Shifter/Gifts
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Kinfolk Gifts
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).
New 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 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 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.
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
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 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 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 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 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 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.
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
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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
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 (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).
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 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
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 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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 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
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
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.
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
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 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 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.
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
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
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.
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.
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 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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Gurahl Gifts
Gurahl begin play with three Gifts, one each from breed, auspice (Arcas, usually) and the general Gurahl Gift list.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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 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
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 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
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 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 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
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
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 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 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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.