Some damage just doesn't heal. While a badly wounded character may regain their Health Levels, permanent damage can linger in the form of Battle Scars. But the news isn't all bad: Garou respect those who carry these scars, and many young warriors increase their Glory by marking their first one with the Rite of Wounding.

Getting (or Avoiding) a Battle Scar

If you reach the Incapacitated Health Level and live to tell about it, you may gain a Battle Scar. You can avoid gaining this battle scar by receiving supernatural healing within 3 combat rounds at the end of the fight. Otherwise test for a Battle Scar.

If you reach the Mortally Wounded Health Level and live to tell about it, you will gain a Battle Scar. Test for a Battle Scar. When gaining a battle scar due to becoming mortally wounded, disregard the battle scar that was risked at your incapacitated health level.

If you take the Rage-Heal action, you gain a battle scar. Per the Rage-Healing rules, you test for the type of battle scar immediately after applying the health level recovery effect. This manner of gaining a battle scar can happen multiple times within the same scene or even the same combat.

Test for a Battle Scar

This is a straight up and down chop. There is no comparing traits and no applicable retests.

• If you Win, gain a Superficial battle scar.
• If you Tie, gain a Minor battle scar.
• If you Lose, gain a Major battle scar.

Kinds of Battle Scars

When you gain a Scar, you and the Storyteller should agree on which from the following list makes the most sense for the situation.  Storytellers and players can work together to create new scars as well, fitting the circumstances.

Superficial Scars

Scars that conspicuously mar the skin and impede the growth of hair or fur. Superficial scars either have no mechanic effect or extremely specific, low-impact effects.

• Concealable Cosmetic Damage: These scars are visible upon your character's body but are more easily covered by clothing. However, when in Lupus, Hispo, and Crinos form, these scars become visible as they disrupt fur patterns, unless you have form-specific clothing or armor. Your fellow Garou don't trigger any penalty because they are used to such sights.
• Visible Cosmetic Damage: Any disfigurement that's startling to look at -- a harelip, cauliflower ear, a missing swath of scalp. These place you at a one-Trait penalty on Social challenges with humans, unless you can hide the damage. Your fellow Garou don't trigger the penalty because they're used to such sights.

Minor Scars

Minor scars have a mechanical effect that doesn't come into play much.

• Deep Scars: Old wounds that ache when strained or when the weather changes. Gain a negative trait that reflects how the pain impedes an activity, ability to focus, or attempts to socialize when the weather changes trigger your deep scar.
• Improper Bone Setting: You broke a bone so badly that it will never heal properly. Enemies may target that wound with a called shot; if they can deal two or more levels of Lethal or Aggravated damage, the bone breaks again and you suffer an additional level of Lethal damage.

Major Scars

Major scars have mechanical effects that often inconvenience the character.

• Broken Jaw: Your jaw shattered and no longer moves easily, slurring your speech. You have a two-Trait penalty to challenges involving communication using human speech, like trying to impress a crowd with a rousing tale.
• Missing Eye: Invest in an eye-patch and brace for the pirate jokes. This works like the One Eye Flaw.
• Gelded: Your reproductive organs have taken irreparable damage. You may still be able to have sex, but children are out of the question. The resulting change in your body chemistry places you are a two-Trait penalty to all challenges involving seduction or animal attraction.
• Collapsed Lung: A puncture in your lung never fully healed, leaving you short of breath whenever you're exerting yourself. Take a one-Trait penalty on Tough challenges (or synonymous) for every five minutes of work or combat without rest. (5 actions.) You can only hold your breath half as long as other Garou.
• Missing Fingers: You've lost three fingers or more on one hand, ruining your dexterity and the effectiveness of your claw strikes. Add three Traits to the difficulty of any challenges you make with the scarred hand; successful claw strikes will do only half damage (round down).
• Missing/Maimed Limb: A hand, foot, arm or a leg has been so badly broken that it's now useless -- or it's gone completely. It can't be used at all. A maimed arm means you move at three-quarters speed in Hispo and Lupus shapes; a maimed leg means you move at half speed in all shapes.
• Spinal Damage: Permanent damage to your spinal column makes you unsteady on your feet. You lose one Quick Trait (or similar) permanently and you suffer a two-Trait penalty on your initiative order in combat. To participate in any challenge of balance, precision or holding still, you must spend a Willpower Trait.
• Brain Damage: Trauma to your brain has reduced your ability to process information. Permanently lose one Mental Trait, and two Traits from among Gnosis, Willpower and knowledge-related Abilities (Storyteller's choice). You have no memory of taking this blow, and you may have lost additional memories as well.