Garou Forms
(Under Construction)
Physical Trait bonuses at a glance -
Homid - None
Galbro - +4
Crinos - +8
Hispo - +8
Lupus - +5
Homid: The Human
Trait Change: None.
Shift Difficulty: Six Traits
Description: Regular human form. The only difference here depends on what breed of Garou you are: Homid-born do not regenerate, but aren't allergic to silver in this form, whereas metis and lupus-born Garou do take aggrivated damage in this form and regenerate at the normal rate. The Garou language is severly limited in this form, and wolf is not possible without some sort of supernatural aid.
Glabro: The Near-Man
Trait Change: Brawny, Robust, Tough, Tireless; *Bestial, *Feral, *Repugnant
Shift Difficulty: Seven Traits
Description: A more massive person with sharper nails, a sloping brow and overall hairer. Speaking more gutterally, the Garou generally grows in wieght to up to 200% (up to) from homid (Not three times, but double), and stands roughly six inches taller. While both Human and Garou languages are possible, they are deeply gutteral and memorable.
Crinos: Wolf-Man
Trait Change: Brawny x2, Ferocious, Quick, Rugged, Tireless x2, Tough; *Bestial x2, *Feral x2, *Repugnant x2; less all Manipulation and Appearance -related Traits.
Shift Difficulty: Six Traits
Description: Ever seen The Howling? Yeah. Think half again as tall as the Glabro form, and weighing between 100-200% more. They've got claws, fangs, and the ability to move on both two or four legs. Male Garou are lucky enough to have their bits retract somewhat for the change. They can speak Garou easily; this is the form it was made for (and most rites were designed to be performed in), and can communicate very crudely with wolves. Garou can speak no more than one or two words of human language at a time in this form, requiring a Willpower Trait for a complete sentence or concept.
Note that the Manipulation/Appearence penalties don't apply to other Garou and shapechangers.
Hispo: Near-Wolf
Trait Change: Brawny, Enduring, Ferocious, Lithe, Quick, Rugged, Tireless, Tough; *Bestial x2, *Feral; less all Manipulation-related Traits.
Shift Difficulty: Seven Traits
Description: Like a dire wolf of ages past, with jaws even larger than in Crinos form, some Garou actually prefer Hispo for war. The Garou weighs almost as much as in Crinos form, but is on all fours now, lower-down. Hispo bites deal an extra level of damage, and they gain a one Trait bonus Perception challenges in Hispo form. Hispo-form Garou can speak freely with Garou and wolves, but must spend a Willpower trait for every couple of syllables directed at human listeners.
Lupus: The Wolf
Trait Change: Lithe, Quick, Rugged, Tireless, Tough; *Bestial x2, *Feral x2; less all Manipulation-related Traits.
Shift Difficulty: Six Traits
Description: Lean, instict-driven wolves. In this form only the bite inflicts aggravated damage (although Lupus-born in this form only inflict lethal with their bites). The Lupus form runs twice as quickly as Homid, and gains a two Trait bonus on all Perception-based challenges. Homid and Metis Garou are allergic to silver and regenerate in this form, whereas Lupus Garou are not and do not. Each tribe looks differently in this form. Human speech and more complicated Garou language is, of course, impossible short of shifting one's vocal cords and mouth; names as well aren't feasable as the sounds and types don't exist in the wolf language.
The Garou are one of the Changing Breeds, those who are an amalgamation of human and animal. To the humans and wolves, however, Garou are half-breeds and never truly accepted into their societies. Though the Garou depend on one another during daily living, they must turn to their full-blooded human and wolf relatives for mating.
The offspring from a union between two werewolves suffer from various maladies, deformities and sterility. Worse yet, these metis are born in Crinos form and unable to change for eight years of life, requiring that they be raised away from society. It is for these reasons that Garou law prohibits reproduction between two werewolves, with
a punishment that ostracizes the guilty parties from Garou society as much, if not more, than their metis offspring.
The Garou closely watch over their human and wolf kin with whom they breed, and pay even closer attention to their offspring for signs of the recessive gene that dictates they have “bred true.” A truly successful birthing between a Garou and human or wolf results in another Garou while the more common birth is to a non-changing human or wolf, known as Kinfolk. Though either parent has an equal chance to pass on recessive shapeshifting gene, the mother determines a Garou’s breed.
Your breed also determines how close to Gaia you are. Homids are considered to have slipped away from her, while lupus have a strong inner connection to the Earth Mother and Her works.
There are three breeds in Garou society to choose: homid (born to humans), lupus (born to wolves) and metis (born from the union of two Garou).
The Breeds |
Nickname |
Initial Gnosis |
Beginning Gifts |
General Information |
Homid |
Ape |
1 |
Master of Fire, Persuasion, Smell of Man |
You were born human. As a teenager you were plagued with vivid dreams of the hunting and running as an animal through forests, undergoing your First Change as a late teen or early adulthood. You may not have even known that your family was Kinfolk (or that you had a Garou parent) until you Changed. |
Metis |
Mule (among others) |
3 |
Create Element, Primal Anger, Sense Wyrm |
You are the offspring of two Garou, the embodiment of all that is impure according to the Litany. You spent the first years of your life in Crinos form in a sept, ignored and despised by other werewolves. As a metis, you suffer the sin of your parents through deformities and sterility, claiming neither human or wolf kin. |
Lupus |
Feral |
5 |
Hare’s Leap, Heightened Senses, Sense Prey |
You were born a wolf and raised among wolves in the wild. It was not until you were almost full grown (about two years) that you became aware of your true werewolf nature. The world of humans and their technology is alien to you, and you depend heavily on your well-honed animal instincts. |
(Laws of the Wild (Revised), pp. 67-8)
Auspice is determined by the moon’s phase on the day you were born. It is a sacred part of Garou society, how Garou determine who Gaia has chosen to be tricksters, warriors and everything in between.
There are five auspices to choose from: Ragabash, Theurge, Philodox, Galliard and Ahroun. Each has its own set of values and limitations, and marks how much Rage fills each one. Ahroun, the warriors, have Rage to spare (after all, their job is to fight), while the jolly Ragabash have much less Rage (how can you keep others happy if you want to rip someone’s head off all the time?).
Some truly exceptional Garou have rebelled against their auspice, rejecting their inherent characteristics for other ones. These are rare individuals; indeed, the decision to renounce one’s moon phase relinquishes all benefits reaped since the First Change. Garou choosing to follow a different auspice must be educated all over again. Such a choice is seen as extreme arrogance by many in the Nation - how dare they rebel against the role Gaia chose for them?
The Auspices |
Moon Phase |
Nickname |
Initial Rage |
Beginning Gifts |
Beginning Renown |
General Information |
Ragabash |
New Moon |
The Trickster |
1 |
Blur of the Milky Eye, Open Seal, Scent of Running Water |
Three in any combination |
Well-known as tricksters, the cunning Ragabash combat the Wyrm with cleverness. |
Theurge |
Crescent Moon |
The Seer |
2 |
Mother’s Touch, Sense Wyrm, Spirit Speech |
Three Wisdom |
Sensitive and wise, the Seers can speak to spirits and are familiar with the spirit-world. |
Philodox |
Half Moon |
The Judge |
3 |
Resist Pain, Scent of the True Form, Truth of Gaia |
Three Honor |
The Half Moons are the judges, law enforcers and arbitrators among Garou |
Galliard |
Gibbous Moon |
The Moon Dancer |
4 |
Beast Speech, Call of the Wyld, Mindspeak |
Two Glory, one Wisdom |
The Moon Dancers weave vivid tales of Renown and past glories, passing on the knowledge of Garou ancestry through lyrical song and dance. |
Ahroun |
Full Moon |
The Warrior |
5 |
Falling Touch, Inspiration, Razor Claws |
Two Glory, one Honor |
Gaia’s chosen warriors, the Ahroun defend their brethren with all of their Rage, ready to die to protect against minions of the Wyrm. |
(Laws of the Wild (Revised), pp. 68-70)
The Tribes
(Under Construction)
(Laws of the Wild (Revised), pp. 38-61, 70-72)
Your tribe is your Garou family, representing your heritage and defining something about who you are and where you come from. Each tribe has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, biases and stereotypes. There are 12 tribes to choose from:
TRIBE |
INFO |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: WP |
Background Restrictions: RESTRICTIONS |
Beginning Gifts: GIFTS |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Black Furies -
Black Furies |
These female warriors of Gaia are well-known as protectors of women and the Wyld’s sacred places. |
About the Tribe: Hailing from ancient Greece and undoubtedly responsible for that land’s legendary Amazons and Maenads, the Black Furies tribe consists almost entirely of female Garou. The only males that are welcome are metis, and even then only those born to the tribe; a male metis of another tribe joining the Furies is simply unheard of.
Many of the other tribes - particularly the Get of Fenris and Shadow Lords - write off the Black Furies as nothing more than “warrior women,” but nothing could be farther from the truth. The Black Furies do not see themselves as mere warriors: They are a force of nature, acting to right wrongs done against women and, through them, Gaia. Men who do not understand the proper way of things might commit these wrongs, or the Wyrm itself might cause them. To the Furies, it makes no difference: The souls of these defilers’ victims cry out for retribution, and they are retribution’s vehicle.
The Furies both defend and aggressively seek out Wyld sites that might make suitable caerns. Their own caerns are reputed to be treasure troves of ancient fetishes and powerful talens, but few members of other tribes can get close enough to discover the truth of this; many Furies are particularly suspicious of the Silver Fangs, Shadow Lords and Get of Fenris for their “curiosity” about rumors. One particular camp of the Black Furies, the Freebooters, scours the world for Wyld sites that could serve as caems once the sites are properly purified. They succeed only rarely, making such success the cause for great celebration.
In the End Times, young Black Furies have begun to seize territory inside large cities, hoping to make an impact on women’s lives there, in the heart of the Wyrm. Whether they will succeed or to be seen, but many tribal elders warn of great calamity should their daughters and nieces continue on such a path; they believe the Furies’ most important role is not as counselor and friend to the homids, but as avenger. |
Tribal Totem: Pegasus |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: No restrictions |
Beginning Gifts: Breath of the Wyld, Heightened Senses, Sense Wyrm |
Wolf Form: In Crinos, Hispo and Lupus forms, a Black Fury’s fur is black or a very deep gray; some exhibit white, gray or silver highlights. |
Advantage: The Furies can regain one spent Willpower Trait by spending a day at a site holy to Gaia, such as a caem or glade. They can continue to regain spent Traits, one per day, until they have reached their maximum. |
Drawback: The Black Furies are more likely to frenzy when angered by men than they are by women (or even by sexless spirits). They must expend an additional Willpower Trait to avoid frenzy when angered by men. This Drawback does not impact a Fury’s day-to-day interactions with men; it only affects them when frenzy is a danger. |
Bone Gnawers
Bone Gnawers |
Scavengers and vagabonds of society, usually found on the streets in major cities, the Gnawers are looked down upon by most of their Garou-kin. |
About the Tribe: If you asked the member of any other tribe which Garou are furthest from Gaia, fingers would unerringly point to the Bone Gnawers, who live in sewers, garbage dumps and slums in the greatest cities of the World of Darkness. But the Bone Gnawers know the truth. Gaia isn’t just in the virgin timberland or at the top of a craggy peak: Gaia is in the city, too. Unlike their cousins, the Bone Gnawers fight for Gaia every day. The Wyrm is at its strongest in the heart of great cities, and so it is there that Gaia is at Her weakest and in most need of defense.
The Bone Gnawers can’t help the material fact of their situations. They don’t have decent homes or much money; they live on the streets, alongside the homeless, the crazies, the muggers and the Wyrm-things. The Gnawers are self-reliant, though: They have found their own places of power amid the trash, and they can create fetishes and talens out of discarded junk. Social standing among the Bone Gnawers has very little to do with one’s wealth or combat prowess and everything to do with one’s ability to provide for those in need and combat the Wyrm in less obvious fashions. That isn’t to say that the Bone Gnawers can’t fight when they have to; the tribe’s totem spirit is Rat. A Gnawer Ahroun fights as well as any other tribe’s warrior does, and he is entirely willing to fight dirty.
As a group, the Bone Gnawers are on moderately good terms with the Glass Walkers - though they surely do not travel in the same circles, each group has something the other can use. The Gnawers have an ear to the streets at just about all times, and the Walkers have nearly unmatched material resources. Most Red Talons and many Silver Fangs revile the Bone Gnawers, wishing that the tribe would just go away. Most of the other tribes grudgingly tolerate Rat’s adopted children, leaving them to fight heir war as they see fit. |
Tribal Totem: Rat |
Initial Willpower: 4 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy Ancestors, Pure Breed or Resources. |
Beginning Gifts: Cooking, Resist Toxin, Tagalong |
Wolf Form: Bone Gnawers are mangy mutts; their coats usually exhibit the marks of their mixed background, showing two or three patterns and colors. They are often flea-bitten; small Bone Gnawers may try to pass themselves off as (big) stray dogs, but it is hard to conceal their lupine heritage. |
Advantage: The Bone Gnawers are consummate survivors and spies. Once per session, they may gain an Influence Trait at a rate of one per Rank for the purposes of gathering information. These Influences are not necessarily people, but reflect the Bone Gnawers’ knack of “knowing where to look.” |
Drawback: The Bone Gnawers face considerable scorn from the rest of Garou society as they are on the bottom of the totem pole. They face a one-Trait penalty in all Social Challenges with other Garou. |
Children of Gaia -
Initial Willpower: 4
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Children of Gaia |
Known as mediators and healers of Garou society, they defenders of humanity against their brethren’s Rage. |
About the Tribe: The Western Concordiat seems unanimous in its hatred for the Weaver and Wyrm. The Children of Gaia alone stand against this. They know – or at least claim to know - that war is the creation of the Wyrm and strengthens the Wyrm. They desire to make peace, first among the 12 Tribes and then between the Garou and humanity. And then, who knows how far such an upswelling of good sentiment might go?
The Children suffer the slings and arrows of the other tribes for their attitude, of course; epithets like “hippie” and “peacenik” are the least damaging things they run into. However, because the members of most tribes know that the Children do not really hold grudges against any of them and do genuinely wish to improve the rapport between the tribes, the others often turn to them to act as mediators. The Children of Gaia have the best relations with the Uktena and Wendigo of all the so-called Wyrmcomer Europeans.
However, these peace-loving Garou do have their breaking points, and their Rage can be frightening after being pent up for so long. They also understand that, as werewolves, sometimes they just need to “pop claws and go to town” for sanity’s sake. What they stress is that they look for good targets (like Wyrm-things) to vent their Rage on, rather than the wasteful destruction of another Garou.
The Children of Gaia are one of the most active tribes within homid society. They work as environmental activists, teachers, lobbyists and similar roles, trying to educate humanity to the danger of their actions. Where possible, they take direct action against the worst depredations of humanity, but since they are less likely than many other Garou to cause the Delirium in homids, they are the most useful working within homid society.
The Children are an unusually large tribe by Garou standards, and are as diverse as they are large. This is mostly because the Children of Gaia and their totem, Unicorn, welcome almost any werewolf to join the tribe. Males born to the Black Furies, the metis of many tribes, “weaklings” born to the Get of Fenris, lost cubs with no knowledge of their tribes - all are accepted by Unicorn, and all call themselves Children of Gaia. |
Tribal Totem: Unicorn |
Initial Willpower: 4 |
Background Restrictions: No restrictions |
Beginning Gifts: Mercy, Mother’s Touch, Resist Pain |
Wolf Form: Children of Gaia are shaded mostly with gray or brown, with a dappling of white. Lupus-form Children do not loom menacingly in the way that other tribes do; they instead give off an aura of calm and safety. |
Advantage: The Children of Gaia are exceptionally skilled at bringing two sides of a conflict together and making them see the ways in which they do fundamentally agree. Each Child of Gaia starts with two additional Social Traits, which cannot be lost (They may go over their Trait maximums with this Advantage). |
Drawback: The Children of Gaia never participated in the Impergium to the extent that the other tribes did, and as a result, homids do not suffer the Delirium as seriously from the Children as they do from the other tribes. Humans are treated as though they had three extra Willpower Traits for the purposes of their reaction to the Delirium when faced by one or more Children of Gaia. Note that the presence of Children of Gaia does not dampen homids’ reactions to the Delirium if other Garou are rampaging in clear sight. |
Fianna -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Fianna |
These Celtic Garou are celebrated as the bards and warriors of Britain, Ireland and Scotland, and love battle and celebration with equal vigor. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: Stag |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: No restrictions, but at least one level of Kinfolk is recommended. |
Beginning Gifts: Faerie Light, Persuasion, Resist Toxin |
Wolf Form: When in Lupus, the Fianna are terrifying to unprepared homids: They seem to be the dire wolves of old, with shining red or black fur. Their howls can rend the heart for their beauty and sadness. |
Advantage: The Fianna history is one of bards and brawls. As a result of this illustrious history, they may begin play with two Traits in any combination of the following Abilities: Brawl, Expression, Melee, Performance. |
Drawback: Fianna are passionate werewolves and can be dragged quite a distance by their own anger, joy or melancholy. As a result, they lose any ties on Willpower Challenges that they face unless they can force a retest or use a Gift to otherwise ameliorate this result. |
Get of Fenris -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Get of Fenris |
Hailing from the Germanic and Scandinavian lands, the ferocious and bloodthirsty Get are the most warlike of all Garou. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: Fenris Wolf |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy Contacts. |
Beginning Gifts: Razor Claws, Resist Pain, Snarl of the Predator |
Wolf Form: The lupine forms of the Get of Fenris resemble the savage wolves of the Far North from ancient times. They are gray and muscular, with cunning eyes and powerful jaws. Some few have dark patches in their fur, but those are often regarded with contempt by the rest of the tribe as lacking in pure blood. |
Advantage: The youthful training and Rite of Passage of the Get of Fenris are hard enough on a young Garou that they either kill him or make him stronger. Those that survive that upbringing gain one extra Healthy health level. |
Drawback: The Get of Fenris honor strength in all forms, and they despise weakness. This attitude is so ingrained that they will show open contempt, even to the point of violence, against those who exhibit a particular weakness. Get characters must choose a weakness against which they rail, and succeed in a Static Willpower Test to avoid taking action against it when faced with it. Some targets of Fenrir rage include: Cowardice, Compromise, Lower Animals, Peaceniks, Physical Frailty, Weaver-things. |
Glass Walkers -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Glass Walkers |
No other tribe is as adept with the technologies and devices of modern society, alienating them from the rest of Garou society. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy Ancestors, Mentor or Pure Breed. |
Beginning Gifts: Control Simple Machine, Diagnosis, Trick Shot |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Red Talons -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Red Talons |
A tribe that is almost solely comprised of lupus (with a small but growing number of metis), they are the most feral of all Garou. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy human Allies, Contacts or Resources. All of their Kinfolk are wolves. |
Beginning Gifts: Beast Speech, Scent of Running Water, Wolf at the Door |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Shadow Lords -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Shadow Lords |
Cunning and power-hungry, the Shadow Lords are always searching for new ways to strip the Silver Fangs of the reins of leadership over the Garou tribes. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy Allies or Mentor. |
Beginning Gifts: Aura of Confidence, Fatal Flaw, Seizing the Edge |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Silent Striders -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Silent Striders |
Solitary by nature, the tribe wanders the world as messengers and tale-tellers |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy Ancestors or Resources. |
Beginning Gifts: Sense Wyrm, Silence, Speed of Thought |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Silver Fangs -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Silver Fangs |
Regal and prestigious, they are considered the nobles of the Nation, but inbreeding has tainted the tribe with madness. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: Must spend at least three Traits in Pure Breed. |
Beginning Gifts: Falcon’s Grasp, Lambent Flame, Sense Wyrm |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Uktena -
Initial Willpower: 3
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Uktena |
Sly and enigmatic, the Uktena are shrouded in a myriad of mysteries and magic. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 3 |
Background Restrictions: No restrictions. |
Beginning Gifts: Sense Magic, Shroud, Spirit Speech |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |
Wendigo -
Initial Willpower: 4
Backgrounds:
Beginning Gifts:
Wendigo |
They are the last of the pure Native American Garou, very independent and distrustful of outsiders, including non-native Garou. |
About the Tribe: INFO |
Tribal Totem: TOTEM |
Initial Willpower: 4 |
Background Restrictions: May not buy Contacts or Resources. |
Beginning Gifts: Call the Breeze, Camouflage, Resist Pain |
Wolf Form: DESCRIPTION |
Advantage: ADVANTAGE |
Drawback: DRAWBACK |