Garou Chapter Four
SYSTEMS (4.0)
Do not use the clarification titled “Rage” on page 75 of Dark Epics. The Sanctioned chronicle makes use of the standard rules for extra rage actions in Laws of the Wild.
TESTS (4.1)
Gnosis, Rage, and Willpower Challenges (4.11)
These challenges are performed like any other, except that no Traits are risked and no Negative Traits can be called. In the case of a tie (both players throw the same hand sign), compare the total number of permanent Traits of the appropriate Trait pool (Gnosis, Rage, or Willpower), just as you would with an Attribute Trait category.
Unlike standard Static Challenges, Static Challenges of this variety allow the player to win in the case of a true tie (same hand sign thrown, and same number of Traits as the difficulty).
Garou interaction with Powers that ‘Wins All Ties’ (4.12)
There are no rank-based advantages for Crinos form. Rather, in Physical Challenges where a Garou's opponent has a strength-based or speed-based power that allows them to ‘Win All Ties’ instead of comparing Traits, the opponent instead gains 10 bonus Physical Traits for comparison of ties and overbidding, as found in Prime Chapter 4.
HEALTH (4.2)
To clarify, once per scene a Garou who has been reduced to Incapacitated or Mortally Wounded by an attack may attempt to stay active by spending a Rage Trait. If he then wins a Static Rage Challenge against eight Traits (re testable with Survival), he returns to his first Wounded health level, gains a battle scar, and must immediately test for frenzy (see page 185). This Rage Healing may not be used if the attack that reduced the Garou to Incapacitated or Mortally Wounded is one that “cannot be soaked”, (such as attacks made with silver). Note that some changing breeds have different metal allergies than Garou that determines when they cannot Rage Heal.
Garou that are not in their breed forms regenerate bashing and lethal damage at an astonishing rate. At the beginning of each turn, they recover one level of damage. (All bashing levels must heal before lethal levels can start to heal.) Non-metis Garou in breed form heal only one level of lethal damage per day of rest. All Garou heal aggravated damage at a rate of one level per day of rest, regardless of the form they are in.
Battle Scars (4.21)
Each time a Garou is reduced to Mortally Wounded, he gains a battle scar. The first three battle scars a Garou receives are “superficial”. The fourth and fifth battle scars are “deep”. For all battle scars exceeding the fifth, the Storyteller will select one of the battle scars on the chart (page 191) to inflict upon the character, as appropriate to the attack that caused the scar.
THE MANY FORMS (4.3)
Shifting Forms (4.31)
Shifting forms only requires a challenge under stressful conditions. The Garou selects the desired form and engages in a Static Physical Challenge using his base Physical Traits only (no bonus Traits from Gifts or forms). Traits are not lost if this challenge fails. If successful, he transitions to that form from his current form at a rate of one form per turn.
Additionally, a character can change into his breed form instantly without a challenge or the use of Rage or Primal-Urge Traits.
Form-based Attribute Traits are replenished when the Garou's normal Attribute Traits of that category are replenished.
The Customizing Forms Optional Rule is not used in the Sanctioned Chronicle.
Crinos Form
Metis in their breed form (Crinos) regenerate and are allergic to silver.
Hispo Form
Bite and claw attacks in Hispo form do aggravated damage.
RANK AND RENOWN (4.4)
Note that rules for starting Rank can be found in the Membership Benefits section.
Characters can accumulate any number of temporary Renown Traits, but they may only convert one Renown Trait into permanent Renown each month. This can be increased to two Renown Traits for a month with High Approval, or three Renown Traits for a month with Top Approval.
Successful completion of a challenge for Elder Rank requires that the High Approval Storyteller be notified within one month’s time. Information sent should include details on the challenge, the challenger, and the challenged, as well as any further information that Storyteller asks for.
Renown Loss (4.41)
It is possible for a Garou to lose enough Renown to go down in Rank. A Garou risks Renown loss if he uses rites and Gifts above what is allowed by his new Rank. If characters outside the Garou's Sept wish to strip or add Renown (through Rites and such), they should undertake the appropriate in-character actions and then contact that character's Storyteller.
THE VELVET CURTAIN (4.5)
The Triat, Celestines, and the Incarnae
Spirits of this level are immensely powerful, far more powerful then any Garou or even pack of Garou. They do not lose challenges unless they are willing to do so. The Triat are never seen in a manifest form, while the Celestines are merely rarely encountered (High Approval is required for direct interaction with the Celestines). The Incarnae are easier to find, but they have little patience for those whom would waste their time on unimportant matters. Storytellers should have them punish those who dare to bring them trivial questions or attempt to use them to avoid performing their own task.
Jagglings and Gafflings
The Trait maximums for Jagglings and Gafflings are ten Traits of Willpower, Rage, or Gnosis, although Gafflings very rarely near the maximum. Spirits do not lose Willpower, Rage, or Gnosis Traits as a result of challenges. The following rules also apply when running challenges for the various types of Spirits.
Spirit Willpower
Use the rules on page 238 for unopposed actions by Spirits. When engaged in Physical Challenges with others, including when they attack but not when just resisting other attacks, Spirits use twice their Willpower in comparison to other's Physical Traits.
Spirit Rage
When defending against attacks, but not counterattacking, Spirits use twice their Rage in Physical Challenges. When Spirits attack others, they do damage equal to their Rage divided by three (round down, minimum of one). This damage is typically aggravated.
Spirit Gnosis
Spirits use twice their Gnosis when engaged in Mental and Social Challenges.
Spirit Charms
Use of Armor allows a spirit to ignore a number of wound levels equal to half its Gnosis during the remainder of the scene. This can only be done once per scene.
Blast does aggravated damage equal to the spirit’s Rage divided by three (rounded up), with a successful Physical Challenge.
Anyone in the area of effect for Freeze may make a Static Physical Challenge against twice the spirit’s Rage to avoid the damage from this Charm.
Caerns
Each city (domain) may have one Caern of rank one, two, or three without need of any additional approval. High Approval is required for a city to have a rank four Caern, or a second Caern. Top Approval is required for a city to have a rank five5 Caern, or three or more Caerns.
ADDITONAL FETISHES AND TALENS (4.6)
The following new Fetishes and Talens are approved for use in the Sanctioned chronicle at Low Approval.
Baneskin [Level 3, Gnosis 7 Fetish]
This tiny piece of spirit, carefully wrapped in leather, causes all malevolent spirits, especially Banes, to react to the wearer as if she were a Wyrm-creature and a trusted soul. A Baneskin does not need to be activated, but its effects can be seen through with close scrutiny by suspicious spirits who win a Gnosis Challenge against the Fetish's Gnosis.
Basket of Bones [Gnosis 8 Talen]
This basket is woven from plant fibers and the bones of fallen agents of the Wyrm. Decorated with beads, it has a handle carved from ash wood. Any one item of the Wyrm, be it a gob of toxic waste, or an evil Fetish, instantly burns to powder when placed in the basket. The Basket of Bones itself turns to ash after three uses. The item must fit completely within the basket for it to work. Example, you can't jam this Talen on a fomori's head and hope for the best.
Blanket of Peaceful Dreams [Level 2, Gnosis 7 Fetish]
This handsome blanket protects the sleeper from bad dreams and invasion of his dreams. Any creature attempting to influence or harm a sleeper ensconced within the Blanket of Peaceful Dreams must win a Static Willpower Challenge against the blanket's Gnosis. A failure means that the attacker cannot affect the sleeper for the rest of the night. The blanket also lulls nightmares into submission, allowing peaceful sleep.
Clear Water [Gnosis 4 Talen]
This Talen contains a purifying spirit in a flask of water. When the spirit is poured into a polluted body of water, up to and including bodies as large as rivers and lakes, the water is instantly cleaned of Wyrm-taint. When consumed, the Talen acts like the Gift Resist Toxin.
Elk Tooth Necklace [Level 2, Gnosis 5 Fetish]
This necklace of teeth allows the wearer to run and jump twice as far and twice as fast. When activated in combat, its bonuses are not cumulative with those of other Gifts.
Gaia's Poultice [Level 2, Gnosis 8 Fetish]
Gaia's Poultice is an herb-filled bandage. This wrapping, when activated, automatically heals one level of damage (any type) from an open wound on which it is placed. This Fetish takes one hour to recharge between uses.
Gnostic Bag [Level 4, Gnosis 9 Fetish]
The Gnostic Bag appears as nothing more than a small leather pouch with fringes, odd paintings, and Garou pictograms on it. The pouch literally holds Gnosis. To activate it, the user reaches into the bag, "grabs" a Gnosis Trait, and eats it. The bag holds nine Gnosis Traits. These can be recharged if the owner expends temporary Gnosis from his pool into the bag. Taking or leaving a Gnosis in this way is an action unto itself, so it the bag is not easily usable in combat.
Heart of the Spirit [Level 5, Gnosis 10 Fetish]
This Fetish is a small, heart-shaped piece of rose quartz. The Heart of the Spirit allows the character attuned to it to store up to ten Traits worth of Gnosis, Rage, or Willpower (only one type at a time). Storage of these Traits is accomplished by activating the Fetish and spending the Traits from the user's own pool. These Traits may be called upon by activating the Fetish. This allows the Garou to draw on one Trait from the Heart of the Spirit each turn for the remainder of the scene.
Key to the Umbra [Level 2, Gnosis 8 Fetish]
This small key, when activated, reduces the difficulty of passing through the Gauntlet by two. If a character spends three Gnosis Traits, she can take one other willing character with her when using the Key to the Umbra, though she must be touching them skin to skin for the Fetish to work.
Kinship Doll [Level 2, Gnosis 8 Fetish]
This Fetish appears to be nothing more than a crude handmade doll. However, when a Garou holds and activates it, the doll announces the location and condition of any one Kinfolk whose name is spoken by the user.
Loon's Refund [Level 3, Gnosis 8 Fetish]
This Fetish is an ATM card with mystic Garou symbols covering both sides. It is a universal card that can be used at any ATM machine to get up to $500.00, or the local equivalent. In order to use it, the Fetish's owner simply needs to succeed in activating it (and has to remember to get the receipt!). If the wielder of the Loon’s Refund uses it more than once per session, he must make a Simple Test or the Fetish is destroyed by Weaver spirits.
Moon Watch [Level 1, Gnosis 4 Fetish]
The Moon Watch acts like a normal wristwatch that also shows accurately the phases of the moon, except that it never needs to be wound or set. Furthermore, the when it is activated, the watch displays the auspice of any one Garou in the vicinity.
Nightshade [Gnosis 5 Talen]
This Talen is distilled from the very essence of night. One fluid ounce of this liquid, when quaffed, turns the imbiber's body into shadow for the next two scenes, rendering him virtually invisible in dark areas and allowing him access through the smallest of openings. Any form of heightened senses will reveal that the shadow is out of place with a successful Mental Challenge, but it is otherwise undetectable. Nightshade grants the equivalent of a Basic power of concealment for the purpose of cross-venue power comparisons.
Pine Dagger [Gnosis 6 Talen]
This Talen destroys the Materialized form of a spirit upon contact. When struck, the spirit must win a Willpower Challenge against six Traits or be banished back to the Umbra. This dagger is made from the heartwood of a downed pine tree.
Rat's Tooth Necklace [Level 1, Gnosis 4 Fetish]
When activated, the Rat's Tooth Necklace gives the user the temporary Physical Trait Nimble, the temporary Mental Trait Cunning, and the temporary Negative Mental Trait Impatient. Whoever wears the necklace openly gains the respect and admiration of most Bone Gnawers, who constantly try to barter for it, if not steal it outright.
Sands of Sleep [Level 1, Gnosis 3 Fetish]
When this Fetish is activated and the sand is scattered in an area, all those in the area must spend a Willpower Trait immediately or fall asleep. Even if a character spends a Willpower Trait, she gains the Negative Physical Trait Lethargic for the duration of the scene. Those in frenzy either fall asleep (if they don't spend a Willpower Trait) or come out of frenzy (although they will not be Lethargic at that point). The sleep lasts until some loud noise or other outside stimulus wakes the sleepers, some kind of impending threat is presented to them, or until they have gotten a good eight hours of sleep. The Sands of Sleep work only once per scene.
Stone of Wealth [Level 3, Gnosis 8 Fetish]
This Fetish appears to be nothing more than a very old "worry stone”. When rubbed (activated), it brings the user wealth. Wealth does not always mean money, which is Wyrm-tainted, nor does the summoned wealth necessarily come instantly. Instead, the stone provides the resources a Garou needs to complete her tasks. These resources usually appear in the form of funds or marketable items. The Storyteller is the final arbitrator as to how the Fetish's power manifests. Each time the stone is used in a single session, the next test using the Stone of Wealth during that session is against an additional two Traits.
Tear of Renewal [Level 3, Gnosis 6 Fetish]
These milky-white, tear-shaped stones grant a Garou Gnosis. By activating this Fetish, the Garou gains three Gnosis Traits, up to his maximum. A Tear of Renewal can only be used this way seven times before the spirit within dies and the Fetish becomes useless.
Wise Bag [Level 3, Gnosis 4 Fetish]
A Wise Bag is a bag of tokens, bones, or other small items. When the Fetish is activated, the owner can reach inside and gain on small "fact" about people in his surrounding area (e.g., breed, tribe, species, vampire, mage, ghoul, kinfolk, etc.) This bag cannot detect the Wyrm, but can relate knowledge of a previously unknown Negative Trait possessed by a nearby target if the Fetish owner can defeat the target in a Mental Challenge. If any of the pieces inside the Wise Bag ever goes missing for more than twenty-four hours, the bag becomes spiritually dead and no longer functions.