Rites of Accord restore Garou or a place to harmony and balance with Gaia. They purify and renew their subjects in a symbolic rebirth. The ritemaster must possess a talen, fetish or some piece of Gaia never touched either by minions of the Wyrm or by human hands. Make a Static Social Challenge against eleven Traits unless otherwise stated.

Related Rites Pages: Rites - Caern - Death - Mystic - Minor - Punishment - Renown - Seasonal - Tribal

Basic Rites

Rite of Adoption

Fun fact: Known as Rite of Acceptance to Black Furies

Challenge: Social vs local Gauntlet rating, retest Occult

Number of Ritualists: 3, Ritemaster must be of at least equal rank to target.

Description: This rite allows the (Any tribe but most often used by Uktena, Black Furies, and children of Gaia) to accept a Garou from another tribe into their own. TC also allows this to take non-kin and make them kin of that tribe. The prospective Black Fury must fast for 24 hours to purify her body; afterward, she enters a ritual circle while her tribemates-to-be quietly invoke Pegasus from outside the same circle.

Effect: If successful, an avatar, or Totem, appears, and the prospective candidate must prove her worth to the new tribe to the satisfaction of the Totem. This challenge should be role-played out and may include tests of skill, martial ability, or wisdom. It will be difficult for more accomplished Garou. If the subject succeeds to satisfaction of the Storytellers, the individual switches tribes with no malice from other totems and does lose their gifts from their old tribe.

Rite of The Auspicious Season

Challenge: Extended Social vs. 12 if month or ritualist's auspice or tribe align with the called upon Celestine, otherwise difficulty 14. 3 successes are required for the Rite to succeed. 

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: The Ritemaster calls upon the Celestines, among the most powerful spirits in existence, to grant them and their allies favor in a coming endeavor. The performance of this ritual varies greatly depending on which Celestine it calls upon, but the basic format remains the same - a ritual demonstration of faith and dedication to the Celestine's ideals matched with a plea for guidance in the coming struggle. 

Effect: If successful, the called upon Celestine grants those who participated in the Rite a small, situational bonus for the following scene as appropriate to the Celestine called upon. The exact effect of the bonus is per Storyteller discretion, but rarely exceeds a +1 trait bonus on a specific type of challenge, though may be as much as a +2 bonus if the ritual is performed during the month associated with the Celestine called upon. A single Garou can only benefit from one Celestine's blessing at a given time through this Ritual.

Rite of Cleansing (Wyrm/Weaver/Wyld)

Challenge: static Social vs. difficulty based on the amount of corruption -- from four Traits for weak Wyrm-taint, to nine for strong Wyrm-taint or applicable taint depending on the version you learn. Reduce the difficulty by one if the Rite is done at dawn.

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: This cornerstone rite of the Garou serves to purify a person, object, or area from the spiritual corruption that comes from contact with the Wyld, Weaver, or Wyrm. In its most common form, the Ritemaster carves a counterclockwise circle into the ground around the subject to isolate the trait emenations. They purify the air with a burning branch or stick of incense. They dip a switch of willow or birch into pure water or snow, with which they sprinkle the subject. Assistants in the rite will howl or growl to frighten away the unbalanced spiritual forces. Performing this rite at dawn, a time of renewal, gives it special potency.

Effect: The target of the rite is purified of all Wyld, Weaver, or Wyrm-taint, as long as that corruption is not innate to its existence (such as with vampires, fomori, Black Spiral Dancers, etc.).

Clarification: Rite of Cleansing may be used on Self.

Rite of Contrition

Required: A small gift or act chiminage for the target spirit.

Challenge: Social vs. the offended spirit. Theurges are up 2 traits when performing this rite.

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: Garou rely on this to smooth over relations with the spirits. A typical apology involves the transgressor dropping to their belly, crawling forward in a posture of submission. The ritemaster (who may or may not be the one offering the apology) joins in, or simply whines and licks their paws or hands. Higher levels of Rituals knowledge may allow different performances, such as a restrained bow of the head. In any case, the transgressor must offer the wronged party a gift or an act of chiminage.

Effect: The rite is a formal apology. The spirits regard this ritual as very important. On a successful casting of this rite, the spirit must give the offender a quest to gain forgiveness. Upon completion of the quest, the transgressor is considered clear said offense.

(Note: This rite no longer works on Garou. Get a Philodox... but it does work on Fetishes if they become cursed).

Rite of Natale

Challenge: Social vs. static difficulty 7

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description:  A rite originally created by the Stargazers but shared with most of the garou nation is the ability to see tha astrological signs in what positions they were of the subject's birth.

Effect: This allows the rite caster and the subject of the rite to know what planet looms on the subject's destiny as well as their auspice.

Rite of Pack's Blood

Required: This is a rite of the Philodox Auspice. You or your teacher must be a Philodox for you to learn this Rite.

Challenge: static Social vs. 11 Traits

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: Sometimes a group of Garou must unite in a common purpose, more short-term than those that call packs together under Totems. Pack's Blood provides that link. The members of the temporary pack spill their blood in a common bowl; the ritemaster anoints the face, hand and heart of each pack member with the mingled blood, and for the duration of the rite, the spirits consider the group a pack.

Effect: The members of the temporary pack treat one another as pack with regard to Gifts, the Pack Tactics background, choosing targets during Frenzy, etc. Because there is no actual spirit acting as patron to the temporary pack, they do not get pack link or any actual Totem benefits.

Duration: Until the task is complete, or one lunar month, whichever comes first.

Rite of Renunciation

Challenge: static Social vs. 11 Traits

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: With this rite, a Garou rejects the life they once led, including the Auspice given to them by Luna. This might be the result of some internal sense that they don't fit their assigned role. Sometimes this rite is a punishment for crimes that are not serious enough to merit death, but are too serious to continue living the same life. Sometimes Renunciation is an act of escape from grief, as way to start over when nothing else has helped. Under a new Auspice moon, the Ritemaster pours water from a silver basin over the supplicant, washing their old life away and baptizing them into their new Auspice.

Effect: When you Renounce, you put your old life behind you. You take on a new Auspice and a new name, and you start over with three Renown and Cliath rank. Any and all traits and tempers that are above Cliath Rank are removed and their exp cost refunded. Your Pack Totem and Personal totem no longer recognize you. The Garou does not lose the gifts that they already know, but they may never learn any additional gifts from their former auspice.  All Garou of the Nation must consider you to be a new person. The character who undergoes rite of renunciation also learns one new basic gift of their new auspice. Holding on to any vestiges of your old life is extremely dishonorable.

Intermediate Rites

Clear the Miasma

Challenge: Social vs. the local gauntlet 

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: With this rite, a Garou must be within a mile of the cities center and uses the hour long rite to cleanse the local city of taint, smog, poison or filth.

Effect: If the rite is successful the area will be cleansed and appear more wyld. The gauntlet will reduce by one, and nature spirits will be more friendly.

Enchant the Forest

Challenge: Social vs 15

Number of Ritualists: 3

Description: Everyone’s heard of enchanted forests in which the trees themselves seem aware, strange voices whisper, wicked witches roam, and goblins and fae of all manner plague the weary traveler. Though the Garou used to rule the wilds, humanity encroaches more and more on their ranges. Hundreds of years ago, Theurges developed a rite with which to frustrate such expansion. This rite, Enchant the Forest, awakens the spirits of the land and urges them to protect the Wyld. These spirits awaken and move to resist any human settlements in the area. The area seems haunted for years afterwards. The trees are dark and threatening, and strange sounds emanate from the woods at night. 

Effect:  The immediate effects of this rite last for a full year, if they are not disrupted by some sort of supernatural intervention. The area so charmed cannot exceed the farthest distance the messengers have traveled by foot in the three days. If a caern is located within five miles (8 km) of the ritual location, the difficulty is reduced by one.

Rite of the Great Council

Required: The Garou must be a Philodox in order to learn this Rite.  

Challenge: Static Social vs Traits equal the highest Spirit Type: 4 Traits for a Gaffling, 5 for a Jaggling, 7 for a Totem Avatar, 9 for an Incarna, 10 for a Celestine. (Note that summoning Incarna and Celestines is inadvisable to one who values one's health and well-being.) Reduce the difficulty by one (to a minimum of three Traits) for each hour spent in the performance of the ritual.

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: In these days when unity is so important, it is often sorely lacking. Too often, a rift pits pack against pack, tribe against tribe, or Sept against Sept. A popular Garou may be (possibly wrongly) accused and sentenced, or old resentments flare into open warfare.  Despite the Half Moons’ best efforts, the fabric of werewolf society is torn asunder. This risky but impressive ritual draws together the most powerful spirits involved in the contention — usually the totems of contending packs, although Caern or tribal totems may also be involved. It is a perilous venture, but success will almost certainly bring peace; when the most powerful spirits of a Sept speak with one voice, even warring packs will take notice.

Effect: What follows should make for some intense roleplaying (although the Storyteller may adjust the totems’ initial attitude). Once all the spirits are in attendance, the Philodox must lay out the situation and/or plead the case. The spirits give council to, or perhaps interrogate, the Half Moon. If they agree with his decisions, they will stand behind him as he makes (or reiterates) the judgment. If on the other hand they disagree with the arbiter’s decision, that too will be made abundantly clear (usually resulting in a loss of Honor Renown and credibility).