You’ve opened the world of Werewolf: The Forsaken. and Resolve.

The Physical category includes Strength, Dexterity,

Previous chapters explored auspices, tribes, the Hisil, and and Stamina. The Social category includes Presence,
what it means and feels like to be Uratha. Now, it’s time to Manipulation, and Composure. Every character gets one free
rip through the meat, and look to the bones that hold the dot in each of these nine Attributes, and you get extra dots to
game together: the rules. allocate however you wish.
Look at the categories, and prioritize them. Which is most
MAKING A MONSTER important to your character concept? Which is least? In whatever
Who are you playing? After reading the auspices and you chose as the most important category, distribute five dots. In
tribes, you may already have an idea. However, these rules will the
supplement that spark of inspiration, and help you to define second category, distribute four dots. And in the last category,
that character into something deeper, and something ready to distribute
face the World of Darkness in active gameplay. You’re coming three dots. No Attribute can be raised above five dots at this time.
in with raw spirit stuff. You’re coming out with a hunter. An Attribute at two dots is considered about average. Three
During these seven steps, you’re not just making a character, is above average, four is excellent, five is world class. A single
you’re telling a story about that character. You’re telling dot represents an Attribute with a deficient or substandard
the story of who your character was before moment zero, ability; it’s a point of weakness.
before the chronicle officially starts. So don’t just think of the You can find more explanation of each of the nine Attributes on
character sheet as a bunch of dots and traits. Think of it as a p. 153.
map for how your character became the person she is tonight. STEP THREE: SKILLS
As a point of note: Your game will work out better if you Skills are abilities your character has learned over her
sit down as a group and design your pack together. It isn’t lifetime. Skills are rated from one to five dots, like Attributes;
absolutely necessary, but it will help to offer a more cohesive but unlike Attributes, characters don’t receive free dots in their
experience. You’ll end up merging and finishing up the pack Skills. They’re also grouped into Mental, Social, and Physical
in Pack Creation (p. 89), but it’s good if you’re all on the same categories, with eight Skills in each.
page when creating your characters. Choose priorities, like you did with Attributes. The first
category has eleven dots. The second gets seven. The last gets
STEP ONE: CONCEPT four.
You might already be done with this first step and not Now, keep in mind that if your character attempts an action for
even know it. Your character’s concept is the first step. It’s the which she has no Skill dots, she’ll suffer a penalty. So if you want
spark of inspiration that gives a framework for building your your character to do something, she should probably have the
character. It’s a simple statement of your character’s identity, Skills to reflect it. Even a single dot is a significant improvement
as she appears in your imagination. over none. Two dots is roughly professional level. Three dots
Express concept as a few words, a short epithet. Think about reflects a specialized level of training. Four and five dots
your character as the protagonist of a novel. How would a represent
reviewer characters of near unparalleled competency in their fields.
describe your character’s role in the story? Is she the Disgruntled When choosing Skills, think about what they mean for
Ex-Cop? Is he the Penitent Thug? Is she the Startup CEO With your character. For example, if you’re playing a soldier, does
A Heart of Gold? Keep it simple, but unique enough that your Crafts reflect gunsmithing? Or maybe it reflects a whittling
character doesn’t sound like just anyone from off the streets. This hobby? Or cooking? Maybe sewing? How do those tie into
should imply some identity, some individuality. Your concept your character’s identity?
doesn’t need to have anything to do with your character’s identity Skills cannot be increased beyond five dots at character
as Forsaken, though. It can, if that’s core to her very being. creation. You can find more explanation of each of the twenty-
ASPIRATIONS four Skills on p. 154.
Choose three Aspirations. You don’t need to come up STEP FOUR:
with all three right now; just keep them in mind as you craft SKILL SPECIALTIES
your character. They might come up at any time. For example, Specialties refine your character’s knowledge, giving more
when you choose Skills or Gifts, you might get a better idea of specific definition to a Skill. For example, your character might
what you want your character to do in the chronicle. have three dots in Firearms, but a Specialty in Rifles. This gives
Aspirations are goals, both for you as a player and for your her an additional die any time she’s using the Firearms Skill
character. They’re simple statements of things you want to with a rifle. Your character receives three Specialties to start.
happen in your character’s story. This serves two very important Look to the Skills section on p. 158 for some sample Specialties.
purposes. First, it’s a way to set up your character’s arc. It gives Specialties should help you to define your character,
you motivation and direction to move forward. Second, it’s a but not be so narrow that they are only very rarely useful. As
clear communication to your Storyteller about the types of stories a rule of thumb, look to the things you expect to see your
you’d like to see. The Storyteller should take note of all chosen character do frequently, and name them. Those are Specialties.
Aspirations, in order to seed them into her plots. STEP FIVE:
Consider one or two short-term Aspirations, and one ADD FORSAKEN TEMPLATE
long-term Aspiration. This way, your character can progress in You have the foundation of a character. You have most
the immediate, while working toward greater, more defining of their identity as a person. Now, you’re going to add the
goals. Don’t make them so specific you can’t accomplish them things that make her Forsaken.
if any one thing goes wrong. AUSPICE
For a full primer on Aspirations, including extensive Auspice, the moon under which a werewolf changes, is her
examples and advice for crafting your own, look to the World first defining trait as one of the Forsaken. Auspice helps guide her
of Darkness Rulebook or The God-Machine Chronicle. in her expected role among the Uratha. A character’s auspice
offers
STEP TWO: ATTRIBUTES certain advantages in fulfilling that role, and Uratha often look
The next step is to define your character’s Attributes. down upon those who deviate too far from their expected roles.
Attributes are raw capabilities every character possesses in From a character creation standpoint, auspice offers
some degree. They come in three categories; Mental, Physical, you a free dot of one of three Skills, and one of your starting
and Social. The Mental category includes Intelligence, Wits, Renown dots. You can choose any of the three auspice Skills,
but this free dot cannot take the Skill beyond five dots. Mark It’s who she is behind the instincts, fur, and fury.
the Renown dot in the relevant Renown category. You can find a list of archetypes on p. 85.
Also note your character’s Auspice Ability and hunter’s
aspect. TOUCHSTONES
Cahalithare lorekeepers, bards, dreamers, and motivators. Every Uratha possesses two Touchstones. These are
They Changed under the gibbous moon. They hunt with things that pull her between the spiritual and the physical, and
howls and tradition, with songs and with passion. Cahalith maintain a balance between the two extremes. You can find
auspice Skills are Crafts, Expression, and Persuasion. Their more on Touchstones on p.87, including numerous examples.
Renown is Glory.
Elodoth are diplomats, mediators, negotiators, and community
builders. They Changed under the half moon. Where
GIFTS AND RITES
Spirits afford the Forsaken abilities called Gifts. They’re
others fight with stealth and weaponry, they wield influence. not taught; they’re given. At this stage in character creation,
Elodoth auspice Skills are Empathy, Investigation, and Politics. choose Gifts. Your character receives the first dot of a Moon
Their Renown is Honor. Gift according to her auspice. She also receives a Facet of two
Irraka are stalkers, assassins, spies, and thieves. They Shadow Gifts from her tribe or auspice. If she has two dots
Changed under the new moon. They move through the in her auspice’s Renown, she gains the second-dot Facet of
shadows, striking quickly and quietly. Irraka auspice Skills are that Moon Gift. Otherwise, she gains a facet of a Wolf Gift.
Larceny, Stealth, and Subterfuge. Their Renown is Cunning. Your character can’t take a Facet of a Gift in which she has
Ithaeur are spirit masters, ritualists, fetish crafters, seers, no dots of Renown.
and advisors. They Changed under the crescent moon. They Your character also begins play with two dots in rites.
deal with the denizens of the Hisil with an instinctive mastery. These are detailed further on p. 138.
Ithaeur auspice Skills are Animal Ken, Medicine, and Occult.
Their Renown is Wisdom. STEP SIX: ADD MERITS
Rahu are warriors, tacticians, and defenders. They Your character receives ten dots of Merits. You can choose
Changed under the full moon. They hunt with claws and fangs, from any of the Forsaken Merits starting on p. 105, or the
and with brilliant plans and glorious zeal. Rahu auspice Skills general Merits on p. 110. Use these Merits to flesh out your
are Brawl, Intimidation, and Survival. Their Renown is Purity. character’s relationship to the world around her. They reflect
TRIBE her friends, allies, holdings, and experiences. They let you add
Next, choose your character’s tribe. Characters belong to a custom touch on top of all the abstract numbers.
one of five tribes — or your character may be a Ghost Wolf, You can also use starting Merit dots to raise Primal Urge.
without a tribe. Remember, unlike auspice, your character If you choose to do so, each Primal Urge dot costs five Merit
chooses her tribe. Generally, characters align relatively closely dots. Starting at Primal Urge 2 costs five dots, starting at
to their tribe expectations. Primal Urge 3 costs ten dots.
Each tribe has an associated Renown. Mark a dot in that You can trade up to five of your starting Merit dots for extra
Renown. dots of rites. One dot of rites costs one Merit dot. If you want
Blood Talons exist for the kill. They revel in the violent a three-dot rite, you can get it by spending three Merit dots.
end of the hunt. Their Gifts are Inspiration, Rage, Strength. Additionally, every character receives one dot of Totem,
Their Tribal Renown is Glory. and the Language (First Tongue) Merit.
Bone Shadowstake to heart Father Wolf’s duty to shepherd STEP SEVEN: ADVANTAGES
the Hisil. Their hunt is one of another world. Their Gifts are To add the final touches to your character sheet, calculate
Death, Elemental, and Insight. Their Tribal Renown isWisdom. advantages. On your character sheet, notice that many of these
Hunters in Darkness watch the edges of territory. To advantages change depending on your character’s form.
them, territory is as sacred as the darkness in which they wrap DEFENSE
themselves. Their Gifts are Nature, Stealth, and Warding. Defense protects your character from incoming attacks.
Their Tribal Renown is Purity. Defense is based on the lower of your character’s Dexterity and
Iron Masters are like water. They flow. They adapt. They Wits, plus her Athletics. So, if her Dexterity is 4, her Wits is 2,
deal with the context of a given situation, and versatility is and her Athletics is 3, her Defense is 5. Defense may increase
their greatest weapon. Their Gifts are Knowledge, Shaping, in Gauru, Urshul, and Urhan form.
and Technology. Their Tribal Renown is Cunning. HEALTH
Storm Lordsendure. Their strength is in pushing on when Health determines how much punishment your character
all others would give in and roll over. Their Gifts are Evasion, can take before falling. Health is determined by your character’s
Dominance, and Weather. Their Tribal Renown is Honor. Size trait (which changes in different forms) + Stamina. Health
Ghost Wolves have no tribe. They have no Gifts or Tribal increases in Dalu, Gauru, and Urshul forms.
Renown, so they start with one fewer Renown dot than other
Forsaken.
WILLPOWER
Willpower represents your character’s inner reserves. It
RENOWN can be used to improve the odds of an action, and it fuels
certain abilities. Willpower is equal to your characters Resolve
By this stage, you should already have two dots of Renown; one + Composure.
for your character’s auspice, and one for her tribe.
Choose another dot in a Renown of your choice, but note that
INITIATIVE
Initiative determines your character’s ability to respond
you cannot take a third dot in a single Renown at this point.
to threats, and her place in the order of actions in a fight.
Ghost Wolves receive this dot of Renown, for a total of two.
Initiative is your character’s Dexterity + Composure.
BLOOD & BONE PRIMAL URGE
Primal Urge is the force of the primal beast within your
Your character possesses traits called Blood and Bone.
character. If you didn’t purchase Primal Urge with Merits, it
They reflect a core dichotomy of the Uratha condition. A
Blood archetype reflects your character’s behavior and identity starts at 1.
on the hunt, when claws are out, and lives are on the line. A HARMONY
Bone archetype reflects your character’s sense of self-identity. Harmony reflects your character’s balance between flesh
and spirit. A Forsaken character starts with seven dots of
Harmony. pack Beats. Under this system, all of the Beats earned
SIZE during a given chapter go into a pot (you may want
A character’s Size is 5, unless a Merit or other trait to use poker chips or spare dice to represent them).
modifies it. At the end of the chapter, split the Beats evenly
SPEED among all of the players.
Your character’s Speed is equal to her Species factor (5)
+ Strength + Dexterity.
AFTERWARDS: THE PACK
After your character is created, work with the other players
CHARACTER
to design the pack and their Touchstones.
EXPERIENCE CREATION
Players earn Beats for their characters in a number of
ways, including those listed below. When your character has
gained five Beats, they convert to one Experience. You use
QUICK REFERENCE
Experiences to develop your character’s abilities. STEP ONE: CONCEPT
Choose your character’s concept. Determine three Aspirations.
BEATS STEP TWO: ATTRIBUTES
Take a Beat when your character hits one of these criteria. Prioritize categories. Spend 5/4/3 dots by category.
• If your character fulfills an Aspiration, take a Beat. STEP THREE: SKILLS
Replace the Aspiration at the end of the session. Prioritize categories. Spend11/7/4 dots by category.
• When you resolve a Condition, per the description of
the Condition, take a Beat.
STEP FOUR: SKILL SPECIALTIES
Choose three Skill Specialties.
• Persistent Conditions provide Beats for actions other
than resolution. STEP FIVE: FORSAKEN TRAITS
• Once per scene, when you fail a roll, you may opt to Choose auspice, auspice Skill, tribe, Blood, Touch- stones,
make it a dramatic failure and take a Beat. Kuruth triggers (1 set), Gifts, rites, Essence (7) and Renown.
• If your character takes lethal damage in one of her STEP SIX: MERITS
rightmost Health boxes, take a Beat. Add ten dots of Merits. Merit dots also can be spent on
• At the end of each session, take a Beat. extra dots of rites, or on increasing Primal Urge
STEP SEVEN: ADVANTAGES
GIFTS AND RITES Willpower is equal to Resolve + Composure. Harmony is
Unlocking new Gifts takes Experiences. Characters can 7. Size is 5. Health is Size + Stamina. Speed is 5+ Strength +
also use Experiences to purchase additional Facets. Buying Dexterity. Defense is the lower of Dexterity and Wits. Initiative
the first Facet of a Shadow Gift that your auspice or tribe has is Dexterity + Composure.
an affinity for (per their description in Chapter One) costs PRIMAL URGE
three Experiences. Buying the first Facet of any other Gift Primal Urge starts at 1 dot. Additional dots may be
costs five Experiences. Having bought that first Facet, the purchased with five Merit dots each. A character cannot start
character has unlocked the Gift, allowing the werewolf to buy with Primal Urge higher than 3.
additional Facets with Renown or Experiences. A character GIFTS AND RITES
learns a Facet of the appropriate Renown when she gains a Start with one Facet of your auspice’s Moon Gift. Choose
dot in that Renown; this costs no Experiences. If she wants one Facet each of two Shadow Gifts from tribe or auspice.
to buy additional Facets, each one costs two Experiences. An Choose one facet of a Wolf Gift, or the second Facet of your
Uratha always counts all Wolf Gifts as unlocked, even if she Moon Gift if you have two dots in your auspice Renown.
has not bought any Facets. Apart from that, Wolf Gifts work You cannot choose a Facet in which your character has no
like Shadow Gifts — she can always pick a Facet of a Wolf Gift dots of Renown.
to buy with Renown, and each Facet costs two Experiences. Start with two dots of rites.
A werewolf always has one Moon Gift associated with her EXPERIENCE COSTS
auspice. She gains the appropriate Facet every time she gains Trait Experience
a dot in her auspice Renown without spending any further Attribute 4
Experiences. If she should pick up another Moon Gift at a
Skill 2
future point, she may unlock the first dot in that Gift for five
Skill Specialty 1
Experiences, and further Facets for two Experiences each.
Merit 1
Unlike Shadow and Wolf Gifts, she must purchase each Facet
in order, and can never have more dots in a Moon Gift than Affinity Gift 3
she has in her associated Renown. Uratha must have a teacher Non-Affinity
5
to learn a rite. If she has one, she can learn the rite at a cost Gift
of one Experience per dot in the rite. Additional
2
PRIMAL URGE Facet
A werewolf’s Primal Urge doesn’t improve on its own. Wolf Gift Facet 1
It reflects her progress through the Siskur-Dah, following the Renown 3
footsteps of Urfarah to become a bodhisattva predator, a Rites 1
true inheritor of Mother Wolf’s legacy. This is reflected by Primal Urge 5
purchasing Primal Urge with Experiences. Five Experiences
buys one dot of Primal Urge.
FORSAKEN TEMPLATE
Auspice
Auspice Skills Renown Gifts
Crafts, Expression, Glory Gibbous Moon, Inspir
PACK BEATS Persuasion Honor Knowledge
Werewolves are pack hunters, and the actions Empathy, Investigation, Cunning Half Moon, Insight, W
of one hunter frequently benefit her packmates more Politics Wisdom New Moon, Evasion,
than her. If the whole group agrees, consider using
 Larceny, Stealth, Subterfuge Willpower refresh, both on the small scale and the large scale.
Animal Ken, Medicine, Crescent Moon, Elemental,BLOOD
ShapingARCHETYPES
Purity
Occult Alpha — The Alpha must be in control. He demands rigid
Full Moon, Dominance, Strength
Brawl, Intimidation, Survival hierarchy, even if he’s not inherently on top of that pile. He
Cahalith Elodoth Irraka Ithaeur Rahu needs order. The wolf inside him is a tool for establishing and
Tribe Renown Gifts maintaining that order. Anything violating his idea of order
Blood Talons Glory Inspiration, Rage, Strength sends him into a rage.
Death, Elemental, Insight Your character recovers a point of Willpower when he puts
Bone Shadows Wisdom order above free-thinking logic. He regains all Willpower when
Nature, Stealth, Warding
Hunters in Darkness Purity he uses the force of his bestial nature to put subordinates in line.
Knowledge, Shaping,
Iron Masters Cunning Challenger — A Challenger never settles for second place.
Technology
Storm Lords Honor Evasion, Dominance, Weather When things look bleak for the Challenger, he steps up his
Ghost Wolves None None game. For Uratha, this means overwhelming force. Uratha
dominate on the hunt, so the hunt is a tool in the Challenger’s
pursuit of victory.

SOUL OF
Your character recovers a point of Willpower when he
ignores safety and reason to look superior. He recovers all
Willpower points when he uses Kuruth or the hunt to dominate a
rival.
Destroyer — The Destroyer is an embodiment of devastation.

THE WOLF
He’s a tidal wave, a hurricane, a force of nature. To the
Destroyer, anything worth doing is worth doing hard enough
to leave rubble in his wake.
Your character recovers a point of Willpower when he
causes significant, lasting damage in pursuit of success. He
These rules supplement the core rules system, adding the recovers all Willpower when he abandons himself to Kuruth
ways Uratha vary from humanity. without exploring any other options.
ANCHORS Fox — A Fox is a survivor. A Fox is clever. A Fox will
Anchors keep Uratha grounded. They’re concepts, philosophies, evade, lie in wait, and wait for the right time to strike. A Fox
people, places, and things that help her find herself always favors flight over fight, because dead Uratha can’t hunt.
when lost. Werewolf: The Forsaken characters have three This can cause problems for a pack that expects action. It
Anchors: Blood, Bone, and Touchstones. can devastate a pack if he leaves them in a time of dire need.
Blood and Bone act as a dichotomy. Blood is the visceral, hot Your character recovers a point of Willpower when he drops
instinct brought on from deep within. Bone is the everything and flees the scene. If he falls into Kuruth while
personal firmament that identifies the fleshy human under trying
the fur and claws. to escape from a violent situation, he replenishes all Willpower.
Touchstones are concepts that remind the Uratha that The Monster — A Monster revels in the shadows, using
she is neither fully flesh nor spirit, but forever something terror and shock to cripple the victims of his hunts. It’s less
in-between. important to overwhelm a victim by force than it is to overwhelm
it psychologically. By the time his jaws clamp down,
BLOOD & BONE the fight should already be over.
Blood and Bone offer up two competing facets of a Werewolf: Your character recovers a point of Willpower when he
The Forsaken character. Blood is wild chaos. Bone is her resorts to disgusting or frightening someone into submission.
conscious identity, when the haze of instinct isn’t getting in the He recovers all Willpower when using the hunt or Kuruth as
way. When she’s on the hunt, she is her Blood archetype. She’s a terror tactic.
on autopilot, behaving in accordance with her innermost, darkest Soldier — The Soldier obeys orders. The Soldier is a
self. Everything she does has a little hint of the unknown, and weapon for his pack. When his alpha speaks, he becomes a
that’s both terrifying and exciting at the same time. When she’s tool for the hunt. His own safety means nothing to the greater
in her home element, she’s her Bone archetype. She knows plan, and his pack’s tactics.
herself. She can rely on her own behaviors. Your character recovers a point of Willpower when he
When your character makes a clearly bad choice in the ignores his own safety in favor of a leader’s order. He recovers
heat of the moment in accordance with her Blood archetype, all Willpower when engaging in a hunt or entering Kuruth to
she regains a spent Willpower point. If she takes it a step fulfill his alpha’s orders, against his own good sense.
further, submitting to Kuruth or calling a hunt on a whim in BONE ARCHETYPES
accordance with her Blood archetype, she refreshes all her Community Organizer— The Community Organizer wins
spent Willpower points. the day through groups and networks. She knows one person is
When your character forces down her rage, and takes never enough to ensure success, so she navigates interpersonal
action with what she fundamentally knows as true, if it’s in relationships and bureaucracy to achieve greatness.
accordance with her Bone archetype, she regains a Willpower Your character recovers a point of Willpower when she
point. When she stands her ground and lets her rational mind convinces a group to focus on its internal problems before
interfere with the hunt, or cause conflict within the pack, she external ones. She regains all spent Willpower when she
refreshes all her spent Willpower points. convinces her pack to eschew the hunt, in favor of social or
The Willpower gained from these Anchors comes from political solutions.
a reinforced sense of identity. In taking a dangerous action in Cub — The Cub hasn’t quite finished baking. She isn’t
support of who she is, either by instinct, or by sense of self, ready to take on full responsibility for herself, and relies on
she strengthens her resolve. the help of others to get by. Her own answers aren’t the best,
This section offers six examples of Blood and six examples so she leans on others’ answers to get by.
of Bone archetypes. These lists are far from exhaustive. Feel Your character recovers a point of Willpower when she
free to make your own, using these as models. You just need to ignores her own impulses in favor of another’s advice. She
know some reasonable situations in which they would cause a regains all Willpower when she puts life and limb completely
into another’s hands, when she could alternatively use the In game terms, a Touchstone helps bolster rolls to resist
blood of the wolf to achieve her goals. breaking points (see p. 104). As long as he has a physical
Guru — The Guru prides herself in knowing practical Touchstone, a werewolf gains +2 to any rolls to resist Harmony
answers, and sharing that information with others. She guides loss. As long as he has a spiritual Touchstone, he gains +2
because her wisdom is valuable. to any rolls to resist Harmony gain.
Your character recovers a point of Willpower when someone However, Uratha can go too far out one end of the spectrum to
achieves success by following her advice. She regains all benefit from their Touchstones. With 8 or more dots
spent Willpower when her practical advice leads her pack to of Harmony, Uratha lose access to their spiritual Touchstones,
an alternative solution to the hunt. since they’re too human at that point to connect with their
Hedonist — The Hedonist finds truth and answers in spiritual sides. With 2 or fewer dots of Harmony, Uratha
immediate gratification. When you’re a fucking werewolf, cannot access their physical Touchstones, since they’re only
the world’s your oyster. You’re bigger, stronger, faster, and tangentially creatures of flesh at that point.
hotter than everyone around you. Why not revel in that fact? Uratha can lose Touchstones. Buildings burn. People die.
Your character recovers a point of Willpower when Whenever a character loses his Touchstone, he falls one level of
she eschews greater success in favor of personal indulgence. Harmony away. If a physical Touchstone dies, he slips toward
She regains all Willpower when she abandons the hunt for his spirit side. If a spiritual Touchstone fades, he slips toward
personal pursuits. the flesh. He can replace the lost Touchstone, but establishing
Lone Wolf — The Lone Wolf knows that sometimes, the a new relationship is a breaking point in the other direction,
answer lies not with the pack, but with the individual. She’s since the effort necessary taxes the balance further.
not inherently bad at working with a team, but she’s much As well, any time your character reinforces his bond to a
more willing to handle something herself if she feels it’s the Touchstone, he regains a point of Willpower. This should be
best recourse. a meaningful interaction, but err on the side of allowance. If
Your character recovers a point of Willpower when she your character puts his life or pack on the line in defense of
acts independently of her pack to solve a pack problem. She that relationship, he can regain all spent Willpower.
regains all Willpower when her pack is on the hunt, and she EXAMPLE TOUCHSTONES
subverts their plans and solves the problem alone. Here are twelve example Touchstones, six physical, six
Wallflower — The Wallflower prefers to deal with issues spiritual. Each features a built-in conflict to complicate your
through subtlety and consideration, avoiding the spotlight character’s life. Feel free to use these, or let them inspire your
whenever possible. She walks the quiet road, the safe road, own creations.
and among the Uratha, the lonely road. But not every pack The Abuser (Physical Touchstone) — She hurt your character.
member needs to be a superstar. Deeply. Regularly. Your character knew it was wrong, but
Your character recovers a point of Willpower when she didn’t know how to walk away. When your character Changed,
acts from the shadows, outside any attention her pack draws. he tried his best to avoid his abuser. After all, that kind of damage
She regains all Willpower when she operates independently could certainly trigger Kuruth. From a practical standpoint,
to complement her pack that’s on the hunt. murder is complicated. From an emotional standpoint, murder
TOUCHSTONES is murder. However, she won’t take “no” for an answer. She
insists on forcing her way back in, to take advantage of what she
Touchstones are things a werewolf wants, but cannot sees as a weakness in your character. She has a need, and that
have. An Uratha walks a fine line between flesh and spirit, need could turn your character into a murderer.
and some things will remain forever outside her grasp, unless The Ambitious Totem (Spiritual Touchstone) — Your
she falls off that line irrevocably. Her nature pulls her away character has a personal totem, a wild spirit that follows him
from the material, and away from the spiritual simultaneously. around everywhere. The spirit is a primal one; it encourages
This unending tug of war leaves the Forsaken feeling as if she reckless, chaotic abandon. It wants him to lose himself in the
can never truly belong anywhere. wolf. More importantly, it wants to grow. It wants to prey
A physical Touchstone keeps the Uratha from slipping on smaller spirits with his help, and become something fearsome.
too far away from humanity and civilization. It may be a person, Little does your character know, but his totem is slowly
place, thing, or even an idea. But to give that thing the attempting to bring him into the folds of the Pure; the spirit
attention the Uratha feels it deserves, he’d have to forsake believes it’ll become a great pack’s totem if it can seduce one
his spiritual side. of the Forsaken into the Pure tribes. Alternatively, the pack
On the other hand, a spiritual Touchstone is a spirit, a totem tests and tries your character further than the others;
totem, a locus, or a philosophy that draws the Uratha to the it thinks he has pent up potential to be something greater,
Hisil. But the devotion required to truly dedicate himself would something unfettered from his flesh entirely.
leave him a hermit, estranged from humanity. The Buddy Spirit (Spiritual Touchstone) — She’s a wolf
Touchstones are not recognized formally in-character. spirit; she’s a minor member of your character’s tribal totem’s
A werewolf knows that he has important relationships that umia. Most importantly, she’s a friend. She’s a confidante. She’s
anchor his Harmony, but the associations remain abstract. a companion. She’s like a drinking buddy, in wolf form. She’s
Packmates will never discuss “their Touchstones.” They will the perfect listener. Any time your character has problems, she
discuss the people and things important to each other, though. hears them out. She never judges. She just asks your character
When choosing your Touchstones, consider how they to run with her through the woods, to feel the warm wind
bring conflict to your character. Consider her flesh side, against his fur, and to hunt for the sake of the hunt. She tells
and her spirit side, and think about the struggles she’ll face. him to sell his house, to burn his possessions, and to just be
Touchstones are the end of the spectrum; they’re the promise happy. How can he say no to that?
on either side of potential. The Ex (Physical Touchstone) — He was always there. This
:
Example Picture the dedicated police officer married
was supposed to be one of those ‘for life’ things. All signs said it
would be. That was, until you Changed. You had to withdraw.
to his job. He wants to propose to his boyfriend, but it’s just Every time you were with him, you risked losing control and
not fair. He’s never home. He’s always in danger. And it’s not destroying the only person you ever truly loved. So you pushed
like he can just give up the job; it’s who he is. The boyfriend him away. But he wouldn’t stay away, and you couldn’t let him
is close enough to touch, but too far to hold. stay away. Every month or so, when the moon’s not pulling your
TOUCHSTONES IN PLAY strings, you end up sweaty in a bed next to him. Now, he thinks
something’s up. When you see him, he finds excuses to poke is physical, though, is that it flies in the face of everything
through your text messages and read emails over your shoulder. he’s learned about the Hisil, about Father Wolf, and about
The Future Self (Spiritual Touchtone)— Your character is the world beneath the surface. It’s a human establishment of
followed by a spirit that represents her future. It shows her an religion, and it keeps him from delving too deeply into his
idealized, perfect form of herself as Uratha. It shows her what new identity. Not only that, but he’s beginning to see hints
she could be, if she just lets herself be the legend. She could of his old beliefs confirming themselves in contrast to the
fill the role of her glorious ancestors, standing proud as the animist reality of his existence as Forsaken. Last week, he saw
very image of Father Wolf’s power and grace. When she takes an angel who told him that the world of spirits is a lie; that to
steps toward advancing her human existence, the spirit, this find grace, he must eschew heathen practices. An Ithaeur told
epic statue, weeps, crumbles, and fades. When she steps into him he had the taint of a Maeljin on him after the encounter.
her “destiny,” the statue becomes golden, pure, perfect. How But the angel told him to expect such heresy.
does she look upon herself as she sees failure in her future? The Sponsor (Physical Touchstone) — Your character was
The Locus (Spiritual Touchstone)— The locus represents in recovery for cocaine addiction. The First Change curbed
everything your character loves about the Hisil. It creates. It the addiction, and that was wonderful. She finally shook that
stands strong. It needs her. Unfortunately, the wellspring of problem. Unfortunately, her sponsor doesn’t know any better.
the locus has a physical side, and it needs tending just as much He sees the rage inside her. He sees the late night meetings. He
as the spiritual. The locus favors her. If your character spends sees her sneaking out, lying to her employers, and threatening
more than an hour a day there, it will only offer up its Essence that asshole next door. To him, it looks like she’s fallen off the
to her; it denies her entire pack and anyone else. While she wagon, and is hitting the coke again. He cares. To him, helping
can curb this with a bit of avoidance, this causes local spirits her is the next step in his personal recovery. He’s considering
to see the locus as a challenge to be overcome. staging an intervention. She’ll be surprised when she comes in
The Lune (Spiritual Touchstone) — Your character has a with blood on her hands after a hunt, only to see her closest
dangerous affinity for Lunes, representatives of Luna herself. friends and family ready to help her kick the blow.
Forsaken warn every young Uratha to never take a Lune for a The Wilds (Spiritual Touchstone) — The wilderness calls
totem, because down that path lies madness. However, early to your character. Those places where humans fear to tread,
on, your character met a Lune, and the two clicked like fast where the Gauntlet runs thin, where the only rule is the rule
friends. Her pack might not know, but even if they do, they of nature, those places resonate as home for her in a way no
don’t know the depth of it. If they find out just how close the city can hope to. However, she has a life in that civilization.
two are, they’ll stage an intervention. They’ll offer ultimatums, She has a pack, friends, family, and an entire context she can’t
threats, or straight-up violence. just abandon and hope to maintain Harmony. Worse, the wilds
The Old Gang (Physical Touchstone) — Your character used demand her attention. Any time she spends a full day in the
to run with a tight-knit clique of friends. Sounds great, doesn’t it? city, some awful coincidence occurs with the nature around
It’s a group of people who have your back, who will lie for you, her. Yesterday, a tree fell and nearly crashed her car. Today,
who will give you a place to crash in times of need, and who will flooding caused her to be late and lose her job.
put up with your drunken ramblings. The truth of the matter is,
their love is their biggest drawback. They will never just accept
FAMILY MATTERS:
“I’m CREATING THE
going away for a week” without an explanation and text
messages. PACK
If her Facebook relationship status changes and they didn’t know Pack creation comes directly after character
first, she’ll never live it down. They’re up in her business, creation. You’ve made your characters; now tie
because them together. This communal discussion is
they care. And that new crew she’s running with? Her friends where you determine Touchstones, and decide
know the packmembers’ relationships. You create the
they’re dangerous, and are looking for the lead to prove it. pack in tiers, from the Uratha themselves, to the
The Parents (Physical Touchstone) — Your character’s Wolf-Blooded around them, to the humans, who
parents loved him very much. But like most everything in the don’t quite understand the true nature of the
world, that love was not unconditional. It had its limits. Like group they are part of. Then you move on to
for example the time your character had his First Change, the pack’s unifying totem spirit.
and left two of his high school friends dead. He didn’t tell During this process, keep the totem spirit
his parents everything, but he told them enough that they in mind. It fills a conceptual space that brings
couldn’t handle the truth, and disowned him. Over the past the pack together, so it may come up at any
couple of years, he’s connected with them a few times, and is point in the process. You may already have
starting reconciliation. But if he wants them back, they’re going an idea for the totem for the pack. That’s
to need to see progress. They’re going to need him to move fine. You’ll define it mechanically after the
back in to his own room, so they can monitor his drug use. rest of the pack.
He can’t even tell them he’s not on drugs, let alone move in. Also, during these steps, you’ll want to
The Prey (Spiritual Touchstone) — Your character takes come up with Touchstones, both physical and
her tribal prey seriously, more seriously than most other Uratha. spiritual. Many of the Touchstones, particularly
She obsesses over them. She hunts them in all her spare time. the physical ones, can be parts of the pack. But
She studies them whenever she finds the opportunity. It becomes it’s important that Touchstones emerge as part
an obsession; it becomes the core of her identity. She of the conversation, so they’re better integrated
views everything through the lens of that prey. Even when she into the setting at large and don’t just exist as
deals with humans in mundane interactions, she relates to that traits on a single player’s character sheet.
experience through the hunt, and through her ancestral enemy. You’ll be making a handful of characters per
She can see the enemy’s claws in everything, and enemy action player: the main Uratha character, a Wolf-Blooded, and a few
will always be her first assumption when the fires ignite. She humans. Who portrays them all?
will not stop until her tribe has no prey left to hunt. Usually, the player who makes the character portrays
The Religion (Physical Touchstone) — Your character him or her. This can get complicated, if the player
was — and is — deeply religious. The reason this Touchstone needs multiple characters that she made to interact.
She can offer up the character to any other player who can. But keep in mind, every additional character runs the risk
is currently available, or she can offer the responsibility to of diluting the roles of all the others.
the Storyteller for the scene’s immediate needs. But the pack Note that here, we’re making supporting-cast Wolf-Blooded. If
is an ensemble cast; it should be treated with that level of fluid you want to use them as primary protagonists in place
importance. Many characters won’t see play during every game of Uratha, refer to the rules on p. 296, and add them in the
session. first step of pack creation, not this one.
Some will stay out of play for entire stories. Go around the table. Come up with ideas for some of the
Spirits, wolves, and other characters that aren’t Wolf-Blooded or Wolf-Blooded characters within the pack. Not everyone needs
mundane humans can to make one, but everyone contributes to the conversation.
also be part of a pack. If you choose to use these options, Then, use Supporting Character Sheets to create them.
determine the character’s role in the pack, and use either ASPIRATIONS
Wolf-Blooded or Periphery character creation rules to reflect Each Wolf-Blooded receives two Aspirations. One must
them. relate directly to his role (official or unofficial) in the pack.
THE URATHA The other helps to define him personally.
VIRTUE AND VICE
First, you create the core cast, the Uratha in charge of the pack.
Use the rules in the previous section to create them. Instead of Blood and Bone traits, Wolf-Blooded characters
Players may choose to play Wolf-Blooded as their primary possess a Virtue and a Vice. Virtue is something fundamental
characters instead of Uratha. If they choose to do so, you can find within the character which reaffirms her inherent strength and
the rules on p. 296. integrity. Vice is a point of vulnerability or weakness within
Before you make characters, it’s worth looking at any roles or her. These are descriptive traits, one or two words that offer
functions you’d like to fill in the pack. If you want an espionage- anchor points for the character. More information on Virtue
capable pack, for example, it’s worth making certain there’s an and Vice can be found in Chapter Four.
Irraka and an Elodoth in the pack at very least. Consider ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS
the kinds of Skills and Gifts the characters will need as a group, Attributes and Skills are identical traits for Wolf-Blooded
and individually, in order to accomplish those goals. Also characters and Uratha. Wolf-Blooded receive 5/4/3 dots in
look toward Merits, particularly Social Merits. Be aware of any Attributes. Skills receive fifteen dots, distributed however you
potential overlap, and assess whether or not the pack might see fit among the three categories.
need its characters to branch out instead. TELL
STEP ONE: INTRODUCTIONS All Wolf-Blooded bear the mark of the Moon or the
Once you have characters, it’s time to link them together. Go Wolf in the form of a Tell, a supernatural talent that marks
around the table. Everyone should introduce their own primary them out from normal humans. Pick a Tell from those listed
character. Use the opportunity to get into your character’s voice. in Appendix One. Wolf-Blooded characters never fall victim
Give her name, auspice, tribe, a few of her personal specialties, to Lunacy.
anything others might know about her, and the way you expect MERITS
her to relate to her pack. This is all about getting to know the Wolf-Blooded receive five dots of Merits. You can find
cast. Ask questions, bring up potential hooks, take notes. Wolf-Blooded-specific Merits in Appendix One. Supporting
STEP TWO: CONNECTIONS Wolf-Blooded may only have one dot in the Totem Merit.
Then, go around the table and build at least one connection per DERIVED TRAITS
character. When it’s your turn, propose a connection, Determine all the same derived traits that the Uratha
whether superficial or deep. receive. Calculate them using the steps on p. 83.
For example: “Sally thinks Taylor’s a thief. She knows Taylor’s FINISHING TOUCHES
an Irraka, but suspects her of stealing from the pack. So she’s Once you have character sheets for these Wolf-Blooded, go
always following her, trying to catch her doing something back around the table, and establish connections the way you
stupid.” did in the last step between the Uratha. These Wolf-Blooded
The other player gets to come back at the pitch, and try can have relationships between each other, or to the Uratha.
to add to it. “Taylor thinks Sally has a thing for her. She sees
Sally following her around, and looks at it like a schoolgirl OTHERS
crush. Once or twice, Taylor’s confronted her, and they’ve This section assumes a pack of Forsaken
had a little fling because Sally was too embarrassed to admit includes Uratha, Wolf-Blooded, humans, and a
why she was really following Taylor around.” totem. That’s not the whole story. Some packs try to
Go back and forth a couple of times. Build the tie. Sell get closer to Wolf or Moon, bringing in wolves or
the story. If anyone doesn’t like an addition, they can veto it, spirits to their fold. These packs are more common
and propose something else. This is all about collaboration. among the Pure — the Fire-Touched bring spirits
Go through at least once around the table, so everyone into their packs, while the Predator Kings boast of
ties to another character. If the inspiration strikes, you don’t canine packmates. Some Forsaken take the same
have to stop there. But don’t take too long with this. You’ll path, but they’re rare.
flesh out these relationships in play. The World of Darkness has stranger denizens
These connections don’t all have to be positive. As the example besides. A sorcerer, a vampire, or a patchwork
noted, suspicion is a viable relationship. But watch out, or the creature could join a pack of werewolves. Unless a
pack totem has a particular prejudice, there’s no reason
can fall quickly to infighting. Unless that’s your goal, it can make it couldn’t happen.
for a very frustrating chronicle. As a guideline, consider keeping Most of the time, such creatures fit in on the
two “positive” relationships to each “negative” relationship. level of Wolf-Blooded — they have supernatural
THE WOLF-BLOODED awareness, but not the same spiritual imperative
Next, you create the Wolf-Blooded who support the pack. to hunt that the Uratha possess. In some even rarer
These are characters who both share the blood of the Uratha, cases, a formidable creature may find themselves
and know they’re part of a pack. They have strong roles to on the level with the pack’s Uratha, allowed to join
play, roles of which they’re aware. We’ll create one per player in (but not benefit from) the Siskur-Dah.
at this juncture. If anyone wants to make more than one, they If the players want to include these stranger packmates, take some
time to ask and answer some questions suffer it as a Ban Condition. If she breaches the ban again,
that arise. What does the pack do when its vampire she loses her dots in the Totem Merit.
member must sleep during the day? What about when Choose the Aspiration based on the totem’s and the pack’s
they must hunt a spirit of the same umia as a packmate? goals. The ban should be something that logically, the totem
The earlier you address those questions, the better these cannot do. A fire spirit, for example, cannot immerse itself in
fringe cases will integrate into your chronicle. water, so a pack to a fire spirit may have a similar prohibition.
STEP THREE:
THE PERIPHERY DETERMINE TOTEM POINTS
Next, you create the humans who are in the pack, but aren’t
Add up the total number of dots that pack members have
quite aware that they’re in a formal pack, or that Uratha even
in the Totem Merit. That’s the total number of points the
exist. They’re friends, family, coworkers, and other people who
fall under the pack’s auspices and protection. Every player should pack has to spend to bolster the totem’s abilities and the gifts
make one, two, or even three of them. They’re bit-part characters, it grants the pack members. While Wolf-Blooded may have
for the most part. They can be elevated in play, but they are the Totem Merit, remember that supporting Wolf-Blooded
mostly may only have a single dot.
there to help define the setting and expand the pack. STEP FOUR: DETERMINE ADVANTAGE
They’re also far simpler characters to create than other The total number of Totem points determines the benefit
characters. Use the Supporting Character Sheets. You need that the totem grants every member of the pack, whether or
a name and a concept, just like any other character. Then not they possess the Totem Merit themselves. The players buy
choose a single Aspiration, reflecting the character’s role a benefit — an Attribute, Skill, Skill Specialty, or Merit — with
in the pack.
a pool of Experiences, with the number of Experiences based
DICE POOLS
on the number of Totem points.
Supporting characters are heavily truncated characters.
They receive a handful of essential dice pools, instead of a Totem Points Advantage
collection of Attributes and Skills. With the other players,
choose three actions (rather than Skills) that are core to the One
character’s role in the pack. A mechanic shop owner might 1-8
Experiences
have Repair, Business, and Procurement, while a member of
biker gang might have Deal Drugs, Dirty Fighting, and Ride. Three
9-14
Specialties are a good baseline for what can constitute an action. Experiences
Prioritize these three actions; the character receives one with
five dice, one with four dice, and one with three dice. Any Five
15-20
other actions the character takes are at two dice. Experiences
A supporting character has two dots of Willpower.
20+ Ten Experiences
Keep in mind that unless you decide that this is everyone
in the pack, you have only detailed those who will show up early Whatever trait the players buy, every member of the pack
on. They’re the beginning. The pack may have other humans gains it. If they have 15 Totem points, they have five Experiences
and Wolf-Blooded invested, either directly or indirectly. You to spend. They agree on a dot of Strength and the one-dot
can flesh them out as the need arises. version of the Fleet of Foot Merit. Every member of the pack
CREATING — including Wolf-Blooded and human members — gains one
dot of Strength and the one-dot version of the Merit.

THE TOTEM Merits: If the character already has the Merit, or the
maximum allowed level, choose another relevant trait of the
By now, you should have a solid idea about who the pack same value. For example, A totem can’t grant dots of Dedicated
members are, in general. The totem serves to wrap all that up Locus or Totem; any characters implied by Social Merits such
in a simpler package. The totem helps to define the pack as a as Allies or Retainer are not themselves members of the pack.
whole, to give it purpose and identity. Skill Specialties: If the chosen trait is a Skill Specialty,
The totem is effectively a member of the pack, playing define it when creating the totem. If anyone already has that
a highly specific role. The totem helps with the hunt while Specialty, they gain the Area of Expertise Merit (see p. 111)
in the Shadow. In return, the pack always has the Resonant relating to that Specialty.
Condition (see p. 188) for their totem spirit. Skills or Attributes: If the chosen trait is a Skill or Attribute, it
STEP ONE: NAME AND CONCEPT adds a single dot to every pack member. This can take
By now, you should have an idea of what the totem is, werewolves and Wolf-Blooded one dot above their normal limits
conceptually. As a group, come up with the concept for the totem, (usually five dots, barring an exceptional Primal Urge score).
in the same way you would for an Uratha character. The totem’s Human packmates with five dots in the trait gain 8-again on
name should be a short epithet, reflecting that concept. Keep the all rolls involving the trait.
name on the shorter side; longer names typically denote STEP FIVE:
immensely DETERMINE TOTEM TRAITS
powerful spirits, beyond those that the Uratha bind as totems. The combined Totem points determine the totem’s
For more inspiration on common spirit types, look to the traits. As spirits, totems use a different set of traits; these are
spirit examples on p. 74-75. A totem is a unique creature, but detailed on p. 183.
For each Totem point, the totem receives one Attribute
is sometimes part of an ilthum of similar spirits.
dot. The totem must have at least one dot in each Attribute,
STEP TWO: ASPIRATION AND BAN and no more than half the total Attribute points can go into a
Totems have Aspirations, just like any other character. single Attribute. Use these Attributes to determine the spirit’s
The totem’s Aspiration acts as a fourth Aspiration for each derived traits. The Attributes also determine the totem’s Rank,
pack member. A totem’s ban is appropriate for its Rank, as determined by the chart on p. 183; the spirit starts with one
described on p. 185. Pack members must uphold the totem’s dot of Influence per Rank as normal.
ban; a pack member who disregards the totem’s ban once will The spirit’s maximum Essence is the lower of the total
number of Totem points or the maximum Essence for its spiritual power gives her a number of benefits — and weaknesses.
Rank. The spirit starts with one Numen. Every four Totem In game terms, a high Primal Urge allows a werewolf to
points grants the spirit an additional Numen. hold more Essence, spend more Essence in a turn, and develop
her Attributes and Skills to superhuman levels. It also measures
SUPPORTING how quickly a werewolf regenerates, and how well she can track
WOLF-BLOODED her prey. All werewolves begin with Primal Urge 1. At character
QUICK REFERENCE creation, players can buy extra dots, at a cost of five Merit
Step One: Choose Name, Concept, and dots for each. After play begins, a player can only increase her
Aspirations character’s Primal Urge by spending five Experiences per dot.
Wolf-Blooded characters have two Aspirations. As her Primal Urge increases, so do the hardships of a
Step Two: Choose Virtue and Vice werewolf’s hunt. She cannot recover from the crashing wave
Note a Virtue and a Vice. of Kuruth for as long as she once could, as the bloodthirsty
Step Three: Attributes predator lurks closer to the surface. She becomes an obligate
Assign 5/4/3 Attribute dots. carnivore, at first able to only digest meat, then having to
Step Four: Skills feast on the flesh of other carnivores, and finally needing the
Wolf-Blooded receive 15 Skill dots, divided Essence-soaked ephemera of spirits — or the meat of humans
however you choose. and wolves — to sate her hunger. While she can ingest other
Step Five: Tell foods she cannot gain nourishment from them, and loses a
Choose a Tell from those listed in Appendix point of Essence each day that she goes without. She also
One. cannot spend long without the thrill of the Sacred Hunt, for
Step Six: Merits fear of losing her predatory edge. The chart above sets out
Choose five Merit dots. how long she can go without being on the Siskur-Dah. If she
Step Seven: Derived Traits exceeds that time, she loses a point of Essence each day, and
Determine Speed, Initiative, Defense, Health, suffers a breaking point towards Flesh.
and Willpower.

THE PACK PRELUDE

Playing through a prelude helps seal everything up and
forge the pack as a cohesive unit. This is just a short scene or
series of scenes to answer a few remaining questions about
BODY OF
THE WOLF
how the pack operates from day to day, so everyone’s on the
same page. Keep this scene loose and easy. Avoid dice rolling
if at all possible, and let the players have whatever narrative
control they see fit. The idea here is to establish a foundation
for later stories, not provide challenges to overcome. Every Uratha shares certain physical traits that define what
During this scene or series of scenes, you will want to she is. These advantages help fulfill her role as apex hunter,
answer at least the following questions: and accomplish her destined duties to the Hisil.
• How does the pack organize itself? Traditionally, packs
have three tiers, the highest with the Uratha, the totem, REGENERATION
and the occasional spiritually attuned Wolf-Blooded, Few things compare to watching your own bone snap in half.
the middle with the remaining Wolf-Blooded, and the Most people never have to consider this truth, but the Uratha
bottom with the mundane humans. Some packs maintain confront it frequently. For them, the snap is awful, but watching
powerful matriarchs, some have committee rule, some the body pull taut and knit back together is far worse. Werewolf
act as communes with open discussion. regeneration is not a peaceful healing process. Uratha
• How does the pack operate on the hunt? Once on the regeneration
hunt, do they appoint alphas, betas, and omegas? Do the is the body’s stark defiance against anything that would destroy it.
different members take charge whenever their specialties It’s the wolf’s wild instincts to survive, taken to a rapid and
arise? Is their organization more chaotic, relying on inthe-moment violent
decision-making? extreme. For anything but a superficial wound, regeneration looks
• Does every Uratha in the pack have both a physical and unnatural and perverted to the average person. Muscles grind and
spiritual Touchstone at this point? If not, establish them twist to return to where they need to be. Bones fuse with a faint
during the prelude. Players should take note of all the hiss
Touchstones for the pack, so they can bring them up as cells split apart and grab one another eagerly. Torn skin whips
when relevant and use them within the story. around until it finds its match across the wound. Needless to say,
PRIMAL URGE Uratha avoid hospitals at all cost — witnessing the regeneration
of
Primal Urge is the Uratha’s innermost instinct; it’s the lethal damage causes Lunacy in onlookers as though the werewolf
fire inside that yearns to overwhelm, kill, and consume. To were in Dalu, regardless of the Uratha’s form. The effects of a
the wolf inside the Uratha, everything is pack, prey, mate, or werewolf’s regeneration depend on the wound inflicted.
territory. It sees everything in shades of meat. Normally, this Bashing Damage:Uratha heal at least one point of bashing
instinct is a whisper in the back of her mind. When she sees damage per turn, depending on their Primal Urge. See the
her auspice moon in the sky, it becomes a constant, bellowing chart on above for the exact amount.
voice. As her Primal Urge increases, a werewolf sheds her human Lethal Damage: Uratha heal their regeneration rate in
upbringing. She becomes closer to the Goddess of the Hunt, of lethal damage every 15 minutes. By spending a point of
the ultimate predator. A few werewolves, those who follow Essence as a reflexive action, she may regenerate lethal damage
the raging beast within, feel the drive to become something instead of bashing damage for the turn.
more — akin to the Firstborn, or even to Father Wolf himself. Aggravated Damage:Aggravated damage regenerates much
A werewolf’s Primal Urge is the breath that rises in her breast, slower, closer to the speed of human wounds. Uratha heal one
the tang of fear in the air, the fire that runs through her veins, and point of aggravated damage every four days. Only silver and
the delicious taste of her prey’s blood on her tongue. This rushing supernatural powers (including Gifts, mage spells, and vampiric
Disciplines) can cause aggravated damage to Uratha directly. character to be sure. Whether she uses the close press of a
Any source of harm that would cause aggravated damage to a nightclub crowd or a tight-knit mob at a riot, she has to invade
human, including massive bodily devastation, only causes lethal her suspect’s personal space.
damage to Uratha. As such, most unwitting attackers must do Hearing: Wolves’ hearing is second only to their sense
enough lethal damage to cause it to “roll over” into aggravated of smell. When accessing her wolf senses, an Uratha can hear
damage before it poses a real problem for werewolves. from a distance of one mile (or two kilometers) per dot of
Tilts: Werewolves who suffer from Tilts inflicted by Primal Urge. She may also hear frequencies denied to human
aggravated damage, like missing arms or missing eyes, heal ears. Ignore penalties based on quietness or range of hearing.
those Tilts when they heal the associated wound. In the city, the distance of a wolf’s hearing is mostly academic.
Gauru: When in Gauru form, Uratha heal all bashing Since the city has so many sounds, focusing on a single
and lethal damage at the start of each turn. sound is nigh impossible. The werewolf can only discern the
Toxins: Toxins can still affect Uratha. Subtract the sounds in her immediate surroundings.
Uratha’s Primal Urge from the Toxicity rating of any poison Vision: Wolves see fewer colors than humans, but have
or disease that would ail her. excellent vision in the dark, and can see movement with
SENSES frightening acuity. They see things too fast for human eyes.
Humans have one set of senses, but some rare humans can Uratha using their wolf senses halve all penalties for darkness,
peek beyond to see more than their five traditional senses allow. rounded down. Ignore any penalties to vision due to rapid
But a peek is just that — the most attuned only receive glimpses movement; Uratha can read the license plates on a speeding
of a car with ease.
truth beyond the flesh. Uratha have three sets of senses; they have Blood: If a werewolf has tasted her quarry’s blood, she can
those of a human, those of a wolf, and those of a spirit. Bound sense her prey’s location. This ability is not limited by distance,
together, these three make for an ideal hunter. A werewolf has all but it only gives the exact direction — which may be through
her senses in all of her forms. Even when walking in a human’s walls, across oceans, or through danger. This applies to humans,
skin, she can tap into the senses of wolf and spirit. animals, and any other living thing with blood. A werewolf can
HUMAN SENSES only follow one victim at a time; she loses the trail when she
I see a street. I see a man with a gaudy coat. He smells like tastes another creature’s blood or after a lunar month.
cheap malt liquor. He’s probably a drug dealer. It’s dark, but SPIRIT SENSES
the Behind the caul, a spirit urges him. It’s a glob of flesh, with
bars just closed, so he won’t be out for long. tendrils that look like slender fingers with red, polished nails,
Uratha have human senses that work like any other and a
human’s. The First Change does perfect any existing sheen and honeyed scent of a woman’s wetness. But he knows.
imperfections. Uratha have 20/10 vision, impeccable hearing, and He’s
keen senses of smell. If a werewolf had lost a sense prior to the looking over his shoulder toward her. He made a deal with it.
First Change, it comes back within days of the Change. This He
will force the regeneration of lost eyes or other sense organs. smells of its stink, and blood will be the only thing to wash it.
Even if she was born blind or deaf, the Change brings senses Uratha are Uratha thanks to their connection to the world
that she has never experienced before. of Spirit. They’re attuned to the Shadow, and can peek across
Human senses are considered the werewolf’s default to experience it, extending any or all of their senses across the
senses in Hishu and Dalu form. If she wishes to activate her Gauntlet. However, the Forsaken are forever denied existing
other senses, she must consciously choose to, though this is in both places at once, thanks to their sins.
a reflexive action that doesn’t require a roll. With an instant action to focus, the Uratha can send any of
WOLF SENSES her senses across the Gauntlet. If she wishes to do so reflexively,
The pavement smells of blood and semen. The same blood and she
semen on that man. He victimized someone close by, not long must spend a point of Essence. This can extend her human or
ago. wolf
His hand trembles with fear. He’s afraid someone knows. My senses across in either direction. Without a Gift, each of her
territory is close; he was on my grounds when he committed senses
his crime. He is binary; she can see or smell or hear in either spirit or flesh. If
knows he won’t live to hurt another person. she
An Uratha’s wolf senses are still constrained by the limitations of sends some but not all of her senses to the Shadow, she suffers a –
the world of Flesh. But a wolf’s senses are based 2
more on intuitively knowing and understanding what they penalty to all actions that rely on Perception or concentration, and
experience. They don’t smell the details; they smell a holistic, loses her ability to ignore sensory penalties from her wolf senses.
deep picture. A werewolf can only send her form’s default senses across the
Wolf senses are considered the werewolf’s default senses Gauntlet — she cannot pass her wolf’s sense of smell to the Hisil
in Urhan and Urshul form. Wolf senses offer a bonus to in
Perception-based rolls depending on her form. Further, if she Dalu form. The Gauntlet poses a further barrier; her Perception
would normally suffer penalties due to deprivation (blindness, rolls suffer a penalty determined by the Gauntlet’s
strong scents, or deafness), her other senses compensate, strength(p.101)
negating those penalties entirely. The werewolf does not need to focus in order to sense spirits in
Smell: A wolf’s sense of smell is important for identification, for Twilight. Unless the spirit is intentionally trying to hide,
navigation, and for self-defense. Uratha may use Primal Uratha sense spirits in Twilight as well as they would manifested.
Urge as her dice pool to identify a character she remembers,
even if he’s hiding or disguised. If she smells a scene, then TRACKING
later meets another Uratha who was present, she can identify Werewolves are excellent hunters. With the right conditions,
the connection with a Wits + Primal Urge roll. If the Uratha an Uratha will track her prey wherever he hides. It’s only a matter
has intentionally left his scent on a scene, no roll is necessary. of time — but the hunter may not always have the luxury of time.
Werewolves can also identify each other and Wolf-Blooded Resistance to a tracking maneuver is either passive or active,
by smell. Doing so requires a Wits + Primal Urge roll, though depending on whether the quarry knows he is being tracked and
this takes an instant action and she has to get in close to the if he tries to avoid his pursuer. Which skill tracking rolls use
depends on the environment the prey moves through — Survival hour in heavier rain. The Storyteller may also decide that other
for factors alter the rate of decay, for example if the trail is subject to
wilderness and Streetwise for urban areas. For pursuits that move high traffic, or strong winds confuse the detection of scent.
between each, the Storyteller decides which environment Dice Pool: Wits + Streetwise or Survival versus Resolve
dominates. + Streetwise or Survival
Tracking takes time, and other events don’t stop just Action: Extended and Contested (see above)
because the hunter tracks her prey. The Storyteller should add Roll Results
encounters, distractions, and narrative obstacles to challenge Dramatic Failure: Hunter — gains the Lost Tracker Condition
the character and make tracking an exciting and integral part (p. 308); Prey — gains the Easy Prey Condition (p. 307).
of the chronicle, rather than just a series of dice rolls. Failure: If both hunter and prey fail, neither gains the
The Storyteller may decide that tracking is impossible upper hand. Either one may choose to change the Failure to
because the distance between hunter and prey is too great, a dramatic failure and take a Beat.
or that too much time has passed since the prey left the trail. Success: Hunter — adds +1 to her total. If she has gained
Some Gifts such as Impossible Spoor (p. 137), or the innate enough spoor she has located her prey; Prey — subtracts –1 from
tracking ability of an Uratha who has tasted her prey’s blood, the hunter’s total. If this reduces the total to 0 he successfully
can surpass even these physical tracking limitations. breaks the trail and escapes.
SUGGESTED TRACKING MODIFIERS Exceptional Success: Hunter — adds +2 to her total. If
Circumstance Modifier she has gained enough spoor she gains the Invisible Predator
Prey leaves unusually Condition(p.308); Prey — subtracts –2 from the hunter’s total.
strong/weak trail If this reduces the total to 0 or less he escapes the hunter and
Up to +/–3 gains the Untraceable Condition (p. 311).
Time since trail was
made
–1 per day
–1
SHAPESHIFTING
Prey size 1-3 0 An Uratha is not a person who can take on animal features,
Prey size 4-6 +1 or even shift into an animal’s form. They’re ultimate hunters,
Prey size 7-9 +2 able to take on five different forms depending on the needs of
Prey size 10+ +1 the hunt from one moment to the next. Though it may take
Prey is bleeding Add Primal Urge bonus a while to get used to, a werewolf’s human form is only a
Hunter is Uratha (p. 93) “default” in that it provides the best camouflage among humans.
UNCONTESTED TRACKING The five forms of the Uratha are perfectly natural, within
Even when the quarry doesn’t actively try to conceal his their own context. In Urshul, a werewolf is an enormous
trail, his knowledge and habits still subconsciously make him wolf. She is a living, breathing creature. Her claws are made
minimize the spoor he leaves. If the prey learns he is being of keratin. Her teeth are forged of enamel and dentine. Until
hunted, the tracking maneuver may become contested (see she changes to another form, she is an exceptionally large,
below). exceptionally powerful, entirely natural wolf.
Dice Pool: Wits + (Streetwise or Survival) – Streetwise An Uratha with high Harmony struggles with the change.
or Survival To say it’s painful is an understatement on the level of saying
Action: Instant that the universe is large. The body, mind, and soul shatters and
Roll Results reforms at once. Muscles tear and rebuild themselves. Bones
Dramatic failure: The hunter loses trail and is shaken by have to find new places to fit. Sure, everything regenerates
her failure, gaining the Lost Tracker Condition. instantaneously, but every single nerve in the Uratha’s body
Failure: The hunter loses the trail, but may try to find screams out in agony for those few seconds. She quickly gets
it again. used
Success: The hunter will find her prey. The Storyteller to the sensation, but the first few times, it’s jarring like nothing
determines how long this takes, depending on the distance else, and removes her consciousness from her surroundings.
to be covered and how mobile the prey is. Extremely long A balanced-Harmony Uratha feels discomfort, but it’s a
distances or major changes in the environmental conditions natural discomfort, like the first time she invited a lover inside
may require further rolls to keep the trail. her. It’s not ideal, but it’s right.
Exceptional Success: The hunter will either find her prey in A low-Harmony Uratha feels no pain. In fact, the change
half the time, or gains the Invisible Predator Condition (p. 308). brings with it a warm relief. The spirit-attuned Uratha feels
CONTESTED TRACKING discomfort any time she spends more than a few hours in
Contested tracking maneuvers are more involved than one form, and every chance she has to shed a long-held form
uncontested tracking, as the prey tries to eliminate his traces is like a foot rub after a marathon, or a hot bath after a prize
or give out false trails, while the hunter tries to find enough fight. She must change shape at least once every scene. She can
of the prey’s spoor to find where he hides. spend Essence to avoid this shift, as long as she isn’t stressed.
The hunter must find an amount of spoor equal to the When the character is stressed — during combat, a chase, or
prey’s Resolve + Streetwise or Survival. She starts the hunt when she feels threatened — she shifts one form towards an
with spoor equal to her Wits. appropriate form each turn. The stress means she cannot resist.
The Storyteller determines the time between each roll Her goal
from the distance between hunter and prey — as a guide, rolls form depends on what she wants to do: Running away uses
should take an hour per mile of distance. A werewolf can use her Urhan,
forms to help with contested tracking; depending on her main hiding requires Hishu, while the need to fight forces her into
form during a given hour, add her form’s Perception bonus. Gauru.
Time is always against the hunter as all trails go cold. For every The exact mechanics of shapeshifting depend on a werewolf’s
day of tracking, subtract –1 from the hunter’s total. If this reduces Harmony:
the total to zero she loses the trail. This assumes cool, mild
weather • At Harmony 9-10, spend 1 Essence as an instant action
conditions. Under deteriorating conditions the trail decays much to change form.
faster. Subtract –1 from the hunter’s total every 12 hours in warm, • At Harmony 7-8, spend 1 Essence to shift as a reflexive
dry conditions, 6 hours in snow, 3 hours in light rain and every action, or take an instant action to shift at no cost.
• At Harmony 4, 5, or 6, shapeshifting is a reflexive action hold
that requires no Essence. on to the primal beast for so long. She can take Gauru once per
• At Harmony 2-3, spend 1 Essence as a reflexive action, or scene, and then only for a number of turns equal to her (Hishu)
take an instant action at no cost to avoid changing form. Stamina + Primal Urge. After that point, she must choose: Shift
• At Harmony 0-1, spend 1 Essence as an instant action down into Dalu or Urshul, or fall into Kuruth. If she does not
to avoid changing form. shift,
roll Resolve + Composure as a reflexive action. If she succeeds,
THE FORMS she
Each Uratha can take five forms. Each modifies certain has one more turn in Gauru, then must shift to Dalu or Urshul,
character traits, and adds distinct advantages. Where a character’s and enters Wasu-Im. If she fails, she enters Basu-Im immediately.
Attributes change, the subsequent alterations to derived
traits are summarized in parentheses. • Regeneration: Uratha in Gauru form regenerate all
HISHU bashing and lethal damage each turn.
Hishu looks every bit the human being. It’s the homo sapiens
shape Uratha are born into. While it doesn’t afford any • Teeth and Claws: Claw attacks deal +2 lethal damage.
trait benefits over what a human normally possesses, a Hishu Bites deal +2 lethal damage and do not require a grapple.
Uratha is more human than human, and blends into a crowd. Bite and claw attacks can establish grapples in addition
• Perception: +1 die to Perception rolls using wolf senses. to causing damage. Increase Initiative by +3 when using
• Sheep’s Clothing: Any efforts to pinpoint the werewolf teeth or claws.
in a crowd or pursue her through populated areas suffer
her Primal Urge as a penalty. • Defense: Apply Defense to Firearms attacks.
DALU
Dalu is a somewhat subtle monster. It’s a human and half • Perception: +3 dice to all Perception rolls using wolf
again: larger, stronger, with about 150% body mass. A Dalu’s senses.
muscles are like rocks all over her body. Her jaw extends subtly.
Her teeth elongate and sharpen. Her fingernails become hard,
vicious claws. Her wolf senses sharpen compared to her Hishu
• Lunacy:Sight of the Gauru form inflicts Lunacy(see p.101);
-2 to roll.
form.
Functionally, Dalu is a form for urban hunts. Without
much scrutiny, a werewolf in Dalu can walk among humanity
• Rage: A Gauru-form Uratha must attack an active opponent
within striking range each turn. She does not
undetected. She’s larger and less appealing, but not outside
have to continue to attack a crippled opponent as long as
the realm of human possibility. Drawing too much attention
another opponent exists. If an opponent is out of reach,
can cause problems, since the Dalu form is far stronger than
she can move toward or throw things at opponent. If she
most people, and a powerful werewolf can rend limbs from a
has no opponents, she will attack anything she can reach.
victim’s body with little effort.
If she does anything else, roll Resolve + Composure or
• Teeth and Claws: Unarmed attacks with the werewolf’s
fall into Kuruth.
claws deal lethal damage to humans. While in a grapple,
successful bite attacks (see p. 167) deal lethal damage.
• Defense: Apply Defense against Firearms attacks, as her
• Traits: Strength +3, Dexterity +1, Stamina +2, Size +2
instincts jerk her out of the way before shots are fired. (Health +4, Initiative +1, Speed +4). Gauru automatically
• Perception:+2 dice to all Perception rolls using wolf senses. fail any Social roll not based on Intimidation, and any
• Lunacy: Inflicts Lunacy (see p. 101); +2 to roll. Mental roll that isn’t Perception- or Resistance-based.
• Traits: Strength +1, Stamina +1, Manipulation –1, Size
+1 (Health +2, Speed +1). • Primal Fear: Gauru force all lesser enemies — including
• Badass Motherfucker: The Dalu form is imposing, most humans, spirits of lower Rank, and non-supernatural
intense, and overbearing. This can force a crowd to animals — to use Down and Dirty combat (see p. 165). If
give up the Uratha’s prey. Roll Presence + Primal Urge the prey hides in a group of more powerful enemies, resolve
contested by the prey’s Composure + Primal Urge. If the combat as normal. In normal combat, opponents
successful, anyone surrounding or protecting the prey count only their Dexterity or Wits to their Defense; they
will back down, or offer him up. may not add the appropriate Skill (normally Athletics).

BELONGINGS THE KILLING FORM

At Harmony 9 or above, the character’s clothes Each of the Uratha’s forms has a specific purpose in the Sacred
and belongings do not shift with her. Below that, Hunt. Hishu identifies the prey,
assume her clothing and immediate possessions shift Dalu flushes it out of hiding, Urhan chases it down,
with her, subsuming into her body in Gauru, Urshul, Urshul harries and weakens the prey, and Gauru
or Urhan form, or stretching to fit Dalu, whatever deals the killing blow.
makes the most sense for the scene. Some Uratha see Gauru as being more than
just a form for killing — it’s for honoring Father Wolf
GAURU above all others. If that appeals to your troupe, see
Gauru is the classic wolfman of legend. Enormous, fearsome, “The Father’s Form” on p. 136.
and devastating, Gauru Uratha weigh almost four times their
Hishu counterparts. While bipedal, they stand one and a half URSHUL
times their Hishu height. They’re bulky, with arms the size of Urshul is a beast of legend. It looks the part of a wolf, but with
most the size of a horse. It’s double the body mass of the Hishu form,
people’s waists, legs like tree trunks, and teeth like chef’s knives. and its shoulders stand at the same height her human shoulders
Gauru is a form to take and to dodge killing blows, and to do.
end a hunt or a battle quickly and efficiently. The Gauru form Urshul harries the prey, wearing it down and leaving vicious
only communicates to help with the kill. A werewolf can only wounds
that set it up for the Gauru form to finish the job. Urshul cannot any Skill could be tied into the hunter’s aspect, so both player
communicate with humans, but can use the First Tongue with and Storyteller should be creative in deciding what’s appropriate.
ease. If a character is chasing down her opponent through
• Teeth and Claws:Claw attacks deal +1 lethal damage. Bites the city streets, the hunter’s aspect could use Intimidation if
deal +2 lethal damage and do not require a grapple. Bite she’s attempting to threaten him into engagement, Streetwise
attacks can establish grapples as well as cause damage. if she’s trying to cut him off at the pass, Stealth if she’s trying
• Defense: Apply Defense to Firearms attacks. to leap out and surprise her prey, or Survival if she’s homing
• Perception: +3 dice to all Perception rolls using wolf in on her prey’s scent.
senses. The prey contests the roll with Composure + Primal Urge.
• Lunacy: Inflicts Lunacy (see p. 101). If the hunter succeeds, she gives her prey the hunter’s aspect
• Traits: Strength +2, Dexterity +2, Stamina +2, Manipulation –1, Condition appropriate to her auspice for the rest of the scene.
Size +1, Species speed factor +3 (Health +3, With an exceptional success, it ends after one day per dot of
Initiative +2, Speed +7). your character’s Primal Urge. This ‘time out’ resolution does
• Weaken the Prey: Werewolves in Urshul are devastating to not afford a Beat. A character can only suffer from one hunter’s
physical prey. Once per scene, the Urshul can aspect Condition at once; should she be affected by one,
apply one of the following Tilts when she damages her other attempts to inflict a hunter’s aspect fail. Each auspice
prey with her teeth or claws: Arm Wrack, Leg Wrack, inflicts a specific hunter’s aspect Condition.
or Knocked Down. This does not require a targeted Cahalith: The Monstrous Aspect. When successful, it
attack. offers the Resigned Condition
URHAN Elodoth: The Isolating Aspect. When successful, it offers
Urhan is the form of a normal wolf. In a pack of wolves, the Isolated Condition.
an Urhan blends in seamlessly, depending on her regional Irraka: The Blissful Aspect. When successful, it offers
markers and coat. Urhan is for covering long distances quickly, the Unaware Condition.
for tracking prey, and for blending in to nature. The Urhan Ithaeur: The Mystic Aspect. When successful, it offers
form can’t communicate with humans and can’t manage more the Mystified Condition.
than a few simple words in the First Tongue. Rahu: The Dominant Aspect. When successful, it offers
• Teeth: Bite attacks deal +1 lethal damage and do not the Swaggering Condition.
require a grapple. They can establish a grapple as well
as cause damage. THE PREDATOR’S
• Perception:+4 dice to Perception rolls using wolf senses. JAWS
• Traits: Dexterity +2, Stamina +1, Manipulation –1, Size Uratha bite to kill. Their teeth carry the deadly
–1, Species speed factor +3 (Initiative +2, Speed +5). resonance of Father Wolf, the ultimate hunter. As
• Chase Down: Spend 1 Essence to pre-empt another such, their bites in every form count as mystical
character’s action in combat with your own; usually an sources to foes that are vulnerable to such sources. Even in
attack. This takes the place of a normal action. If other Hishu, a werewolf’s bite causes lethal
characters are capable of pre-empting actions, it becomes damage to vampires.
a Clash of Wills (see p. 115). If your character has already
acted in a turn, she cannot use this ability. In a foot chase,

SPIRIT OF
an Urhan uses Speed in place of Stamina + Athletics.
HUNTER’S ASPECT
Uratha know each other at a glance. Apex predators smell
their own. When inflicting her hunter’s aspect on a victim every

THE WOLF
single sense can identify one Uratha to another, as the man,
the wolf, and the spirit all carry a prominent, forceful aura. The
hunter’s aspect forces her aura on her prey. The Uratha lets loose
her predatory bearing, in order to confront and cow an onlooker.
Her auspice determines just how that bearing manifests itself.
These aspects allow the Uratha to demolish her prey’s The other half of an Uratha is her spirit side. While many
resolve. Coupled with her pack’s communal efforts, she can (though not all) of an Uratha’s physical qualities are simply
annihilate the prey’s chances before a fight even breaks out. enhanced
The hunter’s aspect works against humans, spirits, Uratha, versions of familiar things, her relationship with the Hisil is
and other supernatural creatures. The hunter’s aspect is rarely entirely
subtle. Unleashing the hunter’s aspect against Uratha leads to unique to the Forsaken. Her very nature mystifies. She bubbles
grudges at best, and can set two packs against one another for with
years. It’s a clear statement that the offender sees his victim spiritual energy and resonance. She can traverse the Hisil the way
as prey, not as an equal. some people go to the train station. To her, the spirit world is as
When a character calls on the hunter’s aspect, roll a Power real
Attribute + Skill + Auspice Renown as an instant action. as a hamburger, a car crash, or a foreclosure. It’s half of her
The Power Attribute depends on the context of the interaction. If being,
invoking the aspect while in physical pursuit, use disconnected from the other half in many ways, connected in
Strength. If it’s a staredown, use Presence. If your character others.
outsmarts her prey, use Intelligence. In forms other than Hishu,
werewolves set up situations where they can use Strength. RENOWN
The Skill should similarly reflect the nature of the interaction. Renown tracks an Uratha’s progress and accomplishment over
Usually, Skills such as Intimidation, Persuasion, and the course of her life. Unlike many character traits, Renown is a
Subterfuge will make the most sense for the hunter’s aspect. palpable, measurable thing. Lunes award Renown for a
Sometimes Brawl, Athletics, or Survival may work. Forsaken’s
Theoretically, achievements, and brand that record into the werewolf’s flesh
with
glowing silver runes. These mysterious First Tongue runes only What constitutes an additional dot comes down to the
appear in theHisil, but mark the Uratha as Forsaken to any fickle natures of Lunes, and how the Uratha spin the tale. It’s
onlooker. a pack Cahalith’s job to sing the virtues of her mates, but the
In game terms, when a character has achieved a Renown-worthy Lunes favor sacrifice most of all. Acts of great virtue mean
task, the player may spend 3 Experiences to seal the deal. nothing if the Forsaken had nothing to lose by the act. Loss,
Renown comes in five categories, Cunning, Glory, Honor, Purity, or the great risk of loss, impresses the Lunes like nothing else.
and Wisdom. Each type is rated between one and five dots. As a Storyteller, look to the stakes when making that judgment
As your character increases in Renown, she also increases call. Without stakes or sacrifice, there is no Renown.
her Gift dice pools and hunter’s aspect rolls, and she also CUNNING
gains Facets of her Gifts. Each time your character increases Uratha hunt things greater than they are. They can’t always
her auspice Renown, she unlocks a Facet of her Moon Gift. win through brute force or superior numbers. Sometimes, raw
Every time she increases any Renown, she gains a Facet of a creativity and clever planning win the day. Cunning, Renown
Shadow or Wolf Gift. Her total Renown also determines her of the Irraka and the Iron Masters, governs these behaviors.
effective Spirit Rank (p. 183), according to the chart below. Sample Acts of Cunning:Infiltrating an enemy nest, luring
Total Renown Effective Rank prey into a trap, convincing the Pure’s Wolf-Blooded to bug
their territory, tricking a spirit into accepting an unbalanced
BUYING RENOWN deal, using legal loopholes to secure the deed to a territory,
If a werewolf completes a Renown-worthy task proving a task doesn’t need to be accomplished instead of
but does not have enough Experiences available to accomplishing it, baiting spirits away from a locus.
increase her Renown, the Storyteller has two options Renown Condition: Cunning
available. He can allow her to increase Renown at GLORY
the cost of “pre-allocating” her next Experiences until Uratha stand strong, and fight until their muscles tear
the Renown is paid for. While this ties her increase apart. They boil with epic fury, storm into battle, and remain
in Renown to her deeds, it make the character’s next in the fray in spite of overwhelming threats. Glory, Renown of
Experiences less rewarding. Alternatively, the Storyteller can the Cahalith and the Blood Talons, reflects these behaviors.
allow the player to “bank” the renowned Sample Acts of Glory: Defeating a superior foe, facing
deed, using it as a reason to spend Experiences at overwhelming numbers (victorious or not), holding a daunting
a later date. While this allows the player flexibility foe off to save innocents, confronting an Uratha in Kuruth,
to buy Renown when she needs it, the achievement participating in a suicide mission (with the intent to survive)
can become disconnected from events in the story. to remember and tell the story, challenging an Uratha leader.
The player and Storyteller should discuss what they Renown Condition: Glorious
want to do when the situation arises. HONOR
The Forsaken fight not because they must, but because
Once per story, an Uratha can intensify her spirit brands by it’s right. A werewolf could eschew her ancestral duties, and
spending a point of Essence, letting her Renown speak for itself. find a place to hide away from her role. An honorable Uratha
This even makes the brands faintly visible in the physical world. grabs that role and owns it proudly, standing as a judges and
Uratha, spirits, Wolf-Blooded, and others attuned to the spirit shepherd. Honor, Renown of the Elodoth and the Storm
world intuitively understand not only what Renown the brands Lords, rewards these behaviors.
reflect but the deeds she accomplished to get them. When a Sample Acts of Honor: Acting as a neutral party when a
werewolf displays her brands in this manner, choose a Renown packmate is judged from outside, standing as mediator for an
category. She gains a Condition based on that Renown. She in-pack dispute, submitting yourself to judgment, making
does not have to choose her auspice Renown, but the Renown restitution to a victim, announcing an attack beforehand, seeking
rating determines the degree of the Condition’s effects, so her diplomacy with rivals, hampering your abilities for a fair fight,
auspice or tribal Renown will often be her strongest option. remaining honest even when it could hurt your pack, ceding
The werewolf is taking a stand by calling on her Renown in territory to a more suitable owner, refusing to hunt an inferior foe.
this way. She tempts the crowd to challenge her. Most Forsaken Renown Condition: Honorable
do not consider this a hostile action. If an Uratha pushes PURITY
her Renown to the surface, she expects others to respond, to The Forsaken represent Father Wolf, Luna, and the Firstborn in
challenge, in order to allow her to show her ability. To outsiders, everything they do. Uratha espousing Purity adhere
including some Wolf-Blooded, this interaction looks like strictly to the Oath of the Moon, to the exclusion of other
confrontation, backtalk, and hostility. To the Uratha, it’s a concerns. They put their ancestral duty before friendships,
sign of mutual respect. In fact, a leader who punishes such a work, love, and even territory. Purity, Renown of the Rahu
challenger tends to face censure, mutiny, or at very least dissent. and the Hunters in Darkness, governs such behaviors.
INCREASING RENOWN Sample Acts of Purity:Sacrificing in the name of the Oath
An Uratha might, soon after his First Change, undertake of the Moon, showing deference to a higher-Renown enemy,
massive efforts to impress his peers. Many young Forsaken die showing respect to prey, taking a mate, killing witnesses to an
less than a year after the First Change in efforts to impress Uratha revealing her nature, sparing an enemy Uratha, fasting
their new families. Sometimes, success results in downright outside of the hunt, losing face to uphold your tribal oath.
epic accomplishments that shower a young werewolf with Renown Condition: Pure
Renown. The problem is, a character sets her own bar for WISDOM
Renown. With every increase, she raises that bar. To go The Uratha favor Wisdom as a counterpoint to their
further, she must improve upon her previous achievements. savage fury. Sometimes, it’s better to take a holistic approach
Some Uratha accomplish themselves into a proverbial corner to a problem, even when the blood of the wolf rears its violent
this way; They do something so remarkable that they can’t head. After all, Uratha are beings half of spirit, and have
hope to do better. Particularly during character creation, esoteric answers to many questions. Wisdom, Renown of the
consider how the character achieved her starting Renown Ithaeur and the Bone Shadows, governs this.
dots. Did she shoot too high? Did she block herself out of Sample Acts of Wisdom: Making a deal with a dangerous
future advancements? Or did she barely make the grade? spirit, healing negative resonance, seeking the nonviolent
Particularly consider this if she has multiple dots in one answer, creating a fetish, uncovering and exploiting a spirit’s
category at the start of play. ban, helping another uncover and earn a rare Gift, securing
a territory, creating a new rite, discovering hidden lore, bolstering Crossing into the Flesh during the day +2
a locus’ Essence.
Renown Condition: Wise THE GAUNTLET
ESSENCE The membrane between worlds isn’t a simple barrier,
but a medium of its own that those crossing between material
Essence is the ephemeral energy of the Hisil. It’s the food
and Hisil have to push through. The Gauntlet’s strength or
and fuel of spirits. It’s the manna that keeps the Shadow
thickness depends on a wide range of factors in both worlds,
pulsing. It’s a currency, a resource that motivates an entire
not all of which a werewolf can know. The Gauntlet is generally
food chain to predate. To the Uratha, it fuels Gifts, it heals,
strengthened by the presence of humans. The tumult of
it speeds shapeshifting, and it activates fetishes.
human emotion and activity keeps the worlds of Flesh and
It flows through every spirit, and comes into existence
Spirit apart, and simultaneously generates new spirits and the
usually at loci, but sometimes in other, stranger places.
Essence they feed on.
GAINING ESSENCE
Uratha gain Essence through a few key places:
• They can absorb Essence through the wellspring of a locus.
THE BALANCE:
In the physical realm, this means physically touching the the
locus at its heart. In Hisil, this means devouring the strange WEAKNESSES
bits of meat and vegetation that appear near the locus. Uratha cut through enemies like paper. They heal gunshots
• The Sacred Hunt rite, the Siskur-Dah, allows a pack to the way we heal paper cuts. However, they’re hardly invincible.
hunt and devour spirits in the Hisil. When eaten, the They have their faults and weaknesses.
spirit’s Essence flows through the Uratha.
• They can eat the fleshof wolves and humans. For every point
SILVER
of damage caused by an Uratha’s bite, they can choose to Silver, the metal of Luna, burns Uratha flesh like nothing
ingest the flesh and gain a point of Essence. This is a stark else. Silver weapons always deal aggravated damage to Uratha.
violation of the Oath of the Moon, and always a Harmony A non-damaging touch with silver doesn’t cause damage, but
breaking point toward the spirit. When devouring flesh for causes intense pain so long as the werewolf remains in contact,
Essence, the Uratha causes aggravated wounds. and leaves lasting scars as if from aggravated wounds. The item
• Fetishes store Essence. By destroying a fetish, the Uratha has to be real silver (not compounds like silver nitrate), and
can take the Essence within. alloys or mixtures need to be at least 80% silver. Weapons with
• The first time an Uratha sees her auspice moon at night, silver coatings only work for one damaging hit before losing
she gains a point of Essence. effectiveness. A silver item not designed as a weapon counts
USING ESSENCE as an improvised weapon (see p. 168).
Uratha use Essence for numerous purposes. How much
Essence a werewolf can spend in a turn is dictated by her Primal
LUNACY
Lunacy is the deep down, ancestral fear of the wolf at
Urge score, as detailed on p. 93. If a Gift or other effect the door. When a person sees a werewolf in Dalu, Gauru,
would require she spend more Essence than she may in a turn, or Urshul up close, or witnesses a werewolf shapeshifting or
she can spend the required Essence over a number of turns, regenerating damage, she suffers a breaking point. The roll
with the ability activating once she has spent the total needed. doesn’t necessarily come immediately; it comes at the
• Uratha normally regenerate bashing damage every turn. dramatically appropriate moment when the witness would
By spending a point of Essence, the werewolf regenerates otherwise
lethal damage instead. See p. 93 for details. take a rational breath and come to her senses.
• Uratha can reach across the Gauntlet with time. Spending The witness’s roll takes a penalty from the werewolf’s Primal
Essence can speed the process. See p. 101 for details. Urge (see the chart on p. 93), and is further modified by the
• Depending on Harmony, some werewolves need to spend werewolf’s form. Dalu adds a +2 bonus to the observer’s dice
Essence to change shape. See p. 104 for details. pool, while Gauru inflicts a –2 penalty. A werewolf’s prey is
• Certain Gifts require Essence to activate. less likely to respond to the Lunacy than an average bystander.
• Fetishes often require Essence for use. If the Uratha has caused lethal damage to the witness, she
REACHING gains a +1 bonus to the roll. If the victim is suffering a wound
Reaching is the art of pushing through the caul of the penalty, add that penalty as well (instead of subtracting it).
Gauntlet, anchoring oneself, then pulling through into the After all, wounded animals show alarming clarity.
Hisil. To an outsider, it looks like vanishing into nothingness, If the character succeeds in the breaking point, she gains
with a quick rush and pop of air coming in to fill the void. a Guilty, Shaken, or Spooked Condition. She acts with a –2
Normally, werewolves need to Reach at a locus. The dice penalty on all actions for the scene, as the Lunacy pushes at
pool depends on which direction the werewolf is traveling. the back of her mind. She’s likely to reinvent events in her
To enter the world of Spirit, roll 10 – Harmony. To enter the mind in order to better understand what happened, in keeping
world of Flesh, roll Harmony. Apply the modifier from the with her understanding of the world.
Gauntlet to the dice pool. Werewolves with Harmony 3 or With exceptional success, the witness does not gain a
lower do not require a locus to enter the Shadow. Werewolves Condition or suffer a penalty to her actions. She also regains all
with Harmony 8 or higher do not require a locus to enter the her spent Willpower, to redouble her efforts against the monster
physical world. before her. She remembers the scene with perfect clarity.
Bodily crossing from one world to another takes a locus If the witness fails, she loses a dot of Integrity, and also
and time; two turns per level of Gauntlet strength. A character gains a Lunacy Condition — Atavism, Delusion, or Reception
crossing over vanishes at the start of the transition and (see pp. 306-310), dependent on the circumstances. She will
reappears on the other side at the end. An exceptional success either flee or panic, and after the events she will rationalize
or spending a point of Essence results in crossing instantly. what she’s seen, building a story to fill in the blanks and keep
her world intact. If the Lunacy Condition persists for a number of
days equal to the Uratha’s Primal Urge dots without
Circumstance Modifier resolution, it fades without offering a Beat.
Staring into reflective surface +1 On a dramatic failure, she becomes Wolf-Blooded.
Crossing into Shadow during the day –2 When groups of witnesses work together, they suffer lessened
Lunacy. When two characters are focused on the same Kuruthtrigger entersWasu-Im. If he takes Gauru at any point, or
task together, each receives a +1 bonus to his breaking point falls into Kuruth while already in Gauru form (such as by taking
rolls. When a small group (usually around five or less) works Gauru outside of combat), he immediately enters Basu-Im.
together, they each receive +2. Large groups (ten or fewer) gain WASU-IM: THE SOFT RAGE
+3. Any larger mob receives +4. In Wasu-Im, the werewolf shifts immediately into Urshul
Wolf-Blooded do not suffer Lunacy, nor do creatures that or Dalu form and remains in that form for the duration. He
do not use Integrity. This includes vampires, spirits, other suffers from a modified form of Gauru’s Rage (p. 97). If he
Uratha, and stranger creatures besides. fails the Resolve + Composure roll for taking other actions,
he enters Basu-Im.
GAUNTLET STRENGTH Instead of attacking, he can roll Resolve + Composure as
Gauntlet strength is both a number and a dice an instant action to get some breathing room. Each success
modifier. Each has different uses. The following chart on the roll to resist offers him a turn of lucidity. If he rolls an
isn’t a definitive guide to Gauntlet strength; areas exceptional success, he can end Wasu-Im.
He remains in Wasu-Im for a length of time determined
of high or low activity can create thin or thick spots
by his Harmony (see p. 105). If he hasn’t pulled himself out
— a deserted graveyard in an inner-city borough,
of it, he enters Basu-Im. Alternatively, he can enter Basu-Im
for example, may have a lower Gauntlet than the voluntarily at any time during Wasu-Im.
surrounding blocks. BASU-IM: THE HARD RAGE
After a period of Wasu-Im, a raging Uratha falls to Basu-Im,
Location
the true Death Rage. He immediately shifts into Gauru form, and
Dense Strength Dice Modifier remains in that form for the time specified by his Primal Urge(see
urban 5 –3 p. 93). This happens even if he has already taken Gauru earlier in
areas the scene, and ignores the normal time limit on using the form.
While in Basu-Im, the werewolf ignores wound penalties, and
City suburbs,
any attempts to influence, intimidate, or otherwise change the
towns
Uratha’s course of action by mundane or supernatural means
4 –2
suffer
Small towns,
twice the werewolf’s Primal Urge as a penalty. This is over and
villages
above
3 –1
any Supernatural Tolerance(p.160)applied to supernatural
Wilderness,
powers.
countryside
When an Uratha falls toKuruth, the fire of the hunt rouses
20
his packmates to a frenzy as well. Werewolf packmates within
Locus 1 +2
10 yards who can see or smell the raging werewolf fall into
Verge 0 n/a
Basu-Im after a turn. Each packmate can attempt to resist with
a Resolve + Composure roll, needing one success per character
SPONTANEOUS WOLF-BLOODED in the scene currently in Kuruth — but he must make this roll
Sometimes, just sometimes, Wolf-Blooded arise from the every time a packmate falls into Basu-Im.
taint of Lunacy, not from genetics. Any time a human suffers When in Basu-Im, a werewolf suffers rage as though in
a dramatic failure on the Lunacy breaking point roll, she Gauru, but everyone is a victim except other werewolves in
becomes Wolf-Blooded. This doesn’t take instantly. It occurs Basu-Im.He will happily attack packmates, especially Wolf-
at a seemingly random moon phase over the course of the Blooded
next lunar month. This disproportionately favors the auspice and humans, until they join him or die. If no prey presents
of the Uratha she witnessed. As the change slowly overtakes itself, he’ll cause property damage until he can find fresh meat.
her, she becomes Wolf-Blooded, with a Tell and all the other After his time in Basu-Im is up, he collapses into Hishu. He
defining traits of the blood. She also becomes eligible to purchase has no memory of what happened. He will likely suffer a breaking
Wolf-Blooded Merits. See Appendix One for rules on point toward Spirit if he learns the terrible things he did.
Wolf-Blooded characters. FADING TO BLACK
DEATH RAGE: KURUTH Some players may prefer not to play through every minute
of Basu-Im. After all, their characters are no longer in full control
Death Rage, Kuruth, is a monster lying in wait in the back
of their actions, and part of the horror of falling prey to
of every Uratha’s mind. It is power and fury incarnate; it’s a
Kuruth is finding out what happened after the fact. For more
ticking time bomb all Uratha risk with every waking moment.
ways to handle this fade-to-black portrayal of Death Rage, see
Kuruth is called Death Rage for a reason. Entering Kuruth
“Putting It On the Line,” p.292.
always results in death — usually to the werewolf’s enemies,
sometimes to her friends, and often to herself. TRIGGERS
When Death Rage overtakes the Uratha, it comes in What causes Death Rage depends on the Uratha’s
phases. The first phase is Wasu-Im, the Soft Rage. It’s the level of Harmony. When he’s centered very few things set
last gasp of control for a werewolf who will soon have the him off. As he slips in either direction, he becomes more
monster overcome him. It allows for a short period when he and more unstable.
can find a safe place to unleash the brunt of his rage. Basu-Im, At the extremes of Harmony, almost anything can
the Hard Rage, is what most Uratha think of as Kuruth, the send a werewolf into Kuruth — his auspice moon in the
instinct and urge to kill and destroy. Basu-Im is a total loss sky, a murderer passing him in the street. He may work
of control. It’s a period where the Forsaken becomes an out his trigger and lock himself in a reinforced room when
unbridled, rampaging monster. he suspects it will happen — but even though he does not
The two stages rely on a werewolf’s Harmony and Primal see the moon in the sky, he still enters Kuruth. These
Urge as a foundation. Both what draws him into Death Rage passivetriggers happen regardless of the werewolf’s actions.
and how long he can maintain control in Wasu-Im depends on As he becomes more centered, common things may
the Uratha’s Harmony. Basu-Im’s minimum duration depends set the werewolf off, but he has to be aware of them — he
on his Primal Urge. Normally, a werewolf who encounters a has to see the moon in the sky, or smell the blood soaked
into the murderer’s clothes. If he finds a safe place where in the physical. Players can’t spend Experiences to raise or lower
he cannot see the sky, the moon cannot force him to Harmony — it can only change by experiencing breaking points.
Kuruth. Such a common trigger is a common event, but Harmony replaces the Integrity trait used by human
the werewolf can avoid it. characters (see The World of Darkness Rulebook or The
When he is close to balance, only specific things God-Machine Chronicle). It fills a different niche, as Uratha
draw the predator to the fore. Being spat on, smelling struggle with a dualist nature, while human characters muster
wolfsbane, or having silver pressed into his flesh can set the mental fortitude to withstand trauma. Humans who go
him off, but the circumstances are rare. These specific through the First Change replace Integrity with Harmony, and
triggers do not happen often, though a werewolf’s enemies will start with nine dots regardless of their Integrity. The two traits
find a way to use them against him. are not equivalent; a werewolf with seven dots of Harmony is in
Each werewolf has a set of Kuruth triggers that apply a very different state from a human with seven dots of Integrity.
just to him. Which trigger affects him at any given time Werewolves suffer two kinds of breaking points: those
depends on his Harmony. A player should pick one of the that break them towards Flesh and those that break towards
following sets of triggers so she knows what will affect her Spirit. The base dice pool is Resolve + Composure. Willpower
character when his Harmony changes. Werewolves also cannot modify this dice pool. Where a breaking point lists a
have general triggers, events that will push any werewolf modifier, apply that penalty to the breaking point roll.
into Death Rage. All of the general triggers affect every When a character hits a breaking point towards Spirit,
werewolf; though she only suffers her personal triggers he subtracts one die from the roll for each point of Harmony
once a night, general triggers have no such limit. below 5. If the roll fails, he loses a point of Harmony. When he
BLOOD hits a breaking point towards Flesh, he gets a penalty for each
Passive: Smelling human blood. point of Harmony above 5. If the roll is a failure, the character
Common: Tasting human blood. gains a point of Harmony. This means an Uratha’s Harmony
Specific: Swallowing human blood. can fluctuate wildly over the course of play.
MOON The breaking points below apply to all Uratha. They’re a
Passive: Your auspice moon is in the sky. starting point rather than a definitive list. The player and
Common:You witness your auspice moon in the sky. Storyteller should work together to define one or two breaking
Specific: Hear a wolf or werewolf howl when your points
auspice moon is in the sky. in each direction for her character based on her auspice, tribe,
and Touchstones. Breaking points toward Flesh involve actively
THE OTHER denying her Uratha nature. Breaking points toward Spirit instead
Passive: You come within 10 yards of a supernatural creature. require her to turn her back on her heritage in the world of Flesh.
Common: You witness a supernatural creature A character’s Harmony trait affects how much effort and
doing something obviously inhuman. spiritual power she must invest into changing shape — or not
Specific:You are the target of a supernatural power. shapeshifting in a stressful situation. The Shapeshifting section
PACK on p. 96 has more detail.
Passive: A pack member takes lethal damage. Harmony also determines a character’s ability to cross
Common: Seeing someone attack a pack member. into the Shadow. At Harmony 10, he cannot Reach at all. At
Specific:You cause lethal damage to a pack member. Harmony 0, he is stuck in the Shadow and cannot Reach into
TERRITORY the physical world. A character’s Harmony is used to determine
Passive: A werewolf you don’t know enters your the dice pool for Reaching; those with Harmony 8 or above do
territory without permission. not need a locus to enter the world of Flesh, while those with
Common: You see a werewolf you don’t know in Harmony 3 or less do not need a locus to enter the world of Spirit.
your territory. With four or fewer dots of Harmony, your character is
Specific: A werewolf you don’t know challenges struck with a ban much like a spirit. The ban may have something
your pack’s ability to do its duty. to do with a spirit your character has interacted with, her
WOUNDS personality, or events in the story. She gains a persistent Ban
Passive: Being in the area of a Wound. Condition, which is only resolved when she raises her Harmony
Common: Interacting with a Wound-born spirit. high enough to discard it. A character with particularly low
Specific: Being attacked by a Wound-born spirit. Harmony must deal with more than one spirit ban; when her
GENERAL TRIGGERS Harmony rises enough that she may discard one, the player
Spending too long in Gauru. decides which is resolved.
Taking Gauru outside of combat. Finally, the severity of a character’s Kuruth trigger and
Taking damage from silver. the length of time she can remain in control during Wasu-Im
Forced into Kuruth by an Elodoth. depend on her Harmony dots. If she has Harmony 5 she’s not
affected by her personal trigger.
HARMONY
Every Uratha finds herself torn between two extremes. On
one hand, she’s a hunter wearing the skin of human and wolf, BREAKING POINTS
a creature of nature unlike anything else in the natural world. TOWARD FLESH
She’s flesh incarnate. On the other hand, she’s a creature of • Defiling a locus.
spirit, an entity that exists among the denizens of the Hisil, • Refusing to participate in Siskur-Dah.
feeding on the ephemeral Essence of the world of Spirit. These • Staying out of the Hisil for a week.
two extremes pull the Forsaken in two directions. Harmony • Using a silver weapon against another werewolf.
reflects her ability to balance these two sides of her identity. • Violating the Oath of the Moon. (Forsaken only,
In game terms, Harmony is a trait that ranges from 0 to 10, –2)
with 0 being a werewolf limited to the world of Spirit, and 10 • Staying out of the Hisil for a month. (–3)
being a werewolf locked in the world of Flesh, The ideal point, HARMONY 3 OR LOWER
the balance, is five dots. All werewolves begin play with • Allowing a spirit safe passage into the physical
Harmony world.
7 — closer to balance than at the First Change, but still mired • Eating processed food.
• Mating with a human.
• Staying out of the Hisil for a day. GENERAL
TOWARD SPIRIT
• Killing a human or wolf.
WEREWOLF MERITS
• Staying in the Hisil for a week. ANCHORED (• OR ••)
• Hunting humans or wolves for food (–2) Prerequisites: Harmony
• Killing a packmate. (–2) Effect: Your character has a stronger association with
• Eating human or wolf flesh for Essence (–3) one of her Touchstones than the other. Choose one of her
• Staying in the Hisil for a month. (–3) Touchstones when purchasing this Merit. When calling upon
HARMONY 8 OR MORE that Touchstone to resist a breaking point, take +3 bonus dice.
• Inflicting Lunacy on a loved one. With the two-dot version of the Merit, take +4 dice.
• Leading the Siskur-Dah. Drawback:The strength of this association means neglecting
• Spending more than two days away from your the other half. When calling upon the opposite Touchstone, take
pack. only +1 die. With the two-dot version of the Merit, the other
• Staying in the Hisil for a full day Touchstone affords no dice bonus, only potential drawbacks.
BLOOD OR BONE AFFINITY
HARMONY LEVELS (•• OR •••••)
Harmony Bans Kuruth Trigger Control Prerequisites: Harmony between 3 and 8
10 — Passive 3 seconds Effect: Choose Blood or Bone when choosing this Merit
9 — Common 10 seconds at the two-dot version. The five-dot version encompasses both
8 — Common 30 seconds Blood and Bone. Once per chapter, when taking an action that
7 — Specific 1 minute would replenish all Willpower from the chosen Blood or Bone
6 — Specific 5 minutes trait, you can apply the rote quality to the roll (see p. 162).
5 — — 15 minutes Drawback: Your character is strongly tied to her chosen
4 1 Specific 5 minutes trait(s). Any time she has the choice to fulfill one of them, she
3 1 Specific 1 minute must spend a Willpower point not to.
2 2 Common 30 seconds CODE OF HONOR (••)
1 3 Common 10 seconds Prerequisite: Harmony 8+
0 4 Passive 3 seconds Effect:Your character has established and held onto a code of
human behavior. Maybe she follows a knightly tradition, or
maybe
MERITS she was part of a generational secret society before her Change.
These Merits are specific to Uratha, without Storyteller When purchasing this Merit, choose a Virtue (p. 158) that reflects
approval otherwise. You can find Merits allowed for any her Code of Honor. In addition to the advantages of a Virtue,
character on p. 110, and Wolf-Blooded specific Merits on p. 304. such as Willpower replenishment, she gets +3 dice to any
If a Merit lists a prerequisite, your character must have those Stamina,
traits at the listed dot ratings in order to purchase the Merit. Resolve, or Composure roll to uphold the integrity of her code.
Drawback: A rigid belief system has its drawbacks. Any
SANCTITY OF MERITS time the character is faced with a challenge to her beliefs or an
While Merits represent things within the game and your opportunity to betray them, she must spend a Willpower point
character, they’re really an out-of-character resource, a function or uphold or defend her beliefs at any cost. She cannot gain the
of benefit from this Merit or regain Willpower until she’s made a
the character creation and advancement mechanics. These Merits show of defending her beliefs in the face of significant adversity.
often represent things that can go away. Staff can die. Mentors CONTROLLED BURN (••)
can get impatient and stop dispensing wisdom. So while Merits
may represent temporary facets of your character, Merit points
continue to exist. At the end of any chapter where your character
Prerequisites: Resolve ••• , Composure •••
Effect: Your character suffers from a dampened form of
has lost Merits, you can replace them with another Merit.
Wasu-Im, the first stage of Death Rage. When she goes into
For example, your character has a two-dot Staff, human Wasu-Im, she shifts to Hishu or Urhan form, not Dalu or Urshul.
pack members in a local design firm, who die when the firm’s
If she succeeds in getting a turn of lucidity (see p. 102), she
offices are firebombed. At the end of that chapter, you may can spend a point of Willpower to shrug the Rage off entirely.
re-allocate those Staff dots. You may choose to purchase Contacts
Drawback: Your character can only change to those two
among the fire department and local criminals. When forms in Wasu-Im, which could cause complications that could
the character stiffs his buddies in the fire department, you can
push her toward Basu-Im.
replace that dot with something else.
When replacing a Merit, consider what makes sense in the CREATIVE TACTICIAN (•••)
story. Pursue the new Merit during the course of the chapter
if possible, and make the new tie something less superficial Prerequisites: Purity ••
than a dot or two on a sheet. Effect:Your character has an intuitive mind for strategy. Any
With Storyteller permission, you may “cash in” a Merit time she acts as the tactician or organizer in a teamwork action
voluntarily and replace it with Experiences. This should not (see p. 162), the participants ignore circumstantial penalties up to
be used as a way to purchase a Merit, take advantage of its her Purity dots. As well, once per chapter, the primary actor can
benefits, and then cash it out for something else. If a Merit has gain a Beat if he follows your character’s strategic guidance.
run its course and no longer makes sense for your character, Your
however, you may use those points elsewhere. character does not have to be the primary actor to use this Merit.
Merits such as Ambidextrous, Eidetic Memory, and the DEDICATED LOCUS (• TO •••••)
various Fighting Style Merits reflect abilities and knowledge
that your character has and therefore shouldn’t be cashed in
or replaced. Then again, if an Ambidextrous character loses
Prerequisites: Safe Place •
his left hand…. Effect: The pack has a locus on its territory that’s attuned
to their totem’s resonance. While most packs protect a locus, three
a Dedicated Locus represents one they’ve invested deeply into, successes instead of five.
which provides significant and highly quickened Essence. The Choose a different Attribute. Take an
locus’ rating is equal to the dots in this merit. Additionally, additional dot
the pack can use the filtered, focused Essence faster than other
Essence. Collectively, pack members with this Merit can spend
a number of points of Essence equal to the Merit cost in a day,
••••
above and beyond their normal per-turn limits.
in the favored form. This cannot be an Attribute
For example, a Primal Urge 1 Uratha in a pack with Dedicated normally penalized in the form.
Locus at three dots can spend four Essence in a turn, but
that uses up the ability for the entire pack for the rest of the day.
A pack can share in the dot rating of this Merit, splitting •
the cost between any number of characters. Only characters
contributing dots can use its benefits. It must be anchored to
a Safe Place of at least the same dot rating.
• Choose a relevant Skill. Apply the Advanced
Drawback: The locus is powerful enough that it draws
excessive attention from local spirits seeking a prime feast.
• Action quality
(see p. 162) to uses of that Skill in the favored
form.
EMBODIMENT OF
THE FIRSTBORN (•••••)
•
Prerequisites: Cannot be a Ghost Wolf
Effect:Your character is the perfect likeness of one of Father •
Wolf’s brood. She looks the part so very closely that she shakes
Drawback: Her other forms suffer due to her reliance on
the souls of her onlookers. Choose an Attribute that reflects her
the favored form. For each dot in this Merit, choose a Mental
relationship to the Firstborn. She gains a dot in that Attribute,
or Physical Attribute dot for a different form. When taking
and that Attribute can go one above the normal maximum — that form, reduce that Attribute by one, including all derived
normally six dots, unless she has an advanced level of Primal traits. These penalties may be divided among different forms.
Urge. She can draw on her bearing to cow her opponents. Note: You may only choose this Merit for a single form.
When the player spends a point of Willpower, anyone who tries FORTIFIED FORM (•••,••••, OR •••••)
to attack the character that turn gains the Shaken Condition.
Drawback: Your character draws unwanted attention. Prerequisites: Stamina ••• ••
, Survival
Wrathful spirits with old memories will attempt to settle old Effect: Your character has one form that’s particularly
scores with her likeness, through her. durable compared to her others. Choose a form other than
FADING (•••) Hishu when purchasing this Merit. That form has tougher
hide, thicker fur, and stronger bones. At the three-dot version,
Prerequisites: Cunning •• this offers 1/0 armor in that form. The four dot offers 1/1
armor. The five dot offers 2/2 armor.
Effect:Your character has a kinship with the shadows, and
You can take this Merit multiple times, reflecting armor
her ethereality compounds with each person who does not see in different forms.
her. Each time an individual fails to notice your character in a HEARING WHISPERS (••)
scene, all future attempts in that same scene suffer a cumulative Prerequisites: Bone Shadow
–1 penalty. Once per scene, add your character’s Cunning to Effect: Your Bone Shadow sees the deep, dark, and embarrassing
any rolls to act unnoticed or unobtrusive. in people. With a turn of scrutiny, she can identify
FAVORED FORM (• TO •••••) the subject’s Persistent Conditions. If your character suspects
Prerequisites: Primal Urge at the Merit rating +1 additional weaknesses, she can identify them with a Wits +
Effect: Your character favors one of her four forms aside Skill roll. Each weakness requires a separate roll, and at least
from Hishu, and when she takes that form, it’s larger, stronger, a turn of scrutiny; the Storyteller determines the Skill by the
and faster than most Uratha. With each dot in this Merit, he weakness your character suspects. Having no dots in a Skill
gains a specific, additional advantage in that form. Attribute qualifies as a weakness for this purpose, as well as does anything
increases from this Merit apply to derived traits. else the Storyteller deems fit. This can’t identify a spirit’s ban.
Drawback: Outside the Condition ability, she must have
Choose a Physical Skill. When using that Skill reason to suspect a weakness to use this Merit. This suspicion
in often requires legwork on the back-end before the Bone Shadow
the favored form, exceptional successes occur can take advantage of her keen senses.

• on
IMPARTIAL MEDIATOR (•••)
three successes instead of five.
Choose an Attribute. Take an additional dot in
Prerequisites: Honor ••
Effect:Your character can cut to the heart of an argument.
the
She can intervene between arguing parties to cut to the truth
— or favor one side over another with nobody doubting her
•• impartiality. When she steps into an argument or debate and
spends time listening to both sides, roll Presence + Persuasion
favored form. This cannot be an Attribute normally + Honor versus the highest Resolve + Honor on each side. If
penalized in the form (such as Manipulation in you score more successes than one side’s contested roll, that
Urshul form). side accepts your interpretation of the truth.
LIVING WEAPON (•••,••••, OR •••••)

••• Choose a Facet. When using that Facet in the

favored form, exceptional successes occur on Prerequisites: Stamina •••, Survival ••
Effect: Your character has enhanced natural weapons in Roll Manipulation + Occult as an extended action; each roll
one form. Maybe her jaws are larger, her teeth are sharper, requires one hour of work on a small wellspring of Essence,
or her claws are hard as stone. Choose a form (Dalu, Gauru, or one day’s work on a locus. She can change a single point of
Urshul, or Urhan) when purchasing this Merit, and choose the Essence’s resonance with five successes. With ten successes
either bite or claws. With three dots, the attack gains two levels per level of the locus, she can change its resonance. How she
of armor piercing (see p. 169). With four dots, increase the does this is unique to her relationship with the Hisil. Some
attack’s damage by 1 atop its normal advantages. With five Uratha perform shaping through music, some through dance,
dots, it ignores any non-magical armor. some through literal molding of their surroundings.
You can take this Merit multiple times, reflecting different SELF-CONTROL (••)
enhancements in different forms.
MOON-KISSED (•) Prerequisites: Resolve ••••
Prerequisites: Auspice Skill at •• or higher
Effect: Your character can stave off her spirit nature.
When compelled to shift in a stressful situation due to low
Effect: Your character’s auspice affects her more than Harmony (see p. 96), you may spend a point of Willpower to
most. When taking this Merit, choose one of her three auspice allow her to remain in her current form for the scene. Doing
Skills. That Skill has the 9-again quality. If you already so is a breaking point toward Flesh.
have 9-again available, use 8-again. When her auspice moon SONG IN YOUR HEART (•••)
is visible, spending Willpower gives +4 dice to rolls using that
Skill instead of +3. Prerequisites: Glory ••
You can take this Merit multiple times, reflecting different Effect: Your character sings, howls, and tells stories like none
auspice Skills. other. Her words echo and reverberate through listeners, and
Drawback: When taking this Merit, choose a non-auspice inspire
Skill your character has dots in. Rolls requiring that Skill do them to learn from her tales. This Merit acts as the Inspiring Merit
not benefit from the 10-again quality. (see p.111). Your character does not need to meet the
NOWHERE TO RUN (••) prerequisites
Prerequisites: Hunter in Darkness for that Merit, and it can only be used when singing, howling, or
Effect: Any Hunter in Darkness can track prey. Your storytelling. Listeners may take the Inspired Condition(see p.308)
character, however, has an instinctive awareness of his prey, as a Persistent Condition, gaining a Beat every time they take a
and the places his prey considers “safe.” Using subtle clues significant action inspired by your character’s tale.
about his prey — like smells, fibers, and tracks — he can identify SOUNDS OF THE CITY (••)
where his prey hides and recuperates. With a turn of scrutiny, Prerequisites: Iron Master
he immediately knows basic details and a rough location of Effect: Your Iron Master has his fingers on the pulse of the
any Safe Place the prey has. With a Wits + Investigation roll, city, and can see the flow of its currencies. Not just money, but
he can identify other dedicated sites, boltholes, and hiding favors, popularity, and standing. With subtle manipulations,
places. Every success offers one such hangout. he can cut off that flow. The player rolls Wits + Politics; with
Drawback:Your character’s instincts peak when he knows success and a turn of scrutiny, the character can identify one
his prey’s safe places. Your character must leave his mark on Social Merit the prey possesses, chosen by the Storyteller.
the location when he visits. This can be as subtle as a scent, Additionally, with a scene’s effort, he can shut down a
but must be something the prey can notice if she returns. number of Social Merit dots equal to his Cunning Renown.
PACK DYNAMICS (•••, ••••, OR •••••) These must reflect human influences, such as Allies, Contacts,
Effect: Your character works with her pack the way she Fame, Resources, or Status in the human world. His prey loses
works with her own limbs. She intuitively understands their access to those Merits for as long as your Iron Master wishes.
behaviors, and can instinctively compliment their actions with However, he can only lock out that number; he must abandon
ease. Any time she participates in a teamwork action (see p. previous efforts if he wants to deny different Merits.
162), add +1, +2, or +3 dice to her rolls at the three-, four-, Drawback:His level of intimacy with the city’s interactions
and five-dot versions of this Merit, respectively. This bonus leaves your character vulnerable. While he’s shutting down
also adds to rolls using her Resistance Attributes (Resolve, Social Merits, his own Social Merits in human spheres are
Stamina, and Composure) when defending her pack. considered one dot lower. This includes their relative levels
Drawback:When she doesn’t know where a member of for defending against others’ attacks and scrutiny.
her pack is, she becomes restless and worried. The bonus acts STRINGS OF THE HEART (••)
as a penalty to all rolls when a member of the pack is missing. Prerequisites: Storm Lord
RESIDENTIAL AREA (• TO •••••) Effect:The first trick to making someone do what you want
Effect: Your pack’s territory encompasses a residential is finding out what they want, and promising it, threatening
area, and your character has secured it well. This area may it, or offering it. Your Storm Lord has a knack for finding that
be an apartment complex, a gated community, or any place very thing. After a turn scrutinizing her prey, ask his player,
where diverse groups of people lay their heads. Once per game “What does your character want most?” Your Storm Lord
session, you can access a number of Merit dots equal to your instinctively knows the answer, even if she doesn’t understand
Residential Area Merit dots. These Merits can be split however the context. “I want Davis’s hand in marriage” is more useful
you wish between Allies, Contacts, and Retainers. These if she knows who Davis is, but she doesn’t have to know him
Merits must make sense within the scope of the territory. A to know that answer.
tenement in the slums probably won’t have high-level Medical When leveraging that bit of information, she’s considered
Allies, for example. one stage of impression better in Social maneuvers against
Drawback: Any time you access a Merit through Residential the prey (see p. 163), and ignores one Door. As well, the prey
Area, the characters reflecting those Merits will demand cannot defy the Storm Lord’s threats, offers, or temptations
some token favors for their assistance. without spending a point of Willpower.
RESONANCE SHAPER (•••) Drawback: That degree of intimacy creates a lasting

Prerequisites: Wisdom •• relationship between the Storm Lord and her prey, whether
she wants it or not. That sympathy leaves her open to later
Effect: Your character is adept at the way Essence flows influence. The Storm Lord always has one fewer Door when
and reshapes. To her capable hands, Essence is clearly mutable. the prey initiates a Social maneuver against her.
TOTEM (• TO •••••) discernible weak points. Additionally, this is a common kuruth
Effect: Your character has a relationship to a totem spirit, trigger.
either personally or to a pack totem. Each dot invested in this FLANKING (••)
Merit
adds a totem point to create the totem (see p. 91). Note that any Prerequisites: Cunning ••, Wits ••• , Stealth ••
, Brawl ••
character can only have five points in this Merit. A pack totem is Effect: Your character can support another character by
limited by the number of pack members, but can be massive with poking at an enemy’s flanks. She grabs, bites, or otherwise
enough invested members. The Totem Merit also adds dice equal restrains an opponent, setting it up for an opportune strike from
to its dots to any Social action with the totem spirit in question. a packmate. Any time your character makes a successful attack
Drawback: Being tied to a totem leaves a character you can choose to apply successes as a penalty to the victim’s
beholden to the totem. If your character angers the totem, Initiative and Defense for the turn instead of causing damage.
the invested totem points fade. This may require the pack to INSTINCTIVE DEFENSE (••)
re-negotiate their totem advantage. The points can return if
your character makes reparations with the totem, but must
be re-purchased.
Prerequisites: Primal Urge ••, Athletics ••
Effect: Your character’s instincts protect her when in her
WEAKEST LINK (••) canine forms. In Urhan and Urshul, use the higher of your
Prerequisite: Blood Talon character’s Wits and Dexterity when figuring her Defense,
Effect:Your character can immediately work out the weakest instead of the lower.
points in a social dynamic. With a turn of scrutinizing two or RELENTLESS ASSAULT
more associated characters, your character identifies the weakest (STYLE, • TO •••••)
of those characters by whatever criteria the Storyteller feels is
most appropriate to the situation. This doesn’t require a roll.
As a guideline, Skills, Merits, Gifts, Renown, and Primal
Prerequisites: Strength ••• , Stamina ••• , Brawl ••
Urge can determine the weakest. This depends on the context; Effect: Your character fights with complete abandon. She
throws herself at her opponents without thought or hesitation,
a character’s lack of Resources doesn’t make her weak when
battle looms. turning herself into a ruthless killing machine. She’s the first
into the fight, and the last out of a fight. While this Style is
Drawback: This ability depends on the narrative context.
The criteria the Storyteller uses will be those most relevant to more useful in Urshul and Gauru form, an Uratha can use it
in any form. It only applies to attacks using the Brawl Skill,
the situation at hand; she does not have to identify the criteria
by name. For example, at a tech conference, Computer is an but can be used when in Kuruth.
obvious choice, but Status: Komputerkorp Inc. might be more
relevant if the Blood Talon is looking over the Komputerkorp
•
Drop of a Hat ( ): Your character goes from zero to ballistic
Inc. staff. at the start of a fight. She always goes to strike first. In the first
turn of a fight, your character gets +3 to her Initiative score
WEREWOLF so long as she makes an all-out attack (see p. 168). After the
first turn, this bonus goes away.
FIGHTING MERITS
These Merits specifically add combat options for werewolves.
Unless otherwise noted, they require the character to
Eye of the Tiger ( ••): Your character can focus on a single
target to the exclusion of all others. This tunnel vision makes
be Uratha, and may require a certain form to use (noted in her fearsome against her primary target, but vulnerable
the prerequisites). Prerequisites are determined by Hishu form to others. Choose a target. When making an all-out
statistics; increased Attributes and traits given by another form attack against that target, your character retains
do not count toward prerequisite requirements. her Defense against him.
CALL OUT (••)

Prerequisites: Honor •• , Intimidation•• , Composure ••• Dig Deep ( ••• ): Your character doesn’t
strike for her enemy’s skin; she strikes for a
Effect:Your character fights with honor and dignity. When spot a few feet behind it. To her, overkill is the only acceptable
he calls out his opponent, it must abide by his challenge. When kill. You can choose to remove one die from your dice pool
he uses an instant action to call out a potential combatant, before rolling an attack. If you do, increase your character’s
that opponent suffers your character’s Honor as a penalty to claws or teeth weapon modifier by +1.
attack anyone else. If the opponent does attack someone else,
you can add your character’s Honor to any attacks against him.
Drawback: If anyone else attacks your chosen opponent,
Grin and Bear It ( •••• ): Your character stops caring about
her own safety in order to take down her opponents, and this
it breaks the challenge. When that happens, your opponent
single-minded lethality helps her to shrug off blows that might
gains your character’s Honor as a bonus to dice pools against
cripple others less ferocious. Any time she makes an all-out
your character for the remainder of the scene.
attack, she gains 1/1 armor against all attacks for the turn.
EFFICIENT KILLER (••)
This combines with any other armor she may benefit from.
Prerequisites: Purity ••, Brawl •••, Medicine ••, Strength The Warpath ( ••••• ): Your character kills, but this does not
•••, may only be used in Gauru form stop her assault. Any time she fills an opponent’s last health
box with lethal or aggravated damage, she may immediately
Effect: Your character is a master of immediate, merciful make an additional attack against any other character within
killing. She knows exactly where to clamp down to end a life in her reach. If her second attack deals damage, she immediately
one swift blow. When in Gauru form, any time an opponent enters Basu-Im without a chance to resist.
is completely denied her Defense — for example, if she’s SPIRITUAL BLOCKAGE (••)
sacrificed it for an all-out attack, during a successful ambush, or
when activating certain Merits — you can use Efficient Killer.
Sacrifice your Defense for the turn, and you can deal a Killing
Prerequisites: Wisdom •• •
, Brawl , Occult •••
, Wits •••
Effect: Your character can sense the ebb and flow of
Blow (see p. 168).
Essence in her opponents. With well-placed strikes, she can
Drawback: This Merit only works on living targets with
curb the flow of Essence in the body, denying a victim access the Gauntlet, quaking spirit-stuff and flesh alike. Roll Presence
to his spiritual fuel. You can choose to use Spiritual + Expression as an instant action. The howl affects a number
Blockage any time your character makes a of listeners of your choice equal to the successes rolled. Those
Brawl or Weaponry attack against a creature that uses Essence. affected suffer a –1 penalty to Defense and attack rolls, and –2
Make an attack to Initiative for the remainder of the scene. A character may
with a –2 penalty. If the attack deals only be subject to this effect once in a given scene.
damage, the victim loses a point of Drawback: This Merit causes alert throughout the Hisil.
Essence; on an exceptional success Within three turns, curious spirits will arrive on the scene.
the victim loses two points. This Depending on the location, they may also be hostile.
Essence is considered spent,
not lost. As such, it limits the HUMAN MERITS
amount a victim can spend Any werewolf can possess these Merits, but they’re also
in a turn. available to and relatively common choices for players portraying
TACTICAL SHIFTING human characters.
(STYLE, • TO •••••) For additional Merits available to all characters, see The
World of Darkness RulebookorThe God-Machine Chronicle
Prerequisites: Wits ••• , Dexterity••• ••
, Athletics ALLIES (• TO •••••)
Effect: Allies help your character. They might be friends,
Effect:Your character knows how to shift her form rapidly
to maximize her effectiveness in a fight. She can slink down in employees, associates, or people your character has blackmailed.
form in order to evade an oncoming attack, or she can make Each instance of this Merit represents one type of ally. This
a swift change in order to add force to a blow. could be in an organization, a society, a clique, or an individual.
For the purposes of this Merit, “shifting up” means shifting Examples include a covenant, the police, a secret society,
to a form with a higher Size. “Shifting down” requires losing crime, unions, local politics, and the academic community.
Size. If your character shifts in the proper direction, she can Each purchase has its own rating. Your character might have
take advantage of multiple maneuvers in a turn. For example,
Springloading and Fluid Movement can both be used in the Allies (Masons)••, Allies (Carter Crime Family) •••, Allies
(Lodge of Gargoyles) ••••, and Allies (Catholic Church) •.
same turn your character shifts down.

•
Springloading ( ): Your character can leap forward in Each dot represents a layer of influence in the group. One
a larger form, then shift to a smaller form to move forward dot would constitute small favors and passing influence. Three
using the larger form’s strength and the smaller form’s mass could offer considerable influence, such as the overlooking
to move quickly in small bursts. Shift down using this move of a misdemeanor charge by the police. Five dots stretch the
at the start of the round; your character gains +2 Initiative limits of the organization’s influence, as its leaders put their
and +5 Speed for the turn. own influence on the line for the character. This could include
things such as massive insider trading or fouling up a felony
Broaden ( •• ): Your character increases quickly in size, forcing investigation. No matter the request, it has to be something
that organization could accomplish.
nearby opponents to move or be pushed back. When you shift
up, anyone within close-combat range who doesn’t Dodge suffers The Storyteller assigns a rating between one and five to any
bashing damage equal to the difference in Size between your favor asked. A character can ask for favors that add up to her
two forms. Anyone who takes damage must make a Dexterity Allies
+ Athletics roll or suffer the Knocked Down Tilt (see p. 313). rating without penalty in one chapter. If she extends her influence
beyond that, her player must roll Manipulation + Persuasion +
Fluid Movement ( ••• ): When attacked, your character shifts Allies,
with a penalty equal to the favor’s rating. If the roll is successful,
down rapidly to a smaller form, making her harder to hit. Shift the
down. For every level of Size your character removes with the group does as requested. Failed or successful, the character loses
shift, all opponents suffer a –1 penalty to any rolls to hit her. a
Suck it Up (•••• ): When struck, your character can shift
dot of Allies. This dot may return at the end of the chapter. On a
dramatic failure, the organization resents her and seeks
upward, maximizing the amount of flesh to hit, and minimizing retribution.
the amount of relative harm caused. Shift up when attacked On an exceptional success, she doesn’t lose the dot.
to ignore one point of bashing or lethal damage. One additional favor a character can ask of her Allies is to

Crush ( ••••• ): When your character grabs or bites an

block another character’s Allies, Contacts, Mentor, Retainer,
or Status (if she knows the character possesses the relevant
opponent she can shift up. Her larger form crushes her foe. Merit). The rating is equal to the Merit dots blocked. As before,
When your character has another grappled, shifting up reflexively no roll is necessary unless the target’s Merit exceeds the
causes automatic lethal damage equal to the difference character’s Allies. If the block succeeds, the character cannot
in Size between her two forms. use the Merit during the same chapter.
Drawback:Each of these maneuvers requires the character ALTERNATE IDENTITY (•,••, OR •••)
to shift forms as a reflexive action. If she is unable to do that, Effect: Your character has established an alternate identity. The
she cannot use this Merit. level of this Merit determines the amount of scrutiny
WARCRY (••) it can withstand. At one dot, the identity is superficial and
unofficial. For example, your character uses an alias with a
Prerequisites:Glory ••, Presence•••, Expression••, change of clothes and adopts an accent. She hasn’t established
the necessary paperwork to even approach a bureaucratic
Intimidation •• , may only be used in Gauru, Urshul, or Urhan background check, let alone pass. At two dots, she’s supported
her identity with paperwork and identification. It’s not liable
form
Effect: Your character can howl out sharply and shake to stand up to extensive research, but it’ll turn away private
opponents to the core. Her howls reverberate on both sides of investigators and internet hobbyists. At three dots, the identity
can pass thorough inspection. The identity has been deeply
entrenched in relevant databases, with subtle flourishes and Alternate Identity, she can mitigate this drawback. A character
details to make it seem real even to trained professionals. with Fame cannot have the Anonymity Merit.
The Merit also reflects time the character has spent honing FLEET OF FOOT (• TO •••)
the persona. At one or two dots, she gains a +1 to all Subterfuge
rolls to defend the identity. At three dots, she gains +2. Prerequisite: Athletics ••
This Merit can be purchased multiple times, each time Effect: Your character is remarkably quick and runs far
representing an additional identity. faster than her frame suggests. She gains +1 Speed per dot;
ANONYMITY (• TO •••••) anyone pursuing her suffers a –1 penalty per dot to any foot
Prerequisites: Cannot have Fame. chase rolls.
Effect: Your character lives off the grid. She might live as INDOMITABLE (••)
a wolf in a wild area, making getting new forms of identification
difficult. This means purchases must be made with cash
or falsified credit cards. She avoids any official authoritative
Prerequisite: Resolve •••
Your character possesses an iron will. The powers of the
influence in her affairs. Any attempts to find her by her paper supernatural have little bearing on her behavior. She can stand
trail suffer a –1 penalty per dot purchased in this Merit. up to Lunacy, a witch’s charms, or a ghost’s gifts of fright. Any
Drawback: Your character cannot purchase the Fame time a supernatural creature uses a power to influence your
Merit. This also may limit Status purchases, if the character character’s thoughts or emotions, add +2 dice to the dice pool to
cannot provide sufficient identification for the roles she contest it. If the roll is resisted, instead subtract –2 dice from the
wishes to take. monster’s dice pool. Note that this only affects mental influence
AREA OF EXPERTISE (•) and manipulation from a supernatural origin. A werewolf with
Prerequisite: Resolve •• and one Skill Specialty
a remarkable Manipulation + Persuasion score is just as likely to
convince your character to do something using mundane tricks.
Effect: Your character is uncommonly specialized in one INSPIRING (•••)
area. Choose a Specialty to assign to this Merit. Forgo the +1
bonus afforded by a Specialty in exchange for a +2.
BARFLY (••)
Prerequisite: Presence •••
Effect: Your character’s passion inspires those around her
Prerequisite: Socialize •• to greatness. With a few words, she can redouble a group’s
confidence or move them to action.
Effect: Your character is a natural in bars and clubs, and Make a Presence + Expression roll. A small clique of listeners
can procure an open invitation wherever she wishes. Whereas levies a –1 penalty, a small crowd a –2, and a large crowd a
most characters would require rolls to blend into social functions –3. Listeners gain the Inspired Condition. The character may
where they don’t belong, she doesn’t. Rolls to identify not use this Merit on herself.
her as an outsider suffer her Socialize as a penalty. IRON WILL (••)
CONTACTS (•)
Effect:Contacts provide your character with information.
This Merit can be taken multiple times; each instance represents a
Prerequisite: Resolve ••••
Effect: Your character’s resolve is unwavering. When
sphere or organization with which the character can spending Willpower to contest or resist in a Social interaction,
garner information. For example, a character with three dots you may substitute your character’s Resolve for the usual
of Contacts might have Bloggers, Drug Dealers, and Vampire Willpower bonus. If the roll is contested, roll with 8-again.
Hunters for connections. Contacts do not provide services, LANGUAGE (•)
only information. This may be given face-to-face, by email, by Effect:Your character is skilled with an additional language
telephone, or even by séance in some strange instances. beyond her native tongue. Choose a language each time you
Garnering information via Contacts requires a Manipulation + buy this Merit. Your character can speak, read, and write in
Social Skill roll, depending on the method the character that language.
uses. The Storyteller should give a bonus or penalty, dependent MENTOR (• TO •••••)
on how relevant the information is to that particular Contact, Effect: This Merit gives your character a teacher who
whether accessing the information is dangerous, and if the provides advice and guidance. He acts on your character’s
character has maintained good relations or done favors for behalf, often in the background and sometimes without your
the Contact. These modifiers should range from –3 to +3 in character’s knowledge. This may be an older werewolf in the
most cases. If successful, the Contact provides the information. same protectorate, a lodge-mate, or other figure. While Mentors
One use of a Contact is to dig up dirt on another character. A can be highly competent, they almost always want something
Contact can find another character’s Social Merits in return for their services. The dot rating determines the
and any relevant Conditions. If someone attempts to block Mentor’s capabilities, and to what extent he’ll aid your character.
Contacts with Allies, add up all Contacts dots to determine When establishing a Mentor, determine what the Mentor
the effective rating, to a maximum of five. wants from your character. The dot rating chosen should reflect
FAME (• TO •••) the importance of the objective to him. A one-dot Mentor
Effect: Your character is recognized within a certain sphere might always be on the Siskur-Dah, and wants to live vicariously
for a certain skill, or because of some past action, or just a stroke through your character. This might mean coming to him and
of telling stories of your character’s exploits. A five-dot Mentor
luck. This can mean favors and attention, but it can also mean would want something beyond price, such as an oath to find
negative attention and scrutiny. When choosing the Merit, define and kill the idigam that murdered the rest of his pack.
what your character is known for. One dot reflects local Choose three Skills the Mentor possesses. You can substitute
recognition or reputation within a confined subculture. Two dots Resources for one of these Skills. Once per session, the character
means may ask her Mentor for a favor. The favor must involve one of
regional recognition by a wide swath of people. Three dots means those Skills or be within the scope of his Resources. The Mentor
worldwide recognition to anyone who might have been exposed commits to the favor (often asking for a commensurate favor in
to the source of the fame. Each dot adds a die to any Social rolls return); and if a roll is required on the Mentor’s part to secure
among those who are impressed by your character’s celebrity. the favor, he is automatically considered to have successes equal
Drawback: Any rolls to find or identify the character to his dot rating. Alternately, the player may ask the Storyteller
enjoy a +1 bonus per dot of the Merit. If the character has
to have the Mentor act on her character’s behalf, without her A Retainer is more reliable than a Mentor and more loyal
character knowing or initiating the request. than an Ally. On the other hand, a Retainer is a lone person,
PARKOUR (STYLE, • TO •••••) less capable and influential than the broader Merits.
Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Athletics •• The Merit’s dot rating determines the relative competency of
Your character is a trained and proficient free-runner. the Retainer. A one-dot Retainer is barely able to do anything of
Free-running is the art of moving fluidly through urban use, such as a pet that knows one useful trick or a homeless old
environments with complex leaps, bounds, running tricks, and man who does minor errands for food. A three-dot Retainer is a
vaulting. professional in his field, someone capable in his line of work. A
This is the type of sport popularized in modern action films, five-dot Retainer is one of the best in his class. If he needs to
where characters are unhindered by fences, walls, construction make
equipment, cars, or anything else the city puts in the way. a roll within his field, double the Retainer dot rating and use it
Flow (•):Your character reacts instinctively to any obstacles as a dice pool. For anything else use the dot rating as a dice pool.
with leaps, jumps, and scaling techniques. When in a foot This Merit can be purchased multiple times to represent
chase, subtract your Parkour from the successes needed to multiple Retainers.
pursue or evade. Ignore environmental penalties to Athletics SAFE PLACE (• TO •••••)
rolls equal to your Parkour rating. Effect: Your character has somewhere she can go where she
Cat Leap (••): Your character falls with outstanding grace. can feel secure. While she may have enemies that could attack
Normally, characters take 1 point of bashing damage for every her there, she’s prepared and has the upper hand. The dot rating
10 feet fallen. Every success on a Dexterity + Athletics roll reflects the security of the place. The actual location, the luxury,
reduces the effective height by 10 feet; if the character would and the size are represented by equipment. A one-dot Safe Place
take lethal damage from the fall, the roll doesn’t reduce the might be equipped with basic security systems or a booby trap at
damage. Parkour removes this limitation, and can mitigate the windows and door. A five-dot bolthole could have a security
lethal damage. Additionally, add your Parkour rating to the crew, infrared scanners at every entrance, or trained dogs. Each
threshold of damage that can be removed through this roll. place could be an apartment, a mansion, or a hidey-hole.
Parkour will not mitigate damage from a terminal velocity fall. Unlike most Merits, multiple characters can contribute
Wall Run (•••): When climbing, your character can run dots to a single Safe Place, combining their points into something
upward for some distance before having to traditionally climb. greater. A Safe Place gives an Initiative bonus equal to the
Without rolling, your character scales 10 feet + 5 feet per dot of Merit dots should the location come under attack. The bonus
Athletics as an instant action, rather than the normal 10 feet. only applies to a character with dots invested in the Safe Place.
Expert Traceur (••••): Parkour has become second nature Any efforts to breach the Safe Place suffer a penalty equal
for your character. By spending a Willpower point, you may to the Merit dots invested. If the character desires, the Safe
designate one Athletics roll to run, jump, or climb as a rote Place can include traps that cause lethal damage to intruders
action. On any turn you use this ability, you may not apply equal to a maximum of the Merit rating (player’s choice as to
your character’s Defense to oncoming attacks. how much damage a given trap inflicts). This requires that the
Freeflow (•••••): Your character’s Parkour is now muscle character has at least a dot in Crafts. The traps may be avoided
memory. She can move without thinking in a zen-like state. with a Dexterity + Larceny roll, penalized by the Safe Place dots.
The character must run for at least a full minute in order to SLEIGHT OF HAND (••)
establish Freeflow. Once established, your character is capable of
taking Athletics actions reflexively once per turn. By Prerequisite: Larceny •••
spending a point of Willpower on an Athletics roll in a foot Effect: Your character can pick locks and pockets without
chase, gain an additional three successes instead of +3 dice. even thinking about it. She can take one Larceny-based instant
RESOURCES (• TO •••••) action reflexively in a given turn. As well, her Larceny actions
Effect: This Merit reflects your character’s disposable income. go unnoticed unless someone is trying specifically to catch her.
She might live in an upscale condo, but if her income is STAFF (• TO •••••)
tied up in the mortgage and child support payments, she might Effect: Your character has a crew of workers or assistants
have little money to throw around. Characters are assumed at her disposal. They may be housekeepers, designers, research
to have basic necessities without Resources. assistants, animators, thugs, or whatever else makes sense. For
The dot rating determines the relative amount of disposable every dot in this Merit, choose one type of assistant, and one
funding the character has available, depending on your Skill. At any reasonable time, her staff can take actions using
particular chronicle’s setting. The same amount of money that Skill. These actions automatically garner a single success.
means completely different things in a game set in Silicon While not useful in contested actions, this guarantees success
Valley compared to one set in the Detroit slums. One dot is on minor, mundane activities.
a little spending money here and there. Two is a comfortable, Note that you may have employees or human packmates
middle class wage. Three is a nicer, upper-middle-class life. without requiring the Staff Merit. Staff simply adds a mechanical
Four is moderately wealthy. Five is filthy rich. advantage for those groups.
Every item has an Availability rating. Once per chapter, STATUS (• TO •••••)
your character can procure an item at her Resources level or Effect: Your character has standing, membership, authority,
lower without issue. An item one Availability level above her control over, or respect from a group or organization. This
Resources reduces her effective Resources by one dot for a full may reflect official standing or informal respect. No matter
month, since she has to rapidly liquidate funds. She can procure the source, your character enjoys certain privileges within
items two Availability levels below her Resources without limit that structure.
(within reason). For example, a character with Resources •••• can Each instance of this Merit reflects standing in a different
procure as many Availability••disposable cellphones as she needs. group or organization. Your character may have Status (The
RETAINER (• TO •••••)
Effect:Your character has an assistant, sycophant, servant,
or follower on whom she can rely. Her retainer isn’t part of the
Luck Gang) •••, Status (Drag Racing Circuit) ••, and Status
pack; their relationship is strictly one-to-one. Establish who this
companion is and how he was acquired. It may be as simple
•
(Police) . Each affords its own unique benefits. As you increase
dot ratings, your character rises in prominence in the
as a paycheck. He might owe your character his life. However
it happened, your character has a hold on him. relevant group.
Status only allows advantages within the confines of the
group reflected in the Merit. Status (Organized Crime) won’t
help if your character wants an official concealed carry firearms
permit, for example.
Status provides a number of advantages:
First, your character can apply her Status to any Social
roll with those over whom she has authority or sway.
Second, she has access to group facilities, resources,
and funding. Dependent on the group, this could be limited
by red tape and requisitioning processes. It’s also dependent
on the resources the particular group has available.
Third, she has pull. If your character knows another
individual’s Mentor, Resources, Retainer, Contacts, or Allies,
she can block their usage. Once per chapter, she can stop a
single Merit from being used if it’s of a lower dot rating than
her Status, and if it makes sense for her organization to obstruct
that type of person’s behavior. In our Organized Crime
example, if your character knows that the chief of police has
Contacts (Criminal Informant), you may opt to block its usage
by threatening the informant into silence.
Drawback: Status requires upkeep and often regular
duties. If these duties are not upheld, Status may be lost. The
dots will not be accessible until the character re-establishes her
standing. In our Organized Crime example, your character
may be expected to pay protection money, offer tribute to a
higher authority, or undertake felonious activities.
STRIKING LOOKS (• OR ••)
Effect: Your character is stunning, alarming, commanding,
repulsing, threatening, charming, or otherwise worthy of
attention. Determine how your character looks and how people
react to that. For one dot, your character gets a +1 bonus on
any Social rolls that would be influenced by his looks. For two
dots, the benefit increases to +2. Depending on the particulars,
this might influence Expression, Intimidation, Persuasion,
Subterfuge, or other rolls.
Drawback: Attention is a double-edged sword. Any rolls
to spot, notice, or remember your character gain the same die
bonus. Sometimes, your character will draw unwanted attention
in social situations. This could cause further complications.
SYMPATHETIC (••)
Effect: Your character is very good at letting others get
close. This gives him an edge in getting what he wants. At the
beginning of a Social maneuvering attempt, you may choose
to accept a Condition such as Leveraged or Swooning in order
to immediately eliminate two of the subject’s Doors.
UNSEEN SENSE (••)
Prerequisite: Human character (not werewolf or
Wolf-Blooded)
Effect: Your character has a “sixth sense” for a type of
supernatural creature, chosen when you buy the Merit. For
example, you may choose Unseen Sense: Werewolves, or Unseen
Sense: Fairies. The sense manifests differently for everyone.
A character’s hair stands on end, she becomes physically ill,
or perhaps she has a cold chill. Regardless, she knows that
something isn’t right when she is in the immediate proximity
of the appropriate supernatural being. Once per chapter, the
player can accept the Spooked Condition; in exchange, the
character can pinpoint where the feeling is coming from. If the
target is using a power that specifically cloaks its supernatural
nature, however, this does not work (though the Condition
remains until resolved as usual).