WOD Werewolf: Appalachia Moonrise

[SirNitram]

It depends heavily on the Tribe. A Glasswalker's Alpha is often an Ahroun, but not because he's an Ahroun; it's because every other auspice is busy as shit and the Ahroun has no pre-defined place, so when he makes his niche and dominates in it, he's proven himself a leader.

[LadyTevar]

Most Alphas are Ahroun, because most of the time the Alpha has to prove he's the Biggest Baddest Wolf in the Pack. Like their wolf kin, most times this is done by the would-be alpha facing down every other pack member in a fight, or otherwise proving their dominance, such as a willpower-based Stare-Down. Stare-Downs are often how a Philodox can gain and keep the Alpha position.

Yes, this is me pushing to start the game soonest.

I was planning to start this weekend, when I'd have time to make the opening post. I was also wanting to give more information to the New Players, so they'd have more background to work with. Havoc in particular asked about some of the Terms for the game. If you'd like to explain The Litany to them that would ........
......... wait, nevermind, you'd teach them the ShadowLord version.


I also need to announce that Nitram is going to be my co-Storyteller, in charge of some of the enemies and plots the pack will be facing. He and I will be posting occasional Interludes between the main scenes. These Interludes are meant to give you a better feel for the region you're in, as well as introduce characters you may meet later. Like the old SuperFriends cartoon, there may even be a couple of "Meanwhile, in the Hall of Doom" cut-scenes with your enemies.

Most of the Interludes are going to be just for fun OOC stuff, although there will be times I will allow you guys to find out IC. Anything shown in the "Meanwhile" scenes you may find out -eventually-, but it won't be easy and they probably will screw you over first. After all, Nitram will be in charge of that

[Cynical Cat]

An Alpha needs the respect and obedience of his pack, whether its from brute strength, mystic learning, or simply out of personal respect. Ahrouns commonly get the job, but they by no means have a lock on the position.

[LadyTevar]

Before I forget: The 5 Shapes of a Garou.

Homid: Human.
Stat Changes: None, just base Attributes as per sheet
Shift Difficulty: 6
You're a human. Do what a human can do.

Glabro: Near-Human. Aka "Cave Man" or "Mr Hyde"
Stat Changes: Str +2, Stam +2, Manip -1, App -1
Shift Diff : 7
Body changes: Gain 6-8in in height and +100% of your body mass in muscle. Still speak human languages, gutterally.

Crinos: The WolfMan. Aka "WarForm". Metis Breed Form
Stat Change: Str +4 Stam +3, Dex +1, Manip -3, App 0 (too scary to be pretty)
Shift Diff : 6
Special: You incite Delirium in Humans (see below)
Body: Gain another 50% in height over Glabros, and another 100-200% muscle mass. Fully furred, wolf-headed, tailed, arms long and ape-like, walking on back paws or on all fours for speed. Human speech difficult and baby-like (YOU DIE NOW!). Can speak the Garou or Lupine language.

Hispo: The Near Wolf. Aka the DireWolf or Primal Wolf.
Stat Change : Str +3, Stam +3, Dex +2, Manip -3, Bite Damage +1, Perc Diff -1.
Shift Diff : 7
Body: Take the mass of the Crinos, and put it down on all fours. You are big and hulking, with a massive jaw that is full of very large sharp fangs. But, you've lost your thumbs, so you can't hold or carry anything except in your jaws. You can run at 150% of your top human speed. Human language requires expenditure of a Willpower point, but you speak Garou and Lupine fluently.

Lupus: Lupine. Wolf. PUPPY! (may get you killed)
Stat Change: Str +1, Stam +2, Dex +2 Manip -3, Perc Diff -2.
Shift Diff : 6
Special: While claws do not do Agg Wounds, bite damage is. By rolling Perception + Primal Urge (Diff 6), a lupus can use their senses to see in near-darkness, and have exceptional hearing and smell. Once again, you have no thumbs or hands, so you can't carry anything.
Body: You're a normal wolf, although fur color, size, and shape will be affected by your Tribe. You cannot speak human, but you speak Garou and Lupine fluently.

Note: Manipulation Modifiers do not apply if Garou is trying to Intimidate or otherwise scare someone. Then they get their full Manipulation Attribute. Any -friendly- interaction suffers the negative modifier.

Note 2: Any clothing not bound to you by Rite of Talisman Dedication will be ripped off you when you change. Items that are not bound to you will be forcibly dropped when in Hispo or Lupus, due to lack of hands.

The Delirium: Back in the ancient past, Garou preyed upon the humans in an effort to keep their numbers small and contained. Humans thus have an innate, instinctual, and inbred fear of Garou in Crinos. This Delirium causes the human to freak out in some way, based on their willpower. Repeated exposure to the Delirium can result in insanity.

The Veil: This is why Garou haven't been discovered and are disbelieved. Once a human in Delirium loses sight of the Crinos Garou, they will either forget what exactly happened, or rationalize it away. Within a few days, the incident will be hazy and simple to shrug away as "a big dog" or other rational explanation.
A Garou with a Pierced Veil does not cause Delirium, and thus the humans see you for what you are: A Werewolf, a Predator, and a Threat. Sometimes the human is even taken seriously by authorities....

[General Havoc]

Three questions:

1: What is "Shift Difficulty"?

2: How does one acquire a Rite of Talisman Dedication? Are we assuming that all of our starting equipment is thus-dedicated at the beginning of the game?

3: Does the Manipulation penalty on non-Homid forms extend to encounters with other Garou or spirits? Crinos is my character's natural form, and while I can certainly understand a huge penalty when dealing with normal people, surely other werewolves, particularly ones she knows well, would be used to her in that form by now? After all, she had no other form until about age 9.

[Cynical Cat]

A few humans are strong willed enough not to be affected by the Delirium. Conditioning (Pentex, cough, chough) can remove it and supernaturals (including mages, Awakened Avatar>>>ancestoral terrors) are immune.

The Litany, the Laws of the Garou

Garou Shall Not Mate With Garou

Combat the Wyrm Wherever it Dwells and Whenever it Breeds

Respect the Territory of Another

Accept an Honourable Surrender

Submission to Those of Higher Station

The First Portion of the Kill for the Greatest in Station

Ye Shall Not Eat the Flesh of Humans

Respect Those Beneath You-All Are of Gaia

The Veil Shall Not Be Lifted

Do Not Suffer the People to Tend to Thy Sickness

The Leader May Be Challenged Anytime During Peace

The Leader May Not Be Challenged During Wartime

Ye Shall Take No Action That Causes a Caern to be Violated.

[rhoenix]

1: What is "Shift Difficulty"?

Simply the Difficulty on the roll to change shape.

2: How does one acquire a Rite of Talisman Dedication? Are we assuming that all of our starting equipment is thus-dedicated at the beginning of the game?

I believe it must be purchased with the Rites background, and the Rites knowledge ability.

3: Does the Manipulation penalty on non-Homid forms extend to encounters with other Garou or spirits? Crinos is my character's natural form, and while I can certainly understand a huge penalty when dealing with normal people, surely other werewolves, particularly ones she knows well, would be used to her in that form by now? After all, she had no other form until about age 9.

To other Garou - no. I'm honestly not sure whether the penalty would affect spirits or not, but I doubt it.

[General Havoc]

So Charon and I start out as characters whose very existence is owed to gross and flagrant violations of the very first rule of the Litany?

... sweet :)

[Charon]

So Charon and I start out as characters whose very existence is owed to gross and flagrant violations of the very first rule of the Litany?

... sweet :)

*high-fives*

[LadyTevar]

WEREWOLF FAQ
(Note, this will not cover everything, just the most commonly asked questions)

Game Systems

Q. How do I determine if my actions are sucessful?
A. While I will to make this more RolePlay than RollPlay, when I call for a roll you will need to roll a number of 10-sided dice equal to the appropriate Attribute and Ability, trying to equal or better the Difficulty Target Number for that action. For example, to notice the person sneaking up on you, it would be Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 6. If your dice roll a 6 4 2 8 7, you have three numbers that equal or better 6, and thus three sucesses.

Q. What happens if I don't get any sucesses?
A. You fail the action. If the above roll had been 4 2 5 3 2, you would not notice the sneaker. However, there is also the RULE OF ONE. If your roll was 6 4 1 8 7, then the 1 will cancel out the 8 (the highest sucess), meaning you only have 2 sucesses instead of 3. If you rolled 4 1 5 3 2, where there are no sucesses, then the roll is a 'Botch'. A Botch means not only did you NOT see the sneak, he's gotten close enough to steal your wallet or worse at the Storyteller's whim. Roll all 1s, and you are fucked.

Q. How do we get better/stronger?
A. At the end of each Chapter, I'm supposed to give out Experience Points based on your RP. Depending on the RP, I may give them out at the end of each Scene, as we usually go for several pages. I'll have to see how it works. Experience may be spent to gain new Abilities and Gifts, or raise your Attribles, Abilities, Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower. Backgrounds can be gained with RP, with the exception of Totem. Totem Background can be raised by Experience and RP.

Q. How do we get better Fetishes?
A. RP and earn them.

Q. What is Renown, and how is it used and gained?
A. Renown is your Reputation in Garou society, and is split into Temporary and Permanent Renown. You start with 3 base Permanant Renown, and your actions during RP accrue Temporary Renown in one of the three Catergories: Honor, Glory, and Wisdom. 10 Temporary Renown in one of those Categories will raise that Permanant Renown by 1. Gain enough Permanent Renown, and your Rank in Garou society goes up. There are a total of 6 Ranks, with 6 being a Legendary Figure. But your actions can also reduce your Renown if you're not careful.
Going up in Rank is a Good Thing, because you get access to the higher-Ranked Gifts, as well as other bonuses.

Q. What hurts us, and how do we heal?
A. All Garouf start with 7 Health Traits: Bruised, Hurt, Injured, Wounded, Mauled, Crippled, Incapacitated. I'm still not sure how I'm going to handle this InGame, as the lower your Health, the more negatives to your rolls you get. If you hit Incapacitated, you are critically wounded and are out of play for at least an hour.
Healing however, is easier: when not in your breed form, you heal One HealthLevel per Turn.. Any normal damage -- falling, disease, poison, bashing or piercing combat damage -- may be healed by a Garou's natural healing ability.
There are exceptions: Metis, whose breed form is Crinos, always heal, no matter what form. If a homid or lupus is in breed form, they heal like a mortal -- one day to heal from Bruised, three months to heal if Crippled. If a Garou is down to or past Incapactitated, healing slows down to one Health Level per hour, and the Garou is out of play until they are healed above Incapacitated. They will also gain a BattleScar, a permanent injury or disfigurment from such a grievous wound. A Rage Roll (Diff 8) can keep a Garou up and fighting, as they will heal one Health Level per success.

Q. What's an Aggravated (Agg.) Wound?
A. And aggravated wound is one that is so severe it cannot be healed normally. Silver, Fire, Radiation, and the Teeth or Claws of other Supernatural beings all inflict Agg Wounds. Agg Wounds can only be healed by rest -- one day per Health Level. Radiation acts like Fire, but damage takes twice the normal time to heal.

Q. So.. I can't die?
A. Oh, you can die. Agg wounds, since they do not heal well, can kill you if you drop below Incapaciated and then take one more Agg to finish you off. You can drown just like a mortal if you're not pulled out of the water before you reach Incapacitated. At that point you have one minute per point of Stamina before you're beyond help. And it's extremely rare, but you can die of Old Age (65+yrs, no matter what breed).

Q. Do Metis and Lupus age like humans?
A. Up until the First Change, lupus age like wolves (late teens by age 2, fully mature age 3), and Metis age faster than humans (roughly 2 years for every 1 calendar year). After they Change, all Garou age a little slower, never really suffering age-based disabilities until after age 65. It's living to -reach- 60 that's the hard part.

Q. What about Silver?
A. Silver is a curse. While most damage can be 'soaked' by rolling your Stamina to resist, Silver cannot be soaked ever, and always inflicts Agg Wounds. Silver is so powerful, simply carrying it on your person lowers your available Gnosis by one point. For every 5 silver objects carried by a pack, -every member- of the pack losses gnosis. This is why some pack members resent those with Klaives. The effect lasts as long as you're carrying the silver, and the gnosis takes a full day to recover after you discard them. In general, a Klaive is a 1pt loss, a GrandKlaive 2pts, and Silver Bullets are 1pt for every 3 bullets (I'm being nice, the book says a point per bullet).

Q. How do I shapechange?
A Three ways of shapechanging. First is resuming your Breed Form. This costs nothing, and is why Metis are lucky to be born Crinos. The Second Way is to spend a Rage point to shift instantly to the form you wish. The Third Way takes a full turn to shift, and requires a Stamina + Primal Urge roll against the Difficulty of assuming that shape. When shifting this way, you must assume (briefly) all the shapes in between. Therefore to go from Homid to Crinos, you must roll a total of 3 sucesses: one to shift at all, one to change to Glabro, one to change to Crinos. To go from Homid to Lupus, you would need 5: one to shift, and four more for Glabro, Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus forms. If you don't have the sucesses to make it all the way, you get stuck where the sucesses stop and has to try again next round. If you have no sucesses, you don't change. Try not to Botch.

Q. What is Rage, and how is it used?
A. Rage is your Beast Inside, your instinct and passion. It's a measure of your determination... and of your Wyld madness. It can let you shapeshift, or it can drive you to deeds you will regret. You have two types of Rage: Permanent and Temporary. When you spend Rage, it's from your Temporary, also called your Rage Pool. When you roll Rage, it's always the full Permanent rating. Gnosis and Willpower also work this way.
Rage can be used to Change Forms instantly. It can be used to take extra actions on your turn, up to your Dex score. It can keep you from being stunned, and keep you active when you're about to die. However, any time you roll for your Rage, you risk entering Frenzy. It takes only 4 successes to go mad, and takes a Willpower point to avoid.
There are two kinds of Frenzy: Berserker and Fox. In each, you assume either Crinos or Hispo and make a choice: fight or flight. A Berserk Frenzy you fight, attacking whomever is in gthe vacinity, until there's no one left standing or you're no longer standing. There is no finess here, you are a clawing, biting solo killing machine, and you do not care if it's enemy, packmate, or helpless bystander. They Die. A Fox Frenzy you flee, often killing or maiming whomever is trying to stop you from running away with your tail between your legs. The Frenzy remains as long as you're in danger, then the Garou falls unconscious. If you've not eaten lately, they last twice as long....
If you get 6 or more Sucesses on a Rage roll, you enter a Berserker Frenzy called "The Thrall of the Wyrm". Once there, anytime a foe is incapacitated or killed, a Wits roll is called for. Botching that roll brings out the worst in your Breed -- a Lupus will enter an animalistic fury, to the point they gleefully finish off any wounded in his vacinity, even packmates who are incapacitated. A Homid will start eating their incapacitated foe, even stopping in the midst of combat to devour the flesh. A Metis in Thrall will stop fighting to commit "acts of hideous perversion" upon a downed foe. This WyrmTaint leaves as soon as the Frenzy ends... but some Garou are so ashamed of their actions they committ suicide.

Q. What is Gnosis, and how is it used?
A. Gnosis is your spirital power. Like Rage and Willpower, you have a Permanent Rating and a Temporary Score or Gnosis Pool. Rolling your Gnosis means rolling the number in your Permanent Rating, just like Rage and Willpower. However, you cannot spend Gnosis on the same turn you have spent a Rage point. Beast and Spirit do not work well together (certain Gifts are an exception). Most Gifts require a Garou to spend or roll their Gnosis to use. All Fetishes require Gnosis rolls to attune it to you or activate its powers.
Gnosis allows you to cross from the Physical world into the Umbra by looking into a reflective surface. The Umbra is separated from the Physical World by powerful boundary wall called the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is stronger where humans have built up their science and civilization. Thus, places of high Technology are harder to cross over than a rural area, or a Caern. A Garou would roll their full Gnosis Rating versus the strength of the Gauntlet in that area to cross over.
Carrying Silver temporarily lowers your Gnosis Rating. (see "Silver" above)

Q. What is Willpower, and how is it used?
A. Willpower is your ability to overcome your base urges and stay controlled and focused. Like Rage and Gnosis, you have a Permanant Rating and a Willpower Pool you can spent points from. Willpower Rolls are made from your Permanant Rating.
Willpower can halt a Frenzy or stop an uncontrollable urge. Willpower points can also be used to gain an Automatic Success on any action requiring a skill roll. This is a guaranteed success -- even if you roll all 1s it will be a success. One success can often make that critical difference. However, some situations the Storyteller can deny use of Willpower in this manner.

Q: How do I regain Rage/Gnosis/Willpower, and can I go over my rating?
A. Except in certain circumstances, you cannot exceed your rating in any of these.
Rage can be regained several ways. First, the Garou gains Rage when they first see the moon at night. If it is your Auspice Moon, you get your full Rating. If it's not, you get 1 for a new moon, two for a waning, three for a half or waxing, and four for the full moon. At the beginning of a new chapter, the Garou rolls a die and that is the new total of their Rage Pool (not permanent Rating) they start with (which may be different from what the last chapter ended with). On the first turn of Combat, a Garou gets a point of Rage from the confrontation. Other tense confrontations may also regain Rage. Being humiliated may give you Rage, as no Garou likes being laughed at. This is Storyteller's Discretion. A Botch may earn you a Rage point from sheer frustration, at Storyteller's Discretion.
Gnosis may be regained in Mediation (at least one hour). They may do nothing else during this time but think on spiritual matters, then roll Wits + Enigmas (Diff 8). You regain one Gnosis per success... limited by the time you spent in mediation. (ie: if you roll 3 successes, but only mediated for two hours, you only get two Gnosis back). Garou -may- meditate every day, but each extra day in a single 7-day period you meditate the Difficulty rises, so it's best done once a week. At the beginning of a new Chapter, the Garou may roll Charisma + Enigmas (Diff 6) and each sucess is a Gnosis point regained.
Gnosis can also be gained from Spirits. A spirit may be bargained with and convinced to share their Gnosis with you (requires the gift Spirit Speech), and the spirit may well as for a favor in return. There is also the Sacred Hunt at the end of the Moot Rite. This hunt summons a spirit which agrees to be hunted for the night, either in Umbra or on Earth. After the spirit is caught and 'slain', all Garou thank the spirit for its sacrifice so that they can continue to fight, and all participants totally refill their Gnosis pools. The spirit then reforms at a safe place elsewhere in the Umbra.
Willpower is fully refilled at the start of a Chapter. At the Storyteller's discretion, anytime you rest more than 5 hours you may recover a single Willpower point. At the Storyteller's discretion, if you achieve a special success or recover your confidence in yourself, you may regain a single Willpower. If you excell at one criterion of your Auspice (Theurge summons/controls a powerful spirit, Ahroun defeats a powerful foe, etc), you may regain 1-3 Willpower at Storyteller's Discretion.

Q. What is a Stare-Down, and how does it work?
A. A Stare-Down, also called a Face-Off, is one of the less combative ways two Garou may resolve a conflict. It is a battle of wit, willpower, and psych-out, with the loser breaking away and backing down. Each opponent rolls Charisma + Intimidation -or- their Rage Rating... whichever is higher. The difficulty is their opponents Willpower. The facedown lasts until one Garou accumulates enough successes to equal or beat his opponents Wits Score + 5. The loser may spent a Willpower point to continue the fight, but you'll run out of Will to resist eventually.
If two Garou of different Ranks face off, the lesser wolf's difficulty is increased by 1 per every two Ranks of the elder. If a Garou loses a FaceOff to a HUMAN will lose a point of temporary Glory, and never live it down. Humans who lose run away scared.
If a Garou's Rage is higher than Charisma + Intimidation, they MUST use their Rage for this roll. This increases the danger, for if they get more than 3 successes in one roll they will Frenzy. Willpower can stop it, but Stare-Downs do often lead to combat, and can go to the Death.

[LadyTevar]

Did I mention that the Shadowlords have NO PRESENCE in the Appalachias?
No packs. No septs. No caerns.

This means all the worst rumors and tales of ShadowLords have ran wild amongst the Appalachian Garou. I should have given Cyncat the flaw Notoriety.

[LadyTevar]

Well... I forgot to state what Moon or Time of day it was, but for the first 'meet&greet', the evening of the gibbous (waxing) moon works fine. I will be keeping track of what moon it is for everyone from now on.

Although you don't need it... 'regain' 3 points for seeing the moonrise. The full moon will be here in 4 in-game days. If you need an excuse to be at the top of the falls, you were asked to meet the Master of Challenge, Galileo Crosses-the-Stars.

[Devonie]

Ok, here's Arianne... Not sure what else I need...

Arianne “Heart-of-Steelâ€

[LadyTevar]

Approved.
Go join the boys at the top of Cumberland Falls and get to know them better.

[Cynical Cat]

Reduce all combat roll difficulties by 2 for the Battle Torc? For only a 3 point fetish? That's ridiculous.

[LadyTevar]

Reduce all combat roll difficulties by 2 for the Battle Torc? For only a 3 point fetish? That's ridiculous.

Melee, Brawl, Dodge, only.

Nit found it

[SirNitram]

Hammer And Klaive.

You did forget 'Athletics, but only in the context of throwing stuff at people'.

[Cynical Cat]

You want to allow it go ahead. It is really powerful and will only become stronger as the game progresses. It's a steal at 3 points. You have been warned.

[LadyTevar]

You want to allow it go ahead. It is really powerful and will only become stronger as the game progresses. It's a steal at 3 points. You have been warned.

I know the player, Cyncat, and I trust her not to overuse it just as much as I trust you with the Grand Klaive.

[Cynical Cat]

You want to allow it go ahead. It is really powerful and will only become stronger as the game progresses. It's a steal at 3 points. You have been warned.

I know the player, Cyncat, and I trust her not to overuse it just as much as I trust you with the Grand Klaive.

By using the word "overuse" you admit it's power. At 3 points it's easier to make and obtain than a Klaive, let alone a Grand Klaive. Some of the players will quite reasonably try to obtain Klaives or Grand Klaives for their characters at various points in the story. I'll be going after one of these. And at 3 points, it should be easier to get.

[LadyTevar]

You want to allow it go ahead. It is really powerful and will only become stronger as the game progresses. It's a steal at 3 points. You have been warned.

I know the player, Cyncat, and I trust her not to overuse it just as much as I trust you with the Grand Klaive.

By using the word "overuse" you admit it's power. At 3 points it's easier to make and obtain than a Klaive, let alone a Grand Klaive. Some of the players will quite reasonably try to obtain Klaives or Grand Klaives for their characters at various points in the story. I'll be going after one of these. And at 3 points, it should be easier to get.

Might be harder than you think, luv. Battle Torc is a Fianna Tribal fetish. To get one you'd have to get in -really good- with the Fianna, and then perform a major task to get them to think you deserve it.

[Cynical Cat]

That's one way, sure. There are others. After all my Grand Klaive is not only a tribal but a family fetish but it's not going to stop some people.

[LadyTevar]

Since this discussion has been raised regarding the Fetish : Battle Torc, a player has bluntly stated that he feels it is overpowered and I need to take care of it.


Before I make a decision regarding this item and the players involved, I would like to ask the rest of you your opinions on the Fetish, and whether you feel it is 'overpowered' and 'unbalancing', as up to now only one player has been vocally opposed to it, to the point he has threatened to leave the game.


I will postpone any ST posts in the GameThread until Wednesday, to give everyone time to weigh in with their opinion. Wednesday evening, 6p EDT, I will make my final decision based on your opinions.
My decision will be final.

[rhoenix]

That is a rather sexy fetish, for only 3 points.

I'm honestly not sure which way I'd go with it. Maybe give it a handicap (can only be used during certain moon phases, etc.), or raise the point value - either would work.

[General Havoc]

I have no earthly idea if such a thing is overpowered or not, as I don't know the "feel" of the combat system yet. As my character is not competing with anyone for the title of "most combat-effective", it really is not a matter of concern to me.