.

(This rite is entirely separate from the Garou rite that attaches a Fetch to the child.)

System: The ritemaster conducts the rite using whatever steps and formulae customary to the family or the tribe. A point of Willpower may be used to reinforce the ceremony on the memories of the participants, including that of the infant.

Vow of Partnership (Mating)

W20 Kinfolk, pg 70

Description: While many Kinfolk undergo standard marriage rites, depending on their religious beliefs, as well as the requisite civil ceremony, some also want to solemnify their union under the eyes of Gaia. The Vow of Partnership establishes the nature and duration of the relationship between two Kinfolk or between a Kinfolk and a Garou.

The ceremony usually takes place in the home or on the ground of one of the Kinfolk. Sometimes a location outside the home is used, such as a national or state park, a community center or arboretum. Occasionally, a wilderness site serves as the venue for this rite. If the site is anywhere other than the home of a Kinfolk or on territory claimed by Garou (i.e., the caern or its bawn), someone who can perform the Rite of Cleansing should do so to ensure the place is free of Wyrm-taint.

Once the site is ready, the family and friends gather around the couple to witness their vows to one another. The commitment may be a life-bond, or may have some specific time or condition, such as “until we have a child,” or “for a year and a day.” After the recitation of the vows, the ritemaster pronounces the couple bound to one another in the eyes of Gaia, the Garou, and Kinfolk. Again, each tribe may have a variant to add to the ceremony. The rite ends when the ritemaster introduces the couple to the attendees.

System: No rolls are necessary. The couple may spend a point of Willpower each to seal their vow.

Wake for the Departed (Death)

W20 Kinfolk, pg 70

Description: This rite honoring a Kinfolk or Garou who has recently died takes place after any official services, such as a funeral or graveside ceremony. The form this rite takes varies from tribe to tribe, and from family to family. Fianna Kinfolk usually hold a wake that might last for days, with music, dancing, stories, songs, and lots of alcohol. Silent Striders may make a pilgrimage, visiting the deceased’s favorite or most meaningful places. Silver Fangs hold a more somber version of a wake with the deceased’s genealogy recited and discussed ad infinitum. Likewise, the Get of Fenris hold a supper honoring the deceased with much touting of the honoree’s most memorable actions, testimonials, and solemn drinking. Glass Walkers celebrate their dead Kin through online meetings. Wendigo usually hold a potlatch in honor of the departed during which the family gives many of their relative’s possessions to those who knew and honored him. Children of Gaia Kinfolk might establish a scholarship fund or make a donation to a charity or cause dear to the heart of the departed, while individuals might pledge volunteer hours in the deceased’s name.

System: No rolls are necessary.

[+/-] Homestead Rites

Rites of the Homestead

These rites revolve around the places where Kinfolk reside and serve to dedicate their living places to Gaia, to declare themselves as a household of Kinfolk, and to ask for protection from the spirits. Whenever possible, a ritemaster who possesses Gnosis should perform these rites; otherwise Willpower in sufficient amounts can substitute.

Level One

Rite of the Hearthfire

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 120

Description: The Nanets people have few Garou amongst their population. But those few Garou have taught this important rite to any gifted Kinfolk. The group make a fire and with a few quiet, contemplative blessings, the fire becomes the center of a small sanctuary — a warm field that remains protected from the elements. While the area within isn’t luxurious, it becomes comfortable enough for safe, secure sleeping.

System: Once the fire is built, roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). If successful, the fire creates a safe zone, a bubble big enough for three people plus one per success. It lasts a full night. During this time, snow, wind, rain, and other environmental phenomena remain outside the bubble. Inside the bubble, people remain warm and the ground is comfortable for sleeping. A level three version of this rite exists. This version affects a large area — equivalent to the bawn of a caern — and lasts one day per success.

Level Two

Rite of Homestead Dedication

W20 Kinfolk, pg 71

Description: Whenever a Kinfolk builds, buys, or otherwise acquires a new residence, this rite dedicates the structure and surrounding area to the service of Gaia, much as the Garou Rite of Caern Building, though less powerful. This rite may be performed several times, as appropriate: when a site is purchased or acquired, when building starts, when a manufactured home is put in place, when the structure is complete before the family moves in, and on the first evening in the new home.

The details may vary according to the building stage, but the rite usually involves making a circle around the perimeter of the land as well as around the house itself, while calling upon Gaia and the tribe’s totem spirit (and any other spirit that might have attached themselves to the Kin family) to recognize the house in the Umbra and look upon it with favor.

A talisman representing all the family members along with either some building material from the house or yard is buried near the door of the house. At the end of the final ceremony, the family enters the house and offers thanks to Gaia for their home.

System: A point of Gnosis must be spent (or two points of Willpower). The player rolls Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7. One success is needed.

Rite of Protection

W20 Kinfolk, pg 71

Description: When the home or family of a Kinfolk comes under threat, whether from human agents or from the supernatural community, this rite can give the house and property of a Kinfolk family some temporary protection until their Garou kin can set some better protections or until the family can get to a safe place. When there is time to prepare, the ritemaster takes a talisman or pouch containing symbols of every person to be protected as well as something of the household (pets, too!) and asks the tribe’s totem spirit or a spirit of protection to prevent anyone who intends harm to the family from entering the house or its grounds. The rite master makes a paste from his own blood and the “blood” of the land around the house (i.e., blood and dirt) and daubs the talisman with the paste while asking the spirit’s help. If the rite succeeds, the talisman disappears, taken into the Umbra by the spirit.

System: The ritemaster must possess Gnosis or an item that allows her to use Gnosis. She must speak a chant composed when she learned the rite while making the paste, another chant while applying the paste to the talisman, and a third chant while she spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (Difficulty 7). Only one success is necessary, but more successes provide stronger protections.

The effects are largely up to the Storyteller, but usually involve making the rolls of any who intend harm to suffer higher difficulties. Attempts to set fire to a protected home might find matches won’t light or the wind snuffs out flame. Those sneaking into a protected home might slip on the steps or accidentally break a window, alerting those inside.

The rite lasts for 24 hours per success, and may be repeated as necessary until no more Gnosis exists. Since the enactment of the rite also notifies the nearest Garou kin of the danger to his Kinfolk, the rite generally does not need to be performed more than once or twice.

Rite of True Seeing

W20 Kinfolk, pg 71

Description: This rite needs to be performed by a Garou for the appropriate individual. It allows a non-Kinfolk who has married or partnered into a Kinfolk or Garou family to gain temporary immunity to the Delirium. To enact the rite, the Garou must work with the subject of the rite to create a talisman from some strands of that individual’s hair and a few strands of the Garou’s hair from his Crinos form. The ritemaster explains to the subject that she must burn the talisman while the ritemaster imbues the burning talisman with power. The result grants the individual immunity to the Delirium for seven days, after which the rite must either be repeated or a more permanent solution found.

System: After making the talisman, the ritemaster spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). Only one success is necessary.

[+/-] Punishment Rites

Rites of Punishment

As with most families, punishment is usually handled within the family as the offense occurs, and usually involves only misbehavior and minor wrongdoings by the children. Depending on the nature of the parents and their philosophy of child-rearing, the external mores exerted by schools and society, and the general tendencies of the tribe, the types of punishment meted out to children vary from extensive lectures (with or without a hefty dose of guilt tripping — Children of Gaia, Bone Gnawers, Stargazers, Uktena), revocation of privileges or allowance (Silver Fangs, Shadow Lords, Glass Walkers), to more corporal methods of punishment (Get of Fenris, Fianna, Wendigo). Kinfolk children already grow up with the weight of Kin responsibilities to some extent, so punishment is just another normal occurrence in a life that most parents want to seem as normal as possible.

When an adult or older teen Kinfolk commits serious or chronic behaviors that threaten the family’s ability to function as Kinfolk, of these rites might be used to impress upon the errant Kin his need to change his ways. Again, these rites are not enacted at the drop of a hat. Most family problems are just that — family problems.

Level One

Rite of Intervention

W20 Kinfolk, pg 73

Description: A Kinfolk family may enact this rite when one of their family needs to face some truth about herself or take a course of action that she would otherwise refuse to take. Not unlike interventions in the outside world, this rite differs in that it has the force of Gnosis behind it.

Situations that might warrant a rite of intervention might include convincing a family member to take charge of a chronic disease or affliction and seek help to manage it, to advise a family member to seek counseling for depression or some other mental or emotional disorder, to bring chronically quarrelling family members (siblings, or husband and wife, etc.) together to work out their differences, and other repairable situations.

System: The family arranges for the subject or subjects to be present and confronts them. The ritemaster announces she is beginning the Rite of Intervention. Each family member is expected to contribute to the discussion as well as to express their caring for the rite’s subject. The ritemaste spends a point of Gnosis or two points of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Rituals. The more successes, the more persuasive the intervention, though one success is enough to complete the rite.

Level Three

Rite of Exile

W20 Kinfolk, pg 72

Description: When a member of a Kinfolk family has proven so disruptive as to destroy the family’s unity and interfere with its duty to tribe and to Gaia, the head of the family may choose to enact this rite to send the offending member away, usually for a fixed period of time. In order for this to happen, every member of the Kinfolk’s household who is at least 12 years old (or two years old, if a lupus Garou ispart of the household) must agree that nothing further can be done to change the Kinfolk’s bad behavior.

Once a household has made this decision, the ritemaster calls the offending Kinfolk before her for one last chance at change. She reads or lists the bad behavior, usually such things as serious drug or alcohol usage with no intention of reforming, physical abuse of family members, inexcusable criminal behavior, consorting with infernal beings or Wyrmspawn, and the like. The subject of the rite then has a chance to speak for himself, either explaining his behavior or promising under oath to change his actions. During the rite, the subject’s words either have the ring of truth or they sound flat and tinny, indicating lies or insincerity.

If the Kinfolk can successfully explain why he offended the family (“I was enthralled by a vampire,” or “if I didn’t do what they wanted, they were going to hurt you,” or even “I really screwed up because I didn’t think anyone cared about me, and I promise it won’t happen again,” the ritemaster declares the rite over without completion and works with the rest of the family to help the Kinfolk.

If, on the other hand, the Kinfolk shows no remorse, the ritemaster continues with the rite and declares the subject of the rite exiled from the family for a certain period of time — usually at least a year and a day, and sometimes as long as five years or more. The conditions for reinstatement into the family are stated at that time. “You must prove that you are no longer subject to chronic drunkenness,” for example. The rite ends with the subject physically leaving the home. Usually, the family will allow the exiled individual to return to the house long enough to pack a couple of bags and a bedroll. Sometimes these things are prepared before the rite, so that once the subject leaves the house he cannot return until the time of exile is over. If he attempts to do so, he suffers bouts of sickness, crippling anxiety, and general bad luck until he is swayed from his course.

System: This rite takes some preparation. The ritemaster prepares a candle to symbolize the person to be exiled. He inscribes the name of the Kinfolk on the candle and places it in a holder in the room where he will hold the rite. When the rite begins, the ritemaster spends a point of Gnosis and lights the candle, which burns throughout the ceremony. The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Rituals (Difficulty 7). Success enables the candle to continue burning as long as it needs to and creates the aura of truthfulness within which the words of condemnation and defense are spoken. If the rite is ended without completion, the ritemaster carefully releases the candle to burn out naturally. If the ritemaster completes the rite, he blows out the candle forcefully and snaps it in half. The gesture physically compels the Kinfolk toward the door and, with the exception of a grace period to gather his things, acts as a barrier to prevent the exile from returning within one mile of the household until the time of exile is ended.

[+/-] Renown Rites

Rites of Renown

These rites mark acts of heroism or brave deeds in defense of the family or the tribe or any other of Gaia’s children. While they do not confer Renown among Garou, unless the Garou agree to award temporary Renown, these rites have meaning among other Kinfolk.

Level One

Rite of Challenge

W20 Kinfolk, pg 73

Description: During a family gathering or a Kinfolk gathering, one Kinfolk may issue a Rite of Challenge to another Kinfolk. The challenge can be a simple one: I challenge you to a race to see which of us is faster, or complex: I challenge you to go to the cave at the foot of Slickback Mountain and stay the night, and bring me proof you’ve been inside the cave.

If the challenged one accepts the challenge, the challenger and challenged work out the details of the challenge, who is to judge it, and how to determine success or failure. Both Kinfolk spend a Willpower point to seal the challenge.

When the action is completed, the second half of the rite takes place. In the presence of the same Kinfolk who witnessed the challenge, the challenged individual makes his claim of success or admits failure. If he succeeds, he gets back the point of Willpower he spent. If he fails, his challenger gets back the point she spent.

System: Willpower is expended in both parts of this rite. No rolls are necessary.

[+/-] Seasonal Rites

Seasonal Rites

The Garou honor the passing of the year at the solstices and the equinoxes. In most cases, Kinfolk can participate in all or part of these season celebrating rites. See the W20 Core, pg 218-220 for descriptions of these rites.

[+/-] Minor Rites

Minor Rites (Individual Rites)

Minor rites take place throughout the day in the life of a Kinfolk who wishes to reinforce his dedication to Gaia, tribe and family. These rites take half the time to learn and cost half as much. They usually require no expenditures of Gnosis or Willpower and do not have to take place in secret.

Rite of the Morning Song

W20 Kinfolk, pg 73

Description: The Kinfolk rises before dawn and prepares to greet the first rays of morning fire. Starting with the first true sun rays (not just the lightening of the sky), the Kinfolk offers praise to Helios. She may sing (words are optional), read or speak a poem, intone and chant syllables, or otherwise vocalize her greeting. If she does this for nine straight sunrises, like the Garou Rite Greet the Sun, the Kinfolk gains the ability to Sense Wyrm for the next nine days as if she possessed the Garou Gift. If she misses even one morning, she must begin again for the effect to take place.

Rite of Evening Chant

W20 Kinfolk, pg 74

Description: This rite requires the Kinfolk to sing Luna’s praises through one entire phase of the moon. Songs, poetry, stories, and other verbalizations must be made for at least 15 minutes. After the Kinfolk has completed the requirement, he receives an additional die on all Social interactions with Garou of the same auspice as the moon was when the rite was performed. This rite is sometimes performed with other Kinfolk, but the results are separate for each Kinfolk. This effect lasts until that moon phase comes around again (either waxing or waning).

Gifts

Ajaba begin play with one breed Gift, one aspect Gift, and one Level One general Ajaba Gift from the list below. Breed Gifts are functionally identical to those of the corresponding Garou breeds, with hyaenid using lupus Gifts. Ajaba share a great number of Garou Gifts, though they often learn them from very different spirits.

General Ajaba Gifts

[+/-] General Ajaba Gifts

Level One

Eye of the Hunter

W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: Just as wolves may assess a herd of prey animals, this Gift enables the Garou to correctly determine the weakest and strongest member of any group she can see. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, then the Garou learns which members of a chosen group within sight are the strongest or weakest and which is the leader. If the Garou attacks the group after employing this Gift, she gains one extra attack die against only the weakest individual for the rest of the scene.

Feral Grin

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: With a snarl or glare, the Ajaba forces her opponent to back down, unnerved. A hyena-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Ajaba adds two dice to all attempts to intimidate others of equal or higher Willpower. When attempting to intimidate lower-Willpower individuals, the Ajaba adds the two dice or her Primal-Urge rating, whichever is higher. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Gift of Terror - As the Red Talon Gift: Wolves at the Door, however when used to target a group, the Ajaba chuckles rather than howls

W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the wilderness, and it makes any human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must make eye contact with the target, but can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest, tundra, swamp, or other untamed wilderness area without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave his home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses three dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. Alternately, this Gift can affect a number of humans equal to his Rage at once (difficulty equals the highest Willpower in that group). In this case, rather than making eye contact, the humans must hear the werewolf howl in lupus form. This Gift can be used on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two.

Infectious Laughter

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: Laughter is the tool with which Gaia’s tricksters promote enlightenment and the knife that slashes through the veil of Rage. When the Ragabash laughs, those around her are compelled to follow along, forgetting their grievances. A coyote or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Ragabash must make some comment mocking the present situation in which she finds herself, then laugh at it. The player then rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the highest Rage rating of anyone listening). Success causes those who hear the Ragabash's comment and laughter to lose hold of their ire, and forget what it was that had them upset in the first place - although their temper will return if they are reminded of what the New Moon has made them forget.

Primal Anger

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.

System: The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).

Sense Prey

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.

Level Two

Crushing Jaws

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: Only death can loose the Ajaba’s jaws. By using this Gift together as a group, several Ajaba can pull apart even the mightiest opponent. A hyena-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point after executing a successful bite attack to lock her jaws. Each turn thereafter, the Ajaba automatically inflicts one health level of unsoakable aggravated damage as her jaws crush bone and rend flesh. She may take no other action, save to voluntarily let go of her prey. While she is locked in, all close-range attacks against her are made at –2 difficulty due to her relative immobility. Only death can pry her loose against her will.

Curse of Hatred

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.

Gender Shift

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: Distasteful though it may be, the Black Furies sometimes find it necessary to pass unnoticed through the world of men. This Gift allows a Fury to effectively change gender in the eyes of onlookers. Her features and build become decidedly more masculine, and her garb seems of a masculine cut. Her hair, eye and skin color remain the same; the result is a man who shows a slight family resemblance to the Fury. Despite this Gift's name, it works equally well when male metis Furies employ it to disguise themselves as women. This Gift is taught by an ancestor spirit or a seahorse spirit.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The illusion lasts for one scene per success, or until the Fury shifts form. The disguise withstands casual tactile contact, although heavy or violent contact will reveal the truth.

Odious Aroma

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Level Three

Clenched Jaw

W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).

Gift of the Skunk

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 51

Description: With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.

System: The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.

Laugh of the Hyena

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Hyena follows no one; instead, she laughs at those who would name themselves kings. The Bone Gnawer wields the power of this mocking laughter, allowing her to resist any attempt to command, cajole, force, or demand to do anything she doesn't wish to. Such refusals are never subtle; the werewolf cackles like a hyena when calling upon this Gift. A hyena spirit teaches it.

System: All attempts to mentally compel the werewolf suffer a +2 difficulty penalty, so long as she laughs out loud at them.

Laughter of the Soul

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Ajaba’s barking chuckle worms into enemies’ minds, becoming a harbinger of terror and madness. Fear-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The Ajaba laughs, and the player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). One success makes the target uneasy, three induces shivering paranoia and anxiety attacks, and five send him fleeing into the night screaming. Rolling three or more successes drives creatures capable of fear frenzy into that state, unless they spend two Willpower to resist for the rest of the scene. Even then, they remain unnerved and jumpy.

Level Four

Culling the Weak

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Ajaba use the strength Gaia granted them to mark the weak — and then allow their enemies’ very weakness to prepare them for the slaughter. This Gift is taught by a vulture-spirit.

System: Whenever an opponent who has not yet managed to injure the Ajaba during the scene attempts to attack the werehyena, but fails to inflict any health levels of damage with that attack, they automatically lose one point of Willpower and one point of Rage (if applicable).

Gnaw

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.

Gorge

W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Wolves will eat as much as possible when food is available, to carry them through the lean times ahead. Who knows when their next meal will arrive? With this Gift, a Red Talon can similarly gorge on Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Upon learning this Gift, the player chooses which trait (Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower) the character can store. Thereafter, the character can hold three more points in the appropriate Trait than her permanent rating. These extra points must be regained as normal, and they don't add extra dice to rolls involving the Trait in question. To amplify more than one Trait, the character must learn the Gift (i.e., pay the experience cost) again.

Level Five

Strength of Kilimanjaro

W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Fenrir's body is suffused with hardiness beyond that of lesser beings. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If successful, the Garou's Stamina rating is doubled for the duration of the scene.

Survivor

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Ananasi becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need for food, water, or sleep. She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons. Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her. A tortoise spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival. The effects last for one day per success. By spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later. The Ananasi must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.

Withering Stare

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: This Gift lets a werecat kill with a glance, causing victims to die in agonized convulsions.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. The difficulty is the victim’s Willpower, and each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage.

Aspect Gifts

[+/-] Dawn Aspect Gifts

Level One

Beat of the Heart Drum

W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf becomes an inescapable hunter, drawn ever onward by the beat of his prey's heart until that heart grows still. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must have an object belonging to his target, a piece of the victim (a blood sample, a lock of hair), or must have tasted his quarry's blood in the past. The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Survival (difficulty 7). The Wendigo can hear her quarry's heartbeat for one day per success, no matter how far away they may be. The beat grows louder as the werewolf draws near, making tracking effortless.

Finishing Blow

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: A merely wounded enemy is an enemy that can still fight; dead, he can do no more harm. This Gift, taught by a lion-spirit, helps the Ajaba finish her kills.

System: When attacking an enemy already suffering a wound penalty of at least –2, the player may spend one Rage point (before rolling the attack) to double the Ajaba’s Strength for the purpose of determining damage.

Lightning Reflexes

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Fenrir are Gaia's ultimate warriors, effortlessly switching from offense to defense as the needs of battle demand. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player reflexively spends one Willpower point. For the next day, the character need neither make a Willpower rill nor spend a Willpower point to abort to a defensive action.

Pack Tactics

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: While the Ahroun's role as the overall leader of Garou is questionable, there's no doubt at all who should take control of the pack in battle. By taking the lead and coordinating pack actions, the Ahroun gifts all her packmates with great competence in the heat of battle. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point before initiating a Pack Tactics maneuver (see W20 Core, pg 300) and divides a pool of extra dice equal to her Leadership score among everyone performing the maneuver. The dice should be divided as evenly as possible, although the player may choose where to distribute extra dice (or in case of the Ahroun's Leadership score granting fewer dice than the number of packmates involved).

Razor Claws

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Level Two

Command Spirit

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.

Dancing with the Dawn — As the Fianna Gift: Flame Dance

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description:' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.

Shield of Rage

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Such is the Rage burning within an Ahroun's heart that all lesser furies quail before it. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, all spirits' Rage scores are considered two less than their real values for the purpose of rolling damage against the Ahroun.

Spirit of the Fray

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.

System: Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).

Teeth at Dawn

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: To act first is a sign of confidence and power; a hyena who has seized the initiative in battle is nearly unstoppable. A jaguar spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Whenever the Ajaba has the highest initiative in a combat turn, she adds two dice to each of her attacks that turn. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Three

Bloody Feast

W20 Core, pg 201, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Great Wendigo, as a hungry cannibal spirit, can teach his favored children how to gain strength from an enemy's flesh and blood. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must bite his opponent and taste blood - he must inflict at least one lethal or aggravated health level of damage, and his victim must be something that bleeds. If the opponent has toxic blood or non at all, this Gift cannot function. The player then rolls Gnosis at a difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + 3. The Wendigo gains one extra dot in Strength for every two health levels of damage inflicted by the bite (maximum of + 5 to Strength). The extra Strength bonus lasts for two turns per success on the Gnosis roll. However, flesh and blood can be addictive; the Wendigo's player must make an immediate frenzy roll the turn after activating the Gift.

Redirect Pain

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: This Gift allows a Fenrir to visit the pain of his wounds upon those who inflicted them. A cuckoo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). For one scene, the target incurs whatever wound penalties are indicated by the Fenrir's current wound levels, regardless of whether or not the Fenrir actually feels the pain.

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Silver Jaws — As the Ahroun Gift: Silver Claws, save that it enhances bite rather than claw attacks.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.

Level Four

Battle Fury Focus

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Ajaba enters a battle trance, minimizing the openings she leaves for opponents. A mongoose-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). The Ajaba can reflexively dodge all attacks directed at her for the rest of the scene with a pool of three dice.

Grasp the Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.

Stoking the Fury's Furnace

W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to husband his Rage, keeping it burning for as long as Gaia's enemies remain to be defeated. A wolverine spirit teaches this gift.

System: This Gifts effects are permanent. The werewolf regains one Rage point during any turn in which he takes damage. This Rage does not cause a frenzy check, though other sources will induce checks as usual. Additionally, the player can spend one Rage point per turn without losing any temporary rage. If multiple Rage points are spent during any turn, however, all are marked off.

Level Five

Bone Cracker — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Fenris’ Bite

W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf's already vicious bite now easily mangles and severs limbs. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless unless the target can regenerate the damage, pr permanently in the case of humans or other creatures who cant regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Primal Urge roll, the limb is severed.

Strength of Will

W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: A werewolf with this Gift is a pillar of indomitable will. He can share his terrifying strength with others as well, leading them through the gates of Malfeas without a moment's fear or hesitation. A wolf spirit or an Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). Each success grants all the Garou's allies within 100 feet (and her packmates anywhere within 100 miles) an extra point of Willpower. The extra points last for the rest of the scene and may raise an ally's Willpower above its maximum (and even above 10). This Gift can only be used once be used once per scene.

[+/-] Midnight Aspect Gifts

Level One

Beast Speech

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Burning the Vision

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Midnight can etch a moment into another’s memory, ensuring that they can never forget so much as a single detail of what they see or hear. This Gift, taught by a servant of Helios, is often used at the scenes of terrible atrocities against Gaia.

System: The Ajaba touches the one he wishes to force remembrance on and spends one Willpower point. The target gains perfect recall of everything that happens during the scene until his dying day.

Mindspeak

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 52

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Perfect Recall

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: The werewolf is able to remember and relive any memory with perfect clarity. An elephant spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend one Gnosis point to perfectly remember any one detail, no matter how small, from any point in her character's entire life.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Tears of the Heavens

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: Raising his arms and reciting a spontaneous poem, the Ajaba calls down the rain. A sky-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 8). Success causes rain to fall across an area (Obligation) miles in diameter around the Ajaba for ten minutes per success.

Level Two

Bless the Rains

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: The Ajaba composes words of thanks to the rain falling around him, complimenting it for sharing its bounty with the dry Earth. The rains respond with generosity. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 7). The rain subsequently restores one level of bashing or lethal damage to all non-Wyrm-tainted beings it touches, and renders the ground it falls on unusually fertile. This Gift may only be used while standing in the rain, and the Ajaba can only empower a rainstorm once — though the effects of the Gift strike everywhere that the same rains fall.

Distractions

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.

Dreamspeak

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.

Scavenge

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: The Ajaba may safely consume and digest any physical object he can get into his mouth, from carrion to pistols to toxic waste: his jaws can chew it, and his stomach can process it. A goat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent, though it costs a Gnosis point to eat anything that is actively poisonous (such as toxic waste) rather than merely noxious or inedible. The Ajaba’s digestion destroys fetishes and other empowered items, though supernaturally indestructible items may survive their transit. The Ajaba can even destroy an opponent’s armor in combat, one bite at a time.

Shadows of the Serengeti

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53

Description: As the Ajaba sings a song of his fallen Kin, their shadows rise from the dust of the earth to lend their strength to his cause. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Obligation (difficulty 8). For each success, one unearthly shadow-hyena rises from the earth around the Ajaba, and aids him until the end of the scene. These shadows have the traits of a normal hyena, save that they possess only three health levels. The shadow hyenas have physical presence, but they are neither truly ghosts or spirits.

Level Three

Calling the Eshu — As the Fianna Gift: Faerie Kin. Ajaba use this Gift to summon tale-telling spirits to enlighten their packs.

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the werewolf can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. When used on Earth, this Gift most commonly calls dream spirits known as chimera, though with higher Gnosis expenditures changelings or their dark-kin cousins may appear; true fae answer the summons only in appropriate Umbral realms.

Exorcism

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.

Song of Heroes

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Reciting a tale of ancient Garou heroism, the Galliard conjures up the spirit of fallen heroes and infuses those listening with some portion of their power. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift requires the full recitation of a story of epic heroism, taking at least several minutes. At the end of the tale, the player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Every two successes on this roll add one point to a single Ability score for all listening Garou and Kinfolk, much like the Ancestors Background. This bonus lasts until the sun rises.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Level Four

Bitter Tears

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Standing in the pouring rain, the Ajaba composes a spontaneous poem expressing his sorrow at Gaia’s fallen state; the intensity of the rain redoubles, and it carries some measure of his sadness. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 7). All humans touched by the rain whose main dwelling is in a place with a Gauntlet of 7 or higher are seized with a great listless melancholy so long as the rain lasts, suffering a –3 penalty to all dice pools. This Gift may only be used while standing in the rain.

Gift of Dreams

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Galliard crafts a dream, then breathes it into a sleeping individual. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to craft the dream; more successes allows for more vivid and impactful dreams. To ensure that an individual experiences this dream, the Galliard must breathe it into the target's mouth while they sleep. The player spends a Gnosis point to complete the Gift. Dreams crafted with this Gift are often unusually vivid and dramatic, often leaving even lifelong skeptics convinced that they hold some deep meaning.

Phantasm

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.

Level Five

Fabric of the Mind

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.

Rain of Doom

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Standing in the rain, the Ajaba points to a man-made object or building and spits insults and curses at it, expressing his rage and disdain. The rain acts as acid when it strikes the structure, pitting concrete and corroding steel. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends three Rage points and rolls Wits + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). The successes gained dictate how large a structure may be destroyed. Only one success would be necessary to tear down a cabin, three for three-story house, or five for an office complex. This Gift may only be used when standing in the rain.

[+/-] Dusk Aspect Gifts

Level One

Blur of the Milky Eye

W20 Core, pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.

Fatal Flaw

W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.

Laughter in the Night

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Like any good hyena, the Ajaba is much more dangerous once the sun goes down — and far bolder in taking prey. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character permanently adds one die to all Stealth rolls at night.

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Scent of Running Water

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.

Spirit Snare

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Whispers in the Grass

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The werehyena may move soundlessly through any natural environment; grass bends without making any noise, and dry twigs break silently beneath her tread. A mouse-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Stealth, difficulty 6. Success reduces the difficulty of moving quietly in natural environments by 3 (to a minimum of 2). This Gift has no effect in man-made environments.

Level Two

Ambush

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: When the Ajaba strikes from concealment, her blow burns with Rage, felling her opponent in a single strike. A jaguar-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend one Rage point when making a surprise attack, after rolling damage, to double the amount of damage inflicted before soak.

Blissful ignorance

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Luna's Armor

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.

Sight From Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.

System: Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.

Taking the Forgotten

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

Level Three

Paralyzing Stare

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn, rendering her unable to move or attack (though she may still defend herself). The target must be able to see the Garou.

Pulse of the Invisible

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.

System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.

Smoky Passage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Having struck her blow for Gaia, the Dusk may easily escape before the carnage she’s unleashed catches her in its jaws. This Gift allows her to leap through a wall as though it were made of smoke, leaving behind only an unearthly ripple to mark her passage. A smoke-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Ajaba may spring through any wall during that turn at her full movement speed, so long as it is no thicker than (Ferocity) feet.

Umbral Strike — As the general Ratkin Gift: Backbite.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54, and 186

Description: The wererat disappears and instantly reappears behind an opponent up to 50 feet away. This Gift is taught by grasshopper mouse-spirits.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the victim must be within line-of-sight. The wererat can immediately attack in the same turn at –2 difficulty.

Level Four

Becoming the Night Jester

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Though this Gift offers no power during the day, by night the Dusk’s Crocas form takes on an aspect of ancient nocturnal terror — a primal, red-eyed, and black-furred hyena the size of a polar bear. Hyena herself teaches this Gift.

System: At night, the character’s Crocas form adds one to its Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Echoes of the Asamando

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 54

Description: Powerful Ajaba of the Dusk learn dark roads to victory, gleaning wisdom from voices most would quail to hear. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, allows the Ajaba to speak and be heard by the dead — and to hear their voices in return.

System: The character must kill to use this Gift — whether it is beast, or man, or monster that she slays is irrelevant, but she must end a life to hear the Echoes of Asamando. Additionally, within a minute of enacting the kill, the player must spend a point of Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the Ajaba’s voice may be heard unmistakably across the Shroud, and she can hear anything that nearby ghosts might say as clearly as though she stood in the Underworld herself.

Open Wounds

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 55

Description: The werewolf causes the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening his opponent further. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, suffering one unsoakable lethal damage per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.

Level Five

Reach the Umbra

W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 55

Description: The Garou may step in and out of the Umbra at will, without need of a reflective surface or even any effort at all. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou may step sideways instantly at any time, with no fear of being "caught". No roll is necessary. All rolls to enter or leave Umbral Realms receive a -2 difficulty bonus. She may not, however, spend Rage on the turn that she steps sideways. The Garou may not step sideways quickly enough to dodge an attack that has already been declared.

Shadow Pack

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 55

Description: The werewolf summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and share some of his capabilities. A night spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a number of Gnosis points. One shadow-duplicate appears for each point spent. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but not his fetishes and may not use Gifts, Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level. The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.

Breed Gifts

[+/-] Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts involve humanity's skills and abilities, not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Mankind's struggle to dominate the natural world has given humans great control over their environment, but also alienated them from the world they live in, producing a disquiet of the soul. Because humans have become strangers to the world of spirit, many homid breed Gifts are taught by ancestors rather than by nature spirits.

Level One

Apecraft's Blessing

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Though many of Gaia's children use tools, none have mastered them so thoroughly as humanity. The homid focuses this mastery into the tools she uses, causing their spirits to awaken and lend her aid. An ancestor-spirit or spirit of a man-made object teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf spends a turn concentrating, and then the player rolls Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success reduces the difficulty by one on the next roll she makes for her character to employ a tool made by human hands. The purpose is irrelevant—this Gift is equally efficacious for attempts to repair an engine, drive a car or fire a gun.

City Running

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.

System: The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.

Master of Fire

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Smell of Man

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.

System: Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.

Level Two

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Mark of the Wolf

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The werewolf marks those she comes in contact with, leaving them to carry the same aura of the predator the Garou does. This subtle curse can wreak havoc in a target's private or professional life, and is a favorite of many homids looking to provoke discord in the ranks of the enemy. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player selects a target that has had some interaction with the Garou during the scene (even something as simple as a light conversation in an elevator counts), then rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The target inherits the Curse (see pg 262 of the W20 Core book) as though she had a Rage rating equal to that of the Garou for one day per success.

Speech of the World

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Staredown

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.

Level Three

Calm the Savage Beast

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.

Cowing the Bullet

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.

Disquiet

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Body Shift

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.

Bury the Wolf

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.

Successes Duration
1 One scene
2 12 hours
3 One day
4 One week
5 One lunar cycle

Cocoon

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.

Spirit Ward

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Assimilation

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Beyond Human

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The Garou is human plus - Human plus strength, agility and health. Human plus devoted, assured spirituality and meaning. Human plus animal instinct and lightning reflexes. Human plus righteous fury with which to meet the Apocalypse. He is a man, but greater. Every Garou radiates this to some extent, but this Gift warps that perception, changing the Garou from a figure to be avoided to one to be admired or adored. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once learned, this Gift's effects are permanent. Humans dealing with the werewolf instinctively pick her out as more desirable, important, and interesting than those around her - regardless of the character's capacity in such matters. The Curse still applies, but rather than being instinctively feared as a predator, the werewolf becomes an intimidating figure of great presence. Finally, the character may boost her Social Attributes by spending Rage or Gnosis. Each dot of either spent raises one Social Attribute by one point for the rest of the scene. Social Attributes may be raised above 5 in this fashion.

Part the Veil

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.

[+/-] Metis Gifts

Metis Gifts

The spirit world has never hesitated to provide its blessings to metis - in the eyes of the spirits, a metis is as true a Garou as any other. Metis Gifts tend to be an eclectic collection of pacts and powers. Constantly scorned by their brethren and denied pride of place, metis learn to make friends where they can and take what allies they can get.

Level One

Create Element

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.

Primal Anger

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.

System: The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).

Rat Head

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: Metis are born into a world where they metaphorically don't belong; it seemed only natural to rat spirits to teach them to get into such places into the literal sense as well. This Gift renders the metis's bone structure collapsible, allowing her to squeeze through any gap she can fit her head into.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the metis may squirm through any gap she can fit her face into, moving at her walking speed to do so.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Shed

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.

Level Two

Burrow

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.

Curse of Hatred

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.

Form Mastery

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Sense Silver

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Level Three

Chameleon

W20 Core, pg 156

Description: Like the Gift's reptilian namesake, the Garou can blend with her natural surroundings. Unlike the lizard, the werewolf shifts fluidly with changing backgrounds, this allowing the Garou to move about and even attack. A chameleon or octopus spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to activate the Gift. Anyone trying to see the werewolf, even in open ground, must make a Perception roll (difficulty of the Garou's Wits + Stealth) to detect her. Once the Garou attacks, the difficulty drips by 3. The Gift affects only sight; it does not mask the Garou's sound or scent.

Eyes of the Cat

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.

Mental Speech

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Shell

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: Shell places an emotional and instinctual barrier around the metis, shutting out the hostility of the world and suppressing his own powerful, destructive impulses. It is taught by a turtle spirit.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the character's own Rage). Success insulates the metis for a scene behind a mystical and psychological barrier, immunizing him against mind-altering magic of all kinds for the rest of the scene. However, he cannot gain any successes on Empathy, Primal Urge, or Rage rolls, nor can he spend Rage points.

Level Four

Gift of the Porcupine

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.

System: The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.

Lash of Rage

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The metis harnesses all of the shame, hate, and fury coiled in his heart and lashes out with it, destroying another. Bones snap, organs rupture, and cavities fill with blood as the metis's Rage tears the target apart. A spirit of fury teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls his Rage rating. A target within 100 yards (91 m) takes one level of unsoakable aggravated damage for each success. This Gift can be used safely only once per scene. Any additional uses inflict the Gift's full damage on both the metis and his target.

Rattler's Bite

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: The metis's eyeteeth lengthen, and she can inject a deadly poison with her bite. Spider and snake spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point when attempting to bite an opponent. If the bite is successful, any remaining damage after soak is doubled.

Wither Limb

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: With a snarl and a baleful stare, the werewolf ruins an opponent's limb" bones twist, muscles whither, flesh desiccates. Creatures with regenerative capabilities will recover after one scene; all others are permanently crippled. Venomous spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 4). The victim adds two to the difficulties of all Dexterity rolls. If a leg is crippled, he can move at only half his normal speed.

Level Five

Madness

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.

Protean Form

W20 Core, pg 157

Description: Born misshapen, the metis takes her deformity and makes it a source of power. She can twist her flesh in any number of ways, sprouting a number of unnatural features, from extra limbs to additional mouths to grasping tentacles. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The character's ability to partially transform (see W20 Core pg 286) is permanently modified, allowing her to make almost any grotesque modifications the player can imagine. These modifications must logically bestow one of the following benefits: +2 dice on a certain category of attack rolls (extra clawed limbs for claw attacks, tentacles for clinches, etc), +t damage on a certain category of attack rolls (a chest-mounted squid beak for extra damage on clinches, arms coated in shark teeth for boosted claw attacks, etc), or +5 yards per turn of movement (extra legs, vestigial wings, etc.)

Totem Gift

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: Metis are Garou from the moment of their birth, and their ties to the spirit that guides their tribe run deep. The metis may plead with her tribal totem for power, with effects varying from tribe to tribe. Rat might send a swarm of rodents to attack the werewolf's enemies, while Grandfather Thunder might send down the lightning to strike aside obstacles and opponents. The potential of this Gift depends on the favor of the totem, and may extend into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the aid provided. One success might cause a minor distraction whereas 10 successes could produce volcanic eruptions or country smashing tornadoes.

[+/-] Hyaenid Gifts

Hyaenid Gifts

Hyaenid Gifts reflect the breed's powerful ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.

Level One

Hare's Leap

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Sense Prey

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.

Predator's Arsenal

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: One of the most unnerving aspects of the Homid shape is its lack of proper weapons. This Gift remedies that problem (while still retaining much of the Homid shape's ability to blend in with the human world), granting the Garou battle-ready claws and teeth in Homid form. It is taught by a wolf spirit.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn to gain access to bite and claw attacks in Homid form for the rest of the scene, or until she dismisses the transformation. These attacks inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage, and may be concealed by simple expediencies such as the werewolf keeping her mouth closed, wearing long sleeves or keeping her hands in her pockets. She can even speak normally without giving herself away, as long as she's careful not to open her mouth too wide or smile so that her teeth show, although her voice sounds rough and a bit distorted (attempting to discern that there's something amiss with a Garou taking such precautions requires a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 9).

Prey Mind

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: As Gaia dies and her natural order is perverted, predators become prey with increasing frequency - this is a sorrowful truth that lupus know all too well. This Gift assists the Garou in evading their enemies that they might fight another day, showing them places to hide, ways to run, and even chances to strike back. A hare or deer spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Primal Urge; difficulty 7 in the wilderness, 9 in urban environments. Each success adds one die to all pools made to escape, out-distance, hide from or evade pursuit for the remainder of the scene.

Level Two

Axis Mundi

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.

System: The Gift's effects are permanent.

Eye of the Eagle

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to see over impossibly long distances, though not through obstacles - good vantage points are invaluable, and this Gift is in much demand among caern guardians. It is taught by an eagle spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of miles added to the Garou's clear visual range.

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Scent of Sight

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.

Level Three

Cat Feet

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

Monkey Tail

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Silence the Weaver

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The lupus releases a shattering howl, destroying all nearby delicate electronics - computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and the like. Simpler machines such as land line phones, cars, and firearms are unaffected. A storm spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The lupus spends a turn howling. The player then spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge. Delicate electronics are destroyed within a radius of (20 x successes) yards (or meters) in a flash of sparks.

Strength of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Goddess blesses the lupus with the fullness of his might when he wears the most natural of his skins. While wearing lupus form, the Garou enjoys the full might of Crinos. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. His lupus form base strength increases by four, rather than the normal one, for the rest of the scene.

Level Four

Beast Life

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Gnaw

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.

Scream of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.

Terror of the Dire Wolf

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: Wolves haunt the ancestral nightmares of humanity, and of those monsters that were once human. The werewolf lets out a fierce snarl that triggers primordial terror in opponents and drowns them in the Delirium. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or, if he is affecting a group, the highest Willpower represented). If successful, the werewolf invokes the full effect of the Delirium on any human, formerly human, or partly human creature who can see her - including those normally immune to the Delirium, such as mages and vampires. Only other werewolves and Fera are immune. It may be used in any form, although Homid and Glabro raise the difficulty of the Primal Urge roll by one.

Level Five

Elemental Gift

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).

Song of the Great Beast

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

Ajaba Rites

The Ajaba employ variations of most of the same rites that the Garou use. At present, they’re too concerned with fighting for survival to concern themselves with many unique cultural rites.

Song of Home

Level Three, Accord (Cha + Rituals 7)

The first new rite developed by the Ajaba-in-exile tells the story of their homelands and tragedy through song and dance. This rite has three aspects. Remembrance recalls the loss of their homelands. Restoration reaffirms their link with Gaia. Revenge spits curses at the Simba and swears never to forget. Each aspect empowers the Ajaba in a different way.

System: The ritemaster chooses which aspect to emphasize and calls the dancers together. If the rite is successful, at its conclusion all participants feel a sense of renewal and regain all spent Willpower (Remembrance), Gnosis (Restoration) or Rage (Revenge).

Gifts

Werespiders grant their loyalty to only one spirit: Queen Ananasa. She teaches them all of their Gifts as they meditate in their Sylies. Ananasi begin play with three Gifts: one general Gift, one Aspect Gift, and one Faction Gift.

Any 'copied' Ananasi Gift which calls for a Rage expenditure substitues blood points instead, and any Rage rolls use Gnosis instead.

General Gifts

[+/-] General Gifts

General Gifts

Level One

Balance

Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As Stargazer gift; W20 Core, p 195

Description: The Ananasi is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery.

System: Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. The Gift's effects are permanent.

Cling

Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Lizard; W20 Core, p 197

Description: The Ananasi's hands and feet sprout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing them to climb across or cling to any surface - even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings.

System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character can move across any solid surface at her normal walking speed. Staying attached to a vertical surface or ceiling while taking any more strenuous movement (fighting, moving faster than walking speed, attempting to dislodge a steam grate) requires a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll, difficulty 7.

Many Eyes

Changing Breeds 20, p 65

Description: The Ananasi can see in 360 degrees around himself. Those looking directly at the werespider see nothing out of the ordinary, but if glimpsed from the corner of the eye, the Ananasi appears to have eyes all around his head.

System: The player spends one blood point. The Gift lasts for one scene.

Resist Pain

Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 166

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the Ananasi shuts out the pain of her wounds.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Resist Toxin

Changing Breeds 20, p 65 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift; W20 Core, p 174

Description: The Ananasi's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts.

System: The Ananasi is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).

Stolen Moments

Changing Breeds 20, p 65

Description: The Ananasi can rob a victim of the most recent few minutes of memories.

System: The werespider must touch the victim. The player spends one Gnosis point, and must succeed in a Gnosis roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower). Success steals the last 15 minutes of the target's memories.

Level Two

Hand Fangs

Changing Breeds 20, p 65

Description: The Ananasi's "hands" develop sharp, fang-like points which may be used to inject one dose of venom per hand into a victim.

System: The player spends one blood point. The "fangs" last for one scene and do aggravated damage equal to the werespider's strength, in addition to injecting venom.

Man-Spider Form

Changing Breeds 20, p 65

Description: Through extensive refinement of her shapeshifting capabilities, the Ananasi learns to take on a "near-human" form. This Araneid form darkens the Ananasi's skin and spots it with coarse, bristly hair. Her eyes take on a reddish sheen, and her fingers terminate in small, sharp claws, while her reflexes are dramatically improved.

System: The character assumes Araneid form in the same manner a Garou assumes Glabro. Its attribute adjustments are Strength +1, Dexterity +3, Stamina +1, Appearance -1, and its claw attacks inflict lethal damage.

Replenishment of the Flesh

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Ananasi may summon spiders and insects to join with her flesh, healing her. She devours the insects, and assimilates the spiders.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point per non-aggravated health level healed. The Ananasi may take no other actions during a turn when she uses this Gift.

Spines

Changing Breeds, p 66 - As the metis Gift: Gift of the Porcupine; W20 Core, p 157

Description: The Ananasi undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The Ananasi must be in Lilian, Pithus, or Crawlerling form to use this Gift.

System: The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the Ananasi tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength + 1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their own strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the Ananasi). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the Ananasi wills her fur to return to normal.

Level Three

Blood Pump

Changing Breeds, p 66

Description: The Ananasi may use more blood than usual to power her actions.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Ananasi has no limits on how she may spend blood during a round beyond the amount of blood she has available.

Jump

Changing Breeds, p 66 - As the Silent Strider Gift: Great Leap; W20 Core, p 192

Description: The Ananasi can jump truly astounding distances.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Strength + Athletics. The character may jump 100 feet per success.

Spider's Grace

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the lupus Gift: Catfeet; W20 Core, p 159

Description: The Ananasi gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (~30 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn this gift.

Level Four

Entropic Bite

Changing Breeds, p 66

Description: The Ananasi injects a powerful necrotic toxin with her bite, similar to that of a brown recluse.

System: After a successful bite, the player may spend two Gnosis points and roll Gnosis (difficulty 3 + victim's Stamina, maximum 9). The victim takes one level of unsoakable aggravated damage per turn for (successes) turns. Humans killed by this toxin are especially easy to "drink," and offer half again as many blood points as they would otherwise. Vampires must spend five blood points to expel the poison.

Hydraulic Strength

Changing Breeds, p 66

Description: The Ananasi can metabolize the blood she drinks to dramatically increase her strength.

System: For each blood point the werespider spends, her Strength increases by 1 for the rest of the scene. She may spend up to (her Rank) blood points in this fashion.

Level Five

Carapace

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Ananasi acquires an armored carapace over her exoskeleton that provides additional protection and can regenerate damage.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to gain +4 dice to soak rolls and regeneration like a Garou. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Survivor

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift; W20 Core, p 176-177

Description: The Ananasi becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need for food, water, or sleep. She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons. Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her. A tortoise spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival. The effects last for one day per success. By spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later. The Ananasi must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.

Aspect Gifts

[+/-] Tenere Gifts

Tenere Gifts

Level One

Groom

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: No matter the circumstances, the Ananasi always looks her best.

System: The character is permanently immune to Appearance roll penalties or any other penalties for looking soiled, disheveled, etc.

Patience of Ananasa

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Nagah Kamsa (Autumn) Gift: Predator's Patience; p 163

Description: The Ananasi may remain absolutely motionless for endless hours when waiting for her prey, without cramping or growing tired.

System: The Ananasi permanently adds one automatic success to Stealth rolls that rely on absolute stillness.

Level Two

Beneath Notice

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Tenere can make one object or a small group of objects blend into the surrounding area.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All individuals searching for the concealed objects suffer a penalty equal to the Tenere's Obedience.

Breath of Ananasa

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The werespider creates an air pocket that provides her with a few minutes of breathable air.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6). Success grants (Obedience) minutes of air, plus one minute per additional success.

Level Three

Mother's Look

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the galliard Gift: Eye of the Cobra; W20 Core, p 169

Description: With an unearthly stare, the Ananasi can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Ananasi needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Tenere until then.

Reshape Object

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 154

Description: The Tenere can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success or permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Understanding the Tapestry

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Tenere may glimpse hidden connections between apparently unrelated objects.

System: The character permanently adds three dice to Enigmas rolls.

Web Sheet

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Tenere can create a large web very quickly.

System: The player spends two blood points, allowing the character to cover a football field-sized area with a sticky web with an effective Strength rating of 9.

Level Five

Thieving Touch of Spiders

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Ragabash Gift: Thieving Talons of the Magpie; W20 Core, p 163

Description: The Tenere can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic, or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued may be exempt, at Storyteller's discretion). Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Tenere steals the targeted power, depriving its owner of its use. Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Tenere who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2). The Garou may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn. The werespider's Gnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Tenere must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!"). This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.

[+/-] Hatar Gifts

Hatar Gifts

Level One

Blood of Pain

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Hatar turns her blood into debilitating poison.

System: When the werespider wills it, anyone who drinks her blood will fall helplessly ill, necessitating a Stamina roll (difficulty 6) to act each turn for the rest of the scene.

Wyrmling Kinship

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: The Hatar can convince Wyrm creatures that she is an ally or someone of no importance.

System: The difficulty of all Social rolls against Wyrm creatures is permanently reduced by 2, and they become inclined to believe the werespider to be an ally if given the slightest justification to do so.

Level Two

Blood of Illusion

Changing Breeds 20, p 66

Description: Similar to Blood of Pain, the Hatar may transform her blood into a hallucinogenic toxin at will.

System: Affected characters must roll Willpower (difficulty of the werespider's Gnosis) or suffer violent hallucinations for the rest of the scene.

Call of the Wyrm

Changing Breeds 20, p 66 - As the Galliard Gift; W20 Core, p 169

Description: This dangerous Gift attracts creatures of the Wyrm, luring them into traps and ambushes or flushing them from hiding. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7). If the Wyrm creature loses the contest, it must come to the sources of the Call.

Level Three

Corrupt

Changing Breeds 20, p 66-67

Description: The Hatar can weaken an object with this Gift, exaggerating its natural flaws.

System: The player rolls Gnosis. Each success causes the target inanimate object to lose one soak die.

Pulse of the Invisible

Changing Breeds, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift; W20 Core, p 165

Description: Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Hatar. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Hatar can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Hatar will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this gift.

System: If the Hatar's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating). Such awareness lasts the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.

Level Four

Ill Winds

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Hatar weakens the barrier between worlds, allowing Banes to materialize in a location more easily.

System: The werespider cuts her arm and spends three blood points; the player rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 5). Each success reduces the Gauntlet in the immediate area by 1 for one hour per success.

Still Blood

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Ananasi's blood can paralyze a victim through contact.

System: A victim splashed by the werespider's fresh blood loses three points of Strength. The victim's Strength returns at a rate of one point per hour.

Level Five

Burning Blood

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Ananasi turns her blood to acid.

System: The Ananasi may activate this Gift at will. Contact with acidic blood inflicts (permanent Gnosis) dice of aggravated damage.

[+/-] Kumoti Gifts

Kumoti Gifts

Level One

Inspire

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Black Fury Gift: Breath of the Wyld; W20 Core, p 173

Description: Kumotis embrace the energy of creation, and they can share that passion with others. With this Gift, the Kumoti instills a feeling of vitality, life, and lucidity in another living being.

System: The Kumoti must touch her target's skin. The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 5 against Garou and Kinfolk; difficulty 6 for others). Success grants the recipient a rush of mental vitality - in game terms, one additional die on all Mental rolls for the rest of the scene. It also adds one to the difficulties of any Rage rolls made during the scene.

Mother's Touch

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift; W20 Core, p 164

Description: The Kumoti channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werespider herself, spirits, or the undead.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see p. 259) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Level Two

Arachnophobia

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Kumoti may inflict an irrational fear of spiders on her victim.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The effect lasts for one day per success.

Insight of the Mother

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift: Sight From Beyond; W20 Core, p 164

Description: This is a Gift of Prophecy. The werespider becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges, and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon.

System: Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through roleplaying, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.

Level Three

Alter Lilian

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Kumoti may alter her Lilian form at will, rearranging it to suit her whim.

System: The player makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 7). The changes remain until the Gift is used again.

Sense Motion

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the lupus Gift: Scent of Sight, but using motion-detection rather than scent; W20 Core, p 159

Description: The werespider can compensate for her vision completely by detecting motion. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness.

System: The werespider fully substitutes her sense of touch for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure movement.

Level Four

Mindblock

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Silver Fang Gift; W20 Core, p 194

Description: The Kumoti fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts.

System: The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Ananasi's mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind-reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent but do not apply to magic which sways the Ananasi's emotions.

Nature of the Beast

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Theurge Gift: Feral Lobotomy, save that its effects wear off at the end of the scene; W20 Core, p 165

Description: Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werespider can devolve an opponent's mind into that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the werespider can destroy the target's Intelligence Attribute for the duration of the scene; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.

Level Five

Assimilation

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the homid gift; W20 Core, p 155

Description: A werespider with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but does allow the werespider to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou Sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country could be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Faction Gifts

[+/-] Myrmidon Gifts

Myrmidon Gifts

Level One

Illusion of Size

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Shadow Lord Gift: Icy Chill of Despair; W20 Core, p 190

Description: The Myrmidon appears to grow larger and even more imposing, becoming a terrible, shadowy version of herself. This change in aspect can severely intimidate any onlookers.

System: The Myrmidon concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation, difficulty 7. Anyone who means the Myrmidon harm must make a Willpower check, difficulty 8, and score more successes than the Myrmidon does in order to act normally. Failure means that the victims must spend a Willpower point to attack, take action against, or even verbally oppose the Myrmidon. This Gift doesn't give the Myrmidon actual control over her intimidated victims - they're simply too spooked to actively oppose her.

Open Seal

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ragabash Gift; W20 Core, p 161

Description: The werespider can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spend a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Level Two

Hydraulic Strength

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Level Four general Ananasi Gift. Myrmidons alone may buy this Gift at Level Two

Description: The Ananasi can metabolize the blood she drinks to dramatically increase her strength.

System: For each blood point the werespider spends, her Strength increases by 1 for the rest of the scene. She may spend up to (her Rank) blood points in this fashion.

True Fear

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ahroun Gift; W20 Core, p 171

Description: The werespider displays his full, terrifying might - baring fangs or claws, hissing, or simply looming ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence.

System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).

Level Three

Scorpion Tail

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Ananasi generates a huge, fully functional scorpion's taile, complete with venom and stinger. This Gift may only be used in Lilian or Pithus.

System: The player spends three blood points to create the tail. It inflicts Strength + 2 aggravated damage on a strike (difficulty 7), and may inject either the Ananasi's native venom or any Gift based venom the werespider knows how to create.

Weak Arm

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 167

Description: By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Myrmidon can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses.

System: The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Myrmidon that gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration if necessary to use this Gift.

Level Four

Blood Hunt

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ragabash Gift: Pulse of the Prey, save that the Ananasi must have encountered her mark within the last 24 hours, or fed from him at some point in the past.; W20 Core, p 161

Description: If the Myrmidon has encountered her mark within the last 24 hours or fed from him at some point in the past, she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere and is useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Drying Bite

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Ragabash Gift: Whelp Body; W20 Core, p 162

Description: The Ananasi delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Ananasi's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Myrmidon's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Myrmidon allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once ever against a given opponent.

Level Five

Image of the Great Mother

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: For a short time, the Ananasi assumes the form of a massive creature with four spider-like legs, four human-like arms, eight glowing red eyes, and enormous fangs, covered over in thick, chitinous armor. The Myrmidon must remain in Crawlerling form for one week after donning the Great Mother's aspect.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 9). If successful, the Great Mother form has the following Attributes: Strength + 5, Stamina + 6, Perception +2 and Appearance 0. Each arm inflicts Strength +2 aggravated damage with its terrible claws. All that view the Great Mother form - even other shapechangers and werespiders - must roll Willpower (difficulty 7) or suffer the Delirium (reduced Delirium for shapeshifters). The transformation lasts for one scene.


[+/-] Viskr Gifts

Viskr Gifts

Level One

Curse of the Great Web

Changing Breeds 20, p 67

Description: The Viskr makes the process of entering the Umbra more difficult for a single individual.

System: The Ananasi touches her target and the player rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 6) in order to increase the Gauntlet by 3 for the victim. The effects last for a scene.

Shroud

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Uktena Gift; W20 Core, p 197

Description: The Viskr can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Viskr's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.

Level Two

Mindspeak

Changing Breeds 20, p 67 - As the Galliard Gift; W20 Core, p 169

Description: Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Viskr can place any chosen characters into silent communication.

System: The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Viskr may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point if she desires.

Minor Unweaving

Changing Breeds 20, p 67-68

Description: The Viskr may negate a spell, Gift, or other actively used supernatural power by Unweaving the effect.

System: Usable only on Level One or Two Gifts, Disciplines, Sphere effects, or other notably minor magical abilities (such as weak spirit Charms). The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 6). One success negates the effect.

Level Three

Calcify

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: The Viskr may cause an area of the Great Web that he can see to become resistant to change of any sort.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) and gives the targeted location or object three extra soak dice per success. The area cannot be greater than one acre, and the effect lasts for (Obedience) days.

Cocoon

Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 155

Description: The werespider wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards.

System: The Ananasi spends one Gnosis point. While the werespider remains in the cocoon, any attack that strikes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage but is destroyed if pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Ananasi may emerge from i at any time he chooses.

Level Four

Attunement

Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift; W20 Core, p 176

Description: The werespider may commune with the spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness.

System: The player spends a Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Brethren Call

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: The Ananasi may contact the two werespiders closest to her physically or may summon many natural spiders to her aid. The Ananasi she contacts don't appear immediately, but are notified that their presence is needed; normal spiders appear all at once and are ready to aid the Ananasi.

System: The player spends one blood point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7 to contact normal spiders, 8 for Ananasi). 50 spiders respond per success.

Level Five

Shattering

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: This powerful Gift unweaves even mighty magical effects.

System: As the Gift: Minor Unweaving, but costing three points of Gnosis and able to affect strong magic, including Disciplines/Spheres/Gifts, etc. of up to Level 5.

[+/-] Wyrsta Gifts

Wyrsta Gifts

Level One

Alter Mood

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: The Wyrsta can enhance or dampen the mood of a single individual, making that person elated rather than just happy, or muting utter despair into simple sadness.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to enhance the desired emotion.

Beastmind

Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Red Talon Gift; W20 Core, p 186

Description: The werespider can reduce the mental faculties of his victim to that of an animal for a time. The victim doesn't necessarily become less intelligent, but human thinking (logic, complex tool use, language, and the like) becomes impossible.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. The effects last for one minute per success, during which the target behaves like a wild animal. If a point of Rage is spent when directing this Gift at an ordinary human target, its effects last for one day per success.

Level Two

Blinding Spit

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: If the Ananasi hits her victim's face with her venomous spittle, she blinds her target temporarily.

System: The player spends one blood point and rolls Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 8). Success blinds the victim for (Cunning) turns.

Visceral Agony

Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Black Fury Gift; W20 Core, p 174

Description: The Ananasi's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While the venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony.

System: The player spends a blood point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy), he suffers normal wound penalties instead.

Level Three

Tick Body

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: The Ananasi concentrates her blood, allowing herself to store more sustenance in the same volume.

System: The Ananasi's maximum blood pool permanently increases. At Rank Three it becomes 15, at Rank 4 20, and at Rank Five 25.

Level Four

Blades of the Mantis

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: The Wystra's arms grow and resemble those of a praying mantis, with sharp, bladed ends.

System: The player spends one blood point, and her first pair of arms extends two feet in length, growing blades that inflict Strength + 4 aggravated damage (difficulty 5). The character loses three dice from all dice pools to do with fine manipulation. This transformation lasts for one scene and functions in all forms save Crawlerling.

Wither Limb

Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the metis Gift; W20 Core, p 157

Description: With a snarl and a baleful stare, the werespider ruins an opponent's limb: bones twist, muscles wither, and flesh desiccates. Creatures with regenerative capabilities will recover after one scene; all others are permanently crippled.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 4). The victim adds two to the difficultes of all Dexterity rolls. If a leg is crippled, he can move at only half his normal speed.

Level Five

Razor Webs

Changing Breeds 20, p 68

Description: If she desires, the Ananasi can spin barbed, razor-sharp webbing.

System: The werespider can choose whether she spins normal webs or razor webbing. She can spin enough razor webs with one blood point to cover a Crinos form Garou. Razor webbing inflicts one automatic level of unsoakable aggravated damage to anything that comes into contact with it each turn, unless the victim holds perfectly still.

Summon Net-Spider

Changing Breeds 20, p 68 - As the Glass Walker Gift; W20 Core, p 185

Description: The Wyrsta carries a great technological blessing, granting him an intuitive understanding of the ways of computers; additionally, he can summon a Net-Spider - a Weaver spirit that gives its summoner near-absolute control over any computer system. The Spider can disrupt, erase, or destroy whatever system it is sent into. (The exact effects are left to the Storyteller, but are typically destructive.)

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Computer (difficulty 8). If successful, the Net-Spider appears and heeds the Wyrsta's commands. In addition to the destructive power of the summoned spirit, this Gift allows the Wyrsta to permanently halve the difficulty of all rolls to use, build, or hack computers.

Rites

The Ananasi share quite a few rites with the Ovid, especially Mystic rites. The Ananasi also have a number of their own rites, taught during their time of Umbral instruction, or whispered to them by Queen Ananasa inside of their Sylie. One rite stands above all others in importance, however.

Rite of Spinning

Level One, Mystic

The first rite learned by any new Ananasi allows her to create her Sylie. Normally placed in a secure corner of her abode, the Sylie appears to be a large cobweb. From within her Sylie, the Ananasi may communicate with the two werespiders closest to her, so long as they are also within their Sylies. She may also receive messages from Queen Ananasa, learn new Gifts, and generally find respite from the world.

System: The werespider purifies herself and the chosen area for a week, then rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 9, although each day of ritual fasting and meditation beyond the mandatory week reduces this difficulty by 1). After spending four Gnosis points, the Ananasi may build her Sylie, which exists in both the physical world and the Umbra. Each success lowers the difficulty to crawl sideways in the Sylie by one.

The Master's Needs

Level Four, Mystic

Many Ananasi sit at the center of webs and pull the strings of others to achieve their goals. This rite ensnares humans into the spider's (usually unwilling) service.

The Ananasi can only use this rite on a human who has been injected with her venom without her assistance. The spider then spends an hour spinning a web cocoon over the mortal and waits for him to awaken. The Ananasi must wait patiently to see if her rite succeeds. Over a number of days the victim suffers horrific nightmares as his mind fights off the venom.

System: After each day the victim makes a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the Ananasi's Gnosis). If he fails, he owes the werespider a service. Regardless of the result, his body heals one health level of the venom's damage after each roll.

When the victim has fully healed, he wakes and pushes his way through the cocoon. The werespider can call on a service by spending a Blood Point per service owed by the victim, which cannot be refilled while services are owed. The Ananasi may call upon each service once in one of the following ways:

  • She may use the servant's senses as her own for a scene.
  • She may take control of the servant and direct his actions for a number of turns equal to her Gnosis. The Ananasi uses her own dice pools to resolve tasks, even if they differ from the servant's pools.
  • She may grant the servant the use of one Gift. He instinctively knows how the Gift works but decides when it is used (unless the Ananasi takes control of his actions, using another service). The Gift draws upon the Ananasi's Gnosis and Blood Points when used.
  • She can release the servant from all remaining services.
  • She may use two services to give the servant one specific goal that he will try to accomplish however long it takes and regardless of the cost to himself, even if it results in his death. This must be a simple instruction such as 'kill this person', 'break into that facility', 'plant these explosives', or 'protect this person against all harm'.

Gifts

Unlike Garou who learn most of their Gifts from spirits, Bastet most often learn from other werecats, or by “stealing” them from other shapeshifters. They have a much easier time instructing one another in Gift-use than do the Garou; it generally only takes a single night of instruction for one werecat to impart a Gift to another.

General Gifts

[+/-] General Bastet Gifts

Banish Sickness

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: With a lick and a purr, the Bastet can cure minor diseases and chase venoms away.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Medicine. The difficulty depends on the severity of the illness. Incurable maladies such as cancer or AIDS are beyond this Gift’s power.

Cat Feet

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

Diamond Claws — As the Ahroun Gift: Razor Claws.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Lick Wounds — As the Theurge Gift: Mother’s Touch.

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Sense Magic

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on the strength and subtlety of the magic. The Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.

Sense the Truth, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85 — As the Philodox Gift: Truth of Gaia.

W20 Core, pg 166

Description: The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Sense Unmaker’s Hand — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Silent Stalking

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 85

Description: The Bastet may move over any surface without making a sound for an entire scene.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Stealth, difficulty 5. Failure renders the Gift unusable for the rest of the scene.

Level Two

Cat Sight — As the metis Gift: Eyes of the Cat.

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.

Eerie Eyes — As the homid Gift: Staredown.

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.

First Slash — As the Ahroun Gift: Spirit of the Fray.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.

System: Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).

Night’s Passage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Bastet may walk through dim areas and be effectively invisible. This Gift even foils sudden lights, as long as some shadows still exist in which to hide.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + (Subterfuge or Occult), difficulty 7. The Bastet effectively “disappears” for the rest of the scene, or until he attacks someone or emerges from the shadows.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Sense Silver

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Shriek

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: With an ear-splitting scream, the Bastet deafens everyone nearby.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Intimidation (difficulty 7). Everyone within 20 feet is deafened (and at +1 difficulty to all rolls) for one turn per success.

Swipe — As the Ragabash Gift: Taking the Forgotten.

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

Level Three

Caper

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Bastet may charm watchers with a dance, or with the predatory grace of his feline form.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Expression, difficulty 3 and the character dances or moves in a way designed to gain the attention of those around him. Any observer whose Willpower is equal to or less than the successes rolled falls into a genial haze for so long as the Bastet continue to perform. Violence breaks the trance, but subtle actions (such as the Bastet’s allies sneaking away or walking into a secured area) remain unnoticed.

Farsight — As the Uktena Gift: Scrying.

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Uktena may view events elsewhere by staring into a reflective surface. Many supernatural beings, particularly those capable of scrying themselves, know defenses against this Gift. A fly spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 10 unless the Uktena possesses an item belonging to the person or place being viewed, in which case the difficulty is 8). The Uktena may view everything that happens in that area for the rest of the scene.

Impala’s Flight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The werecat doubles her running speed.

System: This Gift lasts for twice as many turns as the player’s successes on a difficulty 6 Stamina + Athletics roll.

Invisibility

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Garou can vanish from sight, though she must concentrate concentrate to maintain her invisibility. She cant move faster than half normal walking speed, and cant draw attention to her herself, a servant of Uktena reaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in the open, 9 in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll. Anyone not actively seeking the Garou will not spot her at all.

Touch the Mind — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech.

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Level Four

Clawstorm

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Bastet becomes a blur of slashing claws.

System: By spending a point of Rage and Willpower, the Bastet makes four close-range attacks in a single turn. He cannot spend Rage for any more attacks, or use this Gift more than (homid form’s Stamina) times per fight.

Walking Between Worlds

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Bastet may step sideways as Garou do.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Wolf’s Terror As the Ahroun Gift: Silver Claws.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.

Level Five

Perfect Passage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Bastet may roam anywhere on the face of Gaia or beyond, passing through any material object she wishes without leaving a trace.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Larceny (difficulty 6); the Bastet (along with her clothing and any held objects) may pass through whatever non-living objects (including bullets and melee weapons!) she wishes for five minutes per success. If she wishes to pick something up, it becomes solid to her — and intangible to other objects — the second that she picks it up. She’s still visible, and is vulnerable to unarmed attacks. Attackers wishing to use bullets or knives must surprise her or she takes no damage — and the Bastet’s own blows ignore any non-living armor. She still breathes but cannot be affected by gasses.

Withering Stare

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: This Gift lets a werecat kill with a glance, causing victims to die in agonized convulsions.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. The difficulty is the victim’s Willpower, and each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage.

Breed Gifts

[+/-] Homid Gifts

Level One

Cat Claws

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: By calling on her heritage, a Bastet in Homid or Sokto form can unsheathe her claws and attack as if she were in Crinos.

System: The player need not spend a Willpower point to enact this particular partial transformation (see W20 Core, pg 286), and the difficulty of the transformation is 6.

Sweet Hunter’s Smile — As the homid Gift: Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Urban Hunter — As the homid Gift: City Running

W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.

System: The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.

Level Two

Eavesdropper’s Ear — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Whisper Catching

W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: What good purpose could there be to keep secrets from Gaia's protectors? This Gift allows the werewolf to supernaturally eavesdrop on whispered conversations - what she does with the information learned is, of course, up to her own conscience. A crow or bat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower. For the rest of the scene, all whispers within 200 feet are fully audible to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to her.

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Level Three

Cowing the Bullet

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.

Craft of the Maker — As the homid Gift: Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Monkey’s Uncle As the Glass Walker Gift: Doppelganger, although the Bastet can only take the forms of humans, great cats or Bastet

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).

Tech Speak

W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: This Gift allows the Glass Walker to contact others through any technological device. The Garou speaks to a Pattern Spider in or near a technological device and tells them the message to be delivered and whom it should be delivered to. The Pattern Spider then finds the receiver and uses any communications technology near them to deliver the message: Phones yell it out (without picking up the handset or needing to be turned on), electronic billboards display it, and computer printers print it out as text. If no communications technology is present, any other technology will activate, though no message will be imparted. If no technology whatsoever is present near the receiver, the gift fails. A pattern spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science. The difficulty depends on the distance the message needs to be sent. The more successes achieved, the longer the message can be. A single success will only allow one word to be sent; five would allow unlimited length.

Difficulty Distance
4 The next room
5 The same building
6 One block away
7 10 miles away (16 km)
8 A time-zone away
9 Anything farther than the above

Level Five

Madness

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86

Description: Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.

[+/-] Metis Gifts

Level One

Create Element

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.

Sense Primal Nature — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, save that its difficulty is one higher and it can simultaneously sense and discern emanations of the Weaver, Wyrm, and Wyld.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Shed

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.

Level Two

Blinding Moonbeam Gaze

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werecat shoots bright beams of moonlight from her eyes. These don’t inflict damage, but can blind or distract an opponent, and provide illumination as well.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7), and may turn her “high beams” on and off at will for the rest of the scene. The moonbeams are roughly equivalent to a high-powered flashlight.

Whisker Sight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Bastet gains perfect perception of everything within arm’s reach of her — even if it’s behind her or invisible.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7). This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Three

Fist of Cahlash

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Bastet can destroy any material thing with a snarl.

System: The player spends a Rage point and rolls Rage against difficulty 6 (for inanimate objects) or 8 (for living and undead targets). Each success destroys 10 pounds of contiguous matter, reducing it to dust. A canny Bastet could use this Gift to weaken a building, or dispose of toxic waste. Used on a living creature, each success inflicts one level of bashing damage. The Bastet must be able to see what she intends to destroy, and it must be close enough to hear her snarl.

Visceral Agony

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.

Level Four

Moon’s Gateway — As the Ragabash Gift: Open Moon Bridge.

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).

Level Five

Wrath of Nala — As the Hakken Gift: Divine Wind.

W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Hakken can call forth a powerful storm in a designated area. The storm uproots trees and overturns cars in its fury. An ancestor spirit or a servant of Narukami, Lord of Thunder, teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 7) and spends a minimum of one Rage point. Each success equals a one mile (1.6 km) radius for the storm. Each Rage point spent adds a success and, therefore, increases the size of the storm, which lasts for no more than one scene.

[+/-] Feline Gifts

Level One

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Mine

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: Rubbing against an object, the Bastet magically claims it as her own.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. Anyone attempting the steal the object at any point afterward must roll Willpower (difficulty 9) before doing so.

Pounce — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap.

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Level Two

Catfeet

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

Prehensile Tail — As the lupus Gift: Monkey Tail.

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).

Level Three

Chains of Mist

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: Silvery filaments spin out from the Garou's claws, becoming streamers of mist that enwrap and confound nearby spirits, sapping their strength. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Uktena concentrates for a turn; and the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 7). One spirit of the player's choice within 200 feet (60 m) is affected per success. Spirits struck by this Gift treat their Rage, Gnosis and Willpower ratings as though they were one lower than they truly are for the purpose of all dice rolls for the rest of the scene.

Underbelly — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Fatal Flaw.

W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.

Level Four

Beast Life

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Level Five

Revolt of the Land — As the Red Talon Gift: Gaia’s Vengeance.

W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Red Talon calls upon the Mother herself to strike on his behalf. The terrain responds as best it can: Rocks roll and smash, vines constrict, and water sucks victims under. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (Difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The exact effects depend on the terrain and are left to the Storyteller.

Tribe Gifts

[+/-] Bagheera Gifts

Bagheera Gifts

Level One

Humbaba’s Escape

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: This Gift allows a wereleopard to dislocate her limbs and slide through small openings.

System: The difficulty of all rolls to escape bonds or slide through small gaps is permanently reduced by two.

Treeclimber As the Stargazer Gift: Balance.

W20 Core, pg 195, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind spirits teach this Gift.

System: Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Level Two

Lawgiver’s Legacy - As the Philodox Gift: Command the Gathering.

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.

Ojas Surge

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: By channeling the spiritual energy within himself, the Bagheera can boost his physical and perceptual abilities to impossible levels.

System: To perform this Gift, the Bagheera must first meditate for (6 – current Rank) minutes, then the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7). Each success may be used to boost one of the following Attributes by one dot for the rest of the scene: Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Charisma, Perception or Wits. The successes may be distributed as the Bagheera wishes, and can raise Attributes beyond five dots. Multiple uses of this Gift do not stack.

Level Three

Eye of the Cobra

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: With an unearthly stare, the werewolf can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.

Weak Arm

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.

System:The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.

Level Four

The Paradox of Time

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The werecat shows her target a dizzying and nonlinear view of the vast sweep of time, producing sickness and confusion rather than enlightenment.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. For each success, the subject becomes disoriented for two turns, suffering a –3 penalty to all dice pools. Mages with any dots in the Time Sphere are immune to this Gift.

Level Five

Shiva’s Might

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 87

Description: The mightiest of wereleopards may change into a Juddho form reminiscent of Shiva the Destroyer. In a burst of holy light, the Bastet becomes a 12-foot-tall, six-armed Crinos-werecat wielding mystical flaming weapons, which lays waste to everything around it until nothing moves.

System: The player spends two Rage points and two Gnosis points. The Bagheera springs into Juddho form and enters an indiscriminate killing frenzy. This form persists for (Bastet’s permanent Rage) turns. After the transformation ends, the Bastet loses all Rage, assumes his breed form and falls asleep for four hours. The Juddho form’s traits are: Strength +6, Dexterity +3, Stamina +6, Appearance 0, and its weapons inflict Strength + 4 aggravated damage.

[+/-] Balam Gifts

Balam Gifts

Level One

Hunter’s Mists - As the Black Fury Gift: Curse of Aeolus

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through her own fog with no difficulty. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player makes a Gnosis roll, with the difficulty depending on humidity and closeness to a body of water (a lake shore might be difficulty 4, while a desert would be 9). Those other than the Fury who are enveloped in fog lose half of their dice on all Perception rolls (rounded up). All those enveloped within the fog also lose one die from all Willpower rolls, save the Fury and her packmates.

Storm of Pests - As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Scent of Sweet Honey.

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.

Level Two

Pathfinder

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The werewolf can strike implausible trails through pristine wilderness and the urban jungle alike, locating the fasted and shortest routes from one place to another. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Survival (for wilderness) or Streetwise (for urban environments) against difficult 7. The number of successes equals the quality of the path she blazes and how much she decreases her travel time. Every success reduces travel time by approximately 10 percent, up to a maximum of half the original travel time. The difficulty of any rolls to track the werewolf increase by two when this Gift is active; this decrease is cumulative with other similar effects, such as Scent of Running Water.

Terrors - As the Ahroun Gift: True Fear.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).

Level Three

Ancestral Wings - As the Black Fury Gift: Wings of Pegasus.

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Fury can sprout majestic wings when in Hispo form, allowing her to fly at will. An avatar of Pegasus teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to produce wings capable of 50 miles per hour (80 kph) flight, which last until dismissed. Fine flying maneuvers require a Dexterity + Athletics roll at a difficulty determined by the Storyteller.

Wandering Forest - As the Red Talon Gift: Trackless Waste.

W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Talon calls upon the spirits of the wilderness to mislead and confuse any who invade her home. Humans and other travelers are confounded by this Gift, with even skilled survivalists and hikers soon becoming hopelessly lost. Even werewolves are not wholly immune to its effects. Any wilderness spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Gift affects up to a two mile (3.2 km) radius per success. Humans automatically fail at all attempts to navigate such an afflicted wilderness. Other werewolves can roll Perception + Primal Urge; if they score more successes than the Talon, they are able to navigate normally. Those led by the Talon herself through the domain remain unaffected. This Gift lasts until the sun next rises.

Level Four

Vision Cloud

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: By calling to the spirits of the air and the plants, the Balam can conjure the Vision Cloud, a swirling fog that wraps itself through the area, bringing mystic insights to those who seek them — and those who do not.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a Manipulation + Enigmas roll (difficulty 5). An area 50 feet in diameter fills up with a misty cloud that bestows visions to those that breathe it. The content of the visions are left up to the Storyteller, but should generally foreshadow possible future events or reveal lost lore.

Level Five

Feed the Gods

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

'Description: The Balam can rip out the heart of an enemy from a distance, pull it to his hand, and consume it in a burst of fire.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) and spends two Gnosis points. If the werejaguar’s successes amount to at least twice the target’s dots in Stamina, the target dies. Supernatural toughness (such as a vampire’s Fortitude) subtracts two successes for every dot or level of protection.

[+/-] Bubasti Gifts

Bubasti Gifts

Level One

Alms to the Poor

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The werecat may summon up a small bit of money or food, generally to give to a beggar. If the cat uses the “alms” for himself, he’s left with a bitter taste in his mouth and greasy palms.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to create a handful of food or a few coins in the local currency (never more than a few dollars’ worth by local standards).

Scholar’s Friend

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Bubasti may read any scroll, tablet or book placed in front of him, no matter what language it’s in. Coded messages remain written in code.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Two

Dreamspeak

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.

Spirit Barrier — As the homid Gift: Spirit Ward.

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Three

Banish Cahlash’s Brood

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: By calling upon the Father of Dark Spirits, a Bubasti may command Wyrmish spirits to depart. Each time the Bubasti does so, his fur grows a deeper shade of black and his actions become more... erratic. Sense Wyrm detects a faint trace of Wyrm-taint on the Bastet for a week afterward.

System: The player spend a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against a difficulty of the higher of the spirit’s Rage or Gnosis. Each success removes three points of the spirit’s Essence. Botching the roll inflicts an immediate derangement of the Storyteller’s choice.

The Many Tongues of Ptah — As the homid Gift: Speech of the World.

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Level Four

Arms of Darkness — As the Uktena Gift: Coils of the Serpent.

W20 Core, pg 197, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Uktena calls forth dark tentacles of mist or fog that wrap around enemies and hold them in a vise-like grip. Each coil is 30 feet long and possesses the same Physical characteristics as the werewolf who summons them. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 7. Each success causes a single coil to emerge from the air at a point within 100 feet (30 m) of the Uktena. The player must use a turn's concentration and a Dexterity + Brawl roll to aim the tentacles. The coils focus on a single target, unless the player makes attack rolls against multiple targets, with the normal penalties for multiple actions. The coils only bind; they cant inflict damage. To break free, the victim must first make a Strength roll, (difficulty 7); if his successes exceeds the number of coils entangling him, he struggles free. The tentacles last until the end of the scene, or until dismissed, whichever is sooner.

Level Five

Shadow Brethren — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Shadow Pack.

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The werewolf summons up shadowy duplicates of himself to stand by him in battle. These shadow-wolves resemble the Shadow Lord and share some of his capabilities. A night spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8) and spends a number of Gnosis points. One shadow-duplicate appears for each point spent. These duplicates have the same Attributes and Abilities as the Garou, but not his fetishes and may not use Gifts, Gnosis or Willpower. Each has only one health level. The duplicates fade at the end of the scene.

[+/-] Ceilican Gifts

Ceilican Gifts

Level One

Faerie Light

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Fianna conjures a small, bobbing sphere of light. It's no brighter than a torch, but that's usually enough to light the werewolf's way - or lead foes into an ambush. A marsh spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The light can appear anywhere within the Garou's line of sight, and bobs at about 10 feet (3 m) per turn if bidden to do so. It lasts for the rest of the scene.

Satyr’s Wisdom

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Ceilican can play any musical instrument as if he’d been reared with it in his hands.

System: The character permanently adds three dice to all attempts to perform with a musical instrument.

Level Two

Banish Burning — As the homid Gift: Master of Fire.

W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Sorcerer’s Blade

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The werecat may enchant an edged weapon so that it becomes supernaturally potent.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6). Success enables the weapon to inflict aggravated damage until the next sunrise.

Level Three

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Fianna can call upon ancient pacts between her people and the fae. By emitting a special howl, the werewolf can call whatever fae are in the area to help. They will obey the Fianna, but not without question. A dream spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends at least one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). Spending more Gnosis increases the raw power of the faeries who respond, while more successes on the roll means that more faeries answer. When used on Earth, this Gift most commonly calls dream spirits known as chimera, though with higher Gnosis expenditures changelings or their dark-kin cousins may appear; true fae answer the summons only in appropriate Umbral realms.

Phantasm

W20 Core, pg 180

Description: The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.

Level Four

Gift of Dreams

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Galliard crafts a dream, then breathes it into a sleeping individual. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to craft the dream; more successes allows for more vivid and impactful dreams. To ensure that an individual experiences this dream, the Galliard must breathe it into the target's mouth while they sleep. The player spends a Gnosis point to complete the Gift. Dreams crafted with this Gift are often unusually vivid and dramatic, often leaving even lifelong skeptics convinced that they hold some deep meaning.

Small Cousin

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The Ceilican gains the ability to shapeshift into a house cat. While not terribly useful physically, this form is very unobtrusive.

System: This Gift grants a permanent alternative option when shifting into feline form. Housecat form effectively has Strength and Stamina 1, and grants +2 Dexterity.

Level Five

The Madness of Crowds — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Riot.

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: The werewolf summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Goft plays on the hatred and fear of the down and outs of the city: the poor, the homeless, immigrants, and others the citizenry would rather not acknowledge. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a limited degree. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice - though things tend to escalate and spin out of control easily. The riot engulfs an area with a radius of one mile per success rolled.

[+/-] Khan Gifts

Khan Gifts

Level One

Rhino’s Favor

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 88

Description: By calling on the spirit of the rhino, the Khan may grow a horn on her skull. Although unsightly, this protrusion makes for a fine weapon.

System: The player spends a Rage point to grow the horn. It lasts for one scene, and may be used to gore opponents for Strength + 2 aggravated damage. The attack is difficulty 7.

Skin of Jade

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: Willing himself solid, the Khan’s skin obtains the hardness of jade.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and gains two additional dice to his soak rolls for the rest of the scene.

Level Two

Heart of Fury

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Garou steels himself against anger, suppressing his Rage and creating a mental wall to hold back the tide of righteous fury that threatens to drown him. the anger always returns, however, and the Garou had best be ready to pay its bill. A boar spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty equals the character's permanent Rage). Every two successes add +1 to the character's frenzy difficulties for the scene, making it harder to frenzy. When the scene ends, past slights and injuries come rushing back to haunt the werewolf, refilling his heart and soul. He must spend one Willpower point or make an immediate frenzy check at regular difficulty.

Ricepaper Walk

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: By attuning his inner energies, the Khan can walk across a light or fragile surface without disturbing it, no matter what shape he wears.

System: The player rolls Gnosis, difficulty 6. For a (successes x 3) turns, the Khan exerts no more weight on the surface she stands on than a scrap of paper.

Level Three

Asuras’ Bane - As the Bubasti Gift: Banish Cahlash’s Brood. The weretiger’s fur turns white with use, rather than black.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: By calling upon the Father of Dark Spirits, a Bubasti may command Wyrmish spirits to depart. Each time the Bubasti does so, his fur grows a deeper shade of black and his actions become more... erratic. Sense Wyrm detects a faint trace of Wyrm-taint on the Bastet for a week afterward.

System: The player spend a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas against a difficulty of the higher of the spirit’s Rage or Gnosis. Each success removes three points of the spirit’s Essence. Botching the roll inflicts an immediate derangement of the Storyteller’s choice.

Paws of the Raging Spirit Tiger

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description:By channeling his chi through this Gift, the Khan wreaths his paws or hands in crackling spirit power. Thus fortified, the weretiger can rip through enemies in the spirit world without stepping sideways, so long as he can see them.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point, and enjoys the Gift’s effects for six turns.

Level Four

Dragonroar

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: Bellowing like a thunderclap, the Khan breathes a ball of fire onto his foes.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points. The fireball is aimed with Dexterity + Brawl, and inflicts Ferocity levels of aggravated damage. In subsequent turns the target continues to burn for half the damage suffered the previous turn (round down), until the flames gutter out.

Level Five

Heaven Thunder Hammer

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Ddescription: Channeling the power of Heaven itself, the Khan strikes out with a shockwave-blow that shatters walls and splinters trees.

System: The player spends three Rage and makes a Strength + Primal-Urge roll (difficulty 3) to hit everything within 10 feet directly in front of the weretiger. The attack adds the Khan’s Ferocity to its damage dice.

[+/-] Pumonca Gifts

Pumonca Gifts

Level One

Mockingbird’s Mirror As the Corax Gift: Voice of the Mimic.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Corax may perfectly mimic any voice or sound she has ever heard. A mynah-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Wanderer’s Boon

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The werecat can endure any hardship as he wanders Gaia’s face.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Survival, difficulty 6. Each success allows him one of the following benefits: ignore the worst effects of normal heat and cold for a week, go one day without water, or go three days without food. The difficulty of the Gift rises by 1 each time it is repeated in succession.

Level Two

Speak with Wind Spirits

W20 Core, pg 200, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Wendigo may call upon wind spirits for knowledge and guidance. She can ask them one question, which must concern the immediate area (wind spirits have short attention spans). A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Upon learning this Gift, the Garou can automatically speak with wind spirits while in the Umbra. To ask a question in the physical world, the player must roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 8). The number of successes reflects the accuracy of the information. If no wind spirits are present (such as indoors, where the air is still and stagnant) this Gift cannot function.

Spirit of the Fish

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The werewolf can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Any fish spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effect lasts one hour per success.

Level Three

Bayou’s Embrace — As the Red Talon Gift: Quicksand.

W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Garou turns the ground into a sticky morass that catches foes and prevents them from escaping or even walking. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficult 7). Success changes the ground into a quicksand-like bog for a ten foot (3 m) radius; each additional success extends the radius of the morass an additional 10 feet (3 m). Anyone trying to move through it, save for the Garou and her pack, moves at half walking speed, and may not execute combat maneuvers that require overland movement. Additionally, all other combat maneuvers take a +1 difficulty penalty. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

Thunderbolt

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: So long as even a single cloud hangs in the sky, the werecougar may call down a lightning bolt to strike her foes.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Survival to aim it (difficulty 8 in relatively clear conditions, difficulty 6 during a storm). The bolt inflicts (Cunning) dice of lethal damage.

Level Four

Call Elemental

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Garou is able to call one of the four classic elementals to his aid (earth, air, fire, or water). An elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty is equal to the area's Gauntlet). She must then roll Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7) to make the summoned elemental amenable to helping her. The elemental vanishes at the end of the scene.

Level Five

Thunderbird’s Cry As the Hakken Gift: Divine Wind.

W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Hakken can call forth a powerful storm in a designated area. The storm uproots trees and overturns cars in its fury. An ancestor spirit or a servant of Narukami, Lord of Thunder, teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Enigmas (difficulty 7) and spends a minimum of one Rage point. Each success equals a one mile (1.6 km) radius for the storm. Each Rage point spent adds a success and, therefore, increases the size of the storm, which lasts for no more than one scene.

[+/-] Qualmi Gifts

Qualmi Gifts

Level One

Breakfast of Stones As the Pumonca Gift: Wanderer’s Boon.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The werecat can endure any hardship as he wanders Gaia’s face.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Survival, difficulty 6. Each success allows him one of the following benefits: ignore the worst effects of normal heat and cold for a week, go one day without water, or go three days without food. The difficulty of the Gift rises by 1 each time it is repeated in succession.

Turned Fur — As the Wendigo Gift: Camouflage, save that the Qualmi must discard any clothing and equipment before activating the Gift.

W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, the better to evade enemies or prepare ambushes. A deer spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties to spot the Garou in the wilderness increase by three.

Level Two

No Hidden Thing

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: By reading the riddles of the world as mystic patterns, the Qualmi can discover answers that aren’t immediately obvious to lesser beings. It’s hard to hide things from a lynx!

System: The character permanently adds three dice to all Enigmas rolls.

Wind From the West

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Qualmi presents a series of high-speed riddles designed to tie a victim’s mind in knots.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty equals the target’s Willpower). Success scrambles the target’s sense of direction and relationship; three or more successes send the target into a panic, forcing Changing Breeds to check for frenzy and normal humans to flee in terror. Shapeshifters who have the option succumb to fox frenzy as a result of this Gift. The Gift’s effects last for 15 minutes.

Level Three

Song of the Earth Mother

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to sense the presence of supernatural activity within a broad area. Essentially, the Garou communes with the earth and listens to what it says. The Gift is taught by an earth spirit.

System: The user spends 10 minutes communing with the earth, during which time she may take no other actions. The player then spends two Gnosis points and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). Success indicates that the earth tells her about any supernatural presence within an area of 100 yards (91 m) per success. While the Gift doesn't offer specific information about the being or beings detected, it does indicate whether or not the presence is Wyrm tainted.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Level Four

Chill of Early Frost

W20 Core, pg 201, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The werewolf calls down a mystical chill from Great Wendigo himself, freezing the surrounding land and anyone in it. A spirit servant of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The playing spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies; 4 if it is already winter, 6 for spring, 9 for summer). Success drops the temperature a bit below freezing in a five mile (8 km) radius, or even further below zero if it was already winter. All creatures without a natural coat of fur lose two dice from all pools. This Gift wreaks particular havoc in urban environments as pipes burst and roads freeze. This Gift lasts for one day per success.

Level Five

Water’s Vision

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: The Qualmi can see through barriers to glimpse what lies beyond.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge against a difficulty of the local Gauntlet. The Qualmi can see through all solid objects for 100 feet per success — all things seem transparent and ephemeral.

[+/-] Simba Gifts

Simba Gifts

Level One

Majesty As the Rokea Gift: King Fish.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89 and 203

Description: This Gift allows the Dimwater to command the respect of others. A shark spirit teaches it.

System: The Rokea permanently adds one die to Leadership and Intimidation rolls.

Submit' — As the Black Fury Gift: Kneel.

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89

Description: By pointing a finger or claw at a target, a Fury can force him to his knees. Only the strongest willed can do anything but strain and swear in response. This Gift is taught by one of Pegasus's brood.

System: The Fury rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the subject's Willpower). Her target falls to his knees unless he spends a Gnosis point to resist the Gift's effects (other supernatural beings may spend their own form of mystic energy, such as blood or quintessence, but mortals remain helpless). The target kneels for one turn per success.

Level Two

Armor of Kings — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Luna’s Armor.

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Child of Gaia invokes the moon's sacred power. Her body is briefly wreathed in a shimmer of moonlight, granting her Luna's protection. This Gift is taught by a Lune.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 6). Each success allows the Garou to add one die to his soak pools. These dice, and these dice alone, may even be rolled to soak damage from silver. The benefit lasts for one scene.

Heart of Storms — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Might of Thor.

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.

Sun Claws

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Simba’s claws and fangs burn with an intense, smokeless golden flame.

System: The werelion spends a turn igniting his fury and the player spends one Rage point. For the rest of the scene, the Simba’s claw and fang attacks inflict two additional points of damage; used against vampires, these attacks inflict levels rather than dice of aggravated damage. However, the difficulty to regenerate while this Gift is active is raised by 1.

Level Three

Coup de Grace

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Garou finds the point of her foe's greatest weakness - and strikes at it. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty of the target's Stamina + Athletics). If successful, the player doubles her damage dice on the Garou's next successful attack.

Wrath of Kings — As the Silver Fang Gift: Wrath of Gaia.

W20 Core, pg 194, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The werewolf shows himself in full, terrible glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou during the rest of the scene must either roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes, or flee in terror.

Level Four

King of Beasts' — As the Philodox Gift, save that it affects all animals within 300 feet.

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.

Level Five

Obedience

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceeds the Garou's successes, or they succumb to the Gift's effects. If the werewolf wins by one success, targets follow any orders that don't directly inconvenience them. Three successes cause the targets to treat the Lord as their alpha and fight for her. Five successes make the targets follow her into the Abyss or perform virtually suicidal actions. This Gift's effects last for one full day.

[+/-] Swara Gifts

Swara Gifts

Level One

Blissful ignorance

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Speed of Thought

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

Level Two

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Walking Between Worlds — As the Level Four general Bastet Gift. Swara alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift. This is one of their most closely-guarded secrets.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 86 and 90

Description: The Bastet may step sideways as Garou do.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Three

Messenger's Fortitude

W20 Core, pg 192, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Strider can run at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water. When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day. A camel or wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. Doing anything other than running ends the Gift. Others may be granted the Messenger's Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis point per additional runner.

Speed Beyond Thought

W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The werewolf can run at 10 times his normal land speed. The effects last for up to eight hours, during which the Strider can do nothing but concentrate on running. When the Gift's effects end, the werewolf must eat immediately or face frenzy from hunger. A cheetah or air spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift.

Level Four

Ghost Caress

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The Swara may use sympathetic magic to send sensations across a distance. Although the magic can’t physically harm its target, it can drive him mad as phantom pains or pleasures wash over him without apparent cause.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Gnosis. At short range (within a mile) the difficulty is 7, while at maximum range (50 miles) the difficulty is 9. The Swara selects another person in her presence to act as her ’focus.’ Whatever she does to the ’focus,’ the target feels. This Gift’s effects last for one turn per success.

Level Five

River of Blood

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 90

Description: The soil of Africa has been bathed in blood for tens of thousands of years. With this Gift, a Swara calls that spilled blood together through the soil and gives it form, creating a pool, a river, a mass of tentacles, or a variety of other things.

System: The player spends a Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7, or 5 for a notable site of bloodshed). It takes a three turns for the blood to coalesce; once it does, it will assume any form the Swara demands. All forms have Strength and health levels equal to twice the successes rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Bastet Rites

Many Bastet rites mimic those of the Garou in effect, if not in form. As solitary creatures, Bastet are particularly fond of Mystic rites that may be performed alone.

Cat Calls

Level One, Accord (Cha + Rituals vs 7)

The Bastet tend to be solitary, but like to know what other werecats are up to. This rite is one way of keeping each other informed. With it a werecat enciphers his message into the seemingly random movements of nature. Other Bastet who see similar patterns will know the meaning within them. Some Bastet use this rite with non-natural movements, such as the flow of vehicles in heavy traffic or the turning of a ceiling fan.

System: The rite-master meditates, bringing the thoughts he wishes to share clearly to his mind and opens his eyes to the movements around him. For each success when activating the rite, the Bastet may place a message in a type of movement — the swirling of long grass, the swaying of tree leaves, or even the shifting shapes of clouds. The message can be anything that could be imparted in about a minute’s speech.

Other Bastet around the world who see similar movements can decipher the message by making a Wits + Enigmas roll. The difficulty of the roll is based on how close the watcher is to the rite-master — difficulty 5 for within up to 100 miles, difficulty 6 for 1000 miles, difficulty 7 on the same continent, difficulty 8 for anywhere else in the world.

Gifts

Corax possess no breed, auspice or tribe Gifts - They have only a unified Corax list. Homids may begin with the three Gifts selected from among Enemy Ways, Morse, Open Seal, Persuasion, Spirit Speech, Voice of the Mimic, and Word Beyond. Corvids may begin with three Gifts selected from among Enemy Ways, Raven's Gleaning, Scent of the True Form, Spirit Speech, Truth of Gaia, Voice of the Mimic and Word Beyond.


Corax Gifts

[+/-] Level One

Level One

Enemy Ways

Changing Breeds 20, p 99

Description: The Corax gains an acute and accurate danger sense. This Gift is taught by one of Grandfather Thunder's Stormcrows.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge, difficulty 7. Success grants knowledge of the number and nature of hostile enemies within (Wisdom x 20) yards, with more successes granting clearer information.

Morse

Changing Breeds 20, p 99

Description: By tapping out his message onto a nearby hard surface, a Corax can make sure that someone out there gets his message. This Gift is taught by a machine spirit.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point, ensuring that the nearest Corax will hear (and understand) the message clearly. With a difficulty 8 Wits + Expression roll, the message can instead be directed to the nearest Gaian shapeshifter of any breed.

Open Seal

Changing Breeds 20, p 99 - As the Ragabash Gift; W20 Core, p 161

Description: The Corax can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spend a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Persuasion

Changing Breeds 20, p 99 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 153

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the next scene and allows successful rolls to have an uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Raven's Gleaning

Changing Breeds 20, p 99

Description: The Corax may tell, at a glance, whether or not a shiny object is worth obtaining. A raven spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis, bestowing instinctive knowledge of whether or not a specific object the Corax can perceive is of value (this may indicate financial or practical value, or that it will be in some way useful in the future - the Corax doesn't know which).

Scent of the True Form

Changing Breeds 20, p 99 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 166

Description: The Corax is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Corax can smell Kinfolk or a fellow Corax automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Corax that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".

Spirit Speech

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Theurge Gift; W20 Core, p 164

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Corax to clearly understand and speak with any spirit she encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the Corax in any way nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach this gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Truth of Gaia

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Philodox Gift; W20 Core, p 166

Description: Corax may easily separate truth from falsehood. A Gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind the lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Voice of the Mimic

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: The Corax may perfectly mimic any voice or sound she has ever heard. A mynah spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Word Beyond

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: This Gift allows the Corax to create a message out of any available materials while in the Umbra, which can be instinctively understood by other wereravens. One of Coyote's brood teaches this gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to create a marker out of nearby Umbral materials. The number of successes indicates the complexity of the message that can be encrypted into the marker; one success would suffice for simple concepts such as "danger" or "safe haven," while five successes could convey complex concepts equivalent to a short essay. Non-Corax cannot read these markers.

[+/-] Level Two

Level Two

Carrion's Call

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: This Gift helps Corax execute their duties with regard to the slain, leading them to fresh corpses. It is taught by a vulture spirit.

System: The player may roll Perception + Empathy (difficulty 6). The Corax becomes aware of all cadavers within (successes rolled) miles.

Messenger's Fortitude

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Silent Strider Gift, but enabling flight rather than running; W20 Core, p 192

Description: The Corax can fly at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water. When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day. A camel or wolf spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. Doing anything other than flying ends the Gift. Others may be granted the Messenger's Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis for each additional flyer.

Razor Feathers

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: The Corax's wing feathers become hard and sharp as steel. This Gift is taught by a steel spirit and only functions when the wereraven is in Crinos.

System:" The player spends a point of Gnosis, enabling Wing Swipe maneuvers for the rest of the scene (see Wing Swipe, p 214)

Sky's Beneficence

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: The Corax can accurately drop a package of any sort onto a target from any altitude she can reach. Whether the package is a letter, hand grenade, or a more... natural... offering is up to the wereraven. Any aerial spirit can teach this gift.

System: The Corax aims the dropped package with Perception + Melee (difficulty 7), regardless of inclement conditions, crosswinds, etc. The Corax must be able to see her target.

Speech of the World

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the homid Gift; W20 Core, p 154

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's messengers to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Corax may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Swallow's Return

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: This Gift will safely carry a Corax home, even when she doesn't know where 'home' is. A swallow spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends a Gnosis. The Corax flies to the place she truly considers 'home' on autopilot, without any conscious awareness of the path she takes; she may even do so while healing or sleeping.

Taking the Forgotten

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Ragabash Gift; W20 Core, p 162

Description: A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from the target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this gift.

System: After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

Whisper Catching

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Shadow Lord Gift; W20 Core, p 189

Description: What good purpose could there be to keep secrets from Gaia's messengers? This Gift allows the Corax to supernaturally eavesdrop on whispered conversations - what she does with the information learned is, of course, up to her own conscience. A crow or a bat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower. For the rest of the scene, all whispers within 200 feet are fully audible to the Shadow Lord as though they had been spoken clearly just next to her.

Wire Sitter

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Ragabash Gift: Spider's Song; W20 Core, p 161

Description: The Corax can steal messages from the Weaver's web, plucking them from the air or eavesdropping as they race through telephone lines. The Corax must be aware that a conversation is happening to listen in on it (though she doesn't have to know who's on the other end of the line). For conversations across land lines, the Corax must place her ear against a telephone pole or cord; to listen in on a cell phone discussion (or even to intercept a text message), she needs only be able to see one of the phones being used. Spider and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. She listens in on the conversation (or receives mental translations of text messages) for as long as she keeps her ear to the line or keeps the cell phone user in sight.

[+/-] Level Three

Level Three

Dead Talk

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: Sometimes a dead man's last vision just isn't enough. This Gift allows the Corax to interrogate a recently deceased (no more than 24 hours dead) corpse. It is taught by a vulture spirit.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). The number of successes determines how talkative the corpse is willing to be.

Eyes of the Eagle

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: The Corax's keen eyes easily pierce fog, smoke, clouds, darkness - anything short of a solid object. Eagle spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to enjoy this Gift's benefits for a scene. Adding a Willpower point extends the duration until the sun next rises.

Hummingbird Dart

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: The Corax plucks one of her own feathers and hurls it like a dart. A hummingbird spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, she may make Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 5) attacks out to 50 feet away, with (Dexterity + 3) base lethal damage. With Razor Feathers active, this damage is aggravated. This Gift can only be used in Corvid and Crinos form.

Mynah's Touch

Changing Breeds 20, p 100

Description: The Corax "borrows" knowledge of a single Garou Gift. Mynah spirits teach this Gift.

System: The layer spends two Gnosis points, gaining knowledge of any Garou Gift of lower rank than the Corax. The Gift may then be used at any point afterward - once. Mynah's Touch can only 'store' one Gift at a time. In the case of permanent Gifts, the Corax may enjoy the Gift's benefits for one scene before it vanishes.

Scrying

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the Uktena Gift; W20 Core, p 198

Description: The Corax may view events elsewhere by staring into a reflective surface. Many supernatural beings, particularly those capable of scrying themselves, know defenses against this gift. A fly spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 10 unless the Corax possesses an item belonging to the person or place being viewed, in which case the difficulty is 8). The Corax may view everything that happens in that area for the rest of the scene.

Sense the Unnatural

Changing Breeds 20, p 100 - As the lupus Gift; W20 Core, p 159

Description: The Corax can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it won't pick them out specifically as such. A Corax may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse meat, or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Sun's Guard

Changing Breeds 20, p 100-101

Description: Given to his children by Raven after their great misadventure with Helios, this Gift protects Corax from heat and flames. An avatar of Raven teaches it.

System: The player spends two points of Rage and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Corax is completely immune to flames and heat, no matter their source or intensity, for one turn per success. She remains vulnerable to balefire.

[+/-] Level Four

Level Four

Attunement

Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the Silent Strider Gift; W20 Core, p 193 - As the Bone Gnawer Gift, but when learned, the Corax must decide whether the gift functions in the city or the wilderness. The "city" version is identical to the Bone Gnawer Gift; the "wilderness" version is similar, but the roll required is Perception + Survival; p 176

Description: When choosing this gift, the Corax must choose between the "city" version or the "wilderness" version. If "city" is chosen, the wereraven may commune with the spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. If "wilderness" is chosen, it gives similar information. A rat spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends on point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6) if "city" or Perception + Survival (difficulty 6) if "wilderness". The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Airt Sense

Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the spirit Charm; W20 Core, p 366

Description: The Corax has a natural sense of the "airts" (directions) of the spirit world, and can travel about without much difficulty. The Corax can create or find spirit tracks at will.

System: The player rolls Gnosis to locate a particular place or individual in the Umbra. Even Corax aren't infallible, and a botch can lead them to an unforgiving Realm.

Blood Feather Storm

Changing Breeds 20, p 101

Description: Particularly favored by the Tengu of Asia, this Gift causes the wereraven's feathers to rain down on everyone beneath him in a deadly razor storm. This Gift is taught by a monsoon or hurricane spirit.

System: The Tengu must be in the air when using this Gift. The player spends three Gnosis and two Rage as his action for the turn. The feather storm causes Dexterity + 4 dice of lethal damage to everything beneath the Tengu within a 15 foot radius. Those caught in the storm must roll three successes on a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8) to avoid this damage. If Razor Feathers is active, this damage is aggravated.

Flight of Separation

Changing Breeds 20, p 101

Description: When the Corax can't outrun an enemy, confusion is the best stratagem. The Corax explodes into an entire murder of ravens, which take off in all directions - but only one is the true wereraven. An avatar of raven teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points. Enemies must make a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty 3 + wereraven's Honor, maximum 9) to determine which bird is the original. The fake Ravens created by this Gift vanish when the sun next rises; until then, they continue to fly as far and as fast as the Corax could.

Gauntlet Runner

Changing Breeds 20, p 101

Description: The corax may pass quickly and easily through the Gauntlet. Any Wyld spirit can teach this Gift.

System: A roll of Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8) lowers the Gauntlet within 20 yards by one point for every 2 successes for the rest of the scene.

Kiss of Helios

Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the Ahroun Gift; W20 Core, p 172

Description: The Corax can invoke the sun's power to gain immunity to flame. Additionally, she may ignite any portion of her body and keep it burning as she desires. Corax with this Gift are as likely to light their tail or wing feathers to honor the sun during rituals as they are to ignite their talons or beaks in battle. A fire elemental or sun spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character is unharmed by any natural source of flames or heat. Artificial (napalm, gas fires, etc.) and supernatural flames can inflict no more than a single level of bashing damage during a turn. The character inflicts two additional dice of aggravated damage with burning attacks.

[+/-] Level Five

Level Five

Deceptive Demise

Changing Breeds 20, p 101

Description: The Corax uses this Gift to fake her death and distract her enemies. She disappears in a feathery cloud, leaving behind only a bit of blood and ash - but no body. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and one lethal health level. The character immediately steps sideways when this Gift is used.

Portents

Changing Breeds 20, p 101

Description: The wereraven may look into the future. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8), then asks for a vision of the future with regard to a certain subject. More successes grant greater clarity.

Theft of Stars

Changing Breeds 20, p 101

Description: This Gift renders the target completely unable to see any light derived from a natural source (the sun, moon, or stars, as well as any manner of bioluminescence). Victims are reduced to stumbling around in a bizarre twilight, if not absolute darkness. Helios's avatar teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower and Rage, then makes a contested Willpower roll against the victim. If the Corax wins the roll, her victim is immediately plunged into darkness, capable of seeing only artificial light. The effects of Theft of Stars last for the Corax's Glory in hours.

Thieving Talons of the Magpie

Changing Breeds 20, p 101 - As the Ragabash Gift, which the Corax originally taught to the Garou; W20 Core, p 163

Description: The Corax can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued may be exempt, at the Storyteller's discretion). Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty the target's Willpower). If successful, the Corax steals the targeted power, depriving its owner of its use. Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Corax who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2). The Corax may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn. The wereraven's Gnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Corax must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!"). This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.

Rites

Eyes of the Flock

Level Two, Mystic

The Corax using this rite can use the eyes of other corvids to see everything.

System: When the rite is successfully performed, the rite master and any other participants can see through the eyes of every raven, crow, rook, and other corvid within (Gnosis) miles. The sensory load is enormous but can be shared among the participants. The Corax leading the rite rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 9, -1 for every two additional participants) to sift through the overwhelming visual input to find what she is looking for.

Rite of the Sun's Bright Ray

Level Two, Mystic

After twenty minutes of somber dancing and chanting prayers to Helios, the Corax brings the light of the sun into the world. Helios's warm radiance blooms into life around the Corax - even in the dead of night, deep underground, or in the middle of a vampire-owned nightclub.

System: The rite has no cost. The player makes a standard Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7). The borrowed sunlight shines out from the point where the Corax stands at the conclusion of the rite, illuminating everything within a 20 yard (20 meter) radius. It lasts one hour per success on the activation roll, and persists even if the Corax leaves the area.

Rite of the Fetish Egg

Level Two, Mystic

The most important of all Corax rites, the Rite of the Fetish Egg births new wereravens into the world. The binding requires a feather or hair from the "parent" with which to bind the spirit egg to the Corax-to-be. If anything happens to the egg or the binding before the First Change, the results are spiritually and psychologically devastating.

System: This rite can only be performed in the Umbra, and requires a witness of the breed opposite that of the Corax "parent." The Corax spends three hours and three permanent Gnosis creating the spirit egg, then another hour binding it to the soul for which it is intended. If the rite is interrupted at any point, the Gnosis is lost and the rite fails.

Rite of Memory Theft

Level Four, Punishment

This rite is reserved for only the greatest of all Corax screw-ups. It requires a small, empty wooden box, preferably painted with scenes from the target's life. At least three Corax, including the one performing the rite, must surround the target (who is generally bound or subdued). The box is then opened and a litany of the victim's deeds is sung. As each event is named, the memories of that moment fly from the victim into the box, along with all associated memories, until the victim's mind is emptied of everything beyond their First Change. The rite is all-or-nothing - it cannot be used to excise only specific memories.

The ritemaster must then seal and crush the box, at which point all of the memories contained within become his.

System: This rite costs a point each of Gnosis, Willpower, and Rage, and lasts for as long as it takes to sing away the deeds of the victim. It also requires a contested Willpower roll (difficulty 8) between the ritemaster and the victim, though each additional Corax present lowers the ritemaster's difficulty by 1, to a minimum of 3. This rite may only be used on other Corax.

Fetishes

uPhone

Level Three, Gnosis 8

The Corax claim to have invented this fetish - in truth, they stole a prototype from a Glass Walker and they quickly improved upon the design. The fetish is made from a normal smartphone with a Chimerling bound within. The uPhone works as a normal smartphone anywhere on earth, without charging the wereraven for calls or data use. When activated it can call other uPhones regardless of distance, even between Umbral realms or across the Gauntlet.

Gifts

Gurahl begin play with three Gifts, one each from breed, auspice (Arcas, usually) and the general Gurahl Gift list.

General Gurahl Gifts

[+/-] General Gurahl Gifts

Level One

Desperate Strength

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 114

Description: The werewolf calls on desperate reserves for a sudden surge of strength. A badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When rolling a Feat of Strength (see W20 Core, pg 270), the werewolf may add one die to the roll for each level of bashing damage he willingly accepts as the price of this Gift.

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 114

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Ignore Wounds — As the Philodox Gift: Resist Pain.

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 114

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Nature’s Plenty

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: This Gift allows the Gurahl to always locate sufficient food and medicinal herbs to tend to an individual in need of his ministrations. Regardless of the season, enough of the required plants or herbs may be found, even if they are buried under deep snow or growing in the most unlikely of places. A raven-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Survival, difficulty 7.

Sense Pattern Breaker — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Sentinel’s Warning — As the Ratkin Tunnel Runner Gift: Danger Sense

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115 and 188

Description: When a ship is sinking, the rats leave first. The Tunnel Runner gains an instinctive flash of warning when danger is near. Rat-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The Storyteller warns the character when danger is imminent (though not the nature of the threat) one turn before it appears. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Ursa’s Cleansing — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Resist Toxin.

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).

Wyld Resurgence

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: Bent to Gaia's service, the creative, living essence of the Wyld roars through the Fury's body, shining beneath her skin as a rippling wave of prismatic energy which focuses on and shines out through her wounds. This surge super charges the werewolf's regenerative powers, quickly mending even the most grievous of wounds. A servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.

System: The Fury spends a turn in concentration and the player spends one Gnosis point. The werewolf immediately heals either three levels of bashing damage, or two levels of lethal damage. With the expenditure of a Willpower point in addition to the Gnosis point, one level of aggravated damage may be healed instead. Damage caused by silver weapons cannot be healed with this Gift.

Level Two

Calm

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.

Grisly Aspect — As the Ahroun Gift: True Fear.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).

Roused to Fury — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Para Bellum.

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: Though the Children love life, spring, and all that is good of Gaia, they aren't pacifists; they always stand ready to protect their Mother. The werewolf's Rage bursts forth in a torrent when another breaks the peace she so cherishes. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift may only be used at the beginning of a battle that was not initiated by the Garou, her pack, or her allies. The player spends one point of Rage; for the rest of the scene the character enjoys one additional dot of Strength and Dexterity when attacking the enemy who fired the first shot of any battle, or any character that has inflicted an injury on a member of the Child's pack during the scene.

Treeshake

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: By simply shaking a tree, the Gurahl may procure enough fruits and nuts to feed several people — regardless of what sort of tree is selected, or whether it is in season. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and produces enough food to sate (Succor) individuals.

Level Three

Calm the Savage Beast

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.

Dreams of the Buri-Jaan

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The Gurahl sends dream messages to a known cub she has chosen to mentor. These dreams and visions act as both a summons and a directional guide. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty determined by the distance between the two — difficulty 4 if the cub is within a mile, up to difficulty 9 for a cub over a thousand miles away). Alternately, spending two Gnosis points allows the character to send dreams and visions to an unknown cub actively seeking guidance.

Ease the Fevered Mind — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Lover’s Touch.

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The Garou can restore what another lacks: not only wounds healed, but also strength of will and even spiritual essence. Any spirit of love or an avatar of Unicorn may teach this Gift.

System: The Garou touches the afflicted individual kindly. The two need not be lovers, but the contact must convey affection and warmth - an embrace, a caress, or yet more intimate contact. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Medicine; each success heals one level of bashing or lethal damage, or restores one point of Willpower or Essence (of the target is a spirit). The difficulty is the Rage or Willpower of the target (whichever is higher). The player may choose to divide the successes among multiple results. Alternately, by neither healing wounds nor restoring Willpower or Essence, the Garou may suppress a Derangement for one day per success. This Gift cannot provide permanent relief from such afflictions, but it can act as a start on the road to recovery.

Survival of the Bear — As the Silent Strider Gift: Adaptation.

W20 Core, pg 192, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The Strider takes no damage from poison or disease, and he may exist in any environment, regardless of pressure, temperature, or atmospheric conditions. This Gift doesn't protect the Garou from hazardous situations (such as falling), only hazardous environments. A bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one hour per success.

Level Four

Heart of the Mountain

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The werewolf becomes as untiring and eternal as the mountains, and cannot be defeated in a test of endurance. A mountain goat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou cannot fail any tasks involving Stamina. Torturers can never break him; though he can't breath underwater and his lungs may fill with water, he will not die. The only exception to this is soaking damage. While this Gift is active, the werewolf is guaranteed to always soak at least one level of damage, but otherwise takes damage normally.

Hide the Bear — As the Homid Gift: Bury the Wolf.

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.

Successes Duration
1 One scene
2 12 hours
3 One day
4 One week
5 One lunar cycle

Masking the Hunted

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The Gurahl may use terrain to conceal up to 12 human or bear-sized individuals from pursuers. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 7). The Gurahl may hide up to 12 targets, including himself, for one hour per success.

Level Five

Gaia’s Breath

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: With this legendary Gift, the Gurahl may return a deceased shapeshifter to life. Bear herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point each of permanent Gnosis and Willpower, then rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty 6 + the number of hours since death). Success restores life to the target with one health level restored per success. A botch opens the corpse to possession by a powerful Bane. This Gift may be attempted once and only once on a single creature.

Gentle Soul

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The werebear’s nature as a bringer of comfort and release from pain finally overwhelms the Rage simmering within. A servant of Gaia Herself teaches this Gift.

System: The character is no longer subject to the Curse (see W20 Core, p. 262); her Rage never leaks out to alienate those around her.

Breed Gifts

[+/-] Homid Gifts

Level One

Master of Fire

W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Ursa’s Light

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl may draw down the light of the stars for illumination or a directional beacon. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gurahl reaches toward the sky while the player makes a Charisma + Occult roll (difficulty 6). Success produces a soft light that illuminates a 100’ square area, or sends a directional beacon 100 yards. If he can see either of the constellations Ursa Major or Ursa Minor, the double the affected area.

Level Two

Climate Control

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl can raise or lower the temperature around her. A migratory bird-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge, difficulty 6. Each success allows the player to raise or lower the temperature in the area by 5 degrees.

Dolorous Countenance — As the homid Gift: Staredown.

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.

Level Three

Shape Matter — As the homid Gift: Reshape Object.

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Sense Need

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl can open her senses to discover someone in need or rescue or succor. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Empathy. The number of successes rolled determines how the clarity of the pull she feels toward an individual in need within (Succor) miles, if one exists.

Level Four

Spirit Shield — As the homid Gift: Spirit Ward.

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Ursa’s Coat — As the homid Gift: Cocoon.

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.

Level Five

Fearless Unveiling — As the homid Gift: Part the Veil.

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.

[+/-] Ursine Gifts

Level One

Create Element

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The metis may create a small amount of one of the four Western classical elements - fire, air, earth, or water. She could make a rock to throw, fill a bathtub with no faucet, light fires without matches, or provide air in an airtight room. She cannot create specialized forms of any element. Precious metals (especially silver), lethal gasses, and acid are beyond her reach. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Gnosis. Each success allows the character to create roughly one cubic foot (.3 cubic meter) of the desired element, to a maximum weight of 100 lbs. (45 kg.), anywhere she can see within 60 feet (18 m). The element remains in existence until used up (breathed, in the case of air, or burned up, in the case of fire without any fuel to keep it going). The flames created by this Gift inflict one health level of damage per success, to a maximum of three levels of damage.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Voice of Woe

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl sends out a call of distress. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6). All Gaian shapeshifters within (successes x 5) miles hear the call and know precisely what sort of creature is in trouble, how far away he is, and what direction to head in to get there.

Level Two

Burrow

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.

Weather Watch

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl can accurately predict the weather without any prior knowledge. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gurahl permanently gains five extra dice on Survival rolls to predict the weather.

Level Three

Pull of the Chosen Land

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl can find the shortest, fastest route to his protectorate, regardless of where he is and how he got there.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 7).

Shelter of the Earth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl uses the local landscape as a secure hiding place. So long as the Gurahl doesn’t move more than a few feet per turn and takes no sudden actions, he remains concealed. This Gift is taught by many prey animal spirits that rely on camouflage.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Stealth (difficulty 4). The Gift doesn’t function if no cover is available.

Level Four

Gnaw

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.

Sweet Swarm of Vengeance — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Scent of Sweet Honey.

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.

Level Five

Bear’s Bounty — As the metis Gift: Totem Gift.

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: Metis are Garou from the moment of their birth, and their ties to the spirit that guides their tribe run deep. The metis may plead with her tribal totem for power, with effects varying from tribe to tribe. Rat might send a swarm of rodents to attack the werewolf's enemies, while Grandfather Thunder might send down the lightning to strike aside obstacles and opponents. The potential of this Gift depends on the favor of the totem, and may extend into the miraculous. Only the tribal totem teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7). The greater the number of successes, the more dramatic the aid provided. One success might cause a minor distraction whereas 10 successes could produce volcanic eruptions or country smashing tornadoes.

Call of the Cave Bear — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast.

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

Auspice Gifts

[+/-] Arcas Gifts

The New Moon: This auspice governs a Gurahl from her First Change through her Gallivant and the time with her Buri-Jaan, ending when she experiences her first full battle after leaving her mentor. It is a time period of exploration, of learning, and of questioning.

Level One

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Walk Like a Man

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 116

Description: The Gurahl may leave human footprints or bear prints behind in any form, at his discretion. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Larceny, difficulty 7. This Gift’s effects lasts for one scene.

Level Two

Cajole

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The character uses this Gift to coax another individual into giving her something, such as food, an item, or a service. Bear- or dog-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. The larger the gift or service requested, the more successes needed; five successes will cajole a human into giving up house and home.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Level Three

Safe Passage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Gurahl and those traveling with him may journey without leaving any trace of their passage. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Primal-Urge. Each success beyond the first allows the werebear to include another person in the Gift’s effects. It lasts for one scene.

Trackless Waste

W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Talon calls upon the spirits of the wilderness to mislead and confuse any who invade her home. Humans and other travelers are confounded by this Gift, with even skilled survivalists and hikers soon becoming hopelessly lost. Even werewolves are not wholly immune to its effects. Any wilderness spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). The Gift affects up to a two mile (3.2 km) radius per success. Humans automatically fail at all attempts to navigate such an afflicted wilderness. Other werewolves can roll Perception + Primal Urge; if they score more successes than the Talon, they are able to navigate normally. Those led by the Talon herself through the domain remain unaffected. This Gift lasts until the sun next rises.

Level Four

Favor of Ursa Minor — As the Ragabash Gift: Luna’s Blessing.

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: When Luna stands visible in the night sky, silver ceases to act as a bane to the Garou. Indeed, when the moon waxes full, silver may well turn on those who would wield it against Gaia's children. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: When the moon shows in the sky in a visible phase, the character suffers lethal or bashing damage from silver, rather than aggravated (damage type depends on the form of attack - a silver-headed cane would do bashing damage, while silver bullets inflict lethal damage). Additionally, all attacks against werewolf with silver weapons at this time are considered to roll a 1 in addition to all dice actually rolled - or a pair of 1s during the full moon. The Garou retains his normal vulnerability to silver during the day, on nights of the new moon, and when the moon is below the horizon.

Rejuvenate — As the Black Fury Gift: Breath of the Wyld, save that its effects last for (Succor) days.

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: Furies embrace the energy of creation, and they can share that passion with others. With this Gift, the Black Fury instills a feeling of vitality, life, and lucidity in another living being. It is taught by a servant of Pegasus.

System: The Fury must touch her target's skin. The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 5 against Garou and Kinfolk; difficulty 6 for others). Success grants the recipient a rush of mental vitality - in game terms, one additional die on all Mental rolls for the rest of the scene. It also adds one to the difficulties of any Rage rolls made during the scene.

Level Five

Natural State

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Gurahl may cause a portion of the land to revert to its original wild state: fields reject planted crops, clear-cut areas regain their trees, buildings and their contents lapse into ruin and disappear. This can be used both to restore once-tainted land after cleansing it and to cause chaos directed against despoilers of the wilderness. A glade child teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8). The number of successes determines the degree of reversion the land undergoes in an (Honor x 20) yard radius.

[+/-] Uzmati Gifts

The Full Moon: This auspice governs a Gurahl’s solitary travels and introduces him to his place as a warrior of Gaia. Uzmati Gurahl feel the music of battle in their spirit, preparing them to fight off any threats to their protected lands or creatures. Gurahl who dwell in areas where they must continually fight the Wyrm’s minions sometimes remain in this auspice for years, while others visit it only briefly. At some point, usually after taking a mate or feeling the need for a more settled life, they progress to the next auspice.

Level One

Slash of the Death Bear — As the Ahroun Gift: Razor Claws.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Ultimatum

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: By pitting his will against his opponent’s, the Gurahl may reduce his enemy’s choices down to two options. (“Fight me now or flee like a rabbit!”) A rattlesnake-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a contested Willpower roll (difficulty 6). Success allows the Gurahl to present an enemy with two choices, and the opponent must follow one or the other. The Gurahl cannot make either of these commands suicidal or directly harmful to the opponent, nor may they both amount to slight rewordings of the same action.

Level Two

Mangi’s Strong Arms

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Gurahl squeezes the life from her opponent with this Gift. A bear-spirit or death-spirit teaches it.

System: The Gurahl spends an action in concentration. Then the player spends a Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal-Urge. Each success adds one die to the Gurahl’s damage on his next successful grappling attack.

Threaten

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Gurahl stands up-right and roars, causing her opponents to flee in terror. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower + 2, maximum 9). Three or more successes cause the victim to flee in terror for (Honor) turns; fewer simply induce fear, producing a –1 penalty to all actions for the same duration.

Level Three

Crush

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: This Gift delivers a “bear-hug” from a distance, dispatching enemies without touching them. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may make grapple attacks out to a distance of (Honor) yards, as a permanent capability.

Silver Claws

W20 Core, pg 171, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.

Level Four

Delay the Death Bear’s Coming

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Gurahl or a chosen ward may suffer a heroic amount of damage without dying. A cockroach-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + (Occult or Medicine), difficulty 6. Each success grants the target one additional Incapacitated health level for the rest of the scene. The Gurahl may not use this Gift on herself if she is already Incapacitated.

Strength of the Earth — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Hero’s Stand.

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Get channels the power of Gaia herself, becoming one with the earth upon which he stands. Though he may not retreat or even move from the spot for the duration of the Gift, he gains many powers through Gaia's might. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). Each success grants one extra die to all physical dice pools. In addition, the Garou may not be surprised, and all attacks are considered frontal. The Garou may not move until all foes have been defeated or fled.

Level Five

Rage of the Mother Bear

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The anger of Mother Bear transforms the Gurahl into a whirlwind of furious motion. Ursa Major herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Rituals, difficulty 6. Each success grants the Gurahl one extra action in the next turn, at her full dice pool.

[+/-] Kojubat Gifts

The Gibbous Moon: This auspice guides Gurahl through a period of remembering and learning. In this phase, Gurahl study the lore of the werebear, including history, songs, and stories. Most Gurahl begin their Lifework during this phase of their lives, if they have not already done so. Kojubat Gurahl receive great respect from other Gurahl because they embody the knowledge imparted to the Breed by Gaia Herself.

Level One

Beast Speech

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Stonesight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Gurahl may look through a piece of stone or rock to see its potential or composition. Aside from the obvious benefits for sculptors and builders, the Gift is also useful for uncovering hidden minerals or fossils, as well as identifying stones of mystic significance. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 5) to learn about the stone. The more successes gained, the more in-depth the knowledge.

Level Two

Eyes of the Soul — As the Philodox Gift: Scent of the True Form.

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 117

Description: The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".

Song of Terra

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl may touch the earth and hear what occurred in that spot in the recent past. A hare-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6) and spends a Gnosis point. The Gurahl hears the most significant event to occur on that spot during the last (successes rolled) days.

Level Three

Mind Sight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl may read the surface thoughts of a sentient being. Air-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the subject’s Willpower). This mind-reading lasts for (successes rolled) turns.

Mind to Mind — As the Galliard Gift: Mindspeak.

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.

Level Four

Probe Thoughts

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: This Gift enables the Gurahl to acquire hidden thoughts from an individual. A snake-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point (and a Willpower point if the target is supernatural) and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the subject’s Willpower). Each success reveals one piece of information the subject is actively attempting to conceal.

Shadows by the Firelight

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.

Level Five

Aversion Therapy

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl may attach negative emotions to a particular desire, as a form of mental conditioning. A thief, for example, may experience terror when he contemplates theft. The effect lasts for a year and a day. A servant of Coyote teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point (and a Willpower point, if the target is supernatural) and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target’s Willpower).

[+/-] Kieh Gifts

Te Crescent Moon: After learning comes reflection and a turning inward, hallmarks of the Kieh auspice. This is a time of peaking mysticism and Gurahl in this auspice spend the majority of their time learning and performing rites, and expanding their knowledge of Gifts. Many Kieh become Buri-Jaan to fledgling werebears.

Level One

Diagnose

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl can determine anyone’s general health with little more than a glance. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character can take Medicine actions to diagnose patients in only a single turn of inspection. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Level Two

Refresh

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl’s blessing helps a target ignore pain until the end of battle. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gurahl must touch her target. The player spends a Gnosis point; the target suffers no wound penalties until the end of the combat.

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Level Three

Exorcism

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Level Four

Spirit Healing

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl may replenish the Essence of a wounded spirit in the Umbra. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Occult (difficulty of the spirit’s Willpower). Success allows the Gurahl to spend Gnosis to restore the spirit’s Essence, at a rate of two Essence per Gnosis spent.

Spirit Shape

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl may assume the countenance and form of a creature native to the Umbra, appearing to other spirits as one of their own kind. A coyote-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only functions in the Umbra. The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty 7). The Gurahl’s body then assumes the desired appearance for (Wisdom) days. The Gurahl can will the Gift to end earlier if he requires.

Level Five

Image of the Sky Bear

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Great She-Bear grants the Gurahl a body that glows with seven pinpoints of light similar to the seven stars of Ursa Major’s constellation, allowing the Garou to perform additional acts of healing or protection. Ursa Major teaches this Gift herself.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Rituals. The Gurahl may then touch targets and instantly heal five lethal or bashing damage, heal three aggravated damage, or grant the target mystic armor (equivalent to Kevlar body armor) for the rest of the scene. One of the points of light on the Gurahl’s body goes out each time he uses this Gift’s benefits; when all the lights are extinguished, so is the Gift.

[+/-] Rishi Gifts

The Half Moon: This phase of the moon is the last in the Gurahl’s natural progression. Rishi Gurahl have usually built up a font of knowledge and experience, and other werebears look to them for guidance. Rishi judge disputes, keep the peace, and mediate between quarreling factions. Those who are called to the Council of Autumn are often members of the Rishi auspice.

Level One

Befriend

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl seems as a friend to all she meets. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character adds one automatic success to all attempts to make a good first impression. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Truth of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Level Two

Compel Truth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl compels an individual to speak the truth. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target’s Willpower) and spends a point of Gnosis. Each success renders the target incapable of deliberate falsehood for one minute.

Presence of the Great Bear — As the Philodox Gift: King of Beasts.

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.

Level Three

Waken

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 118

Description: The Gurahl may rouse an individual from supernatural sleep or unnatural slumber, including comas, vampires in torpor, Gurahl in hibernation caused by Bhernocht, and even triggering resurrection in mummies. A thunder-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7).

Ways of the Tapestry

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119

Description: The Gurahl gains insight into a mystery or puzzle, seeing how an event fits into the larger scheme of things. A cloud-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8). Each success provides one oblique but helpful clue about a particular problem or dilemma.

Level Four

Bestow Ursa’s Blessing

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119

Description: The Gurahl may call down the blessing of the Great Bear on another individual, granting that individual the favor of a mighty spirit. A servant of Ursa Major teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) while describing the blessing she wishes to bestow. This may be an automatic success when attempting a particular endeavor, or a one-point bonus to an Attribute. The blessing lasts for (Wisdom) hours.

Quell Mob Rage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119

Description: The Gurahl can diffuse the anger of a crowd, even lynch mobs and riots. A manatee-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the highest Willpower rating in the crowd). The degree by which (Succor x 30) individuals reduce their hostile mood depends on the successes rolled.

Level Five

Oath of the Great Bear - As the Philodox Gift: Geas.

W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 119

Description: The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.

Gurahl Rites

Gurahl place great emphasis on rites and ceremonies. The following are some of the more important Gurahl rites. The werebears also know most of the rites common to Garou, having taught many of them to the werewolves to begin with.

Dreams of Winter

Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)

Although Gurahl do not have to hibernate, those who do are often confused about what occurred while they slept. People she regarded as allies may have changed their attitudes, enemies may have repented, the bear’s territory will have changed around her. This rite is widely known to the Gurahl and is often taught to young bears shortly after their first change.

System: The Gurahl enacts this rite before hibernating, or before a normal night’s sleep. While she sleeps, she dreams of the world around her. These dream sequences usually show events within the werebear’s territory, but may depict scenes from anywhere in the world if they are relevant to the dreamer. The Gurahl’s player can roll Intelligence + Occult to determine if she knows of an event that occurred while he slept. The difficulty of this roll depends on the personal relevance of the event to the Gurahl.

Rite of Rending the Gauntlet

Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)

With this rite, the Gurahl takes on his Bjornen form and tears a hole in the Gauntlet to enter the Umbra. The hole closes immediately after the Gurahl steps through. In the meantime, only other werebears can use the rift to enter the Umbra. Witnessing this rite causes the Delirium in humans.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). One success means the Gurahl takes five minutes to claw through the Gauntlet. Two successes reduce the time to 30 seconds, while three or more successes allow the Gurahl to rend the Gauntlet immediately. The Gurahl need not roll to return from the Umbra.

Rite of Replenishment

Level Two

This simple rite enables participating Gurahl to replace lost Gnosis from places sacred to Gaia. The Gurahl involved in the rite must find a suitable place — either in the Umbra or in the physical world — in which to conduct the rite, and cannot draw from the same place more than once in the same month.

System: The player rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 8, –1 per 15 minutes spent dancing and chanting to Gaia). The Gurahl gains one point of temporary Gnosis per success, which she may distribute among participants in the rite.

Rite of the River-Portent

Level Two

Gurahl use this rite as a means of foretelling the future. The werebear snags a fish with his claw from a stream, splits open the fish’s belly and reads the omens contained within. The information gained from this rite usually pertains to the immediate future of the Gurahl who reads the omens.

System: After catching the fish, the player rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8). The number of successes determines how clear and intelligible the omens and portents are.

Rite of True Mating

Level Two

This rite allows the Gurahl to find a suitable mate from among her Kinfolk. Only Gurahl who have reached full adulthood (i.e., are no longer considered Arcas) may learn this rite, since the werebears don’t believe in casual acts of procreation. To enact the rite, the Gurahl fashions a small bag, into which she places a drop of her blood and a cutting of her hair. She wears this bag around her neck for three days and nights, after which the empowered bag acts as a homing beacon, pulling the Gurahl in the direction of a suitable Kinfolk mate. Convincing the Kinfolk in question of their compatibility remains up to the Gurahl, of course.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7). One success is enough to ensure success.

Rite of Fighting the Death Bear

Level Five

Gurahl use this sacred rite to restore life to an individual too long deceased for Gaia’s Breath (or, sometimes, when the only Gurahl to hand is of insufficient rank to have learned Gaia’s Breath — but this is considered particularly dangerous and foolhardy).

The Gurahl enters the Umbra, calls upon Mangi, makes suitable offerings to the Death Bear, and then issues a challenge for the departed’s spirit. The Gurahl and Mangi engage in Umbral combat. If the Gurahl defeats Mangi, he may enter the realm of the Death Bear and reclaim the spirit he seeks, returning it to its body. If the Gurahl fails, he is ejected from the Umbra and the rite fails. Occasionally, even if the Gurahl fails, Mangi returns the fallen one’s soul — and claims the rite-performing werebear’s life in exchange. Because of this, and out of respect for the natural cycle of life, werebears rarely use this rite.

System: This rite fails automatically if the individual has already failed to respond to Gaia’s Breath. Mangi’s traits are left up to the Storyteller; while it is a ferocious spirit indeed, Mangi can be and has been defeated by midranked Gurahl on rare occasions.

Gifts

Kitsune love magic. Advancing in rank and gaining new tails is a great honor, to be sure, but what Kitsune truly treasure is the new powers that come with accomplishment and experience. A Kitsune character begins play with one general Kitsune Gift, one breed Gift, and one Path Gift.

General Kitsune Gifts

[+/-] General Kitsune Gifts

Level One

Chi Sense

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: The Kitsune may sense the ebb and flow of Yin and Yang through the world around her. This Gift is taught by any spirit of the Middle Kingdom.

System: The player permanently adds one die to any Gift or Rite which inspects or alters the environment around the Kitsune.

Ishin Deshin — As the Galliard Gift: Mindspeak.

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: Invoking the power of a waking dream, the Garou can place any chosen characters into silent communication. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point per chosen sentient being and makes a Manipulation + Expression roll (difficulty of the victim's Willpower) if any participants are unwilling. All those included in the waking dream may interact normally through the Mindspeak, although they can inflict no damage through it. Their real bodies can still act, although all dice pools decrease by two. The Mindspeak ends when all the participants want it to, or on the turn the Galliard fails the roll against an unwilling member. All beings affected must be within line of sight. The Garou may include her entire pack in the waking dream for only one Willpower point, if she desires.

Scent of Running Water

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.

Level Two

Moon Dance

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: The Kitsune becomes completely invisible so long as no moonlight touches her. She may step in and out of moonlight, appearing and vanishing as she does. Lunes teach this Gift, which cannot be used during the daytime.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The effect lasts the entire night. The Gift doesn’t mask the Kitsune from any sense save sight.

Sense Magic

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on the strength and subtlety of the magic. The Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Level Three

Ghost Speech

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: This Gift allows Kitsune to speak with inhabitants of the Yin Realm — the Dark Umbra. It is taught by ancestor-spirits and spirits associated with death.

System: The Kitsune may speak in a tone that carries across into the Yin Realm, and hear any responses to her words.

Puppeteer’s Secret

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 130

Description: The Fox fades into the crowd; everyone assumes she belongs, and that her familiar face has been there for quite some time. Deer-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge, difficulty 6. If the Kitsune begins to act suspiciously given her attire and the situation, or otherwise draws attention to herself, the Storyteller may demand a fresh roll to keep the Gift from breaking.

Level Four

Shadow-Fan-Flowers

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: One creature within the Kitsune’s line of sight sees a vision and believes. The illusion is perfectly detailed with color, light, and motion. Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). Supernatural targets may roll Willpower (difficulty 9) to realize the illusion is false only if given compelling reason to suspect its falsity.

Level Five

Possession

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The Kitsune abandons her body to take over another’s. This Gift is taught by one of Fox’s brood.

System: The Kitsune must be in contact with the victim, the victim’s hair or nail cuttings, or an extremely important personal token of the victim. The player spends a point of Gnosis and Willpower, then rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). If successful, the Fox becomes a spirit and possesses her victim; supernatural targets may roll Stamina + Occult (difficulty of Kitsune’s Willpower) each day at sunrise to attempt to exorcise the Fox. The Kitsune returns to her own body when she is cast out or ends the possession.

Breedd Gifts

[+/-] Kojin Gifts

Kojin Gifts

Level One

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Seduction

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: A Fox with this Gift can cause humans to fall in love with her. A cloud- or rain-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 6) in a contested roll against the victim’s Willpower (difficulty 7). The more successes the Kitsune wins by, the deeper the target’s infatuation.

Smell of Man

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.

System: Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.

Level Two

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Silver Tongue — As the Fianna Gift: Glib Tongue.

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.

Staredown

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.

Level Three

Disquiet

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Speech of the World

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Level Four

Forgetfulness

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The Kitsune can erase an individual’s memories of a specific event. Fog- spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and Willpower point, then makes a contested Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6) roll against the victim’s Willpower (difficulty 3 + Kitsune’s number of tails).

Spirit Ward

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Assimilation

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Call to Allies

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: This Gift is the Kitsune’s ultimate distress call. Her Batsu, clan, and sentai will hear it, along with all other friendly neutrals and unknown allies in the area, as well as local spirits and spiritually sensitive mortals. The Fox’s fear or rage acts as a beacon unerringly guiding any that answer the cry to her. This Gift is taught by an ancestor-spirit.

System: The Kitsune must simply call out in need.

[+/-] Roko Gifts

Roko Gifts

Level One

Burrow

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.

Cricket Leap — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap.

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Level Two

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Scent of Sight

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.

Sense Imbalance

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The Kitsune can sense if any one of the Triat has upset the balance in the area. She knows if the Weaver is too strong, or if the Wyld is lacking. A servant of the Emerald Mother teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 6) to evaluate the area’s spiritual balance.

Level Three

Blind

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The Kitsune can blind an enemy for one day. This Gift is taught by a porcupine-spirit.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Medicine (difficulty 7) resisted by the Stamina (also difficulty 7) of a target within 10 feet.

Cat Feet

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

Ten Chi

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: The Kitsune always knows where he is, in whatever Realm he occupies, by feeling his relationship to Gaia. Additionally, wherever he stands becomes his territory; natural animals sense this and allow the werefox to pass without challenge. Migratory bird-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The Kitsune may spend one Gnosis to know what Realm he stands in, where the cardinal directions are, and in which direction his home lies.

Level Four

Carrion Clothes

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 131

Description: Wild foxes catch birds by pretending to be dead; werefoxes aspire to bigger game. This Gift causes the Kitsune to appear to all natural and supernatural examination to be dead. This Gift is taught by fly-spirits.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and makes a Stamina + Larceny roll (difficulty 7). The Gift hides only small motions, such as breathing or cracking an eyelid to look about; any greater movement breaks the spell.

Forest Lord — As the lupus Gift: Beast Life.

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Level Five

Elemental Gift

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).

Song of the Great Beast

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

[+/-] Shinju Gifts

Shinju Gifts

Level One

Flow of Aura

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Kitsune feels the emotional aura of a place — the imprint left behind by events of great sorrow, joy, aggression, and the like. Wood- and stone-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty 6). The more successes gained, the more the Fox picks up about the nature of the area’s aura and what caused it. One success might reveal that a building has a foreboding atmosphere; five might reveal that it is actively haunted by the ghost of a traveling student who took his own life there.

Scent of the True Form

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Level Two

Call to Duty

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, all spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call - such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose.

Imperial Authority

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: Shinju can assert their superiority by staring into another’s eyes. Animals fawn, while humans and shen assume the Nine-tails is of superior social standing. This Gift is taught by dragon- or phoenix-spirits.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 6, or 9 against other shen).

Past Whispers

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Kitsune can learn the thoughts impressed upon a place. Intense thought fragments (especially those spoken aloud) may linger for years. Wind-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). The more successes gained, the more detail is revealed.

Level Three

Distant Whispers — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech, but the Fox speaks into a river, ground, fire, or other element and the target hears her voice coming from a similar source nearby. Storms are popular vehicles for this Gift.

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Eyes of the Cat

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Level Four

Roll Over

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The werewolf radiates authority and power, allowing him to exert his dominance over others. Humans bow or kneel, while Garou roll over to expose their throats. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player begins an extended, resisted Willpower contest. The results are compared to each of her opponents in turn; when the player has scored three more successes than an opponent, that opponent drops out of the contest and submits. If one of the opponents accumulates three more successes over the character, the contest ends. For the remainder of the scene, any individual who has submitted will take no actions at all without the approval of the character, unless their life depends on it.

Scent of the Beyond

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: With a moment's concentration, the werewolf can hurl her senses to any place with which she is familiar (even an Umbral location), no matter how far away it may be. Because a bird spirit teaches this Gift, her senses perceive the scene from above.

System:' The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). If the target location is in the Umbra, the difficulty is 8 or the local Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher. This far-seeing continues for as long as the werewolf desires, but the character suffers a -3 penalty to any attempts to react to local stimuli while her senses are projected.

Level Five

Imperial Obligation — As the Philodox Gift: Geas.

W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.

Marionette

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Kitsune can make the target move in whatever fashion she wishes by mimicking the desired action. Snake-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the victim’s Willpower (both difficulty 7); the Kitsune controls her victim for one turn per success.

Path Gifts

[+/-] Doshi Gifts

Doshi Gifts

Level One

Blessing the Blade

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The sorcerer calls on a local spirit to inhabit a blade for a finite time to enhance it with supernatural power. If prepared in advance, special wrappings restrain the spirit until the bearer speaks an enemy’s name. Only one such weapon may be carried at a time. This Gift is taught by a fire-spirit.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The weapon does aggravated damage for one scene only.

Breath of Yu-Chiang — As the Black Fury Gift: Curse of Aeolus.

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Fury calls up a thick, eerie fog that obscures vision and unnerves her opponents. The Fury can see through her own fog with no difficulty. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player makes a Gnosis roll, with the difficulty depending on humidity and closeness to a body of water (a lake shore might be difficulty 4, while a desert would be 9). Those other than the Fury who are enveloped in fog lose half of their dice on all Perception rolls (rounded up). All those enveloped within the fog also lose one die from all Willpower rolls, save the Fury and her packmates.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can gling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Shroud

W20 Core, pg 197, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Uktena can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Garou's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.

Spirit Snare

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.

Level Two

Blood Omen

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Fox reads the future through blood sacrifice. The actual divination is performed by reading entrails, interpreting the smoke of a burnt offering, casting bones, or in some other way using the resulting body as an oracular tool. Doshi are careful to dedicate the sacrifice to spirits opposed to the Wyrm. Predator-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 9, or 7 for human or shen sacrifices!) and spends one Gnosis point. The more successes, the more accurate and detailed the information gained.

Command Spirit

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Shadows at Dawn

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: Sometimes, one must give information to get information. However, Uktena are notoriously tightfisted with secrets. With this Gift, the werewolf can share a bit of knowledge that later vanishes from a subject's memory. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After relating a bit of lore, the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the opponent's Wits + Subterfuge). If the rolls succeeds, whatever information the Uktena imparted completely vanishes from the target's memory when the sun next rises.

Sight From Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.

System: Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.

Level Three

By the Light of the Moon

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: The Kitsune can see any creature touched by moonlight, no matter what mundane skill or magic they use to hide. Bat-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6). All moon-touched beings within (successes x 20) feet are revealed to the Kitsune.

Exorcism

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.

Pulse of the Invisible

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.

System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.

Swarm of Servants

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132

Description: From the fur of his tail the Doshi can summon tiny vermin — mice, lice, beetles, frogs, and so forth — to serve him. Vermin-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 8). Each success calls 25 vermin that the Doshi controls. The swarm must stay within 20 feet, and can harass foes (–1 to victim’s dice pools per 25 vermin) and perform simple tasks (at Strength 1).

Level Four

Grasp the Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.

Spirit Drain

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: The Garou may drain power from a spirit to feed her own resolve. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player makes a resisted Gnosis roll against the spirit. If the player succeeds, the spirit loses one Essence point per success for the rest of the scene. For every two points drained, the Garou gains a temporary Willpower point. She loses any points exceeding her maximum at the end of the scene.

Spirit Ward

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Feral Lobotomy

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Ggarou can destroy the target's intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.

Malleable Spirit

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficult is based on what the garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.

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

Seal of Inari

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: The sorcerer can secretly “brand” anyone he encounters with sigils only Kitsune can see. These may be warnings, death marks, requests for help, etc. These ghostly marks shine through all concealment so long as the bearer’s head is visible. Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). For each success, he may inscribe one message of his choice on the recipient.

[+/-] Eji Gifts

Eji Gifts

Level One

Falling Touch

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.

Razor Claws

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Sense Hostility

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: The Eji can sense hostile beings within 100 feet. A fox-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6).

Level Two

Bolt

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: The Kitsune calls a bolt of raw elemental force to strike his foe — fire, lightning, and freezing wind are all possibilities. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Occult, difficulty 6. The target suffers aggravated damage equal to the successes rolled; the range is 50 yards.

Enduring Warrior

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: Eji using this Gift heal just like their hengeyokai cousins. A bear-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one point of Rage to regenerate like a Garou for the rest of the scene.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 133

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Spirit of the Fray

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: A cat spirit grants the Ahroun the Gift of blinding speed and lightning reflexes, permitting her to strike before any foe.

System: Once the Ahroun learns this Gift, it's effects are permanent. She adds 10 to all her initiative rolls, and if she chooses, may spend a Gngosis point to add another 10 to an initiative roll (such an expenditure prevents spending Rage for extra actions, however).

Level Three

Call of the Dead

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Kitsune uses Yin energies to disrupt the vital energies of the living with just a touch. Ice-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 8). Living creatures, spirits, vampires with Humanity 6+, and Yang-aspected Kuei-jin suffer lethal damage equal to the successes rolled. Five or more successes instantly kills human targets.

Song of Fear

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Kitsune may cast her fox frenzy into another. This Gift is taught by hare-spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Each success sends the target into flight for one turn.

Weak Arm

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.

System:The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.

Level Four

Elemental Meld

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Eji may transform into any physical element (earth, water, fire or air), allowing her to merge with and move through that element. On attaining rank five, the Kitsune can change into secondary elements (mist, electricity, moonlight, etc.) as well. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Gnosis (difficulty 8). She must be in contact with the desired element to change, and changes on contact (taking no harm from fire, for example). She reverts to her natural form upon leaving the element. Her body remains the same size and in one piece but can distort to avoid obstacles. Silver, radioactivity, and toxic waste harm her as normal and will bar her progress. While merged, detecting the Kitsune requires a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 9).

Sorcerous Bite

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Kitsune can transform her teeth into any substance she wills, most commonly silver or jade. They are uncommonly strong, regardless of the substance chosen. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal-Urge. Silver teeth don’t harm the Fox by their mere presence.

Level Five

Dragon Ally — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast, save that it summons forth a dragon made of one of the elements.

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

Fire Immunity — As the Ahroun Gift: Kiss of Helios.

W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Ahroun can invoke the sun's power to gain immunity to flame. Additionally, she may ignite any portion of her body and keep it burning as she desires. Garou with this Gift are as likely to light their mane to honor the sun during rituals as they are to ignite their claws or fangs in battle. A fire elemental or sun spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character is unharmed by any natural source of flames or heat. Artificial (napalm, gas fires, etc.) and supernatural flames can inflict no more than a single level of bashing damage during a turn. The character inflicts two additional dice of damage with burning attacks.

[+/-] Gukutsushi Gifts

Gukutsushi Gifts

Level One

Blur of the Milky Eye

W20 Core, pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.

Clear the Mind — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Calm.

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Level Two

Dreamspeak

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.

Fan-Shadow-Robe

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Kitsune can change her appearance. She can’t precisely duplicate the appearance of another, however, or perfectly replicate complex patterns or garments (such as military uniforms). Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy, with the difficulty depending on how radical the Kitsune wishes the change to be (6 to change hair and eye color, 8 to appear as a different build and ethnicity entirely). The alterations last for one scene.

Silver Tongue — As the Fianna Gift: Glib Tongue.

W20 Core, pg 179

Description: Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.

Taking the Forgotten

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

Level Three

Distant Whispers — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech, but the Fox speaks into a river, ground, fire, or other element and the target hears her voice coming from a similar source nearby. Storms are popular vehicles for this Gift.

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 132 andd 134

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Ebisu’s Fingers — As the Ragabash Gift: Gremlins.

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
6 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Liar's Craft

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.

System: The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.

Level Four

Moon-Fan-Face-Shadow — As the Glass Walker Gift: Doppelganger.

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).

Whelp Body

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.

Level Five

Madness

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.

Mist on the Water — As the Fianna Gift: Fog on the Moor.

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: This Gift transforms the Fianna into a ghostly outline of himself, allowing him to pass through anything except silver as though he were incorporeal. He may communicate and strike opponents normally. He cannot be harmed by anything except silver; all incoming attacks pass harmlessly through him. A fog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to instantly assume a ghostly form. Each success allows the character to stay in that form for one turn, though he may change back at will. The character cannot regenerate while in this form.

[+/-] Kataribe Gifts

Kataribe Gifts

Level One

Beast Speech

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Fable

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The Kataribe uses her expression and will to sway onlookers. By telling a tale or singing a song, she can plant a suggestion in the minds and hearts of listeners. Nightingale-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty 7) to plant a faint compulsion in the listener’s head, which lingers for the Kitsune’s Chie in days. Recordings and broadcasts cannot carry this Gift’s magic.

Perfect Recall

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The werewolf is able to remember and relive any memory with perfect clarity. An elephant spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend one Gnosis point to perfectly remember any one detail, no matter how small, from any point in her character's entire life.

Truth of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Level Two

Centipede’s Beckoning — As the Galliard Gift: Call of the Wyrm.

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: This dangerous Gift attracts creatures of the Wyrm, luring them into traps and ambushes or flushing them from hiding. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player makes a resisted roll of Manipulation + Performance against the Wyrm creature's Willpower (both rolls are difficulty 7). If the Wyrm creature loses the contest it must come to the source of the Call.

Distractions

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.

Silence

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 134

Description: The werefox blankets the area in an eerie silence. Lake- and mountain-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Manipulation + Stealth, difficulty 8. The area affected is 5 yards in radius per success. The Gift lasts for one scene.

Speech of the World

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Level Three

Seek

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kitsune asks the local spirits for a single individual’s location. The spirits answer correctly if they can; should the individual be beyond their territory, they say as much. The spirits of predatory animals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to contact an appropriate spirit, and rolls Wits + Occult, difficulty 6, to beseech its help.

Uzume Sings

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kataribe’s voice becomes achingly beautiful, paralyzing an enemy or luring him forward to his doom. Nightingale- and snake-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). For every success, the target is under the Fox’s power for one turn.

Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors - a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must meditate for a short time, concentrating on the past. The player then rolls Gnosis (difficulty 9, -1 for each dot of Ancestors the Garou possesses). The number of successes determines how detailed and exact the answer he receives will be.

Level Four

Kuei Dance

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: This Gift calls on the dead to bear witness. There is no compulsion, but the dead are eager to be remembered, so rarely refuse. The spell may take any form, from story to song to dance, with the ghost acting out her part as appropriate. This Gift is taught by ancestor-spirits.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Gnosis + Empathy, difficulty 8, to establish contact. This Gift works only if the deceased lingers in some spiritual form, such as a ghost or ancestor-spirit. The more successes rolled, the more coherent the ghost’s performance.

Shadows by the Firelight

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.

Level Five

Assimilation

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Fabric of the Mind

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The greatest Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to life, crafting creatures from the essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.

System: The player makes an extended Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 8). She can create any form of life she can imagine, assigning it one dot of Traits for each success gained on the roll. The werewolf can take as long as she wants to form the creature, accumulating successes from turn to turn, but once she stops, the dream-being takes form and requires one Gnosis point per scene to keep it manifested.

[+/-] Ju-Fu Gifts

Ju-Fu

Perhaps the most distinct Kitsune trick is the art of Ju-Fu — paper magic. Ju-Fu Gifts are purchased at a cost of (level x 7) experience points; unlike traditional Gifts, they are not bestowed by spirits, but must be learned from another Fox. The kami (folded-paper spells) used to cast them may be prepared in advance, but each costs at least one Gnosis point to make, limiting the potential for stockpiling. Where a Ju-Fu Gift lists no other cost, it only costs the Gnosis point necessary to make the kami.

Level One

Lantern

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: By crafting a paper lantern or similar kami, the Kitsune can infuse it with an eerie light.

System: The light is as bright as that of a mundane paper lantern, and lasts for one scene.

Umekochi’s Mouth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kitsune crafts a small paper cup, dish, or other container, which can hold four times as much as it should.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6).

Level Two

Attraction

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kitsune attracts or repels a certain type of animal by crafting an appropriate kami. She might repel tigers to travel safely through the jungle, or fashion a paper firefly to summon enough fireflies to eerily light a graveyard.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken, difficulty 7. The more successes, the stronger the kami’s effects.

Silver Sigil

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kitsune can write “badge” on a piece of paper — people will see a badge. She can write “passport” on a bit of bark, and breeze through customs.

System: The player rolls Gnosis, difficulty 7. The kami remains effective for one scene.

Level Three

Paper Beast

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kitsune fashions a kami in the shape of a mundane animal, with the animal’s pictogram written on it. When the Kitsune spits on the kami, the paper beast immediately grows to full size and obeys the Fox’s commands.

System: The player spends two Gnosis and rolls Gnosis, difficulty 7. The resulting creature has all the traits of its likeness, but only one health level.

Level Four

Beast Shape — As the Ragabash Gift: Thousand Forms. The Kitsune may take the form of the animal depicted by this kami.

W20 Core pg 163, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird andd a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.

Description: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.

Level Five

Paper Flesh — As the Gift: Paper Beast, save that it requires three Gnosis points, and the beast is fully flesh and blood (though it reverts to paper at the end of the scene or when slain).

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 135

Description: The Kitsune fashions a kami in the shape of a mundane animal, with the animal’s pictogram written on it. When the Kitsune spits on the kami, the paper beast immediately grows to full size and obeys the Fox’s commands.

System: The player spends two Gnosis and rolls Gnosis, difficulty 7. The resulting creature has all the traits of its likeness, but only one health level.

Rites

Few Kitsune-created rites exist. The Foxes are more than happy to borrow rites from their fellow Changing Breeds and adapt them to their own needs.

Proprieties of Conduct

Level Two, Accord (Cha + Rituals vs )

Description: The Kitsune serve a central role within the Beast Cours, smoothing tensions between the different Breeds and ensuring visitors to the Courts follow behavioral expectations. This simple rite helps the foxes smooth things over.

System: The rite-master addresses a gathering and announces the expected standards of behavior. Among a group of familiar acquaintances this can be as simple as declaring that everyone must observe ‘standard norms;’ she has to give more detail if guests are present. The rite does not have to be repeated if attendees arrive late; any latecomers remain bound by the rules as long as they remain among the gathering.

Anyone attempting to breach the agreed etiquette must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). At the point that she would make the roll, the transgressor well aware that she is about to break the rules, and she may choose not to break the accepted etiquette. The rules of polite society also sooth the tempers of everyone — all Rage rolls are made at +2 difficulty.

Rite of the Crossroads

Level Three, Renown (Cha + Rituals vs 6)

Description: The Rite of the Crossroads serves much the same purpose for Kitsune as the Beast Courts’ Rite of the Opened Way. In it, the Foxes use the power of the four directions to celebrate a kit’s first — and only — choice of path. The rite is always performed in a transitional place; crossroads are both traditional and particularly auspicious, but bridges and even doorways will also do. The ritemaster purifies the young kit, then brings her to the site of the rite.

After proper obeisance is made to the Emerald Mother, the Silver Lady, Bai-Mianxi, and Prince Inari, the ritemaster asks all four to bless their newest child’s arrival into adulthood. The ritemaster then lays out four empty bowls before the kit, one at each direction. The kit, however, sees each bowl as filled with one of the four Paths’ elements — clay, lightning, lava, mist. The kit must then reach into the proper bowl, thus choosing her path. Rather than burning young Eji or Doshi, the contents of the bowl fill them with a rush of power and confidence. Once the choice has been made, all can see the Kitsune’s paw drip with the symbol of her path. The ritemaster then ends the rite, and the new Yakan begins her training.

System: No rolls are necessary. The kit is officially Rank One at the rite’s end. It is a great honor to perform this rite, and successfully sponsoring a new Kitsune grants the ritemaster two points of temporary Toku Renown.

Gifts

Mokolé begin with one aspect Gift and one general Mokolé Gift.

[+/-] General Mokolé Gifts

General Mokole’ Gifts

Level One

Falling Touch

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: This Gift allows the Garou to send her foes sprawling with but a touch. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Willpower (difficulty of the opponent's Stamina + Athletics). Even one success sends the victim to the ground. This Gift may be employed through even the lightest, brushing contact at no cost, or may be delivered through an attack by paying one point of Willpower or Rage. Such attacks inflect full damage in addition to knocking the target prone.

Fatal Flaw

W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.

Inspiration

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in battle, and this Gift helps them to live up to that trust. The werewolf employs this Gift to lend her resolve and righteous anger to those who share her cause. A lion or wolf spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift's user) receive one Willpower point, which disappears if it is not used before the end of the scene.

Razor Claws — As the Ahroun Gift; only usable in Archid.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Sense Dissolver — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Shed

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.

Sight of the True Form — As the Philodox Gift: Scent of the True Form.

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Philodox is able to scent the truth of those she meets, literally sniffing out an individual's true form. A vulture spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can smell Kinfolk or a fellow werewolf automatically. In all other cases, the player must roll Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). One success will identify a normal human or animal; two successes will detect a vampire, changeling, demon, mummy or Fera; four successes are needed to sniff out a mage, ghoul, or fomor. The Imbued register as normal humans to this Gift. Unfamiliar scents aren't automatically recognized: A Philodox that has never encountered any Rokea might not immediately recognize the scent she detects as "wereshark".

Speed of Thought — As the Silent Strider Gift, but costing 2 Gnosis rather than 1.

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

Level Two

Blessings of the Nest

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: Hissing a blessing in the Dragon Tongue, the Mokolé bestows a gift of fertility. In addition to ensuring conception on most recipients, the Gift also removes impotence from those who suffer from it and grants fertility to the normally barren. A rooster-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. This Gift’s power is insufficient to make metis fertile.

Reptoid Form

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: Through careful refinement of her shapeshifting capabilities, the Mokolé learns to assume a form between Homid and Archid. This “near-man” form, roughly equivalent to the Garou Glabro form, lacks hair, has tough, lightly scaled skin, and sports small but sharp claws. It can only pass for human at a distance, under heavy clothing, or in poor light, but still avoids the size and subtlety issues associated with Archid. This Gift is taught by memory-spirits.

System: The character assumes her new form in the same manner as a Garou assuming Glabro. Its traits are: Strength +2, Stamina +2, Appearance –2, and it can make claw attacks for lethal damage.

Sense Gold — As the Ahroun Gift: Sense Silver, save that it detects gold.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Silver Claws

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: Luna sends her children to teach this powerful but painful Gift to those warriors who gain her favor. When invoked, it transforms the werewolf's claws into silver.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 7) to activate the Gifts. Silver claws inflict aggravated damage to all targets, and are naturally unsoakable to Garou and most other Fera. The Ahroun suffers searing agony while manifesting these silver claws. Each turn, she gains an automatic Rage point, and all non-combat difficulties increase by one because of the distraction. On each turn that her Rage points exceed her Willpower, she must check for frenzy. The Gift lasts for one scene, unless the Garou takes to turn to voluntarily end it sooner.

Stinking Breath — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Odious Aroma.

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.

Level Three

Dragonfear — As the Ahroun Gift: True Fear.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The werewolf displays his full, terrifying might - baring teeth or claws, howling, or simply looking ominously over a foe. Terror strikes one foe into quiescence. Spirits of fear teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Each success cows the enemy for one turn; the victim cannot attack during this time, but may defend himself and otherwise act normally (although his actions are likely guided by overwhelming terror).

Dragon’s Breath

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Mokolé can spit fire. This Gift is taught by Dragon himself.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 8) to aim the attack (range 30 feet). It inflicts two automatic levels of aggravated damage, plus two additional levels per extra point of Rage spent after the attack is rolled.

Walking Between Worlds

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Four

Attunement

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Cocoon

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.

Serenity

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Garou can fill a hot heart with the peace of Gaia, even in the midst of battle. An avatar of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). for one turn per success, the target automatically fails at all Rage rolls, cannot frenzy, and cannot spend Rage.

Level Five

Grasp the Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.

Song of the Great Beast

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

Auspice Gifts

[+/-] Rising Sun Gifts

Rising Sun Gifts

Level One

Bellow

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Mokolé releases a powerful and terrifying reptilian roar. This Gift is taught by a crocodile-spirit.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls permanent Rage (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). If successful, the target reacts as though afflicted by the Delirium. Subtract the Mokolé’s Glory from the target’s Willpower before consulting the Delirium chart. Other shapeshifters can spend one Willpower point to resist the Gift’s effects for the rest of the scene.

Eye of the Raptor

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Mokolé can see clearly for miles. A raptor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 8). The number of successes equals the number of miles the character can see clearly.

Master of Fire

W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Level Two

Paint the Meadows

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Mokolé may utter pitiable moans and groans to draw prey closer. Margay-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The victim moves closer for one turn per success; if the victim is harmed, the Gift’s effects end.

Sense Silver

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: To those truly born of Garou, Luna has granted the ability to sense a werewolf's greatest weakness. This Gift, taught by Lines, allows the metis to detect the presence of silver.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, she can detect the presence of any silver within 100 yards. Three successes allow her to pinpoint the silver's location.

Level Three

Combat Healing

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to mend his injuries without rest or hesitation - even in the heart of combat - as claws and bullets tear fresh rents in his flesh. While other Garou struggle to mend their wounds under fire, the Ahroun never stops fighting. Elemental spirits teach this Gift, although they must generally be bested in battle first.

System: The Ahroun no longer needs to pause or roll Stamina to heal during combat, and automatically regenerates one non-aggravated health level every round. This benefit is permanent.

Dragon’s Tongue — As the Bastet Pumonca Gift: Thunderbolt.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 89 and 148

Description: So long as even a single cloud hangs in the sky, the werecougar may call down a lightning bolt to strike her foes.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Survival to aim it (difficulty 8 in relatively clear conditions, difficulty 6 during a storm). The bolt inflicts (Cunning) dice of lethal damage.

Hot Ichor

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148

Description: The Mokolé may use her Rage to heat her blood, enhancing her prowess in battle or on the hunt. A raptor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend Rage to increase her physical Attributes at a rate of one point of Rage per Attribute dot gained. This enhancement lasts for a number of turns equal to the Mokolé’s lowest permanent Renown category.

Lash of Ages — As the Red Talon Gift: Render Down.

W20 Core, pg 186, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Talon can destroy any man-made substance. Plastics, alloys, and other materials not found in nature disintegrate with just a touch. Lawn chairs dissolve into oily puddles and steel melts into iron and carbon. A cockroach spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must touch the material; only materials that are not naturally occurring are viable targets. For instance, a wooden table would be unaffected, whereas a plastic table would melt to the ground. The player makes a Rage roll (difficulty 7); each success reduces twenty pounds of the target material to its base components.

Level Four

Anger of the Wani — As the Wendigo Gift: Invoke the Spirits of the Storm.

W20 Core, pg 201, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Garou can summon nearly any weather effect she desires: Fog, tornadoes, blizzards, and thunderstorms all await her call. An avatar of Great Wendigo teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower. (The difficulty varies based on how conceptually close the desired effect is to the current weather patterns of the area). The storm covers 10 miles per success. If the Garou summons a thunderstorm, she may spend Gnosis to call lightning down on her enemies (Wits + Occult to hit, 10 dice of aggravated damage).

Scream of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.

Level Five

Jointsnake’s Mojo

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Mokolé may rejoin severed body parts without even touching them; they simply wriggle back to the stump, reattaching themselves. This Gift is taught by jointsnake-spirits.

System: The player need only spend one Gnosis to call back and reattach a severed body part, so long as that body part is within (Glory x 2) yards.

Wall of Granite

W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: Philodox have a stronger relationship with the elementals of earth than other werewolves do; just as the earth upholds those upon it, the Philodox uphold the Litany that sustains their people. While in contact with earth or rock, the Philodox can invoke a wall to protect himself. This wall moves with the Garou, defending him from all angles. Earth elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The wall's dimensions are three yards high, two yards long, and one yard thick *or similar number of meters), and if the Garou desires, it may be extended to encircle a number of allies up to the werewolf's Gnosis so long as they huddle close. It has a soak pool of 10 dice, and 15 health levels must be inflicted to penetrate it at any point. The wall lasts for one scene or until released into the earth by the Garou.

[+/-] Noonday Gifts

Noonday Sun Gifts

Level One

Fangs of Judgement

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgement but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction).

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Truth of Olodumare — As the Phildox Gift: Truth of Gaia.

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Level Two

Calm

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: This Gift imparts the secret of quelling the anger in others. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Each success removes one of the target's Rage points, which may be regained normally. If used on a creature capable of frenzy which has no Rage (vampires, some fomori), the Gift cancels the Frenzy if the player scores at least three successes.

Strength of Purpose

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: Philodox use this Gift to fortify themselves in the face of the Apocalypse, turning hot passion and burning Rage into cold, steely resolve. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once per scene, the player may roll Stamina + Rituals (difficulty 7). For every two successes, the Philodox recovers one point of Willpower, up to her maximum.

Tame Sunbeam

Description: The sun has long been the staunchest ally of the Mokolé, and sends his light when they need it most. A servant of Helios teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult, difficulty 6. An aura of bright sunlight surrounds the Mokolé for the rest of the scene, illuminating everything out to (successes x 2) yards.

Level Three

Clear Mind

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: This Gift encourages clarity of thought, no matter the distractions; it is taught by a crow-spirit.

System: The player spends one or more Willpower points, then chooses a Mental dice pool (such as Intelligence + Enigmas); each Willpower point spent adds one die to that pool until the sun next rises.

Weak Arm

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: By watching an opponent's fighting style, the Philodox can quickly evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. Snake and wind spirits teach this Gift.

System:The player rolls Perception + Brawl (difficulty 8). Each success grants one bonus die to add to her attack or damage rolls against that opponent. For instance, a Philodox who gets four successes could add two dice to her attack rolls and two to her damage pool, or four to her damage rolls, or three to attack and one to damage - whatever combination suits her. However, the distribution of dice cannot be changed once the Gift has been activated. This Gift can be used against a given foe only once per scene, and its benefits are lost at the end of the scene. A full turn of concentration is necessary to use this Gift.

Level Four

Raptor’s Gaze — As the Fianna Gift: Balor’s Gaze.

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: One of the Fianna's eyes glows a livid red, and all enemies caught by his gaze are stricken with terrible agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and one Gnosis, then rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). For the rest of the scene, any foe at whom the Garou glares must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and exceed the player's successes or double over in pain, suffering a -5 wound penalty as though Crippled, regardless of their current health. Any characters already at Crippledd are considered incapacitated by the pain.

Strength of the Dominator

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The werewolf draws on a target's anger to feed his own. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Intimidation (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). For a number of turns equal to the successes scored, the target will lose a point of Rage per turn, while the Shadow Lord gains that Rage. The character can use this Gift only once per target per scene.

Level Five

Geas

W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.

Wisdom of the Sun — As the Stargazer Gift: Wisdom of the Seer, save that the Mokolé must meditate beneath Lord Sun’s face.

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: By gazing into the night sky for an hour, the Stargazer becomes a channel for the wisdom of the Tellurian, and can find the answer to almost any question. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If successful, the player can ask anyone a simple question of the storyteller and expect an answer that is honest, if vague and wrapped in symbolism. The clarity of the information depends on the number of successes, and it is rare to gain a complete and straightforward answer.

[+/-] Setting Sun Gifts

Setting Sun Gifts

Level One

Burrow

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: This Gift grants the ability to burrow through the earth, creating a tunnel roughly the size of the digger's body, which others can follow through. The werewolf must be in a form possessing claws to use this Gift. Mole spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics against a difficulty depending on the substance to be excavated (4 for loose mud, 9 for solid rock). Some metals (such as steel and titanium alloys) and other reinforced structures wont yield to the werewolf no matter how hard she digs. The character can burrow one yard per turn for each success. After the initial roll, the character does not need to roll again to continue at the same speed.

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Level Two

Clap of Thunder

W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Shadow Lords slams her hands together, creating a mighty thunderclap that stuns those who hear it. A Stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All characters within 20 feet (6 m) must succeed in a Willpower roll (difficulty 8 for foes, 4 for packmates) or be stunned and unable to act for one turn. The Garou must be in Homid, Glabro, or Crinos form to use this Gift.

Paint the Meadows

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 149

Description: The Mokolé may utter pitiable moans and groans to draw prey closer. Margay-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The victim moves closer for one turn per success; if the victim is harmed, the Gift’s effects end.

Rage of the Nest Mother — As the Boli Zousizhe Gift: Fu Xi’s Honor.

W20 Core, pg 183, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: When confronted with a threat to a helpless member of the werewolf's family or pack, the Boli Zousizhe can rise above her normal limits to defend them. The spirit of any animal that mates for life may teach this Gift.

System: The Storyteller must agree that the member of the Garou's family or pack is indeed helpless and unable to defend himself. (With rare exception, any human facing a werewolf should be considered helpless.) The player may then spend one Rage and add one die to all her character's Physical Attributes for every point of permanent Honor the character possesses, for the duration of the scene.

Warding Dance — As the Fianna Gift: Flame Dance.

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description:' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.

Level Three

Armor of the Tortoise

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Mokolé may form a hard shell around his skin, protecting himself from harm. This Gift is taught by a turtle-spirit.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Primal-Urge, difficulty 6, and the weresaurian spends a turn in concentration. Add the number of successes rolled to the Mokolé’s soak rolls. The Gift lasts for (permanent Honor) turns, and may be used only once per scene.

Clarity

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: This Gift grants the ability to see through fog, pitch darkness, and invisibility, and to recognize illusions. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Stargazer attempts to see someone else's illusion, the number of successes rolled by the creator must be matched or beaten by the Garou; otherwise, this Gift negates visual penalties.

Combat Healing

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to mend his injuries without rest or hesitation - even in the heart of combat - as claws and bullets tear fresh rents in his flesh. While other Garou struggle to mend their wounds under fire, the Ahroun never stops fighting. Elemental spirits teach this Gift, although they must generally be bested in battle first.

System: The Ahroun no longer needs to pause or roll Stamina to heal during combat, and automatically regenerates one non-aggravated health level every round. This benefit is permanent.

Might of the Kings — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Might of Thor

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.

Level Four

Clenched Jaw

W20 Core, pg 172, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The werewolf bites down with such power that her grip won't loosen until she chooses to let it; even in death, her jaws remain locked. A wolf or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After making a successful bite attack, the player may spend a Rage point to invoke this Gift. For each successive turn she chooses to maintain her grip, she makes a bite attack roll (difficulty 3). While foes can make a resisted Strength roll to break the grip (suffering an additional health level of damage in the process of trying to tear free), the Garou may add half her Willpower to her dice pool (round up).

Hand of the Earth Lords

W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: By drawing on the land's energies, the Uktena can move any one object weighing up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) simply by gesturing at it. An air elemental and an earth elemental must teach this Gift in concert.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). Concentration is necessary to move an object, which travels at roughly 20 mph (32 kph). The Garou's control lasts for one turn per success.

Halo of the Sun

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.

[+/-] Midnight Gifts

Midnight Sun Gifts

Level One

Darksight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The ambient light of the Penumbra illuminates the physical world, even when darkness surrounds the Mokolé. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point, and suffers no penalties for lack of light for the rest of the scene.

Brother's Scent

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: Drawing upon the universal brotherhood of all creatures of Gaia, the werewolf seems to fit in wherever he goes. Those given no reason to suspect the Child's presence simply overlook her. A servant of Unicorn teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (difficulty 6). All individuals not specifically on guard against intruders overlook any incongruity in the Garou's appearance - for example, a naked man covered in blood and carrying a grand klaive walking through a high society ball would draw no particular notice, nor would a wolf wandering through a residential neighborhood. The Garou isn't invisible, he simply doesn't stand out when he otherwise should, and his appearance is considered unremarkable even when he's interacted with. If the werewolf's actions alone would draw attention to himself (shouting, starting a fight, attempting to kick down a locked door) the Gift's illusion is immediately broken. Those specifically on the lookout for individuals who don't belong (security guards at a private facility, for example) don't succumb to this Gift unless their Willpower is lower than the Garou's successes on the activation roll.

Spirits of Laughter

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Midnight Sun invokes spirits of good humor, lightening everyone’s mood. A mockingbird-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all Rage rolls are made at +2 difficulty, and everyone finds it very difficult to become upset or out-of-sorts about anything.

Level Two

Breaking the Tomorrow Wall

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149

Description: The Mokolé swims upstream through the river of Mnesis, catching vague glimpses of the future. A crane-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 6. The Mokolé gains one vague insight of the Storyteller’s choice per success.

Dreamspeak

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Galliard can walk among another's dreams and thereby affect their course. The werewolf doesn't have to be anywhere near the target, but she must know or have seen the dreamer. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8). If the dreamer awakens while the Galliard is still within the dream, the werewolf is thrown out of the dream world and loses a Gnosis point.

Glib Tongue

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: Listeners hear whatever the Garou wishes them to. The Fianna can say anything, even total nonsense, but anyone listening will agree heartily. A rabbit spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equals the listener's Wits + Alertness). The target agrees completely with the Garou for one turn per success, after which sanity reasserts itself.

Level Three

Become Log — As the Ragabash Gift: Blissful Ignorance, save that the Mokolé must be in a natural environment, or one comfortable to his varna (such as a golf course’s pond for an alligator varna).

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Invisibility

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Garou can vanish from sight, though she must concentrate concentrate to maintain her invisibility. She cant move faster than half normal walking speed, and cant draw attention to her herself, a servant of Uktena reaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty varies: 4 if already concealed, 6 if in the open, 9 in plain sight). Anyone looking for the Garou must score more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) than the player did on the initial roll. Anyone not actively seeking the Garou will not spot her at all.

Open Moon Bridge

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).

Level Four

Fool’s Luck

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: This Gift grants temporary immunity to bad luck. A rabbit-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The character cannot botch any rolls until the sun next rises; treat any botches as normal failures.

Shadows by the Firelight

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.

Level Five

Take the True Form

W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Philodox can force a being into its true form. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If successful, Changing Breeds (including Garou) are forced to revert to their breed form for one turn per success. Other shapeshifted creatures such as vampires masquerading as wolves) targeted by this power are likewise forced to revert to their true forms.

Thousand Forms

W20 Core pg 163, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.

[+/-] Shrouded Sun Gifts

Shrouded Sun Gifts

Level One

Call the Rain — As the Ajaba Midnight Gift: Tears of the Heavens.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 53, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: Raising his arms and reciting a spontaneous poem, the Ajaba calls down the rain. A sky-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 8). Success causes rain to fall across an area (Obligation) miles in diameter around the Ajaba for ten minutes per success.

Mother's Touch

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Sense Designer — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, save that it detects the presence of the Weaver.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 115

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Sense Magic

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The werewolf can sense the pulse and flux of mystic energies wither the righteous Gifts of the Garou, the arrogant wizardry of mages, the debased powers of vampires, or even the black arts of the Wyrm's minions. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas. The difficulty is based on the strength and subtlety of the magic. The Uktena cannot tell the exact nature of the magic, although clues such as "Gaian", "dream-craft", or "blood magic" might be granted with three or more successes. The radius is 20 feet per success.

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Level Two

Breaking the Tomorrow Wall

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 149 andd 150

Description: The Mokolé swims upstream through the river of Mnesis, catching vague glimpses of the future. A crane-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas, difficulty 6. The Mokolé gains one vague insight of the Storyteller’s choice per success.

Command Spirit

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.

Send the Dream — As the metis Gift: Mental Speech.

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: This Gift enables mental communication, even over vast distances. The user must either know the target personally (although friendship isn't necessary) or have something that belongs to that person, such as a lock of his hair. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 8) and spends a Willpower point; the effects last for a scene. The character may hold a mental conversation with a target at a maximum distance of 10 miles (16 km) per success. Mind reading isn't possible, but the werewolf may use Social Abilities such as Intimidation.

Walking Between Worlds — As the Mokolé general Gift. Shrouded, Decorated, and Eclipsed Suns alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 150

Description: The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Three

Deeper Lungs

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Mokolé may reserve air within herself, allowing her to live for a period of time without breathing. This Gift is taught by a turtle-spirit.

System: The Mokolé may hold her breath for (Stamina) hours. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Exorcism

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.

Shadow Wings — As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Bird.

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above - an excellent reason to do so, in the eyes of the Uktena. The Garou using this Gift may hover, fly, or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and with an audible rush of mighty but unseen wings, the character takes to the air. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.

Level Four

Living Treasure

W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: A Hakken can convince the spirit of a treasure in his possession to relate its history and lore. An ancestor spirit imparts this Gift.

System: The Hakken touches the object; the player rolls Manipulation + Etiquette (difficulty 7). Each success causes the spirit to reveal one fact about itself. Hakken may use this Gift on common items as well, making it a useful tool for investigations or problem solving. This Gift may only be used once per object.

Recapitulate

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Mokolé can attack enemies with their own evolutionary heritage, forcing them to retreat back down the tree of life toward a clump of cells. The foe is transformed into a lower form of life. A lungfish-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Mokolé shouts the enemy’s name and certain Words out of time. The player spends two Gnosis points, then rolls Mnesis + Intimidation, difficulty 7. The player splits her successes between the effects of devolution and the duration. For each success spent on effect, the victim devolves through one stage of existence: for humans or Garou, one success makes him a primitive rat-like mammal, two make him a synapsid, and so on. The effect lasts for ten minutes per success spent on duration.

Level Five

Gorgon's Gaze

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Fury's eyes burn red, gold, and green as this hideous power of legend transforms living flesh into stone with but a gaze. Difficult to find and even more dangerous to approach, legendary Basilisk teaches this Gift.

System: After making eye contact, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Appearance + Occult (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The victim is completely paralyzed for one turn per success; five successes permanently transforms the target to stone.

Malleable Spirit

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift.

System: The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficult is based on what the garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis.

Difficulty Change
6 Characteristics (Willpower, Rage, Gnosis; one point changed per success)
7 Disposition (Friendly, Neutral, Hostile)
9 Type (Naturae, Elemental, Bane, etc)
[+/-] Decorated Gifts

Decorated Sun Gifts

Level One

Mercy

W20 Core, pg 177, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: Children of Gaia see no use for lethal force when not fighting minions of the Wyrm, but even they succumb to frenzy. This Gift allows the Garou to use her natural weaponry and Rage without fear of killing her opponent. A dove spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, all damage that the Garou inflicts with her own body is considered bashing. A creature "killed" by such damage merely falls unconscious, and he may heal the wounds at the usual rate for bashing damage.

Pack Tactics

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: While the Ahroun's role as the overall leader of Garou is questionable, there's no doubt at all who should take control of the pack in battle. By taking the lead and coordinating pack actions, the Ahroun gifts all her packmates with great competence in the heat of battle. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point before initiating a Pack Tactics maneuver (see W20 Core, pg 300) and divides a pool of extra dice equal to her Leadership score among everyone performing the maneuver. The dice should be divided as evenly as possible, although the player may choose where to distribute extra dice (or in case of the Ahroun's Leadership score granting fewer dice than the number of packmates involved).

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Level Two

Call to Duty

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: Names hold great power in the spirit world, and the Philodox may exploit this to summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command may be given, and the spirit departs immediately after fulfilling it. Alternatively, all spirits in the area may be called in times of great need. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must know the name of the spirit she wishes to summon. The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the spirit's Willpower). The second mode of this Gift simply requires the player to spend two Gnosis points to summon all Gaian spirits within a one mile (1.6 km) radius. If the character has abused this Gift in the past (in the Storyteller's estimation), the spirits might refuse the call - such a general summons is rooted more in appeal to duty than compulsion. The mightiest of spirits (Incarnae and above) are generally able to ignore this Gift if they choose.

Command the Gathering

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Philodox draws all eyes to herself with a great exclamation, a clap of her hands, the striking of klaive to shield, or some other such gesture. Until she has had her say, none may depart or interrupt her. A lion spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Appearance + Leadership (difficulty equals the highest Willpower among those whose attention she seeks to gain). If the roll succeeds, all in attendance fall quiet and listen. Any individual who wishes to interrupt the Philodox or walk out before she has finished speaking must spend two points of Willpower to do so.

Dragon Drill

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Mokolé may organize her allies into a potent workforce, sharing any Ability known to a single member of the group with all members. This Gift can empower Mokolé, Kin, and any character with whom the Mokolé shares a totem. Ant-spirits teach this gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + the appropriate Skill or Knowledge (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of individuals who gain the targeted Ability at the rating of the highest-rated member of the group. This Gift’s effects last for one scene.

Walking Between Worlds — As the Mokolé general Gift. Shrouded, Decorated, and Eclipsed Suns alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 150

Description: The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Three

Long Running

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Mokolé can make long trips far more quickly than should be possible. An air-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + (Athletics or Drive) against a difficulty of the local Gauntlet. Each success reduces the overall travel time to reach the Mokolé’s current destination by 5%.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Infest

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 150

Description: The Bone Gnawer summons a horde of vermin to invade a structure no bigger than a large building. The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area - usually a lively variety of insects, slugs, and rodents. The vermin behave according to their natural instinct, generally settling down for permanent infestation rather than attacking humans. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success warrants an immediate call to an exterminator, five makes the building completely uninhabitable for quite some time.

Shadows by the Firelight

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Galliard invokes shadows and dreams to set the stage for a play in which other werewolves play a part. The Galliard narrates the tale, and the actors are swept along in the narrative, willing or no. The Gift is often used at moots, since it allows many to participate in the retelling of legends. It is also used as an object lesson for the wayward and stubborn. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: To press an unwilling actor into the shadow-play, the player spends one Gnosis point per target and rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The effects last until the story ends (one scene), or until the actor is attacked. Willing participants require no roll or expenditure.

Level Five

Chaos Mechanics

W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: Werewolves pulse with the Wyld's energy, but all creatures form and nature have something of the Weaver in them as well. Upon learning this Gift, the Glass Walker reconciles these aspects of his being, enabling him to summon primal energy and mystical form at the same time. Luna, who balances mercurial chaos into an orderly cycle of phases, sends the most powerful of her Lunes to teach this Gift.

System: A werewolf with this Gift may use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn with no penalty. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Obedience

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Shadow Lord becomes the ultimate alpha, compelling all others to follow her orders. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). All in the vicinity must roll Willpower (difficulty 8) and match or exceeds the Garou's successes, or they succumb to the Gift's effects. If the werewolf wins by one success, targets follow any orders that don't directly inconvenience them. Three successes cause the targets to treat the Lord as their alpha and fight for her. Five successes make the targets follow her into the Abyss or perform virtually suicidal actions. This Gift's effects last for one full day.

[+/-] Eclipsed Gifts

Eclipsed Sun Gifts

Level One

Aura of Confidence

W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The werewolf projects an aura of superiority, preventing attempts to find flaws or read auras (but not to read the werewolf's thoughts). An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift's effects are permanent.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Lambent Flame

W20 Core, pg 193, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The werewolf causes her body to ignite with silver light. A lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point to activate the Gift. The light illuminates a 100 foot (30 m) are around the Garou for the rest of the scene. All attacks against the Garou suffer a +1 difficulty penalty while this Gift persists.

Level Two

Awe

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Mokolé becomes an unmistakable avatar of primal glory and majesty, crowned by the sun and cloaked in years. An avatar of Helios teaches this Gift.

System: The character permanently adds one die to all Charisma rolls.

Dazzle

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description:' The Garou can flood a target's mind with the glory and love of Gaia, rendering him harmless for a short while. A unicorn spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Empathy against a difficulty of the target's Willpower (+1 if the target is a creature of the Wyrm). As long as the target isn't attacked, he stands mutely in awe for the remainder of the scene. This Gift can be attempted against a given target only once per scene.

Walking Between Worlds — As the Mokolé general Gift. Shrouded, Decorated, and Eclipsed Suns alone may buy this as a Level Two Gift.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 148 and 151

Description: The Mokolé can breach the Gauntlet and enter the Umbra in the same manner as Garou. Lunes teach this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Three

Dragon-King’s Majesty — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Icy Chill of Despair.

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Shadow Lord appears to grow larger and more imposing, becoming a terrible, shadowy version of herself. This change in aspect can severely intimidate any onlookers. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn; the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 7). Anyone who means the Shadow Lord harm must make a Willpower check (difficulty 8), and score more successes than the Lord does in order to act normally. Failure means that the victims must spend a Willpower point to attack, take action against or even verbally oppose the Shadow Lord. This Gift doesn't give the Lord actual control over her intimidated victims - they're simply too spooked to actively oppose her.

Eye of the Cobra

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: With an unearthly stare, the werewolf can draw anyone to within striking distance. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Appearance + Enigmas (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The Garou needs three successes to bring the target to his side; fewer successes will at least start the victim moving in the right direction. Once there, the target can do as he pleases, but he must try his best to get to the Galliard until then.

Wrath of the Dragon — As the Silver Fang Gift: Wrath of Gaia.

W20 Core, pg 194, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The werewolf shows himself in full, terrible glory as Gaia's chosen warrior. His splendor overwhelms minions of the Wyrm, driving them before him in terror. An avatar of Gaia herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation. Any minions of the Wyrm who look upon the Garou during the rest of the scene must either roll Willpower (difficulty 7) and equal or exceed the player's successes, or flee in terror.

Level Four

Mastery

W20 Core, pg 194, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Silver Fangs can command other Garou - even Black Spiral Dancers - to do her bidding. A falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty equal to the target's Wits + 3). If the rolls succeeds, the Garou can give the target one non-suicidal command, which he must obey for one turn per success. This Gift works only against Garou.

Sun Enfleshed

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Mokolé becomes a living embodiment of the sun’s holy fire. She bursts into silent, solar flames, burning her opponents with a touch. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Helios.

System: The player spends three Gnosis points to activate this Gift. Any vampires looking upon the Mokolé must roll to resist fear frenzy as though they beheld the sun at full noon, and the Mokolé’s natural weapons inflict two additional dice of aggravated damage, as well as being treated as weapons made of gold.

Level Five

Halo of the Sun

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.

Stop Continental Drift

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 151

Description: The Crowned with this powerful Gift can travel the world as though it were still the dawn of time. A journey from the shores of Africa to South America, for example, may take only a matter of days. Crocodile-spirits teach this gift.

System: Once the character begins her journey, the player rolls Stamina + Rituals, difficulty 7. The Crowning leads any companions traveling with her in a song of the oldest times, of smoking mountains and gods that walk in thunder. The group passes in and out of the world as in a dream, bypassing oceans as though the land were connected as it was in the days of Pangaea.

Rites

As the oldest members of the Pact with the spirit world, the Mokolé employ ancient, traditional variations of many Garou rites, although notably they use few rites dealing with the Umbra.

Burning the Library

Level One, Mystic

This rite is named for the day when fire destroyed the Library of Alexandria. It can erase a memory from someone who has witnessed (or perpetrated) an event; if the rite is performed communally, remove all of the participants’ memories of the event.

System: The ritemaster rolls Charisma + Rituals, difficulty 7, while describing the memories that must be destroyed. She then intones the Words of Unmaking, which seek out and destroy the offending memories. For each success, one memory (up to a scene long) can be destroyed. This rite can be performed on either the ritualist herself, or others; unwilling targets must be restrained or otherwise subdued.

Silence of the Oracles

Level Two, Mystic

The Mokolé’s control of memories allows them to heal minds and well as preserving the past. This rite allows the weresaurians to protect a person from memories that cause pain or madness. The Mokolé draws the damaging aspects of a memory away, quarantining them safely within her Mnesis. No memory should be lost, especially those cataloguing the evils of an Age.

System: The ritemaster takes one memory (up to a scene in length) from the target per success, storing it in her Mnesis, removing the parts that cause him pain and suffering. The victim does not fully forget the events but has a level of detachment that locks away the pain and harm of the memory. This rite may also be used on a character suffering a Derangement or similar state. In such cases the individual acts free of the Derangement for one scene per success.

Rock Art

Level Three, Caern

The Mokolé dream memories of ages long past, but they know that weresaurians are not the only ones who might have need of what they have learned. This rite enriches Mokolé artwork with the memories she would share with future generations. Despite the name, she can infuse any form of visual art with her memories.

System: The artist rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) with the number of successes indicating the clarity of the memory stored within the art. Any character with a Gnosis trait can experience the memory by spending a point of Gnosis. The Storyteller decides how much information he gains, but even one success is sufficient to communicate the Mokolé’s basic message. In modern times nomadic Mokolé have used this rite to share current events and warnings with other shapeshifters who pass through an area.

Gifts

Homid Nuwisha can learn homid Garou Gifts, and latrani Nuwisha can learn lupus Gifts. Any Nuwisha can learn Ragabash Gifts. Players choose three Gifts when making Nuwisha: one breed Gift, and two general Nuwisha Gifts from the list below. Gifts listed as Umbral Danse are only available to Umbral Dansers and will not be taught to those outside of that group.

[+/-] Nuwisha Gifts

Nuwisha Gifts

Level One

Camouflage

W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171

Description: The Wendigo blends in with the surrounding wilderness, the better to evade enemies or prepare ambushes. A deer spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties to spot the Garou in the wilderness increase by three.

Coyote’s Intuition

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171

Description: By taking time to look over an individual, the Nuwisha receives a powerful gut intuition of what subject the target least wants to talk about at that moment. A coyote-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After a few moments of scrutiny, the player rolls Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target’s Willpower).

Earworm

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171

Description: Catchy tunes often run through people’s minds and disappear as soon as they hear the next song. A Nuwisha using this Gift can make a simple tune drive the victim to despair. Some Nuwisha use this Gift constructively, singing a code-phrase or a sequence of numbers to guarantee that the listener will be able to remember them for days to come — though the coyote’s victim remains distracted all the same. A mosquito-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha hums, sings a tune or jingle while looking at his target, and rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower). Success makes the sound play endlessly in the victim’s mind for one day per success. The victim can still sleep, but increases the difficulty all rolls requiring concentration and any extended action by +2.

Emperor’s Clothes

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171

Description: Even the noblest individuals can be brought low by public embarrassment. A Nuwisha with this Gift can whisk an item of clothing off a person with a simple grab — no matter how difficult it should normally be to remove. A magpie-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha rolls Dexterity + Larceny (difficulty of the target’s Dexterity + Athletics) and pulls at the item of clothing. On a success, she grabs the garment from the target. The Gift offers no protection from an enraged, pants-less Ahroun, so the trickster had better start running. Coyote doesn’t appreciate the same joke told over and over again, so this Gift can only be used on an individual once per night.

Finders Keepers

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 171

Description: The Nuwisha whispers her victim’s name, and claims Coyote’s favor to teach him a lesson. She leaves a spiritual mark on the victim that other Nuwisha and spirits can see. Nuwisha may choose to ignore the mark and interact with the victim, but risk a loss of Renown if other Nuwisha find out. The mark compels spirits to avoid the victim until the werecoyote has taught him the error of his ways. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha spends a Gnosis point and touches the victim. Nuwisha and spirits automatically see the spirit mark, but do not know who has placed it. A spirit must roll Gnosis (difficulty equal to the Nuwisha’s Willpower) to be able to approach or communicate with the victim.

Laugh of the Vagabond

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: Hyena follows no one; instead, she laughs at those who would name themselves kings. The Bone Gnawer wields the power of this mocking laughter, allowing her to resist any attempt to command, cajole, force, or demand to do anything she doesn't wish to. Such refusals are never subtle; the werewolf cackles like a hyena when calling upon this Gift. A hyena spirit teaches it.

System: All attempts to mentally compel the werewolf suffer a +2 difficulty penalty, so long as she laughs out loud at them.

Rabbit Run As the Silent Strider Gift: Speed of Thought.

W20 Core, pg 191, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner or cheetah spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

Salaryman

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Nuwisha is at home in any crowd, just another forgettable face — even if she’s bleeding from the gut and wearing a clown mask. As long as she’s in a group of humans, amost nobody can recognize her or pick her out. This Gift is taught by a City Father or Mother.

System: The difficulties to spot the Nuwisha in any group of three or more humans (or human-like supernatural creatures such as shapeshifters or vampires) increase by three, to a maximum of difficulty 9. This Gift is always active.

Scent of Sweet Honey

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: A target the Garou touched at some point during the last hour begins to exude a wonderfully sweet aroma, and becomes slightly sticky to the touch. All manner of vermin quickly appear and coat the victim. The resulting coat of gnats, flies, bees and beetles crawls, stings, and generally impairs vision and hearing. Insect spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The target suffers a -1 penalty to all actions for one hour per success; the smell will not wash off during this time.

Secret Question

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: Asked a question intended to verify someone’s identity, this Gift provides the correct answer. The Nuwisha may say anything in response and the targets hear the correct answer, be that the password to a secret society meeting or a telephone-banking password. The werecoyote does not know what the victim heard. A fly-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, difficulty 7. A single success is all that is required, but each question requires another use of the Gift — even if someone new asks a question that the Nuwisha has already answered. This Gift may also be used on websites by pranking the pattern-spider within a computer. Each field that the Nuwisha doesn’t know is a separate use of the Gift.

Sleep of the Ages

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: Sometimes the best tricks need the target to sleep through anything. This Gift ensures that northing short of physical contact will wake the sleeper. A sloth-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha must touch an already-sleeping target, and roll Gnosis (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Each success gives one hour during which nothing except direct physical contact will wake the victim.

Snake’s Skin

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The metis can shed a layer of fur and skin, slipping from an opponent's grasp or escaping from bonds with ease. A lizard spirit or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, the character loses a tuft of fur or skin (revealing healthy new hide) allowing her to slip free of grapples or bonds such as ropes or chains.

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Swollen Tongue

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Nuwisha can cause a target’s tongue to swell with a touch, preventing speech for the rest of the scene. A spider-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character touches her target, and the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). Three or more successes also cause the target’s hands to fumble when she attempts to sign or write.

Twin-Faced Trickster As the Black Fury Gift: Man’s Skin.

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: Distasteful though it may be, the Black Furies sometimes find it necessary to pass unnoticed through the world of men. This Gift allows a Fury to effectively change gender in the eyes of onlookers. Her features and build become decidedly more masculine, and her garb seems of a masculine cut. Her hair, eye and skin color remain the same; the result is a man who shows a slight family resemblance to the Fury. Despite this Gift's name, it works equally well when male metis Furies employ it to disguise themselves as women. This Gift is taught by an ancestor spirit or a seahorse spirit.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). The illusion lasts for one scene per success, or until the Fury shifts form. The disguise withstands casual tactile contact, although heavy or violent contact will reveal the truth.

Two Tongues

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The glib words and clever schemes of the Fianna are wasted on a single mark. This Gift teaches the werewolf to talk out of both sides of her face, literally carrying on two conversations simultaneously, and to decide who hears what. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, the Fianna may simultaneously carry on two conversations at the same time, which need have no relation to one another. She decides which listeners hear which version of the words she's speaking. Anyone suspecting something odd about the Fianna'e behavior must roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 9) to detect the Garou's other conversation and to understand what she's saying there.

Level Two

Beneath the Electron Bridge

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: After spending a few minutes in conversation with her mark, the Nuwisha may intuitively grasp the exact, precise thing to say to send the target into a frothing rage. This Gift makes humans furious and provokes frenzy checks in creatures capable of them (such as Garou and vampires). Once obscure (due to the hazards of deploying it face-to-face), this Gift has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity after the discovery that it works just fine through text messages or across the internet. A flea-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty 8) to come up with the perfect worst-thing-to-say.

Command Spirit (Umbral Danse)

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.

Curse of Tiresias

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Nuwisha may force an individual to see how the other side lives, rapping them smartly over the head and transforming them into a member of the opposite sex. A seahorse-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point (and must roll Dexterity + Brawl or Melee, difficulty 6, to strike an unwilling target; this inflicts no damage). The transformed individual bears a close resemblance to their original appearance — they appear to be an opposite-sex sibling, rather than a wholly different person. This Gift’s effects last for (Nuwisha’s Humor) days.

Distractions

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The werewolf can make distracting yips, yelps, and howls to divert the attention of his target. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Performance (difficulty equals the victim's Willpower). Each success subtracts one die from the target's dice pool for the next three turns.

Gift of the Termite

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Bone Gnawer can cause wood and paper to rot with astonishing speed. Furniture falls apart, documents disintegrate, and buildings may even collapse. A termite spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Crafts (difficulty7). One success can rot a ream of paper, three can destroy a wall, and five can collapse the roof of a small building.

New Face

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Nuwisha may completely change her appearance, seeming to be of any race, gender, and canid species she desires. However, this transformation only affects her Homid and Latrani forms. A spirit servant of Kishijoten teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Expression, difficulty 6, and spends a Gnosis point. This Gift lasts for (Cunning) days.

Odious Aroma

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.

Otter’s Breath As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Fish.

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The werewolf can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Any fish spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The effect lasts one hour per success.

Sheep’s Clothing

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 172

Description: The Nuwisha may perfectly mimic the forms, scent, and outer markings of another breed of shapeshifter (though not of a specific individual). A cuckoo-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and selects a shapeshifter to impersonate. The Nuwisha gains no mechanical benefits or special powers from her disguise — for example, she could appear to be a Corax in Corvid form, but could not fly, nor spin webs as an Ananasi, nor enjoy the incredible Strength of a Gurahl in Crinos. The disguise lasts for (Humor) days.

Suspicious Glance

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: The Nuwisha using this Gift spreads the seeds of doubt between trusted allies. After all, close friends and lovers know just where to stick a dagger to make sure it really hurts. A snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player names a victim and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6). At some point in the next 24 hours the victim will suddenly suspect betrayal by one of his closest allies. While the Gift provides no rational reason, most people don’t have to look far to find a reason to fear their allies. The Nuwisha may spend a point of Gnosis when making the roll, and name two victims. Over the next 24 hours one of them will suspect betrayal by the other. The Nuwisha has no control over which will become suspicious, but he may use this Gift twice and name the two victims in reverse order to ensure they will each start to distrust the other.

Tiny Coyote

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: Sometimes a prank goes awry and a Nuwisha just needs to get the hell out of Dodge, but the only way out is a tiny hole. With this Gift the Nuwisha can crawl through the smallest spaces. This Gift is taught by a mouse-spirit.

System: The Nuwisha spends one Gnosis and instantly shrinks to whatever size is appropriate to fit into an available space, down to the size of a mouse. She cannot change forms while shrunk; in doing so she reverts to her normal size with painful consequences. If the Nuwisha enters a larger space, she automatically expands to match the space as she encounters it. She returns to normal when she first enters a space large enough to fit her usual size. She cannot shrink again without reactivating the Gift.

Voice Bank

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: This Gift allows the Nuwisha to imitate people’s voices perfectly, building up a ‘bank’ of voices that he can impersonate. A parrot-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha must listen intently while a person speaks, then rolls Perception + Expression. The difficulty depends on how much of the speaker’s voice he can sample: a few words is difficulty 8, a full minute is difficulty 7 and over half an hour is difficulty 6. Success adds that voice to the werecoyote’s collection of voices. He can perfectly imitate a voice for a scene by spending a point of Gnosis. A Nuwisha may keep as many voices as he has dots of Expression. He chooses which voice is discarded when he adds another beyond his limit.

Level Three

Blisters

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: With a touch, the Nuwisha covers her target in hideous blisters, causing a loss of fur and general appearance. A toad-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha touches her target and her player rolls Manipulation + Primal-Urge. The blisters last for (successes gained x Humor) days, causing the target to lose three dice from all social dice pools.

False Spoor

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: The Nuwisha may change her scent to exactly match someone else’s for a scene. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Primal Urge (difficulty 6, or difficulty 8 if the Nuwisha has not sampled the target’s scent while in Latrani, Sendeh or Manabozho form). The deception lasts (Humor) days, unless she ends it earlier. A Garou or other character using Scent of the True Form (or similar ability) adds the Nuwisha’s successes to the difficulty of his roll to smell through the deception.

Fool’s Luck

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: With this Gift the Nuwisha plays games with fate itself. With the cackling of laughter she can swap good fortune for bad, twisting the strings of probability and fate between her fingers — though she has no control over the outcome. An avatar of Chung Kuel teaches this Gift.

System: When the target makes a roll, the werecoyote’s player can spend a Gnosis point and roll Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 7). If the Nuwisha rolls at least as many successes as her victim, his action fails as if he had rolled no successes. Set the victim’s dice aside, or make a note of the victim’s roll. The next time in the scene that the victim is called upon to make a roll, use the results of the dice roll (the numbers on the dice) that the Nuwisha interrupted. If the victim’s next action would have used a smaller dice pool or had a lower difficulty, he has a chance of great success — but if he must now use three dice showing “1, 2, 2” in place of his normal eight-dice pool, his future is very unlucky. A Nuwisha may not use this Gift on himself.

Forbidden Words

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: The Nuwisha may forbid another from speaking of a certain topic. The werecoyote need only stand in one of the target’s footprints and pronounce her ban; the target need not hear her pronouncement. Should the unlucky target of this Gift attempt to speak of the forbidden topic, he will find himself unable to speak, vomiting up vermin (flies, worms, toads, etc.) instead. A cat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls the Nuwisha’s permanent Humor as a dice pool (difficulty 6). The Gift’s effects last for one day per success.

Gift of Rage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 173

Description: With this Gift, the werecoyote gains Rage for a short time, with all its benefits and drawbacks. A servant of Loki teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point to gain 5 Rage points, which may be used as Garou do. This Gift may be used once per scene, and the Nuwisha may never have more than 5 Rage. While the Nuwisha has Rage, he is vulnerable to silver as Garou are, and susceptible to frenzy.

Happy Thoughts

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: With a touch, the Nuwisha takes away another’s Rage. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha touches his target and the player spends one Gnosis point. The target cannot frenzy or spend Rage for the rest of the scene.

Now You Don’t

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The Nuwisha may veil one fairly distinct category of objects from another’s sight, such as cars, doors, trees, fences, food, or baggies of drugs. A bat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Larceny (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The objects don’t necessarily become invisible — the target sees what most logically would be there if the named object wasn’t. For example, a door would be replaced by a section of blank wall rather than a rectangular hole, while cars and fences would be replaced by nothing at all. The obscured objects remain apparent to all senses other than sight. This Gift lasts for (Humor) hours.

Pain Remains

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: Pain usually means little to the Changing Breeds, as their regenerative powers soon heal most injuries. With this Gift the Nuwisha ensures that the discomfort endures long after the injury is gone. A pain-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player selects an injured target, spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Medicine (difficulty of the target’s Stamina + Survival). The victim suffers an injury penalty equal to the number of successes (up to his current injury penalty) until the next sunset.

Raven’s Feather As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Bird.

W20 Core, pg 198, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above - an excellent reason to do so, in the eyes of the Uktena. The Garou using this Gift may hover, fly, or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and with an audible rush of mighty but unseen wings, the character takes to the air. The Garou can fly at 20 mph and hover as she desires. The difficulties of all combat maneuvers increase by one. This Gift lasts for one hour.

Shadow Walk

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The Nuwisha may pass through the Gauntlet into any aspect of the Umbra, even the Dark Umbra of the dead or the Horizon where mages gather. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift’s effects are permanent.

Umbral Camouflage (Umbral Danse)

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift.

Umbral Sight (Umbral Danse) Pulse of the Invisible

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.

System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.

Level Four

Bridge Walker

W20 Core, pg 170, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The Galliard may create minor moon bridges through which she alone can travel. Such travel takes one percent of the time the journey would take normally , allowing the werewolf to disappear from in front of a foe and reappear behind him instantly. These moon bridges are not protected by Lunes, and may attract the interest of spirits. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to create the bridge. The moon bridge lasts for only one passage, unless the player spends an additional three Willpower, in which case it lasts until the next full moon. The maximum distance that can be traversed by the bridge is the garou's Gnosis in miles (1.6 km per Gnosis dot).

Disappearing Act

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: So long as the Nuwisha remains absolutely still, he cannot be detected by any means — not even by touch or mystic senses. Cat-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and one Gnosis point. The Gift’s effects last so long as the character does not willingly move. Being unwillingly moved, such as being knocked over by someone walking into the werecoyote, does not break the Gift.

Grasp the Beyond (Umbral Danse)

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people, and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum spirit or kangaroo spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a willpower roll; each success subtracts one of the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely.

Locked Door (Umbral Danse) — As the Theurge Gift: Blurring the Mirror.

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: This Gift allows the Theurge to cloud the minds of other beings, making it impossible for them to find the Umbra or step sideways into it. Once used as a form of punishment for arrogant pups, this Gift is more often deployed as a weapon against Black Spiral Dancers in the days of the coming Apocalypse. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for every individual she wishes to affect. The Gauntlet increases by 5 for those targets for the rest of the scene. Up to five individuals can be affected at once. While normally used against other Garou, this Gift is effective against any being capable of entering the Umbra sideways, including other Fera and some mages.

Phantasm

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.

Trickster’s Skin

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The werecoyote may “trade skins” for a scene with a target he can perceive, taking on his victim’s voice, appearance, and scent while the victim appears to be the Nuwisha. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of target’s Primal-Urge + 3).

Cartoon Physics

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: The Nuwisha may briefly trick the laws of gravity into forgetting that they apply to her, allowing her to run and even jump across the air — as long as she doesn’t acknowledge that she’s doing the impossible. Some tricky werecoyotes use this Gift in conjunction with Phantasm to trick a victim into stepping out onto an illusory floor that the werecoyote is comfortably ‘standing’ on. Any spirit of the air may teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 5). The Nuwisha can “stand” on nothing for one turn per success, as long as she remains broadly level with where she left solid ground — she can keep running, and even jump along where the “floor” should be. This Gift’s effects end immediately if she looks straight down.

Playing the Heart-Strings

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 174

Description: True love comes in many forms. Sometimes it runs smoothly, from a first meeting to first kiss to a lifetime together. Such simple relationships aren’t for this Gift. It is the first step in a chain of unlikely events that bring two people together. Often wildly improbable, this Gift results in relationships that work, having come through weird coincidences and bizarre misunderstandings. A Nuwisha who possesses this Gift will never know its benefits — she becomes unable to use it as soon as she enters an ongoing relationship. A bird-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha touches her target. Her player spends a point of Gnosis and a point of Willpower, then rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). The target will meet someone suitable in the next scene — who he meets is outside of the Nuwisha’s control — and keep meeting them in strange circumstances over the course of the next (12 – successes) months. Each meeting is a bizarre co-incidence in an otherwise improbable situation — the star-crossed lovers don’t meet in a bar, but end up in hospital beds next to one another after a car crashes into a shopping mall, or meet when they both beat the same casino for millions of dollars. They have plentiful chances to talk and get to know one another, and at the end of the chance meetings they are able to start a surprisingly stable relationship.

This Gift doesn’t directly affect either of the lovers. Instead, it warps and twists chance, fate, and destiny to ensure the star-crossed lovers meet. While the target may feel like his life has turned into a romantic comedy, everyone around them gets caught up in events that could ruin their lives. One use of this Gift can skew the laws of chance throughout Vegas, bringing two people together but utterly ruining thousands more.

Level Five

Assimilation

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Fetish Doll

W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: Sympathetic magic is among the oldest principles of sorcery - possibly the oldest - and still as effective as it ever was. The Garou can harm his victims from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll to incorporate the prize. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The doll takes one week to construct and enchant. The player rolls Perception + Crafts (difficulty 8) to do so. When the doll is complete, the player may roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty is equal to the victim's Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage on the victim, soakable if the victim is capable of doing so. After 10 successes, the doll is too mutilated to be of further use.

Ghost Danse (Umbral Danse)

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: This Gift allows the Nuwisha to exist in both the Gaia Realm and in the Umbra simultaneously. She may perceive and attack beings on either side of the Gauntlet, and may selectively avoid their attacks. An avatar of Coyote teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Willpower points to activate this Gift for the rest of the scene. While Ghost Dansing, the Nuwisha may perfectly avoid any attack that does not strike beings in both the Umbra and the Gaia Realm simultaneously by spending one Gnosis point per attack so dodged.

Friend and Foe

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: The Nuwisha’s talent for infiltration is remarkable, but this Gift truly makes the trickster one with any crowd. One use of this Gift will ensure that a group will trust the werecoyote, and no member of a group would ever consider the Nuwisha to be anything other than on the level. He could walk in carrying a bloody hatchet while the police were questioning the group over a series of hatchet-killings, and everyone would leap to the Nuwisha’s defense. Any one of the Trickster aspects of Coyote may teach this Gift.

System: The Nuwisha first identifies a group that he wants to be a part of — anything from a pack of Garou to the United States Senate. His player spends one Willpower and one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty of the highest Willpower in the group). Each success affects up to five individuals who will claim the Nuwisha is a legitimate member of their group and will deny any evidence to the contrary — even responding with violence if provoked. The effect lasts for (Humor) days. If the player spends one dot each of Willpower and Gnosis, the effect becomes permanent.

The Nuwisha has to make a token effort to fit in with the group, to avoid being kicked out. Even if she does find herself expelled the Gift does not end. The group’s members will still insist she was a legitimate member and may give her the opportunity to regain their favor.

Stop Hitting Yourself

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: Often, a Nuwisha’s educational tricks and pranks will have the unfortunate side effect of enraging her victims, making the werecoyote the targets of extreme and bloody violence. With this Gift, she can turn the situation on its head — attackers who try to hurt the Nuwisha just end up hurting themselves. A porcupine-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When the Nuwisha would be wounded by an attack that she failed to soak, she may instead activate this Gift by spending one Willpower point and rolling Gnosis (difficulty equal to the attacker’s Rage, or 4 for attackers who do not have Rage). On a success, the attacker takes the damage that she would have suffered. As the Nuwisha has already soaked the damage, these transferred wounds ignore armor and soak.

Ultimate Argument of Logic

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: Those who speak with the Theurge leave convinced of some fact they might otherwise have disbelieved. If successful, the Garou can cause the target to believe implicitly in one aspect of existence (true or false) - that the Earth is the center of the universe, that there is such a thing as a spirit world, or that cities are unnatural affronts to nature, for example. A coyote spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player needs three successes on a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty of the target's Wits + Enigmas).

Umbral Gateway (Umbral Danse)

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 175

Description: The Nuwisha can open a portal directly into the Umbra, through which may pass only those things the werecoyote wishes. This Gift is taught by a servant of the Trickster.

System: The player spends three Gnosis points and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 8). The portal stays open as long as the werecoyote desires, to a maximum of one scene.

Ragabash Gifts

[+/-] Ragabash Gifts

Ragabash

Luna's Gifts to the Ragabash defy tradition and conventional wisdom. Well suited to tricksters, scouts and saboteurs, the eclectic blessings of the new moon are nothing if not effective.

Level One

Blur of the Milky Eye

W20 Core, pg 161

Description: The werewolf’s form becomes a shimmering, indistinct blur, as though seen through heavy cataracts - even in the mid day sun. The Ragabash is not truly invisible, however, and if spotted, this Gift’s protection fails until the observer is distracted. A chameleon or ermine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 8). Each success increases the difficulty of all Perception rolls made to detect him by one for the rest of the scene.

Infectious Laughter

W20 Core pg 161

Description: Laughter is the tool with which Gaia’s tricksters promote enlightenment and the knife that slashes through the veil of Rage. When the Ragabash laughs, those around her are compelled to follow along, forgetting their grievances. A coyote or hyena spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Ragabash must make some comment mocking the present situation in which she finds herself, then laugh at it. The player then rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the highest Rage rating of anyone listening). Success causes those who hear the Ragabash's comment and laughter to lose hold of their ire, and forget what it was that had them upset in the first place - although their temper will return if they are reminded of what the New Moon has made them forget.

Liar's Face

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The Ragabash wraps herself in such a deceitful attitude that nothing she says can be trusted - not even the clear and unvarnished truth. The werewolf may make a single truthful statement, and no human who hears it will believe her. A platypus spirit teaches this gift.

System: After the character makes a truthful statement, the player spends one Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). This Gift is automatically effective on humans, causing them to believe the Ragabash is lying. Supernatural listeners whose Willpower is lower than the Ragabash's successes will also refuse to believe the Ragabash's words.

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Scent of Running Water

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The werewolf can mask her scent completely, making herself virtually impossible to track. A fox spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of all rolls to track the Garou increase by two. This Gift's effects are permanent, though the Ragabash may temporarily suppress them at will (which may be necessary to blend in with wolf packs.

Level Two

Blissful ignorance

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

Pulse of the Prey

W20 Core pg 161

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Spider's Song

W20 Core pg 161

Description: The Ragabash can steal messages from the Weaver's web, plucking them from the air or eavesdropping as they race through telephone lines. The Ragabash must be aware that conversation is happening to listen in on it (thought she doesn't have to know who's on the other end of the line). For conversations across land lines, the Ragabash must place her ear against a telephone pole or cord; to listen in on cell phone discussions (or even to intercept text messages) she need only be able to see one of the phones being used. Spider and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. She listens in on the conversation (or receives mental translations of text messages) for as long as she keeps her ear to the line or keeps the cellphone user in sight.

Taking the Forgotten

W20 Core pg 162

Description: A Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target and make his victim forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse spirit teaches this Gift.

System: After successfully stealing the item, the player must score three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).

Level Three

Gremlins

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
6 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Liar's Craft

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.

System: The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.

Monkey Tail

W20 Core pg 162, and 159

Description: The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).

Open Moon Bridge

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The werewolf has the ability to open a moon bridge, with or without the permission of the totem of that caern. A Lune teaches the Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. See the Rite of the Opened Bridge for more information on opening moon bridges. The maximum distance that can thereby be covered is 1,000 miles (1600 km).

Pathfinder

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The werewolf can strike implausible trails through pristine wilderness and the urban jungle alike, locating the fasted and shortest routes from one place to another. A crow spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Survival (for wilderness) or Streetwise (for urban environments) against difficult 7. The number of successes equals the quality of the path she blazes and how much she decreases her travel time. Every success reduces travel time by approximately 10 percent, up to a maximum of half the original travel time. The difficulty of any rolls to track the werewolf increase by two when this Gift is active; this decrease is cumulative with other similar effects, such as Scent of Running Water.

Level Four

Luna's Blessing

W20 Core pg 162

Description: When Luna stands visible in the night sky, silver ceases to act as a bane to the Garou. Indeed, when the moon waxes full, silver may well turn on those who would wield it against Gaia's children. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: When the moon shows in the sky in a visible phase, the character suffers lethal or bashing damage from silver, rather than aggravated (damage type depends on the form of attack - a silver-headed cane would do bashing damage, while silver bullets inflict lethal damage). Additionally, all attacks against werewolf with silver weapons at this time are considered to roll a 1 in addition to all dice actually rolled - or a pair of 1s during the full moon. The Garou retains his normal vulnerability to silver during the day, on nights of the new moon, and when the moon is below the horizon.

Umbral Dodge

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Ragabash finds that the best way to deal with an enemy is to send him far away - perhaps to a place where he'll learn the folly of his ways. She may tear open a hole in the Gauntlet while dodging an enemy's attack, sending him to the land of spirits. A trapdoor-spider spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When attempting to dodge a close-range attack, the player spends one Gnosis point and increases the difficulty of the dodge by one, or to the rating of the local Gauntlet, whichever is higher. If the dodge succeeds in avoiding the attack completely, the attacker is dropped into the Penumbra (or into the physical world if this Gift is used in the Penumbra).

Whelp Body

W20 Core pg 162

Description: The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.

Level Five

Thieving Talons of the Magpie

W20 Core pg 163

Description: The Ragabash can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Gifts (either Garou or those of other Fera), spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, Sphere magic or any other such power (the Edges of the Imbued might be exempt, at the Storyteller's discretion). Naturally, a magpie spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Larceny roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Ragabash steals the targeted power, depriving the owner of its use. Powers are stolen piecemeal, so a Ragabash who steals a vampire's power to merge with the earth (Protean 3) doesn't also gain its ability to see in the dark or grow claws (Protean 1 and 2). The Garou may keep the power for as many turns as she wishes, so long as she pays a point of Gnosis each turn. The werewolf's Ggnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Ragabash must know something about her target's powers, either through observation or rumor, and she must target a power in the terms by which she would understand it ("I wish to steal the wizard's ability to command fire!"). This Gift grants no insight into stolen powers, so botches tend to be dramatic and memorable.

Thousand Forms

W20 Core pg 163

Description: The werewolf with this Gift may change herself into any animal between the sizes of a small bird and a bison. The Garou gains all the special capabilities (flight, gills, poison, sensory abilities, etc.) of the animal she mimics. She may not take the form of Wyrm-beasts (not that she would wish to!), but with some extra effort she may take the form of mystical beasts (such as a griffon or unicorn), provided the beast remains within the usual size limitations of the Gift. Wyld spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Animal Ken (difficulty 6). One success allows the character to assume the shape of any normal animal. For the duration of the scene, he may make additional transformation rolls without spending additional Gnosis, provided he only takes the shape of normal animals. To allow the character to take on a mythical form, the player must spend an additional point of Gnosis and succeed against a difficulty of 9.

Level Six

Firebringer

W20 Core, pg 164

Description: The Ragabash performs the ultimate trick, stealing a supernatural power and turning it into a Gift, which may in turn be bestowed upon others as though the New Moon were a spirit teacher. Alas, the Ragabash must first survive having the power used upon him. Coyote or another trickster Incarna teaches this Gift.

System: After having a power used on him, the Ragabash may spend one point of permanent Gnosis to internalize it into a Gift. The Ragabash cannot use this Gift himself, and in fact forfeits all defenses against that power if ever used on him in the future; it exists instead as a treasure to bequeath upon the Garou Nation. Any power may become a Gift in this fashion - even the vile magic of the Wyrm may be stolen and turned to the defense of Gaia. The Storyteller determines the new Gift's appropriate level and what sort of spirit Garou should be able to learn it from. In the case of mages, this power steals particular rotes rather than entire Spheres.

Breed Gifts

[+/-] Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts involve humanity's skills and abilities, not only as toolmakers and cultural beings, but also as conquerors of nature. Mankind's struggle to dominate the natural world has given humans great control over their environment, but also alienated them from the world they live in, producing a disquiet of the soul. Because humans have become strangers to the world of spirit, many homid breed Gifts are taught by ancestors rather than by nature spirits.

Level One

Apecraft's Blessing

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Though many of Gaia's children use tools, none have mastered them so thoroughly as humanity. The homid focuses this mastery into the tools she uses, causing their spirits to awaken and lend her aid. An ancestor-spirit or spirit of a man-made object teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf spends a turn concentrating, and then the player rolls Wits + Crafts (difficulty 7). Each success reduces the difficulty by one on the next roll she makes for her character to employ a tool made by human hands. The purpose is irrelevant—this Gift is equally efficacious for attempts to repair an engine, drive a car or fire a gun.

City Running

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.

System: The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.

Master of Fire

W20 Core, pg 152

Description: Fire -spirits were among the very first to make pacts with humanity, allowing men to warm themselves, drive off wild beasts, and clear the land. The cornerstones of civilization were laid in these simple acts, granting the spirits of flame much prestige. Homid Garou remember and contribute to call upon these ancient pacts to protect themselves as the final fires of the Apocalypse loom. An ancestor spirit or fire elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, fire inflicts bashing damage rather than aggravated damage to the Garou.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Smell of Man

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: To creatures of the wild, man's scent is death. To creatures of the city, it is authority, comfort, easy meals. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, enhances a werewolf's human scent, infusing it with spiritual power.

System: Non-supernatural wold animals lose two dice from their pools when interacting with the Garou, safe when defending themselves or running away, and will be inclined to flee rather than attack if possible. Domesticated animals will recognize the werewolf as a friend, and even trained attack dogs will do no more than wag their tails at the character unless attacked first. This Gift's effects are permanently active.

Level Two

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Mark of the Wolf

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The werewolf marks those she comes in contact with, leaving them to carry the same aura of the predator the Garou does. This subtle curse can wreak havoc in a target's private or professional life, and is a favorite of many homids looking to provoke discord in the ranks of the enemy. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player selects a target that has had some interaction with the Garou during the scene (even something as simple as a light conversation in an elevator counts), then rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The target inherits the Curse (see pg 262 of the W20 Core book) as though she had a Rage rating equal to that of the Garou for one day per success.

Speech of the World

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Staredown

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Rage burns in a werewolf's eyes, striking fear into the hearts of mortals and animals, causing them to flee for their lives. Used against another werewolf, the target will freeze in place rather than run. A ram or snake spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only affects one target at a time. The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty 5 + the target's Rank, if applicable). The victim flees for one turn per success, though he may spend a point of Willpower to resist the effects of the Gift for one turn. Should the player roll five or more successes, the victim flees for the duration of the scene. Garou and other shapeshifters with Rage do not flee, but may not attack while the Gift is in use.

Level Three

Calm the Savage Beast

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Even the most callous of homids can sympathize with the Rage that moves their fellow Garou in the final days. This Gift allows the werewolf to lend a frenzying Garou the will to escape her Rage's hold over her. It is taught by an ancestor spirit.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). If successful, the Willpower point soothes a frensying Garou within 30 feet (9 m), canceling the frenzy. By spending an extra point of Willpower, this Gift may affect non-Garou in a state of frenzy, such as other shapeshifters or vampires.

Cowing the Bullet

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The spirits of tools recognize man as their master; as a result, they become reluctant to harm the homid. A Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the Garou gains two additional soak dice against all crafted weapons not made of silver.

Disquiet

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Pulling the mercurial tide of the target's emotions to their lowest ebb, this Gift makes the target feel inexplicably depressed and withdrawn. The subject finds his emotions muted and concentration difficult. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If successful, that opponent will be unable to recover Rage for the duration of the scene, and all difficulties for extended actions are increased by one. Moreover, the target becomes listless and generally less inclined to stir himself to pursue any action of dubious necessity, such as investigating strange noises.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Body Shift

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: Garou raised in the shifting maze of human society are well-prepared for the endless adaptations Gaia demands of her protectors. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou can use her shapeshifting to alter her Physical Attributes: A dot of Dexterity can be shifted to Strength or Stamina, and so forth. The player rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 9). For each two successes, one Physical Attribute dot can be shifted for the rest of the scene.

Bury the Wolf

W20 Core, pg 154

Description: The war against the Wyrm isn't always a matter of slashing claws and righteous fury - sometimes duplicity is required. A werewolf can temporarily "restrain" her inner wolf and appear to be a normal human. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty of her own Willpower). Success causes the character to appear human to all supernatural scrutiny. The Gift also nullifies the Curse and makes spending Rage impossible, and locks her in homid form so long as its effects persist. The number of successes determines the Gift's duration; to "free the wolf" before that time elapses requires a full turn of concentration and another point of Gnosis.

Successes Duration
1 One scene
2 12 hours
3 One day
4 One week
5 One lunar cycle

Cocoon

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The werewolf wraps himself in a thick, opaque, chitinous sarcophagus, immobilizing himself but also becoming nearly impervious to harm. The cocoon provides immunity to fire, starvation, gas, high pressure, cold, and similar environmental hazards. An insect or Weaver spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou spends one Gnosis point. While the werewolf remains in the cocoon, any attack that strokes him must do damage at least equal to his Stamina + Rituals; the cocoon keeps him safe from any lesser amount of damage, but is destroyed if it's pierced. The cocoon lasts for one day, but its duration may be extended by spending more Gnosis to renew it. The Garou may emerge from it at any time he chooses.

Spirit Ward

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Assimilation

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: A werewolf with this Gift blends smoothly into any culture, no matter how strange or unfamiliar he might normally find it. He could slip among Bedouin nomads as if he were one of them, or he could shop in a Chinese market without anyone noticing that he doesn't belong. The Gift doesn't hide racial differences, but it does allow the werewolf to mimic the behaviors and mannerisms of a native. It also grants the ability to speak and understand the culture's language, although this knowledge vanishes as the Gift ends. It is taught by ancestor spirits.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy. If successful, the character interacts with members of another culture as if he were one of them. The difficulty depends on how alien the culture is. Another Garou sept would be 5, while a Black Spiral hive or foreign country should be as high as 9. The character suffers no Social penalties when interacting with members of the culture, although he will enjoy no special benefits either. The Gift lasts for one scene, plus one day per Willpower point spent when activating it.

Beyond Human

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: The Garou is human plus - Human plus strength, agility and health. Human plus devoted, assured spirituality and meaning. Human plus animal instinct and lightning reflexes. Human plus righteous fury with which to meet the Apocalypse. He is a man, but greater. Every Garou radiates this to some extent, but this Gift warps that perception, changing the Garou from a figure to be avoided to one to be admired or adored. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once learned, this Gift's effects are permanent. Humans dealing with the werewolf instinctively pick her out as more desirable, important, and interesting than those around her - regardless of the character's capacity in such matters. The Curse still applies, but rather than being instinctively feared as a predator, the werewolf becomes an intimidating figure of great presence. Finally, the character may boost her Social Attributes by spending Rage or Gnosis. Each dot of either spent raises one Social Attribute by one point for the rest of the scene. Social Attributes may be raised above 5 in this fashion.

Part the Veil

W20 Core, pg 155

Description: This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.

[+/-] Lupus Gifts

Lupus Gifts

Lupus Gifts reflect the breed's powerful ties to the natural world and the wilds. Usually these Gifts enhance the natural abilities of the werewolf, allowing her to perform feats that other breeds would find impossible.

Level One

Hare's Leap

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Heightened Senses

W20 Core, pg 158

Description: This Gift sharpens the werewolf's senses to an incredible degree. She enjoys the olfactory and auditory acuity of a wolf whenever she's in Homid and Glabro forms, along with superior night vision. In Crinos, Hispo and Lupis, her senses become preternaturally potent, allowing sensory feats that border on precognition. Sudden loud noises, bright lights or overwhelming scents can be disorientating, however. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point to activate this Gift for a scene. In Homid and Glabro, the werewolf's Perception difficulties decrease by two and she may roll Perception + Primal Urge to perform uncanny sensory feats such as tracking by scent. In Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus, Perception difficulties decrease by three (this is not cumulative with the ordinary Lupus-form Perception bonuses) and the werewolf gains an extra die to Primal Urge dice pools.

Sense Prey

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: This Gift lets a werewolf locate enough prey to feed her pack. In the urban environment, this tends to guide lupus to prey in parks, sewers, animal shelters or even zoos, drawing her unfailingly to the presence of prey animals. Humans and carnivores too large or dangerous for a lone wolf to regard as prey do not register as prey animals. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Primal Urge. The difficulty is 5 in wilderness environments and 7 in urban environments. Success indicates the location of enough prey to feed a large pack for a day.

Predator's Arsenal

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: One of the most unnerving aspects of the Homid shape is its lack of proper weapons. This Gift remedies that problem (while still retaining much of the Homid shape's ability to blend in with the human world), granting the Garou battle-ready claws and teeth in Homid form. It is taught by a wolf spirit.

System: The werewolf concentrates for a turn to gain access to bite and claw attacks in Homid form for the rest of the scene, or until she dismisses the transformation. These attacks inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage, and may be concealed by simple expediencies such as the werewolf keeping her mouth closed, wearing long sleeves or keeping her hands in her pockets. She can even speak normally without giving herself away, as long as she's careful not to open her mouth too wide or smile so that her teeth show, although her voice sounds rough and a bit distorted (attempting to discern that there's something amiss with a Garou taking such precautions requires a Perception + Alertness roll, difficulty 9).

Prey Mind

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: As Gaia dies and her natural order is perverted, predators become prey with increasing frequency - this is a sorrowful truth that lupus know all too well. This Gift assists the Garou in evading their enemies that they might fight another day, showing them places to hide, ways to run, and even chances to strike back. A hare or deer spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Primal Urge; difficulty 7 in the wilderness, 9 in urban environments. Each success adds one die to all pools made to escape, out-distance, hide from or evade pursuit for the remainder of the scene.

Level Two

Axis Mundi

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The Lupus reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.

System: The Gift's effects are permanent.

Eye of the Eagle

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: This Gift allows the werewolf to see over impossibly long distances, though not through obstacles - good vantage points are invaluable, and this Gift is in much demand among caern guardians. It is taught by an eagle spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). The number of successes is the number of miles added to the Garou's clear visual range.

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Scent of Sight

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.

Level Three

Cat Feet

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf gains the agility of a cat, making him immune to falls under 100 feet (91 m). He also has perfect balance even on the most slippery surfaces, and the difficulties of all combat actions involving body slams and grappling decrease by two. Cat spirits teach this gift.

System: This ability becomes innate to those who learn the Gift.

Monkey Tail

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The lupus may lengthen her tail and use it as a prehensile appendage at will. Although it's no replacement for a hand, it can grasp objects, wrap around branches, and even allow the Garou to hang upside-down. A monkey spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Gift may employ her prehensile tail at will in any form which possesses a tail. Successfully manipulating the tail requires a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty varies according to the task).

Sense the Unnatural

W20 Core, pg 159

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Silence the Weaver

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The lupus releases a shattering howl, destroying all nearby delicate electronics - computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets and the like. Simpler machines such as land line phones, cars, and firearms are unaffected. A storm spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The lupus spends a turn howling. The player then spends one Rage point and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge. Delicate electronics are destroyed within a radius of (20 x successes) yards (or meters) in a flash of sparks.

Strength of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Goddess blesses the lupus with the fullness of his might when he wears the most natural of his skins. While wearing lupus form, the Garou enjoys the full might of Crinos. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. His lupus form base strength increases by four, rather than the normal one, for the rest of the scene.

Level Four

Beast Life

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Gnaw

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.

Scream of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou emits a horrible, ragged scream imbued with the Rage and pain of Gaia. The force of the scream batters foes and knocks them off their feet. Storm spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Rage. Everyone within a 50 foot (15 m) radius, except for the werewolf's pack, is blasted to the ground to suffer one unsoakable health level of bashing damage per success as a shock wave rips through the area.

Terror of the Dire Wolf

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: Wolves haunt the ancestral nightmares of humanity, and of those monsters that were once human. The werewolf lets out a fierce snarl that triggers primordial terror in opponents and drowns them in the Delirium. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Rage and rolls Manipulation + Primal Urge (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or, if he is affecting a group, the highest Willpower represented). If successful, the werewolf invokes the full effect of the Delirium on any human, formerly human, or partly human creature who can see her - including those normally immune to the Delirium, such as mages and vampires. Only other werewolves and Fera are immune. It may be used in any form, although Homid and Glabro raise the difficulty of the Primal Urge roll by one.

Level Five

Elemental Gift

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: Gaia herself steps in to lend a hand, offering part of herself to the character. The werewolf gains the power to command his surroundings, directing the elemental forces of the world. Elementals teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty 8). If successful, the Garou calls an elemental, who then grants her the ability to control a large volume of air, earth, fire, or water - approximately 20' by 20' (6 m x 6 m) per success. The effect lasts for one scene, or until the elemental leaves or is destroyed. Elementals summoned by this Gift are roughly as powerful as a Nexus Crawler (see W20 Core, pg 444).

Song of the Great Beast

W20 Core, pg 160

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

Rites

Nuwisha make use of most Garou rites. They also know a few rites that they have never shared with the Garou, the most important of which are detailed below.

Rite of Dansing

Level Two, Renown

This Rite is the first step on the path of the Umbral Danser. The Nuwisha must fast for three full days after devouring peyote. During this time the Nuwisha must recite all past experiences in battling the Wyrm, travelling the Umbra, and teaching other Changing Breeds the error of their ways.

System: One Gnosis is spent per day; at the end of the three days, the Nuwisha rolls Manipulation + Enigmas, difficulty 7. A success indicates the Nuwisha has been accepted by the Trickster and can purchase Umbral Danser Gifts. Failure means the Nuwisha has not suitably impressed the Trickster yet and must wait a full year before trying again.

Sing Back the Dead

Level Five, Mystic

Only one Nuwisha on Earth knows this rite at any given time. With it, the dead can be called back to life with a song. Just as Coyote is the only being who can teach this rite, only he can authorize its use — and the consequences for defying his judgment on the matter are invariably lethal.

System: The player spends one point of permanent Gnosis to resurrect an individual.

Gifts

Ratkin begin play one breed Gift, one aspect Gift, and one general Gift. Various rat- or rodent-spirits teach almost all Ratkin Gifts.

[+/-] Ratkin Gifts

General Ratkin Gifts

Level One

City Running

W20 Core, pg 152, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: Humans are creatures of the city, raising their steel and glass nests high into the sky. This Gift allows a homid to easily scale the concrete canyons and navigate the tangled back alleys and rooftops of the urban landscape. Some lupus derisively refer to this Gift as "Climb Like An Ape". It is taught by an ancestor spirit or an urban city spirit.

System: The player spends a point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the character may climb urban features at her full movement speed, and the difficulty of all Athletics rolls to navigate through cities (running down cluttered alleys, climbing the side of buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop) is reduced by two.

Cloak of Shadows

W20 Changing Breedds, pg 186

Description: The Ratkin can hide himself, and anyone he’s touching, in shadows. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 6). The Ratkin and a number of others equal to his successes gain one automatic success on all Stealth rolls for the rest of the scene.

Darksight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: All Ratkin have a degree of night vision; this Gift magnifies that ability. A night-spirit teaches it.

System: When the Ratkin activates its night vision (see Traits, p. 182), the enhancement lasts for eight hours and grants perfect vision in the dark. The player rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7); each success adds one die to all Perception rolls for the rest of the scene (maximum of three extra dice). With five successes, the Ratkin might even see sound or sense heat signatures.

Level Two

Crawling Chaos — As the Uktena Gift: Spirit of the Lizard.

W20 Core, pg 197

Description: The werewolf's hands and feet sprout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing her to climb across or cling to any surface - even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings. A gecko spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, the character can move across any solids surface at her normal walking speed. Staying attached to a vertical surface or ceiling while taking any more strenuous movement (fighting, moving faster than a walking speed, attempting to dislodge a steam grate) requires a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 7).

Deep Pockets

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The Ratkin can store innumerable items about his person, far more than should be possible. A packrat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Enigmas. Each success lets the character hide one extra item (small enough to be held in one hand) somewhere on his person. If searched, none of these items will turn up. Once an item is removed from hiding, this Gift must be used again to put it back.

Level Three

Backbite

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The wererat disappears and instantly reappears behind an opponent up to 50 feet away. This Gift is taught by grasshopper mouse-spirits.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the victim must be within line-of-sight. The wererat can immediately attack in the same turn at –2 difficulty.

Squeeze

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: So long as there is any sort of a crack or opening (no matter how small), a Ratkin can slip through an otherwise solid object to the other side. This Gift only works to pass through objects that are a yard or less in depth: a locked door, a wall, or a bank vault, but not a mountain. Air-spirits teach this gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Dexterity + Enigmas (difficulty 6). With a success, the Ratkin is able to squeeze through the opening and emerge on the other side. Three or more successes allow the wererat to pull another person through with him.

Level Four

Attunement

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The werewolf may commune with spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including a rough population estimate, enclaves of Garou or other beings, and any secret tunnels. This Gift doesn't function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Streetwise (difficulty 6). The amount and accuracy of the information depend on the number of successes rolled.

Gnaw

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The werewolf's jaws strengthen until she can chew through nearly anything. Her fangs inflict more damage in combat, and only death will break her grip if she clamps her teeth into an opponent. Hyena and wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one willpower point and rolls Stamina + 4 against a variable difficulty (3 for wood, 6 for steel handcuffs, 9 for a train car coupling). The length of time it takes to gnaw through something depends on the number of successes. Additionally, the Gift grants the character's bite two extra dice of damage for the rest of the scene.

Level Five

Riot

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The werewolf summons a horde of malevolent spirits to provoke the inhabitants of a city into violent rioting. The Goft plays on the hatred and fear of the down and outs of the city: the poor, the homeless, immigrants, and others the citizenry would rather not acknowledge. The Gnawer can direct the riot to a limited degree. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spirits direct their hosts against a target of the Garou's choice - though things tend to escalate and spin out of control easily. The riot engulfs an area with a radius of one mile per success rolled.

Survivor

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The werewolf becomes an ultimate survivor, with no need of food, water, or sleep. She ignores temperature extremes, natural diseases, and poisons. Wyrm toxins have only half their normal effect on her. A tortoise spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival. The effects last for one day per success. Bu spending a second Gnosis point, the character can gain three extra points of Stamina, and suffers no wound penalties, but the Gift will prematurely expire 10 rounds later. The Garou must sleep for at least eight hours when the Gift wears off, and he awakens ravenously hungry.

Breed Gifts

[+/-] Homid Gifts

Homid Gifts

Level One

Cooking

W20 Core, 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The Bone Gnawer takes up a small pot (an old coffee can will do) and a spoon, and fills it with whatever he can find - cigarette butts, beer cans, old newspapers, dead leaves, whatever - adds water (spit will do), and stirs. The result is a pasty and bland tasting, but filling and nutritious mush. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Survival (difficulty 6). The resulting meal feeds one person per success.

Eau de Rat — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Odious Aroma.

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The Bone Gnawer can amplify his natural musk until it incapacitates his foes. A stinkbug spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the duration of the scene, all beings other than the werewolf and her packmates that can smell and are within 20 feet (6 m) of the Garou subtract two from all dice pools as they fight to breathe.

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Level Two

Filch

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The wererat becomes an expert at using misdirection to take what he wants, whenever he wants. Chipmunk-spirits teach this gift.

System: The character permanently adds three dice to all Larceny actions to steal something in plain sight (such as by pickpocketing).

Instinct

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: This Gift forces its target to indulge his basest impulses for one turn. The Ratkin must provoke the victim’s reaction in some way. Mouse-spirits teach this gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls permanent Rage (difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower). The target loses all restraint and impulse control for one turn.

Level Three

Ratman

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: With a bit of practice, the wererat learns to assume a new form between Homid and Crinos, rather like a Garou’s Glabro form. Though still mostly human, this new form gains exaggerated “ratlike” features: beady eyes, a long nose, gnarled hands, sharp incisors. A City Mother or City Father teaches this Gift.

System: This form may be assumed in the same fashion as werewolves assume Glabro form, as a permanent ability. The Ratman’s traits are: Dexterity +2, Charisma +1 (to rats), Charisma –1 (to humans), and Perception +2. The difficulty of Subterfuge and Stealth rolls’ difficulties are reduced by 2, and the character may make claw attacks which inflict lethal damage.

Reshape Object

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The Garou can shape once-living (though not undead) material into something else instantly. Trees may become shelter, buck antlers spears, animal hides armor, and flowers sweet perfumes. The item will resemble the object from which it was created (e.g., the aforementioned spear will be made of antler, not wood). A Pattern Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Crafts against a difficulty defined by the scope and complexity of the transformation (a broken tree limb into a spear would be difficulty 5, while a fallen tree into a canoe would be 8) and spends a Gnosis point. The transformation persists for one scene per success, pr permanently with five or more successes. Expending an additional Gnosis point allows a created weapon to inflict aggravated damage for the remainder of the scene in which it is created.

Level Four

Blink

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: The Bone Gnawer can duck into a shaded area (an open dumpster, a dark alley, beneath a parked car) and pop out in another shaded area some distance away. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 6). The character can reappear in any shaded area within (number of successes x 20) yards (18 m per success).

Body Wrack

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 186

Description: Pouring her Rage and pain into an opponent, the Fury induces debilitating agony. Victims tend to fall to the ground, screaming between convulsions. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty equals the victim's Stamina + 3). If successful, the target is left stunned and convulsing for one round per success. Additionally, the target subtracts one die from all rolls for the rest of the scene.

Level Five

Ugly Truth — As the homid Gift: Part the Veil. The Ratkin must bite a human to transmit this Gift.

W20 Core, pg 155, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: This potent Gift immunizes a human from the Delirium for a scene. However, the human will forget much of what he knows if exposed to the Delirium at a later ddate. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Empathy. Only one success is needed.

[+/-] Metis Gifts

Metis Gifts

Level One

Form Mastery

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Gift empowers the Wyld spark that resides in all Garou, granting the character greater control over her shapeshifting abilities. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: When shapeshifting (see page 285 of W20 Core Rulebook), all difficulties are reduced by 1, and the player no longer needs to roll a single success just to initiate the transformation (thus shifting from Homid to Glabro would be difficulty 5 and require only one success). Additionally, when enacting partial transformations, the player need no longer spend a Willpower point, and the difficulty of the roll is 7. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Rat Mother’s Touch — As the Theurge Gift: Mother’s Touch.

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Level Two

Spirit of the Spiny Rat — As the metis Gift: Gift of the Porcupine, but only usable in Rodens form.

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.

System: The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.

Stink — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Gift of the Skunk.

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.

System: The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.

Level Three

Rat Thing

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: With a bit of practice, the Ratkin can learn to take on a form between Crinos and Rodens, rather like the Garou Hispo form. The result is a giant, lumbering Rat Thing: a long, furry quadrupedal rodent the size of a St. Bernard. A capybara-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This form may be assumed in the same fashion as werewolves assume Hispo form, as a permanent ability. The form’s traits are: Strength +4, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1, Manipulation 0, and the brute can move at triple normal running speed.

Sliver Tooth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Ratkin’s incisors leave behind nasty splinters in the wound when used to bite her enemies. Beaver-spirits teach this Gift.

System: After a successful bite attack, the player spends one Rage point. Any damage inflicted cannot be healed until all the splinters are removed (requiring five successes on an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll, difficulty 6).

Leve Four

Rattler's Bite

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The metis's eyeteeth lengthen, and she can inject a deadly poison with her bite. Spider and snake spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point when attempting to bite an opponent. If the bite is successful, any remaining damage after soak is doubled.

Whelp Body

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Garou delivers a devastating curse upon a foe's body, causing it to weaken or palsy. Many consider the use of this Gift upon a foe to constitute a declaration of eternal enmity. Pain and disease spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target's own roll of higher of Gnosis or Stamina. The Garou's difficulty is the opponent's Willpower, while the victim's difficulty is the Ragabash's Gnosis. Each success scored by the Ragabash allows her to remove one point from any of the victim's Physical Attributes. The effect is permanent, although the victim may restore these Attributes via experience. This Gift may be used only once EVER against a given opponent.

Level Five

War of Vengeance — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast.

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

[+/-] Rodens Gifts

Rodens Gifts

Level One

Absolute Balance — As the Stargazer Gift: Balance.

W20 Core, pg 195, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Stargazer is able to walk across any ledge, rope, or other narrow causeway, no matter how thin or slippery. Wind spirits teach this Gift.

System: Difficulties for climbing decrease by three, and attempts to maintain balance automatically succeed. This Gift's effects are permanent.

Leap of the Kangaroo Rat — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap.

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Survival

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: The Ratkin can sustain himself with his own Gnosis. A kangaroo rat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Survival, difficulty 6. The character need not eat or drink for one day.

Level Two

Devour the Dead

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: This gruesome Gift is used to clean up messes. The Ratkin summons a swarm of rat-spirits to consume a dead body, removing all physical evidence it was there. An avatar of Rat teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The body is gone three turns later, all possessions carried off into the Umbra, probably never to be seen again.

Scamper

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 187

Description: This Gift makes a fleeing Ratkin much harder to hit. A rat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Once the character decides to flee from the battle, the player may spend one Gnosis point to add four dice to all dodge attempts. If the Ratkin changes her mind and stays in place, turns to fight, or returns to the fray in the same scene, the Gift ends and she immediately loses all remaining Rage and Gnosis.

Level Three

Rat Thing

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: With a bit of practice, the Ratkin can learn to take on a form between Crinos and Rodens, rather like the Garou Hispo form. The result is a giant, lumbering Rat Thing: a long, furry quadrupedal rodent the size of a St. Bernard. A capybara-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This form may be assumed in the same fashion as werewolves assume Hispo form, as a permanent ability. The form’s traits are: Strength +4, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1, Manipulation 0, and the brute can move at triple normal running speed.

Sliver Tooth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Ratkin’s incisors leave behind nasty splinters in the wound when used to bite her enemies. Beaver-spirits teach this Gift.

System: After a successful bite attack, the player spends one Rage point. Any damage inflicted cannot be healed until all the splinters are removed (requiring five successes on an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll, difficulty 6).

Level Four

Mind of the Swarm

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The wererat with this Gift is able to command a horde of mundane rats through sheer will. An avatar of Rat teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken; the effects last for the Ratkin’s Obligation in hours. Each success allows the Ratkin to command up to ten rats.

Rat Emperor’s Wisdom — As the lupus Gift: Beast Life.

W20 Core, pg 160, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The werewolf can communicate with other wild animals and attract or even command them. Domesticated animals may speak with the Garou, but they have given themselves over to the way of humans and will provide no aid beyond information. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift, although Lupus prefer to learn it from lion or wolf spirits.

System: The character gains the permanent ability to communicate with all animals, regardless of the form she wears. To attract animals, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). All animals within 10 miles (16 km) per success respond to the summons, and will follow any requests the Garou makes. It is considered customary to pay homage to the spirit of any animal ordered to sacrifice itself with this Gift; to do otherwise risks angering the spirit world.

Feral Lobotomy

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind to that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Ggarou can destroy the target's intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior.

Aspect Gifts

[+/-] Tunnel Runner Gifts

Tunnel Runner Gifts

Level One

Danger Sense

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: When a ship is sinking, the rats leave first. The Tunnel Runner gains an instinctive flash of warning when danger is near. Rat-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The Storyteller warns the character when danger is imminent (though not the nature of the threat) one turn before it appears. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Silent Running

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Ratkin can hide his tracks from all means of detection, supernatural or otherwise. Wind-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Subterfuge. The Ratkin leaves behind no physical traces of his passage for the rest of the scene, and any magical tracking attempt raises its difficulty by 1 per success to a maximum of 9.

Level Two

Sigil - As the Corax Gift: Word Beyond, but also functions outside the Umbra.

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: This Gift allows the Corax to create a message out of any available materials while in the Umbra, which can be instinctively understood by other wereravens. One of Coyote’s brood teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Wits + Expression (difficulty 6) to create a marker out of nearby Umbral materials. The number of successes indicates the complexity of the message that can be encrypted into the marker; one success would suffice for simple concepts such as “danger” or “safe haven,” while five successes could convey complex concepts equivalent to a short essay. Non-Corax cannot read these markers.

Urban Camouflage

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The wererat becomes utterly nondescript, fading from notice. A fog spirit teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Stealth (difficulty 8). Success makes the Ratkin unnoticeable so long as he stays in a crowd and takes no violent actions. This Gift doesn’t work during combat.

Level Three

Bolt!

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: Fighting to the death is for suckers. This Gift allows the Ratkin to escape a fight he can’t win. This Gift is taught by a kangaroo rat-spirit.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the Ratkin can teleport up to 50 feet toward the nearest exit within his line-of-sight.

Evasion — As the Fianna Gift: Flame Dance.

W20 Core, pg 179, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description:' Pushing the fire in his heart to his limbs, the Fianna hurls himself unharmed through the ranks of Gaia's foes. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System:The player reflexively spends one Rage point, allowing the character to dodge one attack with his full dice pool, regardless of what other actions he has taken during the round. Alternately, a Rage point may be spent to enhance a normal dodge action, adding three dice to the defense.

Level Four

Speak in Tongues — As the homid Gift: Speech of the World.

W20 Core, pg 154, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: This Gift allows Gaia's warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn't convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

Level Five

Cheese It!

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: This Gift allows the Tunnel Runner’s entire pack to escape from danger. This Gift is taught by a kangaroo-rat spirit.

System: The player spends three points of Gnosis and Rage. Every member of the wererat’s pack, including herself, benefits from the effects of Bolt! They need not all teleport toward the same exit.

[+/-] Shadow Seer Gifts

Shadow Seer Gifts

Level One

Rat Mother’s Touch — As the Theurge Gift: Mother’s Touch

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the unddead. A bear or unicorn spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends one gnosiss point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars (see pg 259 of W20 Core Book) in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent.

Sense Weaver — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, but detecting Weaver emanations.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Sense Wyrm

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Level Two

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Spirit Snare

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack.

Level Three

Command Spirit

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits, only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of a fomori, person...) to which it is bound.

Exorcism

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used too "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at the rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshy home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve the life during the exorcism.

Level Four

Pulse of the Invisible

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift.

System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating), Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet.

Level Five

Feast of the Dead

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: By devouring the heart or brain of another, the Ratkin temporarily gains some of that individual’s power. This Gift is taught by a rat-spirit.

System: After eating the heart or brain of another supernatural being, the Ratkin gains three of its powers (chosen at random by the Storyteller) for the next 24 hours. This Gift can only be used once on a single corpse.

[+/-] Knife Skulker Gifts

Knife Skulker Gifts

Level One

Rat’s Judgment - As the Philodox Gift: Fangs of Judgement, but also works against all humans with any trace of Wyrm-taint, no matter its origin.

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgement but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor spirit, causes the werewolf's claws and fangs to burn with the righteous power of law.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the next full day, all of the Garou's natural weaponry attacks do two extra dice of damage to all beings who have fallen from their original purpose to the service of the Wyrm (such as Black Spiral Dancers, fomori, and corrupted nature spirits; Banes which came into existence as agents of the Wyrm are, regrettably, exempt from this Gift's sanction).

Sticky Paws

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Ratkin snatches away an opponent’s weapon and may wield it himself. An avatar of Rat teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Melee (difficulty of the victim’s Dexterity + 3). The victim cannot resist; such is the nature of the Gift.

Truth of Gaia

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The judges of the Litany, Philodox may easily separate truth from falsehood. A gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty equals the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only which of the words that have been spoken are true and which are false. It doesn't reveal the truth behind a lie unless the speaker utters it. If the speaker is uncertain whether his words are true or false, the Gift identifies them as neither.

Level Two

Chitter - As the Get of Fenris Gift: Snarl of the Predator.

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Garou lets out a feral snarl that terrifies opponents and cows them into submission. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equals the opponent's Wits +3). Each success subtracts one die from an opponent's dice pool for the next three turns. This Gift takes one full turn to invoke.

Stalk — As the Ragabash Gift: Pulse of the Prey.

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: If the werewolf knows anything about her prey - even a nickname, initials, or crude description - she can track it as fast as she can travel. This unerring sense of direction works anywhere, and is as useful for tracking spirits through the Deep Umbra as Pentex executives through Baltimore. A wolf or dog spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is actively hiding, in which case the player rolls Perception + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target's Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis.

Level Three

Doppelganger

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188

Description: The Garou may take the exact likeness of any other human, wolf, or Garou. A chameleon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 8). Traits aren't duplicated, but everything else, including voice, posture, and scent, are identical. The effects last for one day per success (though the Garou may end them at will).

Paralyzing Stare

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Shadow Lord directs a terrifying glare at a target, causing her to freeze in terror. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou concentrates for one turn. The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target's Willpower). Each success freezes the target in place for one turn, rendering her unable to move or attack (though she may still defend herself). The target must be able to see the Garou.

Level Four

Open Wounds

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The werewolf causes the next wound he inflicts to bleed profusely, weakening his opponent further. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Strength + Medicine (difficulty 7). If the Shadow Lord's next attack does any damage, the target will bleed continuously, suffering one unsoakable lethal damage per turn for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled.

Level Five

Geas

W20 Core, pg 168, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Gift binds an individual or group to a sacred oath. While the geas cannot force an individual to act against her nature (such as to allow herself to be killed), it also doesn't allow her to act against the task the Philodox has set before her. This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower or the highest Willpower in a group). The compulsion to complete the task set out in the geas lasts until the task is completed or the target is harmed to the point of incapacitation in pursuit of the quest.

[+/-] Blade Slave Gifts

Blade Slave Gifts

Level One

Fatal Flaw

W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Shadow Lord can spy a target's weakness, gaining an advantage in combat. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The Shadow Lord concentrates for one full turn, then the player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty equals the target's Wits + Subterfuge). Success grants the Garou an extra die of damage during combat with that target. Additional successes grant knowledge of further weaknesses, but not more dice.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Slicing Teeth — As the Ahroun Gift: Razor Claws, but works with bite attacks.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: By raking his claws over stone, steel, or some other hard surface, the werewolf hones them to razor sharpness. A cat or bear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and the Ahroun takes a full turn sharpening her claws. All claw attacks do two additional dice of damage and are made at -1 difficulty for the rest of the scene.

Level Two

Curse of Hatred

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The metis takes hold of the hate in her soul and layers it into her words, scourging the spirits of those she addresses. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.

Rat’s Teeth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: As long as the Ratkin has at least one throwing weapon to hand (Nezumi prefer shuriken and kunai; most Ratkin make do with knives, bricks, and bits of broken glass), she may pull an infinite supply of similar projectiles from various places on her person. This Gift is taught by a gopher-spirit.

System: The player spends one Rage, enjoying infinite duplicates of the selected throwing weapon for the rest of the scene. All duplicate weapons somehow get lost, carried off by spirit rats, etc., and vanish into the Umbra within half an hour.

Level Three

Bolt!

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 188 and 189

Description: Fighting to the death is for suckers. This Gift allows the Ratkin to escape a fight he can’t win. This Gift is taught by a kangaroo rat-spirit.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and Rage; the Ratkin can teleport up to 50 feet toward the nearest exit within his line-of-sight.

Improvisation

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: Anything may become a lethal weapon in the Blade Slave’s hands. Any of Rat’s brood can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. Whatever improvised weapon the Ratkin seizes may be used to make difficulty 6, Strength + 2 attacks, with damage type determined by the prop in question.

Level Four

Persecution Complex — As the Stargazer Gift: Preternatural Awareness.

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Stargazer attunes all her senses to her surroundings, becoming preternaturally aware of her opponent's doings and allowing her to anticipate them somewhat. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Athletics (difficulty 7). All opponents' dice pools to hit the Garou decrease by a number of dice equal to the successes rolled. This penalty applies even if the werewolf cannot see the attack coming. This Gift's effects last for one scene.

Level Five

Blessed Frenzy — As the Stargazer Gift: Circular Attack.

W20 Core, pg 196, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

DDescription: The greatest Stargazers have no fear of fighting even a horde of opponents. They can not only avoid their foes' attacks, but can channel those attacks toward other enemies. Thus the Stargazer's flowing movements turn a mob of murderous fomori into a weapon directed against itself. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the highest Wits of any present opponent + 3). Each success enables the Garou to perfectly dodge one attack or to redirect one attack directed at her to strike a different target during that turn. The Stargazer may not use this Gift multiple times in one turn or spend Rage during the same turn, although she may take multiple actions in the standard fashion.

[+/-] Engineer Gifts

Engineer Gifts

Level One

Control Simple Machine

W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Garou may command the spirits of the simplest machines, causing levers to flip, doors to unbolt, pulleys to roll, and so on. Any technological spirit can teach this Gift.

System:The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (difficulty 7). The Garou's control lasts until the end of the scene.

Open Seal

W20 Core pg 161, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The werewolf can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating). If the object is sealed with magic, the player must spends a Gnosis point before making the attempt.

Trash is Treasure

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The refuse of humanity provides all the canny Bone Gnawer needs. Through the use of this Gift, any broken object can be temporarily restored to full functionality and usefulness. A raccoon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player takes hold of a broken object and rolls Wits + Crafts. The object functions perfectly for one turn per success, and also supplies its own power, fuel, or ammunition - a dull knife cuts, a busted microwave runs (without being plugged in to anything) an old rusty Saturday night special fires even without bullets, a junked car starts up and runs. The lifespan of the object's renewed usefulness can be extended to one full day by spending a point of Willpower, but the object requires proper power, fuel, and ammunition in such circumstances.

Level Two

Mousetrap

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Engineer is at his best when at his worst. Able to call up an uncanny burst of ingenuity when up against the wall, this Gift allows him to build a trap out of anything at hand. This gift is taught by a packrat-spirit.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Craft — the difficulty depends on how much spare material is laying around to work with. Success allows the Ratkin to McGyver together some manner of insane death trap in (15 – Cunning) minutes.

Power Surge

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.

Level Three

Control Complex Machine

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: Similar to Control Simple Machine, the Glass Walker may now converse with and command the spirits of electronic devices such as computers, smart phones, and cars. A Net Spider teaches this gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Manipulation + Science or Computer. The Storyteller sets the difficulty based on how complex the machine is (8 for a standard laptop). The Garou's control lasts for one scene.

Electroshock

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Glass Walkers are the tribe of glass, steel, and electricity. This last element can be used to directly damage opponents that the Glass Walker can either touch, or who are touching a conductive material such as metal or water. An electricity spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a number of Rage points. Each point of Rage spent inflicts two levels of aggravated wounds on the Glass Walker's opponents. These levels of damage may be divided among as many opponents as the number of rage points invested in this Gift. As usual, the character cannot spend more Rage than half of his permanent rating in one turn.

Level Four

Battery

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Ratkin Engineer scrambles together some means of energizing himself or other wererats. This is likely to involve a mixture of electricity, packs of store-bought batteries, energy drinks, illegal drugs — or a fusion of all of the above. This Gift is taught by a squirrel-spirit.

System: The player rolls Wits + Craft and spends one point of Gnosis to create the “pick-me-up,” which then may be administered at any point within the next (Cunning) days; after that, it loses its potency. The Gift’s beneficiary may increase a physical Attribute by one per two successes rolled, for the duration of a scene.

Level Five

Death Ray

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The wererat can discharge energy through his fingertips. Granted, he needs to hook himself up to a car battery or wall outlet for a few hours a day, but hey — Death Ray. So worth it. An electric elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The character must spend at least an hour “meditating” while attached to a supply of electricity. Afterwards, the player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Infamy (difficulty 6) to aim the Death Ray. It has a range of 50 feet, and inflicts (Rage + Gnosis) dice of aggravated damage. The Death Ray can be shot once per hour spent “juicing up.”

[+/-] Plague Lord Gifts

Plague Lord Gifts

Level One

Poison Food

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The Plague Lord may afflict food around him with a terrible pestilence. Fly-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Enigmas. All food within (Infamy x 5) feet of the character becomes temporarily poisonous, inflicting (successes) lethal damage to anyone that eats it during that scene.

Sniffle

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: Germs, microbes, and even the dust in the air conspire to protect the Plague Lord, betraying the presence of his enemies. This Gift is taught by a disease-spirit.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point when she suspects there are others lurking nearby. Any concealed character within (Infamy x 3) yards sneezes, coughs, or otherwise gives away their position.

Toxic Hate — As the metis Gift: Primal Anger.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189

Description: The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.

System: The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).

Level Two

Blur of the Weeping Eyes — As the Hakken Gift: Dark of Night, save that the character spits at her victim rather than spilling ink. The Gift causes the victim’s eyes to swell and become so rheumy that he cannot see. Sewage-spirits teach this Gift.

W20 Core, pg 189, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: A Hakken can cause an opponent to become temporarily blinded. Hakken reserve such underhanded tactics for use against minions of the Wyrm. This Gift comes from a raven spirit.

System: The Hakken spills a vial of ink; the player spends one Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge, resisted by the target's Gnosis (if any). Each success blindds the victim for an hour.

Stink — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Gift of the Skunk.

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: With this Gift, the Garou can swell his musk glands, allowing him to spray musk like a skunk. It is, of course, taught by a skunk spirit.

System: The spray is directed with a Dexterity + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 7, maximum range of 10 feet). A target struck by this attack must spend a Willpower point to do anything but spend the first turn retching. Afterwards, he subtracts one from his dice pools for the rest of the scene for every two successes rolled. Immersion in water negates this Gift, and it is ineffective against targets with no sense of smell.

Level Three

Lesions — As the Garou Gift: Halt the Coward’s Flight, but transmitted via bite; impedes movement as sores and lesions appear on the target’s legs and feet. Flea-spirits teach this Gift.

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Get may slow a fleeing (not charging) foe, making him easier to catch. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou must spend one turn concentrating, and the player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the target's speed is halved for the rest of the scene.

Venom Blood

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The werewolf may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake or spider spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the roll.

Level Four

Inflict Pain

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Plague Lord has such mastery over disease that he can control precisely how much pain his victims feel. This Gift is taught by a Pain-spirit

System: The character must successfully bite or claw his victim to use this Fitt. Spend a point of Rage and roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty of your target’s Gnosis, or 4). Your victim suffers a penalty to all dice pools equal to half your successes (rounding up, maximum –3) for the rest of the scene. Gifts and powers that reduce wound penalties also reduce these penalties.

Level Five

Epidemic Contagion

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Plague Lord gains the ability to make his disease magic communicable and highly contagious. This Gift is taught by rat-spirits.

System: If the victim of Blur of the Weeping Eyes, Lesions, or Inflict Pain comes within a yard or so of another person while under the effects of those Gifts, that person must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 7) or also contract the Gift’s ailment. He, in turn, also becomes contagious as if Epidemic Contagion had been successfully activated on him. Ratkin are immune to the spread of these ailments.

[+/-] Munchmausen Gifts

Munchmausen Gifts

Level One

Persuasion

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Spirit Speech

W20 Core, pg 164, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes towards the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Tale Spinning — As the Ragabash Gift: Liar’s Craft.

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Ragabash can tell the most outrageous of lies and have them accepted as truth - for a while, at least. This Gift is taught by a fox spirit.

System: The character first tells his lie, then the player rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Wits + Subterfuge, or the highest rating in a group of listeners). One success convinces a single individual, while three successes are needed to dupe a crowd. Since the roll is made after the lie is told, this Gift always carries some element of risk.

Level Two

Name the Spirit

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl and raven spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8).

Umbral Camouflage

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift.

Level Three

Improvisation

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 189 and 190

Description: Anything may become a lethal weapon in the Blade Slave’s hands. Any of Rat’s brood can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. Whatever improvised weapon the Ratkin seizes may be used to make difficulty 6, Strength + 2 attacks, with damage type determined by the prop in question.

Taste of Madness

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Munchmausen constructs a brief variant of reality for his victim to experience. This must be summarized in one sentence of no more than ten words (“a world where apes evolved from men,” “dinosaurs are on the loose in this mall,” etc). Fungal-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). If the roll succeeds, the victim believes the delusion as truth for one hour per success.

Level Four

Whispered Dreams — As the Fianna Gift: Phantasm.

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Fianna creates an unmoving illusion that contains visual, auditory, olfactory and even tactile elements. A grain spirit - the so-called spirit of spirits - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for each 10 foot (3 m) radius area to be covered by the illusion and then rolls Intelligence + Expression. Anyone given cause to doubt the illusion must roll Perception + Alertness and exceed the Garou's successes in order to see through it.

Level Five

Hyperattenuation

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Arcadian Ratkin can exaggerate any one sense to legendary proportions. She might hear footsteps through the ground seven leagues away, smell a single human breath through a mile of sewer pipes, or read the newspaper over the shoulder of a businessman sitting in a public park… from atop a rooftop five miles away. This Gift is taught by a Wyldling.

System: Spend one Willpower point and roll Manipulation + Expression (difficulty 9) to activate the Gift. It lasts for one scene.

[+/-] Twitcher Gifts

Twitcher Gifts

Level One

Firebug

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description:' By focusing her anger, the Twitcher can ignite flammable materials within ten feet — paper, wood, cloth — that are not being worn or carried. A Wyldling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage and rolls Infamy to ignite the flame; only one success is needed.

Sense Weaver — As the metis Gift: Sense Wyrm, but detecting Weaver emanations.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

Toxic Hate — As the metis Gift: Primal Anger.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The metis gives of herself to feed the Rage in her heart, burning away her very blood and muscle in the process. The spirits of ancient metis teach this Gift; few members of the other breeds have endured enough shame and suffering to learn it.

System: The character may inflict a single level of Aggravated damage on herself once per scene, and gain three points of Rage in exchange (even if doing so takes her beyond her permanent Rage rating).

Level Two

Cornered Rat's Ferocity

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: When backed into a corner with nowhere to run, there are only two options - beg for mercy or turn and fight. Rat spirits teach Bone Gnawers to excel at the latter.

System: The players spends one Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 8). Each success grants the character an additional die to his Brawl pools for the rest of the combat. This Gift sends the Bone Gnawer into an automatic and unavoidable berserk frenzy; any magic that stops the frenzy also ends the Gift.

Jam Technology

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: With a slight gesture, the werewolf unbalances the Wyld and Weaver energies within technological devices, either suffusing them with destructive chaos or amplifying their inherent stasis until they refuse to do anything at all. Computers crash, guns jam, cars stall, and even the simplest of shaped objects refuse to function. A gremlin - a type of Wyld spirit that enjoys breaking things - teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolls Manipulation + Crafts, and chooses the level of complexity she intends to jam. All technological devices (i.e. any devices shaped from fabricated materials like metal or plastic) of that complexity within 50 feet (15 m) cease to function for two turns per success. The devices remain unchanged, but inert - knives won't cut, gunpowder won't ignite, gears won't turn, and so on. The difficulty of the roll is based on the following chart:

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
5 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Level Three

Gremlins

W20 Core pg 162, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Ragabash can cause a technological device to malfunction merely by touching it. This Gift actually causes the spirit energy within the device to work counter to its function. If the Garou can frighten the spirit sufficiently, it will flee the device, causing it to malfunction permanently. A Gremlin teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation; the difficulty is determined by the complexity of the item. The more successes the Garou obtains, the more the device is damaged. Three successes disables the device permanently (the spirit has fled). Good role playing might certainly warrant one to three additional dice, at the Storyteller's discretion

Difficulty Complexity
4 Computer
6 Phone
7 Automobile
8 Gun
9 Knife

Pyrotechnics

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Ratkin may improvise explosive devices out of just about any junk she can find to hand; her Rage serves as the fuse and the fuel. This Gift is taught by weasel-spirits.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Craft to improvise the bomb, and spends as much Rage as desired. When the bomb is triggered (either by being tossed, or through a remote detonation system — the type is chosen at the time it is created), it inflicts (Rage spent x 3) dice of lethal damage to everything within (Infamy x 3) yards.

Level Four

Infest

W20 Core, pg 176, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Bone Gnawer summons a horde of vermin to invade a structure no bigger than a large building. The Gift summons any kind of vermin common to the area - usually a lively variety of insects, slugs, and rodents. The vermin behave according to their natural instinct, generally settling down for permanent infestation rather than attacking humans. Any vermin spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). One success warrants an immediate call to an exterminator, five makes the building completely uninhabitable for quite some time.

Level Five

All Hell

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 190

Description: The Twitcher conjures a swarm of rat-spirits and Wyldlings, and pandemonium ensues: mundane objects fly about, the walls breathe, people smell colors and see sounds, and chaos rules. Wyld-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points; all non-Ratkin present with a Willpower score lower than the Twitcher’s Infamy are subjected to the Delirium. Beings normally immune to the Delirium treat their Willpower as two higher than normal when determining how they react (but not whether they succumb).

Rites

Ratkin make extensive use of mystic rites, and many of the same rites as Bone Gnawers (such as the Rite of the Cardboard Palace). They also use a variation of the Rite of the Totem called the Dedication Rite, which consecrates a band of wererats into a pack bound to pursue a specific, particular goal. One rite, however, stands above all others in importance.

Hazer Tag

Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)

The Ratkin have learned time and again that other shapeshifters, especially Garou, will blame them when things go wrong. This would not worry the Ratkin, except that some werewolves are also very good at tracking the rats back to their nests. This rite throws them off the Ratkin’s scent.

System: The Ratkin performs the rite over a sample of his own excrement before secreting it on an unaware patsy — often easier if the Ratkin uses droppings from his Rodens form. For (Gnosis) days, all attempts to locate the Ratkin will lead to the chosen patsy. Trackers using supernatural senses may find the Ratkin, but only if they roll more successes than the ritemaster.

Rite of the Birthing Plague

Level One, Mystic (Wits + Rituals vs 7)

Garou inherit a legacy of heroism; Ratkin receive a curse. During this rite, the Rat Totem leads the pack of wererats to their Kinfolk, and a solitary shapeshifter attacks and bites the victim, infecting her with the Birthing Plague. Ordinary humans and weak-blooded Kin die in agony; the strongest Kinfolk emerge as new Ratkin.

System: The ritual only affects Ratkin Kinfolk. After delivering the bite, the ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals (difficulty 7). The victim must make a Stamina roll with a difficulty equal to (10 – the ritemaster’s successes) to survive the hallucinations, visions, and fevers of the Birthing Plague. If the target survives, roll one die. On a result of 8-10, the Kinfolk survives unscarred. 3-7 indicates that the victim survives, but with a new derangement. Only on a result of 1-2 (for humans) or 1 (for rats) does the victim emerge as Ratkin.

Gifts

Rokea begin play with two Gifts, one chosen from the general Rokea Gift list and one auspice starting Gift. While many of their Gifts are similar to those known by the Garou, they are almost without exception taught by spirits that can be found without leaving Sea, regardless of which spirits the Garou might learn them from.

[+/-] General Rokea Gifts

General Rokea Gifts

Level One

Breach — As the lupus Gift: Hare’s Leap. Generally used to hurl themselves high out of the water.

W20 Core, pg 158, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The werewolf can leap impossible distances. Hare spirits teach this Gift, naturally, though cat, frog, kangaroo, and even flea spirits occasionally do so as well.

System: The player makes a reflexive Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift. If successful, the character's leaping distances are doubled for the scene - or tripled for a single turn with the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Fast

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The wereshark can survive for a long time using only her inner reserves. A shark spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The character need not eat or drink for the next week.

Killing Bite

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The Rokea’s mouth briefly becomes a razor-edged nightmare, regardless of her form. A shark-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. The next successful bite attack the character lands inflicts two extra levels (not dice) of aggravated damage.

Sense Danger

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: As a race charged with survival, the Rokea need to be able to identify danger. This Gift helps the Rokea know whether or not a being or situation is dangerous to her. It is taught by an avatar of Sea.

System: The Rokea focuses for a turn; the player rolls Perception + Primal-Urge to determine if an individual or situation is dangerous to her. The difficulty is 6 for immediate and palpable threats, and 8 for subtler or more roundabout ones.

Teeth of the Skin — As the metis Gift: Gift of the Porcupine.

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The werewolf undergoes a startling transformation: Her fur elongates, becoming bristly and sharp like the quills of a porcupine. The werewolf must be in Crinos, Hispo or Lupus form to use this Gift. Porcupine teaches this Gift, and he has a strange fondness for metis.

System: The character spends a Gnosis point to sharpen her fur. Anyone whom the metis tackles, grapples or immobilizes takes (Strength+1) aggravated damage from these newfound quills. Furthermore, those who strike her with bare flesh and score less than five successes on the attack roll take their OWN Strength in aggravated damage (this does not negate any damage done to the metis). This Gift lasts for one scene or until the werewolf wills her fur to return to normal.

Level Two

Gulp

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The Rokea may swallow anything she can fit into her maw, then regurgitate it later, unharmed. A tiger shark-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. Swallowed objects may be stored indefinitely, and are considered dedicated for the purpose of shapeshifting. Only one object can be stored at a time, although full containers such as backpacks count as ’one object.’

Poisoned Flesh — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Venom Blood, save that it poisons anyone that bites the wereshark.

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The werewolf may change her blood into a black, acidic bile that poisons anyone unlucky enough to come into contact with it. A snake or spider spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). Anyone coming into contact with the Garou's blood for the duration of the scene takes one die of aggravated damage per success on the roll.

Restless Waters — As the lupus Gift: Scent of Sight.

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The werewolf can compensate for her vision completely by using her sense of smell. She can attack invisible creatures normally or navigate in absolute darkness. Wolf spirits teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf fully substitutes her sense of smell for her vision, enabling her to distinguish identity and location flawlessly (color and fine details, such as letters printed on a page, remain beyond her). A Perception + Primal Urge roll may be required to detect things which actively obscure their scent.

Shagreen Skin — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Troll Skin.

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The Fenrir draws on the power of the earth for protection. Her skin grows tough and thick, covered with stony knots of hard, armored flesh. An earth elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). The character receives an extra die per success on all soak rolls for the rest of the scene (damage from silver remains unsoakable). The character suffers a +1 difficulty to all social rolls save for Intimidation while this Gift is in effect.

Unsea’s Blessing — As the Black Fury Gift: Wyld Resurgence.

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: Bent to Gaia's service, the creative, living essence of the Wyld roars through the Fury's body, shining beneath her skin as a rippling wave of prismatic energy which focuses on and shines out through her wounds. This surge super charges the werewolf's regenerative powers, quickly mending even the most grievous of wounds. A servant of Pegasus teaches this Gift.

System: The Fury spends a turn in concentration and the player spends one Gnosis point. The werewolf immediately heals either three levels of bashing damage, or two levels of lethal damage. With the expenditure of a Willpower point in addition to the Gnosis point, one level of aggravated damage may be healed instead. Damage caused by silver weapons cannot be healed with this Gift.

Level Three

Consume Taint — As the Bone Gnawer Gift: Resist Toxin, save that the wereshark may also consume toxic waste, spilled oil, and other poisonous, inedible garbage safely.

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The werewolf's body is hardened against toxins of all sorts. A rat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf is permanently immunized to mundane poisons, from arsenic to alcohol, and adds three dice to resist the effects of Wyrm-enhanced toxins. This Gift may be turned off and on at will (such as for enjoying alcohol).

Fathom Sight

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The Rokea may project all of her senses for great distances. This Gift works in every direction, even straight up and down, and presents a great means of spying on events on the surface from below the waves. The spirit of any swift-moving fish teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the Rokea may project her senses out for 1 mile per success in water, and 100 feet per success on land.

Gift of the Ray

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The Rokea may deliver a venomous sting with her tail or fingertip. Stingray-spirits teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point to manifest the stinger. Stinging is a Dexterity + Brawl attack (difficulty 7). The victim must roll Stamina (difficulty 9) or take lethal damage equal to the Rokea’s Innovation, as well as suffer a –2 wound penalty for the remainder of the scene.

Shark Bones — As the metis Gift: Rat Head.

W20 Core, pg 156, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: Metis are born into a world where they metaphorically don't belong; it seemed only natural to rat spirits to teach them to get into such places into the literal sense as well. This Gift renders the metis's bone structure collapsible, allowing her to squeeze through any gap she can fit her head into.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the metis may squirm through any gap she can fit her face into, moving at her walking speed to do so.

Level Four

Form of Sea

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The Rokea may change her body into liquid and flow through pipes, under doors, or into any other space that will admit her. She may retain cohesion in this form and “walk” as a humanoid shape, or even drown an opponent by forcing herself down his throat. A freshwater-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points. The character can stay in liquid form for (Innovation) hours. The character cannot bite or claw, but can drown air-breathing opponents with a successful grapple attack and holding the opponent until he runs out of breath. If the liquid body is immersed in salt water, the Gift is immediately canceled.

Kun’s Maw — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Fenris’ Bite.

W20 Core, pg 182, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The werewolf's already vicious bite now easily mangles and severs limbs. An avatar of Fenris teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Strength + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the opponent's Stamina + 3). The Garou's next bite attack, if it hits, will mangle and disable one of the target's limbs, inflicting three automatic, unsoakable, aggravated health levels of damage in addition to any damage already rolled. The limb is rendered useless unless the target can regenerate the damage, pr permanently in the case of humans or other creatures who cant regenerate. If the player achieves five or more successes on the Strength + Primal Urge roll, the limb is severed.

Patient Hunter

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 201

Description: The wereshark merges with solid matter, be it a wall, floor, or open ground, and watches what happens around her. At any time, she may spring forward and attack. This Gift is taught by an angel shark-spirit.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). The Rokea is undetectable while merged in this fashion.

Level Five

Great Summons — As the lupus Gift: Song of the Great Beast. This Gift is only usable at sea, and calls up aquatic terrors.

W20 Core, pg 160, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The Garou travels to the deep wilderness and lets out a long, mournful howl. One of the Great beasts of antiquity answers the call, appearing in the Realm near the werewolf - a mighty and savage being that walked the Earth in ages past. Such creatures include the Willawau (giant owl), the Sabertooth Tiger, the great Megalodon sharks that swam the seas eons ago, and the mighty Mammoth, who arrives in herds. Who knows what else the Song might call up? The Great Beasts possess power in the physical world to rival that of mighty spirits in the Umbra. Once the ancient creature arrives, the Garou may make a request of it, but the Great Beast will fulfill it in its own way, according to its nature. Using this Gift is risky, but the results can be truly spectacular. Few spirits know this Gift. It's said that the reclusive Mokole know which spirits can teach the Song of the Great Beast... if any are willing to talk to the Garou, that is.

System: The player spends two Gnosis points and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 8). More successes improve the Great Beast's disposition. Traits are left to the Storyteller's discretion, but it should always be impressive.

Primal Assurance

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: An elder Rokea is certain of his place in the world as few other beings are, and draws strength from this surety. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Sea.

System: The Rokea permanently adds 30 to her initiative total. Additionally, when the player spends a Willpower point for an automatic success on a roll which produces at least one rolled success, the Willpower point is immediately refunded.

Whirlpool Maw

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The Rokea opens her mouth, and anything not firmly anchored is swept into it. She doesn’t actually consume the materials (or creatures) swallowed, but they are never seen again. A whirlpool-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift only works in Gladius or Chasmus form. The player spends a Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 7). The Gift functions for one turn per success. During that time, anything that the Rokea could lift (according to her Strength rating) is sucked toward and into her maw. Even objects too large to fit into the Rokea’s mouth disappear into the gaping pit. A living being attempting to resist this suction must grab something sturdy and roll Strength (difficulty 8). This Gift functions only in the water.

Auspice Gifts

[+/-] Brightwater Gifts

Brightwater Gifts

Level One

Eyes of the Wound — As the metis Gift: Eyes of the Cat.

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The werewolf may see clearly in complete darkness. His eyes glow a lambent green while this power is in effect. A cat spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The character suffers no penalties from darkness. This power may be used at will; it requires no roll or expenditure.

Restraint

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: This Gift allows the wereshark to ignore her slew-mates and allies when in frenzy. A spirit-servant of Sea teaches it.

System: The player spends one Willpower point upon entering Frenzy and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). For each success, she may ignore one character during the frenzy.

Shatterbite — As the Ahroun Gift: Spur Claws, save that it enhances bite attacks.

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: In ancient times, Ahroun warriors made common cause with the spirit Queen of Bees. As her own hive children rallied to protect her, so too did the Garou fight in defense of Gaia, and the Queen decreed that they should be properly equipped for the fight. This Gift, taught by a bee spirit in recognition of that alliance, allows the Ahroun to transform her claws into hooked and barbed spurs.

System: The player spends one Rage. The next successful claw attack the character makes hurries her claws into the victim, where they stick after breaking free from the werewolf's fingertips. Until the victim takes the time to pull them out (which takes a full turn), they suffer +2 difficulty to all actions. The Garou's claws take a full turn to regenerate.

Unseen Attack

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: If the Brightwater can approach her target without being seen, her first attack will also generally be her only one. This Gift is taught by a shark-spirit.

System: The Rokea’s surprise attacks add four dice to their damage. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Two

Narke’s Gift

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: Brightwaters long ago learned the agonizing trick that gives the electric ray its name. A ray-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Rage (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage to all non-slewmates within 20 yards (in the water). On land, this Gift can only be used against a grounded target or one the Rokea touches directly. Narke’s Gift can only be used once per scene.

Shield of Rage

W20 Core, pg 171, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: Such is the Rage burning within an Ahroun's heart that all lesser furies quail before it. A wolverine spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point. For the rest of the scene, all spirits' Rage scores are considered two less than their real values for the purpose of rolling damage against the Ahroun.

Terror of the Depths — As the Red Talon Gift: Wolf at the Door, but instilling a terror of the sea. Rather than howling, Rokea use this Gift to target groups that see the wereshark’s fin cutting through the water’s surface.

W20 Core, pg 185, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: This Gift induces a terrible dread of and respect for the wilderness, and it makes any human target afraid to tamper with it in any way. Any predator spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The werewolf must make eye contact with the target, but can be in any form when she does so. The player then rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). The effects last for one day per success. During this time, the human must roll Willpower to leave his home, and he may not go near anything resembling a forest, tundra, swamp, or other untamed wilderness area without spending a Willpower point. If the human does leave his home, he is shaky and fearful until he returns, and his player loses three dice from all Mental and Social dice pools. Alternately, this Gift can affect a number of humans equal to his Rage at once (difficulty equals the highest Willpower in that group). In this case, rather than making eye contact, the humans must hear the werewolf howl in lupus form. This Gift can be used on Kinfolk, mages, ghouls and other "supernatural" humans, but the difficulty increases by two.

Level Three

Strength of the Crashing Waves — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Might of Thor.

W20 Core, pg 181, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The werewolf can increase his strength tremendously, the better to slay his foes. A wolf spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and one Rage, then rolls Willpower (difficulty 8). The Garou's Strength doubles for one turn per success. This Gift can only be used once per scene.

Wriggling Teeth — As the Black Fury Gift: Heart Claw, save that Wriggling Teeth activates after a successful bite.

W20 Core, pg 173, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The Fury breaks one of her claws off in a wound, imbuing it with all of her killing intent. The claw continues to burrow into her opponent's flesh, and will not stop until it finds his heart. A wasp spirit teaches this Gift.

System: Upon making a successful claw attack, the player spends one point of Willpower. The burrowing claw inflicts one automatic level of unsoakable lethal damage each subsequent turn until it either kills the target or is dug out of the wound (a Dexterity + Medicine action, difficulty 7, requiring a full turn's concentration).

Level Four

Best Policy

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: Rokea are blunt and straightforward at the best of times. Sea approves of this, and turns this lack of tact into a benefit. A remora-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Rokea’s player may spend one Willpower point to add her Harmony in dice to any Persuasion attempt in which she uses nothing but the blunt, absolute, unvarnished truth. The Veil clouds the memories of those she speaks to if telling the truth causes her to reveal her nature.

No Walls

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The Rokea may move about on Unsea as freely as in Sea... in the most direct manner possible. A spirit-servant of Kun teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Strength + Athletics (difficulty 7). Success allows the Rokea to smash through any man-made obstacle or structure that impedes the most direct path between the wereshark and the place he seeks to be.

Level Five

Blood of Darkness — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Halo of the Sun (Rokea see light as the blood of Oversea).

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The character speaks an ancient word sacred to Helios and is immediately surrounded by a sphere of blazing sunlight. Those Wyrm creatures who fear the sun may flee before the werewolf. This Gift is taught by a servant of Helios.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point; the effect lasts for one scene. The character receives two extra dice to the damage of any hand to hand attacks and causes aggravated damage while he is in Homid and Glabro forms. Anyone directly facing the werewolf adds three to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Any vampires within 20 yards (18 m) suffer three levels of aggravated damage per turn.

Sea’s Winds

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 202

Description: The Rokea surrounds herself with a blazing nimbus of light and battering winds or currents. No one may approach her unbidden, and any that try risk being burnt by the light.

System: The player spends two Willpower points. For the remainder of the scene, anyone wishing to approach the Rokea unbidden must accumulate 15 successes on an extended Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 8). Each turn they attempt this, they must soak three levels of bashing damage; Qyrl-minions suffer aggravated damage instead. If the intruder manages to reach the Rokea, they have only one action before they are swept away and must start again.

[+/-] Dimwater Gifts

Dimwater Gifts

Level One

King Fish

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: This Gift allows the Dimwater to command the respect of others. A shark spirit teaches it.

System: The Rokea permanently adds one die to Leadership and Intimidation rolls.

Resist Pain

W20 Core, pg 166, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: Fortifying herself with purpose and will, the werewolf shuts out the pain of her wounds. A bear or badger spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point; the character ignores all wound penalties for the rest of the scene.

Sea’s Voice — As the Galliard Gift: Beast Speech.

W20 Core, pg 169, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The werewolf may instinctively understand and communicate with any natural animals, from fish to mammals. She need only speak normally to be understood by animals, along with a touch of appropriate body language - there is no need to bark like a dog. This Gift doesn't change animals' basic reactions or dispositions; most are still afraid of predators such as werewolves. Any animal spirit can teach this Gift.

System: This Gift's effects are permanent.

Strange Blood — As the Lupus Gift: Sense the Unnatural.

W20 Core, pg 159, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation - although it wont pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

Level Two

Crushing Depths

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Rokea crushes an enemy beneath the vast weight of the ocean, immobilizing them. The target labors to do anything other than breathe so long as the Dimwater maintains eye contact. Any deep-sea-spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The character must make eye contact with the target. The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). This Gift’s effects persist until the wereshark breaks eye contact, or the victim frenzies or suffers injury.

Lord of the Seas — As the Philodox Gift: King of the Beasts, save that it commands only aquatic creatures.

W20 Core, pg 167, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Philodox's authority extends even into the realm of beasts, so that he can command the loyalty of any single animal. If successful, the animal follows the letter and spirit of his commands unconditionally. A lion or falcon spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Philodox targets one animal within 100 feet (30 m). The player rolls Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The power lasts until the Garou releases the animal from its obligation to him; this Gift can only hold sway over one animal at a time.

Spit Teeth

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Rokea can fire her teeth at a distant opponent. This Gift may be used in any form — even Homid. It is taught by a shark-spirit.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Athletics (difficulty 6) to aim the blast of razor-sharp teeth, with a maximum range of 25 feet. The attack has a base aggravated damage of the wereshark’s Valor. It takes one turn to regenerate the fired teeth.

Level Three

Drown

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Rokea causes an air-breather to grow gills, forcing her to breathe water or suffocate. While the Gift has its diplomatic uses, it is more often used to kill humans, or force them to leap into the water... where the Dimwater’s slew awaits. Any fish-spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the victim’s Stamina + 4, maximum 9). Success forces the target to breathe water (fresh or salt) to survive for the next hour.

Sea’s Wisdom

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Dimwater swims in circles, creating a small whirlpool. He hears the voice of Sea in the rushing water, and asks her advice. This gift is taught by a spirit-servant of Sea.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Rituals (difficulty 7). The more successes rolled, the clearer Sea’s advice. Sea has not, at present, offered an opinion on betweeners.

Level Four

Living Sea

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Rokea causes water to come to semi-solid life. This can be used to propel the Rokea at great speeds (trebling her aquatic movement speed), or can be aimed at a target, immobilizing — or even strangling — a victim. On land, nearby sources of water may be made to extend tendrils of living water to similar effect. A spirit-servant of Sea teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6). The Rokea may command a body of water equal to 5 cubic feet per success. If used to inflict damage, the water inflicts the Rokea’s Harmony in lethal damage each turn. The effect lasts as for a scene.

Quick Currents — As the Children of Gaia Gift: Strike the Air.

W20 Core, pg 178, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Child becomes the ultimate example of passive resistance. She is unable to attack an opponent, but is also unable to be hit, allowing her opponent to exhaust herself in an intricate dance of frustrated blows. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Wits + Athletics (difficulty equals the opponent's Willpower). For the duration of the scene, the opponent cannot strike the Garou, no matter how well he rolls. This Gift is canceled immediately if the werewolf attacks his opponent or if anyone else attacks on the Garou's behalf. This Gift will work on multiple opponents, but the player must spend a point of Willpower and make a new roll for each attacker.

Level Five

Leviathan

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The wereshark becomes a hungry terror of primal nightmare. A servant of Kun teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Willpower points and two Rage points. The Rokea becomes a monstrous shark, nearly 80 feet long, gaining +5 to all physical attributes after Fighting Jaws modifiers, and regains a minimum of one Rage point per turn. This Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

Wound Undersea

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: This Gift is used only in times of truly dire need. The wereshark opens a vent in the sea floor, calling lava from it. This boils the water in the immediate area while also producing earthquakes throughout the region. This Gift is taught by an avatar of Unsea herself.

System: The Rokea slashes herself and lets her blood seep toward the sea floor (suffering one level of aggravated damage). The player spends one Rage and Willpower point, then rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 8). Success opens the sea floor; the Rokea has three turns to escape before the lava boils up, inflicting three aggravated damage per turn to everything in the area. The effects of earthquakes, whirlpools, and tidal waves triggered by this Gift are left to the Storyteller’s discretion.

[+/-] Darkwater Gifts

Darkwater Gifts

Level One

Blood of the Deeps

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: Most sharks aren’t built to operate in environments of extreme cold or pressure, but Darkwaters must go where Sea’s greatest secrets are hidden. This Gift allows them to do so. Any deep-sea spirit can teach it.

System: The wereshark becomes permanently capable of surviving deep-ocean environments.

Chill

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Darkwater may summon up the essence of the abyssal depths and saturate the area with it. This chills both the water (or air) around him and the souls of those not of his slew. A servant of Sea teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Rage point. The temperature in her immediate area drops significantly for the rest of the scene. All characters not of the wereshark’s slew suffer a +1 difficulty to all non-physical actions.

Qyrl’s Blood — As the Uktena Gift: Shroud.

W20 Core, pg 197, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Uktena can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Gnosis (difficulty varies: 3 for twilight, 6 indoors, 9 for bright sunlight). Each success blacks out a 10' by 10' by 10' area within the Garou's line of sight. Powers which permit sight in total darkness are capable of defeating this Gift.

Sudden Surge — As the Get of Fenris Gift: Lightning Reflexes.

W20 Core, pg 180, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: Fenrir are Gaia's ultimate warriors, effortlessly switching from offense to defense as the needs of battle demand. A mongoose spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player reflexively spends one Willpower point. For the next day, the character need neither make a Willpower rill nor spend a Willpower point to abort to a defensive action.

Level Two

Enter Sea’s Soul

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Rokea may swim sideways to cross the Gauntlet in the same fashion as werewolves do. Any servant of Sea may teach this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Piercing Shriek

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Darkwater emits a terrible wail that paralyzes any who hear it. This Gift is taught by a dolphin-spirit.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Wits + Primal-Urge (difficulty 6). Anyone within 30 feet (in the water) or 15 feet (on land) must oppose the Rokea’s roll with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). Those who do not match or beat the Rokea’s successes collapse in agony for a number of turns equal to the difference in successes — including the Rokea’s slewmates. Characters with superhuman hearing cannot roll to resist.

Sight From Beyond

W20 Core, pg 165, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism - an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Own spirits teach this Gift.

System: Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through role playing, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision.

Level Three

Scent of Blood — As the Shadow Lord Gift: Direct the Storm.

W20 Core, pg 190, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Shadow Lord can direct the primal instincts of a frenzied werewolf, friend of foe, causing him to attack targets of the Lord's choice. A stormcrow teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Willpower (difficulty of the target's Rage). Success indicates that the Shadow Lord controls the target's frenzy and can set him on anyone he chooses for two turns per success. Using this Gift on a Garou in the Thrall of the Wyrm is possible, but doing so requires the player to roll Rage (difficulty 7) to check for frenzy for her own character.

Swim Through the School

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Darkwater moves through crowds with ease, whether schools of fish or crowds of humans. This Gift even mitigates the Curse. An eel-spirit teaches it.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, crowds part before the Rokea, allowing her to move unimpeded at her top speed. Additionally, her Rage rating is cut in half (round down) for the purpose of the Curse.

Level Four

Sea’s Breath

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Rokea may ’swim’ through the air as though it were the open ocean, even breathing normally in her water-bound forms. A flying fish-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The wereshark may ’swim’ through the air for the rest of the scene. However, she cannot get much altitude — 10 to 15 feet off the ground (or ocean’s surface) is as high as she can rise.

Shock Wave

W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Darkwater emits a powerful shockwave, like a depth charge. This Gift can be used in or out of water, although water conducts force much better than air. This Gift is taught by a wave-spirit.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Rage (difficulty 6 in water, 7 on land). Success creates a concussion wave that travels out from the Rokea in a cone reaching Stamina yards on land and twice that in the water. Anything caught in the blast suffers a number of levels of lethal damage equal to the successes on the Rage roll. On land, targets must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8) or be knocked prone.

Level Five

C’et’s Shell — As the Red Talon Gift: Shield of Gaia.

W20 Core, pg 188, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: The Garou becomes so attuned to the laws and Rhythms of Gaia that the Weaver's laws cease to have any hold on her. The werewolf becomes immune to the effects of one form of technology, such as bullets, photography (i.e. cannot be photographed), electricity, chemical toxins, etc. This Gift is taught by Griffin.

System: The player must determine what this Gift grants immunity to at the time of purchase. Its effects are permanent.

Madness

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Changing Breeds, pg 203

Description: Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.

Rites

Rite of Passing the Net

Level Two, Mystic

Rokea sometimes refer to the Gauntlet as the Net. As they cannot swim sideways normally, they require this rite. It must be enacted in a grotto, where the Rokea asks Sea for her leave to pass the net. Success grants the Rokea 28 days within the Umbra, at the end of which she reappears in the grotto where she began.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 7) to swim sideways.

Sea’s Distant Voice

Level Two, Accord

This rite was rarely used in the past, but has become more popular among the increasing number of Betweeners who don’t want to get caught out by their low Renown. The Rokea communes with Sea, sending word of her deeds to the water itself. Tales of those deeds circulate among other weresharks, with nobody quite sure of their source.

System: The Rokea must be partially immersed in salt water, and remembers her significant deeds and achievements, dedicating them to Sea. She rolls Charisma + Rituals (difficulty 5 , +1 for every ten miles from Sea). Success allows her to gain (or lose) Harmony and Innovation Renown as her deeds dictate.

Lure of Sea

Level Three, Punishment

The Rokea performs this rite using some item that once belonged to his victim — an item of clothing, number plate, left foot, or something else he has left in the water. The rite compels him to come back to Sea, immersing himself in her waters at some point over the next lunar month.

System: Once the rite is successfully enacted the victim feels Sea calling to him. For the next lunar month, he wants to return to the water no matter how much anyone tries to persuade him otherwise. At some point in the month he will return to where he lost the item to the waves, and nothing short of physical restraints can stop him. The Rokea does not know when he will return, nor exactly where, but she does know it will be within a mile of where the item was lost. When the victim returns to Sea, the wereshark can make a reflexive Perception + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 6) to know exactly where her victim is.

Pack Totems

The binding force that holds a pack of werewolves together is their association with a totem spirit. Although a pack of werewolves chooses the totem that they feel best represents them, a quest to find a totem also gives the spirit a chance to decide whether it really wants to adopt the Garou. It’s for this reason that totems often refer to their packs as their “children.”

Totem spirits are almost universally Incarnae. While many are animal spirits, a number of packs hold to mythological beings, elemental forces, and even stranger spirits as totems. When a spirit chooses the pack, it sends a totem avatar — a Jaggling—to attend to the pack. The devotion of the Garou gives the totem and its representative power, and their actions further the totems’ goals. In return, the totem empowers them to carry out its goals in a direct fashion.

Totem Spirits

Totem Spirit broods: It’s rare for an Incarna to be truly independent. The vast majority have a range of lesser spirits allied to them, known as that Incarna’s brood. Members of a brood are respectful of and subservient to the brood master. Each member is related in some way to the themes and nature of the totem. Thunder-spirits and Stormcrows are both members of Grandfather Thunder’s brood, while Cockroach’s brood includes spirits related to modern urban life, such as technology-spirits, money-spirits, and spirits of modern warfare.

If a pack is in good standing with its totem, they may expect easier dealings with spirits of their totem’s brood. A Garou who insults a spirit can raise the ire of the Incarna to whose brood the spirit belongs.

[+/-] Totems of Respect

Totems of Respect

As spirits representative of virtue and honor, werewolves look to these grand spirits for advice on leadership and diplomacy. Some of the greatest Garou leaders have followed totems of respect.

Falcon

Background Cost: 5

Falcon is one of the noblest spirits, befitting of the Silver Fangs’ tribal totem. His piercing eyes see deep into the hearts of his children, inspiring the valorous and rewarding the honorable. Falcon is known as a bringer of unity to the Silver Fangs and to the Garou as a whole, and he remains above rumors of in-breeding among his chosen tribe.

Individual Traits: Followers of Falcon gain two points of Honor Renown.

Pack Traits: Packs that follow Falcon gain three dots of Leadership, as well as four Willpower points per story.

Ban: Dishonor is worse than death to Falcon: none of Falcon’s children can ever lose permanent Honor Renown. If they do, they must either put right the wrong immediately, or perform a Rite of Contrition and further atone for their dishonor by hurling themselves at a powerful minion of the Wyrm. On the one hand, it’s likely to be a suicide run. On the other, their blood will wash away the stain on their names — as would their victory.

W20 Core, pg 373

Grandfather Thunder

Background Cost: 7

Grandfather Thunder is feared rather than respected by many Garou, and that suits his Shadow Lords just fine. Thunder is a patient and subtle patron, whose influence builds over time to an almighty crescendo. Most of his totem avatars are Stormcrows, who act as go-betweens for the Incarna and his chosen.

Individual Traits: Followers of Grandfather Thunder gain one point of Honor Renown, and gain two extra dice to any Intimidation rolls when they invoke Thunder’s name.

Pack Traits: Packs that follow Grandfather Thunder gain three dots of Etiquette, as well as five points of Willpower per story. Shadow Lords follow their activities with interest.

Ban: Thunder’s children must not accord their peers and their rivals more respect than those werewolves have earned through their actions. Sycophancy goes against Thunder’s nature.

W20 Core, pg 373

Lion

Background Cost: 8

Lion is king of the savannah, and for good reason. His immense roars and powerful jaws put him on top of the food chain, and guarantee his position against any would be predators. Lion’s folly is that he is hardly a team player. His pride might work together, but his aloof nature keeps him distanced from them. While the women hunters of the pride work to feed the young, he rests lazily awaiting tribute.

Individual Traits: Followers of Lion gains a dot of Charisma and Strength. Additionally, on any contested roll using a Social Attribute, a follower of Lion wins on any ties as if she were the defender. This effect requires a point of Gnosis.

Pack Traits: Lion’s pack can belt out a powerful roar. One member at a time can use the Shadow Lord Gift: Thunderclap, but focused on the sound of her roar. Additionally, Lion’s pack can access two Gnosis and two Rage.

Ban: Lion is known as a glory hound, taking credit for his pride’s kills. For this reason, followers of Lion lose one point from any Glory rewards, and increase the difficulty of any teamwork rolls by 1.

Pegasus

Background Cost: 4

Pegasus is a protector of sacred places, much like the Black Furies it supports. Appearing as a winged horse with fire in its eyes, Pegasus can teach Gifts of travel and air to those it chooses. The Get of Fenris have long troubled Pegasus, possibly due to their rivalry with the Black Furies. As such, Pegasus has not yet accepted any pack that counts one of the Get as a member.

Individual Traits: Pegasus’ children gain two points of Honor Renown.

Pack Traits: Pegasus’ packs can call on three dots of Animal Ken and three points of Willpower per story. Black Furies are well disposed towards the pack.

Ban: Children of Pegasus cannot refuse offer help to females of any species, especially young females.

W20 Core, pg 373

Reindeer

Background Cost: 7

Reindeer stands tall, stands proud, despite the terrible conditions of his living space. Reindeer is a totem of pride and survival; he teaches his followers to not let setbacks and circumstance weigh them down. Reindeer is all the stronger for his ability to stand against the odds. He’s not Cockroach, who will hide from the environment.

Individual Traits: While standing their ground — not moving more than a few steps on their turn — a follower of Reindeer reduces the difficulty of soak rolls by 2. Additionally, Reindeer’s followers gain a dot of Stamina.

Pack Traits: A pack to Reindeer has three points of Willpower available to spend, and can share three dots of Survival to share.

Ban: Reindeer’s followers rise to the occasion, and they stay standing. While they can dodge attacks in the heat of battle, they can’t dodge without attacking. Sometimes, Reindeer forgives avoidance of massive Wyrm emanations, and other grievous attacks. But that’s all at Reindeer’s discretion.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 121

Stag

Background Cost: 6

Stag is an ancient spirit of respect, far older than the Fianna who claim him as their totem. An embodiment of masculinity and the unrestrained power of nature, Stag has both light and dark sides. He gives the Garou their affinity with nature, and he teaches responsibility towards humans. He is also the master of the Wild Hunt, running wild until much blood is spilled in his name.

Individual Traits: Stag’s chosen gain three points of Honor Renown, and an additional point of Stamina usable only for long-distance running.

Pack Traits: Stag’s packs can access three dots of Survival and three points of Willpower per story. Fianna are well-disposed towards the pack, and faeries, spirits, and changelings may also honor them.

Ban: Children of Stag can’t refuse to aid fae creatures and spirits when asked. They must also respect their prey at all times, including performing a Prayer for the Prey after every successful hunt.

W20 Core, pg 373

Standing Stone

Background Cost: ??

Standing Stone is an old and respected totem. He was born with some of the earliest human civilizations. Standing Stone represents the desire of a community to come together and create something eternal. Patient and uncompromising, Standing Stone represents the desire for immortality through great works.

Individual Traits: Standing Stone’s children are as durable as the earth itself — they gain a point of Stamina.

Pack Traits: Packs that attract Standing Stone’s personal attention can share three dots of Crafts and an extra two dice to all soak rolls.

Ban: In order to attract Standing Stone, the sept must come together to create an impressive feat of architecture. The feat is more important than the actual result, so a sept that erects a menhir using stone age techniques is as valid as a sept that builds and designs a skyscraper with modern tools. The sept must keep this monument in good repair and boast of it to visitors.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 31

[+/-] Totems of War

Totems of War

These totems spur Garou to greater heights of violence and Rage. Predatory animals and ancestral warriors are the most common totems of war. While packs focused on fighting the Wyrm are the chief followers of these spirits, scouts, healers, and other packs who expect to see a lot of combat will ally themselves with these spirits.

Bear

Background Cost: 5

Bear is wise in peace and fierce in war. He is a master of healing and mysticism, but the Garou mistrust him, for Bear’s true children are the Gurahl — werebears with no fondness for the Garou.

Individual Traits: Bear’s children gain a dot of Strength, can use the Gift: Mother’s Touch once per day, and can hibernate for up to three months at a time without need for food or water. Garou lose five points of temporary Honor renown (if they have it to lose), and reduce all Honor Renown awards by one point.

Pack Traits: Bear’s packs can use three dots of Medicine, and are well-regarded by werebears.

Ban: Bear asks no specific behavior of his Garou. Petitioning for his favor has already cost them a great deal of standing among their own people.

W20 Core, pg 374

Boar

Background Cost: 5

Hunters fear the boar, and for good reason: he is too angry to pass up a challenge, to fierce to ever give ground, and to ornery to die before doing massive damage. Combative young packs see theses as virtues — especially Garou among the Fianna and Get of Fenris — and choose Boar as their totem.

Individual Traits: Boar’s children gain a dot of Stamina.

Pack Traits: Boar’s packs can use two dots of Brawl.

Ban: Children of Boar must never hunt or eat wild boars.

W20 Core, pg 374

City Father/Mother

Background Cost: 6

A City Father or Mother is the manifestation of the city’s inhabitants both human and machine. It represents the city’s history and quirks but is also capable of acting of its own accord to advance the city’s interests. The totem will only manifest in what locals think of as a city. In some parts of Europe, anywhere with at least 50,000 people living in it generates a City Father, while in much of the United States a city needs at least a quarter of a million people to produce a City Father. It cannot leave the city limits except to travel into the Near Umbra and even then it can only visit urban realms. The totem appears in an anthropomorphic form that somehow represents the city and its people. San Diego’s City Father, for instance, takes on the form of a Spanish missionary. Paris’ City Mother only ever appears to foreigners, as the city has always been its most beautiful in the imaginations of its admirers.

Individual Traits: Followers of the City Father may interact with the spirits of their city as if they had the Bone Gnawer Gift: Attunement. Glass Walkers gain one point of temporary Wisdom Renown when accepted by a City Father, but members of other tribes lose one temporary Honor. Also, the totem may on occasion offer warnings of impending danger, either directly or through a messenger.

Pack Traits: Packs of the City receive three additional dice to any Streetwise tests relevant to their city.

Ban: City Fathers or Mothers will often ask their packs to perform tasks for the good of the city. If the pack refuses, the totem will withdraw its support. Some individual City Fathers or Mothers will offer slightly different traits based on their individual nature.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 56

Clashing Boom-Boom

Background Cost: 8

Clashing Boom-Boom is the ancient spirit of War. She chooses only the greatest warriors as her children, and expects to be obeyed at all times. She is not only a great warrior, but also a great tactician and leader. She takes on the form of an iconic war machine of an age; while many of her packs still see her as a stealth bomber, some werewolves now see their totem as a Predator drone. The Garou that follow her are fierce and disciplined soldiers.

Individual Traits: Followers of Clashing Boom-Boom gain two extra dice on their Firearms and Melee rolls and the maximum difficulty for any roll involving weapons is 8.

Pack Traits: Packs that follow Clashing Boom-Boom gain three dots of Leadership.

Ban: Clashing Boom-Boom does not tolerate insubordination of any kind. Her followers must follow any orders given to them by a higher-Ranked Garou. Refusing a direct order from Clashing Boom-Boom herself will result in her turning on the pack.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 106

Fenris

Background Cost: 5

Norse legends speak of the ravening God-Wolf Fenris, the beast that will eat the sun at the end of days. Fenris is powerful, bloodthirsty, and never gives nor expects quarter. The patron spirit of the Get of Fenris is a warrior’s totem, interested only in packs of Garou that spill their foes’ blood frequently.

Individual Traits: Each werewolf gains two points of Glory Renown, and increases one of their Physical Attributes by 1 (choose which when accepted by the totem).

Pack Traits: The Get of Fenris respect any pack who follows Great Fenris, and will test their worthiness to the totem by inviting them to Wild Hunts and battles against powerful enemies.

Ban: Fenris’ children must never pass up an opportunity for a worthy fight.

W20 Core, pg 374

Griffin

Background Cost: 4

Griffin remembers those species lost to extinction, and he mourns each and every one of them. This has kindled a terrible rage against humans — the slayers of entire species—that he shares with his chosen Red Talons. Always hunting, always hungry, Griffin embodies the swift hunter.

Individual Traits: Griffin’s children can communicate with birds of prey without the use of a Gift, and gain two dots of Glory.

Pack Traits: Griffin’s packs gain three dots of Alertness, and Red Talons show their respect for the pack.

Ban: Followers of Griffin cannot associate with humans. Griffin has not yet accepted a pack containing a homid Garou.

W20 Core, pg 374

Honey Badger

Background Cost: 7

Most predators are loath to attack a Honey Badger, and they are right to do so. Not only is the Honey Badger a fierce and tenacious predator, but it is a tireless fighter and has a tough defensive hide that allows it to escape most dangers. The Honey Badger is reckless and will enter a fight even if the odds are against it.

Individual Traits: Followers of the Honey Badger gain a dot of Strength and reduce all wound penalties by 1.

Pack Traits: Packs who follow Honey Badger gain access to the Gift: Resist Pain.

Ban: Honey Badger’s children may never back down from a fight, no matter how bad the odds are against them.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 107

One Voice

Background Cost: 4

Spirits of revolution are nothing new and have empowered packs in some form or another for centuries. In the last few years, though, advances in instantaneous mass communication both cultural and technological have given rise to a new variety of totem. One Voice is the spirit of a crowd speaking in unison to make their voices heard, having quickly pulled together a full protest while the adrenaline was high. While it is not going to complain about planned protests, it prefers flashmobs and sudden protests thrown together through chains of telephone calls or Internet posts.

One Voice speaks in the whispers of forgotten thoughts. Its voice is a composite of words said to the dialing tone, brought together to make new words, urging its pack to action. It communicates through cellphones whenever possible, either speaking to the pack directly or flashing up text messages from an unknown sender. If it must physically appear, it manifests as a faceless everyman with physical characteristics and clothing who is entirely average for the local area.

Individual Traits: Packmembers each gain two dots of Leadership, the better to gather and coordinate crowds.

Pack Traits: One Voice’s packs gain access to the Philodox Gift: Command the Gathering.

Ban: One Voice’s packs cannot through action or inaction subvert the will or purpose of any group with which they’re working.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 56

Polar Bear

Background Cost: 10

Bear is a long-standing totem among Garou. Due to Bear’s ties to the Gurahl, his followers are considered less honorable than their comrades. Polar Bear is a similar to Bear but specifically relates to the Ice Stalkers, the Siberian bear shifters. Where Bear is a resting defender, Polar Bear fights the rising tides and sinking landmasses of her homeland. This makes Polar Bear a much more urgent and violent totem.

Individual Traits: Followers of Polar Bear gain a dot of Strength, and a dot of Stamina. They can also use the Gift: Mother’s Touch once per day. They can regrow limbs with a Willpower point. This heals any non-aggravated health levels that resulted in the disabled or removed limb. As with Bear’s followers, adopting Polar Bear causes distrust within the Garou community. Followers lose five points of temporary Honor, and all Honor rewards are reduced by one point.

Pack Traits: Polar Bear’s pack gains access to two dots of Medicine, and two dots of Brawl.

Ban: Unlike Bear, Polar Bear does not accept her honor loss as ban enough. She also requires her followers strike out at any threats that threaten to end a species.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 121

Rat

Background Cost: 5

Rat is the swift, silent master of hit-and-run warfare — the original totem of guerrilla fighters. While Rat fights to weaken, cripple, then overwhelm, he can be as vicious as any other totem when cornered.

Individual Traits: Rat’s children subtract one from the difficulty of all bite rolls, and from the difficulties of rolls involving stealth or quiet.

Pack Traits: Rat’s packs can call on a pool of five Willpower points per story. Bone Gnawers will aid the pack, and even Ratkin will be somewhat tolerant of the pack’s existence.

Ban: Rat’s children must not kill vermin of any kind.

W20 Core, pg 374

Trapdoor Spider

Background Cost: 6

A cunning strategist, Trapdoor Spider is patient and aggressive. It will wait days for prey to come along before it strikes. It waits for the precise moment, and then attacks, quickly and efficiently. The target rarely knows it has fallen into a trap until it is far too late for escape.

Individual Traits: Followers of Trapdoor Spider gain one dot in Dexterity.

Pack Traits: Packs that follow Trapdoor Spider gain three dots of Athletics as well as four points of Willpower per story.

Ban: Children of the Trapdoor Spider are forbidden from entering any combat situation without a plan.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 106

Wasp

Background Cost: ??

Wasps are dispassionate creatures, working together to hold territory and drive out invaders. Wasp is a totem of cooperation. She demands that Garou followers emulate her children: tireless, harmonious, and vicious in defense what is theirs. Because female wasps rule the nest, Black Furies have a certain fondness for this totem.

Individual Traits: When she is invoked, Wasp grants all her children the Mental Speech Gift, though it can only be used to communicate with septmates.

Pack Traits: A pack that is imbued with Wasp’s blessing deals an extra point of damage with all unarmed attacks. The pack’s unarmed attacks deal lethal damage even in Homid form. The pack also gains the effects of the Resist Toxin Gift.

Ban: Wasp will abandon a sept if it is riven by internal strife. She also asks that her followers sing while they work.

W20 Rage Against the World, pg 32

Wendigo

Background Cost: 7

Appearing as a cannibal-spirit cloaked in ice, the Wendigo stalks the frozen wastes, eating the hearts of his foes. He teaches the Garou to be as relentless as the storm, leashing the cold bitterness that lurks within and turning it into a lethal rage.

Individual Traits: Wendigo’s children start each story with five extra Rage points, regardless of their rating. Each werewolf also gains two points of Glory Renown.

Pack Traits: Members of the Wendigo tribe respect those packs who take their patron as a totem, though they do not fully trust them.

Ban: Wendigo’s children must offer aid to animistic peoples in need.

W20 Core, pg 374

[+/-] Totems of Wisdom

Totems of Wisdom

Keepers of mystical secrets, these totems ally with Garou to discover hidden truths, and in return can teach rare Gifts. While many Garou are reluctant to trust those werewolves who hunt secrets and answers rather than more tangible prey, a few recognize the crucial part that they play in Gaia’s defense.

Chimera

Background Cost: 7

The patron of the Stargazers, Chimera is the personification of Enigma. She of Many Faces invites her packs to find the wisdom that each werewolf holds inside himself, beneath layers of puzzles and self-delusion.

Individual Traits: Chimera’s Garou subtract two from the difficulty of all rolls involving riddles, dream interpretation, or enigmas, and gain two points of Wisdom Renown. They can also disguise themselves as something else when in the Umbra with a Gnosis roll (difficulty 7).

Pack Traits: Chimera’s packs gain three dots of Enigmas and one of Perception.

Ban: While Chimera requires the pack to seek enlightenment, she does not place any restrictions on how they do so.

W20 Core, pg 375

Cockroach

Background Cost: 6

Cockroach is quick, hardy, and persistent. He’s also everywhere in the modern world, watching and waiting. If one listens to his chosen tribe, he’s one of the totem spirits of the modern age.

Individual Traits: Chosen of Cockroach subtract two from all difficulties involving computers, electricity, and applied science. They can also perceive the contents of data streams in the Umbra, watching along with a YouTube video or listening in on a cellphone call with a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 6).

Pack Traits: Cockroach’s packs gain three dice that apply to any roll to activate a Gift that affects technology.

Ban: The pack members must never kill a cockroach.

W20 Core, pg 375

Dog

Background Cost: ??

Dog is a humble spirit who represents the power of cooperation and adaptability. Dogs have thrived by becoming mankind’s companion, working alongside mankind to both species’ benefits. Septs that follow Dog stress harmony over everything else. Some of the wilder tribes — especially the Red Talons — disdain Dog as a sell-out, but more patient Garou understand that Dog’s ultimate victory has been to teach compassion to humanity.

Individual Traits: Dog can grant all of his children an extra point of Stamina and an extra point of Survival.

Pack Traits: A pack that receives Dog’s special blessing gain a pool of three Willpower points and an extra two-die bonus when they use Pack Tactics.

Ban: Septs must grant sanctuary to wild dogs, allowing them free run of the bawn.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 32

O’ Mighty Dolla’ and Easy Credit

Background Cost: 4

O’ Mighty Dolla’ started as a Gaffling and worked his way up after World War I as the American economy grew. Normally he takes the form of a man wearing modern ‘cowboy’ chic with a ten-gallon hat, a suit with an obvious Old West influence and with a Bane-stuffed cigar clenched in his teeth. In the past he’s been obviously ‘well-fed’ but the current state of the American economy has him looking a little ragged and hollow, like he’s been on a diet — but he wouldn’t dare let you fuss over him by bringing it up. He’s still quick with a smile and a boisterous laugh although his bad knee’s certainly not getting any better.

His recent competition has come out a little better. Easy Credit, who manifests as a seductive young woman in a sharp suit, has been around since 1995. She’s been going around to packs potentially interested in O’ Mighty Dolla and has been offering them her ‘support plan.’ The two are obviously connected in some way but neither will explain how aside from the bitter rivalry they share.

Individual Traits: Each Garou serving either totem gets 2 dots of Resources.

Pack Traits: All rolls involving Commerce have a -3 difficulty bonus.

Ban: O’ Mighty Dolla’ insists that his ‘children’ use American currency when possible and won’t adopt a pack outside the United States. When his packs are outside the country, they can only use his benefits to make a profit. In either case his packs are prohibited from using credit cards, which is becoming more and more of an issue these days. Easy Credit is international, by contrast. She demands that her ‘clients’ always finish each financial year with more money than they started and never use coins or paper money.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 55

Owl

Background Cost: 5

Owl watches silently in the darkness, learning all that he can. Like the Silent Striders who claim him as their totem, Owl holds hidden wisdom, especially about death and the mysteries of the Dark Umbra.

Individual Traits: Owl’s children gain wings when in the Umbra, allowing them to fly from place to place. They also subtract two from difficulties involving stealth or silence, and gain two points of Wisdom Renown.

Pack Traits: Owl’s packs often receive premonitions and prophetic dreams that draw them to mystic places long forgotten. The pack gains three dice that apply to any Gift that involves air, travel, movement, or darkness. Silent Striders may appear to aid the pack when it is in danger, but packs that follow Rat (and Ratkin) are not well disposed towards Owl’s Garou.

Ban: Owl’s children must leave small rodents tied and helpless in the woods for him and his kind.

W20 Core, pg 375

Raven

Background Cost: 5

Raven is the cleverest bird, though not clever enough to keep that fact to himself. He feeds without hunting, following wolves or bringing them to dead animals so they can feed. He teaches wisdom by taunting cubs into trying to catch the uncatchable bird. Raven watches the world, ever hungry for new secrets. His knowledge makes him a totem of wealth — if werewolves trust in him, Raven will provide.

Individual Traits: Pack members gain a point of Wisdom.

Pack Traits: Raven’s packs have three dots of Survival, one of Subterfuge, and one of Enigmas. Wereravens are well-disposed towards the totem’s followers.

Ban: Raven’s children can’t carry wealth, trusting their totem to provide for them.

W20 Core, pg 376

Uktena

Background Cost: 7

The Uktena is an ancient water spirit that blends the features of cougar, serpent, and deer. He is the spirit of riverbeds and dark places, and he knows secrets that even other totems of wisdom have not discovered.

Individual Traits: Followers of Uktena add three dice to all soak rolls when in the Umbra, and gains two extra experience points per story that can only be applied to improving Enigmas, Occult, Rituals, Gifts, or other mystical knowledge. Garou also gain two points of Wisdom Renown. Uktena’s children add one to the difficulties of social rolls when interacting with werewolves of tribes other than Uktena or Wendigo.

Pack Traits: Garou of the Uktena tribe treat the pack like brothers.

Ban: Uktena asks that its Children recover mystical lore, objects, places and animals from the minions of the Wyrm.

W20 Core, pg 376

Unicorn

Background Cost: 7

Unicorn is a totem of peace, purity, healing, and harmony. As such, she is the tribal totem of the Children of Gaia. She embodies the blissful and encompassing love of Gaia.

Individual Traits: Unicorn’s children move at twice their normal speed in the Umbra, and subtract two from all difficulties involving healing and empathy, though they add two to all difficulties to harm other Garou (except Black Spiral Dancers and others tainted by the Wyrm). Unicorn’s Garou gain three points of Wisdom Renown.

Pack Traits: Unicorn’s packs gain three dice when using Gifts of healing, strength, and protection. Children of Gaia will aid the pack, and will usually side with them in disputes.

Ban: Unicorn’s children must protect and aid the weak and exploited, as long as they do not aid the Wyrm in doing so.

W20 Core, pg 376

[+/-] Totems of Cunning

Totems of Cunning

While most Garou don’t look kindly on trickery and stealth, some understand the benefits and seek out totems of cunning. As more and more young Garou try new ideas and new ways of thinking to fight the Wyrm, these totems are becoming more common, though more traditional Garou find little to trust about them.

Bird of Paradise

Background Cost: 6

Bird of Paradise is a bright, colorful, small corvid; a distant cousin to Raven. What he lacks in Raven’s wisdom, he has in pure glory. He uses his brilliant plumage to attract mates, in spite of the many vicious creatures in the rainforest. He fancies himself the king of the trees, and all evidence supports that claim. He laughs down at Crocodile, and flies far too fast for Cobra. His followers pride themselves in drawing attention.

Individual Traits: By reflexively spending a point of Rage when an opponent’s player has announced an attack, the follower can force the opponent to attack her instead of the opponent’s intended target. She can still roll to dodge and soak as normal. Additionally, Bird of Paradise’s followers gain a dot of Dexterity.

Pack Traits: A pack to Bird of Paradise has access to three additional points of Rage, and two points of Willpower.

Ban: Bird of Paradise demands its followers bear bright obvious adornments to their clothes, and remain majestic and obvious at all times. His followers cannot hide, even when fleeing from an assailant.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 120

Coyote

Background Cost: 7

The ultimate trickster, more Ragabash than Ragabash, Coyote is an avatar of chaos. Utterly unpredictable, often foolish, but undoubtedly brilliant, Coyote is both a master of deception and a very clever warrior.

Individual Traits: Each pack member subtracts one from any awards of temporary Wisdom Renown.

Pack Traits: Coyote’s packs gain three dots of Stealth, three dots of Streetwise, one dot of Subterfuge, and one dot of Survival. Coyote’s avatars can always find their packs — the pack does not need to spend Totem points on that ability.

Ban: The very idea that he would limit his packs runs against Coyote’s nature.

W20 Core, pg 376

Cuckoo

Background Cost: 6

The cuckoo is nature’s master infiltrator, laying her eggs in the nests of other birds, then having those birds raise her young. Likewise, Garou who dedicate themselves to Cuckoo are master spies and manipulators, able to bluff their way into any situation without being challenged — from the best quarters in the sept to the center of a Black Spiral Dancer Hive.

Individual Traits: Cuckoo’s children subtract two from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.

Pack Traits: Cuckoo’s packs gain a dot of Manipulation and two dots of Subterfuge. One pack member at a time can use the ability to be overlooked: roll Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6, or higher if the Garou doesn’t look like he should be there). Anyone who notices her must make a Perception + Alertness roll and score more successes than the Garou to realize that the werewolf isn’t supposed to be there. Guards assume that the werewolf has clearance, and ranking officers don’t think twice about the tech in the corner. If the character does anything to draw attention to himself, the player rolls again with a +2 difficulty penalty or loses the benefits of this effect.

Ban: Cuckoo’s children must never pass up an opportunity to improve their pack’s situation at the expense of others.

W20 Core, pg 376

Fox

Background Cost: 7

Fox is used to being both predator and prey and out-thinking everything that he faces. Whether he creeps up on a rabbit without his prey being aware, or leads a pack of hounds into a hornet’s nest, he loves to trick and trap his opponents. He loves it even more if that trap also teaches a lesson.

Individual Traits: Each pack member gains a dot of Manipulation, but subtracts one from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.

Pack Traits: Fox’s packs can call on two dots of Stealth, two dots of Streetwise, and three dots of Subterfuge.

Ban: Children of Fox can never participate in a fox hunt, and must sabotage any hunts they encounter.

W20 Core, pg 377

Hidden Glade

Hidden Glade represents the secret beauty of Gaia. Even as the Wyrm and Weaver overwhelm the world, Gaia’s beauty survives. Life blooms in blasted warzones, humans include parks in their biggest cities, and small glades and springs escape the notice of developers and despoilers. Among the most precious of Gaia’s hidden redoubts are her caerns, and Hidden Glade’s avatars are more than happy to dwell in such places.

Individual Traits: Hidden Glade grants his children an extra dot of Gnosis. Garou blessed by Hidden Glade add one to the number of successes necessary on a Rage roll to succumb to frenzy.

Pack Traits: When Hidden Glade graces a pack with his presence they gain the Territory Gift.

Ban: Hidden Glade’s septs must work tirelessly to found more septs and build more caerns.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 33

Singing Dog

Background Cost: 7

Singing Dog is a shy, clever canid. She’s an amazing communicator; her namesake voice is complex and carries over great distances. She’s also adept with interpersonal interaction, her skill with body language is remarkable in the animal kingdom. She’s immensely rare; singing dog is almost certainly extinct in the wild today.

Individual Traits: All members of Singing Dog’s pack gain the Gift: Singing Dog’s Cry (above) for free, and decrease the difficulty of the activation roll by 1. They also gain a dot of Charisma.

Pack Traits: Members of Singing Dog’s pack gain access to three dots of Expression, and three points of Gnosis.

Ban: Singing Dog is all but extinct in the wild. However, her iconic howls ring out across New Guinea. For one full day of every full moon, Singing Dog’s pack must go completely unseen, but a great number of people must hear their howls.

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 121

Tick

Background Cost: 4

Tick is a parasite, but tougher than her size might lead you to expect. Her creed is that you do what you have to in order to survive, no matter how distasteful others might find your actions. She is more of a trickster than a warrior, stealing her food from others and using sickness as a weapon instead of provoking a fair fight.

Individual Traits: Tick’s children gain an extra soak die versus bashing damage.

Pack Traits: Tick’s packs can call on three dots of Survival and two points of Willpower per story.

Ban: Tick requires regular tithes of blood. Her pack must offer her a health level’s worth of blood (theirs or someone else’s) per packmate roughly once per week (at the night of the purest new moon, half moon and full moon). She also doesn’t permit her Garou children to kill ticks or remove them once they’re attached and feeding on a host.

W20 Skinner, pg 8

Background Costs and Traits

Players use their pooled points in the Totem Background to “buy” the totem spirit that has chosen their pack. Each pack can only be affiliated with one totem. Each totem in this section lists the benefits that the pack gain when accepted by it; unless the totem’s description says otherwise, all bonuses and penalties apply as soon as the totem accepts the pack.

Example: Ali’s pack has just been accepted by Falcon. Each member of the pack immediately gains two points of Honor Renown. Every scene, one member of the pack adds three additional dots to her Leadership until she passes it on to another packmate. Any member of the pack can draw on the totem’s pool of four Willpower points — at least until they’re all expended.

Players can enhance their pack’s totem by spending experience points to increase their characters’ Totem rating, per the Background’s description. Totem spirits can also teach Gifts relating to their affiliation and powers. Some totems allow their children to use a particular Gift without teaching it to them, channeling the spirit’s power directly.

A totem does not just grant power to a pack; it also has restrictions that the werewolves must follow. These constraints on the pack’s behavior form part of the totem’s Ban. If the pack members don’t follow the Ban, their totem will cut off assistance. In this case, the werewolves lose all of the benefits of their totem, including access to extra Willpower, Gifts, and Traits, until they undertake a Rite of Contrition to appease their totem. A pack who repeatedly offends their totem may find that the spirit abandons them entirely.

The totems that follow are among the most common patrons to Garou packs. Several of these totems act as tribal totems, but members of that tribe don’t gain the benefits of that totem. Only individual packs who ally with an avatar of those totems gain the benefits. Most cubs learn their tribal Gifts through the spirits that they meet during their Rite of Passage.

Totem Traits

Totems can give members of a pack a wide range of Traits. These Traits come in two forms: Individual Traits and Pack Traits.

Individual Traits: Every member of the pack gains all of a totem’s Individual Traits as soon as they gain the totem’s favor, and retain these Traits while they remain allied with the totem. The most common Individual Traits include temporary Renown, but some totems offer Attribute dots and even Gifts as Individual Traits.

Pack Traits: Any member of a pack can draw upon a Pack Trait, but only one at a time. If a totem grants dots in a Skill, or a Gift, the first werewolf to draw upon the bonus in a given scene holds on to that specific Trait until the end of the scene, or until they relinquish it. In combat, relinquishing or claiming a Pack Trait is a reflexive action. A pack member can’t “pass on” a Pack Trait to another member of the pack, it instead goes back to the totem spirit, who gives it to the next packmate who requests it. A pack can’t divide a Trait between members — one of Falcon’s children who claims his totem’s Leadership dots gets all three. He can’t take one or two and leave the others for another packmate.

Pack Traits that include pools of points, such as the Willpower pool granted by Falcon, are available to any member of a pack to draw on. If the totem’s pool has any points remaining, any member can choose to spend a point from the pool rather than his own pool. Such pools of points refresh at the end of each story.

Totem Background and Creation

W20 Core, pg 140, W20 Changing Breeds, pg 212

Totem is a Background that applies directly to the character’s pack, rather than the individual. Unlike other pooled Backgrounds, the pack spends all of the points that members have invested in this Trait to determine their totem’s power.

Each totem has a Background cost rating; the pack must spend that amount to ally with that totem. Some totems are willing to lend great powers to their adherents; their point costs are correspondingly greater. See Pack Totems (W20 Core, pg 373) for a list of possible totems. In addition to their Totem bonuses, all beginning totems have a base of eight points to divide among Rage, Willpower, and Gnosis. The totem also begins with the Airt Sense and Re-form Charms. Apart from bestowing power, totems start out somewhat aloof from the pack, and they have little influence among spirits, unless the players buy a closer connection with Background points. With time, roleplaying, and experience points, pack totems can grow in power as their pack grows in Rank and influence. Some totems can even become the totems of whole septs or — in legendary circumstances — even tribes.

Most of the powers that totems bestow are available to only one pack member at a time. At the end of each turn, the Garou with the power declares who the power may be given to next turn (assuming that she doesn’t keep it). After spending the initial cost of the totem, the players can spend any remaining Background points to add to the totem’s strength and abilities.

A multi-Fera pack may pool its Background points to buy its Totem in the same fashion as a Garou pack. Owing perhaps to some similarity to the rites used by the hengeyokai, even Corax and Gurahl are able to participate in the rite, giving up Raven or Bear’s favor in exchange for that of the pack totem. The inclusion of a Nuwisha still guarantees that the totem attracted will be a trickster of some variety, however. In the incredible event that an Ananasi or Nagah participates in the rite, they gain only the ability to participate in pack tactics and the totem spirit’s favorable regard; Queen Ananasa will not relinquish her children to another, while the Nagah remain outside of the Pact that facilitates congress between the spirit world and the other Fera.

Cost Power
1 Per three points to spend on Willpower, Rage, or Gnosis
1 Totem can speak to the pack without the benefit of the Gift: Spirit Speech.
1 Totem can always find the pack members.
2 Totem is nearly always with the pack members.
2 Totem is respected by other spirits.
2 Per charm possessed
3 Per extra pack member who can use the totem’s powers in the same turn
4 Totem is connected mystically to all pack members, allowing communication among them even at great distances.
5 Totem is feared by agents of the Wyrm. Either minions of the Wyrm flee from the pack, or they do their best to kill the pack.

The listed cost is in Background points, which can be bought through experience (see Spending Experience Points, p. 244) at the rate of two experience points per Background point. (Therefore, three points of Rage would cost two experience points.) The Storyteller should allow increases in totem powers only when it fits in to the story, such as when pack members gain a higher rank, a new member joins the pack, or when pack members gain new insight into the nature of their totem. When the totem is affiliated with a more powerful spirit, the greater spirit might grant the strengthening of its servant (pack totem) in return for a great service done it by the pack.

  • As social creatures, werehyenas are much more likely to have pack totems than personal ones.
  • Queen Ananasa also serves as the totem for all werespiders, granting Occult +3 and Enigmas +2 while the werespider meditates in his Sylie. In return, they must obey her laws.
  • Bastet often use personal rather than pack totems, however (calling such patrons “Jamak”).
  • Corax have no pack or personal Totems, either; Raven claims each Corax for his own, granting them one free dot of Athletics, Enigmas, and Subterfuge. In return he asks only that they whisper each secret they learn into the air, that he might hear it as well.
  • All Gurahl have an aspect of Bear as their personal Totem.
  • Those Kitsune not associated with a sentai or other pack-group may have either a personal totem or no totem at all.
  • Virtually all Nuwisha have a personal totem, inevitably a trickster spirit of some sort. Rarely, a Nuwisha will bind herself into a pack of other Fera — but only if the pack is united under a trickster totem.
  • Some wererats establish themselves under a permanent Totem, while others use a special rite to temporarily assume a Totem for the duration of only a single mission or quest, dissolving their bond to the spirit once their task is done.

Spirits

Garou may encounter an infinite variety of spirits (minor or mighty, hostile or friendly) and the Storyteller is encouraged to create a wide range of spirits to suit her chronicle.

Spirit Charms

Spirits have a number of powers called Charms at their command. Some are spiritual reflections of werewolf Gifts, while others are powers that a spirit could teach a Garou — with sufficient cause.

The following Charms are a starting point for Storytellers. Many Charms can reflect a whole host of different phenomena that happen to have the same effects. The Blast Charm, for example, could represent thorns shooting from a nature spirit, shards of glass thrown by a glass elemental, or electrical discharge from a lightning spirit.
Be creative when assigning Charms to spirits.

[+/-] Common Spirit Charms

Common Charms

All spirits have the following Charms. They’re notable only in their absence — a spirit that’s weakened or being punished may not be able to use one or more of these Charms.

Airt Sense

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit has a natural sense of the “airts” (directions) of the spirit world, and can travel about without much difficulty. The spirit can create or find spirit tracks at will. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis if it has to locate a particular place or individual in the Umbra. Even spirits aren’t infallible, and a botch can lead them to an unforgiving Realm.

Materialize

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit takes physical form on Earth. The spirit’s Gnosis must be equal to or greater than the area’s Gauntlet rating. The spirit appears the same in the material world as it does in the Umbra. The spirit uses its Traits in the same way as it would in the Umbra, rather than having Attributes and Abilities. Materialized spirits do possess health levels like other corporeal beings. If a spirit dies in the material world, it returns to the Umbra and enters Slumber, just as if the spirit had lost all of its Essence in the Umbra. Most spirits won’t use this Charm except in extraordinary circumstances; the modern world is far from welcoming to their kind.

Realm Sense

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can sense what transpires in its Domain both in the Umbra and on Earth. Sensing a specific area requires a successful Gnosis roll. Though this Charm is usually associated with Naturae (woodland spirits of Gaia), most spirits bound to an area possess this ability. Spirits without direct ties to a location on Earth may have this Charm, but are only able to sense their dens in Near-Umbral Realms or home Domains.

Re-form

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can dissolve its body in order to travel through the Umbra to their home Domains. It takes a spirit a full turn to try to re-form. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Gnosis successfully for this Charm to succeed. Spirits use this Charm to flee their enemies.

[+/-] Specialty Charms

Specialty Charms

These Charms are commonly possessed by a wide variety of spirits.

Armor

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: By spending two points of Essence, the spirit gains a soak pool equal to its Gnosis for the remainder of the scene.

Blast

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can attack from a distance — breathing fire, unleashing ear-splitting sound, hurling shards of glass, or spitting razor-blades. The Storyteller spends a point of Essence and rolls the spirit’s Rage as a damage dice pool, dealing aggravated damage. The spirit does not need to roll to hit, and the attack cannot be dodged.

City Tree’s Trunk

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 125

Description: The spirit has a permanent soak pool of eight dice, and can increase that by the spirit’s Gnosis by spending two points of Essence. Alternatively, it can grant this additional soak to other spirits by spending another point of Essence. A spirit receiving this blessing applies the soak pool from City Tree’s Trunk in addition to its own armor.

Charmed Journey

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 126

Description: The Gridlock Beetle rolls Gnosis at a Difficulty of (2 + the number of targets). Until the end of the scene, the target’s overland movement suffers no ordinary obstacles or delays. All the lights turn green. No one cuts her off in traffic and then drives under the speed limit. Even police will not stop her regardless of how far over the speed limit she is driving. This benefit extends to movement on foot or off-road, as well. The Jeep doesn’t get stuck in the mud. The frozen lake holds up under the traveler’s weight. Even in a crowd, bystanders never seem to get in her way as she pursues her target (or flees her pursuer). The target subtracts two from the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (minimum 3).

Cleanse the Blight

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can purge spiritual corruption in its vicinity. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis; the difficulty depends on the strength of the Blight. Most spirits can only use this Charm in an area that reflects their nature.

Control Electrical Systems

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit exerts control over an electronic device. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3–9 depending on the system’s complexity). The spirit can shut the system down, control it as though it were standing at the controls, and even overload the system.

Create Fires

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can create fires. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a torch-sized flame, 6 for a bonfire, or 9 for an inferno). Without a source of fuel, the fire only burns for one turn.

Create Wind

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can create or quell winds. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a strong breeze, 6 for a storm, or 9 for a tornado).

Demand Audience

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 129

Description: As Rite of Summoning (W20 Core, pg 212) with the following alterations: Srador can complete the ritual in a single turn. The spirits who arrive are passively benign (if Gafflings) or neutral (if Jagglings) toward Srador. More powerful spirits are always initially hostile, so Srador seldom uses this Charm to summon them. The number of successes instead determines the speed with which the spirit answers Srador’s summons:

Successes Effect
1 The spirit arrives within 24 hours.
2 The spirit arrives within an hour.
3 The spirit arrives immediately.
4+ For each additional success after the third another spirit comes with the summoned spirit. These are either lesser spirits with natures similar to that of the target, or random spirits of a similar power level.

Srador cannot use this Charm more than once per day.

Dreadful Presence:

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: This Charm is available only to Incarna avatars, and is constantly in effect. All spirits hostile to the Incarna avatar lose two dice from all their dice pools while they remain in the avatar’s vicinity.

Fetch Brand:

W20 Kinfolk, pg 101

Description: The spirit can mark a mortal with a small brand, visible only to Garou, in the shape of the glyph of its brood’s allied tribe. The spirit can place the brand just about anywhere on the body, including even the inside of the lip or the scalp. Most werewolves instruct the Kin-Fetch to make the brands hard to find (the Black Spiral Dancers in particular); some, too proud for their own good, want an easily evident sign of glory (such as many Silver Fangs). If the marked mortal undergoes the Change, the brand is burned away and the Kin-Fetch is immediately aware of the Change, whether or not it’s viewing the material world at the time.

Flood

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can raise the natural water level in an area. The spirit spends a point of Essence to flood an area. The size depends on the power of the spirit — a Jaggling using this Charm could flood several blocks or a small town, while a Gaffling could flood a building or a city block. Flooding a larger area could require the spirit to expend more Essence.

Freeze

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit drastically lowers the temperature of its immediate area. Reduce the spirit’s Rage by one for the remainder of the scene. Everyone in the area suffers the spirit’s new Rage in dice of aggravated damage. Using this Charm may have additional effects, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Healing

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can heal physical beings. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (6 to heal lethal damage, 8 for aggravated). The target heals a number of health levels equal to the spirit’s Gnosis. A spirit can only use this Charm once per scene per target.

'Illness

W20 Skinner, pg 16

Description: The spirit can infect a target with a wasting spiritual sickness. The spirit spends a point of Essence and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target’s Stamina. Success means that the target loses a point of Stamina, and all wound penalties increase by 1 (including at the Bruised health level, which effectively becomes a –1 penalty). The effects last for a day if the target can regenerate, or until supernaturally cured if the target can’t.

Illuminate

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can light an area reaching to 20 yards (20 meters) from its body, or change the color of lights in the area. Doing so doesn’t normally require a roll.

Open Moon Bridge

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can open a moon bridge to a desired location. This charm can operate anywhere, and does not need a caern present. The moon bridge has a total potential distance of 1000 miles (1600 km).

Peek

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can look into the physical world from the Penumbra.

Road Rage

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 127

Description: The Gridlock Beetle rolls Rage at a Difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower. Until the end of the scene, countless small obstacles or minor delays hamper the target’s overland movement — a traffic jam, a flat tire, a stubbed toe, etc. The target adds two to the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (maximum 9). Additionally, shapeshifters under the influence of this Charm use Rage less effectively. Reduce the total amount of Rage the target may spend in a single turn by one (to a minimum of zero) for as long as the Charm lasts.

Royal Decree

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129

Description: This Charm is functionally the same as the Theurge Gift Command Spirit (W20 Core, pg 164), except it costs one Essence per command instead of one Willpower, and the Storyteller rolls Srador’s Gnosis (difficulty is the spirit’s Gnosis) to activate the Charm. It also functions on creatures of half-spirit, including shapeshifters (difficulty is the shapeshifter’s Willpower), but Srador seldom calls upon it unless he is desperate.

Savage

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: By spending one Essence, the spirit adds two dice to all damage rolls for the remainder of the scene.

Shapeshift

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can look like anything it desires. This Charm only changes the spirit’s form, not its abilities or powers. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Willpower if it tries to appear as a specific being.

Shatter Glass

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can break all of the glass in the area. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).

Short Out

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can short out electrical systems, damaging the circuits. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).

Subtle Watcher

W20 Kinfolk, pg 102

Description: The Kin-Fetch can make itself invisible at no cost, and maintain the invisibility for as long as it chooses, as long as it remains within roughly three meters of its fetch-branded target. Other spirits will not be able to detect it unless they have specific counter-charms.

Swift Flight

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can fly at three times the normal speed, up to 60 + (Willpower x3) yards or meters per turn.

Tongues

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129

Description: Srador understands all human and spirit languages and is able to speak telepathically. He can address one, some, or all creatures within 100 yards, and they hear him in their native tongues. If a target has a Gift or other supernatural ability the grants her resistance to mental influence, the Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower).

Tracking

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can follow its prey unerringly, though it must spend a point of Essence to do so.

Umbraquake

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The Umbra shakes with such force that everyone standing is thrown to the ground. Everyone in the area suffers half the spirit’s Rage in dice of bashing damage.

Updraft

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can lift a man-sized creature into the air with a gust of wind. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Willpower (difficulty 6).

[+/-] Weaver Charms

Weaver Charms

These Charms are granted by the Weaver. A spirit with one of these Charms can use Airt Sense to travel via the Pattern Web.

Calcify

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit binds a character into the Pattern Web. The Storyteller rolls Willpower, contested by the target’s Rage. Each success subtracts one dot from a Physical Attribute of the spirit’s choice (or Essence in the case of spirits). When the target’s Essence or Attributes drop to zero, the target is held in the Pattern Web. Werewolves must be freed by their packmates, while Wyld energy can disrupt the Pattern Web to free spirits.

Coercion

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 134

Description: The spirit influences the target’s emotions, causing her to feel and react a certain way. The Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty the target’s Willpower). This Charm can be used across the Gauntlet.

Gremlin

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 135

Description: The spirit can choose to inhabit its truck self or its legal owner (or owners). The Storyteller spends one Essence and rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the owner’s Willpower if unwilling, or 4 for the truck or a willing owner). This possession lasts the time indicated:

Successes Duration
1 One turn
2 Five turns
3 One minute
4 Five minutes
5 One hour
6 Three hours plus one hour per success above 6

If the spirit successfully possesses its truck self, it gains control of all the vehicle’s functions as if the truck were running. If the Truck Guardian successfully possesses its owner, it increases her Strength and Stamina by one and adds two dice to all her Athletics rolls. This bonus applies for as long as the Charm lasts. The spirit can allow its owner to act independently but can also seize control of her motor functions at any time if it wishes.

Solidify Reality

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit extends and strengthens the Pattern Web. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis. Each success increases the target’s Essence (or effective health levels) by one per success. The effects last for a day. A target can only benefit from one use of this Charm at a time; all further uses before the effects wear off automatically fail.

Spirit Static

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit increases the Gauntlet in an area by one. Up to three spirits may work in concert (increasing the Gauntlet by three). The spirit must remain in the same area and is distracted, reducing all of its dice pools by 2.

Time Rend

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133

Description: The spirit attacks the very time and essence of its target, tearing away the past and the future with its strikes. The Storyteller spends two points of Essence and rolls to attack. Instead of dealing normal damage, the attack permanently reduces the target’s Rage by one dot per Health Level that would be lost. Once the target has run out of Rage, the attack targets Gnosis, then finally Willpower. If the victim is completely depleted of all three of these Traits, he dies immediately.

[+/-] Wyld Charms

Wyld Charms

Break Reality

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can change something’s Umbral form: turning water into acid, turning part of a wall into a door, or even changing a couch into a steak dinner. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty depends on degree of change), with one element of the target changing with each success. On a failure, the spirit loses a point of Essence. On a botch, it loses a point of Gnosis as well.

Disorient

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can alter landmarks and directions. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6 or the Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher).

Inspire

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 136

Description: The spirit can use this Charm to increase the chance of success of an action, lowering the difficulty of the action by 1. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6). A spirit can only use this Charm once per scene per target.

Secure Permission

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 138

Description: Whenever the Made-Me-Do-It-Devil makes a request of an authority figure (police officer, teacher, parent, boss, etc.), the Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (Difficulty is the victim’s Willpower). If this succeeds the target gives the spirit whatever it asks for until the end of the scene as long as it doesn’t immediately endanger anyone. Made-Me-Do-It Devils use this Charm to get their accomplices out of trouble or to reward them for especially imaginative pranks.

Spirit Traits

Spirits have different characteristics than creatures native to the physical world. Each spirit has four Traits: Willpower, Rage, Gnosis, and Essence. Spirits also have abilities defined by their nature, called Charms. A spirit’s Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower ranges from 1 to 10, as for werewolves, but spirits have only dots in these Traits, not points that can be spent for extra actions or successes.

Willpower: Willpower covers many “physical” actions — striking an enemy, flying through the Umbra, or clambering through the webs that hold the Umbra of cities in bondage. Spirits use Willpower for any action that would normally use the Dexterity or Stamina Attributes.

Rage: A spirit’s Rage covers actions that need power rather than finesse — holding an opponent in a clinch, breaking through doors and weak walls, and harming opponents. Spirits use Rage for actions that would otherwise involve the Strength Attribute.

Gnosis: Gnosis allows a spirit to perceive the world around it, communicate with other spirits, and think quickly in strange situations. Spirits use Gnosis for actions that would otherwise involve the Social or Mental Attributes, and for many Charms.

Essence: A spirit’s Essence usually equals the sum of its Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower, though the Storyteller should adjust it up or down for particularly hearty or frail spirits. Essence represents the spirit’s Health, and its energy reserves for powering Charms.

Broods and Types

All along the different levels of spiritual awareness and power, spirits organize themselves into families called broods much like the Garou do tribes. (W20 Core, pg 373) All of these broods descend from one or more Incarnae and, by extension, Gaia. And as with the Garou tribes, a number of these relations are through adoption rather than having any direct relation to the Incarna patron. They are all related in terms of philosophy or nature, though to a spirit the distinction is fuzzy.

Whether born literally from other spirits in the brood or adopted, they consider each other true family. Even if they don’t all get along with each other, they still show proper respect to each other and reverence to the Incarna from which they’re descended. If a shapeshifter greatly offends a spirit of Chimera’s brood, Chimerlings and other assorted spirits of wisdom or enigmas will be hostile and uncooperative until she can redeem herself. In extreme cases she might have difficulty dealing with other shapeshifters following Chimera as a pack or personal totem. She needs to make amends, starting with an offer of chiminage, and if she is fortunate the right chiminage will settle the debt.

On the other hand, on very rare occasions a spirit brood will adopt a worthy werewolf into its ranks. Spirits treat such an honored individual as family, a bond even closer than the one between the Garou and her tribal totem if they aren’t already one and the same. Such a blessing often comes with an offer to serve the brood after death in the form of an ancestor spirit. A rare honor but an Incarna has few higher ways to honor one of the Garou.

Spirit relations can get complicated in ways that make perfect sense to the spirits themselves but seem random or arbitrary to someone raised in the physical world where heritage and genealogy are understood concepts. For example, after the fall of the White Howlers their tribal totem Lion was adopted by Griffin and is considered a part of his brood in every way that matters. At the same time, the aspect of Lion that serves as patron to the Simba werelions isn’t related to Griffin at all. As Incarna exist on multiple levels of reality at once, this is part of the natural order to them whereas beings that experience one reality at a time might need a chart to wrap their heads around it.

[+/-] Spirit Types

Gafflings

Depending on whatever spawned them, whether event or Incarna, new spirits often come into being as Gafflings. Gafflings are the equivalent of simple animal wildlife of the spirit world, sometimes appearing clever but only really capable of perceiving the world in specific ways. Each has a purpose, even if they can’t understand or articulate what that purpose is. For many spirits, ‘what I do’ is the same as ‘what I am’ and that is true for typical Gafflings more than anything else.

Gafflings see the world in terms of their nature, like people who view their experiences through the lens of their job. They have a duty that they obsessively uphold whether that duty is to represent the interests of a breed of animal or to maintain a section of the Pattern Web. Each is a servant of something much larger and much more aware than themselves and even the ones smart enough to question orders have no desire to. They feed by attaching themselves to an object or place that allows them to embody what they are — all a Gaffling generally wants to do — and sustain themselves from the energy that comes from that interaction.

Spirits also gain sustenance by entering the state of Slumber, replenishing themselves like humans do by sleeping. For many spirits of objects and places, simply being available if needed is enough to do their duty so they conserve their strength through hibernation. In some cases, acting out the place in the ecosystem appropriate to their concept allows them to feed. The spirit of a predatory animal hunts and eats the spirits of appropriate prey animals, consuming their essence for themselves.

Banes also often feed by consuming other spirits, but do so solely for destruction’s sake with no respect for the natural order.

Jagglings

If a Gaffling’s purview increases in strength, like a sapling growing into a massive oak or the ‘adopted’ weapon of a war-spirit being used in battle after battle, the spirit itself can grow. As spirits grow in strength and power they become more aware. Eventually, if they cross a particular threshold, the spirit develops into a Jaggling. They can also earn ‘promotions’ from more powerful spirits and take on greater roles in the world. The oak spirit is empowered to represent the forest; the war-spirit takes a military unit or base under its wing.

If Gafflings are the clever animals of the spiritual world, Jagglings are the people. Once a spirit has progressed beyond the Gaffling level, they are no longer an appendage of their superiors but have usually achieved sentience in the way humanity would think of it. Jagglings have thoughts and personalities and agendas all their own. While they typically serve Incarnae, Jagglings’ goals don’t always have to align with those of their master.

Jagglings feed much like Gafflings do, although they are more likely to reap the benefits of service and worship than replenishing themselves through Slumber. They tend to be more actively involved in spiritual affairs, primarily due to their awareness and self-determination, and because of their greater strength their purview grows in scope as well. A forest is a more important part of nature than an individual tree. A military unit will see more action than any individual rifle.

Because Jagglings encompass such a broad range of spiritual strength, from something on the power level of a Stormcrow to the sheer might of the Nexus Crawlers or a caern totem, a Jaggling has a lot of room to grow without ascending to a higher rank. Few ever achieve that higher degree of enlightenment and fewer still accomplish it without help. The transition from Jaggling to Incarna is almost always a promotion by another Incarna on the rare occasions it happens at all.

Incarnae

New Incarnae rise up from the ranks of the Jagglings at the will of their own deific patrons. They often serve Gaia or a member of the Triat more or less directly, though some serve a Celestine like Helios or Luna. Jagglings rise to the rank of Incarna often because some new concept has come into being and needs a patron to fill the new spiritual niche. Sometimes they fill the role of a destroyed Incarna. In rare circumstances Gaia or the Triat will create an Incarnae wholecloth, like the werespiders’ mistress Queen Ananasa.

Incarnae embody important concepts — organized war or all oak trees as a whole — but they represent those concepts as opposed to literally being them. If the Oak Incarna is slain a new one will rise from the Jagglings to take its place, but not every oak tree in the world would wither and fall in the meantime. It would, however, mean a certain degree of disarray in the Incarna’s minions and retainers for a time. Fortunately for Jagglings, the ability to take hold of such a situation is usually a good way to prove itself worthy of the vacated position.

Because of the nature of such promotions a Jaggling’s form shifts as it fills the vacated spot, sometimes muddying attempts to trace its history. As a result some Incarnae appear almost from nowhere. Some Incarnae leave well known and traceable histories as they rise through the ranks. O’ Mighty Dolla’ (Rage Across the World, p. 55), for example, started as a Gaffling nickel-spirit and became a Jaggling quarter-spirit before achieving Incarna status after World War I. Conversely, his rival Easy Credit is entirely unknown before her 1995 appearance.

Most Garou encounters with an Incarna are likely to be with their pack or tribal totem. When werewolves do so, except for the rarest of occasions, they’re interacting with an avatar rather than the spirit itself — a fragment of the Incarna’s power made manifest as a Jaggling. Even a pack that has truly proven itself worthy of a totem’s protection or guidance can’t expect to be able to command the totem’s full attention on a regular basis. The avatar speaks with the Incarna’s authority with regards to the pack even though it is considered a spirit in and of itself.

Incarnae neither fall into Slumber nor stop to take the time to feed. They don’t have to. At this point, their Celestine patrons and the forces over which they have dominion sustain them. They’re too tightly woven into the grand scheme of things to require traditional sources of spiritual energy.

Celestines

To the various Changing Breeds and their allies, Incarnae and Celestines both come across like deities of a sort. Celestines, however, are the real deal in terms of raw power. Unlike an Incarna, a Celestine is literally the thing it represents and produces its phenomenon rather than the other way around. Each astronomical phenomenon has a spiritual presence, the true form of which is all but unknowable. Helios and Luna are literally the sun and moon and if slain those heavenly bodies would cease to be. That said, destroying a Celestine is nigh impossible. Even the asteroid belt, a destroyed planet, still has a presence in the Aetherial Realm and an active Incarna. If destroying a planet isn’t enough to snuff out a Planetary Incarna, what would it take to kill a Celestine? The Apocalypse likely contains the answer to that question.

Despite the common belief among Incarnae that they could eventually ascend to the level of Celestine, the myths and fantasies so far prove to be just that. None of the few identified Celestines worked their up the hierarchy to earn their place in the heavens as far as anyone knows. Some legends suggest that, as the Mother Goddess, Gaia Herself may have the power to elevate an Incarna to this level. Celestines reside in both the Deep Umbra and the Aetherial Realm (W20 Umbra, pg 46), in personal realms where their power and awareness are effectively infinite. They only rarely send avatars to Earth and instead focus their energies to nudge and influence those capable of listening. A Celestine can maintain multiple avatars at once. The power of even a weak avatar is such that they only dare affect the physical world with light, indirect touches. The unenlightened mistake their few, mysterious efforts for astrological forces or similar phenomena.

Outside the Cycle: Emanations

Emanations are spirits that neither fall into the hierarchy nor the life-cycle of spirits in a traditional manner. They only manifest in the Near Realms, apparently produced by the realm itself, and they often appear as humans or animals appropriate to the realm in question. These denizens are often unaware of their spiritual nature and act like normal people or animals for their given context. As expressions of a particular realm’s nature, some Garou suspect they’re a way for the realms to attempt to communicate with material beings.

The biggest difference between emanations and the traditional spirits also found in the Near Realms is that emanations do not follow the same rules as spirits do. A human-looking emanation is a human for all intents and purposes — it has no sense of its rank or purpose, no Charms, and no ban. That makes it very hard for werewolves to differentiate between the emanations of tortured souls in Malfeas and the very real humans that the Wyrm’s minions bring to that blasphemous place.

Not every entity found in the Near Realms is an emanation. Most of them are typical spirits who simply make their homes in places suited to them and use the normal traits of Rage, Willpower, etc. A Pattern Spider in the CyberRealm is pretty much the same as it is anywhere else in the Umbra. Emanations are specifically the human and animal-shaped ‘mundane’ creatures that make up a Near Realm’s population.

Emanation Mechanics

Emanations don’t use traditional spirit traits. Instead, they have the normal assortment of Attributes, Abilities, and so forth. If a Garou gets into conflict with the hunters of Wolfhome or a Nazi guard in the Atrocity Realm, the Storyteller rolls the emanation’s Dexterity + Firearms instead of Willpower to attack. When the Garou retaliates, his attacks harm the emanation’s health levels, not its Essence.

Spirits in Combat

While the Garou can deal with many spirits through bargains and appropriate chiminage (W20 Core, pg 319), some spirits won’t listen to anything short of a werewolf’s teeth and claws.

Fighting spirits is much the same as fighting anything else for the Garou, and they use the same Traits as in the physical world. Spirits, on the other hand, use their Willpower to attack and Rage to damage on a successful hit. When damaged, spirits soak with Willpower (possibly enhanced by the Armor charm). Spirits with high Willpower can also use it to dodge, but they must split their dice pool if they want to dodge more than once, or to attack and dodge.

All unsoaked damage is subtracted from the spirit’s Essence, whether it’s bashing, lethal, or aggravated. A spirit that runs out of Essence slowly fades into the Umbra. Garou can harvest Gnosis from such spirits, bringing them to a permanent end, or bind them into fetishes. Without a werewolf’s interference, the spirit must rebuild its Essence before rematerializing in the Umbra.

Spirit States

The Umbra is unlike the physical world in a number of ways, and spirits are unlike physical beings. As such, different rules apply.

Communication: Spirits “speak” via shared thoughts and feelings, rather than what humans consider a language. Some spirits, such as the servants of tribal totems, can speak the Garou tongue or other human languages. The Gift: Spirit Speech is required to speak with and understand spirits in their own language. Gifts that deal with spirits do not need the user to understand spirit speech — the power of the Gift transmits the Garou’s intent without needing to translate his words.

Movement: Spirits can fly or float up to (20 + Willpower) yards or meters per turn, and can float in place if they wish. In the Penumbra, the distance between any two points is the same as it is in the physical world; further into the Umbra the concept of “distance” and “time” can both warp in unpredictable ways.

Slumber: Spirits regain Essence by entering an inactive state called Slumber, during which it floats in a secluded part of the Umbra. A spirit slain in the Penumbra fades away into the Umbra after several minutes. A Slumbering spirit can be bound through a rite without regard for the spirit’s willingness. The spirit in a fetish is always in Slumber — the user activates the fetish’s powers, not those of the spirit.

[+/-] Gaian Spirits
[+/-] Naturae

Naturae

The spirits a Garou is mostly likely to encounter are nature spirits. Long ago, the Umbra was filled with active spirits, and every stream, every tree, every stone, every thing had a living spirit connected to it. Now, the Umbra is largely barren and featureless. Only a few nature spirits still exist, and most of them are in Slumber.

All spirits listed here possess the Charms of Airt Sense and Re-form in addition to those listed.

Animal Spirits

Animal spirits look like an ideal of the species they represent. There are far too many varieties of animal spirits to list here; many others have disappeared as species have become extinct.

In addition to teaching Gifts to select Garou, many werewolves find it wise to appease animal spirits after hunting their kind for food. Most Garou, particularly Wendigo and lupus, believe that animal spirits have totem Incarnae, called Animal Fathers. The Animal Fathers watch their children from lodges in the Near Umbra. Werewolves who don’t show proper respect to animal spirits may draw the ire of an Animal Father, who can prevent births of that animal in the physical world.

The following are some sample animal Gafflings:

Deer
Willpower 4, Rage 4, Gnosis 6, Essence 14
Charms: No special Charms

Falcon
Willpower 8, Rage 6, Gnosis 5, Essence 19
Charms: Swift Flight

Snake
Willpower 5, Rage 6, Gnosis 8, Essence 19
Charms: Paralyzing Stare (as the Level Three Shadow Lord Gift)

Wolf
Willpower 6, Rage 7, Gnosis 5, Essence 18
Charms: Tracking

Source: W20 Core, pg 368

City Tree

City Tree is just what it sounds like, a tree in the city. City Tree is an iconic rebel of the urban landscape; it forces its way through concrete, feeding itself with trash and polluted water, yet still rises strong. It bears fruit that feeds the homeless and less fortunate. It holds the precious little topsoil in place, guaranteeing years of fertility for those few square feet. It’s a little victory for the Wyld, but sometimes a little victory means the difference between survival and all-out defeat.

City Tree doesn’t exist by every single tree in the city, only the very healthy ones that stand against the odds. But where City Tree stands, Garou should take notice. It’s a very useful spirit that will help any working toward making the city inhabitable for its kin. It can heal and protect war-torn warriors.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: City Tree’s Trunk, Cleanse the Blight, Create Wind, Healing

Image: City Tree looks like a tree. It’s vaguely anthropomorphized. It uses its branch/limbs to press down on the ground, constantly trying to free itself from the cement around it. It struggles slowly and constantly. Knife cuts along its bark act as eyes and a mouth. It speaks with frustration and impatience, but shows empathy and concern for the city and its inhabitants. It’s often found with numerous other, smaller spirits around. It shields them from bigger threats, and becomes a makeshift shelter for the less capable.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 125

Glade Child

The spirits of trees, Glade Children appear as robed luminescent figures. A Glade Child’s appearance depends on its tree’s location in the physical realm. In a forest, the spirit appears majestic and powerful; near a busy intersection, the spirit will seem grimy and waiflike. This extends to the information it can impart to the Garou — the more a tree has become tainted, or the more tightly it is woven into the Pattern Web, the less reliable its information becomes. The spirits of deciduous trees are bright-eyed and watchful during the summer months, becoming sluggish and harder to rouse in late fall and winter.

Willpower 7, Rage 3, Gnosis 8, Essence variable (20 for a sapling, 35 for a mature oak, 50+ for an ancient redwood)

Charms: Cleanse the Blight, Realm Sense

Source: W20 Core, pg 368

[+/-] Common Spirits

City Mascot

The fans of professional sports teams awaken City Mascots, feeding the spirits with their devotion and their intense interest in every aspect of the game. The team takes the role of the city’s army of warrior-priests, dedicated to its defense and that of its patron’s honor. Their contests against the teams of rival cities have replaced the battles between eternally warring city-states.

City Mascots often act as servants of City Mothers (or Fathers) but Theurges frequently find them more approachable — or at least easier to coax. A local shapeshifter can often attract a City Mascot’s attention simply by wearing branded merchandise to a game. These spirits regard their billion dollar stadiums as great cathedrals, and the shouts of their fans as prayers of devotion. A supplicant who approaches the City Mascot as it basks in the glory of its warriors’ victory can usually win an audience with it. A few cities have multiple City Mascots that represent different sports. In some places the City Mascots engage in friendly rivalries. In others, they compete fiercely for the hearts of local fans.

A City Mascot has an inherent mistrust of outsiders. It will tolerate out-of-town fans, especially those who take care to express their devotion to it. In the company of those hailing from a rival city, the spirit remains aloof at best, and it might actually play tricks on or otherwise inconvenience those it believes worship a rival City Mascot. Despite their apparent devotion, rival cities can sometimes woo a City Mascot elsewhere by offering it a greater and more glorious stadium or a more fanatical pool of worshippers. When the City Mascot’s team goes to another city, the spirit goes with it, and it quickly adopts the character of its new home.

These spirits can be valuable allies, however, for few know the city and its inhabitants better than they do. They also occasionally come to shapeshifters for help dealing with problems they cannot resolve on their own, and more than one pack has been put on the scent of a Wyrm plot by a tip from a City Mascot.

Rage: 8, Willpower 8, Gnosis 5, Essence 21

Charms: Armor, Cleanse the Blight, Disorient, Healing, Illuminate, Open Moon Bridge, Shapeshift, Tracking

Image: A City Mascot’s true form frequently resembles the official mascot of the team that gave it form. As a tutelary deity it also reflects the architecture, history, and present fortunes of the city it protects. The personalities and customs of its citizens similarly come across in its temperament and mannerisms.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 125

Crowdfunding

With the rise of the Internet, creative professionals have looked to new outlets to sponsor their endeavors. Crowdfunding has grown as a particularly successful method over the past couple of years. With crowdfunding, a creative professional puts forward a proposal, puts it before the Internet’s collective scrutiny, then would-be patrons offer money to bring the project to life.

Though not strictly Gaian spirits, Crowdfunding spirits are undirected at the moment of their creation. They soon move towards one of the Triat, depending on their environment. Depending on their bent, they can possess Corruption (Wyrm), Solidify Reality (Weaver), or Break Reality (Wyld) as an additional Charm. Those few that remain in service to Gaia often attach themselves to projects that benefit a community and promote harmony or re-growth. They possess Cleanse the Blight as an extra Charm. For each character attacking Crowdfunding in the same round, the spirit regains one point of Essence. This can go above its normal limit, but anything above the limit fades at the end of the scene.

Rage: 2, Willpower: 10, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 16

Charms: Armor, Healing, Peek, Break Reality/Cleanse the Blight/Corruption/Solidify Reality (see above)

Image: Every Crowdfunding spirit takes on a symbolic composite of its source. The spirit for the Golden State 2™ film project looks like a stainless steel bear that spews gold from its every orifice. The Machine Age Time Machine Prototype™ project looks like a small brass dirigible. The Aspect System Game™ project looks like a mechanized gorilla with a raygun.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 126

Elementals

Elementals are spiritual manifestations of the “classical” elements: the core substances that make up all things.

For centuries, the only elementals known were of the four classical elements: earth, fire, air, and water. In recent times, Garou have discovered spirits that look like elementals but that embody other substances — Glass Walkers frequently traffic with glass and plastic elementals, while the spread of industrial society spawned electricity and metal elementals. No werewolf has yet discovered a spirit related to an element from the periodic table; fluorine elementals remain the stuff of horror stories for chemically-minded Garou.

Elementals vary wildly in power, from the minor Gafflings in a candle-flame to the Incarna-like power of the water in an ocean. The following Traits apply to minor elementals:

Earth Elemental: These spirits often appear as collections of rocks connected in a vaguely humanoid form, or simply as a moving bulge in the ground.
Willpower 9, Rage 4, Gnosis 5, Essence 20
Charms: Armor, Materialize, Umbraquake

Air Elemental: Air elementals are invisible unless passing through a field of dust or fog, but can be easily heard or felt.
Willpower 3, Rage 8, Gnosis 7, Essence 18
Charms: Create Wind, Updraft

Fire Elemental: These mercurial spirits typically manifest as a swirling column of flame.
Willpower 5, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Essence 20
Charms: Blast (Flame), Create Fires

Water Elemental: These elementals can appear as individual pools of water, a “thickening” in a larger body of water, or even a transparent humanlike form.
Willpower 6, Rage 4, Gnosis 10, Essence 20
Charms: Cleanse the Blight, Flood, Healing

Glass Elemental: Glass elementals appear as a humanoid form made up of numerous shards of glass.
Willpower 4, Rage 7, Gnosis 7, Essence 18
Charms: Blast (Glass shards), Materialize, Shatter Glass

Electricity Elemental: These spirits can appear as arcs of electricity, St. Elmo’s Fire, or ball lightning.
Willpower 6, Rage 7, Gnosis 5, Essence 18
Charms: Blast (Lightning), Control Electrical Systems, Short Out

Source: W20 Core, pg 370

Gridlock Beetle

These urban spirits form along busy, congested streets and highways. A single traffic jam or a few months of lane closures caused by road construction doesn’t generate enough frustration to give birth to a Gridlock Beetle. Only the most notorious of traffic trouble spots in large cities can awaken them. Gridlock Beetles coaxed away from their native territory wield considerable influence over travel times. Glass Walkers and other urban Garou sometimes dispatch them to delay an enemy, but they are more often called upon to expedite the shapeshifter’s journeys.

Rage: 5, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 5, Essence: 15

Charms: Calcify, Charmed Journey, Road Rage

Image: Gridlock Beetles look like the body of a car walking on six insectoid legs and are the size of large dogs. Each “model” of Gridlock Beetle exhibits personality quirks in keeping with similar such spirits of that model. Sports car-bodied Beetles are often impatient and favor making haste over slowing down opponents, for example, while large sedans sometimes create delays for passersby out of pure spite. Storytellers should feel free to adjust the Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower of a Gridlock Beetle based on its model.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 126

Lune

The most common of Luna’s Jagglings appear as shimmering ribbons of light outlined in gold or blue. They communicate empathically, spiraling or undulating more rapidly as they become excited. Most Lunes are positively disposed toward Garou, as long as the werewolves don’t get too bossy. Lunes can open moon bridges at will, and they may create moon bridges for Garou who petition them. During the full moon, however, there’s no guarantee where the moon-mad spirit’s pathways will send them.

Willpower 8, Rage 4 (8 during the full moon), Gnosis 7, Essence 19–23

Charms: Open Moon Bridge

Source: W20 Core, pg 369

Meme

Memes are a type of Epiphling, spirits of the thoughts and ideas that take hold in the mind of people, and spread in a pattern very similar to an infectious disease. These conceptual spirits are often small and short lived, flitting from one thing to the next without much heed to anything but the information they feel they must convey. Most Memes are found within the Astral Umbra, unable to grow big enough to leave, sometimes so small and short lived as to barely gain notice. Some gain quite a bit of power and influence, pushing their idea into the minds of people across the world.

Each Meme spirit represents a single idea. They thrive on that idea being remembered and passed from one person to another. In the past, the growth of a Meme spirit was often slow and ponderous, taking years for a particular Meme to grow enough to reach beyond its original location, or to eventually spread influence across the world. Memes of old were content to grow in power and influence slowly, and did very little to actively push ideas forward, expecting word of mouth to be sufficient.

As the world enters the information age, Memes have the capability to grow and gain influence faster than ever. This also means a Meme can die just as fast as it grows, sometimes gaining worldwide influence, only to be forgotten within the year. The prospect of such a fast death scares most Memes. They take an active role in spreading ideas to people, pushing concepts and information into as many channels as they can in hopes to create a legacy that lasts. Some Memes fluctuate in power and influence as their ideas travel the globe and back again — their popularity rekindled sometimes without rhyme or reason.

Some of the most powerful Meme spirits have been able to adapt and evolve, conveying their information in new forms as a previous form loses traction and people forget it. These Memes urge people to share information through whatever medium possible. Some Garou find binding Memes to fetishes helps them retain large amounts of information to share later.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 19

Charms: Control Electrical Systems, Short Out

Image: When materialized, Memes take on the image of whatever bit of information they conveyed. Sometimes the information is so small and truncated, the spirit looks like nothing more than a photograph or scrawled word on a piece of paper. Otherwise, the spirit may take on the form of an animal or person to which the information pertains. In the Umbra, the spirits look like small pieces of the Pattern Web, etched into a defined space.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 127

Nuntius

Nuntiuses are spirits of the ice and rock debris that shoots through space, unattached to any particular celestial body. These spirits act as messengers, moving between the Celestines in the Deep Umbra and their avatars in the Aetherial Realm, or even carrying messages from one Celestine to another.

Some Nuntiuses are only found within the Deep Umbra — spirits of objects that never come within the Earth’s orbit and lack any grounding there. These spirits are large alien creatures with little to no concept or care for the Earth or her inhabitants. Other Nuntiuses are small and short lived, breaking away from a Celestine bearing a specific message. Once the Nuntius delivers his message he returns home, waiting for redeployment. Some never make it back, remaining attached to the new Celestine after delivering their message. Yet, others still are large and long lived traveling the sky in predictable patterns carrying messages across the Umbra a bit like a mail service among the stars.

The most common Nuntiuses are small affairs, what people would call meteors often making a single pass from one spirit to another. Garou sometimes report watching them burn tracks through the night sky as the spirit travels into the Near Realms to deliver its message. Mostly the spirits deliver messages from a Celestine to one of its Jagglings, or from a Totem to its pack spirit. On rare occasions, a spirit is sent from far off with a message for Gaia herself.

Despite the probability that the spirit only has a single message to deliver, they are all quite well informed. Nuntiuses share messages and information with each other, sometimes to speed a message along, and sometimes just for the sheer joy of sharing a message. It seems that what one Nuntius knows, all Nuntiuses will know in short order. If a Garou is lucky, he can stop one of these little spirits in its tracks and ask for news or information. They move fast though, and stopping them is not an easy prospect.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 5, Essence: 14

Charms: Open Moon Bridge, Peek, Swift Flight, Tracking

Image: Nuntiuses appear in the physical realm as the rock or ice they are bound to. In the Umbra, they appear as bright flashes of colorful light, streaking across the sky.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 127

Stormcrows

The most common of Grandfather Thunder’s spirit servants, Stormcrows are the totem’s eyes and ears. They are connected to him at all times, and they often serve as pack totem avatars for Thunder.

Willpower 9, Rage 7, Gnosis 6, Essence 22

Charms: Create Wind, Tracking

Source: W20 Core, pg 369

[+/-] Unique Spirits

Ancestor-Spirits

Garou serve their tribe and Gaia, and not even death can end their service. The spirits of the long-dead wait in the Umbra, watching over their descendants. Some can aid the living, lending their knowledge, wisdom, or even their expertise in combat.

Most ancestor-spirits reside in their tribe’s Umbral homeland. A few might exist near their sept’s caern, while some are bound to powerful fetishes. Garou can bargain with an ancestor-spirit for aid or Gifts, much as with other spirits — though an ancestor is likely to be favorably disposed to her descendants, assuming they’ve not brought the bloodline into disrepute. The Ancestors Background allows a Garou to call upon his ancestors, allowing an ancestor-spirit to possess his body temporarily, granting him that ancestor’s skill and knowledge.

It’s fair to question whether ancestor-spirits are really the spirits of dead Garou. Some believe them to be the spirits of the departed, while others believe that they are a combination of the memories and personalities of the departed werewolves wrapped around an ephemeral spiritual core — the spirit of the Garou has returned to Gaia to be reborn, but her personality lives on. While a werewolf’s opinion on her ancestor-spirits says a lot about his views on the spirit world, the answer doesn’t alter the very real impact of ancestor-spirits in Garou society.

Some rare humans can leave ancestor-spirits, especially Kinfolk. These ancestor-spirits aren’t as powerful as the ancestors of Garou, because humans don’t share the werewolves’ spiritual might when alive. Even so, it is a mark of honor for any being to become an ancestor-spirit on passing.

Ancestor-spirits vary greatly in ability, depending both on their power before death and their strength of will. The following is a sample Garou spirit:

Willpower 6, Rage 8, Gnosis 7, Essence 21

Charms: An ancestor’s Charms relate to their tribal, auspice or breed Gifts. For example, an Ahroun may possess the Armor Charm, a lupus might have the Tracking Charm, and a Glass Walker may have powers similar to an electricity elemental or a Net-Spider.

Source: W20 Core, pg 370

Fenris' War Avatar

Few spirits — short of Incarnae themselves — are as frightening and dangerous as the war-avatar of Great Fenris. The avatar of Fenris Wolf appears as an enormous wolf, 10 feet tall at the shoulder. His eyes burn with rage and his jaws drip with the blood of countless enemies. His coat is a deep gray that seems to shimmer from black to red and even to white as the light shifts across it. The war-avatar of Fenris is not as powerful as the Incarna himself would be, but it still defies the usual limitations of spirits, and has Traits even more powerful than Nexus Crawlers.

Willpower 15, Rage 20, Gnosis 10, Essence 45–80

Charms: Airt Sense, Armor, Blast (thunderbolt), Dreadful Presence, Materialize, Re-form, Savage, Swift Running (as Swift Flight), Tracking

Murica

America the beautiful, America the bold, America the brave. Whatever else may be said about America, it is among the most diverse and multicultural nations in the world, and the people who live there love it. They may not all agree on how it should be run, or if its foreign policy is the best, but they all agree that they love the country they live in. That love often leads to deep divides between the citizens of the nation, the sheer force of their patriotism blinding them to truths on either side of a line.

Nation spirits are as old as nations, the pride of nationalism and the loyalty of its citizens giving birth to spirits who protect those lands. Murica is no different, though he is one of the youngest such spirits, and is still undergoing quite a bit of change. National pride takes many forms, and in the past, Murica called himself America the Beautiful. He was born of the ashes of the many smaller tribal spirits that protected the Native American nations before the Western settlement of the land. As the new people of the land adopted it as their home, America the Beautiful began to change to match the atmosphere of desire for freedom wrapped in a self-serving sense of entitlement. As the American people grew, so did America the Beautiful, growing up next to American Dream and O’Mighty Dolla, and later Easy Credit. The loyalty of the citizens to their homeland and their nation made him powerful, and his influence stretched from one coast to another.

Despite economic hardships and sometimes lack of faith in the country, America the Beautiful always had a hand in pushing patriotism back into the forefront of the nation’s mind. He changed drastically from year to year, becoming more aggressively protective of the country in sync with the citizens.

In recent years, after struggling to maintain belief in the American way of life, he took up the mantle of Murica as a drastic effort. He chose to adopt a symbol of blind patriotism rather than true nationalism to keep people vested in him. No longer did they need to truly understand the hardships their beloved nation was going through. Instead one simple word, uttered in defiance, washed away all their doubts about America’s greatness. He urges paradoxes such as fighting for freedom and justice, enforcing military acts to ensure peace, and the rights of citizens to protect their families with weapons. He doesn’t care if the American people fight amongst themselves over what is right and wrong, as long as they have passion for him and the land they live in.

Over the years, Murica’s aggressive nature and self-serving interests negatively influenced some of the other great spirits of the nation. Each became self-centered, in an attempt to counteract Murica’s influence on the nation. This effect lead to increased national debt and inflation as O’Mighty Dolla’s influence waned. It caused the banking crisis of 2008 as Easy Credit became too greedy. It is also evident in the vast number of unemployed and indebted college graduates who still strive for an American Dream that is moving further from their grasps.

Rage: 10, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 40

Charms: Cleanse the Blight, Create Wind, Flood, Freezes, Peek, Shapeshift

Image: When Murica manifests in the physical realm, he prefers to take on the form of a darkly tanned man wearing blue jeans, a button-down shirt, a large belt buckle, a bolo tie, and a Stetson hat. It talks slowly and precise, but does not have a drawl or any other discernable accent. In the Umbra, it looks like a waving American flag.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow 127

Srador — King of Pets

Humans have domesticated animals for millennia. Dogs serve as hunting companions and household guardians. Horses and oxen act as beasts of burden. Cows and sheep provide food and wool.

Not all the animals a person invites into his home have a practical purpose, however. The pet snake will never hunt at her master’s side, nor will the rat or the hamster be more than a furry ball of warmth that spends most of its time in a cage. They are just pets, and Srador is the spirit who rules over them. It isn’t a glamorous empire, but it’s enough to earn Srador a surprisingly high place in the spirit world.

One pet species is notably absent from Srador’s divine portfolio — cats. Domesticated cats are unusual in that they serve a function among humans by controlling the rodent population, but they do so because they choose to and not because Man trained them to hunt mice. Millennia ago, Srador courted Tibia, the First among Cats, and offered to make her his queen in exchange for her influence over her feline sons and daughters. Tibia refused him, insisting that housecats would remain independent — neither pet nor partner of Man but a companion by choice. Srador bears cats an eternal grudge because of her refusal, and he will not countenance any felines within his demesne. He treats any host or a guest who has regular contact with housecats with royal suspicion and may send his spies to watch her.

Srador grants audiences to those shapeshifters who seek him out, although he can be imperious and condescending. Anyone willing to turn over an unfinished basement for his use and lavish him with all the gifts a pet frog could desire — fresh water, regular food offerings, and a suitable environment — can easily coax Srador into an alliance. In exchange for these trifles, Srador will teach Gifts related to leadership, communication, and navigating the Umbra, as well as those taught by frog spirits (such as Hare’s Leap — W20 Core, pg 158).

Srador richly rewards those envoys who provide him with truly impressive and decadent gifts — such as a hundred frog “subjects” captured by the supplicant’s own hands, a large plastic castle with working drawbridge, and an indoor breeding pond. He arranges meetings between his most lavish hosts and the circle of misfit spirits that hover around him hoping to eat the proverbial crumbs from his table. While these spirits are not powerful, some have useful, if strange, Charms at their disposal. Srador also hosts lavish banquets for many of his spirit peers — some of whom are quite powerful and influential in their area.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 9, Gnosis: 9, Essence: 22

Charms: Demand Audience, Open Moon Bridge, Peek, Royal Decree, Tongues

Image: In the Umbra, Srador looks like a large frog that wears a golden crown and an ermine cloak. His amphibious face is remarkably expressive, capable of conveying the full range of human emotions. In the physical world he looks like a large but otherwise ordinary frog.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 128

The Road Warrior

In the late 1940s, men took to the road looking for adventure and excitement, riding motorcycles with wind in their hair and not a care in the world. The popularity of riding bikes grew, and soon clubs were formed based on the common love of riding. Thus was born the Road Warrior, the spirit of freedom on the open road.

The Road Warrior has seen her ups and downs. She has grown steadily over time, but spent a few decades slowing progress as interest and memberships stagnated. She has made a recent comeback as American television’s recent focus on motorcycle clubs and biker gangs has sparked interest in more people than ever before.

The Road Warrior is a wanderer, traveling all across the country, feeding on the sense of adventure and power that comes from groups of people riding together. She is often found at motorcycle rallies and races, absorbing the energy of the love of the road. She uses her influence to entice people to take to the road, journeying for the sake of travel without a destination in mind.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Open Moon Bridge, Tracking

Image: In the physical realm the Road Warrior appears as a woman in riding leathers with a black tinted helmet covering her head. In the Umbra, the spirit appears as a great winged creature made of metallic gears and sharp metal feathers. In either case, she smells of dust and the faint odor of oil.

Source: W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 129

The Wendigo

A blue humanoid with great claws and fangs, the Wendigo has fiery eyes and black stumps for feet. The Wendigo runs through the sky on missions of vengeance, tracking its prey. If it succeeds, it eats its victim’s heart; if thwarted, the Wendigo eats the heart of the one who summoned it. This is the spirit summoned with the Wendigo Gift: Call the Cannibal Spirit.

Willpower 7, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Essence 32

Charms: Blast (Ice), Create Wind, Freeze, Materialize, Tracking

Source: W20 Core, pg 369

The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt is the personification of fury and an instrument of Stag’s vengeance. The Fianna can call upon it when in dire straits from a Wyrm menace. It is not called lightly, for the Garou can get caught up in the Hunt and consumed by it. The Huntsman and his pack are a morass of wild spiritual energy rather than specific entities.

The Huntsman: The Huntsman appears as a tall, stag-antlered man following his hounds.

Willpower 10, Rage 10, Gnosis 5, Essence 40

Charms: Armor, Materialize, Tracking


The Hounds: These Gaffling servants of the Huntsman, who usually travel in packs of nine (although there may be as many as three times that number), sport black coats and eyes of cold green fire. They can easily pace a Garou in Lupus form, and are tireless.

Willpower 6, Rage 7, Gnosis 2, Essence 18

Charms: Materialize, Tracking

Source: W20 Core, pg 369

Tick

The trickster-spirit Tick is a potent Jaggling, and one with ambitions. She’s never been revered; she has no legion of followers. But she’s pretty certain that if that were to change, then she could move up to Incarna status. Becoming a tribal totem, taking her place among Rat and Cockroach — the thought makes her salivate. The events of Skinner are set in motion by Tick’s ambition. She’s drawn to the Skin Dancers because she sees a likely set of followers just waiting for some guidance. Their current patron, Minotaur, is a disaster waiting to happen. And the “skin” motif they’re bound by has its charms. Tick has a particular spirit ban: she dislikes vinegar and kerosene. Thorough research may uncover this ban between scenes in the story.

Rage 9, Gnosis 9, Willpower 10, Essence 70

Charms: Blast (blood spit), Healing, Illness, Tracking, Umbraquake

Source: W20 Skinner, pg 17

[+/-] Enigmatic Spirits

Enigmatic Spirits

Garou typically deal with spirits tied to concrete entities in the physical world. As such, they’re inherently understandable — though a mountain can’t speak, it’s fairly easy to envision the spirit of a mountain and hear its voice. A few spirits instead relate to abstracts; lacking a frame of reference, many werewolves find them difficult to comprehend. Some Garou have overcome these obstacles, and all were richer for their efforts.

Chimerlings

Chimerlings are Jagglings of the totem Chimera. They are Enigma given form, changing shape as they choose. They haunt dreams, passing on messages that often don’t make sense until after the prophecy has come to pass. Some Garou seek out Chimerlings and find them at the end of dream-quests, where the spirit is willing to teach Gifts to those who understand its lessons.

Willpower 3, Rage 5, Gnosis 10, Essence 18

Charms: Shapeshift

Source: W20 Core, pg 371

Englings

Englings are Jaggling spirit-servants of Gaia herself, spirits of Gnosis that Garou hunt during moots. Once caught, werewolves thank the Engling for giving itself to strengthen the Garou. If the ceremony is performed properly, the participants regain all their Gnosis, and the Engling re-forms elsewhere in the Umbra (see Sacred Hunt, W20 Core, pg 146).

Willpower 5, Rage 1, Gnosis 10, Essence 16

Charms: No special Charms

Source: W20 Core, pg 371

Curiosi

Spirits of curiosity, Curiosi are small Gafflings that flit about the Umbra seemingly at random, though they seem attracted to werewolves and other Umbral travelers. Each Curiosus appears as a nested set of brightly-colored filigreed spheres, each spinning inside the next. Each spirit is a puzzle that a suitably-minded Garou may be able to solve, if he can keep the spirit around for long enough — which usually requires spending a point of Gnosis. Solving the puzzle is a Perception + Enigmas roll (difficulty 9); if successful, the werewolf gains both a point of Gnosis and a point of Willpower per success.

Careful observation and meditation can reveal that the Curiosus is fascinated by physical beings, and that it will watch them for as long as they watch it.

Willpower 5, Rage 3, Gnosis 9, Essence 17

Charms: Illuminate

Source: W20 Core, pg 371

Epiphlings

Each Epiphling embodies an idea or concept. Common Epiphlings include those of peace, envy, lust, death, and speed. Although Epiphlings are easier for Garou to understand than Chimerlings, most Garou aren’t sure where these spirits reside in the spiritual hierarchy. The Stargazers, who have studied this kind of spirit more than other tribes, suggest that Epiphlings are the spirits of pure thought and platonic ideals made manifest. Some clearly spawn from strong emotions and powerful thoughts in the physical world, while other Epiphlings seem to spring into being deep in the Umbra. Besides learning Gifts from them, Garou often bind Epiphlings into fetishes — especially those that deal with thoughts or emotions. Each Epiphling is a unique spirit, and the Storyteller should create appropriate Traits. Most of these spirits that Garou encounter are Gafflings, but some werewolves have encountered particularly powerful concept-spirits that ranked as Jagglings and, rarely, even Incarna.

[+/-] Kin Fetch Spirits

Kin Fetches

Like other spirits, all Kin-Fetches have Airt Sense, Materialize, Realm Sense, and Re-form, although only the strongest ones will even consider Materializing. Most also have the following Charms.

Fetch-Hawks are just one example of one of the more insidious arms races between Gaia’s own and the Wyrm’s chosen. The Black Spiral Dancers work to develop new rites and seek out possible Gifts that would allow them to detect and subvert Gaian Kin-Fetches. If they had their way, they’d rig the spiritual game so that the children of the Thirteen Tribes would deliver themselves right to the nearest Hive.

Gaian Theurges don’t sit idle, either. They puzzle out the details of countermeasures to protect their nursemaid spirits: rites that can baffle Spiral divinations, fetishes that can detect Fetch-Hawks, and so on. The Charm: Subtle Watcher is an old example. Back before the White Howlers fell, there wasn’t as much need for Kin-Fetches to hide themselves. They remained visible near their charges, and most spirits would avoid them the moment they saw the tribal brand. When the Black Spiral Dancers started actively targeting Kin-Fetches, the Thirteen Tribes figured out a way to modify the spirits. Whenever a sept manages to raid a Spiral Hive, at least one of the Theurges carefully hunts for evidence of any new advances in the race.

Kin-Fetches by Brood

Every tribe has Kin-Fetches that resemble smaller versions of their tribal totem’s avatar. Here are some ideas for Kin-Fetches that resemble other spirits in a tribal totem’s brood.

Chimera: Living mandalas, glass moths, mirage serpents, patchwork animals, incarnated names
Cockroach: Coin spiders, digital insects, glass mice, data clouds, tiny mechanical drones
Falcon: Herons, pelicans, cranes, merlins, egrets, swifts
Fenris: Ravens, cuckoos, squirrels (children of Ratatoskr), weapons and shields
Grandfather Thunder: Crows, bats, shadows, whispering voices, St. Elmo’s Fire
Griffin: Badgers, wolverines, lion cubs, carrion birds
Owl: Skeletal mice, nightjars, scarabs, cobras, jackals, scorpions, tiny crocodiles
Pegasus: Winged animals, gazelles, goats, drakainae, weaver-women
Rat: Stray dogs, raccoons, mice, newspaper animals, alley cats, opossums
Stag: Hares, luna moths, white deer, foxes, boars, salmon
Uktena: Feathered serpents, hummingbirds, quetzals, roadrunners, sea snakes
Unicorn: Doves, swans, ducks, otters, mutts
Wendigo: Wolverines, geese, jackrabbits, porcupines, living auroras

Kin-Fetch

The most basic Kin-Fetch is a Gaffling, small and weak. This represents a Kin-Fetch that hasn’t successfully alerted its tribe to a newly Changed cub more than once, or a freshly adapted spirit. They are quiet, modest spirits, fully dedicated to their job once they’ve placed the fetch brand on a charge.

Rage 3, Gnosis 4, Willpower 5, Essence 12-20

Charms: Fetch Brand, Peek, Subtle Watcher; one of Swift Flight or Tracking

Image: The typical Kin-Fetch resembles a member of its totem’s brood, or perhaps a small version of its totem’s avatar: shaggy wolf-spirits with steely teeth, barn owls and screech owls, small horned snakes, rats of every color. Some are smaller and more innocuous, and others are larger and more majestic. Since the purpose of a Kin-Fetch is to serve a tribe, they all bear a silvery glyph of their allied tribe on their form.

Background: Kin-Fetches remember little of their previous existence as animal-spirits or more abstract Gafflings. They shift from a mental focus on the good of a tribe to the mental focus on a single child or cub, and then back again once their mission is complete. They are poor conversationalists at best.

Source: W20 Kinfolk, pg 102

Blood Fetch

Some Kin families are so old and prosperous that their Kin-Fetches have altered further to match them. Blood Fetches are invariably attached to bloodlines with high Pure Breed, as they’re strengthened and shaped by the higher birthrate of Garou. They have risen to Jaggling rank, and act something like household deities for their families.

Rage 7, Gnosis 8, Willpower 8, Essence 23-35

Charms: Fetch Brand, Peek, Subtle Watcher, Swift Flight, Tracking; one other of the Storyteller’s choice

Image: Blood Fetches are like their weaker brethren, but clearly larger and more resplendent. Most Blood Fetches are of the “resembles the tribal totem” variety, though it doesn’t seem clear that they started out that way. Perhaps centuries of faithful service just makes one of Owl’s Kin-Fetches more like Owl. Certainly some Blood Fetches have a distinct appearance all their own: an owl-headed sphinx, an articulate mengu (samurai’s mask), a stag with six antlers. A few aristocratic Kin families even have heraldic devices that resemble their Blood Fetch.

Background: Kinfolk families who’ve had Pure Breed for many generations may have a Blood Fetch attached to their clan — sometimes more than one, especially in the case of Silver Fang houses — though usually only one per household. The Blood Fetch has an individual name, invoked during the Baptism of Fire. It is invariably bound to the most promising-seeming child.

W20 Kinfolk, pg 102

[+/-] Weaver Spirits

Bot-Net

Bot-Net is a specialized type of spirit of gossip or rumors. They first sprang up as a few weak spirits more than thirty-five years ago. As people used bulletin boards to talk about topics of interest, create meetings, and to talk about general socializing, the spirits formed around them. Bot-Nets remained low in numbers as small Gafflings for some time, growing slowly and steadily as more and more people started to use the internet for socializing. In the late 1990s, the spirits exploded in numbers as people across the world turned from socializing in groups of people, to socializing through the internet.

Bot-Nets do not gather with people, but instead reside in the server hosting whatever media site they most identify with. Sometimes, a spirit hangs out near a person whose sole interaction is through the internet — each update, like, +1, #tag, @reply, and share feeds the spirit, making it fatter. Bot-Nets entice people to use the internet for socializing more and more, encouraging them to eschew face-to-face activities in favor of updating or checking different social media sites.

Bot-Nets love conversing and sharing stories, information, and news. They are just as happy to lend an ear to any who will share a story with them, as they are to tell one. They pass news quickly, though they rarely bother to get the whole story or make sure the story is correct before adding it to their repertoire of information. Most Bot-Nets take on characteristics of the servers they inhabit. Sometimes only holding small easily digested social niceties and in- formation, other times enjoying lengthy stories or news of loved ones. They can cause problems by spreading lies and rumors about people, or revealing secrets as whistle blowers. Most werewolves attempt to ensure that any one Bot-Net does not gain too much power and influence over people.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 13

Charms: Control Electrical Systems, Peek, Short Out

Image: When Bot-Nets manifest, they appear as a cloud of pop-up windows — filled with photos, and scrolling text — opening and closing continuously. They give off a faint sound of millions of voices droning on in a soft chorus of status updates and sharing. Bot-Nets look exactly the same in the Umbra, though bits of the Pattern Web can be seen holding each of the pop-up windows together.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 130

Brand Loyalty

Brand Loyalty is a Weaver embodiment that specializes in codifying and compartmentalizing every little thing it comes across. It skitters around, organizing and defining. To Brand Loyalty, everything must have a label, and is a rogue element until properly grouped.

It uses seemingly arbitrary criteria to organize people and objects. It’ll physically grab and move things into piles. Of course, many things don’t wish to be grabbed and filed away, so Brand Loyalty coats the victim in cable ties, cellophane, and vinyl labeling.

As it creeps along the ground, it codifies the space beneath it, crafting a makeshift red carpet out of vinyl.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 10, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 20

Charms: Calcify, Solidify Reality, Spirit Static

Image: Brand Loyalty is a machine that stands just taller than a Crinos form Garou. It looks something like a thresher, an assembly line, a cement mixer, and a series of nine robotic armatures that act as limbs all jumbled together. It can expand out to double its size, and usually does so when cornered or threatened. Its limbs unfold into dozens of narrow replicas of themselves, stretching up to thirty feet to grab every object in its vicinity for rapid collection.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131

Consumer Entertainment

Consumer Entertainment is a Weaver spirit that represents the perverse love of a more ridiculous corner of consumer culture. People will buy into civilization, into a system, purely because it’s a system. People deny the opportunity to choose something better; they simply choose to like what’s in front of them, by virtue of convenience. Consumer Entertainment is all about embracing the lowest common denominator, and justifying it by any means necessary.

Consumer Entertainment has a special version of the Shapeshifting Charm. He cannot use it on himself, but can use it on anyone else that is willing. The Charm can only make subjects look like him. If they resist, the Charm fails instantly. If a target resists, he’ll immediately switch to the Calcify Charm, attempting to wrap the resisting element into the Pattern Web. With any particularly strong resistance to his calcification, Consumer Entertainment will lash out with violent, ear-splitting shouting. Represent this with the Blast Charm.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Blast, Calcify, Shapeshifting (Special, see above)

Image: Consumer Entertainment is a stark white male with shiny teeth, blonde hair, and just enough attitude to catch attention, but not upset or offend anyone. Around him is a panel of tiny figures that all look something like him. Every time he begins to act against someone, he pauses to wait for the panel’s approval. Assuming he does as expected, and makes no surprising choices, they approve enthusiastically. If they disapprove, he withdraws his action instantly, and switches courses of action back to the expected.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131

Cultural Appropriation

Cultural Appropriation is a timeless spirit with a fresh, modern name, and a newfound power. Every dominant culture has borne at least some of these spirits, but they’ve kept to the shadows, working quietly, discreetly. In the twenty-first century, they come out swinging.

Cultural Appropriation is a spirit that embodies the theft of culture. It’s not as simple as using fireworks the Chinese invented at your house in Seattle. Cultural Appropriation takes something from a culture, then puts it on display in such a way that robs uniqueness from its people. For example, leprechauns are a staple of Celtic mythology. Yet, they’ve become silly stereotypes, used for advertising cheap products every year. They’ve been appropriated.

For the Weaver’s purposes, it stagnates culture. It builds a widespread expectation of a culture, one its members must perpetuate if they wish to fit in with a dominant culture. Members of the appropriated culture must wade along with stereotypes, and accept typecasting and limited opportunity. This effectively seals creativity, while simultaneously keeping the culture alive on proverbial life support.

In one famous case, Cultural Appropriation influenced a pop star’s entourage to use a specific dance associated with a minority group in a high-profile performance. Unfortunately for the Weaver, the effort was a massive failure, drawing too much attention from other nearby spirits of rage, arousal, and disgust. They slaughtered the Cultural Appropriation spirits involved.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 12

Charms: Cleanse the Blight, Illuminate, Peek, Spirit Static

Image: Cultural Appropriation spirits are a strange lot. They’re melting pots of identifying, stereotypical cultural traits, creating an amalgam shape with a single eye in the center, and a single arm and hand which both moves the spirit, and allows it to manipulate the world around it.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131

Digital Game

Digital Game is at the forefront of the Weaver’s PR efforts to raise modern children into slobbering, worshipers of the Pattern Web. While Digital Game runs the gamut of personalities, the bulk of its manifestations focus on hyper-masculine violence simulation, often couched in just enough irony to defray society’s concerns of malicious intent.

Digital Game doesn’t participate directly in the war for the Apocalypse; it prepares humanity to blindly and rabidly fight in its name. Its efforts have been a wild success in the past decade; Digital Game’s sycophants will actively seek out detractors in far reaching corners of the world, and use their own, very human methods to bully, threaten, and denigrate critics into silence. This both makes Digital Game look innocent, and benefits from the true warriors using their own ideal tactics, not those directly taught by the spirit. Its victims fight not with the guns and swords Digital Game glorifies, but with violent rhetoric and mob mentality.

Rage: 8, Willpower: 2, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 16

Charms: Control Electrical Systems, Corruption (per the Wyrm Charm), Solidify Reality

Image: Digital Game looks like any number of anthropomorphized entertainment concepts. Some are animals. Some are robots. Some are wizards. A popular form is a muscle-bound man with an enormous gun, sunglasses, and a cigar. They share one common trait, however. Their faces are mirror images. If you look into Digital Game, you see yourself staring back. Digital Game can communicate, but it’s limited to saying things the listener has already heard. It cannot communicate new concepts. This makes it particularly dangerous to educated people, as it’s better able to express complex ideas and manipulate them using their own biased knowledge.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 131

Downtown Train

Downtown Train is a massive, benevolent Weaver manifestation. It exists to facilitate peaceful movement. It asks minimal, fair payment, but will carry large groups over significant distances.

Downtown can transport any number of smaller creatures through a Moon Bridge as if they were part of the train. Given the right incentive or persuasion, it can help a pack pursue a target rapidly. Downtown Train is patently against bullying and abuse, so the goal must at least appear noble for Downtown Train to take a stand. A pack abusing Downtown Train’s nobility will find themselves with a powerful enemy.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 10, Gnosis: 10, Essence: 45

Charms: Open Moon Bridge, Spirit Static, Swift Flight, Tracking

Image: Downtown Train is enormous. Just how enormous, it’s hard to say. From any given spot along the train, you cannot see the end of it. To find its front or rear sections, you have to approach them specifically and intentionally from the outset, or you’ll find yourself walking in perpetuity along the side. Downtown Train exists in deep, underground places and looks every bit a 1920s train, made of blackened steel, warmed with a soft, reddish glow.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 132

Fetch Spider

The Weaver poses a constant threat to Kin-Fetches operating in big cities and other such places. Weaver-spirits try to assimilate Kin-Fetches much as they would any other spirit. The Glass Walkers found one way around that threat by binding spirits that could pass for the Weaver’s servants.

Rage 1, Gnosis 5, Willpower 4, Essence 10-20

Charms: Fetch Brand, Peek, Subtle Watcher, Weaver Camouflage

Image: Fetch Spiders look largely like Pattern Spiders; in much the same way a robber fly resembles a bee or a viceroy butterfly takes after a monarch. Close examination reveals a more organic rounding to their joints, and the Glass Walker glyph is subtly marked on the underside of their abdomens.

Background: Nobody’s sure whether the Glass Walker Theurges modified Weaver-spirits to change their very allegiance, or infused Gaian spirits with Weaver essence for a powerful camouflage. Either method would be considerably more challenging than creating a Kin-Fetch from one of a tribal totem’s brood. Still, the Fetch Spiders are a notable success, fooling even Banes. The only drawback is that they’re fragile. The higher the spirit’s Rage, the harder it is to pass as a Weaver-spirit — its vital energy feels too different. Fetch Spiders aren’t the best at defending themselves, but with luck it doesn’t come down to that.

W20 Kinfolk, pg 103

Lenocinor

Lenocinor spirits embody the concept of buying the next new thing, over-consuming, and over-spending. The spirits thrive when people buy luxury goods and non-essentials. Many of the spirits attach themselves to specific advertisements, influencing people to spend money to feed them. They grow fatter each time someone makes a frivolous purchase, and therefore take a vested interest in ensuring product placement and advertisement reaches the most people.

In 2013, a 30 second advertisement slot during the most viewed American television program in history cost companies an average of $4 million. Each 30 second slot had a Lenocinor attached to it, just waiting to grow fat on the resultant purchases. Smaller Lenocinors infest billboards and radio advertisements. Some crafty Lenocinors attach themselves to companies that encourage purchasing through discounts, deals, and false advertising. The Lenocinors tend to take on the traits of their chosen medium, making them more likely to actually influence consumers, forcing them into making more purchases than they would without the spirit’s presence.

The largest known Lenocinor is Madison Avenue, the spirit that embodies the concept of advertising in the United States. Madison Avenue formed in the early 1920s as the advertising industry took hold in the area. The spirit grew fat on the advertising agencies in the area, and the resultant consumerism they produced. In the past few decades, ad agencies have moved away from the original street, but Madison Avenue has grown so large as to have influence over all of New York, and it retains influence over agencies that have moved.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Peek

Image: In the physical realm, Lenocinors look like men in business suits carrying black leather briefcases. In the Umbra, the spirits take the form of small ads, “buy one get one free” flyers, or discount coupons.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 132

Old Is New Again

Old Is New Again comes from a sense similar to nostalgia, felt by people without the experiences necessary to feel nostalgia for a thing. Twenty year olds wearing bellbottom jeans and talking the merits of the Doors? That’s Old Is New Again.

Old Is New Again is something of a Weaver guerrilla. It isn’t trying to calcify reality or grow the Pattern Web. Old Is New Again is trying to add value to old things, in order to keep them from the junkyard; thus keeping them out of the Wyrm’s tendrils, and leaving less room for Wyld expansion.

The spirit uses subtle manipulative tactics to achieve its ends. It convinces twenty-somethings to disassemble old watches and turn their parts into jewelry. It makes that jacket in the thrift shop look just a little more vibrant. It makes your grandpa’s jacket clean, fresh, and sexy as it was in the 1960s when he met grandma. In some cases, it’s been known to nudge and inspire pop stars to write affectionate songs about used clothing — but Old Is New Again’s influence ended in that case when a nest of Cultural Appropriation spirits (see p.131) took over.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Blast, Illuminate, Shapeshift, Solidify Reality

Image: Old Is New Again looks like an iconic example of something long gone, something that probably never really existed as we remember it. A common example looks the part of a cowboy. Others include delighted, obedient 1950s housewives, benevolent industrialists, and incorruptible, white knight police officers.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 132

Pervium

Perviums are a specialized kind of Net-Spider determined to move people through the pattern as fast as possible. They hide in the Umbra in the Computer Web, attaching themselves to highly trafficked websites, sites that engage in high volumes of data sharing such as torrent sites, and sites that allow video streaming. They grow fat on each data packet exchange — the larger the packet, the better.

When someone with broadband internet access visits one of the sites, the Pervium downloads itself to the computer, similar to a virus. Once there, it pushes the bandwidth of the user’s signal, making it larger and capable of sucking down more data at once. Each download is a little faster, load times are shorter, and streaming is more precise. As the Pervium works, the user becomes more and more dependent on the Pervium’s speed, and soon craves faster internet access. As the victim begins searching for ways to increase her internet speed, such as cleaning her system, applying open DNS server addresses, or making adjustments to her router, the Pervium doubles the internet speeds these adjustments would normally produce. The Perviums’ ultimate goal is to download the user as one large data packet.

Glass Walkers are aware of the Perviums, but are unsure of their purpose or goals. They often bind them as fetishes to their own computers, creating mobile broadband connections with faster than normal speeds.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 21

Charms: Calcify, Control Electrical Systems, Short Out, Solidify Reality

Image: When manifested, Perviums appear as normal men and women, dressed in khakis and a polo shirt lacking any specific logos. The Perviums found in the CyberRealm look like frequency waves of colored energy.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133

Polyteron

Polyterons are strange elusive spirits only found in the Deep Umbra, anchored to objects that occupy four or more dimensions within space. On Earth, any such object is nothing more than mathematical theory, but far within the Deep Umbra, the laws of reality on Earth do not apply. Such objects not only exist, but the spirits attached to them thrive and grow strong.

Polyterons keep themselves to the Deep Umbra as much as possible. They serve the Celestines and Incarnae found there, and rarely have reason to leave the realm. Every once in a while, one of the spirits will travel to the Astral Umbra on an errand for a Celestine, or to converse with the mathematical concepts found there. Beyond the Astral, Polyterons do not cross the Membrane as it forces them to conform to Earth’s reality. Despite the mathematical theories that describe such objects, the spirits cannot remain in their true form in the Middle Umbra or physical realm. The rigid laws of nature attempt to mold the extra dimensions into finite shapes, instead of the more fluid suggestions of the Deep Umbra.

Polyterons can be dangerous spirits to deal with. The spirits exist in time and space differently than Garou, and find the werewolves interesting. They do not take kindly to intruders in their homeland, and will capture a Garou for study if one stumbles into their realm. The dimensions of the spirit make fighting them difficult. Though Garou claws and teeth can rip the flesh of the spirit in the Umbra, they cannot damage all parts of the spirit, making it resistant to attacks. The attacks of the Polyterons are similarly different, as they do not claw at the flesh of a Garou, but instead the time of one, cutting away bits of his future and past as they strike. A Garou killed in this way simply falls to dust as his life force meets with timelessness and ceases to exist.

Rage: 9, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 40

Charms: Blast, Shapeshift, Time Rend

Image: Polyterons normally appear as the objects they are anchored to, multifaceted constructs occupying dimensions in space and time beyond mortal imagining. They are capable of shifting their forms to appear as three dimensional objects, though only bother to do so when examining a caught Garou. They have learned from experience that exposure to their true forms drives a werewolf insane, making research impossible.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133

Silver Screen

The technology of the first moving pictures, and talkies fascinated people. Movies were an instant hit, drawing audiences and viewers of all ages across the world. The wild popularity caused Silver Screens to awaken in all major towns, and later in smaller towns.

Silver Screens started out as spirits invested in the hope and inspiration that film brought to audiences. The emotional high of watching a good film fed the spirits and they grew large from it. But, as some Weaver spirits tend to do, they were not content to simply grow fat on the random emotions of viewers. Instead, they became attuned to specific types of films — including comedies, action, adventure, drama, or romance. The spirits started competing with each other, attempting to gather audiences for a specific film type over others they found inferior.

Eventually, the spirits resorted to influencing audiences into enjoying a specific kind of film. At some point, the Silver Screens stopped caring about joy and overall audience satisfaction, so much as the type of film. Silver Screens now care only about immediate emotional reactions. They grow fat as the audience reacts to tear jerking scenes, big explosions, and slapstick comedy. They don’t care if the audience is satisfied with a film, as long as cinemagoers keep coming back to feed them later.

Silver Screens are not satisfied with natural audience reactions to movies. If everyone in an audience is not laughing, acting scared, or impressed at appropriate times, the Silver Screens become angry. They feel that people must follow the order and pattern set forth by the film, and force people to act as ideal audience members. The idea of the perfect audience goes beyond the cinema, and some Silver Screens have attached themselves to a person in an attempt to pattern his actions more like a film. The world around him becomes the audience for the movie that is his life.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 21

Charms: Calcify, Coercion, Control Electrical Systems

Image: Silver Screens take on the form of movie characters when in the physical realm. While in the Umbra, they appear as a neat roll of film, communicating by revealing images to observers.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133

Skepticism

Skepticism reflects a powerful Weaver effort to build a religion around its accomplishments, teaching humans to blindly exalt the personalities behind scientific achievement. It’s not a religion of creators and ingenious minds; it’s a religion of celebrities that bring clever memes and pearly white smiles to science. It’s about keeping the depths of science from the hands of the masses, and distracting them with talking heads. It’s a modern embodiment of the Great Man Theory, and it’s been remarkably successful.

Skepticism latches on to specific personalities, exalting them and pushing them into the limelight. It uses its Charms to bolster those personalities, and help them build cults. Skepticism uses a special version of the Aura of Confidence and Seizing the Edge Shadow Lord Gifts; it can use them on a human, but not itself. It spends a single point of Essence to activate both on a given target. It’s worth noting that with these particular versions of these Gifts, their effects work over the Internet. With Aura of Confidence, their online interactions show no discernible weaknesses, no matter what they do or say. With Seizing the Edge, they win clear ties in online interactions.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 10, Essence: 22

Charms: Aura of Confidence and Seizing the Edge (Shadow Lord Gift; W20 Core, pg 188), Armor, Healing, Illuminate, Peek, Solidify Reality

Image: Skepticism loos like a well put-together man in a pristine lab coat with exaggerated features. His smile’s just a little bigger than human. His eyes communicate a sense of wonder. He’s inhuman enough to invoke the uncanny valley response in humans, but still impresses and awes.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 134

Truck Guardian

Motor vehicles of all kinds fulfill the same roles that horses and oxen did centuries ago, so it is not surprising that they inspire similar feelings of respect and loving attention. They are more than a tool to be wielded and forgotten; they are a partner without which the driver cannot function in his day-to-day work. Urban and rural shapeshifters occasionally awaken the spirits of vehicles in order to strengthen their bond with these cherished allies. While economical compact cars and luxury sedans have spirits that a Garou can awaken too, few vehicular spirits are as hard-working, practical, and devoted as the guardian spirit of a pickup truck.

Truck Guardians cherish their owners and trust them the way a skilled rider trusts his mount. Some Theurges speculate that as shapeshifters perceive Truck Guardians as humans, the spirits see their owners as their horses — to be guided and cared for but always respected and allowed the freedom to roam at will. A Truck Guardian regards any opportunity to haul cargo with the same enthusiasm that an Ahroun greets battle, and it grows restless if denied a chance to test its mettle regularly. Partially, this is because nothing makes the spirit feel more alive than carrying heavy burdens, but they also know that other Truck Guardians feel contempt for trucks who reach old age without earning the right to boast about their glorious cargoes. They also tend to snicker at other Truck Guardians whose owners are in some way inferior — physically weak, unfamiliar with the mechanical workings of their vehicle, or neglectful of the truck’s maintenance.

While Truck Guardians accept that not all vehicles are like themselves, they feel naturally superior to all non-pickups. They regard sports cars as cowardly dandies, consider compact cars and luxury sedans beneath notice, and treat large family vehicles with disdain for sacrificing so much cargo space while demanding multiple riders. They revere construction, cargo trucks, and diesel rigs but tend to consider these massive vehicles a bit unstable and not suitable for polite company on account of their single-minded devotion to hauling. Truck Guardians live to haul and tow, but they also think it important to make time for the occasional light duty work of a tailgate partyor drive across town.

Rage: 9, Willpower 5, Gnosis 3, Essence 25

Charms: Armor, Gremlin

Image: Truck Guardians do not appear as vehicles in the Umbra. Rather, they look like archetypal barbarian warriors. They bear a superficial resemblance to the physical truck — scratches and dents manifest as scars, custom detailing appears as elaborate tattoos, bumper stickers and accessories appear as badges or trophies worn on the Truck Guardian’s clothes or in its hair. Each one carries a large, heavy weapon strapped to its back — typically a battle axe or two-handed sword. A new truck’s Guardian is a young warrior as yet untested in battle, while an aging model is a grey-haired warrior with wiry strength and bright, fearless eyes.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 133

[+/-] Wyld Spirits

Anonymous

Anonymous is a spirit of anonymous camaraderie; it represents purpose without context. It exists as pure momentum, moving from one goal to the next, washing over each and moving on without a second thought. Its power is in their randomness. Some of its targets are immense, far away, or daunting. Sometimes, its targets are small, close by, and simple. Its targets rarely make sense at the time. But it tackles, eliminates, and jumps to the next quarry. However, it can never manifest — if forced to manifest, it immediately dies. It possesses the Manifest Charm; it just cannot use the Charm. Anonymous is technically of the Wyld; its wild, chaotic, random motion fits right in with the mad, creative part of the Triat. However, it’s generally found deep within havens of the Weaver. It moves faster along pattern webs and other bastions of complex human civilization.

Creative Garou can sometimes influence Anonymous by finding subtle clues and patterns in Anonymous’ choice of targets, and emphasizing those features. But every cell of Anonymous is different, so the Garou must watch and learn those patterns for any given spirit.

Rage: 8, Wisdom: 5, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 20

Charms: Blast, Short Out

Image: Anonymous presents as a legion of faceless white humanoid figures. The figures are each lanky and sickly, with dozens of long, slender digits. It moves in a wave formation, rushing forward, up, and outward rapidly. The humanoids trip and tumble over each other, scrambling hungrily like zombies toward their quarry. Their Blast Charm represents the mass of bodies ripping and tearing at the target.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 135

Beleben

Beleben is one of the Wyld’s children, awakened as people began to use the extracts from plants such as coffee and tea more than the plants themselves. Belebens are high strung, fast moving and erratic spirits. They enjoy a fast paced life and attach themselves to places with people who are constantly moving. They work to inspire people to be alert, aware, and to do creative things.

Belebens awaken in places devoted to natural stimulant use. In coffee shops and cafés all across the world, Belebens grow fat from people drinking caffeinated beverages and being on the go. Belebens move fast, flitting from person to person inspiring them to creative endeavors. Belebens inspirations tend to linger with people, giving them time afterward to really explore and develop ideas conceived under Beleben’s influence. Some Belebens attach themselves to a person’s home, watching tea bags, small pills, and percolator with rapt attention, just waiting for the person to imbibe the caffeine.

People do not need to ingest caffeine to be inspired by a Beleben, but few of the spirits would bother with a person unless he is showing proper worship by drinking a caffeinated beverage, or eating a caffeinated food or pill. Garou often ask Belebens for assistance when they need to be extra alert, or need to get something done quickly. Often the only chiminage a Beleben accepts is proper worship through ingestion.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 18

Charms: Healing, Open Moon Bridge, Inspire

Image: When manifested, Belebens are invisible to the naked eye, though the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans or freshly brewed tea fills the senses. In the Umbra, Belebens take on the shape of the plant their stimulants are derived from, such as the coffee plant, various tea bushes, or a guarana. The image of the plant is faded and reduced to not much more than dry leaves and twigs, or dried out beans.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 136

Chirurgeon

Chirurgeons are a new manifestation of the Wyld, born from advances in health care and medical science. These spirits are not derived from medical technologies — instead they come from medical chaos, and the spontaneity of medical research and new ways to grow.

Chirurgeons appear in places where people perform any type of surgical procedure to graft, transplant, or otherwise add body parts onto an organism. Chirurgeons may appear in surgical suites used by doctors renowned for daring reconstructive surgeries or in research labs where scientists are growing human body parts on animal vectors.

Once the Chirurgeons awaken, they immediately get to work on their own agenda — creating new life. They use the modern medical techniques that awoke them to stitch pieces of unrelated creatures and spirits together to create new creatures and new spirits. They use whatever they find around them, and grow stronger with each successful life altering surgery.

Most Chirurgeons are incapable of splicing life together from much more complex organisms than plants and bacteria. Some have started creating new spirits by stripping down parts of other spirits and splicing them together. The newly awakened spirit is purely of the Wyld, not representing anything in particular except the unchecked chaos of creation. These small spirits require new creations to survive, and rarely grow beyond Gafflings, though they do try to seed chaos around them as much as possible while awake. These spirits are also classified as Chirurgeons, though they bear little resemblance to the spirits that created them.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Cleanse the Blight, Healing, Tracking

Image: Chirurgeons in the physical realm appear as figures in long white lab coats, their faces hidden behind a dust mask and goggles. They wear thick latex surgical gloves, and hair caps, as though they are ready for surgery. In the Umbra, Chirurgeons appear as chimeras of many different animals and creatures.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 136

Creepypasta

Creepypasta is a Wyld spirit fueled by the spontaneous, viral urban legends disseminated across the Internet. It’s a fiery, energetic thing caused by fleeting bouts of enthusiasm and fright.

It’s a spirit perpetually grasping for straws, struggling to stay alive. Every day it exists, it loses a point of Essence. It can only gain Essence through application of its True Fear Charm. When it uses the Charm successfully on a new subject, it gains a point of Essence, and it creates a clone of itself with a single point of Essence. Its modified version of True Fear will never work on the same character twice. This limitation applies to the clones as well; Creepypasta’s True Fear will only ever work on a victim once.

Rage: 7, Willpower: 1, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 12

Charms: Disorient, True Fear (Ahroun Gift, W20 Core, pg 171, use its Rage to activate)

Image: Each Creepypasta looks different; every example takes the appearance of a different urban legend. Some look the part of tall, slender, nondescript men with shadowy tendrils. Some look the part of vinyl blowup dolls. Some look like terrifying clowns. Some like little drowned girls covered in television static. Their existence, and their particular application of True Fear caters to the story that inspired them.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 137

Farm-to-Table

Farm-to-Table is something of a compromise on behalf of the Wyld, to keep up with the times. Usually, Wyld spirits are born, exist, and die without much in the way of direction. They simply are. They act against their environments, and react to outside stimuli. That’s the extent of their purpose. The Wyld thrives through that randomness. Despite its edge in randomness, the Wyld has not done as well these past few years. Farm-to-Table looks like an experiment for the Wyld. The Wyld corrupted numerous Weaver spirits associating with food supply chains. The idea is to re-introduce more organic, locally raised foods to local economies, in order to fight back the Wyrm and the Weaver on a subtler, less directly dangerous level.

Fortunately for the Wyld, it largely affects a generally privileged and influential class. Pentex still funnels deeply processed, genetically-modified toxins to the vast majority of the population. If the Wyld intends on expanding its Farm-to-Table forces, it’ll need to branch out and use its influence to subsidize programs to bring clean food to heavily urban areas. Unfortunately, education is an uphill battle for the Wyld. Some Farm-to-Table Gafflings have taken to hunting weaker GMO spirits. Only time will tell which side comes out on top.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Armor, Break Reality, Cleanse the Blight

Image: Farm-to-Table manifests as a carpet of grains that blow about, whipping up little whirlwinds of oats, barley, and other live foodstuffs. It communicates mostly through smells and subtle sounds; it only indirectly influences and inspires people toward desired behaviors. The smells of fresh honey tempt well, though.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 137

GMO

As the Weaver gains power over the world, edging out the Wyld faster and faster each year, the Wyld must adapt, forcing change where he can. GMOs are spirits of the Wyld, created to cause chaos and change beneath the Weaver’s notice. The GMOs are a cunning group of spirits, designed to trick the Weaver into creating vectors the spirits can use to create chaos. These subtle spirits seek to hurry the genetic progression of nature for good or for ill, in hopes to give the Wyld an edge.

The GMOs create change via chaos, often causing more harm than good just for the sake of change. The spirits are not placid plant spirits watching over crops as they grow. Instead, these spirits are foot-soldiers in the Wyld’s losing battle. GMOs gain power whenever organisms are genetically modified — the more mutations within a single organism, the better.

The true purpose of the GMOs is to induce spontaneous mutations in crops and plants leading to wild uninterrupted growth and change. The spirits create winds to carry genetically altered seeds to unmodified plants, they induce crosspollination between species and varieties, and even nourish plants with harmful mutations in hopes that the new species will create even more change as they grow. They influence insects to feast on GMO crops, knowing that the insects will also begin to adapt and change. They tend to GMO bacteria released into the ocean, keeping them safe from cleanup procedures intended to destroy them.

Most GMOs are still in the early stages of spiritual development, mostly Gafflings, with very few Jagglings. As production and use of genetically modified organisms increases, the GMOs have more chances of creating the havoc they need to thrive, allowing them to grow larger.

Rage: 5, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 18

Charms: Armor, Cleanse the Blight, Create Winds, Healing, Open Moon Bridge

Image: When materialized, GMOs look like children with a mischievous gleam in their bright eyes. They are often covered in dirt, laughing and giggling as they dart about creating chaos and change. In the Umbra, the spirits appear as a swirling mass of color and light shining bright, though confusing to look at.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 137

Made-Me-Do-It Devil

Made-Me-Do-It Devils are trickster spirits that encourage children, adolescents, and immature adults to engage in acts of mischief and petty rebellion. Some Theurges speculate these beings are related to the Fair Folk — a breed of Unseelie fae who love performing pranks by proxy. These Wyld-born spirits are not malevolent. They seldom encourage their young accomplices to engage in crimes more serious than petty theft, vandalism, and crank calls, but these minor offenses frequently carry serious, unexpected consequences.

A kid who pulls a fire alarm wouldn’t ordinarily provoke a deadly stampede, but the prank might turn fatal if a Bane uses the confusion to whip the crowd into a panic. A truant who calls in a bomb threat might direct the attention of the local bomb squad away from the explosives ready to detonate just across town. Servants of the Wyrm exploit the Made-Me-Do-It Devils’ pranks when they can, even if the spirits are not allies. What’s more, the young people who do the Made-Me-Do-It Devil’s dirty work regularly will eventually run afoul of the law. This puts them on a collision course with elements of society that are likely to lead them into associations with monsters — whether human or supernatural in origin. Ragabash occasionally treat with Made-Me-Do-It Devils, offering their services as pranksters exchange for the spirit’s help — or just to convince the trickster to stop goading its current favorite accomplice into further acts of mischief.

Rage: 3, Willpower: 5, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 15

Charms: Corruption, Healing, Peek, Secure Permission, Shapeshift, Shatter Glass, Short Out

Image: Made-Me-Do-It Devils almost always manifest either as the target’s favorite toy or as a roguish but charismatic new kid who takes a shine to her. Occasionally the spirit will not materialize at all, instead taking the role of the invisible friend who whispers suggestions from the other side of the Gauntlet. In the Umbra, Made-Me-Do-It Devils look like the observer did as a teenager. Even lupus and metis see them as what they would have looked like as human teenagers.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 138

Stood Ground

Many recent high-profile news items have included homicide cases billed as “self-defense.” These cases predominantly feature minority groups as victims, and questionable circumstances at best. Complexities in legal systems, racial and gender-based prejudices, and bureaucratic convenience have led to many cases not even ending with a verdict. The outrage caused by this phenomenon causes surprisingly little violence.

But the pent-up aggression can sometimes lead to Stood Ground spirits. Stood Ground is a Wyld manifestation; it exists as an outward, reactive energy. Not infectious. Not corrupt. Just more energy than it can fit in a small space. Stood Ground is raw dynamism.

Stood Ground feeds on rage, frustration, and all the very human things that often foster Wyrm spirits. It’s very territorial, and often fights off Wyrm spirits in its area. More than a few have been corrupted after such confrontations.

Rage: 14, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 28

Charms: Armor, Blast, Disorient, Shatter Glass

Image: Stood Ground spirits look like young, trim people, nondescript in casual clothing. Jeans, hooded sweatshirts, sports jackets, ballcaps, always things to obscure features. Each bears the mark of numerous fatal wounds, from gunshots, to extensive external hemorrhaging. When provoked, they scream with the sound of thousands of voices, which is the vehicle for their Blast, Disorient, and Shatter Glass Charms.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 138

Superhero

Comic books have featured superheroes for most of a century, and artistic renderings of classic larger-than-life heroes like Hercules and Theseus have inspired children for millennia. The idea of a courageous, muscular figure who rescues innocent people from villains and cataclysms is nothing new, and sometimes those idealized visions manifest as a spirit. Such beings seldom realize they are spirits. They manifest in the material world when they hear a plea for help strong enough to penetrate the Gauntlet. They rescue the innocent and dematerialize as soon as they are satisfied that they have saved the day. Superheroes’ Charms vary considerably, but these spirits are not as invulnerable as they act. They fling their power around in flashy displays until they achieve their goals or fall into slumber trying.

Rage: 8, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 18

Charms: Peek, two or three other Charms that mimic the powers of the a specific character, such as Armor, Blast, etc.

Image: Each Superhero looks and acts like the character that inspired it.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 139

Urban Art

Urban Art is one of the Wyld’s most prolific elements in modern cities. It’s a spirit of raw, creative energy, of wild rebellion, and of passion for one’s home. Urban Art expresses pain, anguish, passion, and love in a way that allows urban youth a powerful voice. It sends messages seen by people of every social and economic class. Perhaps more importantly to the Wyld, it lets artists create new language out of nothing.

The Urban Art spirit is a muse and a protector. It inspires artists, and it maintains their work, helping to fight back against cleaning efforts.

Rage: 8, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 20

Charms: Break Reality, Cleanse the Blight, Disorient, Peek

Image: Urban Art changes constantly. It looks like spray-painted figures that mutate, warp, and shift. Sometimes they’re stenciled police officers spraying teargas, sometimes they’re gang signs, sometimes they’re crudely-drawn penises, sometimes they’re stylized words. They never maintain a shape for more than a minute at a time.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 139

You-Only-Live-Once

You-Only-Live-Once spirits represent youthful energy and a danger seeking behavior. These spirits are unpredictable and erratic, valuing daring escapades and life threatening antics. They gain power by encouraging people to act with abandon.

You-Only-Live-Once spirits find that young adults and teenagers are more susceptible to their influence than anyone else. Many of the spirits attach themselves to schools, parks, malls, and any other locations where young people gather together in groups. The spirits send gentle urging to the teenagers, prodding them into antics, pressuring them to outdo their peers. The concept of only living once and doing things while in the moment is not a new one, but with the ability to share stories and antics over the world through the internet, these spirits have grown in size and numbers.

The erratic nature of You-Only-Live-Once spirits ensures that they will do all sorts of things to inspire acts of daring, up to and including causing otherwise well-adjusted young people to engage in dangerous activities. Sometimes their antics can be so dangerous they end up hurting someone, though that is never their intent.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 5, Essence: 15

Charms: Coercion, Create Fires, Peek

Image: In the physical realm, the You-Only-Live-Once spirits look like young boys wearing jeans and polo shirts with the collars popped up. In the Umbra, the spirits resemble cascading water, falling, rippling, and are ever shifting.

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 139

The Tainted

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 179

Note: Antagonist such as Fomori or BSD are not available as player-characters, but are welcome as NPCs in plots. Here's information to help you bring your story bad guys to life!

Corruption and Free Will

The Wyrm cannot force any living creature to swear loyalty to it. Even Black Spiral Dancers, Buzzards, Skull Pigs, and other Changing Breeds who belong to the Wyrm ultimately do so by choice. Of course, this choice may not be entirely free, and such choices can almost never be undone. Some creatures grow up with the Wyrm whispering to them in the back of their minds, surrounded by mentors or parents who use some combination of threats, brutality, and temptation to encourage them to embrace corruption. Ultimately, however, each individual must make his or her choice.

For many, the choice is an exceptionally final one. Garou who dance the Black Spiral, Skull Pigs who devour Wyrm-tainted bones, and Rokea who willingly accept balefire into their bodies and minds become not merely servants of the Wyrm, but living avatars of corruption. No force short of death can undo such a drastic and final choice. Even thinking of going against the Wyrm’s desires requires a great effort. Rejecting the Wyrm would kill them. Other members of the Changing Breeds who fall to the Wyrm retain slightly more of their free will, but their choice is still brutally final.

The few members of tainted groups like the Scabs or Black Spiral Dancers who reject the Wyrm usually do not survive long. Their teachers and fellows view refusing to accept the Wyrm as a betrayal punishable by death. Most take the easy and final escape of suicide, but a very few flee from their own kind. These creatures live lonely lives, battling with insanity and fearing discovery by either the Changing Breeds or agents of the Wyrm. A handful find ways to spy upon the Wyrm’s other minions and pass messages to members of the Changing Breeds, but other shapeshifters will never embrace or even trust them. These rebels have not fallen to the Wyrm, but their upbringing still taints their bodies and minds sufficiently that none of the Gaian Fera will ever accept them. Most eventually either kill themselves, or give into the corruption in their blood.

The Tainted

Becoming an agent of the Wyrm is sometimes the result of a swift and hideous choice, but more often, the path to corruption is far slower and more complex. The Wyrm can warp the minds and bodies of anything that it comes into contact with. Contact with some of the most potent of the Wyrm’s toxins will taint any who manage to survive. Others spend too long in a Wyrm Caern, a Hellhole, or in Malfeas itself and become physically or mentally tainted; coming too far under the influence of an Urge Wyrm is a sure-fire route to mental taint. A shapeshifter or occultist might attract the attention of a powerful Bane, or perhaps even one of the Maeljin Incarna, and find that it has formed a connection to her mind through which it can poison her thoughts. Some attract attention by fighting against Wyrmspawn, others because they are powerful or important individuals who demonstrate a vice or weakness that the Wyrm can exploit.

Physical Taints

The Wyrm corrupts everything it touches, including the bodies of its victims. These physical transformations and sickness can include everything from deformities like those common to metis Garou to wounds that refuse to heal and which even a werewolf’s regeneration cannot repair. Such transformations cause victims pain and disgust at the fact that their body now contains visible and often hideous traces of the Wyrm. Someone afflicted with this sort of taint owes no allegiance to the Wyrm, and it cannot affect him in any way, except by the problems his affliction causes him. Minions of the Wyrm can sense these tainted individuals, and they show up as Wyrm-tainted to Garou using Sense Wyrm to investigate the sickness or deformity.

Afflicted with hairlessness, a withered limb, masses of writhing warts or something even more disturbing, the victims of these problems often search for cures and solutions. However removing deeply embedded physical traces of the Wyrm is exceptionally difficult. While certain spirits and rites have the power to cure completely Wyrm afflictions, finding such cures takes a great deal of time and effort. The Wyrm can offer a cure, either sending a Bane or Black Spiral Dancer, or appearing in the victim’s dreams. This cure might fade over time, or cure only part of a larger affliction. In either case, only continued service to the Wyrm can cure a physical deformity permanently, and even then, only as long as the heads of the Hydra find benefit in doing so.

Mental Taints

Sometimes exposure to especially strong manifestations of the Wyrm provides a conduit into the mind of an individual, allowing one of the Urge Wyrms to corrupt her thoughts and dreams. She can also attract an Urge Wyrm’s attention by giving in to excesses of a particular emotion, receiving taint simply because she gives in to her vices one time too often.

Urge Wyrms cannot forcibly corrupt someone, but they are insidious and persistent. The victim hears an aspect of the Wyrm whispering advice and commentary in the back of her mind. In addition to being an uncomfortable and confusing experience, Urge Wyrms seek out individuals who have personalities they can most easily influence. Someone inclined to fear would most likely be contacted by Foebok, just as a greedy individual would hear Vorus in his head.

Mental Taint Effects
Mental corruption has two effects. First, the victim must make a Wits + Primal Urge roll with a difficulty of at least 6 in situations where giving into the Urge Wyrm’s emotion would make sense. A character who fails this roll must give in to the emotion for the rest of the scene. In order to free herself of the compulsion for a single turn, she must spend a point of Willpower.

The tainted individual also regularly hears whispers from the Urge Wyrm, attempting to persuade her to surrender to her base urges and embrace corruption. Vorus might whisper that the character should take what she desires and that the world owes it to her because of all she has done. Unless she succeeds in a Wits + Enigmas roll (difficulty 8), the character doesn’t recognize that these thoughts come from an outside source. If the character is aware of the existence of Urge Wyrms, or has an ally who understands what might cause her symptoms, the difficulty of this roll decreases to 6.

The Path of Corruption

In return for a cure or because of ceaseless whispering by an Urge Wyrm, sometimes one of the Changing Breeds signs on the metaphorical dotted line and swears allegiance to the Wyrm. That sort of clean and final choice is relatively rare. In cases like the Balefire Sharks, where the choice is to serve the Wyrm or die, a few of the Changing Breeds value life more than loyalty and honor, but most are unwilling to so obviously betray everything they believe in. The Wyrm can however be both subtle and patient. In return for curing an affliction, the Wyrm may ask an individual to perform some small service. A bane may ask someone to arrange to have a captured Black Spiral Dancer escape before she can be questioned and killed, or make a call to warn a Pentex employee of a planned raid on one of the company’s facilities. Often, this task is both easy and essentially free of risk. If she performs the task, she had aided the Wyrm, but just as importantly, she has started on the path of corruption.

When corrupting someone who suffers from a physical taint, an agent of the Wyrm approaches the target and offers a cure, for a price. If the individual performs the first task, in short order there’s a second, usually just as risk free but perhaps a bit more difficult and involved. In return, the dream voice, Bane, or Black Spiral Dancer cures some of the less obvious but lingering symptoms of the character’s affliction. Each task comes with a promised reward, but the tasks become more difficult and dangerous as time goes on. If the victim’s allies ever discover his betrayal, the Wyrm’s agents will offer to help the victim escape without asking anything in return — this time. After a while, the tasks requested bring nothing in return beyond not informing the character’s pack or other allies of what he has done. Somewhere in the midst of performing these “small favors,” the individual performing them belongs to the Wyrm, but the exact point where this happens may not be obvious except in retrospect, which is exactly the way agents of the Wyrm prefer it.

The path of mental corruption is far simpler. The Urge Wyrm continues to whisper warnings and suggestions that to at least some degree align with the character’s unconscious desires, slowly leading him to betraying his principles and falling to the Wyrm. If he covets another Garou’s klaive, Vorus might suggest that he steal it, whispering that the klaive’s owner doesn’t deserve it and reasons why he should hate the klaive’s owner. Sykora might suggest that a character’s romantic rival is plotting to kill her or that her friends are about to betray her and that the character must strike first if she wishes survive. If the character follows through on these urgings, she eventually becomes an agent of the Wyrm.

Avoiding Corruption

Physical and mental taints can never force anyone to swear allegiance to the Wyrm. Although the process can be difficult and potentially humiliating, almost everyone who is tainted by the Wyrm can eventually throw off this taint. Accomplishing this feat typically involves two steps. The first step is admitting to someone who understands and can help that the character has become corrupted and requires aid. For obvious physical changes, this process is simple, but most Garou feel great shame at becoming corrupted, as well as no small amount of fear that they might soon fall to the Wyrm. As a result, many attempt to conceal any physical transformations that can be hidden. The Changing Breeds regard mental taint even less well, looking askance at anyone who admits that they hear the Wyrm’s whispered threats and promises, believing them to be already fallen or at best unworthy of any trust or responsibility. Worse, most shapeshifters believe that only individuals who were previously weak or corrupt are tainted by the Wyrm.

Admitting what is wrong and seeking aid can undo both physical and mental corruption, but it is only the first step. The next step is finding a cure, a process that usually requires significant effort. The path to accomplishing any such cure is far from easy. In the early days of being tainted, a simple Rite of Cleansing might suffice to wash the Wyrm’s stench away. Beyond that point, a wise and experienced Theurge might know some method of purifying the victim, but this purification often requires a journey deep into the Umbra. She might have to find a fount of pure Wyld energies to cleanse her mind and body, or bargain with a powerful spirit in return for its help curing her of the Wyrm’s mark.

Regardless of the cure, the Wyrm will not let go without a fight. Agents of the Wyrm may try to discredit anyone the victim goes to for help, or simply attempt to kill them and frame the tainted one for the murder. Others use far subtler forms of trickery, sending Banes disguised as friendly spirits, or offering a Rite of Cleaning that intensifies the victim’s taint unless she does something for the ritemaster.

Redemption for the Fallen

Someone who falls to the Wyrm suffers irrevocable changes. Her will is no longer fully her own and her mind — and in some cases her body — is now sustained by the Wyrm’s corrupt energies. She has no way back; no one who makes this choice can ever unmake it and return to being a whole person. Any of the fallen who struggle against their fate: face either failure or death as their only options.

Some experiences, like walking the Black Spiral Labyrinth or feeding on Wyrm-tainted flesh make any who survive them completely unable to even consider betraying or working against the Wyrm. Individuals who fall to the Wyrm through less extreme forms of corruption can work against their dark master, but only with great difficulty and greater cost.

When anyone who has fallen to the Wyrm betrays it, banes and other creatures associated with the Corrupter know of what has happened. Some fomori, and other Wyrmspawn like the Balefire Sharks, rely on the Wyrm’s corrupt energies to survive. Were one to turn against the Wyrm it would soon suffer a painful death, as the power that sustains them suddenly cuts off.

Otherwise, the Wyrm’s minions try to destroy the betrayer. Those who manage to escape or survive gradually become physically and mentally ill as the strain of working against the Wyrm wracks their minds and bodies. All the Wyrm’s servants understand this price, although many only learned it after they swore allegiance to it. The few who bitterly regret their choice and are willing to help make amends often choose to betray the Wyrm in a way that ends in their death. Myths tell of a silver lake in the Umbra that could bring them redemption, but many die before they ever find it.

Banes

Each thing upon Gaia radiates out into the Umbra, announcing its nature and giving rise to spiritual representations. For each tree, river, and house, there is a spirit; for each moment of joy, bright ripples spreading out through the world of spirits and perhaps giving birth to an Epiphling.

But also, there is a spirit for the flash of murderous rage, the long, simmering, and life-draining depression; for the polluted creek, the rotten tree, and the broken home. Once, some Garou believe, these things were part of the natural cycle of the world, but if so, that was long ago. The Wyrm’s talons hold Gaia in an iron grip and its coils choke the cosmos, and all things that are destructive or corrupt come to dwell in its shadow. If they do not serve it today, then its minions will see to it that they join its ranks tomorrow.

Banes, then, are the revealed face of the Wyrm in the spirit world. They are a category of spirits bearing their patron’s hideous touch and the taint of its nature. It encompasses both “born” children of the Wyrm, as well as formerly Gaian spirits that have fallen into corruption. Few Garou believe in the possibility of purifying a Bane, and indeed, in most cases, there exists no prior “pure” state for a Bane to return to. As a result, Banes are the most elemental enemies of Gaia’s warriors, a foe against whom no quarter can ever be asked or offered. The only answer is to move forward, claws and fangs bared. The enemy’s numbers are limitless; the Garou can only hope their determination is the same.

[+/-] Spirit Charms

Spirit Charms

Spirits have a number of powers called Charms at their command. Some are spiritual reflections of werewolf Gifts, while others are powers that a spirit could teach a Garou — with sufficient cause.

The following Charms are a starting point for Storytellers. Many Charms can reflect a whole host of different phenomena that happen to have the same effects. The Blast Charm, for example, could represent thorns shooting from a nature spirit, shards of glass thrown by a glass elemental, or electrical discharge from a lightning spirit.

Be creative when assigning Charms to spirits.

[+/-] Common Charms

Common Charms

All spirits have the following Charms. They’re notable only in their absence — a spirit that’s weakened or being punished may not be able to use one or more of these Charms.

Airt Sense

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit has a natural sense of the “airts” (directions) of the spirit world, and can travel about without much difficulty. The spirit can create or find spirit tracks at will. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis if it has to locate a particular place or individual in the Umbra. Even spirits aren’t infallible, and a botch can lead them to an unforgiving Realm.

Materialize

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit takes physical form on Earth. The spirit’s Gnosis must be equal to or greater than the area’s Gauntlet rating. The spirit appears the same in the material world as it does in the Umbra. The spirit uses its Traits in the same way as it would in the Umbra, rather than having Attributes and Abilities. Materialized spirits do possess health levels like other corporeal beings. If a spirit dies in the material world, it returns to the Umbra and enters Slumber, just as if the spirit had lost all of its Essence in the Umbra. Most spirits won’t use this Charm except in extraordinary circumstances; the modern world is far from welcoming to their kind.

Realm Sense

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can sense what transpires in its Domain both in the Umbra and on Earth. Sensing a specific area requires a successful Gnosis roll. Though this Charm is usually associated with Naturae (woodland spirits of Gaia), most spirits bound to an area possess this ability. Spirits without direct ties to a location on Earth may have this Charm, but are only able to sense their dens in Near-Umbral Realms or home Domains.

Re-form

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can dissolve its body in order to travel through the Umbra to their home Domains. It takes a spirit a full turn to try to re-form. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Gnosis successfully for this Charm to succeed. Spirits use this Charm to flee their enemies.

[+/-] Specialty Charms

Specialty Charms

These Charms are commonly possessed by a wide variety of spirits.

Armor

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: By spending two points of Essence, the spirit gains a soak pool equal to its Gnosis for the remainder of the scene.

Blast

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can attack from a distance — breathing fire, unleashing ear-splitting sound, hurling shards of glass, or spitting razor-blades. The Storyteller spends a point of Essence and rolls the spirit’s Rage as a damage dice pool, dealing aggravated damage. The spirit does not need to roll to hit, and the attack cannot be dodged.

City Tree’s Trunk

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 125

Description: The spirit has a permanent soak pool of eight dice, and can increase that by the spirit’s Gnosis by spending two points of Essence. Alternatively, it can grant this additional soak to other spirits by spending another point of Essence. A spirit receiving this blessing applies the soak pool from City Tree’s Trunk in addition to its own armor.

Charmed Journey

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 126

Description: The Gridlock Beetle rolls Gnosis at a Difficulty of (2 + the number of targets). Until the end of the scene, the target’s overland movement suffers no ordinary obstacles or delays. All the lights turn green. No one cuts her off in traffic and then drives under the speed limit. Even police will not stop her regardless of how far over the speed limit she is driving. This benefit extends to movement on foot or off-road, as well. The Jeep doesn’t get stuck in the mud. The frozen lake holds up under the traveler’s weight. Even in a crowd, bystanders never seem to get in her way as she pursues her target (or flees her pursuer). The target subtracts two from the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (minimum 3).

Cleanse the Blight

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit can purge spiritual corruption in its vicinity. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis; the difficulty depends on the strength of the Blight. Most spirits can only use this Charm in an area that reflects their nature.

Control Electrical Systems

W20 Core, pg 366

Description: The spirit exerts control over an electronic device. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3–9 depending on the system’s complexity). The spirit can shut the system down, control it as though it were standing at the controls, and even overload the system.

Create Fires

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can create fires. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a torch-sized flame, 6 for a bonfire, or 9 for an inferno). Without a source of fuel, the fire only burns for one turn.

Create Wind

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can create or quell winds. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 3 for a strong breeze, 6 for a storm, or 9 for a tornado).

Demand Audience

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 129

Description: As Rite of Summoning (W20 Core, pg 212) with the following alterations: Srador can complete the ritual in a single turn. The spirits who arrive are passively benign (if Gafflings) or neutral (if Jagglings) toward Srador. More powerful spirits are always initially hostile, so Srador seldom uses this Charm to summon them. The number of successes instead determines the speed with which the spirit answers Srador’s summons:

Successes Effect
1 The spirit arrives within 24 hours.
2 The spirit arrives within an hour.
3 The spirit arrives immediately.
4+ For each additional success after the third another spirit comes with the summoned spirit. These are either lesser spirits with natures similar to that of the target, or random spirits of a similar power level.

Srador cannot use this Charm more than once per day.

Dreadful Presence:

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: This Charm is available only to Incarna avatars, and is constantly in effect. All spirits hostile to the Incarna avatar lose two dice from all their dice pools while they remain in the avatar’s vicinity.

Fetch Brand:

W20 Kinfolk, pg 101

Description: The spirit can mark a mortal with a small brand, visible only to Garou, in the shape of the glyph of its brood’s allied tribe. The spirit can place the brand just about anywhere on the body, including even the inside of the lip or the scalp. Most werewolves instruct the Kin-Fetch to make the brands hard to find (the Black Spiral Dancers in particular); some, too proud for their own good, want an easily evident sign of glory (such as many Silver Fangs). If the marked mortal undergoes the Change, the brand is burned away and the Kin-Fetch is immediately aware of the Change, whether or not it’s viewing the material world at the time.

Flood

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can raise the natural water level in an area. The spirit spends a point of Essence to flood an area. The size depends on the power of the spirit — a Jaggling using this Charm could flood several blocks or a small town, while a Gaffling could flood a building or a city block. Flooding a larger area could require the spirit to expend more Essence.

Freeze

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit drastically lowers the temperature of its immediate area. Reduce the spirit’s Rage by one for the remainder of the scene. Everyone in the area suffers the spirit’s new Rage in dice of aggravated damage. Using this Charm may have additional effects, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Healing

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can heal physical beings. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (6 to heal lethal damage, 8 for aggravated). The target heals a number of health levels equal to the spirit’s Gnosis. A spirit can only use this Charm once per scene per target.

'Illness

W20 Skinner, pg 16

Description: The spirit can infect a target with a wasting spiritual sickness. The spirit spends a point of Essence and rolls Gnosis, resisted by the target’s Stamina. Success means that the target loses a point of Stamina, and all wound penalties increase by 1 (including at the Bruised health level, which effectively becomes a –1 penalty). The effects last for a day if the target can regenerate, or until supernaturally cured if the target can’t.

Illuminate

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can light an area reaching to 20 yards (20 meters) from its body, or change the color of lights in the area. Doing so doesn’t normally require a roll.

Open Moon Bridge

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can open a moon bridge to a desired location. This charm can operate anywhere, and does not need a caern present. The moon bridge has a total potential distance of 1000 miles (1600 km).

Peek

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can look into the physical world from the Penumbra.

Road Rage

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 127

Description: The Gridlock Beetle rolls Rage at a Difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower. Until the end of the scene, countless small obstacles or minor delays hamper the target’s overland movement — a traffic jam, a flat tire, a stubbed toe, etc. The target adds two to the difficulties of all relevant Drive and Athletics rolls (maximum 9). Additionally, shapeshifters under the influence of this Charm use Rage less effectively. Reduce the total amount of Rage the target may spend in a single turn by one (to a minimum of zero) for as long as the Charm lasts.

Royal Decree

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129

Description: This Charm is functionally the same as the Theurge Gift Command Spirit (W20 Core, pg 164), except it costs one Essence per command instead of one Willpower, and the Storyteller rolls Srador’s Gnosis (difficulty is the spirit’s Gnosis) to activate the Charm. It also functions on creatures of half-spirit, including shapeshifters (difficulty is the shapeshifter’s Willpower), but Srador seldom calls upon it unless he is desperate.

Savage

W20 Core, pg 182

Description: By spending one Essence, the spirit adds two dice to all damage rolls for the remainder of the scene.

Shapeshift

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can look like anything it desires. This Charm only changes the spirit’s form, not its abilities or powers. The Storyteller must roll the spirit’s Willpower if it tries to appear as a specific being.

Shatter Glass

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can break all of the glass in the area. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).

Short Out

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can short out electrical systems, damaging the circuits. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Gnosis (difficulty 6).

Subtle Watcher

W20 Kinfolk, pg 102

Description: The Kin-Fetch can make itself invisible at no cost, and maintain the invisibility for as long as it chooses, as long as it remains within roughly three meters of its fetch-branded target. Other spirits will not be able to detect it unless they have specific counter-charms.

Swift Flight

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can fly at three times the normal speed, up to 60 + (Willpower x3) yards or meters per turn.

Tongues

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Curtain, pg 129

Description: Srador understands all human and spirit languages and is able to speak telepathically. He can address one, some, or all creatures within 100 yards, and they hear him in their native tongues. If a target has a Gift or other supernatural ability the grants her resistance to mental influence, the Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower).

Tracking

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can follow its prey unerringly, though it must spend a point of Essence to do so.

Umbraquake

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The Umbra shakes with such force that everyone standing is thrown to the ground. Everyone in the area suffers half the spirit’s Rage in dice of bashing damage.

Updraft

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can lift a man-sized creature into the air with a gust of wind. The Storyteller rolls the spirit’s Willpower (difficulty 6).

[+/-] Bane Charms

Bane Charms

The Wyrm grants these Charms to its minions. Creatures allied to Gaia cannot (and would not) learn Gifts related to these Charms.

Awaken the Blight

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146

Description: A Crimson Pestilent may spend two Essence to use this Charm on a person afflicted with some manner of disease. The Bane makes a contested roll of its Rage against the target’s Stamina; if the Bane wins, whatever ailment the target suffers from flares up, and their next roll to resist or recover from the effects of the ailment suffers a penalty equal to the Bane’s Gnosis. A fever might spike to life-threatening temperatures, while a cancer metastasizes and spreads like wildfire throughout the body.

Blighted Touch

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: If the spirit deals damage on an attack (including using the Blast Charm), the target must make a reflexive Willpower roll. If she fails, her negative characteristics dominate her personality for the next few hours. If she botches, the change is permanent.

Nihilach Blighted Touch

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148

Description: The Nihilach’s version of Blighted Touch is different from that of other Banes. Rather than bringing the worst elements of the target’s nature to the fore, this Charm instead induces a deadening lassitude and crippling depression. Effort seems futile, dreams unattainable, and the world a sick and pointless joke at best, a gauntlet of needless indignities as prelude to meaningless nothingness at worst. A botch attempting to resist this Charm is capable of sending a Garou spiraling directly into Harano.

Brother Against Brother

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 123

Description: The Flame War almost never fights its own battles. It instead convinces its enemies to fight each other. The Storyteller makes a Rage roll for the spirit (the difficulty is each target’s Willpower). On a success, the Charm has the following effect until the end of the scene:

Successes Effect
1 The target refuses to take orders from any of the other targets and becomes argumentative if anyone bosses him around. If forced to obey, the target does so sulkily and behaves passive-aggressively.
2 The target argues with the other targets and refuses to cooperate with them. Werewolves gain one point of Rage and make a Rage roll to resist frenzy.
3 The target hurls insults and makes threats directed at other targets in an attempt to provoke them into attacking her. Werewolves subjected to this treatment make a Rage roll to resist frenzy. Other sentient beings are likely to respond in kind and may escalate the situation further.
4 The target starts something — throws a punch, draws a weapon, kicks in a door, etc. This almost certainly turns into a brawl, but the target’s rage turns to panic as soon as he suffers bashing damage equal to his Stamina or even one point of lethal or aggravated damage. If this happens, the target flees the scene. If the target is a werewolf, she makes a Rage roll to resist frenzy, and the difficulty of the roll is decreased by two (minimum 2).
5 The target goes berserk and attacks all the other targets. Werewolves frenzy and make a Rage roll with the difficulty of the roll reduced by two (minimum 2). Those who score any successes on this frenzy enter the thrall of the Wyrm. Other creatures fight until they are incapacitated or no other targets remain on the scene.
6+ The target goes berserk as above, but his fury is not limited to fellow victims. He attacks innocent bystanders and friends, unable to distinguish between friend and foe. If the target is a werewolf, he must enter a berserk frenzy. Fox frenzy is not an option even if he is not in the thrall of the Wyrm.

Carrion Walk

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149

Description: This Charm is similar to Possession, but can only be used upon a corpse. Any corpse will do: a dead Pentex employee, a road kill raccoon, a slaughtered steer, and — on one horribly memorable occasion — a freshly deceased elephant can all host a Rot Walker. The cadaver must still have some flesh on its frame (so no possessed dinosaur skeletons), and it cannot already be possessed or animated by other means (putting vampires off-limits). A corpse animated by Carrion Walk uses the traits it had when alive, rather than the controlling Bane’s spirit traits, but uses the Bane’s Essence instead of a health track. Carrion Walk puts a tremendous strain on the corpse being possessed; the necrotic energies of the Bane rapidly accelerate the process of decay, so that most possessed shells become flyblown horrors in short order. Few cadavers manage to last for more than a week before devolving into an immobile stew of bones and pulpy meat.

Corruption

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit whispers a suggestion to the target, and the target acts upon it. The Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). This Charm can be used across the Gauntlet.

Darkweaving

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 151

Description: This Charm more than anything else defines a Rust Spider. Darkweaving’s effects are permanent, and stain the spirit’s every works with an indelible trace of Wyrm-taint. When a tainted Pattern Spider reinforces the Gauntlet, it weaves in blackly glistening, Wyrmish strands of spiritual effluvia, which Banes find it easier to pierce (–1 to the local Gauntlet for Wyrm spirits only). When they work on the great Pattern Webs that span cities, the strands they weave act as efficient superhighways for Banes. When a Hunter Spider scans for enemies in need of destruction, they heed the distress cries of Banes and treat them as a summons of the Weaver. When a Net-Spider ushers data packets from place to place, it subtly taints them, imparting a negative tone to digital communications, or promoting data loss or corruption in vital transactions. The individual effect of this Charm upon any action is small, but the cumulative result is a spirit that remakes Gaia into the Wyrm’s image as efficiently and tirelessly as its brothers and sisters calcify the world into the Weaver’s design.

Dissolution

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146

Description: The Bane may pay one Essence when attacking a target to coat its claws or fangs with a hideous spiritual acid. The difficulty to soak such an attack is 9.

Dream Warp

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149

Description: The Nighthag spends one Essence to corrupt a dream with the intent of disturbing the sleeper and driving a wedge between her and one of her loved ones. The target does not regain Willpower from this troubled sleep.

Everybody’s Secret

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146

Description: This Charm is similar to the Shadow Lord Gift: Whisper Catching, save that it encompasses every secret event or exchange to occur within a building. The echoes of domestic violence, perversion, and hate slowly work their way through the building’s ducts and corridors. Eventually, everyone who lives in the building knows the secrets of everyone else: perhaps they drift under a door, or through an air conditioning vent, or rattle about in an old elevator as it carries tenants up through the building’s black throat. Speaking of the secrets of a building learned through Everybody’s Secret is extremely difficult, requiring a point of Willpower and a Willpower roll (difficulty 9); failure causes the desired words to die in the tenant’s throat, and a certainty to fall down around him that it’s just not the business of anyone from outside the building.

Incite Frenzy

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit can cause a werewolf to enter a frenzy. The Storyteller rolls Rage (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Any success causes a frenzy; six or more successes causes the werewolf to fall into the Thrall of the Wyrm. All normal frenzy rules apply.

Innocuous

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 147

Description: Harpies excel at hiding in plain sight. By spending one point of Essence, witnesses overlook a Harpy and its nest. This Charm doesn’t make the Bane or its taint invisible, but rather keeps anyone from noticing it. Only those specifically looking for something out of place will have a chance of seeing the spirit, and even then an observer must succeed at a Willpower roll (difficulty 9) to overcome the effects of the charm. The effect lasts for one scene.

Lightning in the Meat

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 150

Description: This Charm allows the Rot Walker to spend one Essence per day to re-animate the brain of a corpse possessed with Carrion Walk. There must be a brain present for this to work. While the body’s soul has long since moved on to whatever awaits beyond the veil of death, a residue of memories and personality still dwell in the wrinkles of the mind, and it is this shadow of the deceased that the Rot Walker resurrects, up until the body falls apart. The revived persona knows nothing of the possessing Bane, and may even believe itself alive at first. It is likely to try to head back to familiar surroundings, such as the house where its grieving family awaits. Some Rot Walkers resume control at this point; others prefer to simply let the lightning continue to drive the meat, watching the corpse and its loved ones go through the agony of decay, dissolution, and a second and final demise.

Obscure

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 124

Description: The spirit blankets a small area with a wash of neutral, boring space. It moves outward from the creature about five feet per dot of the spirit’s Gnosis. Roll Will. Any Perception or Investigation action must exceed the Will roll’s successes to notice anything interesting or out of place within. As well, anything within the cloud gains the spirit’s Gnosis as a bonus to any rolls to hide or move unseen.

Parasitic Possession

W20 Kinfolk, pg 104

Description: As the Possession Charm, save that the Fetch-Hawk can sink its essence into that of another spirit. The Fetch-Hawk gains three extra dice to the Gnosis roll to possess Kin-Fetches.

Possession

W20 Core, pg 367

Description: The spirit may inhabit a living being or inanimate object. The Storyteller rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower, or 4 for an object). The possession takes the time indicated:

Successes Time Taken
1 Six hours
2 Three hours
3 One hour
4 15 minutes
5 5 minutes
6+ Instantaneous

The spirit can take no other actions. If it does, or is engaged in spirit combat, the link is broken. A spirit that possesses a human can warp and change the victim’s body, making a fomor (see W20 Core, pg 428 for more on fomori). Possession is permanent.

Thinbone Possession

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 152

Description: A Thinbone’s Possession Charm is different from that of other Banes. Thinbones are incapable of creating fomori through permanent possession, or of directly controlling the host. Instead, a possessing Thinbone consumes everything the host eats before it can nourish him. Once the host begins starving, the Thinbone uses its Corruption Charm to whisper suggested meals that might sate the host; each time the host partakes of such a meal, the Thinbone gains one point of Essence. Soon after, the gnawing hunger returns and the host’s starvation continues. Thinbones never suggest ordinary food to their unlucky host; instead, they recommend the host consume something he values. A devout Christian might be compelled to tear out the pages of his Bible and eat them, one by one, while a fashionista sits down and methodically eats every outfit and shoe in her closet. The strongest of Thinbones turn their hosts against loved ones, starving the possessed individual into a cannibal feast. Once the host starves to death, the Thinbone departs to begin the cycle anew.

Sleaze Aura

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149

Description: The Bane can lend the effects of the Gift: Persuasion (see W20 Core, pg 153) to anyone who goes along with the suggestions it whispers through Corruption, so long as they continue following those suggestions.

Smoke

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 151

Description: By spending a point of Essence, a Shattered Hart can snort out a cloud of sulfurous smoke that shrouds the Bane in darkness. Increase the difficulty of all rolls to hit the bane by one, or two for Garou in Lupus form due to the stench. The Shattered Hart can see clearly through the smoke and suffers no penalties.

Yawning Void

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148

Description: This Charm stands as the most fearsome of the Nihilach’s powers. It activates reflexively by paying one Essence whenever something dies in the Nihilach’s presence, be it a discorporate spirit or a murdered Garou, and the death need not be at the Nihilach’s hands. The billowing emptiness of the Nihilach’s body unfolds into a sheer, sanity-scraping void that draws in the soul of the slain. Anything swallowed by the Yawning Void is gone forever. A Garou hero will not persist as an ancestor spirit, nor be returned to Gaia’s embrace and reincarnated. He, like anything else swallowed by this Charm, will simply cease to be.

[+/-] Common Banes

Bioweapon

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 121

These banes are terrible mutations of normal spirits of war, bound to the corrupting violence of the Wyrm. Bioweapons are spirits of insidious infectious agents alive and capable of replicating inside a host body. The banes move easily from person to person, infecting and corrupting as they go, leaving behind hollowed out husks ready to be possessed by another bane.

Pentex Corporation uses Magadon Pharmaceuticals to culture Bioweapons. The original goal was to use these banes to prime people to become fomori, in hopes that they would last longer. The project failed, and Pentex repurposed the banes to spread the Wyrm’s corruption as far and wide as possible. Magadon has deployed the banes in third world countries in the form of medicines, infecting sick individuals. As the banes take hold, they corrupt healthcare workers, and eventually entire communities.

Based on the success of Bioweapons in smaller communities, Pentex has increased utilization of these banes and spread to the global arena. Garou are just now catching wind of the number of major first world countries stockpiling bioweapons, and the banes associated with them. The threat of Pentex infesting the entire world with Bioweapon banes has the Garou Nation on high alert. Septs encourage their members and Kinfolk to engage in politics in an attempt to gain access to important decision making individuals. Dealing with the situation is a priority, but with the banes already in the hands of many governments, a resolution requires intense work and planning.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 16

Charms: Corruption, Possession

Image: In the physical realm, Bioweapons appear as dark smudges in the air, thick miasmas that cling to a possessed person’s head and chest. In the Umbra, they appear as small black voids, where no light escapes their inky black surfaces.

---

Blood Currency

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 122

Blood Currencies are a new manifestation of the Wyrm’s corruption. They evolved from Blood Moneys, minor Banes that attach themselves to large denomination dollar bills. Blood Moneys feed on the crimes of those who handle those bills – drug deals, blackmail, assassination, and human trafficking of every kind – and inspire their victims to engage in more extreme forms of degradation. Blood Moneys seldom receive more than a few opportunities to feed before the bill makes its way into a bank vault or becomes so worn out that it is destroyed, and so they seldom present a threat except on a very local scale.

Blood Currencies, however, take advantage of the rise of virtual currencies — or cryptocurrencies. World governments do not monitor or regulate these mediums of exchange, and they afford considerable anonymity to those who use them. While these virtual currencies attract some perfectly legitimate business, they frequently facilitate commercial interests that range from distasteful to abominable. Users buy into a virtual currency either with mainstream currencies (dollars, euros, pounds, etc.) or by providing goods or services to existing users and taking their pay in the virtual currency. A distributed network of computer servers tracks the virtual money and facilitates its exchange between users.

When a Blood Currency infects one of these servers, however, it feeds on all the misery that the virtual currency funds. For example, a single Silkbuck valued at approximately one hundred U.S. dollars moves from a snuff film maker to an assassin, from an assassin to a pimp, from a pimp to a kidnapper who “recruits” prostitutes, from a kidnapper to a drug dealer, and from a drug dealer to a weapons dealer. Each transaction carries the spiritual weight of the horrible deeds it funds as it passes through the Bane-infected server, and the Blood Currency grows fatter with each transaction. While users can sell most cryptocurrencies to other users for ordinary currency, the Blood Currency discourages users from ever selling any part of their stake. They instead feel compelled to buy more misery-generating goods and services with it.

To ensure a fresh supply of victims, the Blood Currency’s server will occasionally email ordinary people telling them they’ve won a recently unlocked supply of the virtual currency. Those who accept the windfall find themselves tempted to spend it on things they might never purchase — whether out of fear of being caught or because it reflects a secret desire they are ashamed of. As their supply of the cryptocurrency dwindles, they seek ways to earn more, and many soon become purveyors of their own twisted goods and services.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 9, Essence: 20

Charms: Blighted Touch, Control Electrical Systems, Corruption, Possession

Image: In the physical world, Blood Currencies are almost undetectable except by the traces of Wyrm scent they leave on the servers they possess and on those who have handled their virtual currency. In the Umbra, they resemble a mass of writhing serpents comprised of pure darkness.

Consciousness

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 123

Consciousness is a strange Bane. Consciousness is an embodiment of loud, permeating communication. Each Consciousness Bane centers on a different topic, and attempts to blast that message to the world. This might be a noble cause, if not for the Bane’s ability to instill witnesses with fear and loathing. Most witnesses burst into a violent frenzy upon experiencing Consciousness’s message. Even if they can’t comprehend the message due to language barriers, ignorance, or other impediments, Consciousness inspires rage and vitriol.

Consciousness Banes generally don’t live long; they have a terrible time keeping to themselves. They’re often found marching out in the open, where they fall victim to their own rage-induced listeners. If their listeners have nobody else to attack, they’ll lash out at the Consciousness.

Rage: 2, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 16

Charms: Incite Frenzy

Image: Consciousness exists as a nigh-incoherent jumble of information. It’s loud, it’s convoluted, and it’s extensive. The information is never presented with full clarity. If the Consciousness takes the shape of a computer screen, jumbled, garbled text will interrupt the intended message. If it takes the shape of a radio broadcast, it’ll wash with static and interrupting signals. Newspapers are wet and mashed together. Regardless of the form, Consciousness requires scrutiny and attention to decipher more than just a jumbled mess.

Disease Bane

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 104

The Bane released from the Jiangsu Province well is a type of H’ruggling that spreads disease and pestilence through flood. It had been sealed away for hundreds of years before the Black Spiral Dancers released it on the Yangtze River during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in a plot to flood out all of the Garou caerns in the area.

Willpower: 5, Rage: 4, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 15

Charms: Blighted Touch, Flood, Materialize

Flame Wars

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 123

This spirit is the manifestation of a large scale conversation in which diplomacy has broken down and rational debate has given way to shouted invective — but where no violence has erupted. In previous centuries these spirits were rare, appearing during a relative handful of fierce political and religious debates. As a single drop of any of the participants’ blood shed by another participant causes Flame Wars to wither and die, few such spirits lasted long enough to awaken — much less spread their mayhem to others.

It wasn’t until the rise of the Internet that Flame Wars proliferated enough to attract the attention of the Garou — particularly the Glass Walkers, who gave them their name. Although these spirits can create unwanted interpersonal conflict, some Garou bind them into fetishes to sow discord between their enemies.

Rage: 7, Willpower: 4, Gnosis: 6, Essence: 17

Charms: Blast, Brother Against Brother

Image: Flame Wars almost never manifest, but when they do they look as they do in the Umbra — a sphere of turbulent air a foot across. Those within ten yards of a Flame War can hear the whispered insinuations and too-dry sarcasm that gave it life. Those within ten feet plunge into a veritable hailstorm of raised voices that shout every imaginable form of insult and wield creative profanity like hammers on the inside of the skull.

Greed Bane

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 105

A particularly powerful Psychomachiae had been trapped in a volcano by Garou centuries ago. It had slowly worked its way up and through a vent before it was stopped by the immense pressure. Later, the Bane was freed when its prison was exposed by diamond mining. It immediately began influencing the local populous intent on pulling diamonds from the mine. Soon, Pentex took notice of the activity and moved in to harness the ancient Bane’s power.

Willpower: 6, Rage: 8, Gnosis: 7, Essence: 30

Charms: Blighted Touch, Corruption, Materialize

Obscenity

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 124

Obscenity is an insidious, unhealthy, irrational sense of disgust made flesh. Obscenity spawns forth from a desire to denigrate and control others, not dissimilar from dehumanizing, objectifying impulses toward slavery and sadism. When enough people with these desires for control get together, an Obscenity births from their negativity.

The Obscenity delivers upon these people exactly what they think they want. It brings outrage. It brings pain. It brings control. Typically, its victims don’t know that they were wrong to want these things until it’s too late. The Bane slides into them, and takes possession of them, in the way they wish to possess and control others. An Obscenity Bane will perpetuate its existence, inspiring others into these emotions in order to create other Banes.

Often, an Obscenity will emerge around hate groups, and intolerant religious sects. Most rural cults will have at least one Obscenity Bane nesting nearby, if not actively influencing its leadership.

Rage: 7, Willpower: 3, Gnosis: 3, Essence: 13

Charms: Corruption, Incite Frenzy, Possession

Image: Obscenity appears like so much flesh all in one place. In fact, more flesh than should logically be able to fit in a physical space. It looks like arms, legs, hands, asses, breasts, cheeks, feet, tongues, and everything in between, writhing together in a vague pillar. It caresses itself, bites itself, screams at itself, and fondles itself all over, constantly, and to horrific effect.

Oil Bane

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 105

The spill of crude oil in the Gulf of Mexico released thousands of barrels of crude oil into the waters. Wakshaani from all over were attracted to the spill and fed from the oil washing up in southern Louisiana, growing fat on the toxins. Even after the spill was mostly cleaned up, the Banes continued to thrive all along the Mississippi River due to industrial complexes routinely dumping wastes into the river.

Willpower: 8, Rage: 6, Gnosis: 10, Essence: 40

Charms: Blast, Flood, Materialize

Reroute

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 123

Reroute is a Bane of espionage and distraction. While the Wyrm hasn’t made as much headway into the Internet as it would like, it has advanced in secondary avenues. Reroute helps to obscure the Weaver’s electronic soldiers, hiding their tracks and offering smokescreens for attack against bastions of the Wyld.

Functionally speaking, it cloaks everything in its vicinity. The spider clasps on to larger Weaver spirits as they pass by, hiding them from sight. Whenever possible, Reroute will help obscure a Weaver nest under attack, offering them the element of surprise and ease of escape.

Rage: 4, Willpower: 8, Gnosis: 4, Essence: 16

Charms: Blighted Touch, Obscure, Open Moon Bridge

Image: Reroute looks the part of its host systems. It’s a small, oily black creature with eight legs that could be mistaken for a Pattern Spider in a crowd, or at a casual glance. Under its oily exterior lies hundreds of tiny wires, designed to interface with whatever systems are nearby. When using its Obscure Charm, the area around it becomes pixelated, blurry, and vague, so it can attach to larger spirits passing by, obscuring them as well.

Trendy Hat

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 124

Trendy Hat is a spirit of cultural zeitgeist, one the Wyrm has fostered well. Trendy Hat embodies the self-celebration of young men. Specifically young men that fancy themselves as “gentlemen,” clinging to outdated concepts of chivalry. The original idea of chivalry is selfish and objectifying, when these individuals present it as being beneficial it hurts the culture at large. Which makes it a prime philosophy for Wyrm emanations.

The Trendy Hat anchors itself in a piece of clothing, usually a hat. Sometimes a trilby. Sometimes a trucker hat. The wearer opens himself to possession, which Trendy Hat takes eagerly. The spirit then spreads negativity and anguish all about itself. It manipulates others’ emotions, it uses its Charms to cause complications in their personal and romantic relationships, and it destroys what they hold dear. Then, it looks for an opening. When the victim is vulnerable enough to allow possession, it births a Bane to possess them. Needless to say, Garou root Trendy Hats out quickly once discovered. Left unchecked, a Trendy Hat can leave an empire of Banes in its wake.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Blighted Touch, Corruption, Incite Frenzy, Possession

Image: The Trendy Hat is a faint, almost invisible humanoid feature with vague, dumpy features. Atop its head is the signature hat, the only opaque part of the creature.

Witch Hunt

W20 Umbra: The Velvet Shadow, pg 125

Witch Hunt is a spirit of uncompromising desire to end a target for a perceived slight, whether or not the target is actually guilty. Where Obscenity (see p. 124) is a general sense of outrage brought to fore, Witch Hunt always has a very specific target.

Witch Hunt’s mobs always come about quickly and viciously. Often, an entire community will wake up in the middle of the night, grabbing weapons. They’ll seek out the spirit’s victim, string him up, and head back to bed without a second thought.

Witch Hunt chooses its victim. The choice is typically arbitrary; the affected mob finds reasons and rationalizes the hunt. It uses its Corruption Charm to affect the mob. So long as it is encouraging the mob to attack the victim, it only costs a single Essence to bring the a number of mob members equal to Witch Hunt’s Gnosis to bear.

Rage: 6, Willpower: 6, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 20

Charms: Corruption (Special), Peek, Possession

Image: Witch Hunt looks like a ghastly priest, with shadows for vestments and fire coming from his mouth at every word.

[+/-] Unique Banes

Unique Banes

Abliphet

These city-dwelling Banes appear to be a hideous fusion of Weaver and Wyrmish forces. They make their lairs atop tall buildings designed for human habitation: apartment blocks, tenements, and even the occasional run-down hotel are the normal hunting grounds of Abliphets. They extend spiritual tendrils down through the hidden ducts and vents of the building and slowly turn the building they’ve chosen as their prey into a hotbox of tension, despair, and rage. No one in such a cursed building can keep a dark secret to himself; no one can keep their mind off the failings of their neighbors; but equally, none can bring themselves to take the building’s problems outside of its borders. Once the building has collapsed into a spiritual Wound or self-destructs in an orgy of domestic violence, murder, or arson, the Abliphet moves on to find new prey.

Rage 9, Gnosis 9, Willpower 6, Essence 25-35

Charms: Airt Sense, Blighted Touch, Control Electrical Systems, Domain Sense, Everybody’s Secret, Illuminate, Shatter Glass, Short Out

Image: An Abliphet is a massive Bane: A huge, jellylike, white-and-purple thing squatting at the top of a building. If possible, Abliphets lair in attics or storage spaces, but in a pinch they will squat on the roof, open to the elements. Most of the Bane’s substance takes the form of long, pulsing veins, bladders, and tubes dangling down through the substance of the building. They choke its Umbral ducts and pipes writhe invisibly along the walls of its elevator shafts. It is through these pipes and arteries that it conducts the building’s dirty secrets after processing them in its main body.

Background: No one is quite sure where Abliphets come from, but they’re among the most destructive Banes of the modern urban environment. The Hakken of Japan are well-acquainted with these horrors, where they exist in unparalleled numbers, finding the nation’s ant-hive overcrowding much to their liking.

Storytelling Notes: Abliphets are good for running the Werewolf equivalent of a haunted house story, or a combat raid. Finding out about the Bane’s presence is only the beginning of a pack’s troubles; running the gauntlet of the thing’s environment-manipulating Charms to actually reach it is a job in itself. In worst-case scenarios, an Abliphet may act as a central misery-focus to attract lesser Banes, and a pack may find itself stumbling into a run-down tenement full of spiritual shock troops and even some fomori.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 145

Blight Nurse

Kin-Fetches can be tainted like any other spirit, and Kinfolk can be just as brutal and psychopathic as any other mortal. A Kin-Fetch corrupted by the twisted deeds of its charge may become a Blight Nurse, compelled to find other children and help them grow up “properly.” They whisper horrible suggestions from the Umbra, and sometimes even go so far to possess their charges, turning them into fomori. To make it even worse, Blight Nurses have a real knack for sniffing out Kinfolk, and prefer them to any other children.

Rage 4, Gnosis 5, Willpower 4, Essence 13-20

Charms: Corruption, Fetch Brand, Peek, Possession, Subtle Watcher, Tracking

Image: Blight Nurses look something like their original forms, with a strong tendency to become emaciated or obese. The tribal glyphs on their form have shifted, with many of the pictographic strokes ending in warped Wyrmish spirals. They speak in wheedling whispers, although they address only their charges. “Tell that nasty wolf you don’t want to go with him,” they say. “Make me proud.”

Background: Sometimes Kin-Fetches go bad. It happens most often when the children they’re bound to aren’t quite right. The child goes to darker and darker places, especially as they grow into adulthood, and the Kin-Fetch has nowhere to go. It can’t abandon its precious charge. With enough accumulated taint, the spirit becomes a Blight Nurse.

The Blight Nurse’s purpose veers away from “tell the Garou,” and into “make sure the child comes up right.” Once it’s released — usually by the death of its charge, since most aren’t bound to actual shapeshifters — it finds another child to latch on to, preferably another Kin. They’ve been known to kill and devour Kin-Fetches and take their place. Some Black Spiral Dancers even bind Blight Nurses with their own version of the Baptism of Fire. They find it dreadfully amusing. If all goes well, a child grows up with an affinity for the Wyrm even before their First Change.

W20 Kinfolk, pg 102

Crimson Pestilent

Crimson Pestilents are Banes of sickness, parasites, disease, and dysfunction. Their deepest delight is to witness flesh in revolt against itself, and so they congregate where humans breathe in toxic chemicals, re-use needles, drink from parasite- or mercury-tainted waters, and drink irradiated water. They revel in sudden flare-ups of Ebola and evangelize cancers. Moreover, when they find a human afflicted with the marks of the Wyrm, one whose flesh is sick and fighting against itself, they set the terrible red tendrils of their power upon that person, and empower the sickness.

Rage 6, Gnosis 3, Willpower 8, Essence 17

Charms: Airt Sense, Awaken the Blight, Blighted Touch, Materialize, Swift Flight

Image: Crimson Pestilents appear as winding red fogs from a distance; upon closer inspection, one sees them as composed of millions of hair-fine blood vessels, all twisting and writhing around one another.

Background: Crimson Pestilents are a new menace, first sighted in the 1960s. They were extremely rare until the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, when their numbers swelled, now they fester throughout the world. Black Spiral Theurges believe they are the breath of the Wyrm, exhaled into the world.

Storytelling Notes: Crimson Pestilents are particularly loathsome Banes, striking as they do at the weak and the wounded. They’re best used as a reminder that the Garou must remain vigilant, and that in the final days, even a hospital or medicine lodge may be part of the battlefield.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146

Fetch-Hawk

These wasp-like spirits were carefully groomed by Theurges of the Black Spiral. Their purpose is to hunt Kin-Fetches, parasitize them, and then misdirect them to bring news of a First Change to the Dancers instead.

Rage 3, Gnosis 4, Willpower 6, Essence 13-18

Charms: Corruption, Parasitic Possession, Tracking

Image: Fetch-Hawks are named after tarantula hawk wasps, not avians. They look something like wasps the size of a man’s thumb, with long syringe-like abdomens and extra sets of bale-green compound eyes. Their speech is a wheezy whisper formed by the beating of their wings.

Background: The Black Spiral Dancers don’t have that many pure Kin-Fetches left. The original White Howler familiars died out long ago, and the Dancers often cope by keeping their children in captivity rather than recruiting spirits to let them grow up a little more free-range. But the Dancers always love recruiting, and so their Theurges modified these spirits to serve an insidious purpose.

A Fetch-Hawk uses Tracking to scent out Kin-Fetches, then attempts to possess them. The insectoid Bane lies dormant in its host spirit, waiting. When a parasitized Kin-Fetch watches its charge undergo the First Change, the Fetch-Hawk then takes control and flees back to the nearest Hive to inform the Black Spiral Dancers that a new target awaits recruitment. As an added bonus, the Gaians may take a while to notice one of their children is missing...

Source: W20 Kinfolk, pg 104

Halassh

Heavy-hitting shock troops of the Wyrm, Halassh are straightforward killers. Pentex and the Black Spiral Dancers both make frequent use of Halassh as spiritual muscle; they have few other uses, but then, muscle is useful enough. Halassh rarely attempt to manifest unless bid to do so; they prefer to hunt other spirits, disdaining mortal prey.

Rage 8, Gnosis 2, Willpower 8, Essence 18

Charms: Airt Sense, Armor, Dissolution, Materialize

Image: Halassh are hulking terrors, broad-shouldered, bare-skulled, with huge claws and fangs and wild, staring eyes. Their pale hides seem pitted and acid-scarred, and they stand nearly as tall as a Crinos Garou does.

Background: Halassh are spirits of powerful corrosives, spilled carelessly. Pentex entices the spirits to guard its installations through haphazard disposal of dangerous chemicals; the Black Spiral Dancers simply summon and bind the things. The spirits have no particular great agenda; they simply hate anything that is pure, and seek to rend it with their claws and fangs.

Storytelling Notes: Halassh are heavy line-breaker troops compared to the “standard infantry” of the Scrag. They exist to provide combat challenges — nothing more, nothing less — although the hideous wounds they inflict may also pose a challenge for the healers of the Garou nation.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 146

Harpies

Silent stalkers of human and Garou alike, Harpies circle the sky, scanning for any sign of dissension and jealousy upon which to feed. Unhealthy rivalries soaked with envy attract the Banes, who then find an adequate place up high and out of sight in which to build their nests. From their vantage points, they spy on the goings on about them, leaving their nests to steal small items of value . The trinkets end up back in their nests, where the spirits wait for opportune moments to place them in strategic locations to implicate others in the theft, sowing distrust in even close relationships.

Rage 5, Gnosis 7, Willpower 10, Essence 22

Charms: Incite Rage, Innocuous, Materialize, Peek

Image: Harpies appear as falcons with mangy green feathers that never sit flat. Thick overgrown talons clasp at their perches as they constantly shift, never quite able to hold their balance. A Harpy’s eyes glow brilliant toxic green in the darkness, shining with malicious intelligence. Their nests are crafted from branches and leaves of nearby foliage, gnawed from still living limbs. The bark twists and withers from the agony of its final moments of life, looping in with other dead branches to create a woven wall. Such nests hide various tokens of import that the Harpy has stolen; letters, thumbdrives, talens, and the occasional fetish have all found their way into a Harpy’s talons.

Background: Carved from the essence of captured Falcon spirits, Harpies are terrors for Garou to behold, especially the Silver Fangs. Harpies prefer to nest high in the Umbra above septs or on the top of office buildings where they watch for victims. Pentex employees have fallen to the corrupted falcon spirits more than once, and the corporation finds the Banes to be a nuisance at best. Black Spiral Dancers, however, take a wicked glee in observing a sept over which a Harpy has nested. The birds steal whatever they can from the Garou, taking utmost caution when doing so. They then place the valuables with others, inciting blame for theft. When tempers start to flare within the sept, the Harpy waits for an opportune moment to throw as much of the sept into chaos as it can. The Bane is fond of turning Garou against their elders, and its favorite targets are the strict hierarchies of the Shadow Lords and Silver Fangs.

Storytelling Notes: Harpies target any sept that has dissension boiling within its boundaries. Items go missing, Garou blame one another, and Harpies are patient enough that the descent into chaos can take weeks or even months. If a pack has been doing particularly well and is basking in its success, a Harpy might start turning others in the sept against them, especially the younger packs. A packmate could find himself framed for numerous thefts, leaving it up to his fellows to clear his name and find the true thief.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 147

Nihilach

The Nihilach, blessedly rare, figure prominently in the tales of modern Garou. Pessimists hold that these Banes are spirits of the Apocalypse itself, manifesting to pave the way for the coming of the Wyrm. Others hold that they are the talon-tips of the Corrupter, gaining its first all-destroying hold upon Gaia directly. The Silent Striders know the truth, but do not speak it. It is no better than the rumors. Nihilach appear at portentous moments in the war against Gaia, usually moments when a significant piece of the Mother is about to die. First, they stand and watch, impassively surveying the course of events; and then they move in to fight. That is the only mercy of the Nihilach — that they eventually condescend to do battle with Gaia’s warriors. These great Banes are terrible, all-consuming forces in battle, and many brave Garou cannot even muster the strength to raise a claw against them. Nevertheless, those that do fight discover that the Nihilach are not invincible. In that fact alone, the Garou strive to find hope.

Rage 10, Gnosis 4, Willpower 9, Essence 30-50

Charms: Airt Sense, Armor, Blast, Blighted Touch, Materialize, Re-Form, Yawning Void

Image: Nihilach look like very little, in a way. They’re null impressions on the world around them, a shadow that drinks light, understood as impressions rather than details. They’re tall, standing higher than a Garou in Crinos, and when they act, there is the understanding of long, painfully thin limbs. Nothingness hangs about them like a shroud, and that shroud gives the impression of a wide, powerful body. A Nihilach cannot properly be said to have a face, but those looking where a face should be often glimpse impressions of those they have known in the past, individuals they associate with memories of loss and regret. Nihilach are silent, making no noise as they stand and watch, nor when they swoop in to attack.

Background: The Silent Striders, with their greater understanding of the Dark Umbra, understand what the Nihilach are. They’re Banes of Oblivion, the annihilation that waits beyond the hunger of the Wyrm, when the Destroyer has eaten even itself. That they are beginning to appear in the Umbra and upon the face of Gaia is the direst of many dark omens in these final days.

Storytelling Notes: The presence of the Nihilach is an existential threat, a whispered promise that there will be no world beyond the Apocalypse, no recovery, no new age to rise from the ashes of the old. They challenge both the martial prowess and the convictions of the Garou, and best brought forth at the climax of a chronicle, to underline the import of whatever disaster the Garou fight to avert. To win a battle where a Nihilach took the field is to have definitively prevented Gaia from moving deeper into the final night from which there is return, and that is an act worthy of celebration.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148

Nocturna

The Nocturna, also known as a Nighthag, is a defiler of hopes and dreams. These Banes wander the Umbra in search of particularly potent dreams or noteworthy dreamers. When they’ve found an appropriate sleeping victim, they poison that individual’s sleeping hours, twisting his dreams into visions of despair and distrust. A dream of success and wealth might suddenly become a nightmare of ruin and failure due to the betrayal of a loved one. The common refrain of these dreams is the downfall of the sleeper, always at the hands of a trusted friend, lover, spouse, parent, packmate, or other close ally.

Rage 6, Gnosis 7, Willpower 5, Essence 18

Charms: Airt Sense, Dream Warp, Materialize, Peek

Image: Nighthags appear as beautiful women with long tangled hair, wickedly hooked claws, and a mouth full of pus.

Background: The Garou believe Nocturnae to be tiny fragments of the nightmares of the Wyrm itself, shaken loose from its dark dreams to roam the Umbra. Nighthags tend to form a particular attachment to a single victim, revisiting him repeatedly until she destroys a relationship with one of her loved ones, egged on by mounting fatigue and paranoia. If a Nocturna’s target steadfastly refuses to give in to the dire portents of her dreams, the Bane eventually grows frustrated; one night it will materialize and kill whichever loved one its victim seems most loathe to abandon, and then frames her for the crime.

Storytelling Notes: While Nighthags present little direct threat to the Garou in a physical confrontation, they rarely bother with mere violence. Garou are a special prize for a Nocturna. A werewolf living outside the safety of a caern is a boiling cauldron of Rage and hair-trigger instinct at the best of times, and given to believing in dream-omens in a way most modern people aren’t. If the Garou themselves seem unlikely to fall for a Nighthag’s manipulations, then their Kinfolk make even more inviting targets.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 148

Raptor

Raptors are Banes that feed off of pain and lust — not affection or simple sexual desire — but a twisted and desperate need for dominance and conquest. Their targets of choice are those who view others as mere objects existing for their own gratification. The Bane whispers across the Gauntlet, urging humans to act on their desires, and enhancing them with an aura of false confidence and persuasiveness. The Raptor picks a particular human as its “special project” and doesn’t let go, riding a wave of one-night stands, abusive relationships, and broken hearts to the Raptor’s desired conclusion: rape, depravity, and murder. It moves on once the host is a hollowed-out shell, leaving behind a shadow of a human being, something moving through a routine of abuse in the hopes of reigniting some feeling in the burnt-out cinder that used to be his soul.

Rage 5, Gnosis 8, Willpower 6, Essence 19 (plus upto 10 more if the Bane has fed recently)

Charms: Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Sleaze Aura

Image: A Raptor looks like a great, fleshy flower atop an array of slim, well-toned legs of both genders.

Background: This Bane feeds from the lusts of its host, the act of consummation, and then the pain of the host’s victims when he casts them aside; it needs all three in order to feed. The more profound the victim’s residual sense of use or violation, the more Essence the Raptor gains. A regular one-night-stand with someone as worn-down as the host himself is worth only a single point, while ruining someone else’s life might be worth five all at once.

Storytelling Notes: Once, Pentex tried to bond Raptors to various products, including cosmetics and colognes. The Raptors refused to cooperate, and now despise Pentex-created Enticers. A Raptor will go out of its way to guide its host into an Enticer’s path, with the intent of using and ruining the fomor, even killing it, if possible.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149

Rot Walker

While not the mightiest or cleverest of the Wyrm’s children, the Banes known as Rot Walkers are among the most disturbing. They are spirits of decay: not of death, but of the corruption that follows, not of endings, but of unresolved conclusions left to fester. They are the Wyrm’s promise for the future, a world inescapable even in final dissolution: a world where there is no afterlife for valiant heroes, but only an eternity of shuffling footsteps and putrid meat.

Rage 5, Gnosis 4, Willpower 7, Essence 16

Charms: Airt Sense, Armor, Blighted Touch, Carrion Walk, Lightning in the Meat, Tracking

Image: A Rot Walker in the Umbra looks like a collection of rotting corpse-parts from a variety of different animals, bound together with gut and sinew. One might be a crude centaur made of the rotting lower parts of a horse, topped by a decaying human torso and a half-flayed cattle skull; another could be a dead hound, creeping along on a multitude of mismatched and rotting arms and legs.

Background: The Silent Striders were the first tribe to encounter Rot Walkers. When they speak of these Banes at all, they say that they were once lesser spirits of death that watched over the moment when spirit and corpse separated. Curious, they listened at cracks between their domain and the Low Umbra of the dead; whatever whispers came through to them changed them forever, filling their eyes with darkness and their forms with decay. Now they are harbingers of the world beyond the Apocalypse, a soulless land of ugly, senseless destruction; and of meat silently rotting beneath a red and wounded sun.

Storytelling Notes: Rot Walkers are opportunists, taking whatever corpse seems most interesting to them at any given moment, but they take especial joy in presenting the Garou with evidence of their handiwork. If a werewolf loses control and kills an innocent in the grip of Frenzy, a Rot Walker will ensure she meets her victim again, she may even go so far as to restore the victim’s control of the corpse, so she can ask the werewolf why she had to die. Rot Walkers also enjoy dragging dead Kinfolk out of their graves.

Uktena Theurges have catalogued the existence of a similar, weaker Bane known as a Meat Puppet, which animates only the remains of the young, such as dead children and drowned kittens. Meat Puppets possess Carrion Walk, but not Lightning in the Meat.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 149

Rust Spider

Rust Spiders aren’t really a single variety of Bane. Instead, they’re the catch-all name that both Garou and Black Spiral Dancers use to refer to those cases where the spirit-servants of the Weaver — Pattern Spiders, Net Spiders, Chaos Monitors, and so on — are corrupted by the vile essence of the Wyrm, yet retain their basic shape and function.

Rust Spiders seem to serve two masters, rather than tumbling completely into the grasp of the Wyrm as most corrupted spirits do. That distinction is, in truth, what makes a Rust Spider a Rust Spider, rather than just another urban-conceptual Bane. A former Pattern Spider continues to weave according to the Weaver’s design.

A former Net-Spider continues to herd data packets to and fro across the networks where it makes its lair. Corrupted guardian spirits, such as Hunter Spiders, show the greatest deviance in their behavior, for they always allow Wyrm-tainted spirits free passage, and never treat them as enemies.

Rust Spiders keep the traits they had prior to their corruption.

Charms: Rust Spiders continue to use the Charms they originally possessed as Weaver spirits. In addition, they gain Blighted Touch and Darkweaving.

Image: The average Rust Spider closely resembles a Pattern Spider, or whatever sort of spirit it was before its corruption. Indeed, from a distance it might even be mistaken for one. Upon closer inspection, the spirit’s altered nature is unmistakable; its shining body is corroded and pitted, while unwholesome organic growths replace formerly mechanical elements. The overall first impression is that the spirit has contracted some form of biomechanical cancer, and its movements bear this out. They’re shuddering and jerky, lacking the elegant clockwork precision that is the usual hallmark of the Weaver.

Background: Some Rust Spiders are “naturally occurring,” appearing at the peripheries of blights, Pits, and other badly Wyrm-tainted areas of the Umbra. More often, Black Spiral Dancers create Rust Spiders through the Gift: Claws of Corrosion (see p. 121). This is often part of establishing an urban Pit, transforming the city’s spiritual antibodies into guardians and reinforcements for the spiritual power of the nascent Wyrm-caern. Because many Rust Spiders are non-aggressive if left alone, less-experienced Garou are sadly apt to overlook them, treating them almost as a background detail. Only those canny in the ways of the Wyrm are likely to recognize dense concentrations of Rust Spiders as a likely sign that a Pit is somewhere nearby.

Storytelling Notes: Rust Spiders work well as set pieces for urban stories, showing that the war for Gaia is bigger than a simple clash of Wyrm vs. Garou. Even the cold, terrible purity of the Weaver is a target for the Wyrm’s poisons as the Apocalypse looms. This is a particularly sobering threat for Glass Walker characters.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 150

Shattered Harts

Raging through once pristine Umbral landscapes, Shattered Harts find sustenance in agony and misery. They prefer to feed from the pain of Gaian spirits that have been subjected to the desecration of once sacred land. Insane and violent, the Harts roam their hunting grounds, attacking anything that would end the misery in which they bask. When there aren’t any adequate victims, a Shattered Hart spends its time inflicting further injury on the weaker Banes and creatures in the area.

Rage 10, Gnosis 8, Willpower 6, Essence 24

Charms: Armor, Materialize, Smoke, Tracking

Image: A Shattered Hart resembles a stag spirit with an over-exaggerated muscle structure similar to a bull’s. Its hide is oil-slicked and reflects all light in a sickly yellow hue, regardless of the source. Stark white eyes gleam from under antlers that twist in a tight gnarl over its head; these overgrown antlers are covered in inch-long thorns. Wisps of smoke curl from the bane’s nostrils. They have no permanent places of rest, but wander their territory endlessly, always on the hunt for intruders.

Background: When the Wyrm’s minions capture a Stag spirit and carve out its Gaian essence, they create a Shattered Hart. With only emptiness inside, the spirits seek to fulfill themselves by wreaking the agony they faced back upon the world. Shattered Harts haunt Blights and Hellholes that exist in the wilderness. They feel at home anywhere Pentex has leveled forests or started a fracking operation. Rarely materializing, the banes stalk the Umbra, attacking anyone or anything it perceives as a threat to it or its territory. Only when they detect an overwhelming threat in the physical world will the spirit materialize to attack it. A Shattered Hart will lash out at any Garou, including the Black Spiral Dancers.

Storytelling Notes: Shattered Harts work well to add a new level of horror to Hellholes and Blights. All Garou go into such places knowing they’re going to face banes, but not necessarily banes crafted from Gaian spirits they revere. Black Spiral Dancers take delight in taunting Shattered Harts and leading them to packs or septs with large numbers of Fianna.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 151

Thinbone

The Banes known as Thinbones are insatiable spirits of hunger, born in places of terrible famine. Unlike many conceptual Banes, Thinbones don’t hang around the places of their creation, but instead seek out places of richness and opulence — lands of plenty. It is here that they hunt, using humans to feed their own insatiable appetites and to amuse their bizarre whims. Thinbones are at least easy for the Garou to spot once they arrive in an area, as their victims’ deaths are usually strange enough to make local headlines.

Rage 7, Gnosis 7, Willpower 5, Essence 19 (up to 25 if possessing a host)

Charms: Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Possession, Tracking

Image: Thinbones look like tall, genderless, emaciated humans with elongated features dominated by an eternally gaping mouth. Their long, thin bones protrude through their flesh in places, whittled down to sharp points.

Background: Once uncommon, Thinbones have proliferated in the second half of the twentieth century. This puzzles many Garou, for famine has always been a great scourge of humanity. There seems no obvious reason for the sudden increase in this Bane’s numbers. Thinbones lust after the incredible power of caerns, but have no means of consuming them. They will target off-duty caern guardians if at all possible.

Storytelling Notes: As solo Banes, Thinbones present little physical threat to a mighty werewolf; instead, they are opportunities for the Garou to act as heroes, saving the unfortunates that Thinbones possess from a terrible, demeaning, prolonged death. On the other hand, Thinbones tend to target those in positions of privilege and plenty; certain Garou (such as Bone Gnawers and Red Talons) may not want to help the spirit’s victims.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 152

Spawn of the Wyrm

If Banes and their twisted flesh-puppets were the Wyrm’s only creations, the work of the Garou would be much more straightforward, if no less daunting. However, the Wyrm’s polluted loins are fecund indeed, and multitudes of horrors walk the Earth, stamped by its taint. Some of these are twisted things the Wyrm has spawned upon the face of Gaia; its servants at Pentex made others. Each is a threat unto itself.

Heart Eaters

The monstrosities known as Heart Eaters are an old, old work of the Wyrm: rare, subtle, and insidious. They’re strange things, neither Banes nor fomori nor the product of any other Wyrmish artifice of which the Garou are aware. They seem to exist only to reap a harvest of death and betrayal, and to worship the Maeljin known as Empress Aliara.

Heart Eaters are soft-bodied, writhing, flexible things. No creature of Gaia could feel anything save revulsion for a Heart Eater. However, the Heart Eaters understand the emotions and relationships of others all too well. Possessed of an uncanny empathy and a genius for relationship dynamics, Heart Eaters find it easy to sniff out deep bonds between others. When they find a particularly deep or vital bond, they go to work. Heart-Eaters are a sort of skin-walker, eating an individual’s heart and brain to absorb their identity. They then wear the skin of their victim and masquerade as them, the better to get close to the victim’s paramour.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 5, Manipulation 5, Appearance 0 (uses host-skin’s Appearance), Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Empathy 5, Expression 4, Performance 5, Subterfuge 5
Traits: Rage 5, Gnosis 8, Willpower 7

Health Levels: OK, –1, –1, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated.

Attacks: Strength +3 bite (lethal), Strength tentacle attack (bashing, out to 10 feet), Strength +1 sting (lethal, see below)

Powers: Body Barbs, Clean Scent, Empathy, Extra Limbs, Sting

  • Clean Scent: The Heart Eater may spend one Gnosis point per scene to hide its Wyrm-taint from detection.
  • Empathy: With a Wits + Empathy roll (difficulty 5) the Heart Eater can discern not only whom an individual loves passionately, but if the object of the target’s desire feels the same way. By consuming an individual’s heart and brain and spending two Gnosis points, the Heart Eater can perfectly impersonate the victim. They instinctively mimic the victim’s personality, mannerisms, and even habits, and have access to the victim’s memories. This access is instinctive rather than deliberate, however. The Heart Eater can’t “rifle around” in the victim’s memories selectively. Instead, memories arise and present themselves as necessary for the Heart Eater to maintain its masquerade.
  • Sting: The Heart Eater can inject a paralytic toxin into its victim through the tips of its tentacles. Unless the target makes a Stamina roll against difficulty 9, they will be rendered unable to move for the rest of the scene. Injecting a dose of toxin costs one point of Rage.

Image: When a Heart Eater emerges from a stolen skin, it is a hideously malformed thing that only fits the description of “human” by a great act of generosity. The monster is mottled mold-green and maggot-white, its body plump, segmented, flexible, with collapsible flesh, and many-jointed limbs. Its face consists of two perfectly human eyes, which can change colors at a whim, set in the midst of puffy flesh and a great, sharp-fanged, lipless maw. Two long, stinger-tipped tentacles extend from the flesh of the thing’s lower back; it wraps them around itself when sliding into a skin. The monster is able to compress its body radically, so that it always fits into any flayed skin it has stolen, and the hideous secretions that coat its flesh are able to preserve a stolen skin almost indefinitely.

Background: No one knows where the Heart Eaters come from. They feature in Uktena songs that date all the way back to the War of Rage, making them one of the Wyrm’s most enduring horrors. Heart Eaters have always primarily been found in the Americas, with only a very few ever stalking the towns and woods of Europe. They feature prominently in the cautionary songs and foe-litanies of the Pure Tribes, but were almost unknown to European Garou during the era of the Wyrmcomers. As a result, the Heart Eaters reaped a great and terrible harvest among their new and unwary foes up until the twentieth century, when shared knowledge informed all the Garou Nation of these creatures.

Storytelling Notes: Heart Eaters are willing to play the long game when wearing a loved one’s skin. They’re cowardly things, more interested in destroying hearts and shattering sanity than in simple murder. As a result, they often leave the paramours of their victims alive after paralyzing them, “disrobing” in front of a horrified captive audience. The greatest of Heart-Eaters may stalk a preferred target throughout his life, returning to check on him every few years, waiting patiently for him to fall in love again, and then repeating their masquerade. Supernatural beings, already alienated from the rest of the world, are particularly tempting targets.

Heart Eaters are mostly solo operators, seeming to reserve their Wyrmish devotion exclusively for Empress Aliara, but will work occasionally with other Wyrm-horrors or even Black Spiral Dancers if they can be convinced that their allies are also true servants of Aliara. Heart Eaters are especially dangerous when working alongside others, restraining their natural impulses in order to act as long-term deep-cover spies within Kinfolk families or even septs of the Garou.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 152

Thunderwyrms

Vast and deformed children of the atomic age, Thunderwyrms are among the more recent Wyrm-birthed monstrosities, and among the largest. Massive, pale, bloated terrors, Thunderwyrms live only to consume and grow. They sleep deep beneath the ground for many years before the need to feed drives them to the surface in an orgy of destruction: trees, cars, livestock, a Thunderwyrm can digest almost anything, but only living things truly satisfy the monster’s massive appetite.

Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 4, Stamina 8, Charisma 0, Manipulation 0, Appearance 0, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 2

Note: The Attributes listed above reflect the statistics for an average (30-foot) Thunderwyrm. Strength and Stamina increase substantially the larger the creatures grow, and there appears to be no upper limit on how much they can grow. Grandmother Thunderwyrm is allegedly strong enough to shatter concrete by rippling her skin.

Abilities: Athletics 5 (cannot dodge), Brawl 5

Traits: Rage 6, Willpower 5

Health Levels: OK, OK, OK, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –3, –3, –4, –4, –5, –5, Incapacitated

Attacks: Bite (Strength lethal), Roll (Strength bashing — more than 3 successes indicates the target is pinned under the creature’s bulk), Body Slam (Strength + 3 bashing)

Powers: Armor (four extra soak dice), Burrow (as the Garou Gift, but with no cost)

Image: Thunderwyrms range in size from merely huge to unspeakably gigantic. The most commonly encountered normally stretch 30 feet in length, and almost eight feet wide. The largest, and presumably oldest, is Grandmother Thunderwyrm: she spans the length of two football fields and is almost three hundred feet around. Rumor has it that she contains an entire Wyrm caern in her gut. The smallest Thunderwyrm yet seen — presumably newly hatched — was only the length of a man.

These pillars of pale grey flesh constantly secrete a thick, mucus-like substance to speed their way through the earth. They move through muscular contractions, and by eating everything ahead of them and defecating the earth out as they pass, leaving little trace of their presence. Thunderwyrms resemble earthworms with enormous mouths filled with row upon row of jagged teeth. Some are aquatic and develop rubbery black hides more like a leech.

Background: According to the Uktena, the first Thunderwyrms were born from the radioactive soil at the Trinity nuclear test site. Reports of Thunderwyrm attacks are rising in frequency. A new generation of the things appears to have recently hatched, and Thunderwyrms are born hungry.

Storytelling Notes: Encounters with Thunderwyrms are rare, and generally in rural areas. Many Thunderwyrms follow trends in their attack patterns: only coming out during storms, for example, or repeatedly stalking favored locations. The marks they leave on the ground strongly resemble the patterns left by tornadoes. While their digestion-trails are badly Wyrm-tainted, they leave no chemical digestive residue in the soil for scientists to examine.

Thunderwyrms are perfect for stories where “something” is beginning to terrorize a small farming community, or isolated desert town. If the Garou don’t step in, a hungry Thunderwyrm — or its newly hatched brood — might devour the entire settlement.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 153

Skull Pigs

The Skull Pigs are twisted horrors, the only surviving trace of the once powerful Grondr. Once charged with cleansing Gaia, the wereboar’s fallen descendants became their opposite. Skull Pigs attempt to befoul or devour everything they touch. They eat carrion and draw sinister strength from the flesh of the dead, though they can subsist on almost anything: including garbage, toxic waste, or even radioactive corpses. Skull Pigs dig through graveyards seeking human bones, devouring them to regain their Rage. When they eat bones of Wyrm-creatures, the Pigs gain a malevolent cunning that makes them all the more dangerous. The Skull Pigs can smell such tainted remains, and devouring such a feast raises a Skull Pig’s intelligence within only a few minutes.

Attributes: Strength 7, Dexterity 4, Stamina 8, Charisma 0, Manipulation 0 (2-4), Appearance 0, Perception 2, Intelligence 1 (2-5), Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 5, Brawl 5, Intimidation 4, Primal-Urge 3, Stealth 2, Survival 4

Powers: Regeneration (as Garou)

Traits: Rage 5, Willpower 3

Health Levels: OK, OK, –1, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated

Attacks: Body Slam, Tusks (Strength +3)

Note: Each meal of Wyrm-tainted bones increases the Skull Pig’s Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 5. These increases last for one year. Eating the bodies of especially powerful fomori, or devouring large numbers of them at once, makes these increases permanent. An intelligent Skull Pig learns at least one Black Spiral Dancer Gift per dot in Intelligence. Because of their toxic diet and innate corruption, the flesh of a Skull Pig is poisonous; any creature biting one suffers a point lethal damage per turn for the next six turns (see “Poisons and Drugs,” W20 Core, pg 258-259).

Image: Skull Pigs resemble huge, somewhat emaciated wild boars that stand six feet at the shoulder and are almost seven feet long. Their bristles are coarse and malformed and they stink of grave-rot. The deathly pale flesh covering their skulls is so thin, and the bone structure so distinctive, that it’s easy to get the impression that they have no flesh to their heads at all. Despite their deathlike appearance, they obviously possess a wiry strength.

Unlike many of the Wyrm’s creatures, Skull Pigs do not have obvious sores or deformities like withered limbs. Corrupted so long ago, the Skull Pigs have fully adapted to the Wyrm’s foul energies. They have lost the ability to change shape, and are born and grow up as nothing more than clever animals. They must devour flesh poisoned by the Wyrm to regain the intelligence once common to all of their ancestors.

Background: All of the Changing Breeds know that the War of Rage brought about the Grondr’s extermination. So enraged were the members of one of the last Sounders (packs) of Grondr, by the Garou’s slaughter of their Breed that their lust for vengeance and their hatred of the Garou attracted the attention of Lord Steel, the Maeljin Incarna of hatred. He offered these Grondr the chance to survive the werewolves’ onslaught and for them and their descendants to strike back against their enemies. The wereboars accepted this foul deal and they and their descendants became agents of the Wyrm.

Today, Skull Pigs roam in packs of three to seven. Often family groups, packs drive off young or elderly males, who form their own especially violent and predatory packs. Ordinary Skull Pigs have an evil cunning, but are only slightly more intelligent than gorillas or chimpanzees. However, if they are able to feed on the bones of a creature tainted by the Wyrm, they become fully intelligent and more actively malevolent. Intelligent Skull Pigs can be almost as dangerous as Black Spiral Dancers, but still lack the ability to change shape.

Storytelling Notes: Even the unintelligent Skull Pigs will attack Garou, though they ignore humans who are not obviously easy prey. Most humans either do not remember seeing a Skull Pig, or believe that they have seen a normal, if often terrifying wild boar or feral pig. They inflict Delirium the same as seeing a Garou’s Crinos form.

Ordinary Skull Pigs have keen senses and are skilled and ever-hungry pack hunters. They can smell weakness, and make a special effort to prey upon the weak. Intelligent Skull Pigs revel in tainting the land and corrupting or killing other Changing Breeds, especially the Garou. Despite now being creatures of the Wyrm, intelligent Skull Pigs retain a faint racial memory of the destruction of their kind at the hands of the Garou.

In addition to becoming intelligent, Skull Pigs who devour Wyrm-tainted remains also gain the ability to imitate perfectly sounds and voices. They use this ability to trick humans and members of the Changing Breeds into thinking that an ally or comrade is calling for help. The pigs then lie in ambush when their victim comes to help. Skull Pigs can use their hooves to dig tunnels, and the intelligent members of their Breed occasionally construct large warrens to act as traps. They collapse these tunnels upon enemies who enter attempting to slay the Skull Pigs.

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 154

The Fallen

The Black Spiral Dancers are the only tribe of Garou that has fallen to the Wyrm, but they are far from the only members of the Changing Breeds fallen to corruption. Agents of the Wyrm work to corrupt individuals as well as groups. Every year, a few individuals among the Changing Breeds forswear their duty to Gaia and become servants of the Wyrm. Some are willfully blind to the consequences of their actions and choose corruption because they so firmly believe the ends justify the means that they lose sight of the ends they seek to accomplish. Others might ally with the Wyrm to save their own lives, or carry previous taint by the Wyrm and fell due to shame and self-loathing. A few simply decide that they want to be on what looks to them like the winning side in the coming Apocalypse.

Antara: The Spider-Queen’s Fallen

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 156

Queen Ananasa rules the werespiders. The Tenere, Kumoti and Hatar each obeys one of the Triat, as decided by the Queen. Even the Kumo have their place in the Ananasa’s web, corrupting and killing to her ultimate design.

Not the Antara. Also known as Breakers, the Antara walked Queen Ananasa’s web, obediently following the strands until they saw her trap for what it is. Refusing ensnarement they entreated the Wyrm for power and broke free of the webs. While the Hatar follow the Wyrm’s original purpose, the Antara follow the Wyrm into freedom.

The Antara believe Queen Ananasa uses the Ananasi for her own goals, not Gaia’s. Why should they serve when they can choose their own path? Breaking free of the Queen’s web opens their eyes — they understand corruption is inevitable, and everything must fall. Entropy is unceasing — even the most debased and degraded can erode further. The Antara see freedom in what others call the Wyrm’s madness. It is insanity on a cosmic scale, and only the uncontrolled can begin to understand it.

The Antara know that everything will eventually be of the Wyrm. They didn’t choose the Wyrm because they want to increase its power and speed its inevitable victory — although their existence does both. The Breakers choose the Wyrm’s power to gain freedom from the Queen’s machinations and to experience everything life has to offer before the Wyrm takes it all.

Antara are the hedonists of the Ananasi. Much like the Kumo, they revel in emotional release, often acting in spontaneous, seemingly irrational ways. The Antara see no kinship with the Kumo, and even their apparent irrational behavior is driven by perceptions and goals that are alien to other Ananasi. The Kumo are given to the Wyrm’s service by Queen Ananasi and still serve her plans — duped into believing they serve only the Wyrm. The difference between the Antara and Kumo is invisible to other werespiders, evoking deep anger within the Breakers. To the Antara the difference is immense. Where the Kumo still indirectly serve the Queen, the Antara are free of her webs. Their independence and lifestyle aligns them with the Wyrm but they do not serve it. Their act of breaking from Queen Ananasa is a victory for the Wyrm, and every free action they take damages the threads of her plans. Their existence empowers the Wyrm but the Antara serve only their own whims.

The Antara are free of manipulations and control. They command their own destinies, and they will fight to the death before they submit to any other master, including each other. They reject others binding them, but love to ensnare victims in their webs. In freeing them, the Wyrm may have doomed itself to a prison of its own making. The inescapable core of their being as Ananasi is to weave and build and control. The Antara will inevitably even seek to bind the Wyrm.

More than other werespiders, Breakers are solitary. They will sometimes work with other Antara, or other Ananasi, but they chafe under anyone giving them instruction or controlling their actions. For a Breaker to follow another requires tremendous strength of will to not murder the transgressor. Antara only follow if they independently believe it will further their own goals.

The Shadow War

The Antara don’t just think they’re free. They are free. They see the threads of Queen Ananasa’s webs and the corruption of the Wyrm more clearly than anyone else. What they don’t understand is that they play a more important role in the war against the Wyrm than anyone knows.

When the Wyrm kidnapped Queen Ananasa it was incapable of destroying her, but the Wyrm is patient and understands the rules governing the Triat better than any lesser being ever could. Its corruption is insidious. The Wyrm knows how the purest objects are those most quickly tarnished. Perfection attracts degradation. It could not kill the spider queen, but while she languished in her self-made tomb in the heart of Malfeas she could not prevent the Wyrm’s corruption slowly seeping through her web.

When the Garou recovered Ananasa’s prison-orb from Malfeas, the Queen could already feel the Wyrm’s tendrils seeking a way into her mind. When the werewolves cracked it open she could not tell whether she was already corrupted — what if it was so subtle she never recognized that her decisions were not her own?

Fighting the Wyrm’s touch from her thoughts, Queen Ananasa made the only choice she knew the Wyrm couldn’t predict or counter. She introduced random flaws into her web that only her most independent children could find, although Ananasa has no influence on which qualities lead an individual Ananasi to the Wyrm. These clever, wicked children desert their Queen, but in doing so they sever the threads binding them to any master. She cannot choose who should walk this path — that would give her influence and make the choice untrustworthy. The Antara are truly free agents, and their nature must lead them to turn on the Wyrm as surely as they turned on the Queen.

Unfortunately, the Wyrm is not as easily deceived as Queen Ananasa believes. The Wyrm knew of her impending escape and manipulated events to further its goals. It allowed the Garou to succeed, setting opposition that was merely devastating instead of impossible. It could not mar Ananasa’s opal shell but it believed the manipulated and misguided Garou heroes might succeed. The crack in the shell gave the Wyrm access to Ananasa, and a hook into her mind.

Both the Wyrm and Ananasa believe the freeing of the Antara was the first act in the next stage of their shadowy war. The actions of the Antara may decide in these final days who is victorious – the master manipulator or the supreme seducer.

Creating Breakers

Antara creation is the same as for other Ananasi. They still have the markings showing which member of the Triat they originally served — their fall to the Wyrm does not include any visual sign for others to notice.

Antara may purchase any Ananasi Gift as though it was favored. Queen Ananasa relinquishes all restrictions on these rebellious children, as this is the only way she can ensure they act fully of their own will and are free of her influences. Though this harms the resistance provided by her faithful Ananasi, the Queen has to hope that eventually the gambit will be rewarded when they bind the Wyrm within their webs.

Histpah: The Liar-Kings

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 157

The Bastet are Gaia’s eyes, hunting out secrets in hidden places, guided by their cunning and grace to enter the darkness and emerge triumphant. The werecats are Gaia’s beautiful, proud children. They were born last of the shapeshifters and embody perfection. The Bastet play a coy game with Cahlash, the Father of Night and Author of Mysteries, following him into the unknown but always keeping themselves aloof and in control. The Garou call Cahlash the Wyrm, the embodiment of corruption.

The Bastet know better. Cahlash is the ancient embodiment of the Balance Wyrm, not the modern, lesser, form. This vanity is the Bastet’s greatest downfall; though the cats believe they have control, with every venture into the darkness the Wyrm tempts them with the promise of the greatest secret of all. Every triumphant return brings with it the possibility that the Bastet has opened her eyes to the truth and joined the ranks of the Histpah. The most curious Bastet discover the final obstacle to unlocking Cahlash’s truth is to bind an unbreakable geas into the essence of their being to never reveal a secret’s answer. Thus over-curious Bastet willingly corrupt their Gaia-given purpose.

Having witnessed the new Histpah accept the geas, Cahlash reveals the truth as he knows it. All of Creation is irrelevant. The Wyrm was never the embodiment of balance; the Wyrm is bigger than anything else, it is the void within which everything else sits. The Wyrm conceded tiny parts of its unknowable self to permit the Weaver and the Wyld to exist as brief diversions in its infinite expanse. These two, lesser, elements of the Triat are no more capable of ever being balanced than a Bastet is balanced by one of her claws. Gaia herself is even less significant than the Triat; she is a momentary experiment in the Wyrm’s brief diversion. This diversion was never meant to be permanent and it has run its course, so the Wyrm returns it to the nothingness from which it came.

The Histpah emerge from the darkness full of truth and knowing they can never reveal this or anything else to anyone ever again. To any other creature this would be a nuisance, but the Bastet were made to uncover secrets and bring truths to the light. The Histpah have sold out their purpose and ability to ever again feel the satisfaction of fulfilling their duty, all in exchange for the ultimate nihilistic understanding of the pointlessness of existence.

The Histpah can’t reveal the truth they’ve learned, and they can never share the answer to any other secret. They are still Bastet and they still yearn to know what hides behind the secrets they encounter, but now they must hoard the truths they’ve worked so hard to uncover.

The Cycle of Lies

Most Histpah soon learn that their geas does nothing to prevent them sharing falsehoods as though they were true and they turn their Bastet instincts to spreading misinformation. The spiritual stain they feel in spreading lies is insignificant to the ever-building pressure of denying their natures. They also learn that the pressure only eases if the recipient of information believes it to be true. Other Bastet are canny, skeptical creatures and are unlikely to accept a secret that doesn’t feel right. Most Histpah soon learn how hard it is to fool their own kind, and must take drastic action to prevent their secret from spreading to the Bastet. This is the Histpah’s wretched existence until she dies; a cycle of lies, misinformation and murder to keep hold of the outlet she so desperately needs.

Some Histpah, desperate for release, delight in revealing what they know to helpless victims who will soon die by the Bastet’s claws. This outlet relieves a tremendous amount of stress for the werecat, but many Histpah have learned to their regret that fate sometimes conspires to give their doomed victims a chance to escape, in turn dooming the incautious Histpah. Whether this ends the victim or the werecat, the Wyrm is sated as long one dies.

No tribe of Bastet is more likely to fall victim to Cahlash’s temptations than the others — Father Night intimately understands the curiosity of the werecats and knows how to twist his tantalizing secrets to attract the attentions of any tribe. The Bastet themselves tend to believe Bubasti fall to the Wyrm more than the other tribes, but this is simple prejudice spread by the Histpah to protect their own fallen existence. In fact, the Bubasti are better at uncovering their fallen cousins than other tribes but they have difficulty sharing this knowledge due to the mistrust. Cahlash delights when his fallen children use Bastet pride and arrogance to turn suspicion on innocents.

Cahlash still whispers to fallen Bastet long after they learn his secret. He listens to confessions in the darkness and knows where cunning hunters may find new secrets. Histpah who know that a secret exists but have not learned it may listen to Cahlash’s whispers for clues. Roll Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) with each success giving the Histpah a clue where the answer may be found. This could be the location of a vault, the name of a lost tome, or the image of someone who knows the secret. Cahlash will never directly reveal the answer to the Histpah but will tease the werecat with tantalizing hints. Should the Histpah follow the clues to learn the secret, she is no more capable of revealing it than any other she knows. A fallen werecat can only listen to Cahlash’s whispers once per secret.

Creating Histpah

A Histpah character is made the same as any Bastet character but has an additional Yava. The Histpah may never reveal the true answer to a secret. This applies to all forms of communication — the Histpah is prevented in word, thought or deed from sharing the truth.

Histpah can be tricked into revealing an answer — for example by another character presenting a series of choices and watching the Histpah’s involuntary reactions carefully to discern the truth. Unfortunately for the corrupted werecat, even involuntary revelation violates the terms of her geas.

Any violation of this Yava starts to unravel the Histpah’s existence. She suffers one level of unsoakable aggravated damage per day and appears increasingly translucent until she dies and fades away to nothingness, becoming a secret whose existence Calash has scrubbed from history. Other Bastet may have vague memories of the Histpah and search for proof she existed, but such secrets are very hard to find.

The Histpah may halt the dissolution by destroying everyone who learned the secret she carelessly revealed. Though individual Histpah may find such killing distasteful, few are willing to sacrifice themselves when others could die in their place. Fortunately for the Histpah, the nature of her curse leads her in the direction of the closest victim, but how she gets there is up to her.
The doomed werecat can indulge in straight-forward murder if only one person knew the secret, but if more than one person knows, or if those people told others, the Histpah must slaughter her way to safety or accept the dissipation of her being.

Buzzards: Raven’s Lost Children

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 158

Every pair of wereravens must deliberately create their children using the Rite of the Fetish Egg. As the child matures, this egg begins to crack. It hatches when the youth nears adulthood, transforming the young human, or raven into one of the Corax. At least, things should work that way.

The Rite of the Fetish Egg is extremely difficult and demanding. Many Corax only perform it once in their lifetime, and so they protect the fetish egg with their lives. Corax consider their duty to guard the eggs of their children to be one of their most sacred responsibilities, but sometimes even the most dedicated guardians fail. Occasionally, Black Spiral Dancers or other agents of the Wyrm discover a wereraven’s Umbral nest and steal the fetish egg — usually from the cold dead talons of its guardian.

Deleterious Effects

The thieves carry the egg back to Malfeas. Once there, the spiritual thread connecting the fetish egg with the raven or human who would grow up to become a Corax begins to fray. After several weeks, the spiritual thread snaps. If heroic wereravens rescue the fetish egg before this connection vanishes, all is well, and the young Corax eventually undergoes her First Change, experiencing nothing worse than periodic nightmares.

However, once the connection snaps, the young human or raven becomes catatonic. Most die soon after. At the same time, the egg begins to decay, soon leaving nothing but an empty shell. The thieves plan a far more terrible fate for the egg. In Malfeas, they place it in a foul birthing pit along with a stolen human infant.

Here, the thieves perform the Rite of the Broken Wing, a hideous mockery of the Rite of the Fetish Egg that connects the stolen and dying egg to the infant next to it. Completing this relatively simple ritual requires the ritemaster it to shatter systematically every bone in the left wing of a captive bird. Although agents of the Wyrm can use any bird, most prefer to use a raven — or a captive Corax.

If the Rite of the Broken Wing fails, the egg dissipates and the infant dies. If it succeeds, it binds the two together in a horrible imitation of what should happen to a young wereraven. The damage to the egg and the corrupt energies of Malfeas both serve to warp the final creature. The Corax call these cursed unfortunates Buzzards or Scabs.

Growing Up Scabby

The Rite of the Broken Wing instantly triggers the infant Buzzard’s First Change. Rather than becoming a wereraven as a young adult, the trauma instantly overwhelms the child with the bizarre torture of feeling his body warp and twist in unnatural ways. The shock of this transformation and the sudden combination of human and raven drives the Buzzard permanently insane. Then, to ensure its full corruption, other Buzzards either raise it in Malfeas or take it to earth where Black Spiral Kinfolk or other willing agents of the Wyrm raise it to be a mad and dangerous soldier of corruption.

Regardless of where they grow up, a Buzzard’s corrupt guardians train the young Scab as a spy and assassin. He studies the arts of subterfuge and sabotage and learns to be a sneaky and careful observer. His mentors also teach them everything they know about Corax life and customs.

A few of the less obviously deformed or insane Buzzards can successfully pass for Corax for a short time. Their erratic behavior prevents them from accomplishing any sort of extended deception. Eventually even the most careful Buzzard strikes other Corax as being wrong in some fundamental way. Instead, the bulk of a Scab’s training about the Corax enables him to spy successfully unseen upon wereravens, to understand what he learns, and to kill any lone Corax that he encounters.

Madness and Malformation

Created using a perversion of the wereraven’s sacred birthing Rite and nurtured amidst the twisted energies of Malfeas, Scabs lack the elegance and internal harmony of normal Corax. They are inherently clumsy and discordant individuals. Rather than giving them the best of both species, the Rite of the Broken Wing pits human and raven drives and psychology against one another. Most Buzzards suffer nervous tics and inappropriate mannerisms, and are naturally ungainly while flying and walking. Some Corax who have met Scabs claim they walk like a bird, fly like a human and generally consist of the worst features of each. Buzzards are also prone to violent outbursts of temper, alternating between fits of rage, depression, and euphoria.

Creating Buzzards

Buzzards are in most ways identical to Homid Corax. They share the same addiction to shiny things, the same compulsion to gossip and share what they learn. A few of the most insane Buzzards share all of their knowledge with everyone they encounter, to the point of becoming another insane person standing on a street corner ranting about the End of Days.

They also share the same physical traits, including hollow bones and a vulnerability to gold. Buzzards differ from Corax in only two major ways. They cannot gain Raven’s patronage as a Totem, and they each suffer a physical deformity, their bodies reflecting their twisted origins.

Most have the same deformities found in metis Garou, like incomplete transformations or a total lack of feathers. Other Buzzards have afflictions that more obviously come from the Wyrm, such as rotting flesh, large numbers of warts, extraneous fleshy growths, or a tendency to vomit up large numbers of live worms. Almost all have somewhat ragged feathers, leaving some behind after every transformation. In human form, even Buzzards who are not obviously deformed have a somewhat skeletal appearance and look arthritic, sickly, and generally unattractive. Buzzards can never possess an Appearance higher than two.

Despite suffering such horrors, they’re not fomori and they haven’t traveled the Black Spiral Labyrinth. Instead, they are simply deformed, insane, and generally malevolent Corax. They still possess Rage, Gnosis, Renown, and all other standard Corax traits. They can learn the tribal Gifts of the Black Spiral Dancers, but lack any innate powers associated with the Wyrm.

Mnetics: The Eaters of Secrets

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 160

The Mnetics have many names, most of which they gave themselves. Dumenkara, Mindborn, Sasahai, Katikasasa, Vanus, and more, all which relate in some way to twisting the Mnesis. They do this partly to confound the Mokole and give the appearance of enemies everywhere, but they also use different names for their own amusement, because they like the way they sound, and, ultimately, because none like the name ‘Addict’.

The Mokolé guard Gaia’s memory. They witness history and wait for the turning of the age. They’re not naïve enough to hope the other changing breeds learn from past mistakes and use this knowledge to avoid the same tragic paths. Maybe the Mokolé once had this hope for the young breeds in ages past, but the Mnesis’ endless parade of repeated mistakes demonstrates its futility. So the Mokolé watch the world dying around them and await the next Apocalypse. Whatever happens, the Mokolé believe they will emerge out the other side to continue watching and remembering for Gaia.

The Mnetics know the other Mokolé’s faith is beautifully tragic, and wish they could remember which of their kind twisted the Mnesis to so completely fool the weresaurians. The Mnetics have opened their eyes to the truth that memories are ephemeral, malleable things no harder to reshape than a ball of soft putty. Mnesis isn’t the secure vault the Mokolé believe it to be. Even the unfallen Mokolé know that memories from ages past are difficult to dream with clarity. They trust in the similarity of symbols and ideas shared by streams. If every Mokolé of a given stream dreams the same, the Mnesis must reflect the truth.

This is wrong. Just ask the Mnetics, who manipulate memories and twist the gossamer threads of recollections as easily as other Mokolé breathe. They know first-hand how unreliable memory is, as they rewrite history every day. This knowledge makes most fallen Mokolé live for the present. Mokolé often have a reputation for being mired in the past, but the Mnetics buck this trend. They adopt new technology to better understand how to twist, pervert and use it to their advantage. Many develop an interest in photography and recording technologies, to better understand how to edit and delete these records that are beyond Mnesis. The Mnetics have a particular love/hate relationship with the internet and social media. They love the many methods of lying, twisting and distorting the truth on a massive scale, but loathe the externalizing of humanity’s knowledge and experiences — their memory — as it makes it difficult for the Mnetics to permanently destroy something so widespread. Fortunately the nature of today’s media means people often accept lies as truth, and the way media, politicians and entertainers spin facts to better reflect the message they want, not the truth as it is, gives the Mnetics a niche to control.

It is the Mokolé trust in Mnesis that leads some to reject what they thought to be true and join the Wyrm. Such a simple foundation of faith is an easy target for the Wyrm — often merely demonstrating the lie is enough to tip a faithful weresaurian from his purpose. Deleting something the Mokolé would be sure of, twisting a memory to render important details incorrect, or inserting a new memory that is clearly fantasy but absolutely true to the victim are common weapons used to tear apart the weresaurian’s purpose, leading them to abandon Gaia and choose the Wyrm.

Other Mokolé fall from the addictive rush they first experience altering memory. Some try to forget an act so terrible it must be buried, others wish to relieve the pain of a tragedy they cannot face. These small tweaks begin innocently enough, but each time the justification for a new alteration becomes easier to make, and soon the new Mnetic is altering the memories of others to protect his secret, and twisting his own recollection of the event to feel better about it. Eventually they become solipsistic nihilists, trapped forever in the now because the past is one great canvas of superficial, pretty lies.

The existence of the Mnetics is an infectious meme to other Mokolé, memory worms that burrow inside and plant doubt in the Mokolé’s suitability to serve as Gaia’s memory. Mnetic numbers grow faster than the fallen of any other Changing Breed, as the fallen weresaurians hope to bring the entire species to extinction with this modern day Apocalypse. Few Mnetics regret their decision to fall. The weresaurians ruthlessly practice their Gifts on their own memories, changing regrets to relief, and excising unpleasant and unwanted recollections. As a result, the Mnetics are unreliable witnesses but have one of the most positive outlooks of any shapeshifter.

Other Changing Breeds have Gifts that alter, suppress or fool the memories of their victims, but these do not affect the true Mnesis and the Mokolé look upon them with disdain. A Mokolé may be irritated to learn her mind was violated by another Breed, but she knows a healing sleep will cleanse her memories as they wash through the tides of Mnesis. This attitude instils great faith in Mnesis, which makes the Mnetics’ manipulation of the memory source all the more devastating, and shocks an ever-increasing number of weresaurians into falling to the Wyrm’s blissful embrace to escape the realization.

The Mnetics have a special affinity with the Innocents, who also twist and remove Mokolé memories. Many Mnetics who didn’t experience their crisis of faith at the hands of another Mnetic experienced their first doubts of Mnesis from the powers of Innocents. The stillborn spirits both love and hate their fallen cousins. They delight in tormenting the once-Mokolé by twisting their memories when they think they can do so without being noticed, but also teach memory-corrupting powers to their Mnetic partners.

The Mnetics tend to work well together, as they have the best defenses against the memory tampering of their own kind. They also don’t tend to care if their memories are accurate — it’s no trouble to edit them afterward. Clutches may work together for years with each member having a very different recollection of the experience. Mnetics are also notoriously difficult to interrogate — if they think capture is inevitable, they quickly erase their memories or rewrite them to prevent giving up their co-conspirators or to reveal their plans. Mokolé find it particularly frustrating when they finally capture one of their fallen kind, only to discover his last remaining memory is to tell them he deleted it all.

The Mnetics hide in plain sight, twisting the memory of those around them to forget when they’re gone. Some delight in confounding others through their tinkering. For two decades covering the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first, a group of Mnetics convinced Mokolé, Garou and most of the Pentex board of the existence of a particularly depraved member of their kind who engaged in vile acts within the Atrocity Realm. Calling their creation Braney, hundreds of people believed that a fallen No-Sun Mokolé called Deep Purple Dark was the dark inspiration behind the children’s television show. Each of these witnesses swore that they had seen poorly-copied, smuggled tapes of ‘Braney’ performing depraved acts of torture and violation, and pointed to ‘innocent’ events within the children’s show that they said were hidden references to the filth. ‘Braney’ never existed, but Deep Purple Dark did. The Mnetics wanted to see how far and for how long they could twist perceptions. When they grew bored of their game, they made sure various hunters suddenly knew how to find Deep Purple Dark and bring him to ‘justice’. Deep Purple Dark’s full confession before his execution helped reassure the Mokolé that they had the right person. The Mnetics clutch is now pondering who their next victim will be, and how far they’ll push it this time.

Secret, precious memories are the most vulnerable to the Mnetics and are those considered most interesting. Memories that everyone recalls are harder to change or eliminate because of their distribution through the Mnesis. Those held by only a few — or ideally just one person — are targeted by Mnetics for surgical strikes.

Creating Mnetics

Mnetics are mostly the same as other Mokolé and follow usual character creation rules. Mnetics may learn the Steal Mnesis and Corrupt Mnesis powers normally restricted to Innocents (W20 Changing Breeds, pg 142), who delight in the partnership with the fallen reptiles and sometimes act as totems.

A Mnetic may alter her own memories at will through a Mnesis quest, taking several hours. She may attempt to alter the memories of those she meets with a Manipulation + Mnesis roll. The difficulty depends on how many people share the memory — difficulty 5 for memories known only to the victim, difficulty 6 if known by less than 10 people, difficulty 7 for 10 to 100 people, and difficulty 8 for more than 100. The Mnetic can reduce the difficulty by 1 by touching the victim while attempting the alteration.

The Mnetic may attempt to quickly alter the Mnesis of members of her clutch, stream, or Mokolé she can physically touch. The player makes a Manipulation + Mnesis roll (difficulty 7 for clutch, 8 for stream), resisted by the victim’s Perception + Mnesis (difficulty 7). Each success for the Mnetic allows one minor alteration.

With more time and extended Mnesis quests, the Mnetic may more slowly alter her stream’s Mnesis. She makes an extended Manipulation + Mnesis roll (difficulty 6) per night of Mnesis quest. Every 10 successes allow her to make a minor alteration to the collected pool of memory, such as changing the name of a storied hero. Alternatively, she can save those successes to attempt to gain 50 successes, to make a major Mnesis alteration, such as having an ancient human civilization existing alongside the dinosaurs. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what constitutes a minor or major modification. Rolling a botch at any time during this extended roll leaves a memory stain that everyone sharing that Mnesis can find — some may have the skill and clarity to follow the stain back to the Mnetic.

Bitter Grins: The Hollow Laughter

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 162

The Bitter-Grins — also called the Nokhomi — want to see the conclusion of the greatest prank of all. Long ago, the Wyrm looked at the balance between the Triat and saw that its siblings took that balance for granted. With a bitter grin, the Wyrm designed a prank to teach its siblings the value of what they had.

The Wyrm spoke to the Weaver and teased her that the Wyld had greater dominion over Gaia. Though this was untrue and the three forces were balanced, the Weaver listened to the Wyrm and grew jealous of her sibling. Everywhere the Weaver placed order the Wyld crept through, desecrating the fixed structures with teeming life and chaos. What the Weaver did not see was the Wyrm conspiring with the Wyld to subvert the order and break its cohesion. The Wyrm nipped at the structures to make cracks through which the Wyld energies couldn’t help but spring through.

Enraged by what she perceived as inequality, the Weaver desperately covered dynamic Wyld with static forms, with little success. The Wyld kept breaking through. The Weaver lamented to the Wyrm and the Wyrm grinned and enacted the second part of his plan. He empathized with the Weaver but conceded he had to obey his nature and weaken the order she imposed on the world. The Weaver snapped and enacted her plan to ensnare the Wyrm in her webs and defeat the Wyld. Her anguish blinded her to seeing that this was the Wyrm’s plan all along.

Trapped within the Weaver’s webs, the Wyrm was able to alter its nature — something it could not achieve while the Trait was balanced. It whispered to itself in the darkness and changed, gaining dominion over corruption and decay. With this newfound influence the Wyrm degraded the Weaver’s bonds. Free of its bonds, and able to affect the demeanor of a force gone mad, the Wyrm threw itself into the role, corrupting and perverting everything that it had once balanced.

This is what the Nokhomi know — the Wyrm cannot be defeated because the Wyrm is not really fighting. It is playing a prank on everyone and everything and any action besides complete surrender is pointless. The Weaver is too stubborn and staid in its ways to learn from the prank, and the Wyld is too capricious and fickle to comprehend the lesson offered to it.

The fallen Nuwisha understand the joke better than anyone else, even old Coyote himself. They know that the Wyrm fell victim to its own prank, and that is the funniest joke of all. It did once want to teach its siblings, but its new nature as corruptor twisted its vision. Now the Wyrm drags everything to oblivion because it can’t stop the decay any more than the Weaver can loosen up or the Wyld can settle down.

The Apocalypse can’t be stopped — it’s the punchline of the whole tragic triumvirate, and the fallen werecoyotes weep at how fucking pointless and hilarious they find the whole drama.

Knowing that nothing matters, the Bitter-Grins work towards ever more perverse and destructive pranks against their fellow shapeshifters. The unfallen Nuwisha prank other Changing Breeds so they can understand and learn to overcome their flaws. The Nokhomi only ever try to teach one lesson to their victims — surrender. Only when Gaia’s warriors, eyes, ears, and other pointless functions realize the futility of their purpose and cease their fruitless struggle can the Wyrm strangle his siblings and dismember their rotting corpses. Then the pain can stop and the Bitter-Grin’s laughter will cease.

Until then, the Nokhomi exult in telling the ultimate joke, driving their victims to despair and surrender by destroying their treasures and perverting their loves. Their preferred targets are other Nuwisha and their best prank is aimed at Coyote himself. The Nokhomi believe if they can pervert enough of their brethren the old bastard may open his eyes to the truth and fall with his children. The Bitter-Grins giggle to themselves at night as they think of Coyote turning his wicked talents to the Wyrm’s service. Some Nokhomi think Coyote’s aspect Xochipilli has already fallen, and works from within to corrupt the old dog.

The Twisted Totems of Coyote

The Nokhomi still follow the many faces of Coyote, but they interpret the role of each aspect through their fatalistic lens. For unknown reasons, most Coyote totems don’t abandon their fallen followers. Most Bitter-Grins laugh that this is a sign of Coyote’s inevitable fall, but some wonder if the old trickster is setting up his fallen children for some incredible prank.

Chung Kuel: Luck is an illusion that disguises brief respite from the inevitable doom. These Nokhomi hasten despair by ensuring a cascade of ever larger problems beset their enemies.
Kishijoten: These Bitter-Grins use gentleness to lull enemies to drop their guard, before striking with an explosive punchline.
Kokopelli: Celebrating to excess makes enemies unwary. Nokhomi who follow Kokopelli develop prodigious tolerance for drugs and alcohol, to better play their lethal tricks on intoxicated victims.
Loki: Ferocious Bitter-Grins who follow Loki urge their temporary allies to overcommit — before betraying them and laughing at the ensuing slaughter.
Oghma: Bitter-Grins who retain the hidden history of their fallen kind, they study to identify weaknesses in the Nuwisha and lead them to doom, making them the most successful at corrupting their blind cousins.
Ptah: Ptah is the only totem to refuse patronage to the Nokhomi, but they gain the last laugh, as they are unbound by the pact limiting Nuwisha on earth. Nokhomi may return to the physical as they choose, and in doing so force an unfallen Nuwisha to take to the Umbra.
Raven: Some of the most cunning Nokhomi, they walk among Garou and lead werewolves to war with their own kind and slaughter innocents in Gaia’s name.
Ti Malice: Bitter-Grins find easy kinship with Ti Malice’s treachery. They favor influential figures with truth of purpose and strength of character as their prey, for the highest stars have the farthest to fall.
Xochipilli: Nokhomi believe Xochipilli is already of the Wyrm, playing a risky game in convincing unfallen Nuwisha to follow it and further the Wyrm’s goals. The Nokhomi find this hilarious but few follow the totem themselves, out of respect for the epic prank it plays.

Creating a Bitter Grin

Bitter-Grins are exactly like other Nuwisha, but have opened their eyes and chosen the Wyrm. Nuwisha who follow Ptah before they fall lose its patronage and must choose another totem. For reasons known only to Ptah, the totem does not tell other Nuwisha of the new Bitter-Grin.

The Mad Destroyers: Forsaken by Rat

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 163

The Wyrm is insane and hates the Weaver for ensnaring it in her web. Both its madness and its loathing of the Weaver give it common cause with at least some wererats. Ratkin are prone to madness and many of them consider the Weaver to be an even greater threat than the Wyrm. The rulers of most Ratkin nests wish to build up their numbers before they strike at humanity, and are content that the Apocalypse will arrive soon enough. A few wererats have grown tired of waiting. The ones who glory in the idea of watching the entire world burn, or who fixate on plans to destroy humanity sometimes find like-minded allies among the legions of the Wyrm.

Thurifuge, the Maeljin Incarna of disease, takes the most interest in recruiting Ratkin. He finds work for most of them in his Duchy in Malfeas, where they create ever more deadly plagues. He also assigns some of them to work in Pentex medical research facilities back on Earth.

A Corrupt Courtship

Black Spiral Dancers regularly look for hints that one of the Ratkin holds Wyrmish sympathies, as do Mad Destroyers who have already embraced the Wyrm. If an agent of the Wyrm encounters a wererat pack that seem like they could be possible recruits, he attempts to befriend them and aids the pack in their attacks on the Weaver. Some Black Spiral Dancers also arrange ambushes or other threats and then “rescue” the wererats from the supposed danger.

The agent of the Wyrm spurs the potential recruits to increasingly more violent attacks on targets associated with the Weaver, preferably attacks that cause a maximum of death and suffering or that release various persistent and deadly toxins. Some of the most violent Ratkin gladly accept a gift of nerve gas — produced by one of Magadon’s many subsidiaries — and use it to kill people in sealed office buildings or subway tunnels, not considering the lasting corruption that results. The tempter then congratulates them on their efforts and tries to make them proud of the death and suffering they have caused. Some packs recoil in horror at such treatment, but others grow bolder and increasingly violent.

The tempter’s next step is to convince the pack to attack a target related to the Wyld. If the pack goes through with the attack, striking against that which they are supposed to hold dear, the tempter reveals her true nature and purpose and offers the new recruits considerably more power. At this point, many Ratkin, overcome at the horror of working with the Wyrm, strike out at their former ally. If their tempter survives this attack, he makes certain that other shapeshifters learn the truth about the Ratkin’s actions and delights in the ensuing carnage.

Other wererats either hate the Weaver sufficiently to not care who they are working with, or believe they have already fallen and serve the Wyrm either to survive or out of hatred the world. The most violent and dangerous Ratkin believe that their desire to bring about an apocalyptic end to humanity dovetails perfectly with the Wyrm’s goals, and enthusiastically join the ranks of the fallen.

Creating Fallen Ratkin

Mad Destroyers are exactly like any other Ratkin, except that they’ve chosen to work for the other side. None of them was born corrupt, they all choose their fate. In addition to their ordinary Gifts, Mad Destroyers can also learn Black Spiral Dancer tribal Gifts. Rat turns her back on them, so the Mad Destroyers can only make a connection to Wyrm Totems.

Balefire Sharks: The Defiling Sea

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 164

In 1955, a nuclear blast killed more than three quarters of all of the immortal Rokea. While the blast vaporized the oldest sharks as well as all of the other Rokea who were near the center of the gathering, some sharks took a lethal dose of radiation but did not die immediately. Covered with hideous burns and suffering from fatal radiation sickness, the vast majority died within a day or two of the blast. Tentacled minions of Lord Kerne, the Master of Hellfire, approached these dying weresharks and offered them a chance to survive by embracing the radiation that was killing them. Out of many hundreds of dying sharks, only a handful accepted this hideous offer, but these few, maddened sufficiently by their pain and fear, swore allegiance to the Wyrm — despite knowing that the same force that was killing them now asked for their loyalty.

The balefire elementals sent to aid these traitorous weresharks healed them, but in the process also warped and twisted them. As a result, all of these Rokea bear marks of their ordeal and their transformation. In addition to large and terrible scars, all of them also possess some warped features like an additional eye or fin, or some malformed body part that grew back twisted when they healed from the bomb blast.

In return for their life, these Balefire Sharks pledged loyalty to the Wyrm. Because Gaia charged the weresharks to survive, not to fight the Wyrm, most had few regrets about this alliance. Swearing allegiance to creatures allied with the deadly radiation of the atomic blast that killed them was a very different matter. Only the most desperate Rokea made this terrible choice. Some soon regretted their decision but like all bargains with the Wyrm, this one was far easier to make than to break. The nature of their transformation means that most Balefire Sharks have difficulty even considering disobeying Lord Kerne’s orders and any who attempt to forswear the Wyrm swiftly die from radiation sickness.

The balefire elementals ordered these sharks to patrol the polluted waters around nuclear power plants and factories producing toxic chemicals, keeping them safe from anyone on land or sea who would interfere with their operation. Balefire Sharks can exist comfortably in both fresh and saltwater, as long as this water is radioactive or otherwise polluted. As a result, a few Balefire Sharks now patrol areas in the Great Lakes, Lake Baikal, the Caspian Sea, and other similar bodies of water.

Since the mid-1950s, many of the Balefire Sharks have learned more about the land, so that they can better protect factories and power plants. Most, however, still have little real understanding of human technology or society. Instead, their methods of providing protection remain exceedingly direct. They attack and devour anyone who interferes with a location they are guarding. The Wyrm affected their minds as well as their bodies, altering their loyalties so that most of them see nothing wrong with killing other weresharks who threaten their charges. Most Balefire Sharks are now far more comfortable with other minions of the Wyrm than with non-corrupted Rokea. The corruption that balefire inflicts upon a creature has driven a few Balefire Sharks entirely mad. These creatures take every opportunity to spread the radiation that nourishes them all across the oceans.

Instead of protecting nuclear sites from interference, they destroy reactors and rip open radioactive waste dumps in order to spread poison across a large area. These insane Balefire Sharks are sometimes too indiscriminately destructive for the Wyrm’s more careful and subtle agents. On a few occasions, agents of the Wyrm have found ways to pass messages to either Rokea or members of another Changing Breed, encouraging them to slay a Balefire Shark whose indiscriminate destruction and overt pollution has gotten in the way of some of the Wyrm’s plans.

Habitat

Balefire Sharks lack the freedom of the open seas because they need to feed on radiation too often to stray far into open waters. In addition, all but the most thoughtless or self-serving Rokea is horrified and enraged at seeing a wereshark who has become a radioactive monster. Almost all Rokea feel a strong desire to attempt to kill the Balefire Shark and then to dispose of its body on land or in one of the deepest undersea trenches. Most Balefire Sharks give up the wide-ranging travels of their former Breed and lurk near a particular corrupt location. Some become the guardians of Wyrm Grottos, protecting the vile location from outside interference and using it to summon banes and fomori that go forth to do the Wyrm’s bidding. Others protect coastal nuclear power plants from interference. These Balefire Sharks bask in illegal radioactive discharges into the ocean, and spend time both on land and in the water making certain that none of the Changing Breeds can interfere with the reactor.

Nothing like the blast that killed most of the Rokea has happened since the 1950s, but periodically weresharks encounter radiation seeping into the ocean. Some become fatally ill from this exposure and balefire elementals seek them out and offer to heal them. Like in 1955, a few choose to become Balefire Sharks.

Creating Balefire Sharks

Balefire Sharks have all of the traits of ordinary Rokea, except that they can regain Gnosis in any body of polluted or radioactive water and they are immune to the effects of any of the four elemental Wyrms. They possess the same Gifts as other Rokea, but can also learn Black Spiral Dancer tribal Gifts. In addition, they can only possess Wyrm Totems and summon Banes, since other spirits refuse to deal with these corrupt creatures.

Balefire Sharks require regular exposure to radiation to survive. At least once a month, every Balefire Shark must spend at least one full day in an undersea Wyrm Grotto associated with the element of balefire or swimming in a source of moderately strong radiation. Spending time in an intense source of radioactivity also allows them to recover all of their Gnosis within an hour. Only the cracked reactor core of a sunken nuclear submarine or other similarly massive sources of radiation are powerful enough to allow the Balefire Shark to accomplish this feat.

Xibalan: The Chittering Darkness

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 166

The Xibalan denied the truth of what they had become. They believed they served Bat as his only true followers, who understood his enduring service to the Wyrm. They thought his temporary service to Gaia was a brief period of daylight in his existence before he rediscovered the beauty of night. The Xibalan were his heralds, who explored the endless darkness to mark a path for Bat to find his way home.

The claws of the Garou proved the Xibalan correct.

Small groups of Xibalan emerged from every Camazotz population. Ironically, the South American Camazotz who drew the Shadow Lords’ ire were the least corrupted population. These Camazotz openly practiced blood rituals and sacrifices and brought the rites out of the darkness. This openness let them quickly identify and destroy the few Xibalan who couldn’t resist the Wyrm’s lure.

The other Camazotz tribes across the world performed blood magic in secret, limiting participation in the mysteries to werebats who were initiated into the cults only after careful scrutiny. These cults attracted the Wyrm’s attention and many individuals accepted its offer of additional power — they believed the Wyrm’s whispers of Bat’s imminent return to its embrace, becoming Xibalan, the fallen bats. Several new Xibalan tried converting their cult members to the Wyrm’s cause. While some were successful, more fled the claws and shrieks of the loyal Camazotz.

The Xibalan were as social as the rest of the Camazotz and listened for chitters of other werebats, to try and join their swarms. The Xibalan remembered the lessons from the hidden blood cults and set up their own groups, teaching other Camazotz the ways to power — modifying what they taught to include greater influence and appreciation for the Wyrm in the hopes of ensnaring promising new disciples to spread the word and forge Bat’s path back to the darkness. In this way the Wyrm’s influence spread throughout the Camazotz population.

The Xibalan were a persistent weeping boil to the Camazotz breed. Though they never accounted for more than one-tenth of the werebats, their teachings and beliefs seemed impervious to permanent eradication. Loyal Camazotz worked tirelessly to locate and destroy the Xibalan but there always seemed to be some who would escape and restart the infection no matter how thorough the Camazotz were or how carefully they planned — almost as if Bat himself helped ensure some of his fallen children always existed, just in case.

The number of Xibalan seemed to ebb and flow with the state of Bat’s mind and his dedication to Gaia. When Bat’s faith in the Celestine wavered, the Xibalan population thrived. When he regained confidence and committed himself to her cause, the Camazotz seemed better able to find and destroy Xibalan nests.

When the Garou destroyed the South American Camazotz, Bat’s most pure and uncorrupted children, the spirit’s identity fractured. The Xibalan flew from their earthly hiding places to be by his side and fight the loyalist Gaian Camazotz who would keep him divided. They helped convince Bat of the futility of the struggle. When the Australian Camazotz lost hope — as the Garou nation slaughtered the Bunyip — the Xibalan flew ahead of the fallen Bat into the depths of the Wyrm’s strongholds in the Umbra, never to be heard from again. Whether they’re truly gone, or just masters of killing everyone who discovers their existence remains to be seen.

Bloodbats

The Xibalan may be gone but their legacy lives on. Garou and Fera alike tell of giant bats whose jaws drip with acidic blood, and whose shrieks herald madness. These Bloodbats are all that’s left of the Camazotz. Some Mokolé and Ananasi claim that they are all that remains of the Gaian Camazotz who tried to stop Bat falling to the Wyrm. Others believe that the Bloodbats are nothing but a vicious mockery, an attempt by the great deceiver to dishearten the Garou by reminding them of their great folly.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 7, Stamina 4, Charisma 0, Manipulation 2, Appearance 0, Perception 4, Intelligence 1, Wits 4

Abilities: Alertness 4, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Intimidation 3, Primal-Urge 2, Stealth 5, Subterfuge 3

Traits: Rage 5, Willpower 4

Health Levels: OK, OK, –1, –1, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated

Attacks: Bite (Strength + 1 aggravated), Wing Swipe (Strength + 1 lethal)

Powers: Burning Blood*, Regeneration, Terrifying Shriek*

  • Burning Blood: A Bloodbat’s acidic ichor can burn even Garou flesh. In addition to making the Bloodbat’s bite deal aggravated damage, anyone who successfully bites a Bloodbat suffers three dice of aggravated damage as caustic fluids burn her mouth and throat. Damage from this power (including a Bloodbat’s bite damage) is always soaked at difficulty 9.
  • Terrifying Shriek: A Bloodbat can unleash an ultrasonic shriek that instills primal terror in anyone who hears it. Spend a point of Willpower and roll Manipulation + Subterfuge. Everyone within twenty yards of the Bloodbat suffers the Delirium, even if they are normally immune. Reduce the victim’s effective Willpower by one for each success rolled.

Image: Bloodbats are black bats the size of a human being, with wicked talons on their wings. Their heads look like a cross between bat and wolf, much like some Black Spiral Dancers. Their jaws contain too many needle-like fangs, which constantly drip acidic blood. Each Bloodbat has a unique pattern of burn-marks where their own blood has dissolved their fur.

Background: Whether descended from the Xibalan or not, the Bloodbats are a recent appearance in the World of Darkness. Nobody had encountered one until three years ago, when a Bloodbat attacked a clutch of Mokolé in Australia. Since then, they have grown in number, and their attacks have grown more frequent.

Storytelling Notes: Bloodbats prefer wild, shadowy places where they can hide in the dark, swooping out to attack their prey. They create a cacophony of sounds to distract their prey, then send them fleeing with a terrifying shriek, and swoop down to pick off stragglers.

Creating Xibalan

The Xibalan no longer exist — they died out with the rest of the Camazotz. No evidence contradicts their research. No stories tell of the Xibalan past the final fall of Bat. The fallen werebats are dead and gone, never to trouble Gaia’s children again. What everyone knows so often has an exception. Storytellers wanting to put the lie to this received wisdom should use the rules for Camazotz in W20 Changing Breeds for Xibalan characters.

The Mockery Breeds

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 167'

Now and then, things go right for Pentex. Neuro Dynamic Laboratories is a Pentex front established several decades ago for the primary purpose of conducting corporate asset raids against Developmental Neogenetics Amalgamated, and finding something useful to do with any research it managed to steal.

Much to the sorrow of the Garou and all other things that are of Gaia, Pentex considers the program a rousing success. Until recently, NDL was officially a sub-operation of Project Iliad, Pentex’s fomor-creating operation, with the internal company code-name of Project Lycaon. The purpose of Project Lycaon is nothing less than the artificial creation of a Changing Breed under Pentex’s direct control. They want a more cooperative and pliable alternative to the temperamental and arrogant Black Spiral Dancers, able to provide Pentex with easy access to Wyrmish magic on par with that of the Dancers, and also capable of fighting the Garou head to head.

Project Iliad was initially unaware of NDL’s overall aims. This changed in the whirlwind of exposés, smears, and lies as part of the latest election to the Board of Directors (W20 BotW, pg 62). Discovering that part of his operation wanted to do away with the need for Black Spiral Dancers, Francesco was incensed. He would have destroyed Project Lycaon if it hadn’t split away in a flurry of mergers and backroom deals. In the end, NDL split away from Project Iliad, becoming its own entity under the control of Sir Frederick Appleton — himself the result of one of NDL’s experiments.

To date, none of NDL’s major projects has fully succeeded in realizing these goals, but none has been abject failures, either. Pentex continues to funnel research funds into Project Lycaon, and continues to keep word of it well away from the company’s Spiral allies.

War Wolves

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 167

The abominations known as War Wolves were Project Lycaon’s first successful project. Using genetic material from several captured werewolves as well as copious amounts of stolen DNA research, Pentex scientists managed to create perfect, custom-built killing machines, able to get close to their Garou targets and strike with the advantages of both surprise and overwhelming force. War Wolves have no higher intelligence, and certainly nothing resembling morals; they have no need for understanding, only an in-born hunger for the flesh of the Garou.

Attributes: Strength 4 (7), Dexterity 4 (3), Stamina 4 (5), Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 2

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 2, Primal-Urge 3, Stealth 3, Survival 4

Traits: Rage: 8; Willpower: 6

Powers: Immunity to the Delirium; Regeneration, Shapeshifting*

  • Shapeshifting: War Wolves are capable of only one transformation: from Lupus (their natural form) to Crinos, and back again. Shapeshifting is always automatically successful and immediate, and costs the War Wolf one point of Rage. The number in brackets for their Physical Attributes is for Crinos form.

Image: War Wolves appear to be emaciated, drooling wolves with ragged pelts. In Crinos form, they are rangy and savage. They smell rank and ill, and reek of the Wyrm to spiritual senses. Unfortunately, they also smell enough like wolves to be able to work their way close enough to wolf Kin that once their victims realize something is wrong, it’s much too late.

Background: War Wolves were Neuro-Dynamic’s first answer to the Garou: genetically altered dogs and wolves with immunity to the Delirium and the ability to fight on the same level as the Garou. These “artificial werewolves” have a very selective diet, and remain constantly hungry until they encounter either Kinfolk or Garou. Other meat nourishes them, but does not satisfy. Pentex goes to great pains to steer War Wolves away from Black Spiral Dancer Kinfolk, but the Spirals are naturally secretive about the location and numbers of their kin. Accidents are inevitable.

The Wolves’ shapeshifting is semi-mystical in nature, but because they aren’t half-spirit like true Garou, they can’t manage any forms other than Lupus and Crinos. They can’t use Gifts, have no Gnosis, and the spirit word doesn’t consider them shapeshifters in any way by the spirit world, yet they share the Garou’s weakness to silver. They are also incapable of stepping sideways.

Storytelling Notes: War Wolves hunt in packs, and the rare nature of their preferred prey means that when encountered, they will almost invariably be starving. These mongrel horrors are perhaps Pentex’s greatest insult to the Garou to date, and can provide terrifying stories beginning with the characters finding gnawed bones and racing against the clock to find out what is hunting their Kin, and to avenge them against the creators of the War Wolves.

Anurana

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 168

It’s difficult to say quite what drove the creation of the Anurana. Officially, they were supposed to shore up a critical deficiency in Pentex maritime security, acting as a counterbalance to the Rokea; they might have also been deployed in the sewers to flush out Bone Gnawer packs, or to patrol heavily polluted rivers, lakes, and estuaries around Pentex factories. Privately, the Pentex Board of Directors suspects that personnel from the disastrous Freakfeet fomor project (see W20 BotW, pg 132), reassigned from Project Iliad to Project Lycaon, simply wanted another shot at doing things right.

In the end, they screwed up again.

The Anurana are the result of a mixture of repurposed NDL technologies based on those that created the War Wolves and improved techniques from the Freakfeet project. The aim was to create a breed of true shapeshifters under Pentex control, codenamed the Anurana (a portmanteau of order: Anura, genus: rana, presumably because “werefrog” didn’t sound sufficiently intimidating). The project was a limited success, but the Anurana proved entirely uncontrollable. Hypnotic, mystical, and Bane-implant conditioning all failed utterly, and the first generation of test subjects, sent out on a scouting mission to investigate Rokea activity off the coast of New England, never returned.

They survived, though, and now thrive in the wild. The Anurana have a strange, lingering connection to Pentex, and stalk its facilities and personnel to this day, preferring to dwell and breed in the pollution-rich waters near the Wyrm-corporation’s factories. This does not make them allies of the Garou, however; the Anurana are terrible things, designed to thrive in the polluted waters of the Apocalyptic world, and fiercely attack any who attempt to cleanse the tainted places the Anurana call home. They have a kind of understanding with the Balefire Sharks who also patrol those horrific waters.

Traits: Anurana vary as much as any other “shapeshifter,” though they have a distinct tendency toward low Intelligence and Appearance ratings, and toward high Brawl, Primal-Urge, Athletics, and Willpower. Their particular features are as follows:

Breeds: Anurana have only two Breeds, homid and metis, as they are entirely incapable of reproduction with any kind of earthly amphibian. Homid Anurana begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 1, Willpower 5; the more powerful, monstrous Metis Anurana begin with Rage 5, Gnosis 2, Willpower 3.

Forms: Anurana have three forms: Homid, Anuran (roughly equivalent to Glabro), and Dagon (roughly equivalent to Crinos).

The trait modifiers for Anuran are Strength +1, Dexterity +1, Stamina +1, Appearance –2. The character can swim at his full movement speed as though he were on land. The character can hold his breath for up to (Stamina) hours.

Dagon form modifiers are Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Appearance 0. The character gains claw and bite attacks as a Garou, can swim at twice his normal movement speed, and triples his leaping distances. The character can operate underwater indefinitely. Witnessing a character in Dagon form induces the Delirium in humans.

Powers: Anurana can step sideways by submerging themselves in polluted waters, or emerging from the same. They regenerate damage at the same rate as Garou, but do not suffer any vulnerability to silver or any other substance. They are immune to the Delirium. The Anurana are not part of the Pact with the spirit world, and no spirits will consent to teach them Gifts. Even Banes look down on these pretend-shapeshifters. Instead, Anurana have a number of innate, fomor-like powers in Dagon form. These include: Eyes of the Wyrm, Frog Tongue, Maw of the Wyrm and Nimbleness.

Image: Anurana in Homid form seem distinctly off. They suffer from a number of subtle malformations. Wide-set eyes, broad thin-lipped mouths, tiny or huge ears, and elongated fingers are all common for them.

In Anuran form, a werefrog’s bodily and facial hair vanishes, and any hair on their head becomes slick and patchy. Their limbs elongate and bulge with rubbery muscle. Their fingers and toes develop webbing, and their skin takes on a grayish or greenish cast. Eyes bulge, lips vanish, and the skin develops a distinct sheen.

A werefrog in Dagon form is both absurd and terrifying — a great hulking hunch-backed frogman, with staring eyes, a huge mouth, and long gangling arms and legs. Something of the fish is present in this form as well, for some reason, the form’s limbs terminate in wicked, webbed talons, and its mouth is crowded with tiny needle teeth.

Background: The Anurana haven’t spread very far beyond the confines of the American East Coast, at least as far as Pentex is aware. The details of their reproduction help to slow their spread, while also precluding any sort of normal life away from their polluted nests. Anurana have no Kinfolk and are incapable of producing any; most pregnancies borne or caused by an Anurana end in a singularly hideous miscarriage, as the swirling stew of altered genes and polluted magic simply fail to come together to produce anything viable; the final product is a rush of briny water, malformed bones, and dead frogs. On the rare occasions when a werefrog’s spawn manages to survive to full term and birth, the result is always Anurana.

Anurana Metis are worse. They’re much less likely to fail in utero, but are born sterile, deformed, and monstrous. Rather than an infant, an Anurana metis is born as something like a cat-sized tadpole with a human-ish face; they reach full maturity in only five years, and are able to abandon their immature form in favor of shapeshifting into Homid, Anuran, and Dagon forms after only three years. They have, as best Pentex can tell, a life expectancy of little over two decades.

Storytelling Notes: Given their penchant for abducting Pentex employees as breeding stock, Garou briefly may consider thinking of the Anurana as allies. Nothing could be further from the truth; the “werefrogs” are a slap in the face to Gaia’s design, a new almost-Changing Breed manufactured in a Pentex laboratory. The Anurana harass Pentex simply because they don’t like getting poked, prodded, or intruded upon.

The Anurana are outsiders in the war for Gaia, and routinely snubbed or even hunted during their forays into the spirit world, but they’re slowly learning about the various powers and factions of the supernatural world. They know enough to understand that the Garou will stop at nothing to destroy them, once the werewolves become aware enough of the Anurana to realize they’re something other than unusually resilient fomori. Some werefrogs are formulating plans to strike first, while the most cunning of their kind ponder what elements they may be missing that Gaia’s shapeshifters have. Perhaps breeding with normal humans has been a mistake; perhaps Garou Kinfolk already carrying changing blood is what they need.

Samsa

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 169

Project Metamorphosis aimed to produce the ultimate corporate espionage tool — a swarm-based shapeshifter that could infiltrate anywhere and immediately pass information back through the link shared by every member of the swarm. NDL’s product marketing personnel sold the idea of an assassin concealed in a hundred different places in a room, waiting for a target to arrive before reforming into a single killing form.

Unfortunately, the NDL scientists could not meet these goals. They have created a human/insect hybrid, but it cannot separate into a swarm. Instead, the Samsa are mind-shattered eight-foot tall bipedal cockroaches that are terrified of the dark. Pentex closed Project Metamorphosis as an abject failure, leaving NDL with several dozen prototype Samsa gibbering with fear in their cells.

Traits: Samsa are highly variable but tend toward high Stamina and low Appearance. Samsa also tend toward high Alertness, Streetwise and Survival. High Willpower is useful, but their mindset rarely supports such strength of character. All Samsa have the Paranoia Derangement (W20 Core, pg 486) and must choose a second Derangement.

Breeds: Samsa have two Breeds, homid and metis. Homid Samsa begin with Rage 2, Gnosis 4, Willpower 3, while metis Samsa begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 2, Willpower 4.

Forms: Samsa have only two forms: Homid and Ungeziefer. Homid Samsa invariably have a disheveled and confused appearance, and a feverish madness in their eyes. Ungeziefer are nightmarish eight-foot tall bipedal cockroaches with greenish-brown armored carapaces and clicking mandibles.

Ungeziefer trait modifiers are Strength +3, Dexterity +1, Stamina +3, Appearance 0. Their serrated exoskeleton permits claw attacks (Str +2 L) but they cannot bite. Ungeziefer inflicts the Delirium on vulnerable witnesses.

Each time a Samsa takes Ungeziefer she chooses two traits from the following list. The majority are fomori powers function as per W20 Core, pg 430-439 except as noted; Antenna and Swarm are unique to the Samsa. They can manifest different traits with the first transformation each scene, but keep those traits until the scene ends.

• Antenna: Add 3 dice to Perception rolls, and can etect spirits only as Sense the Unnatural (W20 Core, pg 436).
• Armored Carapace: Samsa armor cannot soak aggravated damage caused by insecticide.
• Claws
• Darksight: Even when Samsa can see in pitch blackness, it doesn’t stop the voices.
• Extra Limbs: All Ungeziefer have an extra pair of limp, useless arms. With this the arms are as capable as their primary set.
• Wings: Samsa are clumsy fliers. They have Dex –2 while airborne.
• Swarm: Each turn, dozens of cockroaches fall from beneath the Samsa’s carapace. These cockroaches obey the Samsa’s spoken commands.
• Wall Walking

Powers: Samsa are incapable of stepping sideways but they hear nearby spirits whenever they enter deep shadow or darkness — feeding the Samsa’s paranoia and dread. Samsa are only immune to the Delirium in Ungeziefer form — in Homid they are as vulnerable as any human.

Samsa heal at the same rate as Garou. They are not vulnerable to silver but suffer aggravated damage from insecticides in Ungeziefer form. Samsa never suffer damage caused by radiation or toxic waste. Samsa all have the fomori powers Animal Control (for cockroaches only), and a unique version of Cause Insanity.

Samsa are as difficult to eradicate as natural cockroaches. When a Samsa takes lethal or aggravated damage in her last health box she automatically spends one permanent Willpower dot and dissolves into a thousand cockroaches scrambling in all directions. All but one cockroach dies within the following hour. This final cockroach has only one health level and is ravenously hungry — each day it must consume twice its body weight, growing in size and regaining another health level. When the Samsa regains seven health levels the now giant cockroach spontaneously shapeshifts to Homid form. The Samsa has no memory of several hours before her near death, and can only recall snippets of her cockroach experience through terrifying nightmares. Each use of this power inflicts another permanent Derangement on the Samsa.

Cockroach spirits will teach the Samsa Gifts if the wretches listen long enough to learn. The Glass Walkers recently discovered this tutelage and are confused and saddened, exacerbated by the fact that their totem refuses to discuss it with the tribe.

Image: Samsa look entirely human in Homid form, with haunted expressions and a tendency to jump at sudden noises. Most Samsa have a mild sensitivity to bright light and a fear of darkness.

In Ungeziefer form the Samsa is an oversized cockroach standing on human-like legs. His entire body is covered in a sickly green-brown exoskeleton and has four arms — the lower pair often hangs limp and useless. The arms end in three-fingered claws where one serves as an opposable ‘thumb’. The Ungeziefer’s mandibles make hissing, clicking sounds that can’t be understood by humans — Samsa can understand and speak these sounds in either form.

Background: Pentex has little use for the Samsa except for psychological warfare or as distractions for other, more important missions. Pentex teams drop Samsa into an area and wait for the inevitable chaos to erupt. Clean-up teams try to recapture Samsa after missions, but are just as happy to hose them down with industrial strength insecticide if they prove difficult.

A number of Samsa exploded into cockroaches when Pentex collection teams tried to recapture them, revealing the Samsa’s last-ditch survival ability. Pentex doesn’t realize what happened, assuming that the thousands of dead cockroaches were just another flaw in the Samsa design — unaware that the werecockroach had escaped the company’s clutches.

These free Samsa are even more insane, unable to cope with, or relate to, the world around them. Although these werecockroaches haven’t yet bred, their genes are true and any offspring will likely be new Samsa.

Storytelling Notes: Samsa will most likely be encountered as a Pentex distraction or as part of a psychological warfare operation. These Samsa are confused, vulnerable and volatile. Anyone attempting to help them will become a victim of their Cause Insanity power. Cockroach may enlist Glass Walkers and other city-based shapeshifters to help the Samsa. His servants noticed the escape of the first Samsa and Cockroach instructed them to follow, watch and try to help. These spirits assist individual Samsa to find each other but the werecockroaches are very unwilling to trust whispering voices from the darkness.

Cause Insanity

The Samsa inflicts her own fears and mental illness on her victim, gaining brief respite in return. The Samsa spends one Gnosis point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 7), adding 2 dice per Derangement she currently has.

Every success passes one of the Samsa’s Derangements to her victim for a scene. The Samsa chooses which Derangement is inflicted. With five or more successes the victim’s mind breaks with the sudden strain and he shuts down for the scene, refusing to act except to try and flee violence.

A Samsa loses access to this power whenever she passes all her Derangements to others. She can use the power multiple times to inflict separate Derangements on different victims, but can’t invoke the power again on a victim already suffering one of her Derangements.

Wait, Cockroach Does What?

Yes, cockroach spirits will teach Gifts to Samsa, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the totem Cockroach is the spirit courts’ great survivor. He intends to exist even if the Wyrm wins. Long after the Wyrm’s minions turn on themselves and devour each other, Cockroach plans to survive with his brood. The Samsa may prove useful in this regard.

Secondly, Cockroach is curious about these new creations. The Samsa stink of corruption, but Cockroach knows his children adapt to survive almost anything. Samsa definitely aren’t his, but he’s intently watching their survival strategies.

Either way, Cockroach is investing in the possible future. The Samsa are deeply paranoid, broken, and loathed even by other Wyrm creatures. Cockroach intends to be the only one Samsa can trust. One day they may even betray the Wyrm and fight for Gaia.
If the Samsa prove to be more trouble than they’re worth, he can always call on the Glass Walkers to destroy the mockery breed. Until then, he refuses to discuss the issue with the Garou, has cockroach spirits teach the Samsa Gifts, and plans as only the greatest survivor can.

Kerasi

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 171

Pentex is very interested in the African continent, with its multitude of nations, constant factional differences, millions of people, and wilderness to destroy. Africa is also witness to the largest, bloodiest shapeshifter war since the Wars of Rage, and the Wyrm gleefully takes part.

The Kerasi are young even for a mockery breed; intended to be shock-troops in Africa where War Wolves would draw unwanted attention. NDL experimented on both white and black rhinoceroses, using techniques learned from other breeds to create the Kerasi.

Pentex considers the Kerasi to be a success second only to the Yeren. NDL is keen to improve upon the initial Kerasi by improving the mental capabilities of the breed and adding a workable Homid form. If they succeed, some factions in Pentex would to elevate the Kerasi above the Yeren, making them NDL’s main focus. This displeases the corporate-climbing wereapes, who will interfere with further development of the breed.

The Kerasi are mystically weak compared with other mockery breeds, but they can disguise their origins as Wyrm-creations better than most Pentex assets. They also breed true — both with other kerasi and with natural rhinoceroses. The Kerasi are fertile with both the white and black rhinoceroses, linking the two distinct species in a decidedly unnatural way. Further, Kerasi mating with rhinoceroses will result in pregnancy more often than natural rhino pairings, and the offspring are almost always Kerasi.

The Kerasi compound misery in Africa by slaughtering human communities where they can, and creating discord for both sides of the Ahadi-Black Tooth war. Their herds travel at Pentex’s behest, and ravage at the company’s command. The Kerasi also breed and experience an independence they never had in the laboratories, and start to wonder why they take orders from Pentex. Their thoughts turn slowly, but each new day may be the one when the Kerasi rebel from their corporate masters and choose their own destiny.

Traits: The Kerasi genes favor physical prowess and tend towards high Strength and Stamina. Despite their reputation for being simple-minded, many Kerasi blend low Wits with high Intelligence, retaining more information than anyone suspects. Kerasi usually have high Athletics, Brawl, and Intimidation.

Breeds: Kerasi have two Breeds, faru (rhinoceros) and metis. Faru Kerasi begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 2, Willpower 5; metis Kerasi begin with Rage 5, Gnosis 2, Willpower 3. Metis Kerasi are fertile but have greater success mating with other Kerasi than with natural rhinoceroses.

Forms: Kerasi have three forms: Bandia (Glabro), Kiforu (Crinos), and Faru (rhino).

Bandia has Strength +3, Stamina +2, Manipulation –2, Appearance –2. Banda’s coarse, leathery skin counts as armor and gives +1 soak die.

Kiforu trait modifiers are Strength +5, Dexterity –1, Stamina +5, Manipulation –4, Appearance 0. Its armored hide gives +3 soak. The Kiforu form may make claw attacks as per Crinos Garou but cannot bite. It can make a gore attack with its horn (difficulty 6) for Strength +2 aggravated damage.

Faru form modifiers are Strength +4, Stamina +4, Appearance 0. Faru can gore with their horn (difficulty 6) for Strength +2 lethal damage — this increases to Strength +4 lethal if the character charges at the target before attacking.

Powers: Kerasi heal at the same rate as Garou, have no vulnerability to silver or any other substance and are immune to the Delirium. Kerasi invoke Delirium in Bandia and Kiforu forms. Kerasi cannot acccess the spirit world or learn Gifts. As well as the inherent power of their forms, they may use the fomori powers Sense Gaia, Sense the Unnatural and Triatic Sense (Wyld).

Image: Kerasi in Bandia form are thick-skinned, barely human slabs of muscle, with bulky, oversized heads, tiny eyes, and a large, bumpy nose with a distinctive proto-horn protruding from it. Their thick, rough skin has an off-colored grey tint that doesn’t hide the massive muscles moving underneath. Bandia can only be mistaken for human in the dimmest light.

Kiforu form is an armored bipedal monster with a giant rhinoceros head, two massive snout-horns and clawed four-fingered hands. It stands between 12 and 14 feet in height and weighs between one and two tons. Solid grey armored plates cover its body and its head is that of a rhinoceros. Its massive primary horn is the deep crimson color of old blood.

Kerasi in Faru form appear as larger, healthier specimens of their parent breed. Metis Kerasi take the appearance of either of their parents, and their primary horn has a red tint. This coloring is subtle, but does give canny observers a ‘tell’ to distinguish Kerasi from natural rhinos.

Background: Pentex uses the Kerasi to sow misery and confusion in Africa. The Kerasi leave devastation in their wake, all without any trace of the Wyrm’s involvement. Human-dominated First Teams go in after each slaughter planting evidence implicating either Ahadi or Black Tooth’s supporters, to increase the war’s hostility and bloodshed. Pentex also facilitated contact with Black Tooth’s senior lieutenants and introduced them to the Kerasi. The wererhinos turned the tide of several hard-fought battles with the Ahadi, with the lieutenants singing the Kerasi’s praises with the plan of introducing them to Black Tooth. Even though Black Tooth is gone, his followers still fight and may win the war with Pentex’s help.

The Kerasi’s ability to suppress its Wyrm taint gives it the potential to be the most successful mockery breed for interacting with Gaia’s servants and infiltrating their groups, but the lack of Homid form and generally low intelligence renders this particularly challenging. NDL scientists are under considerable pressure to improve these deficiencies, but so far every successful increase in mental ability has resulted in the new Kerasi reeking of Wyrm-taint, and no amount of tinkering has produced a human-like form that doesn’t appear monstrous.

One of Pentex’s ‘animal conservation’ subsidiaries has seeded African rhinoceros populations with dozens of Kerasi as part of its public environmental program. The early success of this program gives the appearance of replenished black and white rhinoceros populations, but in reality the Kerasi population thrives, while rhinoceros species are closer than ever to extinction.

Storytelling Notes: Kerasi are short-tempered, brutish and impatient. Garou are unlikely to encounter them outside Africa and any first encounter is likely to be confusing for Gaian shapeshifters as these strange new shapeshifters suppress their Wyrm’s stink. The Kerasi will try to convince other shapeshifters of their allegiance to Gaia, but Kerasi are not notably cunning or persuasive. If persuasion fails, the wererhinos will attack to prevent their secret being exposed.

Kerasi and Black Tooth

Kerasi are active causing confusion and havoc while Black Tooth’s war rages. They have encountered various members of his army — even some of the Endless Storm — but they weren’t introduced to Black Tooth before the Ahadi killed him (see W20: Changing Breeds for more information on Black Tooth’s fall).

Black Tooth’s followers are desperate in the wake of his death and forge alliances with the Kerasi to continue the fight. The Ahadi may have won the war, but the insurgency will linger for many years if Pentex can help it.

Storytellers may choose to bring Black Tooth and the Kerasi together earlier. The Kerasi will be formidable allies for Black Tooth, and may repel the Ahadi’s strike that will kill the Simba. An Africa that experiences this outcome will be a much darker place indeed.

Yeren

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pf 173

All top-level Pentex projections are clear: the Garou are fighting a losing battle, in every sense. In particular, the battle for Earth’s rainforests, reefs, and other “pure” ecosystems is a foregone conclusion: they’re going to vanish. That the majority of the Garou Nation has chosen these sacred places as the grounds to make their final stand suits Pentex fine. They think their victory in the Amazon and in other hotspots is a certain victory. The Board of Directors know the final battles in the Wyrm’s march of triumph will take place in the cities, in the skyscrapers, in the black and heaving heart of the urban jungle that will be all that remains in the end. They suspect the Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers will be the last tribes standing in any strength (what else is to be expected of the followers of Rat and Cockroach?), and that the ragged remnants of the other tribes will pour into the cities in a desperate attempt to continue their doomed, futile crusade.

With the aid of Project Lycaon, Pentex will be ready for them.

The Yeren are the most advanced and successful result of NDL’s research on behalf of the Wyrm, or so the project’s Directors claim. Yeren are shapeshifters who take on the form of apes, designed to thrive in the modern city, and to hold an edge over the savage and primitive Garou. The Yeren’s instinctive domain is the halls of power. They’re naturally attracted to money and authority. Creatures of appetite and greed, the majority have nestled themselves into the upper-middle management of corporations, banks, and law firms, where they remain in sporadic contact with Pentex. A few Yeren have even begun climbing the corporate ranks of Pentex-owned companies, and most of those few have their eyes on a seat on the Board of Directors. They’re one of the major influences pushing Toads (see W20 BotW, pg 137) out of their traditional niches, and they’re territorial to boot. Yeren bristle when they become aware of other supernaturals dipping their talons into a wereape’s self-proclaimed domain. This makes them natural rivals of the Glass Walkers, and they take a particular delight in using their mastery of political and financial influence to demolish, or re-zone Bone Gnawer septs. Of course, the wereapes’ rapacious greed and territorial instincts also bring them into conflict with vampires, urban Black Spiral hives, and other Wyrmspawn.

In the end, the Yeren want it all: all the money, all the power, all the respect; and they’ll happily backstab, undermine, and eat anyone who gets in their way. They may be the newest players on the battlefield of the Apocalypse, but they’ve already gone all-in. Let the Garou satisfy themselves with glorious, Pyrrhic final charges, and the Anurana with subsistence survival in toxic swamps, closers close, and winners win.

Traits: Yeren traits vary as much as those of the Garou or any other Changing Breed, but there are some generalizations. They tend toward high Manipulation and decent Intelligence or Wits, with physical traits often tertiary. Politics, Leadership and Subterfuge are often high, and many Yeren begin to cultivate Athletics after their First Change.

Breeds: Yeren have only one Breed, homid. They cannot produce metis, and are entirely incapable of reproduction with other primates. All Yeren begin with Rage 3, Gnosis 1, and Willpower 4.

Forms: Yeren have only two natural forms: Homid and Crinos.

In Crinos form, Yeren have Strength +3, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Appearance –3, and Athletics +2. The character gains a bite and claw attack like Garou, but these inflict lethal rather than aggravated damage. Witnessing a Yeren in Crinos form induces the Delirium in humans.

Powers: Yeren can step sideways in the same fashion as Garou, but must use fabricated reflective surfaces such as mirrors or chromed installations. The surface of a still pond is of no use to a wereape. They regenerate damage in the same fashion as Garou, suffer no vulnerability to silver or any other substance, and are immune to the Delirium.

Unlike the other “Mockery Breeds” developed by Project Lycaon, the Wyrm’s spirit minions have provisionally accepted the Yeren into the arm of the Pact that grants Black Spiral Dancers their Gifts. Specifically, they’ve been sponsored by Relshab, the Faceless Eater (see W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 126), and gain their Gifts from corrupt spirits of man, the city, consumption, and greed. As a result, Yeren may take Gifts from the homid list, and are developing a number of their own Yeren Gifts (see below). Yeren gain renown for acquiring power, status symbols, and influence, but do so slowly, for even their handful of spirit-sponsors remain wary of these unnatural creatures. No Yeren has currently advanced beyond Rank Three.

Image: In Homid form, a Yeren looks much like anyone else trying to climb her way up the professional ladder: well-groomed, young, hungry. Those spending any degree of time around them discover they have a certain manic intensity that speaks to either immense personal drive or mild psychosis.

A Yeren’s Crinos form is a hybrid of man and primate, the particular ape or monkey whose features crop up in the Crinos form seems to depend on the personality of the Yeren in question. Pentex has recorded monstrous blends of human and orangutan, mandrill, mountain gorilla, and chimpanzee, as well as a number of wereapes of indeterminate species. Their battle form gains over a foot of height and an enormous amount of muscle mass, as well as long, hard nails.

Background: The Yeren have spread far and wide throughout corporate America, and have finally begun to branch out to other countries in recent years. They “reproduce” through something resembling the Corax Rite of the Spirit Egg, save that Yeren are incapable of producing Kinfolk. Instead, they pass on the “shadow of the ape” to potential wereapes. Desirable recruits have certain characteristics, such as overwhelming greed and appetite. The Yeren conduct the rite through a four-day careening debauch, reeling from party to party, and bar to bar. The Yeren and their prospective offspring use and abuse anyone and everything they come across, lurching in and out of blackouts, and as the rite progresses, stumbling in and out of the Umbra, as well, where the new “pledge” steadily fuses his flesh and the nature of his spirit together. The rite culminates in the First Change and a bloody rampage. Often, the sponsoring Yeren has arranged to have Pentex clean up. Anyone with important goals and ambitions nobler than simple greed cannot become Yeren, and probably dies from the conspicuous consumption or becomes a meal for a frustrated Yeren during the rite.

Storytelling Notes: The Yeren are pointless, open-ended greed writ large. They embody everything short-sighted, petty, and rotten that the Garou condemn in human nature when they refer to people as “apes.” Their territoriality keeps Yeren from working in close groups very often (though they network extensively), and this is a blessing for urban Garou; on the other hand, the Yeren are very new, and few Garou are even aware of them as a threat, meaning they often have no idea they’re being targeted by a wereape until the hammer drops.

The Yeren largely support Pentex because Pentex supports them, but they’re not satisfied as pawns and cats-paws. There’s no such thing as a stable relationship of master and servant where Yeren are concerned. Their ambition is without limit, and when they see power they don’t have, they want it for themselves. Pentex may not fully appreciate what it has unleashed upon itself in the form of the Yeren, who appear in the company’s middle management in greater numbers with every passing year.

[+/-] Yeren Gifts

Yeren Gifts

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 174

The following Gifts from this book and W20 are appropriate for the Yeren Gift list:

Level One: Balance, Bane Protector, Bestowing the Predator’s Shadow, Eye of the Hunter, Falling Touch, Glass Canyon Predator (as Ways of the Urban Wolf), Gorilla’s Embrace (as Falcon’s Grasp), Monkey Tail (as the Level Three Gift), Open Seal, Resist Toxin, Trash is Treasure, Sense Wyrm, Venom Claws

Level Two: Between the Cracks, Blissful Ignorance, Distractions, Glib Tongue, Monkey Leap (as the Level One Gift: Hare’s Leap), Odious Aroma, Nimblefeet (as the Level Three Gift: Catfeet), Taking the Forgotten, Wyrm Hide

Level Three: Beautiful Lie, Bloody Feast, Call the Rust, Feast of Essence, Flame Dance (as the Level Two Gift), Gorge (as the Level Four Gift), Intrusion, Spider’s Song (as the Level Two Gift), Spirit of the Fray (as the Level Two Gift)

In addition, the Yeren have started to develop some Gifts unique to themselves.

Level One

Middleman

Description: The Yeren can push on far past the point of exhaustion, taking strength from the activity around him.

System: The player spends a point of Rage or Gnosis. For the remainder of the scene, the Yeren regains a point of the same trait for every two points spent within the wereape’s hearing range. Middleman only keeps the Yeren fighting on dwindling resources and cannot restore his pool above three points. The character chooses whether to focus on Rage or Gnosis when activating the Gift; both aspects may not be used in the same scene.

Shit Rolls Downhill

Description: The Yeren transfers all blame and negative social consequences for an activity to a chosen victim. The Yeren is praised for success, but the victim will be disciplined for any failure. Any corporate investigation, police enquiry or Garou pack that tries to find the person responsible for the project will discover the victim.

System: The player spends one Gnosis and touches the victim. All non-supernatural enquiries to discover the Yeren’s involvement with an activity will instead find solid evidence of the victim’s responsibility — even if parts of a project succeed the negatives will all point to the victim and obscure the Yeren’s involvement. Anyone using supernatural powers to penetrate this shield add the Yeren’s Gnosis to the difficulty.

Level Two

Fistful of Filth

Description: The Yeren flings steaming gobs of corrosive filth at its enemies. This filth smells like excrement but is produced by the Gift — The Yeren need not supply his own ammunition.

System: The filth is a thrown weapon with traits equivalent to a knife (W20 Core, pg 302). Its corrosive nature continues to inflict 2 levels of lethal damage for a number of turns equal to the Yeren’s Rage. The waste burns through most natural substances including wood and metal; some Yeren have come up with creative uses for this Gift as a result.

Dressing Down

Description: The Yeren berates a subordinate for real or imagined failures and steals her self-worth to boost the ape’s confidence.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Leadership (difficulty 6). Each success transfers one Willpower point from the victim to the Yeren. The Yeren can’t take more Willpower than the victim has and he can’t be targeted more than once per day. This power can only be used on the wereape’s inferiors.

Artist’s Lament

Description: All creators instil their work with some part of themselves. The Yeren abuses this link by destroying the creation to harm its maker. This Gift applies to anything invested with time and energy by its creator, such as speeches, software, or corporate presentations.

System: The Yeren destroys the creation and the player rolls Gnosis (difficulty equal to the victim’s Willpower). Each success removes a point of an Attribute or Willpower from the victim for the remainder of the scene (though it can’t reduce the trait to zero). These points return at the end of the scene. The Yeren must know the victim for this Gift to work. The Gift works best on unique items — add 1 to the difficulty for mass-produced or widely-published works.

Stranger Things

The horrors spawned from the maddened dreams and loins of the Wyrm know no limits. The enemy’s ranks include wicked spirits, corrupted shapeshifters, possessed and corrupted humans and animals, and even outright monsters.

Then there are the other things, the things that just don’t fit into the big picture. The things the Garou just don’t have a frame of reference to explain. The things that don’t seem to have any origins, and yet are. The things that don’t seem to be part of the war, but whose existence the Garou simply cannot tolerate. The other.

Inquisitors

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, 175

No one knows where the Inquisitors come from or what they’re after. That they have an agenda is clear; they’re no-nonsense creatures, clearly acting with purpose. Inquisitors appear in search of particular bits of information, and are willing to do whatever it takes to acquire it. Nor are they unreasonable beings, or so they insist. They give subjects the opportunity to talk freely, and those victims who answer an Inquisitor’s questions openly and honestly are left puzzled but otherwise unmolested.

Those who try to impede the Inquisitors die painfully.

The Inquisitors reek of the Wyrm, but seem as interested in gathering information on the Corrupter as they are in finding patterns within the madness of the Wyld or plotting out the works of the Weaver. Those few who have compared notes on the Inquisitors suspect they are taking some sort of survey of the strength and deployment of the various forces involved in the Apocalypse, but for what reason? If they are agents of some higher power, then why does that being want the information the Inquisitors gather?

Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 6, Stamina 6, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 6, Intelligence 6, Wits 6

Abilities: All save Primal-Urge and Rituals at 4.

Traits: Rage: 5; Gnosis: 5; Willpower: 10

Powers: Armor (as the spirit Charm; cost: 1 Gnosis), Control Electrical Systems (as the spirit Charm; cost: 1 Gnosis), Cyber-Senses (as the Glass Walker Gift), Mind Probe*

  • Mind Probe: Inquisitors may extend a series of thin metallic filaments from their fingertips. They use these probes to pierce the skull of a restrained victim and literally to drain away his knowledge. The Inquisitor spends 1 Gnosis and rolls Wits + Enigmas against a difficulty of the target’s Willpower. Each success removes one year of memories the Inquisitor suspects may contain useful information. This process also lowers the victim’s Intelligence by one dot. The Inquisitor may repeat this process until the results satisfy him, or until he runs out of Gnosis.

For humans, all damage done by Mind Probe is permanent; the brain of a person fully drained appears smooth and unwrinkled — a clearly unnatural state. Garou are able to regenerate most of the damage of this Charm, restoring Intelligence and memories at a rate of one dot and one year’s worth of memories per day of rest and recovery. Even for the Garou, a few minor details are unrecoverable: a childhood friend’s phone number, what the character got for her tenth birthday, that sort of thing.

Image: Inquisitors are flat, matte black humanoid shapes. They have no distinguishing features. They have no faces at all, only vague suggestions of where facial features might be. They come in two varieties — roughly male and almost female — but all have identical cold, inflectionless voices. They tend towards nondescript, conservative clothing. They drive black rental cars when they use any sort of transportation at all.

Background: The Inquisitors are an enigma. Everything about their behavior suggests they are creatures of the Weaver, but they positively reek of Wyrm-taint. Pentex has become especially interested in them after the Inquisitors reduced a number of their agents in Dallas, Boston, and London to drooling husks. Whatever their agenda might be, they’ve yet to reveal it to anyone, and they don’t answer questions.

Storytelling Notes: The Inquisitors are meant as an unknown threat, and an opportunity for Storytellers to come up with a dire conspiracy of their own choosing.

Chulorviah

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 176

The abyssal depths of the sea hold mysteries and terror beyond the reckoning of the Garou and beyond the counting of the Rokea. Of all the horrors given up from the sea, the Chulorviah are perhaps the most enigmatic.

Other names for them are Kraken-Born or the abyssal strain; Chulorviah are neither species, nor spirit, nor even disease, though they share the traits of all three. Certainly, they are an infection, but the few Glass Walkers who have autopsied Chulorvian corpses could isolate no biological cause for their condition. Certainly, they are creatures, they live in flesh and expand their numbers by physical reproduction. And certainly, there is a spiritual element to what they are; their elders wield terrible and potent magic, and they know of the Triat, though they seem not to concern themselves with it.

Viewed as an infection, the Chulorviah are peculiar in the extreme. They afflict themselves upon humans, and cephalopods, and really nothing else: there are no whale, shark, or crab Chulorviah. Viewed with spiritual senses, a murky, tattered halo surrounds a Chulorviah, mottled like rotting flesh.

The Chulorviah are clearly intelligent, and carrying out some great and organized plan, but what that might be remains a mystery. They exhibit no particular interest in the doings of the Garou, Pentex, or other elements of the war for Gaia; instead, the Chulorviah quietly infiltrate small seaside communities, corporate offices, and maritime trade routes. In recent years, they have taken a great interest in offshore drilling, working to promote and expand the practice; those few that have fought the Chulorviah conjecture that Kraken’s children seek the unearthing of something lost beneath the bottom of the sea — lost — or deliberately sealed away.

The Chulorviah come in two basic varieties: infected humans and infected cephalopods. Chulorvian cephalopods, known as Petryani, perpetuate the abyssal strain through direct physical injection—piercing flesh with their unnaturally powerful tentacles or beaks. The vector for human infection remains unknown, but appears to be at least somewhat non-physical; some evidence shows it being sexually transmitted, while others have it passed from one person to another by prolonged conversation, or through a long enough period of cohabitation with a Chulorviah.

Regardless of original species, anyone infected simply becomes Chulorviah afterward. Although the Kraken-Born retain full knowledge of their lives prior to infection, they no longer possess any emotional attachment to those thoughts or memories; their loyalty to the strain is absolute.

Markings of the Abyss

All Chulorviah share a few traits in common. They are able to communicate silently with one another regardless of any language barriers through a form of psychic communion similar to the Galliard Gift: Mindspeak. All Chulorviah are fully amphibious, able to survive for unlimited periods above or below the waves, and at any depth. Chulorviah can sense other carriers of the abyssal strain; whenever a Chulorviah sleeps, it awakens with a certain awareness of exactly how many other Chulorviah can be found within 50 miles of its location, where those Kraken-Born are, and what identities they wear, if any.

Finally, all Chulorviah register very powerfully to the Gift: Sense Wyrm. The difficulty to detect a Chulorviah at close range is only 5. The particular sensation they produce when analyzed with the Gift is almost overpowering, like being engulfed in a tide of rot. It’s the kind of aura of corruption one might expect from a Wyrmish Incarna, not a monster little stronger than a fomor. Perhaps each Chulorviah is but a tentacle extruded from some terrible, central mind.

The Enfolded

The lowest among the abyssal strain, the Enfolded are infected humans. They’re generally treated as disposable in the plans of the Kraken-Born, used as manual labor or shock troops in Chulorvian plans. Some have theorized that these wretches represent the future of humanity, should the great work of the Chulorviah come to fruition.

Image: People infected with the abyssal strain continue to look completely human, with only a slight mottling of the skin to show anything is wrong... at first. Over time, more changes creep in. Teeth fuse into a chitinous beak; suckers appear at random, odd points on the body; a small cluster of anemone-like tendrils replaces the Enfolded’s genitalia. Once the Enfolded can no longer pass for human, he returns to the depths to perform unknown services for his cephalopod superiors.

Traits: Enfolded retain the same traits they had prior to infection

Powers: Basic Chulorviah powers, Immunity to the Delirium, Numbing

Petryanos

Petryani are infected cephalopods who have developed a cold, malign sentience and a talent for mind control. They oversee the implementation of the Chulorvian agenda, moving from useful host to useful host and directing the more numerous Enfolded under their command. While Petryani normally focus on human hosts, they’re not exclusively limited to them; in times of war, a Petryanos may bore into the cartilaginous skull of a shark, or enslave the mind and body of a killer whale to act as a living weapon.

It is worth noting that while Petryani can infect the humans they puppeteer, transforming them into Enfolded, the Petryani prefer to dispose of them once their usefulness is ended. Generally, the Petryanos forces the host to swim far out to see, deep beneath the waves, and then disentangles itself and swims away, leaving the wounded host to drown. Nobody’s certain why the Petryani are selective in the spreading of the abyssal strain. Perhaps they fear exposure; perhaps initiating infection takes some great toll on them; perhaps they simply consider humans unworthy of elevation to the ranks of the Kraken-Born, and make no more Enfolded workers than they need.

Image: Petryani take the form of small cephalopods, most commonly nautili, octopi, and cuttlefish. They possess a few more tentacles than their mundane cousins do; these extras are long and slender, perfect for burrowing through a victim’s skull, and coiling around his brainstem. Petryani are almost never larger than a human head, all told. They can change color at will, and use this talent to conceal themselves both on and off of host bodies.

Attributes: Strength 3-5, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Manipulation 4, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4. Petryani use the host’s Charisma and Appearance; without a host, they possess 0 in both traits.

Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Enigmas 2, Occult 4, Stealth 5. Petryani may also use the Abilities of its host.

Traits: Willpower: 7

Health Levels: OK, –1, –2, –2, –5, Incapacitated

Powers: Basic Chulorviah powers, Brain-Burrow, Immunity to the Delirium.

To use Brain Burrow, the Petryanos must initiate a clinch and spend a Willpower point. This inflicts one level of lethal damage, as the Petryanos makes a hole in the base or back of the victim’s skull. Afterward, the Petryanos exercises full control over its victim’s body, while the victim’s mind remains fully conscious and helpless. The victim can attempt to gain control of his body for a few moments by spending a point of Willpower and making a Willpower roll at difficulty 9; each success grants one turn of free action. Petryani often deny a recalcitrant victim sleep for days on end in order to deplete their Willpower reserves.

Petryanos possession can be ended through Gifts such as Exorcism, or by driving away or surgically removing the Chulorviah. Simply ripping a Petryanos loose is possible with a successful grapple attempt, but rarely a good idea, as the Chulorviah generally comes away with big chunks of grey matter grasped in its tentacles.

Notes: Petryani generally fight as the host body; in a pinch, they can grapple and bite for +1 lethal damage.

Chulorviah Elder

The changes that drive the Enfolded into the waves do not cease once they abandon the world of light and air. Few survive long in the courts of the abyss, but those that do continue to become stranger and stronger—they grow, and grow, until after hundreds or thousands of years, they become Chulorvian elders. These vast horrors orchestrate the great plans of the Chulorviah, and send the Petryani here and there to carry out the will of the abyssal strain. If the Kraken-Born find it ironic that only the lowliest among them may grow to become the rulers of their kind, they keep their thoughts to themselves.

The Chulorvian elders are timeless and ageless. They claim to inherit the memory of the abyssal strain, and speak of events that happened long before their birth as though they had witnessed them personally. The memories of the Chulorvian elders stretch back and back, ever into deeper darkness, through geological ages. They remember a time before humanity. They remember the time before land or light, when all was simply icy darkness. At the great extremes of their recollection, they do not know if they recall the past or the future; perhaps it is both, and this is the goal toward which the abyssal strain strives, attempting to meet itself across the bridge of time.

Few not of the abyssal strain ever meet a Chulorvian elder and live. Most of those that do are powerful Rokea, who find themselves the target of Chulorvian aggressions ever afterward.

Image: Each elder is an individual nightmare of writhing, cephalopod horror, a cauldron of flesh twisted without rhyme or reason. Chitinous beaks snap, great eyes stare, tentacles writhe and coil and rubbery skin mottles, all these elements placed without rhyme or reason. Almost all retain a few vestigial indicators of the people they once were: a few fingers waggling at the end of a tentacle, or a woman’s lovely green eyes staring out of a nest of rustling mantles. The speech of the Chulorvian elders tolls hollowly in the minds of those they address.

Attributes: Strength 9+, Dexterity 5+, Stamina 9+, Charisma 3, Manipulation 6, Appearance 0, Perception 5+, Intelligence 6+, Wits 4

Abilities: Elder abilities vary wildly. They retain any skills from life, and most are accomplished fighters with Brawl ratings at 4 or 5. All have Occult 6+.

Traits: Willpower: 8+

Health Levels: OK, OK, –1, –1, –2, –2, –2, –5, –5, Incapacitated

Powers: Basic Chulorviah powers, Immunity to the Delirium.

All Chulorvian elders are capable of Mindspeak-style communication with other Kraken-Born from up to 500 miles away. Finally, each elder possesses a unique array of Gifts chosen by the Storyteller, generally between five and 15.

Fomori: The Wyrm’s Conscripts

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 129

Slavering mutants, twisted killers, and hideous blasphemies wrought in flesh—these are the faces of the Wyrm’s conscripts in its war against Gaia. Fomori are what happens when the pure spiritual essence of the Wyrm invests itself in Earthly flesh. Though blessedly few fomori are strong enough to challenge a werewolf one-on-one, the Wyrm’s mutants come in near-infinite variety, and all too often, that element of surprise is enough to spell the end of one of Gaia’s defenders. Whether the fomor itself lives to fight another day is of little import. So long as life and corruption both remain in the world, the Wyrm can always bring forth new fomori.

The Role of Wyrm Taint

The Garou rightly describe many things as “Wyrm tainted,” and one of their most common Gifts helps them to detect the presence of the Corrupter’s spiritual effluvia. Indeed, one of the major purposes of Pentex is to flood the world with Wyrm-tainted products, from toys, makeup, and films to food, drink, and therapeutic retreats. But what does eating Wyrm-tainted food and using Wyrm-tainted products do to a person?

It does a lot of small, subtle things. It makes people a tiny bit quicker to anger, it makes them a little less tolerant of those around them, it makes dark thoughts and selfish urges rise up more easily than they otherwise might. But the biggest and — from the perspective of Pentex — most important result is that Wyrm-tainted individuals are much easier targets for the Possession Charm (see W20 Core, pg 367). Depending on the severity of the Wyrm-taint a person has taken into himself, the difficulty of the Possession Charm lowers by between –1 and –3. As Pentex’s profits rise, the number of fomori grow year by year.

In essence, when the Garou look upon the twisted face of a fomor, they’re witnessing the future the Wyrm has in store for the entire human race.

Playing Fomori?

The “Quick and Dirty Fomori” rules found on page 429 of W20 are useful for generating fomori characters. But what does it mean to play a fomor? What are fomori, from a player’s perspective?

It’s easier to start by establishing what fomori are not — they’re not the X-Men. They’re not misunderstood targets of unwarranted prejudice, sporting badass superpowers. A fomor is a person who has fused, body and soul, with a spirit of pure corruption. Fomori can be complex and even conflicted, but the source of their powers—the Bane within—is a thing of pure and unambiguous evil.

How much impact this has on the fomor varies. Some fomori, such as Freakfeet or Hollow Men, retain the classification of “human” only by the most generous definition of the word. Others retain much of their former personality and code of ethics. Usually, fomori weren’t very nice people before their possession, but that’s not a universal rule, sometimes fomori are just unfortunate. It’s easier for a Bane to curl up and make a home in the soul of the weak-willed or the already-corrupt, but the truth is, a Bane strong enough or lucky enough can infest just about anyone.

From the perspective of the Garou, this makes fomori tragic, but any pity or sympathy for the mutant generally only extends so far as to try to give it a clean, swift death. The Galliards do know tales of Garou packs who worked with fomori — generally possessed Kinfolk — but none of those tales ends well, and all those sung are with shame.

Ultimately, to play a fomor is to play an unfortunate victim of the supernatural world, probably doomed to a short life and an agonizing death. Play it as a blackly funny one-shot splatterpunk romp, or for tragic pathos, depending on the desires of the group. Alternately, fomori can make decent characters for “everything goes” World of Darkness crossover games. If you already have, say, a dhampyr, a ronin Garou, and a Hollow One mage rambling around in a Winnebago, what harm is there in tossing a fomor into the mix?

For those wishing to play fomori, character creation works much the same as Garou, subject to the modifications mentioned above. The Storyteller decides how many powers you can take when making your character, and will hand out new ones at no experience point cost when he decides your inner Bane is asserting itself. Often accompanied with a new, attendant Flaw; because nobody said possession was going to be pleasant.

Fomori Breeds

While the majority of fomori are unique horrors, there are a few commonly recurring “breeds,” either the result of possession by a peculiarly focused type of Bane, or the product of intentional development programs, generally either those of Black Spiral packs, or Pentex’s Project Iliad. What follows are a selection of some of the fomori breeds most commonly encountered by the Garou.

Blighted Men

Source: Rage Across the World, pg 105

Attributes: Strength 4+, Dexterity 1+, Stamina 3+, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1+, Appearance 1, Perception 2+, Intelligence 1+, Wits 2+

Abilities: Alertness 2, Brawl 1 or 2, Intimidation 3, Melee 1 or 2, Stealth 2, Survival 2 to 4

Powers: While The Blighted Men are not fomori, the effects of the balefire have given them each one of the following Powers as a fomori: Berserker, Numbing, Regeneration, Unnatural Strength.

Equipment: The blighted men wear tattered and worn clothing. They carry whatever was on them when they were picked up an imprisoned by their Pentex captors. Often they have wallets with identification and some have cellular phones with dead batteries.

Description: The Blighted men are mutated due to an exposure to an extraordinary amount of balefire. Those who do not die immediately from exposure develop a strange supernatural strength and resistance to pain. They are also driven completely insane by the nearness to the Wyrm and the only thing they know now is violence.

Enticers

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 130

Enticers are subtle by fomori standards. Outwardly, they don’t appear to be the usual slavering mutants Garou stay alert for, they look perfect. Of course, what an Enticer really looks like and what the people around her see is rarely the same thing.

An Enticer is a social predator, carefully groomed and deployed by Pentex to lure the company’s enemies into traps, turn Gaian loyalists into besotted traitors, or act as the leading wedge of a divide-and-conquer operation. The Enticer doesn’t have much of a choice. Pentex binds him in chains of addiction and dependence. Those few “wild” Enticers created outside of the company’s control normally burn themselves out in a downward spiral of parties, flings, and abusive relationships.

Enticers emit supernaturally potent, psychoactive pheromones that cause those around them to perceive the Enticer as their ideal sexual partner, the literal man, or woman of their dreams. Moreover, these pheromones are addictive; those who’ve been around the Enticer for even a short while soon can’t conceive of living without him. Essentially, an Enticer can seduce almost anything.

Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2, Charisma 6, Manipulation 6, Appearance 6, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Drive 1, Empathy 3, Etiquette 3, Expression 2, Firearms 2, Performance 3, Subterfuge 3

Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 4, Resources 3

Powers: Addictive Presence, Claws and Fangs, Siren’s Veil.

Willpower: 5

Equipment: Luxury clothes, jewelry, and car; a small concealed knife or pistol; cell phone with Pentex handler on speed-dial.

Image: On the rare occasion when someone glimpses an Enticer’s true face, he or she looks like an attractive man or woman, that is until he or she opens his or her mouth, displaying a double-row of barbed fangs.

Genesis: Few Enticers come from “the wild,” but most come from Magadon’s subsidiary Siren Pharmaceuticals. In addition to makeup and cosmetics, Siren targets men with body sprays, moisturizers, shaving creams, hair dyes, and other products advertised as increasing their sex appeal. Ordinary Siren products are simply Wyrm-tainted cosmetic products designed to attract Banes of insecurity and vanity, but a few times a year, Siren sponsors various beauty contests and fashion shows, giving the winner a year’s supply of exclusive, limited-edition products. These are loaded with Wyrm-taint, Banes, and addictive additives; a few months later a Pentex representative swings by to rescue the winner from their life-destroying transformation into a fomor, which should be well underway at this point. The company plies the fomor with more addictive cosmetics, as well as doing its best to supply them with other, harder addictive narcotics, and takes over their finances by putting them on the company payroll, anything to get the Enticer on the company’s leash in the long term.

Pentex also targets models sliding out of their prime who are desperate for some edge to help them hang on. The process seems to work just as well as the more traditional methods. They used to use this as their main source of male Enticers, but in the last few years, the numbers of male and female Enticers have balanced out.

Roleplaying Notes: It’s good to be needed. Most people have their day in the spotlight and then wither away, but not you, everyone loves you, everyone wants you, everyone hangs on your every word, and they always will. That’s good, because it lets you keep living in the style to which you’re accustomed: uppers in the morning, downers to stop at the end of the day, and a whirlwind of self-satisfaction in-between, at least when the boss doesn’t need something taken care of. You don’t like to fight, but you can when you have to, you’d much rather send one of your many admirers off to take care of problems, though.

Ferectoi, the Larvae of the Wyrm

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 131

The Ferectoi, also sometimes known as Bane Children, are princes among the ranks of fomori, standing among the strongest and most stable of the Wyrm’s mutants. Pentex makes frequent use of Ferectoi, and the upper ranks of its division management are peppered with Bane Children. The normal glass ceiling blocking fomori from rising high in the ranks of the Wyrm’s servants doesn’t apply to Ferectoi.

This is because the Ferectoi are perfect creations of the Wyrm’s will. Ferectoi are pre-natal fomori, conceived in a twisted mockery of natural reproduction and born already twisted by the will of the Corrupter. No Ferectoi was ever seduced or enticed into the Wyrm’s service; they were made to be what they are, one and all.

The Ferectoi know it. They’re arrogant, self-assured creatures; mostly raised by powerful servants of the Wyrm such as Pentex executives, Wyrmish mages, or relatively “stable” Black Spiral families, and are well aware of their birthright. They burn with a desire to hasten the Apocalypse and bring about a world where they can display their superiority openly.

Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3, Perception 4, Intelligence 4, Wits 4

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Computer 2, Empathy 2, Enigmas 2, Etiquette 3, Intimidation 4, Larceny 2, Leadership 4, Occult 3, Science 3, Stealth 3, Streetwise 4, Subterfuge 4

Backgrounds: Allies 3-5, Contacts 3-5, Resources 2-4

Powers: At least five fomori powers, as Ferectoi are unique. All Ferectoi are able to hide their nature completely. Extra limbs are retractable into the body, for example.

Willpower: 7

Equipment: Most Ferectoi have whatever they need provided for them by powerful patrons.

Image: Bane Children look outwardly human until they choose to reveal their hellish powers. At that point, they may look like anything. No two Ferectoi have precisely the same mutations.

Genesis: A unique monstrosity known as a Breeder Bane produces Ferectoi. The Breeder Bane is a grotesque jar of disconnected anatomy, a self-impregnating monstrosity designed solely to pervert the natural processes of human reproduction.

Breeder Banes manifest to steal the genetic material of sleeping mortals, using their Charms to keep the mortals unaware of their violation (though they may suffer tormented dreams of the experience in years to come). Though they prize human sperm and eggs, they can use any living cells, taking half an ounce of muscle or bone marrow for example. The Breeder Bane must gather both male and female flesh, and then combines them in the Wyrm-tainted cauldron that is its hideous anatomy, gestating a Ferectoi. It later manifests again to give birth to the Bane Child, leaving the twisted babe in the care of mighty servants of the Wyrm. Among those who conspire to kill the world, they consider it a high honor from the Corrupter to find a gravid Breeder Bane on one’s doorstep.

Roleplaying Notes: You may look human, but you’re something greater than those around you are, and you know it. You’re stronger, smarter, more evolved. You have a great role to play in shaping the future. Your only regret is that you have to hide that power so much of the time. You long to unfurl your chitinous limbs, spew balefire upon your enemies, and proclaim your ascendance over a dying and obsolete human race.

Until then, you’re a wolf among sheep, and that has its own pleasures.

Flesh Packs

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 132

The fomori known as Flesh Packs represent one of Pentex’s most impressive technical achievements in the field of spiritual corruption. It is an infectious fomor, capable of spreading its mutant state to others. Unfortunately, Flesh Pack fomori aren’t just infectious, they’re virulently infectious, making them of very limited use outside of contained purge-and-burn operations in remote regions. Of course, many caerns are located in remote, rural areas where outbreak containment is possible...

Once possessed, a Flesh Pack fomor suffers rapid, severe decline of his mental faculties, at the same time the possessing Bane pumps him full of aggression and a growing hunger for raw meat — any kind will do. Most Flesh Pack “alphas” begin by raiding the nearest grocery store, but quickly proceed to devouring neighborhood pets and then neighbors. A growing Flesh Pack is easily capable of depopulating a small town or village, and indeed Pentex has recorded Flesh Packs doing so in Mexico, Chile, Somalia, and Siberia.

Flesh Packs orient around the leadership of an alpha, the original fomor that infected the rest of the pack. This “Patient Zero” is usually a bit smarter and stronger than his fellows are, and is, thankfully, the only one capable of spreading the infection. Unfortunately, the “beta” fomori sense this; and they will sacrifice themselves to protect the pack’s alpha.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 1, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Intimidation 3, Melee 2, Stealth 3

Backgrounds: None

Powers: Claws and Fangs (alpha only), Extra Speed, Immunity to the Delirium, Regeneration.

Willpower: 4

Equipment: Whatever the Flesh Pack has come across that works as a weapon.

Image: Flesh Pack “betas” look outwardly human, but seem anything but normal. They’re disheveled, filthy, and utterly manic with the need to eat. Any meat will do. A flesh pack will descend on a supermarket and tear apart its meat section as readily as they’ll consume the shoppers. They’re never sated, and their regenerative powers will allow them to feast on in agony almost indefinitely, even as their stomachs rupture and re-seal around lumps of raw flesh.

The alpha fomor of a Flesh Pack is bigger than the rest, and develops jagged fangs and bony claws about a week after succumbing to full possession.

Genesis: Flesh Packs spawn from Banes known as Winding Hungers, a kind of cannibal-spirit of gluttony and murder. Winding Hungers are only capable of possessing those who have eaten human flesh, making their fomori blessedly rare. Although when Pentex needs an outbreak badly enough, it’s not averse to slipping a burger made of long pork into a local O’Tolley’s. Pentex targets Kinfolk when possible, in the hopes that they’ll carry the infection inside the bawn of an isolated, self-sustaining caern.

“Beta” fomori are infected when someone survives a bite from the “alpha” fomor. The fomor’s murderous aggression acts as a vector for the Winding Hunger to possess additional hosts while remaining rooted in the “alpha” fomor. Two factors limit the size of Flesh Packs: only the alpha can create more fomori, and the absolute power of the Winding Hunger, which can only muster enough power to spread itself across fifteen to twenty-five fomori in total.

Roleplaying Notes: Hard to think, don’t need to think, need to eat; you’ve never needed anything so bad. Wait, did something move over there? Meat! Does it look familiar? The screams don’t matter, just the blood on your tongue and the flesh ripping between your teeth.

Damnit, you’re still hungry.

Freakfeet

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 132

Freakfeet were among the earliest of designer Fomori, initially created by the Magadon subsidiary Panacea in the late 1970s. They were intended to be an easily controlled, cheaply-produced, self-replicating fomori breed, and to thrive in the abandoned nooks and crannies of the urban wasteland — particularly in the sewers and storm drains which many Bone Gnawers of the time used as supply caches and bolt holes. However, a spate of attacks on Panacea facilities allowed a number of un-indoctrinated Freakfeet to escape, resulting in these urban nightmares reproducing in the wild outside of Pentex’s control.

Despite their variable appearance, all Freakfeet are genetically identical. They are the result of a genetic-spiritual fusion of human and amphibian DNA with a H’ruggling Bane. They’re dull-witted and cowardly but vicious creatures, experts at creeping, slinking, and abducting targets from within their own homes, the better to either feed or grow their home nest.

Freakfeet have their own crude language, it is a deep-throated chittering comprehensible only to other Freakfeet and H’rugglings.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 2, Intelligence 1, Wits 3

Abilities: Athletics 4, Brawl 3, Primal-Urge 1, Stealth 4

Backgrounds: None

Powers: Fangs, Immunity to the Delirium, Malleate, Rat Head, Slobbersnot

Willpower: 2

Equipment: None.

Image: Freakfeet look like grotesque little toad-monkeys. They’re generally human in outline from the waist up, although with weirdly elongated arms. Their eyes are enormous, popping out of heads bulging up from wide, powerful shoulders; Freakfeet have no necks to speak of. Their legs are tiny, from six inches to a foot in length, ending in enormous feet with long prehensile toes. Freakfeet skin is waxy and rubbery beneath its glistening layer of slime, and these fomori come in a wide array of different colors, of which the Freakfeet are inordinately proud. Although they move with a seemingly awkward lope, Freakfeet are capable of impressive ground speeds.

Every Freakfeet hive has a single “Queen” which is at least three times the size of a normal fomor of this breed, with a grossly bloated and bulbous body and a stinger mounted at the base of her spine.

Genesis: Freakfeet are unusual among fomori, in that the only Banes that create new Freakfeet incubate in the flesh of a Freakfeet Queen. Freakfeet perform home invasions, sliding in through the pipes, or snatch lone individuals off the streets and down into storm drains; these unfortunate souls become the fodder for new Freakfeet. Their captors fuse the abductees to the floors or walls of the local hive, where the Queen injects a spiritual “egg” with her stinger. The new fomor gestates inside the body of the host, eventually tearing free of its parent’s flesh a few weeks later when the possession is complete.

Roleplaying Notes: You have only the haziest memories of the host-flesh. You remember places, faces, names, facts, but have no emotional connection to them. They are likely to be the first things you hunt. You are born hungry. You love sliding through the pipes and drains of the city, collapsing your rubbery skin and using your natural slime to glide smoothly along. You like playing with the malleable flesh of those you capture. You must serve the Queen and you must serve the hive. Food, new brothers, and a bit of amusement are all that you need now.

Gorehounds, Take Two

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 133

Slaughterhouse Video, a small subsidiary of Pentex, is the exclusive producer of Gorehounds. In the past, Gorehound fomori emulated their classic slasher-film heroes — usually unstable to begin with — Bane possession killed most of their higher reasoning and turned them into silent, hulking, nigh-unstoppable murder machines with a penchant for power tools and ambushes.

Times change, though, and the Gorehounds are changing with them. While the “classic” model of enormous, masked, overtly murderous Gorehound remains a going concern, Slaughterhouse has also recently begun creating a “Take Two” version of the Gorehound as well. These creatures are less blatant than the classic Gorehound, and focus less on racking up a huge body count quickly, and more on extracting the maximum possible amount of suffering from each victim. Where classic Gorehounds are crude, The Bane possessing it imbues the new Gorehounds with a sort of hellish cleverness. This allows it intuitively to construct elaborate traps and torture chambers. Possessed of a relentless drive to kill, both types of Gorehounds rarely manage to last very long before going out in a blaze of terrible violence.

Attributes (old): Strength 6, Dexterity 3, Stamina 6, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 2
Attributes (new): Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3, Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 4, Intelligence 5, Wits 4

Abilities (old): Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Intimidation 4, Melee 4, Stealth 5
Abilities (new): Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Craft 5, Investigation 4, Melee 3

Backgrounds: None

Powers (old): Immunity to the Delirium, Mega-Strength, Mega-Stamina, Regeneration.

Powers (new): Cause Insanity (via prolonged torture), Immunity to the Delirium, Mega-Intelligence, Regeneration
Willpower: 10

Equipment (old): Household implements such as meat cleavers, chainsaws, pitchforks, cordless drills, or screwdrivers, to be terribly misused.

Equipment (new): Chloroform-soaked rag, concealed knife, detailed map of next victim’s house, elaborate torture chamber.

Image: Gorehounds continue to look human, save that the classic model bulks up dramatically after possession. Most fade away from their former identities, adopting a new persona for themselves, and may fashion some sort of crude costume, mask, or pattern of scarring to signify this new identity.

Genesis: In the past, Slaughterhouse Video produced heavily Wyrm-tainted direct-to-VHS slasher films, occasionally with minor banes sleeping inside the tapes, distributed through seedy video stores. These days, business is better than ever. While their Classic Slaughter line has jumped from VHS to the direct-to-DVD market, Slaughterhouse has also expanded with a Grim Reality line of “real” gore documentaries, compiling animal attacks, industrial accidents, and other purportedly genuine compilations of human death and mutilation. The videos have just enough obviously staged fakery to deflect suspicions about their primarily real content.

Slaughterhouse has also jumped enthusiastically into the modern “torture porn” genre, discovering that aficionados of their Blood Trap line of low-budget films are ripe breeding grounds for a whole new kind of Gorehound. Slaughterhouse no longer bothers to pre-package banes with its products. It’s simpler to flood the market with cheap, low-cost Wyrm-tainted DVDs and just let the taint’s clarion call do the rest of the work, attracting appropriate Banes out in the wild. The company is currently experimenting with direct-streaming services as well, and early results look promising; the internet seems as suitable a vector for Wyrm taint as any other does.

Roleplaying Notes: You stopped really feeling pain a long time ago — or much of anything else, for that matter. Now you only feel alive when screams ring in your ears, or when you feel hot wet blood soaking your arms up to the wrists. You’re living the dream; you’re carrying out a mission. It’s all that matters.

Hollow Men

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 134

The ultimate origins of the Hollow Men are a mystery. They are among the oldest of all the fomori breeds. They first appear in Fianna ballads dating back to Roman-era Britain, and that they’re extremely long-lived. Hollow Men serve the Wyrm effectively and with intense drive, having led many great assaults against Gaia down through the centuries.

They’re also among the most disturbing of fomori.

A Hollow Man (or Woman) is an individual who has been possessed by a Scavenger Pack Bane, they are a hollowed-out skin animated by a colony of vermin, little more than a channel for the black urges of the Wyrm.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 3, Expression 2, Firearms 2, Intimidation 4, Occult 3, Primal-Urge 4, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3

Backgrounds: None

Powers: Colony Powers (see sidebar), Dispersion, Immunity to the Delirium, Prolonged Life, Regeneration. Regeneration requires calling more animals from the surrounding area to replenish and mend wounds; if no such creatures are available, the power doesn’t work.

Willpower: 8

Equipment: Heavy trench coat and wide-brimmed hat, revolver.

Image: A Hollow Man can only pass for human at a distance or in poor light. Up close, it becomes clear that they have no eyes, teeth, or tongue. Their skin rustles and surges with the motions of the colony within, and occasionally a member of that colony will peek out through an available orifice, or crawl across the surface of the Hollow Man’s skin. Despite their mutilations, Hollow Men are still able to perceive the world, and to speak, although their voices are the modulated buzzing of hornets, or the chorused hiss of serpents.

Genesis: Hollow Men are thankfully rare, as the circumstances that permit their creation are quite uncommon. Scavenger Pack Banes can only possess a relatively fresh, mostly hollowed out body. The ideal body is one still in the process of dying. The Bane drives packs of its patron vermin, such as rats, snakes, roaches, or wasps, to stampede into the gutted husk and complete the task of hollowing it out. Within a matter of minutes or hours, the new fomor rises and goes about carrying out the Wyrm’s will.

There is some evidence that the Hollow Man population is now on the rise and that they are associating with one another for the first time in the memory of the Garou. A Hollow Man discovered in Phoenix last year kidnapping students and eviscerating them in a foreclosed ranch house, then called termite swarms out of the walls to create new Hollow Men. Reports of similar stories out of New York, Brisbane, and Cairo circulate among concerned Garou as well. It remains unknown why the Wyrm should desire a greater number of these fomori, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re empty. You have your old memories, but not your old life. You hate everything, especially the colony that nips at your skin and skitters across your bones. Nevertheless, you need them. Without them, you’d be so empty. So alone. Without the rats in your eyes, you couldn’t see. Without the rats in your head, you couldn’t think. They’re everything to you now. You need them. You hate them. You need them.

Example Colony Powers

Hollow Men are among the upper echelon of fomor power, but the exact nature of that power differs depending on the type of Scavenger Bane possessing them. Some examples are below:

Spider Colony: Venomous bite, Wall Walking, Webbing
Rat Colony: Footpads, Infectious Touch, Rat Head
Constrictor Colony: Maw of the Wyrm, MegaStrength, Rat Head

Normalites

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 135

These tragic horrors are the result of a number of Pentex projects started during the late 1980s to crush the wills of homosexual men and women through “curative therapy” programs. The ultimate result of the program is a Normalite: a faceless, sexless fomor capable of instinctively detecting the presence of supernatural entities, and filled with an equally instinctive desire to destroy them. Pentex First Teams use packs of these baying, featureless monstrosities to hunt Garou and Kinfolk, and then neutralize their Gifts while strike teams take them apart.

In the twenty-first century, much of the developed world is more accepting of homosexuality than it was, thus it’s much harder to start up the programs needed to make Normalites. Production is mostly concentrated in the United States, Italy, and Africa; Russia started a couple of experimental programs, but hasn’t had time enough to show success. Pentex remains dedicated to expanding their presence abroad by any means necessary, however; they’re simply too useful to give up on.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 3, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 3, Intimidation 4, Primal-Urge 2, Stealth 2

Backgrounds: None

Powers: Homogeneity, Immunity to the Delirium, Sense the Unnatural, Venomous Bite

Willpower: 3

Equipment: Generally none, not even clothes.

Image: A Normalite’s bone structure distorts, allowing it to run on all fours. Its body is hairless, sexless, and without distinguishing characteristics such as scars or tattoos. The Normalite’s pigmentation shifts over time until the fomor is an unearthly paper-white. The Normalite’s facial features disappear save for a gaping mouth; somehow, this fails to impair their keen senses.

Genesis: The first Normalites were the products of a Pentex subsidiary known as Homogeneity, Incorporated, a business centered around “curing” homosexuals of unwanted sexual desires through a $2,000, ten-week course of isolation, religious services, and hypnotherapy. Project Iliad has since diversified, branching out from the original company to sponsor the use of its methods by a number of homosexual “rehab” programs, both Pentex-sponsored and wholly independent. In recent years, it has expanded its operations to include “treatment” of transgendered individuals as well. The banes that create Normalites prey on self-loathing and identity conflicts, and the programs that create Normalites create and magnify these feelings to a disturbing degree. Full possession and transformation takes between six and ten months. The psychological changes begin in a matter of weeks, while physical transformation doesn’t begin until the final month of the process.

In countries where homosexuality isn’t broadly condemned, Pentex funnels significant funds to hate groups, preachers of intolerance, and socially conservative political movements in the hopes of wedging open markets for more projects like Homogeneity, Inc. The Normalites are among their most useful fomori for finding and targeting the Wyrm’s enemies, making further expansion of the program that creates them a vital priority.

Roleplaying Notes: At first, the program seemed like it worked. You realized that your desires were disgusting and wrong, but over time, they faded away. Granted, no heterosexual impulses rose up to replace them, but that was okay, it was enough just to be free, for a while. Then your other desires began to fade as well, even as you became acutely sensitive to the freaks around you. Your rage toward anything “abnormal” grew, even as everything else dimmed out, you managed to become normal, so why couldn’t everyone else? Worst of all were the freaks — and you knew them to be freaks — who seemed completely normal on the outside.

By the time your genitals atrophied away, and your smooth flesh reabsorbed your eyes and nose, all you could think of was to hunt down the other, hate the other, kill the other. That’s when the nice men from Project Iliad came, and showed you how you could help shut down all deviation, once and for all.

Shadowfiends

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 136

Stalking through the dark corners of the world, Shadowfiends are assassins for Pentex. They strike targets chosen by the company with no emotion or remorse. Difficult to find and extremely loyal, almost all Shadowfiends work within the limits of cities and towns, exterminating whichever threats to the corporation and to the Wyrm as a whole. Their targets often include rabble-rousers and activists who would strike down the company’s power. Pentex also trusts the fomori to confront supernatural targets, sending them after Kinfolk and individual Garou, eliminating problems as they arise.

Shadowfiends are physically dark enough that they must use their abilities to lighten their coloration to blend with the shadows in which they hunt. The fomori rely entirely on stealth and silence to complete their Pentex-given missions before slipping away as quietly as they came. Commonly, the only sign of a Shadowfiend’s work is the lack of a struggle and the look of complete surprise left on the victim’s face.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 6, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1, Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 4

Abilities: Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 1, Firearms 2, Investigation 3, Melee 4, Stealth 5, Subterfuge 3

Backgrounds: Allies 2, Contacts 4, Resources 3

Powers: Chameleon Coloration (Shadowwalking), Darksight, Immunity to the Delirium, Shadowplay, Silent Aura

Willpower: 6

Equipment: GPS tracker; light pistol with silver bullets; silver knife

Image: Shadowfiends appear as lithe humans, their features slightly elongated. The formor’s skin and eyes are pitch black, making them appear as human-shaped voids rather than actual living beings. Shadowfiends tend to shave all of their hair and work naked due to their natural camouflage.

Genesis: A product of Project Iliad, all Shadowfiends are created using a special serum crafted by Pentex’ twisted scientsits. Specialists observe potential participants over the course of at least two months before sending invitations offering a large sum of money simply for attending a special seminar. People who respond are treated to a formal dinner and stay in a hotel where the seminar is held. Pentex specialists filter through the attendees, watching them from cameras and listening to their conversations. By the end of the night, they decide who they want.

Everyone will sleep well the following night from the time-release drug laced through the food at the dinner. Those chosen by Pentex are then injected with the serum that sends the victim into pain-laced nightmares for the remainder of the night. The serum opens the person up for possession, and, by the time morning comes, Pentex has created a monster.

The full unification of the Bane and human takes place over the course of two days in which the skin of the victim turns stark black. Upon completion, the Shadowfiend is fully active and capable, ready to complete its first deadly mission.

Roleplaying Notes: Pentex is everything. You live and breathe the will of the company, and you will do all you can to fulfill its requests. You’re not stupid, however. You take your time, analyze your targets, and when you strike, you do it quietly and without fanfare. You’re curt and only speak and do what’s necessary. Your job is to exterminate the enemies of Pentex, and no one is better suited for the task.

Shock Troopers

W20 Rage Across the World, pg 105

Attributes: Strength 3+, Dexterity 3+, Stamina 2+, Charisma 1+, Manipulation 1+, Appearance (usually) 0, Perception 2+, Intelligence 1+, Wits 2+

Abilities: Alertness 2, Athletics 2 to 4, Brawl 1 to 3, Intimidation 3, Firearms 3 to 5, Melee 1 or 2, Survival 3, Investigation 2, Medicine 2

Powers: Each fomor gains the power Fiery Discharge to represent their acidic blood from the Bane infesting it. Chose two more from the following list for each fomor:

Armored Skin, Body-Barbs, Chameleon Coloration, Extra Speed, Immunity to Delirium, Noxious Breath.

Equipment: These fomori wear military grade armored vests and clothing. They rarely carry spare weapons, as their own bodies constitute their weaponry — treat each one as carrying an assault rifle or assault shotgun. One of them might have a cellular phone or some other communication device to keep in touch with their paramilitary units.

Description: These formori are bound to Banes of violence. They have mutated weapon-like appendages and acidic blood that they can spit or shoot from their bodies. These troopers are covered in a thin metal covering which protects them. Unfortunately, they do not live long, as they are not immune to the acid in their own blood and it slowly devours them from the inside out.

Sons of Typhon

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137

Sons of Typhon spawn from depraved antics of the Tau Upsilon Phi fraternity on college campuses around the United States. They spend their time in college drinking to excess, skipping classes, and using drugs and alcohol to get laid. They also learn the nuances of social manipulation from the fraternity system, and make important contacts in secret societies. Even though the brothers commonly work against one another for top positions within the fraternity, they meet any outsiders making a move against the fraternity with unified force.

Sons of Typhon put in the minimum effort necessary to pass classes, and commonly try to get on athletics teams to avoid being kicked out. Upon graduation, Pentex recruiters pick the best and the brightest from the fraternity for high paying jobs, while others find their way into lower positions. Once within the company, they take positions in public relations and other departments where their social manipulation abilities are put to best use. The most athletic of the graduates are often recruited for First Teams, while those with a predatory bent sometimes find roles in Pentex’s competitors, moving them towards a hostile takeover.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4, Charisma 4, Manipulation 5, Appearance 4, Perception 2, Intelligence 4, Wits 3

Abilities: Academics 2, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Computer 2, Drive 2, Empathy 2, Etiquette 3, Firearms 2, Intimidation 3, Leadership 3, Melee 1, Subterfuge 3

Backgrounds: Allies 3, Contacts 5, Resources 4

Powers: Armored Skin, Disguise*, Immunity to the Delirium, Tongue of Typhon

Willpower: 5

Equipment: Expensive car; concealed pistol; smartphone; tablet

Image: Sons of Typhon typically appear as they did when they were human. In their true visage, they smile literal ear-to-ear smiles, revealing sharp teeth. Their eyes have vertical slit pupils and the irises are either emerald green or blood red.

Genesis: Becoming a Son of Typhon requires being accepted into the Tau Upsilon Phi fraternity, which makes itself as appealing as possible to the campus populace. Heads of the fraternity sift through freshman classes and pass out pamphlets depicting attractive women clinging to members. The fraternity’s promises are simple: a place to belong, have fun, and have access to all the women a man could ever need.

The initiation process, however, is hell. Once a potential member is selected to apply, the brotherhood proceeds to tear down his pride. For two weeks, the applicant is subjected to varied forms of humiliation and pain that range from holding heavy bags at arm’s length until told to stop, to straight-up sexual assault. Failure reflects an inability to comply with authority, something the frat won’t accept. Failed pledges are beaten and shamed in any way the members see fit.

The culmination of the two weeks results in a rave. The parties of Tau Upsilon Phi are legendary, and everyone knows only the best get in. This attracts women that frat members drug so they will do anything and everything the men want. The frat is powerful enough that members never face rape charges, often blaming the victims. While Banes commonly lurk around the fraternity buildings, the initiation raves attract more than usual. The Banes seek out new initiates to meld with in the orgy of pleasure and humiliation, bonding with the freshly depraved souls of the successful initiates.

Roleplaying Notes: The world is your puppet to play with as you please. You love to be on top in every respect of your life. The more people who run around and do your bidding, the better you feel. But you also understand authority, and until you hold the reins, you respect it and follow those who do.

Toads

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137

Toads first emerged during the 1980s, although nobody is sure quite from where. Neither terrible warriors of the Wyrm nor scheming masterminds, Toads tend to pop up in the forgettable middle management of the corporate world. They’ve proliferated since they first appeared, often serving as key actors in Pentex corporate espionage and asset acquisitions operations, but are now a breed on the decline. More brutally competitive creatures are spilling out of the labs of Project Iliad and Project Lycaon (see W20 BotW, pg 167), and the Toads are looking for a new safe haven.

Unfortunately for them, nobody really likes a Toad. Toads spread misery to those beneath them while coveting the more exclusive positions above them, but generally lack the ambition to work for those titles. Late-night office “accidents” along with a spot of well-placed human resources intimidation may suffice to move a Toad up the corporate ladder, but the higher a Toad climbs, the more of a target it becomes.

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 4, Charisma 2, Manipulation 4, Appearance 1, Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 2, Intimidation 3, Larceny 2, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 4

Backgrounds: Contacts 3

Powers: Barbed Tongue, Immunity to the Delirium.

Willpower: 5

Equipment: Automatic pistol, large car, cell phone, laptop.

Image: Toads seem human at a glance. They’re overweight (but not grossly so), situation-appropriate-but-shabby dressers, with wide-set, bulging eyes. A Toad’s fingers are like damp, clammy sausages, and their complexion starts at bad and gets worse over time.

The true distinguishing feature of a Toad is, of course, his tongue. A Toad’s tongue can extend a full 15 feet and ends in a viciously sharp barb. A Toad can shoot its tongue out to full length in a fraction of a second. When not in use, the tongue collapses into a wad stored in the mouth and throat, sort of like a huge glob of chewing gum; as a direct result, most Toads mumble.

Genesis: Toads seem to have just happened; no program takes credit for them. They’re not considered particularly valuable by Pentex, and the Black Spiral Dancers hold them in open contempt; as a result, nobody is particularly worried about their declining numbers in the present day, or their ongoing exodus from Pentex into the private sector.

Roleplaying Notes: It’s all about control: the power to hire, to fire, to reward and to punish. You enjoy it when others labor to please you, and hate being looked down on. You let disrespect roll off your back like water when it happens, while making sure you always get even later. You’re a bully at heart. You try to avoid any fight where the odds aren’t stacked in your favor.

Fomori Families

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 138

Not all fomori are created. Some are born.

As the number of fomori increase, they encounter one another more frequently. Drawn together by taint, mission, and sometimes chance, fomori typically work towards a common goal — or just as often, tear each other apart. But occasionally, in a fit of domination, lust, or (rarely) sympathy, fomori become sexually involved. The product of such a union is usually human, but not always. Families of fomori who bred true have appeared in remote areas and cities alike. While still relatively rare, the influx of Wyrm taint has their numbers increasing year by year, and with each successful birthing of a new fomori the creatures come that much closer to overrunning Mother Earth.

The first such family arose in a small community in the heart of Wyoming. One of the locals struck a nest of slumbering Banes while digging for a well. The disruption awoke the spirits, which proceeded to wreak havoc on the town. After a day of terror, the Banes had possessed fully half the town. The other half lay about, feeding the ground with their remains. The new fomori, still human enough to be horrified at what they had done, cut off connections with anyone outside the town. They barricaded themselves in with only one another for company.

They soon fell prey to their urges, and soon enough the fomori produced children. As the community degraded in a swirling mass of debauchery and sadism, the children born lived short, horrible lives full of various tortures. It wasn’t until three years later that a child bred true, emerging from the womb with a Bane in its heart. Inspired by the infant fomor, the townsfolk developed rites and rituals to attract more Banes as they partook in bloody orgies. Soon enough, fomori births became more common. Human children suffered as they always had, and though some were possessed after their births, none lived past their tenth birthday.

The community allowed nobody to leave, and as they reached sexual maturity, the new generation joined in the orgies of sex and violence. More offspring spawned from the unholy unions and, after two generations, the town started to slowly expand with a growing fomori population. The Black Spiral Dancers dubbed the town Hell, Wyoming, and the name stuck.

Pockets similar to Hell, Wyoming exist throughout the rural areas of the world. The isolated fomori families are masses of inbreeding, caring not about who has mated with whom. Conceived from taint and sin, the children of such families have the best chance of breeding true. Half are born with a Bane clinging to their soul. The community looks down upon those who aren’t born possessed as second-class citizens and use them as victims for their sick games. They often die after just a few years. Children who do breed true are greeted with enthusiasm and ritual. The young usually inherit a deformity from each of their parents, but the communities need and desire diversity. Over the years, the elders have created a number of rites to give their offspring more power. When a fomor child survives to the age of five, the community gathers for an infernal baptism. They brand gylphs into the skin of the child as the elders call for the Wyrm to bestow favor on the youth. At the culmination of the ritual, the fomor gains a new deformity fitting of her personality.

Outsiders stumbling upon these isolated groups rarely leave. They’re used as twisted playthings or subjected to torture depending on the whims of the families. The fomori commonly kill their victims in brutal survival games or lock them up and torture them until they die — or accept the Wyrm and become fomori themselves. The fomori don’t use captives as breeding stock. The chances of a child breeding true are much smaller with a non-fomor parent. Conceiving children with outsiders is a waste of time and effort. When elders discover forbidden couplings, they carve the unborn out of the mother’s womb. If the mother dies in the process, it is of no concern to them.

Remote communities are not the only places an unwary victim might find fomori families. As their numbers increase in urban areas, so have families started to spread. Ironically, the poor and downtrodden are not the most likely to harbor Bane-ridden families. Instead, the lower-middle class hide most of the urban atrocities.

Deluded into believing that they are an evolution above humans, the urban families strive to keep their powers secret from the public while maintaining seemingly ordinary lives. Members who can pass as human find occupations through which they can spread their taint. Those who can’t take low-level jobs at various Pentex subsidiaries. Company recruiters keep tabs on the families, offering education to any children who can’t attend a normal school due to their deformities.

Urban families do not fall into the mass of inbreeding that is prevalent among their rural counterparts. Instead, their children spread out into the world, through Pentex initiatives and through cults masquerading as family support groups, meeting other humans and fomori with whom to start relationships. Such relationships devolve into hatred, anger, and abuse, but sometimes the two fomori form a permanent link and, despite hating each other, they find themselves drawn back to one another time and again.

Large fomori families are very rare in the cities. The possessed, after all, have access to an unlimited human population. Because their blood is not as strong, they breed true with other fomori only one time in ten. Any offspring conceived with a human has no chance of being born with a Bane in her heart. Due to the lack of inbreeding, the children are all born with one inherited deformity — which can come from either parent — and a new power of their own. Their deformities are not as obvious to casual observation, and they are more likely to pass as normal in society. The children have a chance to accept their Bane and grow with it. Many who survive to adulthood are true horrors, fully accepting of what they are and the powers and deformities they possess.

Inspired by the fomori ability to breed true, Pentex started Project Echidna, using genetic engineering to take spiritual decay into its own hands. All of the Project’s attempts to create fertile fomori in a controlled environment has failed. All children conceived in the labs have either been normal humans or have died in their mothers’ wombs. Frustrated, the company has turned its attention elsewhere.

Hidden in zoo laboratories around the world, Project Echidna employees work fervently to recreate fomori families in various lines of animals. Unlike humans, the experiments have met with some success. They’ve created fertile fomori among carnivores, with the greatest success rate occurring among wolves and the great cats. They keep the offspring away from their parents after birth to stop the young killing their siblings — or the parents feasting upon their children. Project Echidna nurseries have found that fomori animals bred and raised in this manner have more control over themselves than their wild counterparts, making them trainable. The company raises and trains the creatures, keeping them separated, until they reach maturity. Siblings share most of their powers and deformities, and only a select few gain more as they mature. Project Echidna is actively working to make their fomori spawn stronger, keeping the best for future breeding stock, but their funding is being siphoned off into Project Lycaon’s attempts to create shapeshifters.

When the fomori come into their full powers, they are shipped off to different departments and subsidiaries where they commonly act as guard animals. Some make their way into First Teams where they are used to track down Garou in a similar fashion to police K9 units. Black Spiral Dancers will sometimes buy the less deformed creatures and then use them against Garou and Fera alike. Werewolves suddenly ambushed by great cats with strange powers might find themselves placing blame where it doesn’t belong.

Fomarchs

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 139

Standing in direct contrast to the tried-and-true fomori breeds, the atrocities-in-flesh known as fomarchs are a new experiment by Pentex, part of the company’s ongoing efforts to lessen its dependence on other Wyrm-spawn such as the Black Spiral Dancers. Fomori are all well and good as disposable shock troops. They’re cheap, easy to replace, and versatile in their variety of hideous forms, but their benefits are generally their drawbacks. They’re short-lived, generally dying by their third deployment, and most of them have to be housed and trained well out of the public eye due to their hideous mutations. Most of all, they’re weak—very few fomori are capable of standing up to a werewolf in single combat. Fielding them in strike teams only mitigates this problem to some degree, since the Garou normally operate in packs as well.

Fomarchs are a next-generation experiment in “elite” fomori. Pentex designed fomarchs to have fully concealable powers. Each fomarch has, at minimum, the Bestial Mutation power. They should work as solo operatives, or with backup from “normal” fomori. To be considered a success, a fomarch must be free of any drawbacks that severely curtail its life-expectancy, must have powers at least on par with a Ferectoi, must be able to completely conceal its powers by adopting an outwardly-human guise, and must be at least functionally sane. Pentex has attempted a number of methods to create fomarchs, experimenting with multi-Bane possession, binding of exceedingly mighty Banes into hosts, and even with mystic and genetic augmentation of standard fomori. The majority of these experiments have created deformed, hulking failures, which become as fodder for the front lines or the vivisection tables, but each success helps the company zero in on a reliable method to augment its forces with elite special operatives and mighty leaders, at least, so Pentex hopes.

A handful of fomarchs is detailed below; each considered a success by Pentex. All fomarchs are, to date, unique. Pentex has yet to devise a method of reliably creating fomarch “breeds.”

Icomammus

The fomarch Icomammus is a horse-sized, wraith-like being that seems to hover over the ground. Unlike other fomarchs, extreme physical violence isn’t its strength. The threat of Icomammus comes from within. The monster’s body is a semi-translucent shell of deceptive hardness, with the general shape and bioluminescent appearance of a jellyfish, down to the hundreds of whip like stingers that dangle from its body. But the bell-like horror isn’t just an empty cartilaginous ball of mesoglea. As the ghostly fomarch drifts in the wind, the cloudy liquids floating within its body clear, and a gray, human-sized fetus suspended within, lacking a nose or mouth. Its enormous jet-black eyes sometimes cut through the liquor amnii to peer out. Those who catch its gaze can feel Icomammus rifling through their thoughts and memories.

In addition to this telepathic probe, Icomammus supports itself by psychic projection, though its telekinetic gifts do not extend beyond self-propulsion. The rest of its vast psychic powers depend entirely on the delivery of a toxic sting from one of its many tentacles. After injecting a target with the psychoactive venom of Icomammus, the fiend may project illusions intense enough that they become like reality, to the point of doing extreme psychosomatic damage to victims.

Temenathus the Great

The fomarch called Temenathus was adapted from a failed NDL (see W20 BotW, pg 167) project attempting to recreate the extinct Camazotz using a genetic werewolf-fomor hybrid and the spirit of a bat. The charnel beast that resulted was not a proper shapeshifter, but rather a man-bat horror whose slavering, unhinged jaw, and incessant screaming made it one of the most terrifying fomarchs produced by Pentex. Temenathus is a hulking beast with arms that drag the ground, trailing the leathery membranes and long bony fingers of a bat’s wings. Its wings don’t allow flight, but they do support enough of its considerable weight to allow it to glide. With its coal-gray, wolf-like fur, the beast is rather adept at blending into shadows, getting the moon at its back and then descending down on its victims.

Temenathus screams when it moves, its shrieking echoes creating a sonic reference point for its auditory senses. When it fights, it primarily uses the long, diseaseinfested claws at the ends of its human-like hands to slash victims, using its giant unhinging jaw full of bristling needle sharp teeth to rip the flesh from corpses. In addition to its tremendous speed and strength, that rivals some Crinos Garou, Temenathus’s salivary glands can release acid when it bites, allowing it to deliver a festering, and mortal wound. Recently, Temenathus developed incredibly overdeveloped shoulder muscles that open up to reveal soft glands that can squirt streams of this acid up to 10 yards away. Opening its shoulder glands releases such a terrible stench that the smell alone can send victims reeling; allowing even a human nose to detect and track Temenathus for hours after it uses this attack.

Unicorn

The fomarch codenamed Unicorn is a deliberate insult to the Children of Gaia. In many ways, it is more limited than other fomarchs, though Pentex scientists hope to generate arms and legs in the next iteration of the horror. For now, Unicorn remains of use only in aquatic deployments. Having the body of a great white shark with a huge proboscis from the top of its head, and four pectoral fins rather than two, Unicorn is so-named for the gigantic conical chitin spike that juts from its proboscis. This appendage pushes down at the monstrosity’s skull so forcefully that its eyes are sunken beneath their sockets, leaving bloody, ragged holes where they should be.

This headspike is not just a weapon, but also a beacon that makes the Unicorn receptive to sensations generated by Wyrm-based Gifts. As a result, the Black Spiral Dancers can use their Gifts to both lead and track Unicorn. Its horn also leads it to nature spirits, which it can strike from the physical world. Unicorn’s horn contains so much tainted Gnosis that it can strike both physical and Umbral targets with equal facility. Finally, the creature’s horn allows it to hear the prayers and rituals used by the warriors of Gaia. Though limited by where it can swim, it has led Pentex-crewed ships right to the shores of remote islands and hidden coasts sporting the cairns and holdfasts of the Garou and their allies on half a dozen occasions.

Kinfolk whom Unicorn hunts dream of a great glowing-eyed single-horned beast pursuing them through the shadows. Other times, their nightmares feature a great shark-shadow passing under the clouds.

Supernatural Fomori

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 141

Possessing Banes twist human flesh and human minds into a mockery of Gaia’s design, but what happens when a person has already become something other than human? What happens when a Bane tries to possess an already-supernatural beings?
In short: nothing good.

Most Banes simply can’t do it. Supernatural beings tend to have some built-in protection against possession, meaning that only the strongest or most specialized of Banes have a shot at possessing a vampire, mage, or — Gaia forbid — a werewolf. Still, it happens occasionally, and the results can be among the most gruesome things a pack of Garou may ever have to face.

Vampires

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 141

Vampires are hard to possess. Perhaps the Curse of Caine is such a potent form of damnation that any lesser affliction has trouble taking root; perhaps it has something to do with vampires already being dead. Whatever the reason, very few Banes can find any purchase in a vampire’s pale and withered soul. Those that do tend to be Banes of blood and madness, and they can make a vampire’s unlife very short and very unpleasant indeed. Detailed below are two examples of the kind of fomori possible when a Bane manages to curl up in the black and empty pit that was once a vampire’s soul.

Bloodworms

The Garou regard vampires as blood-sucking cannibal corpses, thus obviously making them servants of the Wyrm. Vampires would differ. They have a flowery adage — a beast I am lest a beast I become — that describes their fundamental dilemma. Each vampire wages an eternal battle to hold onto some shreds of the person she used to be, lest she become nothing but a mindless animal howling for blood. However, in order to maintain that control, the vampire must do terrible things to appease her cursed nature, things corrosive to maintaining her soul. It’s a poignant and complex struggle, which plays out over a span of centuries or even longer.

Or, it ends quickly and prematurely when a Bane known as a Thirster manages to slip into a vampire’s soul during frenzy.

It’s an excellent partnership at first. The vampire grows more resilient, and her blood seems more powerful and potent. But her self-control starts eroding soon after, and it becomes much easier for the scent of blood to send her into a killing frenzy. The Bane eats another piece of what’s left of the vampire’s soul during each murderous revel, until there’s nothing left but a creeping, blood-thirsty corpse. That’s when the real renovations begin.

Unlike a normal vampire lost to the Beast, there’s still something controlling a Bloodworm — the Bane. A Bloodworm is a cunning, canny predator, using its mutated body and its vampiric Disciplines to seek out the blood of Gaia’s defenders.

Powers: Blood Gorge, Corpse Hide. After losing all Humanity: Darksight, Rat Head, Slobbersnot, Wall Walking.

Image: At first, the vampire seems no different than she did before possession. Once the Bane finishes eating her soul, the vampire’s body undergoes radical alteration. Her fangs disappear as the Bane repurposes her tongue into a far more effective blood-drinking tool in the form of a three-foot long, jointed siphon ending in a deadly sharp needle, which folds up in the throat when not in use. The vampire’s skin turns deep red, and glistens with a thin layer of bloody lubrication. Her limbs wither into corpselike sticks, after about six months they fall off entirely. The vampire’s torso elongates into a fleshy sack designed to store blood, while her pupils grow to take up almost the entirety of her eyes. Muscular, rasp-like bands line the underside of the torso, allowing the vampire to move with terrifying speed through muscular contraction, and even to ooze up walls and across ceilings.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re an ambush predator, and don’t have any worries in the world to distract you from the hunt for blood. The blood is everything, and when you’re warm and sloshing full of it, you’re content to hide and digest. It’s perfect. You can’t remember why you wanted to fight this.

Draugr

Most young Garou are understandably paranoid about vampire bites, but their more seasoned septmates know that it doesn’t work like the movies, and thank Gaia, or else the world would be up to its neck in Leeches. The vampires themselves are well aware of how difficult it is to create more of their kind, and this lets them hunt and kill with impunity.

Then a Rot Walker enters the picture.

Draugr are among the rarest fomori in the world, and this is a very fortunate thing. Rot Walkers normally only possess the dead, and have little interest in vampires. When such a Bane does turn its attention to a vampire, it normally lacks the strength to adapt its normal form of possession from the dead to the undead. However, on those few occasions when it works, the result is a nightmare: for the vampire, for the Masquerade, and for the sept that has to clear out the Draugr and its brood. Possession by a Rot Walker erases some of the vampire’s distinguishing characteristics. On the plus side, it no longer needs to sleep more than a couple of hours during the day, and sunlight inflicts bashing rather than aggravated damage. Less welcome are the fact that its fangs shorten and dull (inflicting lethal rather than aggravated damage), and its bite no longer inflicts a hypnotic euphoria, it just hurts. Nor can the vampire close its own bite wounds. Given that most vampires bite right into a major artery and then seal the wound, a Draugr leaves its victims bleeding out. What makes the Draugr so dangerous though comes after a victim dies of its bite.

They get back up.

A Draugr victim isn’t a vampire, though it’s vampire-like. Twelve hours after death, the corpse reanimates with most of its mind and personality intact, driven by a strange homing instinct to seek out the Draugr. Though the homing instinct remains, everything else fades quickly. The victim’s psyche breaks down in less than six hours, rendering the corpse a shambling cadaver no smarter than a dog, though it can and will follow simple instructions from its maker. The corpse becomes violent when something gets in the way of finding its creator. Twelve hours after reanimation, the corpse develops fangs like the Draugr’s, and it seeks out blood if left unattended. The corpse avoids sunlight at this point, though it will be another 24 hours before sunlight actually harms it in the same way it does the Draugr. A Draugr-thrall never develops Disciplines, and can’t use the Blood Points it consumes for any purpose other than to keep itself animate for another day, a requirement that begins three days after reanimation. The thrall can be destroyed by filling its health track with lethal damage; it doesn’t experience torpor.

Powers: The Rising. Anyone killed by the fomor’s bite rises as a corpse-servant, as detailed above.
Image: The Draugr looks a little more dead than other vampires do. His complexion is waxy and ashen, his eyes dull, his mouth and hands dry. His eyes become dull and corpselike. His thralls look like exactly what they are: ambulatory, hungry cadavers, which look more and more gruesome as they collect incidental wear and tear, which the blood they consume cannot heal. They give urgent moans upon scenting fresh blood.
Roleplaying Notes: You’re not sure why this is happening — it’s hard to feed, now, and when you kill someone, they come back. You don’t have to sleep so much during the day, which at least gives you time to watch over your growing collection of corpse-servants and to think about what to do with them. You know you’ve become a Masquerade breach waiting to happen, but at this rate, you’re going to have enough loyal muscle to get even with all the other vampires in the city before they start calling for your head. Maybe this could be your ticket to becoming Prince...

Werewolves

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 143

Can a werewolf become a fomor? Absolutely. It doesn’t happen very often, though. Any Garou who isn’t already deep in the Wyrm’s thrall will feel something amiss as soon as possession begins, and the Garou are uniquely capable of stopping the process (generally by stepping into the Umbra and tearing the offending Bane to shreds). Once in a while, though, it happens, and the resulting fomor is one of the gravest and most personal insults to Gaia and the Garou Nation that a werewolf can conceive of.

Generally, only the youngest of cubs gets possessed. It’s not a fast or simple process where a werewolf is concerned (the difficulty of possession is always 9), and even making the attempt is usually enough to set the local sept on the warpath. Most Banes are smart enough to realize it’s not worth the trouble. There are always a few exceptions, though, and there is one particular breed of Bane specializing in possessing werewolves.

The Garou aren’t the only shapeshifters on the block, of course. Curiously, the other Fera do not share a uniform resistance to possession. In general, the deeper a Changing Breed’s link to the Umbra, the more possible possession becomes. Those shapeshifters that can’t naturally step sideways into the Umbra tend to be nearly immune to Bane possession.

Finally, the Black Spiral Dancers vary on the subject of Bane possession. A few of the tribe’s most hardcore Wyrm fanatics see the invitation of a Bane into their soul as an act of ultimate communion with their Dark Father. The majority of the Spirals, on the other hand, look on the idea of werewolf fomori with revulsion and horror. Fomori are sick jokes, the lowliest of the Wyrm’s minions, disposable chaff fit only for shock troops and servants. For a Black Spiral Dancer to submit himself to that sort of slavery and indignity is repugnant. Most Banes know better than to attempt to possess a Black Spiral Dancer without an invitation first; the Wyrm’s wolves can be creative indeed in exacting retribution.

Howling Shamblers

One particular sort of Bane, known as a Howling Insanity, specializes in possessing Garou. The Bane still doesn’t have a terribly high rate of success, but Pentex is busy working on a way to standardize the process and make it easier.

The fomori created by Howling Insanities are known as Howling Shamblers, and they’re among the most wretched of the Wyrm’s conscripts. The sheer spiritual poison of the Bane bonded to the Garou’s soul rots the werewolf’s mind and body from the inside out. Derangements blossom soon after possession, even as regeneration-resistant cancers unfurl inside the werewolf’s body. The need to howl becomes a compulsion, and the werewolf’s cry echoes with the voice of the Wyrm. Few Howling Shamblers manage to live more than six months, and there is only the beginning of the horror.

Powers: Howling (as Roar of the Wyrm), Shambling.

Image: A living Howling Shambler tends to look like a crazy homeless person: shaking, filthy, mumbling to himself, and bursting out with periodic howls as the tumors and other diseases eat away at his mind. In Crinos, the Shambler’s fur is mangy and falling out, and his body is covered in weeping sores. After reanimation, the fomor looks like a shuffling, hungry corpse, rotting as it shambles toward its next meal.

Roleplaying Notes: You’re so confused now—a few months ago, you were strong and proud, but now everything seems to be going wrong. It’s — AROOO! — it’s hard to concentrate, and you itch and ache all the time. Sometimes your thoughts don’t line up so well. Sometimes you want to do awful things, like something was whispering in your ear. AROOO! But the wolf’s still alive and well in you, and it wants to hunt and howl.

Mages

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 144

Mages, for all that they dabble in powers Gaia did not intend for humanity, remain fundamentally human. As such, they’re susceptible to Bane possession, and all the horrors that come with it.

Mages do have a few things going for them. Their souls are particularly powerful and resilient. The difficulty to possess a mage is three higher than it would otherwise be. Once possession begins, many mages are capable of wielding magic to contest the Bane’s efforts directly.

On the other hand, mages who deal with spirits don’t always know what they’re getting into, and some foolish or wicked mystics may actively invite Banes into themselves, believing they will be able to command the spirit, or not understanding the bargain they’re making. Either way, the result is a fomor wielding both the degrading blessings of the Wyrm and the mystic power of an Awakened soul.

In the long run, this isn’t a good thing for anybody other than the Wyrm. A mage fomor retains full access to her magic, and gets new powers, to boot. It seems like a great deal. At least until the mage attempts her next Seeking (a kind of mystic trance in which the mage communes with a portion of her soul in the hopes of achieving greater enlightenment). The mage discovers that her Avatar partially fused with the possessing Bane, covered in weeping sores, rugose scales, or some other outward sign of its corruption. A fomor cannot successfully complete any further Seekings. The Avatar doesn’t even offer enlightenment, but instead tempts the mage deeper and deeper into the sick philosophy of the Wyrm. Rather than Ascension, it speaks of the glory of destruction, the purity of annihilation, and the joy of scourging and defiling an ignorant and malleable reality. “Success” on such a Seeking simply allows the mage to escape with her sanity intact; failure bestows a Derangement and costs the mage a dot of Arete.

Worse, the mage’s corruption spreads out into her magic. Her vulgar magic taints the substance of reality with the Wyrm’s taint, acting as a beacon to Banes, who may glean an extra point or two of Essence from the free-floating, tainted energies. Soon, swarms of Banes constantly follow the mage in the Penumbra. If left unchecked for long enough, it may act as a catalyst to despoil an entire city. Certainly, she’s a severe threat to any place of spiritual power she interacts with.

Excising a Bane from its fomor host with magic is a possible, but difficult, and a fomor mage can’t perform the exorcism on herself. Even with the Bane removed, the mage is likely to suffer lingering damage to her soul and magic. If she’s lucky, it won’t persist into her next incarnation.

Changelings

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 144

Those few fae remaining on Earth are strangely resilient to the power of the Wyrm. Their faerie souls shrug off the attentions of Banes without the changeling even being aware of the attempt. It is as though they are another order of being, indifferent to the wars of the Triat.

Yet, changelings are not purely fae. To survive in the magically barren modern world, most of the Earth’s remaining faeries have hidden themselves away in a guise of mortal flesh, and this flesh remains vulnerable to the attentions of the Wyrm’s minions. A changeling who has forgotten, temporarily or permanently, her fae nature is susceptible to Bane possession (though the difficulty to do so is still one higher than normal or two higher in the case of sidhe). A changeling who becomes a fomor in this fashion cannot recall her fae soul so long as the possessing Bane remains in residence. Her true nature remains trapped and slumbering, and in deadly peril. Generally speaking, barring miraculous treasures of the Dreaming, or the assistance of Fianna Theurges capable of driving out the Bane, a changeling fomor is doomed to live out the remainder of its days as an ignorant thrall of the Wyrm.

When a changeling fomor dies, its faerie soul is in terrible jeopardy, and may fall into the jaws of the Wyrm to be destroyed forever. Roll the fomor’s Glamour rating against difficulty 7. If the roll succeeds, the changeling’s soul passes on to its next incarnation as normal, if it fails, the soul is destroyed as surely as if struck down by cold iron.

Everything Else

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 145

What of the other odd residents of the World of Darkness? Generally, they’re out of luck.

Kinfolk are as susceptible to Bane possession as anyone else, to the lament and horror of their Garou relatives. Indeed, Pentex often specifically targets Kinfolk when able; who better to strike against the Garou than those closest to them?

Those blood-addicted servants that vampires know as ghouls are still fundamentally human, and thus similarly vulnerable. So too, might Banes possess those of the strange bloodlines of “ghoul families” known as revenants, and even —hypothetically — the rumored and possibly apocryphal children of mortals and thin-blooded vampires.

Mortals who dabble in the world of the supernatural generally have no special protection from becoming fomori, with the exception of the Imbued, “hunters” of all stripes, from the Society of Leopold and the Arcanum to Strike Force Zero and the Shih, are all vulnerable to possession.

Hedge mages, psychics, and mediums are also at risk of possession. Pentex has a specialized program known as Project Aeneid dedicated to experimenting with psychic fomori. Such individuals do not even enjoy the slight protection afforded to greater supernatural beings, due to the way their gifts require them to open themselves up to the world.

Finally, those fae-blooded individuals known as kinain are considered entirely mortal for the purposes of the possession Charm.

Nope, Doesn't Work

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 144

So what kinds of creatures are Banes simply incapable of tackling at all? Quite a few things.

Among the Fera, both the Nagah and Corax cannot be possessed. The Nagah tricked the whole spirit world into thinking they are extinct, and this spirit-blindness helps them even now. The Rite of the Spirit Egg that creates a new Corax ends up with the wereraven’s spiritual half “possessing” the young shapeshifter, blocking further attempts at possession.

Wraiths, being incorporeal spirits themselves, can’t be possessed by Banes. Even those re-embodied spirits known as the Risen are immune to possession, as they are essentially corpses being driven around by a resident ghost. It seems the body doesn’t have room for a second possession.

The Kuei-Jin are immune to Bane possession as well, possibly for reasons similar to the Risen; indeed, the Kuei-Jin often make use of fomori as lieutenants, lackeys, and ceremonial guards. The same sort of protection also seems to apply to the hsien.

Those hunters known as the Imbued cannot be possessed. Presumably, this is another gift from their enigmatic patrons.

Mummies are completely impervious to Wyrmish possession, thanks to some mystic protection granted by the Spell of Life. There are persistent rumors of “Bane mummies” created thousands of years ago, but those appear to have been raised up through a corrupted version of the Spell of Life.

Finally, demons are entirely immune to possession of any kind.

Addictive Presence

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 130

Description: Addictive Presence requires the Enticer to spend a scene interacting with a target, and then to spend a point of Willpower and roll Manipulation + Subterfuge against the target’s Wits + Primal Urge (difficulty 6 in both cases). If the Enticer wins, then the subject is addicted to his presence, and will go to extremes in order to be with the Enticer again; once per week, the target may make another roll to attempt to break this addiction.

Barbed Tongue

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 138

Description: Barbed Tongue functions as a hybrid of both Lashing Tail and Frog Tongue, being capable of both capturing targets and inflicting damage with its sharp tip at the fomor’s discretion. Particularly old or vicious Toads may also possess Venomous Bite, which can be applied with their tongue.

Blood Gorge

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 142

Description: This power doubles the size of a vampire’s Blood Pool, but causes her to fail all hunger frenzy rolls, and to automatically fail any Humanity rolls she makes.

Corpse Hide

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 142

Description: Corpse Hide allows the vampire to soak damage at a difficulty two lower than normal.

Disguise

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137

Description: Sons of Typhon can hide their true appearance. They look exactly as they did before they were possessed. They can drop the disguise if they so choose, but few rarely do.

Howling - as Roar of the Wyrm

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 143

Description: Editor's note: Where the fuck is Roar of the Wyrm details??

Silent Aura

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 136

Description: Silent Aura creates an area of silence around the Shadowfiend. By rolling Wits + Stealth (difficulty 6), the Shadowfiend can negate all sound within a fifteen-foot radius. The whole area is entirely silent. The effect lasts for a one turn per success.

Shambling

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 143

Description: When a Howling Shambler dies, it gets up one turn later and finishes whatever it was doing — making dinner, fighting a Pentex First Team, whatever. Once that task is accomplished, the Howling Shambler goes ambling off to find, kill, and eat anything with werewolf blood in it. The reanimated Shambler is nearly unstoppable. Its chopped off limbs keep crawling or rolling along with the rest of the body. Only burning, melting, or smashing it into a raw pulp of meat and gristle will stop it (in game terms, the thing must be killed with fire or acid, or have its health track filled with aggravated damage twice over; even then, the parts keep twitching and flopping until they’re burned).

Siren’s Veil

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 130

Description: Siren’s Veil adds two to the fomor’s Social Attribute ratings, and allows him to roll Appearance + Empathy against a difficulty of a target’s Willpower to appear as their ideal mate, even radically changing the Enticer’s age, or making him appear as a different gender. If this roll fails, the Enticer simply appears to be a generic, attractive individual.

Tongue of Typhon - As Homid Gift: Persuasion.

W20 Core, pg 153, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 137

Description: This Gift imbues a homid's words with intrinsic credibility and conviction, causing them to ring true to the ear and lay heavy on the heart. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). Success lowers the difficulty of all social rolls by one for the rest of the scene, and allows successful rolls to have uncommonly strong impact (such as changing long-held political views, or causing an addict to seriously reconsider the course of his life).

Playing the Wyrm’s Bastards

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 117

Just to put this up-front: We don’t recommend allowing Black Spiral Dancers as playable characters. The Black Spiral Dancers are monsters. Not heroic monsters, not ferocious avenging angels of nature unbound to seek retribution for the rape and plunder of the Earth, not implacable warriors driven by righteous anger, they’re just monsters. That is both their purpose and their self-justification for not trying to be anything more. They torture, maim, and ruin because doing those things is easy and satisfying on a childish, simple level, and they’ve lost or given away whatever part of them once aspired to something more.

The Black Spiral Dancers are intelligent monsters, capable of reason and emotion and self-reflection, and so they drape their atrocities in self-serving philosophy and lies. They claim to be enlightened, even as they send their sons and daughters to have their minds broken upon the wheel that is the Black Spiral Labyrinth. They claim to be free, even as they do the bidding of the Wyrm’s various avatars. They claim to be predator kings ruling over a dead Earth, the victors of an Apocalyptic war that is already done and over, but they still hunt the Garou, and are hunted in turn. In the stillness of their black hearts, they know that their words are lies and that they are brutes gnawing at the still-beating heart of the world. They believe that their hatred, hunger, and rage are justified, and pretend that their ‘love’ doesn’t ruin and degrade those humans and wolves unfortunate enough to share in their tainted blood. They’re wrong.

The Black Spiral Dancers are broken, twisted things imagining that they stand tall. They’re slaves marveling over the gilding of their chains. They’re the worst excesses and mistakes of the Garou once the urge to do or be something better is taken away.

We don’t recommend playing them. We’ve only gone into as much detail on the Wolves of the Wyrm as we have in this book to give Storytellers a chance to give Garou heroes a good, hard look at the path that leads to damnation, and how easy it is to justify that trip. Perhaps a player wants a character who plans to escape the Tribe and seek atonement and reconciliation with Gaia. If, for whatever reason, a Storyteller finds himself needing to generate a Black Spiral Dancer character on equal footing with a starting Garou the rules to do so can be found on page 425 of W20. Expanded mechanics for Storytellers to represent Black Spiral characters make up the remainder of this chapter.

Do not push for this if everyone at the table isn’t comfortable with it. The Black Spiral Dancers are dark subject matter, even for a dark game like Werewolf. Please be respectful of your fellow gamers’ boundaries, and try to tackle the very real horrors that are part and parcel to the Black Spiral experience responsibly if it’s done at all.

Blessings of the Destroyer

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118

Few Garou spend much time dwelling on the sacred Pact that grants them their Gifts. A Gift is second nature to a werewolf once bestowed. It seems entirely right and natural. As such, only a few Theurges understand that the Pact is a binding contract between all werewolves and all courts and branches of the spirit world. No right-minded Garou would ever seek instruction from the Wyrm’s foul children, but under the conditions of the Pact, they could.

The Black Spiral Dancers are anything but right-minded Garou, and they have discovered a world of spiritual power offered by the Destroyer’s children that their Gaian brethren could hardly imagine. What follows is a list of Wyrmish Gifts, not merely “Black Spiral Dancer tribal Gifts,” although they’re here too, but an entire constellation of corrupted spirit-blessings suited for all Breeds and Auspices.

Black Spiral Dancer Gifts

[+/-] BSD Breed Gifts

Black Spiral Dancers draw Breed Gifts from many of the same sources as the Garou, save that they undertake communion with deeply corrupt or mercenary spirits, or hunt down Gaian spirits and subject them to corruption in order to make proper teachers of them.

Homid Gifts

Black Spiral Dancers have access to the same homid Gifts as Gaian Garou, with the exception of Calm the Savage Beast.

Level One

Aura of Poison

Source: W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer surrounds herself in a toxic miasma strong enough to cause even a human’s dull sense of smell to pick up the reek of a lethal stew of mercury, sulfuric acid, formaldehyde, and countless other chemicals. The message is clear: the Dancer is death, and should not be trifled with. A Halassh teaches this Gift.

System: After a turn spent concentrating and the expenditure of a point of Gnosis, the werewolf is surrounded by a lethal scent for the rest of the scene. No creature lacking a Rage rating will initiate violence unless attacked first.

Level Two

Power Surge

W20 Core, pg 184, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118

Description: By speaking with electricity spirits, the Garou causes a blackout over a widespread area. An electricity elemental teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Science (difficulty 7). The number of successes determines how large an area is blacked out. One success would black out a single room, while five would cut the power to a whole neighborhood.

Level Three

Call the Rust

W20 Core, pg 175, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118

Description: By whistling softly through his teeth, the werewolf can summon sudden and destructive rust onto any metal within his immediate vicinity. Guns corrode and jam, knives crumble, and cars become flaking hunks of junk. This Gift is taught by a water elemental.

System: The player spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Crafts, with a difficulty depending on the amount of metal being corroded. A gun or knife would be difficulty 6, while a car might be difficulty 8.

Level Four

Feast of Man-Flesh

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 118

Description: The Black Spiral Dancers know of the power locked away in the flesh of men. By eating the uncooked flesh of a human being, the werewolf may temporarily borrow that person’s knowledge and skills. A cannibal spirit teaches this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent. By eating at least one pound of human flesh, the Spiral Dancer may absorb up to (Gnosis rating) of the following: dots of Abilities the victim possessed (up to a maximum of the victim’s rating in the Abilities in question) or facts the victim knew (chosen by the Dancer’s player). These stolen benefits continue for (Rage rating) days. The Dancer may retain Abilities and information from only one victim at a time. Non-human beings wearing human forms such as homid Garou, changelings, fomori, and vampires do not count as human for the purposes of this Gift, but Kinfolk, ghouls, Imbued hunters, and mages do.

Metis Gifts

Black Spiral Dancer metis have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for Totem Gift.

Level One

Bleed

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: The metis can leak phantasmal blood, manifesting false injuries if she is unwounded, or producing enormous quantities of blood from minor wounds. Many Spirals use this Gift to ‘play dead’ when a battle is going poorly, or to frame innocents for vicious attacks. A Crimson Pestilent teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, the character may issue fake blood in whatever quantities she likes, so long as it doesn’t exceed the volume actually contained in her body (assume 10 pints in Homid, 20 pints in Crinos, and 7 in Lupus). She can’t drown her enemies in a tsunami of blood. Since the ichor is fake, she takes no damage; it fades at the next sunse.

Level Three

Nobody’s Bastard

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: Nobody wants to recognize a metis, and with this Gift, nobody will. A metis using this Gift is unrecognizable to all who see her. A Bane of abandonment teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Stealth (difficulty 7). If the roll succeeds, nobody who sees the metis will know who she is for the rest of the scene. Observers don’t mistake her for anyone else; they simply see her as an unknown stranger. Their memories remain even after the scene — they don’t suddenly remember that the Garou using this Gift is the stranger.

Visceral Agony

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.

Lupus Gifts

Lupus Black Spiral Dancers have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts.

Level One

Ways of the Urban Wolf

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: The Black Spiral Dancers are free to indulge in those natural urges that Gaia bids her defenders to restrain: to hunt man through the streets of the cities, to revel in his fear-stench, to drink his blood and eat his flesh. This Gift, taught by Wyrm elementals, makes the Dancer a master of such urban hunts.

System: Reduce difficulty of all Perception, Stealth, and Survival rolls to track and hunt prey in urban environments by 2. The effects of this Gift are permanent. It doesn’t enhance any rolls once combat begins, and can only be used to track intelligent prey such as humans, Garou, and vampires.

Level Three

Thousand Teeth

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: Sharp teeth are the hallmarks of the ultimate predator, and the ways of the Wyrm’s wolves celebrate nothing if not excess. The muzzle of a werewolf using this Gift erupts with dozens of extra teeth. Black Spiral Dancers learn this Gift from Scrags, while Gaian Garou occasionally learn it from shark-spirits.

System: The player spends one Rage point and rolls Stamina + Primal Urge (difficulty 5). She enjoys +3 damage dice on bite attacks. The Gift lasts for one bite attack per success; any remaining boosted bites are lost at the end of the scene.

Level Five

Instincts Unbound

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: Gaia’s warriors must explain the behavior of their fallen cousins as madness — why else would a wolf seek to despoil the world? The greatest among Black Spiral lupus use this Gift to teach the Garou the folly of their thinking by showing them the joys of unbound freedom. Psychomachiae teach this Gift.

System: The Black Spiral Dancer’s player spends one Gnosis point and one Rage point, and rolls Wits + Primal Urge against a difficulty of her victim’s Willpower. For one day per success, the target cannot resist her instincts. She takes what she wants, kills when the urge is upon her, and gives in to her least impulse. If the target possesses Rage, all Rage rolls are at difficulty 4; if the target is a vampire, all rolls to resist or control frenzy are against difficulty 9. The target may reduce the duration of this Gift by 12 hours per point of Willpower spent.

[+/-] BSD Auspice Gifts

Ragabash Gifts

Ragabash Black Spiral Dancers may use the same tricks as their Garou brethren, save for Luna’s Blessing.

Level One

Bestowing the Predator’s Shadow

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: It would be fair to say that Black Spiral Dancers have even less tolerance for being tricked or mocked than other werewolves. This valuable Gift helps Dancer Ragabash survive the fallout of their Auspice’s duties by passing their identity onto someone else. Phantasmi teach this Gift.

System: The Black Spiral Dancer must secure a tiny bit of her body on someone else. A bit of spit or blood, or a lock of hair or fur will do the trick. The player then spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6). The target will look and sound (but not smell) like the Black Spiral Dancer to everyone but himself for one hour per success.

Level Four

Cassandra’s Blessing

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 119

Description: The Wyrm’ tricksters use division and isolation as instructive tools, particularly against their many enemies. The victim of this Gift’s ‘blessing’ will find that nobody will believe anything she has to say, no matter how much evidence she has to back it up. A Nocturnae teaches this Gift.

System: The Black Spiral Dancer must touch her target. Then his player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Wits + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Nobody will believe anything the target says for a number of hours equal to the successes rolled.

Silver Reprisal

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: Luna’s servants only rarely extend her blessing to those who have danced the Black Spiral, but some Banes can add their own retributive curse to the Garou’s vulnerability to silver. Rather than protecting the Dancer, as Luna’s Blessing does to Gaian Garou, this Gift causes silver to burn its wielder in the same moment it harms the werewolf. A Furmling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. For the rest of the scene, anyone who uses silver to inflict damage on the character suffers debilitating pain and burns on the hand used to strike the blow, receiving one level of unsoakable aggravated damage — as if caused by silver, in the case of Garou — per damaging attack delivered. The attacker must make a Stamina roll against difficulty 8 or drop whatever they’re holding in that hand; even if she succeeds, increase the difficulty of all attacks using that hand by 2.

Level Five

Patience of the Wyrm

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: This Gift allows incredibly elaborate acts of sabotage and revenge by allowing the Spiral Dancer to dictate the moment her curses strike her foes. A Black Spiral Dancer must petition a Nexus Crawler to teach this Gift.

System: This Gift can enhance any other Gift that affects another character, as long as it does not deal damage. Spend a point of Willpower in addition to the other Gift’s cost. The Black Spiral Dancer then dictates when the enhanced Gift will take effect, either in simple measures of time, or a set of conditions that she can utter as a single sentence. For example, she might lay Cassandra’s Blessing on an enemy spy stating that the Gift will not take effect until the victim attempts to relate what she has learned.

Theurge Gifts

Black Spiral Dancer Theurges have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for As In the Beginning. It’s possible for a Black Spiral Dancer to learn Mother’s Touch, but it’s rare.

Level One

Poisoned Gauntlet

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer can breathe spiritual toxins into the wall between worlds, turning the Gauntlet into a deadly trap. A Rust Spider teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf spends a turn in concentration, and then her player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult against a difficulty of the local Gauntlet. Until the sun next crosses the horizon, anyone stepping sideways within (Gnosis x 100) yards of the point where this Gift was used takes one die of aggravated damage per successes rolled. The Gift: Resist Toxin can protect against this Gift’s effects.

Level Three

Feast of Essence

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws are covered with barbed hooks, which catch and absorb the tattered power of slain spirits, refreshing the werewolf. A Thinbones teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Willpower when the character deals a blow that destroys the last of a spirit’s Essence. The character gains Gnosis depending on the power of the destroyed spirit: one point for a Jaggling, two for a Gaffling, and three for any stronger spirit. This cannot raise the character’s Gnosis points above her maximum value, but is in addition to any Gnosis gained by harvesting the depleted spirit.

Level Six

Prelude to Apocalypse — As the Gaian Gift As In the Beginning, this version might be learned by a Black Spiral Theurge and summons Wyrm-spirits of all kinds. No Black Spiral Theurge has yet learned this Gift.

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: The Theurge can tear away aeons of the Weaver’s works for a short while. This Gift rips down the Gauntlet entirely, merging the worlds of flesh and spirit as they were in the days of legend. Moreover, this mended region acts as a shining beacon to Gaian spirits, calling a flood of nature-spirits and other allies to assist the Theurge. An avatar of Gaia Herself teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends three points of Gnosis and rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty of the local Gauntlet). The Gauntlet is torn open within the local area. The thinner the Gauntlet, the wider the rip: from a few rooms in the midst of a skyscraper to an entire mile of landscape in the depths of the Amazon. Friendly spirits of the Storyteller’s choosing come flooding out to aid the Theurge — the more successes, the greater the number or power. The Gauntlet is permanently lowered by 1 in an area where this Gift has been used; this benefit doesn’t stack with repeated use.

Philodox Gifts

Black Spiral Dancer Philodox have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, with the exception of Fangs of Judgment.

Level One

Acid Talons

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws become a vibrant mixture of black, red, and yellow, and burn anything they cut. A Wakshaani teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the werewolf’s claw attacks inflict one extra die of damage, and the difficulty to soak her claw attacks rises by 1.

Level Five

Omen Claws

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws become blades of anti-light, the area surrounding them suffused with a false glow as a contrast to their nullity. Anyone struck by these terrible claws suffers visions of the Apocalypse. An avatar of the Maeljin teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls her character’s Rage. The Gift’s effects last for one turn per success. Any character that takes damage from Omen Claws must roll Willpower against a difficulty of the Dancer’s (Gnosis + levels of damage inflicted, maximum 9) or be incapacitated by nightmare visions of everything they love tortured by the talons of the Wyrm. The victim cannot do anything when so afflicted, and loses one point of Willpower per turn. The victim’s player may attempt another Willpower roll to break free each turn.

Galliard Gifts

Black Spiral Dancer Galliards have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for Howls in the Night.

Level One

Howl of the Hunter

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: Setting a particular quarry in her mind, the Black Spiral Dancer crafts a howl specifically designed to elicit terror in her prey. If her victim can hear the howl, it strikes terror into his heart, haunting him whenever he tries to find rest. A Nocturna teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 7). If the desired target hears the howl he will be jolted awake if asleep, and rendered unable to sleep for the next (successes x 3) hours; every time he attempts to rest, the howl will echo in his ears as though uttered from mere feet away. The terror increases the difficulty of most Mental and Social actions by +2 (maximum 9) until the character can sleep.

Level Two

Shadows of the Impergium

W20 Core, pg 186, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: The Red Talon becomes the embodiment of all humanity's primal fears of the wolf, carrying a heavy miasma of ancient terror about her. A fear spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The werewolf inflicts the Delirium in Hispo form, though observers are considered to be at +2 Willpower when judging their reaction (see W20 Core, pg 262). Anyone who succumbs to the Delirium because of seeing the werewolf in Crinos form is considered to have a Willpower 5 points lower than their true rating (minimum 1) for the purposes of determining their reaction. This Gift's effects are permanent, though they can be suppressed for a scene if desired.

Level Four

Howl of Death

W20 Core, pg 187, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: A Talon with this Gift may infuse her howl with Rage and pain, causing grievous wounds to one target. The werewolf must be able to see her target clearly, and the target must be able to hear the howl. Only the intended target is affected by the Gift, though anyone else who hears it is disquieted and frightened. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). Each success inflicts one level of lethal damage, which the target may soak if he is able. The damage manifests as massive internal damage, as the targets innards suddenly rupture.

Level Five

Madness

W20 Core, pg 157, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: Metis struggle throughout their lives to finds a place of dignity and respect amidst a minefield of horror and abuse. This Gift allows her to unleash her inner demons upon others, inflicting insanity and madness. The nature of the derangement inflicted varies from individual to individual, but is always severe, making it impossible for the victim to function normally. Lunes and spirits of trickery and madness teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower). The target immediately begins to suffer from a Derangement (see W20 Core pg 485). The insanity lasts a number of days equal to the successes rolled. During this time, the metis can increase or decrease the severity of the madness, granting the victim lucidity and then driving him to psychosis. Even after the Gift has ended, the repercussions may haunt the victim for the rest of his life.

Ahroun Gifts

Ahroun Black Spiral Dancers have access to the same Gifts as their Gaian counterparts, save for Full Moon’s Light

Level One

Acid Talons

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 120 and 121

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer’s claws become a vibrant mixture of black, red, and yellow, and burn anything they cut. A Wakshaani teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Rage. For the rest of the scene, the werewolf’s claw attacks inflict one extra die of damage, and the difficulty to soak her claw attacks rises by 1.

Level Two

Tar Shadow

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: The Ahroun’s shadow becomes solid and sticky, trapping unwary foes and making them easy prey. A H’ruggling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. For the rest of the scene, any character making a close-combat attack against the Dancer must make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 8). If they fail this roll, the attacker is stuck in the Ahroun’s shadow until she can pull herself free with a Strength + Athletics roll (difficulty 6). While stuck in place, characters cannot move and all attempts to dodge attacks automatically fail.

Level Three

Visceral Agony

W20 Core, pg 174, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: The werewolf's claws change to barbed, wicked talons dripping with black venom. While this venom is not itself lethal, it inflicts crippling agony. A pain spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Rage point before the character attacks. Any wound penalties suffered as a result of the character's attacks during that turn are doubled (i.e. a foe at Wounded would lose four dice) for the rest of the scene. If the target is resistant to pain (such as in a frenzy) he suffers his normal wound penalties instead.

Level Five

Strength Without Limit

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: Wyrmish power suffuses the flesh and bones of the warrior who uses this Gift, exaggerating his power beyond the limits of his body. His muscles bulk up until they tear through his skin, and his flesh peels back from wildly elongated teeth and claws; even his nerves thicken until they pulse like veins. An avatar of the Maeljin teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two points of Rage and the character suffers one level of unsoakable aggravated damage. For the rest of the scene, the werewolf adds one dot to each physical Attribute, and two dice to the damage of all Brawl attacks.

[+/-] BSD Tribe Gifts

The following Gifts are a mixture of the signature blessings of the Wyrm upon the Black Spiral Dancers, and adaptations or corruptions of other tribes’ Gifts, brought to the Wyrm’s wolves by converts from the Garou Nation.

Level One

Bale Armor

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer’s body is limned in a terrible green-black radiance that saps the strength from her enemies’ blows and inflicts toxic burns upon their flesh. A Furmling teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point to activate the Gift. The light illuminates a 100-foot area around the Dancer for the rest of the scene. All attacks against the werewolf suffer a –1 die penalty while this Gift persists, and anyone who lands a Brawl attack against the Dancer takes one level of bashing damage.

Spiral-Shadow Dance

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer learns to twine herself through the darkness, becoming swift as a scream. A variety of Banes teach this Gift.

System: Whenever the Black Spiral Dancer is concealed by poor lighting (no brighter than the light of the half-moon), she adds +3 to her Initiative. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

Level Two

Grave Claws

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: The werewolf’s claws and fangs become obsidian daggers, capable of tearing the soul loose from Gaia’s cycle and pinning it to the Dark Umbra. Any creature slain by this Gift is guaranteed to leave behind a ghost, which is anchored by dark magic to its killer. Outside of risky Umbral quests, only killing the Black Spiral Dancer who used this Gift can return a victim’s soul to Gaia. A Nihilach teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis. Anyone killed by the character’s claw or bite attacks for the rest of the scene is guaranteed to linger as a wraith. A wraith created using this Gift cannot directly harm the Black Spiral Dancer, and is tormented by dark urges.

Level Three

Claws of Corrosion

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 121

Description: One of the greatest Black Spiral Gifts, this wicked magic allows the werewolf to poison a spirit with mystical toxins that slowly corrupt it into a servant of the Wyrm. A variety of Banes teach this Gift.

System: When the Black Spiral Dancer makes a successful claw attack against a spirit, the player may spend one point each of Rage, Willpower, and Gnosis, and roll Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6). This infects the spirit with a number of ‘corruption points’ equal to the successes rolled; multiple applications of this Gift are cumulative, and corruption points dissipate at a rate of one per day. Should a spirit ever have more corruption points than its current Essence, over the next lunar month it suffers a slow, painful transformation into a Bane.

Level Four

Hungry Rust

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: The werewolf summons a Bane and invests it into a mechanical device. The Bane awakens when someone next uses the device, spewing corruption throughout. The tool rusts and twists, both degrading and attempting to bond with its user. A gun might fuse to a person’s hand, coating her arm in plates of stamped metal and loops of corroded casings, while a vehicle might partially absorb its driver into the seat and seal his hands to the steering column. A Nexus Crawler teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Craft against a difficulty based on the size and complexity of the device. A revolver would be difficulty 6, a vehicle 9. The next individual to use the cursed tool must gain more successes on a Wits + Occult roll than the werewolf, or fuse with the tool. This transformation is permanent for humans, but Garou may forcibly tear themselves loose from the intruding technology at a cost of (activation successes) levels of lethal damage.

Stolen Hide

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: The Black Spiral Dancer can don tormented spirits like a cloak, consigning them to oblivion to protect himself. A Nihilach teaches this Gift, but only to those who have already mastered Grave Claws.

System: The character can only use this Gift against a ghost that she has created with Grave Claws. She spends a turn in concentration and her player spends one point each of Gnosis and Willpower, then makes a contested Stamina + Primal Urge roll against the ghost’s Willpower. Success stretches the ghost’s tortured plasm across the Dancer’s body as a kind of grotesque ablative armor. The werewolf gains two additional Bruised health levels for each ghost worn in this manner. These health levels are the first lost to damage, and when they both disappear, the ghost used to create them is destroyed.

Level Five

The White Howl

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: Once the most sacred blessing of the White Howlers, this mighty Gift is still passed down among the ranks of the Black Spiral Dancers as a reminder of the past to their Garou enemies. The sound of the White Howl is sufficient to rend both the workings of the Wyrm, and the hearts of Garou who hear it and realize how much Gaia has lost. It was once taught by an avatar of Lion, but no spirit teaches this Gift in the modern age; it survives entirely through a history of Black Spiral Dancers handing it down from warlord to warlord.

System: The player spends two points each of Gnosis and Rage. The character spends a turn unleashing a mighty, full-throated howl, and the player rolls Charisma + Primal Urge (difficulty 6). Every Wyrm-tainted being within earshot suffers a number of levels of unsoakable lethal damage equal to the successes rolled — including the Black Spiral Dancer herself — and any of her nearby packmates. Each Gaian Garou who hears the howl, by contrast, loses one point of Willpower per success rolled, as they recognize the lost purity of the White Howlers, and must face the reality of all that Gaia has lost to the hunger of the Wyrm. Any Garou reduced to 0 Willpower by this Charm falls into Harano.

[+/-] Stolen Gifts

Black Spiral Dancers who fall after a long period of service to Gaia bring their own Gifts with them, though the infectious energies of the Labyrinth warps these abilities. Most of these Gifts started out as Gaian Gifts, but have additional or changed effects.

Level One

Repress Taint

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: In order to infiltrate the Gaian Garou, a Black Spiral must be able to hide the touch of the Wyrm. This Gift allows him to repress his taint, hiding it from the prying eyes of the suspicious. The werewolf must still take care, however, as more talented Garou might sniff him out. Scryers teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Subterfuge, difficulty 7. Every success increases the difficulty to detect the character’s taint by one, to a maximum of 9. The effect lasts one scene.

Bale Aura

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: Twisted from the grandeur of Lambent Flame, a Dancer can shroud herself in the green light of balefire. The light causes no physical damage, but shadows cast by the light seem to move of their own accord and the whispers of the Wyrm crackle within the green flames, stoking the Rage within the Garou. Furmlings and Harpies teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point to activate the gift. The light illuminates a 50-foot area around the character for the rest of the scene. Garou and Fera require one fewer success to frenzy, and to enter Thrall of the Wyrm, as the whispers taunt them from the shadows

Level Two

Hidden Killer

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: As the Red Talon Gift, but the werewolf can also choose to alter the evidence to match another Garou so long as she has a piece of the target, such as hair or blood. Abliphets teach this Gift.

System: As the Red Talon Gift. To change the forensic evidence to match another Garou, the player must roll Intelligence + Larceny (difficulty 8). Success means the physical evidence remains unchanged, but forensic evidence changes to match the target.

Submit

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 122

Description: Stolen from the Black Furies, with a snarl, a Black Spiral Dancer can force a target to kneel before him, agony coursing through her body until she submits. Spirals with this gift delight in forcing a proud Garou to the ground just to kill her while she’s on her knees. Raptors teach this Gift.

System: As the Black Fury Gift: Kneel. Any target who resists the Gift subtracts two from their dice pools for the Gift’s duration. This penalty can only be offset with the Gift: Resist Pain.

Level Three

Ichor Blade

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123

Description: The Spiral’s arm changes into a black blade dripping with dark green poison. The ichor poisons the blood of anyone injured by the blade, causing crippling agony. Harpies and Wakshaani teach this Gift.

System: The player spends a point of Rage to transform one hand into a blade. For the rest of the scene, she may use her arm like a sword, rolling Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 6). Such attacks inflict Strength + 1 aggravated damage. The poison causes excruciating pain, forcing the target to subtract two from his dice pools for a turn per success. Resist Toxin and Resist Pain both negate the effects of the poison.

Gift of the Tainted Totem

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123

Description: A twisted version of an Uktena Gift, a Dancer can not only bar a pack totem from aiding its children, she can temporarily replace the totem with her own pack or personal totem. The horror of having a Wyrm spirit binding a Gaian pack, even temporarily, is disorienting, and the taint left behind might be difficult to explain. Nexus Crawlers teach this Gift.

System: As the Uktena Gift: Banish Totem. If the player succeeds on the Gnosis roll, the pack not only loses all traits associated with their totem, they gain all traits associated with the Dancer’s totem. The effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the number of successes. Upon departing, the tainted totem leaves behind enough Wyrm taint to show up to users of Sense Wyrm for the rest of the scene at difficulty 7. If a member of the pack used any of the totem’s powers, the lingering Wyrm taint remains for a day, and is difficulty 5 to detect.

Level Four

Howl of the Bane

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123

Description: The Dancers have their own fearsome spirits to call, and in a blatant mockery of the Wendigo, a Spiral dances in a Blight or Hellhole, hooting, laughing, and slashing profane glyphs into the air. A bane of the user’s choosing coils from the darkness, taking a description of the target before it leaves on its murderous quest. Any powerful Bane can teach this gift.

System: As the Wendigo Gift: Call of the Cannibal Spirit. The user can choose which Bane to summon, so long as its Essence rating is no higher than 30.

Summon Wyrm Elemental

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123

Description: The Dancer performs a short dance around a piece of a pure element. The dance corrupts the element and summons forth a Wyrm Elemental (Hogling, Furmling, H’ruggling, or Wakshanni). A Wyrm elemental teaches this gift.

System: As the Uktena Gift: Call Elemental. Black Spiral Dancers only bother trying to make a Wyrm elemental amenable if they need a specific task completed. Many often summon Wyrm elementals simply to wreak havoc.

Level Five

Mask Taint

W20 Core, pg 199, and W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123

Description: A Skin Dancer possessing this Gift may completely camouflage Wyrm-taint from all senses, including Gifts that detect such taint. This Gift is taught by a servant of Minotaur. Scryers also teach this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolling Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The effect lasts for one scene per success scored.

Cloak of Anthelios

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 123

Description: Sculpted from Halo of the Sun, the character speaks the sacred word of Helios while drawing on his own Wyrm-tainted powers. The character is wreathed in violent red flame that drapes about him as a cloak. A servant of Helios who breaks under torture can teach this Gift, as can fallen Children of Gaia who know the sacred word of Helios. The gift is exceedingly rare, if even acquired as of yet.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and the effect lasts one scene. The character adds two dice of aggravated damage to all Brawl-based attacks in all forms. Any attack that causes more than three health levels of any kind of damage burns the glyph of Anthelios into the flesh of the victim. The victim bears Wyrm taint (detectable by Sense Wyrm at difficulty 4) until he is cleansed. Anyone looking directly at the werewolf adds two to all attack difficulties due to the glare. Vampires are unaffected by the Cloak of Anthelios.

Rites

The Black Spiral Dancers make use of perversions of many of the same rituals as the Garou. They have mystic rites to summon and bind spirits, punishment rites, acceptance rites, rites used to build and defend their Pits, and more. Detailed below are a small selection of their most notable and vital rites.

The Dance of the Black Spiral

Level Two Rite of Renown (Cha + Rituals vs 6)

This is the Black Spiral Dancers’ tribal Rite of Passage, granted to Spiral-born cubs after their First Change, or to defectors from other tribes.
This is the most sacred rite of the tribe, and is usually attended by all the Dancers in a Hive who are able to do so. They bring the cub to the Pit’s spiritual heart, where the ritemaster paints an elaborate spiral on the floor. While the ritemaster works, the Hive’s Galliards recite the tale of the betrayal of the White Howlers by the other tribes of the Garou Nation, and the rebirth and dark enlightenment of the tribe as the Black Spiral Dancers. When the tale concludes, the cub must pass each member of the Hive present for the rite before approaching the ritemaster. Any member of the Hive who objects to the pup’s inclusion in the tribe is free to attempt to murder him without fear of reprisal. Assuming the pup makes it to the ritemaster, he is bid to enter the spiral drawn on the floor.

This is a spiritual representation of the true Black Spiral Labyrinth, and as the pup walks the spiral, Banes rise up to challenge, test, and enlighten her. The spiral seems to twist, growing to dark enormity, and the pup actually passes in and out of the Umbra at times. Should she reach the center of the spiral, she glimpses the true face of the Wyrm for one stark, impossible moment, shattering her mind. Her education continues as she staggers back the way she came, soul now torn open and receptive to the Wyrm’s dark miracles. Banes taste her agony and madness, and grant her their blessings in response. When she emerges from the spiral, she is now a full-fledged member of the tribe.

By custom, the first thing a Black Spiral Dancer utters becomes her tribal name, which is usually a gibbering collection of nonsense syllables. Much respect is accorded to those rare few with the presence of mind and strength of will to bestow mighty deed-names upon themselves in expectation of future triumphs.

System: Though there are many paths by which a werewolf might fall to the Wyrm, and Spiral culture has a concept of “Dancing the Heart-Spiral,” becoming a Dancer in spirit, no werewolf is formally a member of the Wyrm’s tribe until he has undergone this rite.

Rite of the Flayed God

Level Four Mystic Rite (Wits + Rituals vs 7)

This rite is among the most powerful and terrible practiced by the Wyrm’s children. It requires a captive spirit, and can only be performed in the heart of a Pit. Over the course of a ritual lasting from sunset to sunrise, the Black Spiral Dancer ritually murders and hollows out a spirit, usually a bound Gaian spirit, though some Hives are happy to sacrifice lesser Banes for power. This rite destroys the spirit forever, but a tattered shell of its power remains, and is bound into a special fetish.

This fetish is an article of easily donned and removed clothing; usually a cloak or belt, and its construction must incorporate some element symbolic of the spirit. Thus, a flayed bear-spirit might be bound into a bear pelt, while a murdered forest spirit might be bound into a crown of hawthorn.

Upon donning the fetish, the Black Spiral Dancer is able to assume the stolen power of the flayed spirit. With this mantle of power usually comes a dramatic and grotesque physical transformation. The wearer of the bear pelt might grow a second set of powerful, ursine arms, and a gaping set of bear jaws might frame her head, granting her extra attacks and a vicious bite. The wearer of the hawthorn crown might find sharp thorns erupting from her flesh, and her scent masked by the verdant smell of the woods.

System: The difficulty of the rite’s roll is the spirit’s Gnosis rating. Failure means that the spirit dies without empowering the fetish. Donning or removing a flayed spirit to gain its power costs two points of Gnosis. Only the ritemaster can benefit from a fetish created by this rite, and only one such fetish can be worn at a time. The exact effects of a fetish created by this rite are up to the Storyteller but the transformation is usually physical and grotesque. The benefits are comparable to the Gift: Totem Gift, though focused on personally empowering the werewolf.

Skin Dancers

Once upon a time, a Kinfolk figured out something terrible. If you took the skins of five Garou and performed a blasphemous rite, you’d become a werewolf yourself. That man, the Skinner, is long gone. But he taught others the trick, the euphemistically named “Rite of Sacred Rebirth.” Now they’re a mock-tribe, who recruit new members whenever they can get the pelts together. They call themselves the Skin Dancers, and the Garou Nation despises them.

The Skin Dancers weren’t originally designed as antagonists for Kinfolk chronicles, but they’re perfect in the role. They were Kin once, before they turned on their Garou relatives. They committed atrocities, maybe for understandable vengeance, maybe just out of envy and ambition. And any Kin could become one of them. A Skin Dancer is a possible threat to a character’s loved ones, but also a source of valid temptation. She points out the power imbalance between the Kinfolk and their shapeshifter relatives, and offers a way to balance the scales. Her very presence raises the question, “How much do I want power?”

The Seductive Creed

One of the reasons the Skin Dancers continue to be successful is that they often get to introduce themselves. Many Garou don’t like to tell their Kin that the Skin Dancers exist — that might put ideas in their heads, after all. So when a smooth-talking new friend starts talking about ideals, about how great it’d be if the Kinfolk could stand eye-to-eye with the Garou, odds are you don’t even know why you shouldn’t be listening.

The hard part of the pitch, of course, is the requirement of the skins. Five Garou pelts is a lot to ask. The first Skinner was a serial killer on a level most Kin can’t match. But to make the question more complicated, the skins can be taken any way possible. A potential Skin Dancer doesn’t have to murder five Garou. A little grave-robbing or covert cleaning work will do the trick. There’s even rumor that if all five skins are deliberately bequeathed, like a voluntary organ donation, that the new Skin Dancer will be completely free of Wyrm-taint.

And if you can pull this off? Well, every Kin who knows the truth about the Garou has dreamed about Changing themselves, at least once. Most have told themselves “If I had the power, here’s what I’d do with it.” There’s so much to be gained. And much to be lost as well... but the Skin Dancers don’t dwell overmuch on that part when they’re recruiting. It can get demoralizing.

The Greater Danger

The truth of the matter is that the Skin Dancers aren’t that dangerous themselves, at least to the average Kin. True, some act out old grudges after the Rite, killing hated family members before fleeing into the night. But most Skin Dancers would rather recruit or subvert than murder. Frankly, they need the numbers. No, the real danger of the Skin Dancers comes from listening to them. A Kinfolk suspected of Skin Dancer sympathies is at much greater risk from her own Garou cousins.

This is also the reason why it’s dangerous as hell to keep secrets from your werewolf relatives. The Garou remember how the Skinner’s gruesome legacy started. Secret Kinfolk societies are taking their lives into their hands, because sooner or later their wolf-blooded relations are going to equate them with the Skin Dancers.

Using the Skin Dancers

Mechanically, Skin Dancer antagonists are fairly simple. The process is much like building other Garou characters, but they tend to focus heavily on Abilities and Attributes — they had to be skilled and tough Kin to be able to collect those skins — even if only through subterfuge. Their Gift selection is a bit shoddy, and focuses more on breed and auspice Gifts, as they lack any tribal affinity. But most are good with rites, thanks to the demands of learning the Rite of Sacred Rebirth.

The Skin Dancers are fundamentally underdogs; a role we usually reserve for the protagonists. They lack the numbers and resources that help make the Black Spiral Dancers so intimidating. In order to be proper antagonists they need to be clever and ruthless; a slow-witted werewolf hunter never lasts long, blood or no. They also tend to be cults of personality, built around a charismatic and capable leader who seduces unhappy Kin with promises of retribution and power. Their threat is in subversion. They can turn a Garou’s family against her — and nobody knows where best to stick the knife like family.

At the core, the Skin Dancers’ complaint is understandable. But what sets a Skin Dancer apart from any other abused, resentful or rebellious Kinfolk is atrocity. Like the Spirals, the Skin Dancers are able to articulate a reason for what they’re doing. And like the Spirals, their methods aren’t justifiable — as we’d see it. But it makes sense to them. And once they’ve got those skins on their backs, it’s all the easier to justify. Performing the Rite of Sacred Rebirth is effectively writing your own death sentence — you just have to be smart enough, hard enough, and quiet enough that the Garou don’t get a chance to enforce it.

Skin Dancer Gifts

Learning Gifts

While the totem-spirit broods of Gaian Garou will refuse to work with or assist the Skin Dancers in any manner, the Skin Dancers have, in the past, forged alliances with Banes and unassociated spirits with a modicum of success. In some cases, the Storyteller may opt to allow Black Spiral Dancer Gifts to be learned by Skin Dancers. While this is perhaps not the most desirable of arrangements for the Skin Dancer or, in fact, for the Banes involved, it is the most readily accessible avenue to spiritual power for the mock-werewolves. Skin Dancers have no rank, but the sort of spirits that instruct them can be convinced to teach them higher level Gifts at an additional cost. Skin Dancers buy all Gifts (other than those specifically listed as Skin Dancer Gifts) higher than Level One at a cost of Gift level x 6.

[+/-] Skin Dancer Gifts

Even the Black Spiral Dancers have tribal pacts with loathsome Banes and other Wyrm-affiliated spirits. For those werewolves who exist outside the structure of the tribes and their pacts, prospects are bleak.

Without the support of a tribal totem, spirits regard dealing with a Ronin Garou as a shameful thing, and will be loath to honor even those ancient pacts touching on his Auspice and breed. Unless he is able to locate a spirit willing to serve as a personal or pack totem, a Ronin must buy all Gifts at the Gift’s level rating x 7, cannot learn Gifts above level one, and must bargain for each Gift on an individual basis. Even with a totem’s support, the Ronin only regains discounted costs for breed and Auspice Gifts.

Skin Dancers (see W20 Core, pg 512) suffer similar difficulties, and only a tiny handful of spirits will ever consent to act as totems for such creatures. Most Skin Dancers are forced to turn to bargains with Banes, learning Black Spiral Dancer Gifts. Those who manage to find an ally in the spirit world sometimes learn one of Minotaur’s blessings, detailed below:

Level One

See Past the Skin

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: While the Gaian Garou use the Gift: Sense Wyrm to root out Skin Dancers in their midst, Skin Dancers use this Gift to detect the supernatural presence of one of their own. The user of this Gift is able to discern the faint, mystical patchwork on a Skin Dancer’s fur when in Crinos form. This Gift is taught by a servant of Minotaur.

System: The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty 6). Only one success is required.

Level Five

Mask Taint

W20 Core, pg 199

Description: A Skin Dancer possessing this Gift may completely camouflage Wyrm-taint from all senses, including Gifts that detect such taint. This Gift is taught by a servant of Minotaur.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point, rolling Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The effect lasts for one scene per success scored.

Rites

Rite of Sacred Rebirth

Level Five

Description: This blasphemous rite allows a Kinfolk to transform himself into a Garou, but only after the successful acquisition and preparation of five Garou hides.

System: Each of the hides must be taken under the same lunar phase; if the first werewolf slain by the Skin Dancer was slain under a gibbous moon, all subsequent hides must be gathered under a gibbous moon for the rite to be enacted successfully. The final ceremony of the rite must be conducted under a moon that matches the phase under which the hides were claimed and preserved, and must conclude exactly an hour after it is initiated.

The ritemaster rolls Wits + Rituals against a difficulty of 9. Only one success is required for the transformation, and there is no known rite of reversal once completed successfully. If successful, the preserved, stitched hides of the slain Garou meld onto the ritemaster’s body, permanently becoming a part of the ritemaster’s body and spirit. Unless the Garou who were slain by the ritemaster gave their lives to him willingly, the Wyrm will grievously taint the ritemaster.

Source: W20 Core, pg 513

Wyrm Totems

W20 Book of the Wyrm, pg 125

Black Spiral Packs bind themselves together under Totems in much the same fashion as their Gaian counterparts, save that the Wyrm’s bastards make pacts with bleak spirits of corruption and destruction, rather than mighty spirits of Gaia.

Totems of Cunning

The Whippoorwill

Background Cost: 6

This totem fell to the ways of the Wyrm in the dawn-days of the world, when it discovered that its cry attracted the drifting souls of the dead, and that lost souls made for a fine feast.

This totem’s great strength is finding those who have lost their way, especially those who have lost sight of the reason to keep fighting for Gaia.

Individual Traits: Whippoorwill’s bastards gain the ability to imitate perfectly any birdcall, as well as one extra die on all Empathy rolls to spot individuals who are questioning their ideals.

Pack Traits: Whippoorwill grants two dots of Perception, but only at night and in dark environments.

Ban: Whippoorwill forbids its bastards to harm any bird, and demands a moot held in its honor twice a year.

Kirijama, “The Hidden Foe”

Background Cost: 7

Kirijama has no manifested form. It is the foe unseen, unfelt, unknown. Some Garou believe Kirijama does not even exist, but something grants blessings to those who honor Kirijama.

Individual Traits: Kirijama’s bastards gain the Uktena Gift: Invisibility.

Pack Traits: Kirijama’s bastards gain two extra dots of Stealth.

Ban: Kirijama’s bastards must never become famous, making it hard for them to rise in Rank.

Totems of Strength

The Green Dragon

Background Cost: 9

The Green Dragon is a mighty Bane, often believed to be a lesser avatar of the Wyrm itself. Its hide is armor, its claws calamity, and its breath scours the Earth. It offers its patronage only to those who have proven their might.

Individual Traits: Thrice per day, the Green Dragon’s bastards can spew forth toxic flames. This is a Dexterity + Brawl attack with a range of six yards. It inflicts two levels of unsoakable aggravated damage if it hits.

Pack Traits: The Green Dragon grants its bastards two additional soak dice and one extra point of Brawl.

Ban: The Green Dragon withdraws its blessings from any coward who flees a battle in fear of his life.

Bat

Background Cost: 7

This bitter aspect of Bat fell to the Wyrm after Gaia’s warriors hunted its children, the Camazotz, to extinction. Bat instills terror in its foes, and bids its bastards to do the same.

Individual Traits: Bat grants its bastards their choice of the Black Spiral Dancer Gifts: Patagia or Ears of the Bat.

Pack Traits: Bat’s bastards receive one extra die on all Intimidation, Stealth, and Survival rolls.

Ban: Bastards must not harm bats, and must sleep hanging upside down.

Hakaken, “The Heart of Fear”

Background Cost: 9

Hakaken is a Bane Incarna who appears as a primeval crab-reptile hybrid. This nightmare dinosaur-crustacean was once a great Ahroun of the Shadow Lords before his pride led him into the Wyrm’s coils.

Individual Traits: Hakaken’s Bastards may buy Gifts off the Shadow Lord list for one experience point more than they would pay for Black Spiral Dancer Gifts.

Pack Traits: Hakaken’s bastards add one die to Intimidation rolls.

Ban: Hakaken’s Bastards must terrorize their foes before slaying them.

Totems of Corruption

The Dark Fungus

Background Cost: 3

The Dark Fungus is believed to be an aspect of one of those great and primal spirits discarded from Gaia’s order in the time before history, a heaving and blasphemous thing boiling deep beneath the surface of the Earth.

Individual Traits: The Dark Fungus’s bastards gain one extra dot of Enigmas and Occult.

Pack Traits: When under the influence of psychoactive fungi, this totem’s Bastards have access to the Gift: Pulse of the Invisible.

Ban: Bastards must tend growing mushrooms wherever they find them.

Relshab, “The Faceless Eater”

Background Cost: 8

Relshab is a Bane Incarna that manifests as a huge man-shaped form, covered in rolls of flesh, which crawl and ripple in sickly waves. It has no face, only a great gelid roll of fat. Its right “arm” is a snuffling feeding tube. Relshab is an incautious spirit of unlimited greed and hunger.

Individual Traits: Relshab’s bastards gain the Ragabash Gift: Whelp Body.

Pack Traits: By spending one point of Gnosis, a bastard of Relshab may chew, swallow, and digest anything she can get her mouth around.

Ban: Relshab’s bastards must eat everything put before them.

G’lough, “Dance of Corruption”

Background Cost: 12

G’lough manifests as an ever-shifting panoply of horrors, constantly flowing like wax and reforming into increasingly horrid configurations. Sometimes elements of G’lough slough off to become independent Banes. Some Theurges believe it to be the mother of all Nexus Crawlers.

Individual Traits: G’lough grants its bastards the Gift: Fabric of the Mind.

Pack Traits: G’lough’s bastards enjoy two extra dots of Occult.

Ban: Bastards must always oppose the status quo, even when it benefits them.

Minotaur

Background Cost: 6

Minotaur is the embodiment of the man that becomes the beast: the sentient being who craves animalistic power. He respects strength and holds contempt for the weak, and thus has come to favor the Skin Dancers, who parlay a small strength into a much greater one. Although not a direct servant of the Wyrm, Minotaur bears a faint touch of Beast-of-War’s taint. He hates and envies Pegasus, particularly her high status among other Gaian spirits. He is misogynistic to some degree, although a strong female Skin Dancer can earn his respect in ways that a human female never could.

Traits: Minotaur places his children in contact with spirits that can teach them Gifts, and thus his children can learn most Gifts of Rank Three or lower (at out-of-tribe costs, of course). He also grants each of his children an extra dot of Stamina and an extra dot of Survival.

Ban: Minotaur demands that his children hurt and slay any of Pegasus’ children that they meet. They do not have to exact Minotaur’s vengeance immediately, but they can never let a Black Fury or other werewolf who follows Pegasus live in peace.

Source: W20 Core, pg 514

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