Way of the Garou

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Way of the Garou

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Overview

Half human. Half beast. Predators that stalk the deepest woods and the darkest urban alleyways. Monsters that creep up on their prey like ghosts, then explode into a fury of claws and fangs. Beasts that howl under the full moon and kill those that cross the boundaries of their territory.

Werewolves.

In some ways, werewolves embody the oldest human fear — the fear of the wolf at the door, the awful thought that for all our tools and fire, we are still prey in the eyes of Mother Nature. We struggle to control every detail of our environment to our exacting specifications, and that makes us all the more afraid, deep down, of being stranded in a hostile place under the control of something larger and stronger than us: something with fangs and a taste for meat.

But there's more to it than that. Humans have always feared, even hated wild animals, particularly those that are stronger than us on some level. But we have always envied their strength at the same time. In the earliest times, prehistoric humans wore animal skins and bones and prayed to somehow become as swift or keen-eyed or strong as the animals with which they shared the world. Even today, people wear clothing, jewellery, even tattoos depicting animals they respect in a sort of unconscious desire to borrow those animals' power. And we tell stories of humans who can take animal form (or vice versa). We always have, from the Americas to Europe to Africa to Asia. And the king of these stories is the story of the werewolf. The werewolf represents everything we fear in Nature — and everything we'd like to be.

Deep down inside, we're afraid of wolves, yet we want desperately to wear the wolves' skins and to be like them.

The werewolves of the World of Darkness aren't quite what one would expect from the movies. Humanity has managed to grasp the concept of the werewolf only partially. The European legends of shapeshifting witches and the Native American tales of animals that take on human form are equally full of misconceptions. The following are a few of the most commonly accepted "facts" about werewolves — and just how true or false they are.
Werewolves are mindless beasts in wolf form. False. Werewolves retain their intelligence, which is equal to that of any human, in any form they take (and werewolves have five forms from which to choose). Their reputation for savagery stems from their Rage, which is a supernatural fury more intense than any anger a human can feel. Werewolves can channel their Rage to perform incredible feats of strength and speed. However, the stronger a werewolf s Rage is, the more likely he is to lose control in times of great stress, flying into a berserk fit of violence called frenzy. It is virtually impossible to reason with a werewolf in this state. All he can think of is fight or flight. It is this savagery that has given rise to the legends of brutal, uncontrollable man-beasts.
A werewolf changes form when the moon is full. Mostly false. Werewolves can change forms whenever they want, day or night. However, they have deep spiritual ties to the moon, and they revere the mighty moon-spirit Luna as one of their greatest totems. A werewolf s Rage is tied to the moon's phases, growing stronger as the moon grows brighter. Therefore, a werewolf is at her greatest risk of frenzy when the moon is full, and more werewolf attacks tend to occur under the full moon.
If a werewolf bites a person, that person becomes a werewolf. False. Werewolves are born, not "infected." Most werewolves are born of human or wolf stock, and they don't know their true heritage until they reach adolescence and undergo their First Change. Even so, some tribes have been historically known to keep track of their young cubs from afar, then staging a mock "wolf attack" just before the children are due for their First Change. Although this practice has fallen out of favour in modern times, it was in no small way responsible for the rumours of the supernatural disease lycanthropy.
Werewolves are witches who take wolf form by dressing in wolf skins. False. Either you're born a werewolf, or you aren't. Wizards and witches exist in the World of Darkness, and some of them can shapeshift into animal form, but none of them are true Garou with all the according powers.
Werewolves can be killed only by silver. Partially true. For all their supernatural power, werewolves aren't immortal. They grow old, and they can be killed. However, werewolves are remarkably resistant to injury and disease. Furthermore, they heal with incredible speed, even to the point of regenerating damaged internal organs. A gunshot wound that would kill an ordinary human can be nothing more than an inconvenience to a werewolf. But werewolves cannot heal all wounds with equal ease. With its spiritual ties to the moon, silver can burn werewolves more severely than fire could. A wound from a silver weapon can be fatal, and although werewolves can heal such terrible damage, doing so takes them a long time. Therefore, a silver bullet might not be the instant kill depicted so often in the movies, but it's an enemy's best chance at taking a werewolf down.
Werewolves can be detected by odd features such as pointed ears or index and middle fingers of the same length. Almost entirely false. Werewolves are indistinguishable from humans in their Homid, or human form. However, there are a few werewolves whose parents are both werewolves rather than humans or wolves. These metis are always deformed in some fashion. Their deformities are usually evident in human form, although they are much more debilitating than cosmetic oddities like pointed ears.
Werewolves, unlike wolves, are loners. False. Werewolves have a powerful pack mentality, and they feel distinctly uncomfortable without the presence of packmates or tribemates. To be cast out of one's pack and sentenced to walk alone is a horrible punishment for a werewolf.
The Truth

In the World of Darkness, werewolves have walked among humanity for as long as humans have existed. They can blend into human civilization, but rarely for long. They're predators at heart, and people can sense as much on an instinctive level. At heart, a werewolf is a creature of both human and wolf nature, but it is neither fully. They refer to themselves by a name from their own tongue — the Garou.

Werewolves cannot breed among themselves to preserve their lineage; their blood is too potent, and the result is too much like inbreeding. To continue their bloodlines, werewolves must mate with humans or wolves. However, the chance that any children or cubs that result from such a pairing will breed true is small. In most cases, the spirit half of the werewolf isn't passed on.

Werewolves born to human or wolf families are indistinguishable from their mortal siblings. There is no detectable "Garou gene," and DNA-testing does not reveal anything amiss. Newborn werewolves simply appear to be normal humans or wolves in almost every respect. Only a very few are even told by their parents that werewolves exist at all. However, young werewolves are prone to strange dreams and fits of temper that alienate them from their relatives or friends. Finally, some time after adolescence, a young werewolf undergoes his First Change. This event is often brought on by stress or trauma, leading the confused young werewolf to lash out at whatever is hurting him. It's then that the werewolf s Garou relatives arrive to collect him. Once among his own kind, he is initiated into his Garou tribe and taught the purpose and traditions of his people. From that point forward, the young werewolf lives a life of constant danger. Should he persevere, though, he can become a legend among his Garou kin.

Garou society is older at its core than any human culture. Many of its traditions date back to a time before agriculture, before the first humans settled Australia, and even before history as we know it. They have managed this amazing longevity while keeping their true nature a secret from humanity by two means: oral tradition and faith.

To the Garou, the past is a living thing. They keep tales of their ancestors alive, retelling them at gatherings to inspire the latest generation to strive for similarly heroic deeds. The laws laid down millennia ago are learned and recounted by each generation until every werewolf knows them by heart. By keeping all their lore alive in an oral tradition, the Garou have retained a sense of continuity that binds each generation to the next.

Secondly, werewolves believe that Gaia — the living spirit of the world itself — created them to defend her and make war against her enemies. They're aided in this belief by several points that seem to support their claim: their obviously supernatural nature, their allies among the spirit world and the fact that they are definitely at war with the forces of spiritual corruption. Their war has been going on for millennia — not even the wisest Talesinger among the werewolves can recall a story of their race at peace. According to their traditions, Gaia brought werewolves into being as a response to the rise of their enemy — the Wyrm. The Garou maintain that their true purpose in life is to fight, kill and die in the service of the Earth Mother.

The Garou's claim to be a race designed for battle is certainly well founded. Werewolves are deadly creatures, perhaps the most lethal overall of any living being in the world. They possess great strength when they shapeshift, allowing them to tear apart metal and stone with their bare talons. They heal remarkably quickly, making them nearly impossible to kill with mundane weaponry such as knives or small firearms. They possess mystical powers that allow them to travel the spirit world, strike with stealth or monstrous force and even call on the forces of the earth itself. They have all the intelligence and tool-using capability of any human, making some werewolves masters of both high technology and occult power. Most importantly, werewolves are pack creatures, which makes them a hundred times stronger. A pack of werewolves is worth more than 10 times its weight in enemies.

If they were more numerous, it's possible that the werewolves would have already won the war. But they are too few in number; at the beginning of the 21st century, they are a dying race. Their enemies are virtually uncountable, and they range from humans who fight with raw intelligence, cunning and resources to monsters from deep in the earth that can tear apart tanks — to an entire tribe of werewolves that has sided with the enemy. Worst of all, the Garou fight amongst themselves. Rivalries that started centuries ago continue even today as blood feuds that prevent the Garou from achieving the unity that would make them unstoppable. Just as their pack mentality brings them together, their Rage drives them apart.

Caught Between Worlds

Werewolves are outsiders, trapped forever between extremes. Unlike the monstrous shapechangers of legend, they can change their shapes at will. Assuming the forms of men and women, they walk the streets of the largest cities to protect — or punish — the human race. Wearing a lupine skin, they can run as wolves, free as moonlight in the night. They may try to live in both worlds if they prefer, but they will never truly belong in either.

Some prefer living as humans do, but such a life is frustrating, to say the least. Over six billion humans populate the Earth. Any werewolf can try to live among them, but modern cities are cold and alien places, vast and sterile. Werewolves are aware of sinister things lurking in the shadows, horrible creatures mankind simply does not understand... or even recognize.

The presence of the unnatural awakens their most feral instincts. No matter how civilized human cities may seem, foul things dwell in the darkness.

A werewolf may try to escape into the natural world, but that realm has also been dying steadily. Thanks to ecological devastation, the wilderness is shrinking. As the werewolves are keenly aware, the number of wild wolves on the planet is decreasing rapidly. Hated and feared by average folk, the wolf is a villain in children's stories, a menace to farmers and fair game for hunters. Only in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Siberia can wolves be found in their natural habitat. There is no place left to hide. Even in the most remote realms, the Earth is bleak.

No matter how or where they live, werewolves struggle to survive. Caught between worlds, they must choose between two extremes: hunting in urban hellholes and exploring the constantly changing wilderness.

Urban Hell

For werewolves, the most dangerous hunting grounds are in the cities, for nothing in them is what it seems. Most werewolves openly despise the major metropolises as cancerous tumours on the flesh of the world. Even the human inhabitants find them bleak. Smog dims the sunlight, traffic snarls through the streets, and crime boils under the city's skin. Werewolves, with their superhuman senses and occult talents, are aware of far deeper problems than crime and corruption. Hunting in a city requires great caution, for the quarry is often devious and deadly.

Two tribes of werewolves — the Bone Gnawers and Glass Walkers — consider the cities to be their natural territory, but other werewolves fear such an unnatural world. A wolf is as out of place in a concrete wasteland as a citizen of the First World would be in the depths of the Amazon or Sahara. The smells are all wrong, the logic of the streets is twisted, and natural laws warp and mutate. In the cities of mankind, werewolves sense strange activity everywhere. Shapeshifters are cautious whenever they leave the relative safety of the wilderness.

Primal Wilderness

Behind the veneer of civilization, the primal wild waits to reclaim its dominance. If the cities seem bleak, the alternative is even less comforting. Humans erect cities to shelter themselves from nature's capricious ways. The wild is more than just an expanse of tangled forests, stagnant swamps and windswept plains. Humanity's morality does not always apply there. The primal wild is a realm of mysteries, especially to the unprepared. Great lumbering beasts stalk the night, as they have for thousands of years, and only werewolves have the courage to face them.

Rural towns exist on the fringe of civilization, filled with sullen, insular and mistrustful citizens. Humans there are filled with superstition and fear… and with good reason. Memories of a far more primitive world lurk deep within the human subconscious. While these fears can never be dredged up entirely, wandering into the untamed wilderness stirs up distant reminders of a lost and terrible age.

Even the werewolves do not understand all the secrets of the wild. Strange events take place away from watchful eyes, and nature is often cruel to those who try to steal her secrets. The Earth is not always loving and gentle. Some places are taboo, and fools who seek them out do not return.

The Spirit World

Another reality exists beyond what mankind experiences. Mystics speak of a spirit world that the vast majority of humans never encounter. Visionaries and shamans may gain brief glimpses, parting the veil that obscures it from view, but they can never understand fully what they encounter. Werewolves have an animistic view of creation, believing that spirits lurk behind everything around them. Indeed, spirits are everywhere… if you know where to look.

Most werewolves believe that everything of consequence in the physical world has a reflection in the spirit world. It is as if everything that is truly alive casts a shadow into this separate, thriving dimension. For this reason, the realm of spirit is known as the Umbra, the "shadow" of creation. Werewolves are more than mere humans; they are creatures of both flesh and spirit. Any werewolf can cross over to the other side and enter the spirit world — what their kind calls "stepping sideways" — if she wills it. In a sense, she can escape to another dimension, if only for a short time.

Rage and Gnosis

Two other extremes are crucial to a werewolf s existence: rage and reason. Because werewolves are both beasts and men, they must balance instinct carefully with intellect. Packs can spend a lifetime hunting monsters in the physical world, but the violence, confrontation and suffering of the "real world" fills them with uncontrollable and overwhelming anger as they spend more and more time away from the spirit world. If they are not careful, they eventually become as feral as the werewolves of legend.

By contrast, the mystical world encourages contemplation — it is a realm of enigmas and mystery. Werewolves who explore the spirit world gain insights into the physical world. By studying the realms of the Umbra, they learn to understand great secrets, increasing "their mystical understanding or Gnosis. However, werewolves who spend too much time away from the physical world lose touch with reality, forgetting responsibilities they have left behind. No place is safe; the werewolf is an outsider no matter where he travels.

Walking Between Worlds

The world of the werewolves is harsh, yet this harshness provides contrast to great acts of sacrifice and heroism. Quite simply, werewolves fight and die for their beliefs. Warriors fight horrific abominations with tooth and claw, while mystics hunt evil with supernatural insight. Some wise warriors employ even stranger methods, like street-savvy trickery, political activism and cunning intrigue. No matter what tactics they choose, werewolves walk between two worlds: the reality of the violent physical world and the mystery of the enigmatic spirit world.

Wherever they run — in the cities, in the wilderness, or even in the spirit world—werewolves face the same overwhelming fate. Their world is dying, and their destiny is ultimately tragic. In fact, many of their mystics proclaim that these are the Final Days. The End Times, when all of creation will finally unravel, are here. As the light dies, werewolf heroes are willing to sacrifice everything to hold back the darkness. We live in the age of the final, ultimate Apocalypse.

Becoming Garou

Humans have their own society and their own legends. They also tell stories about the shapechangers of legend, monsters who prey on the weak. Wolfmen in late-night movies typically curse their victims with lycanthropy, infecting them during epic rampages. The werewolves of the modern world have created a separate set of myths, epics and legends. In each such legend, lycanthropy is less a curse than a blessing; a legacy passed from parent to child.

In modern terms, werewolf blood is inherited. If one of a child's parents is a werewolf, a chance exists that he will be one as well. Sadly, this chance has diminished steadily over the last thousand years. The blood's power is not dominant, and a Garou's child really has only a one-in-10 chance of becoming a "full-blooded" werewolf. Fortunately, the blessing isn't limited to human children. Many Garou prefer to breed with wolves, leaving their cubs to be raised by lupine mates in the wilderness.

For thousands of years, werewolves bred with both humans and wolves in relatively equal proportions. Unfortunately, as the number of wolves has decreased drastically in the world, Garou blood has become dangerously impure. One in three werewolves bred with wolves as recently as a thousand years ago, but now the ratio is closer to one-in-15. Legendary ancestors once found it relatively easy to balance their feral instincts against their human wisdom, but no longer.

Kinfolk

Most of a Garou's cubs and children never become full-blooded werewolves. Instead, they are "carriers" for the blood of the Garou, which can survive in their families for generations. Half-blooded children are known as Kinfolk. Although werewolves don't defend these relations as staunchly as they did millennia ago, a wise Garou keeps an eye on his kin. Some do so by commanding spirits, commonly called Kin-Fetches, to watch over their children. While the spirits pledge to observe all of a werewolf s children carefully, many of them lose their way over the span of years and abandon their charges.

Kinfolk "half-breeds" are markedly different from the rest of mankind. They may have strange and terrifying dreams, wander alone in hopeless reverie for hours at a time or have trouble relating to people around them. An inexplicable longing consumes them. The lucky ones learn about their werewolf relations, and even help them from time to time. Most just remain quietly unaware of the secret world around them.

Cubs

A child of a werewolf has about a 10-percent chance that he himself will be born a "full-blooded" Garou — not good odds. Some werewolves manage to divine their children's true nature at birth. Those without the proper resources to do so don't discover which if any of their cubs are Garou until the young ones reach adolescence. Although the Garou mark their pure-blooded cubs at birth, werewolves all too commonly leave their offspring to be raised by their mates, sometimes as an effort to draw enemies away from their children. A cub's true nature remains dormant throughout her childhood, manifesting only as dreams and visions. Between the ages of 1 0 and 1 6 (if human) or between one and two years (for a wolf), hazy memories and "unnatural" urges begin to surface. A troubled wolf may be driven from the pack of her unpredictable behaviour, or an adolescent may be ostracized or even institutionalized. In some way, others begin to notice that this lost soul is different.

As life becomes more difficult, the legacy remains dormant until a great trauma forces the First Change. The First Change does not wait for a full moon or a curse. When the time is right, flesh and bone rapidly warp the child into a hulking, bipedal, nine-foot monster. If the cub is fortunate, she is found by others of her own kind; if she isn't, the experience is even more terrifying. Legends of monsters driven insane by the light of the full moon have basis in fact.

Most cubs are rescued — or kidnapped, depending on your point of view — and educated by other werewolves. By necessity, the first lesson is controlling shapeshifting voluntarily. Years of teaching follow... or they should, at least. However, time is a luxury these days. Elders offer various bits of tribal lore, although curiously enough, their oral histories differ remarkably from tribe to tribe. Regardless of age, the "cub" is treated like a child until she decides to accept her destiny and join the community of the Garou.

Coming of Age

Every tribe has its own traditions for marking a cub's passage into adulthood. The Garou denote a cub's coming of age with a Rite of Passage, a deadly and dangerous quest that tests a werewolf s strength and wisdom to its very limits. The rite is more than a transition into adulthood. It also shows elders that a cub is worthy of membership in one of the greatest tribes. Until this quest is complete, she does not belong to any of them, for she has not proven herself worthy.

Two choices follow. First, a werewolf may approach her chosen tribe alone. Once she does, the tribal elders may send her out on a test particularly suited to their kind. Solitary visionquests are based on ancient tribal traditions. Usually, however, the elders send the cub to a place where many werewolves gather. There, the child must wait until several cubs are ready to embark on a quest together. In this case, the ritual is also a test of the cubs' ability to work together and resolve their differences. They may later decide to join the same pack. In all cases, the elders send spirits to watch over the petitioners, if only to verify the greatness of their deeds. Once these cubs return, they become cliath, they join their respective tribes formally, and they learn their first tribal Gifts.

In recent years, the Garou have found an increasing number of adult humans (or even wolves) who once had the potential to become werewolves, but never did. They might have been illegitimate and unrecognized children of Garou wanderers. The spirits who watched over them might have lost them. They might have even been born to two Kinfolk parents far from a sept. Regardless, they never underwent their First Change and Rite of Passage. Such poor souls are known as lost cubs. They have repressed their true nature to such a degree that many go insane or die of depression. When one survives long enough to undergo the Change late in life, it is a cause for great joy. As the Final Days approach, every werewolf is needed desperately. The forces of darkness are legion, and they grow stronger with each passing day.

Breeds

A werewolf s true nature is shaped long before his First Change. If one of his parents is human, he will grow up in human society, learning the ways of man. If one of his parents is a wolf, he will be raised by wolves, and human society will be a mystery to him. In almost every case, one of the parents is Garou. Whether the child's mother's natural form is that of a human or a wolf determines what his breed will be. (It's also possible that a werewolf might be born to two human parents or to a mated pair of wolves if the werewolf blood is strong enough in his family. However, the odds of such an occurrence
are much steeper.) There are three such breeds in Garou society: homid, lupus and metis.
Homid

A homid is the child of a werewolf and a human, one who lives as a human before his First Change. Although homids often have trouble relating to other children, they understand thoroughly how human society works. They are not quite human, though. The word "homid" refers to a werewolf with a human parent, while the word "human" refers to the race of mankind. By definition, a homid will never quite fit into human society. Something about him — his dreams, his turmoil or his hidden rage — marks him as different.

Homids find themselves confronted by a moral dilemma. After a homid learns about his true nature, human society begins to seem alien. A true werewolf is drawn to the wild, feeling a deep need to commune with the primal wilderness. Unfortunately, that primeval world is gone, having been destroyed by thousands of years of human civilization. The only place where a werewolf truly belongs is with his own species. Therefore, Garou are social creatures who gather in packs to run together. The cub leaves his past gradually to become immersed in Garou society, where he will face its difficulties and its destiny. The alternative is the madness of facing a dying world alone.

Some homids never admit the faults and failings of human society fully. They keep going back to their former lives, torturing themselves by trying to rejoin the human race. While they are painfully aware of the environmental destruction humans wreak, most can never fully reconcile the idea of hating humanity because of it. As a result, some homids are very defensive about their human ancestry. A bitter few lash out at those lupus werewolves who question human ways, and they forever consider them "lesser" creatures. Homids, after all, are the most populous of the three breeds, and they're obviously at the top of the evolutionary ladder. Homids are clearly the most fit to rule… at least by their reckoning.

Lupus

A lupus Garou is the child of a werewolf and a wolf (or more rarely, two Kinfolk wolves). A thousand years ago, about one-third of the werewolves in the world were lupus. Today, the ratio is only about one in eight. Lupus usually spend their formative years around wolves, raised as creatures of instinct. A lupus suspects she is different from an early age. For one thing, she is typically more intelligent than her wolf packmates. However, since she does not learn to think "like a human," she often acts on intuition and gut reactions. Even after she learns to communicate with other Garou, words are not as important to her as actions, feelings and sensory impressions.

Lupus tend to see the world more simply than homids do, but they are not stupid. Lupus are capable of making complex plans, measuring time, figuring out simple technology and completing tasks quickly and effectively. They also tend to have remarkable insights homids would never develop. Nonetheless, homids sometimes patronize them because the wolf-born express themselves very directly. Homids love to talk and are often caught up in long-winded speeches about simple concepts, a practice lupus call "monkey-babble." Lupus typically speak with a handful of verbs and nouns. They break down complex issues into simple black and white, detesting deceit, hypocrisy or verbal subterfuge. If a lupus doesn't like you, he'll tell you straight out.

Lupus are also intensely aware that they are a dying breed. Of course, the humans are largely to blame, and the homids are accomplices. While a lupus may decide to join a pack with werewolves of other breeds, a few favour spending time with their own kind. Many such lupus either belong to the Red Talon tribe — a society known for its genocidal policies toward humans — or they at least agree with its philosophy. Even a lupus who trusts the homids in her pack may be overpowered by the call of the wild. She may trust her packmates with her very life but still feel a longing for the company of wolves.

Metis

Metis werewolves don't belong in either human or lupine society; their parents are neither wolves nor humans. A metis is the child of two werewolves. Garou law forbids werewolves from breeding with each other, but such acts of "incest" do occur. Garou who commit these acts are usually ostracized, or sometimes killed outright, but not without reason: Their offspring, the victims of inbreeding and recessive genes, are always sterile and deformed.

Every metis has a deformity of some kind. Long ago, these bastard children were cast out or killed. But now, as the Garou race is dying out, metis are accepted reluctantly and grudgingly in Garou society. The parents are usually exiled, since their shame is too great for them to raise the bastard cub themselves. Instead, other werewolves raise metis cubs. A metis cub grows up in a werewolf community called a sept, usually a rural one far from the watchful eyes of innocent humans.

A metis may undergo his First Change early in life — around the same time a human child begins to walk — or he may stay trapped in his monstrous birth form until early adolescence (usually at eight to 10 years of age). There's really no way to tell when it will occur. For these and other reasons, metis children are kept hidden from human society. Throughout childhood, they are treated with scorn and disdain. Elders teach them responsibility by giving them tasks to do for the sept, but these tasks are almost always drudgery. A high-ranking metis may have the task of watching over a sept's metis cubs. If the sept also includes lupus cubs or homid children, elders usually raise them separately. Despite this segregation, metis grow up learning the intricacies of Garou culture, and they are intimately familiar with the workings of their sept.

As they grow older, metis find shapechanging relatively easy, especially when the threat of danger is nearby. Therefore, they are recruited to help defend their sept throughout their adolescence. Those who survive may undergo their Rite of Passage, join a pack and be accepted by a tribe. However, they are still considered second-class citizens, and their deformities are still obvious. Until his dying day, each metis must display his stigma openly at all times within the territory of the sept. A few metis are able to conceal their genetic flaws at least partially when among humans, but their relatives hate them all the more for "cheating nature." As a result, the average metis is a hostile, bitter creature who may never trust others enough to join a pack. The few that can overcome this hatred are tragic figures. Even if their packmates accept them fully, Garou outside the pack hardly ever return their admiration or affection.</li>
Forms

Many legends speak of werewolves assuming only two forms, human and wolf. In truth, the Garou wear five different forms, each suited to different tasks and situations.

Changing form isn‘t as simple as it sounds, even for a shapeshifter. The difficulty varies based on the character's starting form. However, the number of successes needed also varies based on which form the character is attempting to reach. She must cross over all intermediate forms before reaching the one she desires. Therefore, the player must roll one success to begin the change and then one for each form the character must “pass through” to get to the desired form.

If a character is shifting to her breed form, the change is automatic and instantaneous, no matter how many forms must be passed through. The same is true if the player spends a Rage point to enact the change. Any clothes the character is wearing when she shifts will probably be shredded unless they are dedicated (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication) in which case, they meld with the character's body and reappear when she takes Homid form again.
Homid: The Human

The natural form for homid breed Garou and the form in which they feel most comfortable, Homid form is in all ways identical to a normal human being (save for lupus and metis werewolves, who are allergic to silver and possess regenerative powers in this form). Homid-form werewolves still trigger the Curse in normal humans, however.

Glabro: The Near-Man

The Glabro form is bipedal, and it doesn't possess obvious fangs or claws, but the resemblance to a human being ends there. A Garou shifting from Homid to Glabro gains from 100% to 200% in body weight (all muscle) and six inches in height. Body hair becomes much more profuse, the teeth and nails elongate (although not enough to inflict any special damage), the brow slopes, and the character looks huge and menacing.

Werewolves in Glabro can speak the Garou tongue and manage human language without too much trouble. Human speech, however, has a guttural rasp to it. While Garou can use this form to interact with human society, the typically don't. The Glabro form is too crude and too easy to remember.

Crinos: The Wolf-Man

Affectionately known as the "nine-foot snarling death-beast" form, a werewolf in Crinos wants to do only one thing — kill. The natural form of all metis breed Garou, the Crinos is not a form for deliberation, even with other werewolves.

Shifting from Glabro to Crinos, the Garou grows in height by half and gains another 100% to 200% in weight. The head changes to a wolfs maw, and the fangs and claws are now fully grown. The arms become long and apelike, and the werewolf can move either on two legs or all fours. The Garou also grows a tail, which helps with balance.

A werewolf in the war form may speak the Garou tongue perfectly well, and he may converse with wolves crudely. Human speech is reduced to one or two words at a time (favourite phrases include "Wyrm!" and "Kill them!"). Expressing anything more complex requires the expenditure of a Willpower point.

Hispo: The Near-Wolf

The Hispo resembles a normal wolf in the same way that the Glabro resembles a common human. A werewolf in Hispo form looks like a prehistoric dire wolf. The head and jaws are massive, even more so than the Crinos, and the bite of a Hispo inflicts an extra die of damage. The Hispo can stand on its hind legs, if necessary, but it is much more comfortable on all fours.

The Hispo form weighs nearly as much as form, but its four-legged stance allows it to run faster. Perception difficulties decrease by one in this form. The senses are sharp, although not so keen as the Lupus. A werewolf in Hispo has no hands, so he cannot grasp objects, except in his mouth.

A Garou in Hispo form can speak with Garou and wolves with little difficulty, but any human speech requires a Willpower point and even that is limited to one or two syllables.

Lupus: The Wolf

The natural state of lupus Garou, the pure wolf form is feral and driven by instinct. Used primarily for tracking and travel, the change from Hispo to Lupus causes the Garou to shed a great deal of muscle and body size. The jaws and claws shrink considerably — a homid or metis in Lupus can cause aggravated wounds with only a bite, and lupus in their breed form cause lethal damage. The Lupus form runs at twice human speed and it is far more perceptive. All Perception difficulties for Garou in Lupus form drop by two.

The Lupus resembles a normal wolf for all intents and purposes. The exact appearance of a Garou's Lupus form will vary depending on her tribe.</li>
The Delirium

Werewolves preyed on humans for over 3000 years, and while most humans have no idea that werewolves truly exist, a part of them remembers. The horrible wolf-man, the Crinos form, incites a kind of madness in humans that Garou call the Delirium.

The stronger a human's will, the more clearly she can deal with seeing a werewolf. Most humans, however, either panic and run, or they just collapse. Even stronger-willed people tend to forget the encounter later, either by rationalizing what they saw ("A bear! I'm not kidding!") or by omitting the entire incident from their minds. The Garou refer to this subconscious denial as the Veil, and they look at it as one of their greatest assets.

This chart shows what a human will do when he sees a Crinos as per his Willpower score. The chart also shows whether and to what degree the human will forget the encounter, as well as what percentage of the populace will react in that way. Students of the occult might gain some bonus on this chart. In addition, members of cultures that didn't suffer the Impergium to a great degree (such as Native Americans and Australian Aborigines) might also be granted a bonus. Photographs or such evidence don't trigger any fear reaction, although human witnesses will probably rationalize the photos away as publicity stunts or some such unless they have a Willpower of 8 or higher. Kinfolk are immune to the Delirium.

Auspices

At the moment a werewolf is born, she inherits an ancient legacy. Her breed will shape her view of the world, and one day, her tribe will teach her how to survive. Her fate in life, on the other hand, is shaped by something far more mystical. The phase of the moon at the instant of a werewolf s birth determines her auspice, the role she is destined to play in Garou society. Every werewolf upholds one of these five aspects and receives mystical gifts to help fulfil it. A shapechanger is strongest when the moon's phase corresponds to her auspice; the first time each month a werewolf sees her auspice moon, she is filled with an uncontrollable rush of energy. The Garou's greatest warriors, for instance, are born during the full moon, which has led to the most infamous werewolf legends.
New Moon: Children born during the new moon are destined to become great tricksters, for sly creatures stalk unseen in the darkness when the light of the moon is absent. New Moons are masters of stealth and guile. Their talent for theft is so great that they often love to mock the orderly ways of Garou society, a trait their packmates accept grudgingly. With this freedom comes a carefree disregard for society's laws and a wicked sense of humour. Such a cub is fated to become a Ragabash.

Crescent Moon: The crescent moon cuts through darkness like a knife, bringing spectral glory to the landscape below. Cubs born under this auspice are of a mystical disposition, often fascinated by the supernatural and the spiritual. Long before a Crescent's Rite of Passage, elders teach her myth, lore, the mysteries of cosmology and the secrets of the occult. By the time she comes of age, the cub is ready to serve as a Theurge.

Half Moon: Just as the half moon is caught between light and shadow, so too are cubs born under this auspice. Werewolves are faced with many conflicts and contradictions — the struggle between man and nature, the balance of human thoughts and lupine instincts, existence as a creature of both flesh and spirit or even the conflict between good and evil. Half Moons can see both sides of any issue, which makes them expert mediators and judges. As they are prepared for their Rites of Passage, they are taught the intricacies of Garou law. Such a cub is destined to become a Philodox.

Gibbous Moon: Cubs born under this sign are known as Moon Dancers, since they're inspired easily by the radiant moonlight this auspice moon brings. Although some may see them as flighty or temperamental, they have terrific bursts of artistic insight. When the moon is bright, they are often moved to song or story. Many develop phenomenal memories, especially for the sagas and histories of great Garou. Because of their great passion and sociable bravado, such cubs become Galliards.

Full Moon: When a cub is born under the full moon, she grows up full of rage and fury. When her auspice moon hangs in the heavens, she is eager to unleash her wrath and give in to the glory of bloodlust. Like the wolfman of legend, she revels in violence and feral frenzies, meting punishment with her cruel claws. After years of intense physical training, she will howl at the moon that she is Ahroun.</li>
The Twelve Tribes

Once a Garou completes his Rite of Passage, he is welcomed into one of the Twelve Tribes of the Garou Nation. Before the completion of this rite, he is a cub, and he is treated as little more than a child. He may not learn tribal Gifts or receive the tribe's deepest secrets. Even metis cubs are shut out from such sacred knowledge; they're welcomed enough to work for the sept, but not enough to receive its privileges. After the rite, however, the tribe teaches each new cliath the ways of the world and how to conquer it.

Each of the Twelve Tribes originally came from a different region of the world. Each has its own tribal homeland, a place in the world where it has always been strongest. Each tribe's Kinfolk and societies reflect these different cultures. During the ancient agreement of the Concord, the 16 major tribes set aside their differences and began the development of a communal society. Three of them have been destroyed. One has rejected the Western Concordiat and found other allies. Now only 12 of them remain allied in their defence of the world.

Each of the Twelve Tribes reflects the history and culture from a different part of the world, and with good reason. During the Impergium, when great heroes led their flocks of humans away from their rivals, their Kinfolk eventually formed the foundations of different human cultures. For example, many Get of Fenris have Scandinavian or Germanic ancestors, while Wendigo Kinfolk are distinctly Native American. While Garou Kinfolk can breed with werewolves of any tribe, most prefer to remain within their own culture. Most tribes are outraged when others place designs on their Kin.

A werewolf is not born into a tribe; he must prove himself worthy during his Rite of Passage first. A cub usually makes the same choice as his mother or father when deciding what tribe to petition, but he does not have to do so. Every werewolf has a lineage stretching back for generations. Throughout most of Garou history, the vast majority of cubs have made the same choices as their ancestors. A cub with a long lineage will be hounded to "make the right choice." After all, forsaking your heritage is a difficult path to follow.

Theoretically, a cub can approach any tribe, but a cub who is obviously abandoning his ancestors' legacy has to work twice as hard as an "adopted" cliath. If your father was a Bone Gnawer, you'll have to work your ass off to join the Get of Fenris. Often, a cub receives dreams and visions of his past during his adolescence, but some of the greatest heroes of Garou legend have defied their destinies.

A few tribes refuse to take anyone who doesn't meet their standards. The Black Furies accept only women; if a Black Fury gives birth to a non-metis male cub, he must eventually petition another tribe to accept him. Silver Fangs will not recognize a hero who does not have an extensive lineage of Fang ancestors. Red Talons accept only lupus Garou. Bone Gnawers, by contrast, will accept almost anyone, including the most twisted and deformed metis. Some tribes have rites for tracing a werewolfs ancestry. When performed properly, the rite may reveal visions of an ancestor's greatest accomplishments... and epic failures.

Many Garou are very particular about their lineage, reciting the names of their greatest ancestors as they introduce themselves. The noblest are "pure bred," regarded as obviously exemplary specimens of their tribal heritage. Pure breeds are impressive not only because of their superior breeding, but because dozens of generations of ancestors have chosen to support the same tribe. In the mystical world of the Garou, it is even possible for a werewolf to be aware of his ancestor spirits. A werewolf can reject this idea utterly, but it is also possible to summon up these memories, or even channel an ancestor to act through a young hero.

As the End Times approach, of course, the Twelve Tribes are increasingly eager to welcome young cubs into the fold, especially if they have a lineage with their tribe. The stodgiest elders complain that Rites of Passage are nowhere near as taxing or rigorous as they once were. At the end of the rite, the cliath has her tribe's sigil inscribed mystically on her body or tattooed there physically. Once this act is complete, the werewolf may never leave her tribe for another. In short, tribal membership is a choice and an honour, not a birthright.

Rage

Rage is the amount of that primal Beast that still exists in a Garou. It is not just an increased capacity for battle, but a force that could just as easily become mindless violence on a frightening scale. It is the instinctual cunning and hunting ability mixed with savage bloodlust and unpredictable horror.

Rage is a blessing and a curse to the Garou. It is the distilled raw force sent from Gaia that allows them to punish all who seek to destroy Her. This connection to both aspects of Rage makes the Garou frightening warriors. They can walk in the world of the human or that of the beast and be equally powerful in both.

The debate about the origin of Rage has been going on since the beginning of werewolf society. Many say that it was given to the Garou by Luna, as it is the auspice that determines how much Rage a Garou has, at least at the beginning. Some contend that Rage is a curse of the Wyrm, a little of the destroyer in the children of the creator. But the most vocal tell that it was Gaia's choice that her most favoured sons and daughters be given this great weapon, and that it is their noble responsibility to use it wisely.

Much of a Garou's struggle comes from this never-ending battle against themselves. The Beast is never far from a Garou's thoughts, and many live in the dread of what might happen should it ever gain control.

Using Rage

Rage is a powerful and versatile weapon for the Garou. The following are some of its uses and dangers:
Frenzy: Frenzy is the most frightening drawback of using Rage. Frenzy is the violent outburst, the untamed savagery, the animal instinct for blood and brutality that lurks in the heart of every werewolf.
Extra Actions: A player can spend Rage to give her character extra actions in a single turn.
Changing Forms: A player may spend a Rage point for his character to change instantly to any form he desires.
Recovering from Stun: If a werewolf loses more health levels in one turn than his Stamina rating, he is stunned and unable to act in the next turn. By spending a Rage point, the character can ignore the effect and function normally.
Remaining Active: If a character falls below the Incapacitated health level, a player can use Rage to keep her character going. A player may attempt this roll only once per scene.

However, this last-ditch survival effort has its price. Like all Rage rolls, the character is still subject to frenzy. The wound will also remain on the Garou's body as an appropriate Battle Scar.
Beast Within: Occasionally, a Garou is more of the wolf than of the world, and she must pay the price for it. For every point of Rage a character has above her Willpower rating, she loses one die on all social-interaction rolls. People, even other werewolves, can sense the killer hiding just under her skin, and they don't want to be anywhere near it.
Losing the Wolf: If a character has lost or spent all his Rage and Willpower points, he has "lost the wolf," and he cannot regain Rage. The Garou cannot shift to anything except his breed form until his Rage returns. The character must regain at least one Willpower point before he can recover any Rage.
Gaining and Regaining Rage

Rage replenishes itself in several ways;
The Moon: The first time a werewolf sees the moon at night, the Beast inside stirs, and Rage floods back into her. Under a new moon, the character gets one point; under a waning moon, two points; under a half or waxing moon, three points; and under a full moon, four points. However, if the moon phase corresponds with the character's auspice, she regains all of her Rage. This phenomenon occurs only at the first sighting of the moon each night.
Botch: Rage comes from stressful situations, and seeing the action you were attempting blow up in your face, sometimes literally, can be a very stressful situation. And Garou tempers shouldn't be taken lightly. Not to mention…
Humiliation: Rage will also come rushing back if anything a Garou does proves particularly humiliating. Garou tend to be very proud, and they don't take being laughed at well.
Confrontation: A character could receive a Rage point at the beginning of a tense situation, in the moments right before combat starts. This gain accounts for the anticipation and hackle-raising that happens just as tempers start to flare.
Gnosis

The Garou say that Gaia gave them Rage to make them the mightiest hunters and the fiercest warriors. But she also gave them another tool that is just as useful and potent, and one that would connect her children to their other nature, the spirit world. This connection to the Sacred Mother is called Gnosis.

Gnosis is what allows Garou to access the spirits that surround them; it is the essence of the spiritual world. In some ways, it is the expression of their half-spirit nature. This connection is what makes travel to the Umbra possible, and it is what fuels the powerful Gifts the spirits can bestow. Without this spiritual force, Garou would be cut off from half of their natures. Characters with low Gnosis scores find contact with the spirits rare and difficult. On the other side, those with very high Gnosis scores sometimes find the worlds blurring, and they may have trouble distinguishing each side of the Gauntlet from the other.

Using Gnosis

Just as Rage fuels battle and the physical world, the uses of Gnosis tend toward affecting insight and the spirit world.
Rage and Gnosis: A player cannot spend both Rage and Gnosis in the same turn, whether spending points or rolling the Trait, with the exception of certain Gifts that demand both. These two forces are very powerful, and the Garou's body is not strong enough to pull the power from these two natures simultaneously. For example, a werewolf cannot spend Rage for multiple actions and activate a fetish in the same turn.
Carrying Silver: For every object made of or containing silver that a character is carrying, she loses one effective point from her Gnosis rating. More potent objects will cause the character to lose more. Luckily, this effect is only temporary, and it lasts only a day after the silver is discarded. Too much silver can even affect an entire pack's Gnosis.
Using Gifts: Many of the Gifts the spirits have bestowed upon faithful Garou call for Gnosis expenditures and/or rolls.
Fetishes: Gnosis is used to attune or activate a Garou’s fetish.
Side-Stepping: All werewolves have the ability to "reach" or "step sideways" into the Umbra. This ability comes intuitively once the First Change passes. Somehow, they begin to sense the world waiting on the other side of the mirror. Shifting between worlds becomes a skill like walking; it's something that they can just do.

But, of course, the Gauntlet lies in the way, and a werewolf must push through it to step sideways. In most places, the player must make a Gnosis roll against the Gauntlet rating. If she succeeds, the character slips through to the other side. Failure means that she can't push through the webs in this location and needs to move and try again. If she tries to enter the Umbra in the same place, Weaver-spirits reinforce the Gauntlet and the difficulty increases by two for each further attempt. On a botch, the character may get trapped in the Pattern Web, appear in the midst of a spirit storm or simply vanish for a while, only to reappear hours later with no memory of the missing time. It's important to note that stepping sideways cannot be done as a Rage action. A character cannot normally use Rage and Gnosis in the same turn, after all. A pack may nominate a single "opener of the way" to lead the entire pack into the Umbra.

Garou have found a way to make it easier to reach into and out of the Umbra. Reflective surfaces, polished silver, a quiet pool of water and especially mirrors make stepping sideways easier. Some say that these aids let a werewolf concentrate on his true self and see his spirit. Others believe that they are holes in the Gauntlet, which reflect images because what lies on the other side isn't visible on Earth.

Regardless, a werewolf who has access to a reflective surface has several advantages when trying to step sideways. First, the difficulty of the roll drops by one. Second, her attempts do not alert Weaver-spirits, so if she fails, she may try again in the same place with no penalties. Also, if the player botches, the reflective surface breaks, tarnishes or becomes agitated and unusable, rather than leaving the character trapped between worlds or missing time. Experienced fomori have a habit of breaking mirrors so that their opponents cannot flee . A common superstition also holds that werewolves need mirrors to emerge from "wherever it is they come from," which is blatantly untrue.
Gaining and Regaining Gnosis

Characters can regain their Gnosis in several different ways.
Meditation: When a character takes time to centre himself and reconnect with the Sacred Mother on a personal level, he can sometimes regain Gnosis. The character must spend at least an hour staying in one place and focusing on his deeply spiritual side. (One cannot meditate while cleaning guns, for example.) A character can regain only one Gnosis point per hour of meditation. In addition, this form of meditation can be done only once per day, and the difficulty increases by one for each extra day a character attempts it in the same week. The spirits are gracious, but not always generous.
Sacred Hunt: The Sacred Hunt is one of the most frequently performed activities at Garou moots. It is a ritual and a sacred task done for the good of the people and the caern. An Engling is the chosen prey that is summoned and then hunted down. This activity can be done in either the Umbra or on Earth. After the prey has been caught and "killed," werewolves who have taken part in the hunt give thanks to the spirit for the gift of its life. This sacrifice has allowed Garou to keep their senses and skills sharp for their ceaseless battles against the Wyrm and its minions. All who participate in the hunt replenish their Gnosis pools completely. But do not weep for the poor Engling. Because of the rituals performed before the hunt begins, the spirit will reform in another part of the Umbra after its apparent demise.
Bargaining with Spirits: Ritual hunts are not the only way to get Gnosis out of a spirit. Sometimes the soft sell works just as well. A werewolf can attempt to sweet-talk a spirit into sharing some of its Gnosis. Of course, the character must be able to speak in the spirit language through the use of a Gift or some similar method. The spirit might well ask the character to run some errand or perform some task before it shares its life force with the Garou; fair is fair.