Allies (Revised Core 120; house-ruled mechanics)
Allies are folks who help and support you, whether out of love or common interest. They can be old comrades or even organizations that are friendly to you. They may have skills of their own (medicine, for instance), but they often have community influence, with contacts or resources they can use on your behalf. Allies are generally trustworthy, but the relationship takes time and energy to maintain. They have their own lives, so don't treat them like servants. Except in special circumstances, your allies don't usually know you are a werewolf (that knowledge would probably alter the relationship for the worse), but they may know that you have special "knacks," and they will come to you for favors. After all, friends help each other out, right?
Allies are more than just a pool of extra contacts- you can influence them as well. They're friends, after all, and they'll listen to you. Convincing your fishing buddy that a local refinery is spilling toxins into a major fishery can do wonders for your cause when he's an aide in the governor's office. Of course, just as your allies are more loyal and directly useful than your contacts, they can also require more in return. But hey, they're your friends, right?
You should work out who your allies are at the beginning of the game, as well as how you know them. This Background is not available to Shadow Lord Garou.
- House-ruled mechanics are found here.
Once per game session, the player of a Garou with this Background may roll his Ancestors Background (difficulty 8, or 10 if he's trying to contact the spirit of a specific ancestor). Each success allows the character to add one die to the dice pool of any Ability (even if the character doesn't possess that Ability). For example, young Emil, a pure flatlander, must scale an immense cliff to come to the aid of his embattled pack. Emil has an Ancestors rating of 4 and an Athletics of 0. He calls on his forebears to guide him, and Emil's player rolls four dice at difficulty 8. He scores three successes. Emil contacts his great-great-great granduncle Cragtamer who guides him over the sheer face and over the top. Now the player has an effective Athletics rating of 3 to make his climbing roll. If Emil had an Athletics rating of 2, then his effective dice pool would be 5. All effects last for only one scene.
While it is more difficult to contact a specific ancestor, successful contact may provide counsel or precognitive visions at the discretion of the Storyteller.
Botching an Ancestors roll may indicate that the character becomes catatonic for the remainder of the scene as he's overwhelmed by the memories of thousands of lives. Alternatively, the ancestral spirit refuses to relinquish the body. How long the ancestor stays depends on the Storyteller. This Background is not available to Bone Gnawers, Glass Walkers, Silent Striders, or any kinfolk.
- 1: You have brief, hazy visions from the distant past.
2: You remember faces and places from past lives just as you remember those of your early childhood.
3: You put names to faces among your ancestors.
4: Ancestors converse with you on a regular basis.
5: Your ancestors watch your adventures with interest, and they often come to counsel you.
Contacts are the people you know who come from all walks of life. They know you in turn, as acquaintances or friends. These disparate people form an information network that may prove useful.
There are two levels of contacts. Major contacts are friends, people you trust implicitly to give you the straight scoop about things in their areas of expertise. You should describe major contacts in some detail, either at the start of the chronicle or as the game progresses. You also have a number of minor contacts around the area. They are not quite as friendly or reliable in a pinch, but you can bribe, charm or otherwise manipulate them into giving you the desired information. This Background is not available to Get of Fenris Garou, Wendigo Garou, or Wendigo Kinfolk.
- House-ruled mechanics are found here.
Fate can be purchased for either your own character as an individual, or can be purchased as a pack in a manner similar to Totem, in which each pack member who has at least one dot in Fate can reap the benefits of every packmate's destiny.
In both cases, the Background represents a prophecy that accompanied your birth or the creation of your pack. Fates can be great and glorious, but they can also be dark and infamous. In these times of Apocalypse, the Garou cannot afford to sacrifice even one warrior, no matter how dark the portents surrounding them are. However, even those with terrible fates often prove to be some of the greatest Garou, perhaps because they try so hard to defy their fate. Some may even succeed.
In addition to the fame or infamy these prophecies garner you, once per story you may use this Background to add successes to any roll that either failed or achieved less successes than required. For individual Fates, the player rolls his rating in this Background (difficulty 8) and adds any successes to those that were achieved in the original failed roll. If this means the action succeeds, the player should describe what fortuitous seeming events caused him to succeed. If the Storyteller feels the player's actions run against what he is destined to do, she may choose to disallow the use of the Background.
(Pack Fate follows, will transcribe if it comes up.)
- 1: You will be involved in an event that will make you known to the entire Garou Nation ..... and most likely the Wyrm as well. For now, though, only those in your sept know of this prophecy.
2: You will be the cause of an event that greatly impacts your sept, such as the destruction of a long time enemy or a highly considered Garou. The Garou throughout the city or local geographical area in which you reside might know your fate.
3: You will be responsible for an event that greatly impacts the Garou right across the continent, perhaps single-handedly saving (or destroying) a caern. Any Garou in your hemisphere might know of the prophecy.
4: Your actions will affect the entire Garou Nation, such as the defeat of a great Wyrm enemy or the massacre of dozens of Garou. There might be a Cub or two that hasn't heard of your destiny, but don't count on it.
5: You will be a direct factor in the fate of the Apocalypse, one way or another. There isn't a Cub that hasn't heard of your destiny.
You possess a fetish, a physical object into which a spirit has been bound. Fetishes have a number of powers granted by the spirit, so they are very significant to the Garou. Such things are valuable, and other Garou (or other supernatural beings) may covet them. This Background is not available to Kinfolk, as it is a merit for them.
- 1: You possess one Level One fetish.
2: You possess one Level Two fetish or two Level One fetishes.
3: You possess one or more fetishes with a total of three levels.
4: You possess one or more fetishes with a total of four
5: You possess one or more fetishes with a total of five levels.
You are in contact with certain humans or wolves who are descended from Garou without actually being werewolves themselves. While Kinfolk are normal members of their species in most respects, they have the advantage (?) of immunity to the Delirium. They know that you are Garou, and they are willing to help you however they can, although most are not in positions of power (such people are considered Allies). Networks of Kinfolk are a valuable way for werewolves to deal with the human world without risking frenzy or discovery. This Background is not available to Kinfolk, but is recommended for Fianna.
- 1: Two Kinfolk
2: Five Kinfolk
3: 10 Kinfolk
4: 20 Kinfolk
5: 50 Kinfolk
Many Garou have one or more elders that look after them. The rating of your Mentor Background quantifies how powerful your mentor is within the tribe and what rank he or she has achieved. A mentor can teach you skills, advise you or speak on your behalf at a council fire. Of course, your mentor may expect something in return for his assistance, be it good company, an occasional gofer, a champion or perhaps a supporter in sept politics. (Mentor demands are excellent hooks for stories.) In general, however, you will receive more than you give.
A powerful mentor doesn't have to be a single person; a pack or council of elders might be considered a collective mentor. The latter would almost certainly have a rating of four or five dots, even if no one on the council is above Rank 5. This Background is not available to Glass Walker Garou, Glass Walker kinfolk, Shadow Lord Garou, Shadow Lord kinfolk, and Fenrir Mentors for Garou or kin will only advise, never protect.
- 1: Mentor is Rank 2
2: Mentor is Rank 3
3: Mentor is Rank 4
4: Mentor is Rank 5
5: Mentor is Rank 6
To offer a child protection in a harsh and unforgiving world, many native peoples bind a spirit to a newborn child, so that the two may both protect each other. Whether or not this works for humans, it certainly works for the Garou who adopt the practice. At birth, the Garou parent of the child calls a spirit to the newborn and offers it the security of a Garou's protection in exchange for its service. Usually, this spirit also acts as the Kin-Fetch. Since a parent's love is not necessarily limited to Garou alone, Kinfolk may also possess this Background.
When taking this background, players should specify what type of spirit accompanies them, both as a specific type (such as Pattern Spider or fire elemental) and if it qualifies as a spirit of Glory, Honor, or Wisdom. By spending one point of Gnosis, the Garou can draw upon his friend's strength, adding his Numen rating to a single Physical (Glory), Social (Honor), or Mental (Wisdom) roll. Alternatively, the spirit may lend the Garou the use of a Charm is possesses for a single use.
In addition to this, the spirit may act as a straightforward ally and aide, and a Garou with a Numen of the same type may instinctively feel a kinship. Maltreatment or neglect may weaken the bond between a Garou and their Numen. Storytellers can represent this by denying the player the ability to obtain extra dice. In addition, the spirit is a real, living spirit that can be hurt and killed. The Background rating determines how large the bound spirit is.
- 1: Gaffling
2: Potent Gaffling
3: Lesser Jaggling
4: Strong Jaggling
5: Very strong Jaggling; your parents were clearly owed some favors.
Garou take great stock in ancestry, and the werewolf who is descended from renowned forbears has a definite advantage in Garou society. This Background represents your lineage, markings, bearing and other features of birth. Other Garou revere werewolves with high scores in Pure Breed as heroes of yore come to life- and such werewolves are expected to act the part. The higher your Pure Breed score is, the more likely you are to impress elder councils or receive hospitality from foreign tribes. Each point of Pure Breed adds an extra die to Social or challenge rolls involving other Garou (even Ronin or Black Spiral Dancers).
Some tribes place more value on good breeding than others, but Pure Breed is almost universally respected. It's almost a mystical trait, and werewolves can tell instinctively whose blood is particularly pure. Of course, Garou expect those of pure blood to live up to the standards set by their noble ancestors. They frown on those who can't or won't accept the challenge.
Over the eons, whole lines of heroes have fallen to war, Wyrm or simply time. In this latter age, very few pure-bred Garou walk the Earth. This Background is not available to Bone Gnawer Garou, Bone Gnawer Kinfolk, Glass Walker Garou, or Glass Walker kinfolk, and Silver Fang Garou and Silver Fang kinfolk must take at least 3 points.
- 1: You have your father's eyes.
2: Your grandfather made a name for himself at the Battle of Bloody Ford, and you carry that name with pride.
3: Your pedigree is blessed with pillars of the Garou Nation, and the blood tells.
4: You can be dressed as a beggar and still command respect.
5: The greatest of heroes live on in you.
This Trait describes your personal financial resources (or access to such resources). It reflects your standard of living rather than liquid assets. Even if you have four dots, it may take weeks or months to come up with half a million dollars in cash. And of course, if you don't purchase this Background, you get what you pay for- nothing, or as close to nothing as makes no difference. As with all other Traits, you should be able to justify Resources. It'll be tricky explaining how a lupus in the Yukon gets a check for a couple of grand each month. (And what could he spend it on, anyway?) Where does the money come from, a trust fund, stocks, tenant rent or a day job? Depending on circumstances, your cash flow may dry up during the course of the chronicle. This Background is not available to Bone Gnawer Garou, Silent Strider Garou, Silent Strider Kinfolk, Wendigo Garou, or Wendigo Kinfolk, and Bone Gnawer Kinfolk may have a maximum of 3.
- 1: Small savings: You have a cramped apartment and maybe a used motorcycle. If liquidated, you could scrape up $1000 in cash. Allowance of $500 a month.
2: Middle class: You have a decent apartment or condominium and a car. If liquidated, you would have $8,000 in cash. Allowance of $1200 a month.
3: Large savings: You are a homeowner with a good bit of equity. If liquidated, you would have at least $50,000 in cash. Allowance of $3000 a month.
4: Quite well off: You own a large house or perhaps a dilapidated country manor. If liquidated you would have $500,000 in cash. Allowance of $9000 a month.
5: Ridiculously wealthy: You are a multimillionaire. If liquidated, you would have $5,000,000 to play with. Allowance of $30,000 a month.
As creatures of half-spirit, the Garou share a kinship with the spirit world, but this is truer of some than others. For some reason, perhaps an ancestral tie to a household of spirits, certain types of spirits react more positively to you than others. This doesn't need to be a friendly relationship- spirits may be fearful and respectful of you, in awe of you, or feel a sense of duty to you. No matter what the relationship, one group of spirits is more likely to cooperate with you.
When you select this background, choose one type of spirits. Examples of possible groups are: animal spirits, plant spirits, elementals, urban spirits, or even Banes. Whenever dealing with spirits of this type, the player may add their Spirit Heritage rating to any Social or challenge rolls. Spirits whom you are attuned to will see you as more than 'just another Garou'; however, they also view you (to some degree) as one of their own (which means those attuned to Banes may be seen as suspicious by other Garou). If you act against such spirits or ignore their plights, you may be seen as betraying them.
- 1: The spirits can smell their scent on you. No one else can though.
2: The spirits note your arrival. Others tend to think of certain spirits in your presence, though few can understand why.
3: In the Umbra, you emanate an intangible, though noticeable, sense of your aligned spirit type.
4: In the Umbra you visibly have hints of your aligned spirit type. Those attuned to nature spirits may have tiny twigs emerge from their fur, for example.
5: Some question if you really are 'half flesh'.
This Background is something of a spiritual equivalent of Contacts. A Theurge possessing the Spirit Network Background has cultivated good relations with the minor wisp-spirits and Gafflings in a given area, and is thus able to gain information about what transpires therein - even if the events she wants to learn about were unobserved in the real world, they were likely witnessed by some spirit or another. This Background is one of the reasons that Theurges are often privy to information they have no mundane way of knowing.
To see if a Theurge can turn up information about a specific event from spirits, she must first spend several hours in the Umbra talking with different spirits (via the Gift: Spirit Speech). Then, roll her Spirit Network rating against a difficulty of the Gauntlet where the event occurred. This may only be attempted once for any given event. Once success gives a vague description, while three or more mean that the Theurge will get a fairly complete rundown. Regardless of successes, however, the description will still be given from the perspective of spirits, which may miss out on important details that have no strong spiritual resonance (like detailed financial or political information).
A Theurge can also receive however much random gossip and minor secrets the Storyteller wishes by means of this Background, simply through daily communication with spirits. Of course, this is a wonderful way to introduce a new plot hook or adventure.
- 1: You have a few spirits on the lookout for interesting information.
2: Several spirits are willing to share what they have seen with you.
3: You have unseen eyes in countless different locations at any time.
4: Spirits far and wide seek out information and report strange happenings to you.
5: Unless the Gauntlet is extremely high, very little escapes the notice of your watcher-spirits.
Unlike other Backgrounds, this Trait applies to the character's pack rather than the individual. The members of the pack pool the points invested in this Trait to determine the totem's power.
Each totem has a Background cost rating; the pack must spend that amount to ally with that totem. Some totems are willing to lend great powers to their adherents; their point costs are correspondingly greater. Regardless of how many points the initial totem costs, all beginning totems have a base of eight points to divide among Rage, Willpower and Gnosis. The totem also begins with the Airt Sense and Re-form Charms. Apart from bestowing power, totems are somewhat aloof from the pack, and they have little influence among spirits (unless the players buy a closer connection is bought with Background points). With time, roleplaying and experience points, pack totems can grow more powerful, and they could even become the totems of whole septs or (in legendary circumstances) even tribes. After the initial cost of the totem has been spent, any other Background points add to the totem's strength and abilities. This Background is not available to any Kinfolk.
A note on Personal Totems: Although some shapeshifters, such as Bastet, take well to personal totems, others have more difficulty with such a pact. In particular, Garou have a harder time bonding to a spirit without the support of packmates. In game terms, a werewolf or other pack-oriented shifter may purchase a personal totem by purchasing the Totem Background as usual. However, the costs double: each dot in Totem that goes toward a personal totem costs two Background points (or two freebie points) to purchase at character creation, and (twice the usual experience) if purchased later on. For instance, a Silent Strider who takes Owl as a personal totem must spend at least 12 Background points or freebie points to purchase the totem at all. It should also be mentioned that a shapeshifter cannot possess a personal totem and a pack totem at the same time; such bonds are too intimate to be shared. A pack totem will reject any applicant who already has a personal totem, and a spirit will refuse to act as a personal totem to someone who is a part of a pack. - Umbra Revised 100