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Spirits
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by TC STs 3 weeks ago
Spirits were once one with all physical things; every mountain, tree and insect had power and sentience. But something happened long ago, before even the werewolves remember, to create an invisible wall called the Gauntlet between the spiritual and the physical worlds. On their side of the Gauntlet, in the Umbra, the spirits live on. They are as diverse, wondrous, and nightmarish a class of being as any can imagine -- ranging from tiny harmless Gafflings like motes of dust in moonlight, to Celestines as vast as planets, to whom the Garou are like dust-Gafflings themselves.
Spirit Rules Caveat
Spirits vary as much as one can imagine. Storytellers, therefore, must claim wide discretion to interpret spirit rules and create spirit powers as best fits the need of the scene. The rules below, therefore, are only mostly accurate: don't be surprised if a Storyteller deviates far from these rules when they feel it's necessary.
Unlike Garou, a Spirit's ratings in Rage, Gnosis, or Willpower is not capped at 10. Trait ratings found within canon sources for spirits are to be considered "Average" spirits of that type. Weaker versions and stronger versions can be found, based upon where the player looks for them, and ST Discretion.
Spirit Classification
In an attempts to comprehend the incomprensible, werewolves of the Theurge Auspice have over generations developed common categories with which they can broadly speak of the Umbra's denizens. These categories are:
- Gafflings: The weakest of spirits, Gafflings have only an illusion of sentience. They serve Jagglings, deployed to perform common, simple tasks.
- Jagglings: A broad classification of spirits ranging from humble dove-spirits to vast and terrible Nexus Crawlers, Jagglings are those spirits Garou interact with most often. They can be staunch allies, dangerous rivals, or demanding gods.
- Totem Avatars: Totem spirits themselves, being great Incarnae, usually don't interact directly with Garou: instead, they delegate the task to Totem Avatars. Totem Avatars are Jagglings that speak on behalf of the Totems they serve. They reflect some aspect of the Totem's personality, and share in its awareness and existence. When a group of Garou form a pack, it is a Totem Avatar that keeps the pack company, serving and being served on the Pack Totem's behalf.
- Incarnae: The Incarnae (singular, Incarna) are mighty spirits that encompass the most potent concepts within reality itself. War, Laughter, Night, Sharks -- an Incarna embodies each of these as a fundamental element of Gaia's creation. Incarnae serve Celestines, and some aspire to become Celestines themselves.
- Tribal Totems: The patron spirits of the Garou tribes are celebrated among the werewolves for their guidance and gifts -- but as Incarnae go, Tribal Totems are not even close to the top tier of powerful Incarnae.
- Celestines: Beings of incomprehensible cosmic power, the Celestines are the spirits of heavenly bodies. Two of the greatest are Luna, the moon, and Helios, the sun. The Celestine of Earth is an aspect of Gaia, but is not all of Gaia. The motivations and designs of the Celestines are alien to the Garou, but from what little the werewolves have learned through the Celestines' Incarnae servants, they are engaged in Gaia's struggles in their own unknowable ways.
- The Triat and Gaia: It is an ancient disagreement among Theurges as to which are greater, the Triat or Gaia: but it may be a philosophical question at best, since no Garou can claim to have interacted with these forces directly. Gaia is the spirit of all things; the Garou associate her especially with Earth, but the entire Umbra resonates with her power. The Triat are three elemental forces -- the Wyld, chaos and creation; the Weaver, form and order; and the Wyrm, who was destruction, but is now corruption -- whose imbalance threatens Gaia herself.
Spirits are classified in other ways as well:
- Banes: Any spirit that serves the Wyrm is called a Bane.
- Brood: A family of spirits who together give fealty to a single Incarna is called the Brood of that Incarna. A brood may include lesser Incarnae. Snake, for example, is a lesser Incarna who serves Uktena, a Tribal Totem. Snake-spirits are therefore often considered members of Uktena's brood. Yet even this is a broad generalization: individual spirits sometimes take their own path, and so an individual snake-spirit may serve Wendigo, Stag, or even a Wyrm Incarna like Green Dragon.
Spirit Traits
Spirits have four simple Traits, rather than detailed lists of Physical, Social and Mental Tratis. Like Garou (half-spirit themselves), spirits have Rage, Gnosis and Willpower, although they use these Traits differently than Garou do. They also have a Trait called Essence, which is both a spirit's health and its power.
- Rage: Spirits use their Rage Trait in strength-related Physical Challenges. They risks no Traits, but triple their current Rage Traits in comparisons on ties and overbids. A spirit's unarmed brawling attack does damage equal to a third of its Rage (rounded down, minimum one).
- Gnosis: Spirits uses their Gnosis in Mental and Social Challenges. They risk no Traits, but doubles their current Gnosis Traits in comparisons on ties and overbids.
- Willpower: Spirits use Willpower in dexterity- and stamina-related Physical Challenges. They risk no Traits, but triple their current Willpower Traits in comparisons on ties and overbids.
- Essence: Spirits spend Essence to fuel special powers called Charms, and they can expend an Essence trait for a free retest in any challenge. Essence also serves as a spirit's Health Levels. When a Spirit runs out of Essence, it "dies" -- disappearing into a slumber from which it may take years to awaken, without help.
Spirits may have Abilities just as Garou do. Most spirits have a number of Abilities equal to their Gnosis rating.
Spirits may gain additional actions in combat by expending three of their essence. These actions occur at the same time as Rage Actions.
Bans
The behavior of a spirit is confined by its nature. A specific act a spirit will not do is called its Ban.
Spirits often have many Bans, and learning what those are can be a way for wily Theurges to gain power over them. A coyote-spirit, for example, may have a Ban to never speak the truth: maneuver that coyote into a position where it has no choice but to speak the truth, and it will likely do anything if you will allow it an escape.
Totem spirits require Garou who follow them to obey a Ban, as an ongoing gesture of fealty. Breaking this Ban results in an angry patron, who withdraws all its spiritual blessings.
Chiminage
Chiminage is a gift given to a spirit: to honor them, thank them, or pay them for services rendered.
Offerings that reflect a spirit's nature make the most welcome chiminages. Offering polished stones to a mountain-spirit, cheese to a mouse-spirit, or fine weapons to a war-spirit are all fitting gifts. Chiminage may come in the form of a service or performance: an ancestor may appreciate tales of her Glory being sung throughout the Sept, or a river-spirit may value a pack of Garou who clean the litter from its shores. Taking on a spirit's Ban is a form of Chiminage, or going on a quest in their name.
Spirit Notoriety
If a werewolf should offend a spirit ally, the spirit will gossip about that Garou, giving the Garou a bad reputation. That bad reputation is called Spirit Notoriety. Spirit Notoriety tarnishes a Garou in the eyes of all spirits within a particular brood -- and in some unfortunate, rare occasions, among all Gaian spirits.
You gain Traits in Spirit Notoriety by the decision of the Storytellers, and you rid yourself of it the same way. Rites of Contrition, generous chiminages and quests of great service are good ways to try clearing your name in the eyes of the spirits.
At the very least, each Trait of Spirit Notoriety you possess imposes a one-Trait penalty to summon spirits of the offended brood, and a one-Trait penalty on Social Challenges with them.
Charms
The strange powers of the spirits are called Charms. Any Gift a Garou can learn was once a Charm, entirely the province of the spirits. But there are also a number of Charms that the spirits seem interested in keeping to themselves, listed below.
Charms that directly affects anything other than the user requires an appropriate trait challenge in order to succeed. This may be different for each spirit, such as a Fire Spirit engaging its target in a Physical Challenge in order to use the Blast Charm or a Nightmare Bane using a Mental Challenge in order to use a "mind" Blast Charm. All Charm effects will be retestable with an appropriate ability, determined by the Storyteller.
Common Charms
- Airt Sense: (Dragon Sight) Paths left by fellow spirits, called "airts", are visible to this spirit. Making a Gnosis challenge allows the spirit to navigate by them, finding a specific person or place in the Umbra. (If this test fails, make two simple tests; failing both means that the airts lead the spirit into great danger.)
- Materialize: If the spirit's Gnosis is higher than the local Gauntlet rating, it can assume physical form in the Earth realm. Its appearance on Earth matches what it looks like in the Umbra. The spirit uses Gnosis for its Social and Mental Challenges, and Willpower for its Physical Challenges. It has seven Health Levels, adjusted by the Storyteller for its size. If it "dies," it returns to the Umbra and enters Slumber.
- Realm Sense: The spirit is generally attuned to all goings-on in its native domain, on both sides of the Gauntlet. By making a Gnosis Challenge against the Gauntlet rating, the spirit can gain more information about a specific intuition it feels. Nature spirits and Realm-specific spirits almost all have this charm, while spirits focused on broader tasks or concepts would not.
- Reform: The spirit can escape trouble by dissolving its form, then re-forming elsewhere in the spirit world. The spirit must take a full turn to focus, then make a Gnosis Challenge against six Traits -- modified for how friendly or unfriendly their destination is to them.
Specialty Charms
- Access Caern: Spirits may usually not access caerns from the Umbra. This Charm allows the spirit to access the fundamental nature of the caern.
- Acquisition: Allows spirit to "borrow" a small object from the physical world. Object disappears from the material world and appears in the Umbra. At the end of the scene, the object disappears from the Umbra and reappears in the physical world. If object is moved or hidden while in the Penumbra, it reappears in the appropriate place corresponding to its new location. Item cannot be removed from the Penumbra into a near realm however, any attempt to do so immediately shifts the item back into physical world. Gnosis chop vs the local Gauntlet; cost is 1 power for a set of keys/lighter; 2 power for an item smaller than a normal 16 oz drinking glass; 4 power a wine bottle or phone book. An item as large as a laundry basket or suitcase costs 6 power and is the maximum size that can be acquired using this Charm.
- Agony: spirit can magnifies target's pain during combat. This charm causes the target's penalties for wounded states to be doubled for the round.
- Armor: For one Essense Trait, the spirit may gain a number of Armor Levels equal to half their Gnosis (round down).
- Appear: Spirit may manifest in front of a mortal (or other) without assuming a material form. They cannot, however, effect the material world in any way. Each use costs 5 power.
- Assess Character: Spirit may evaluate an individual's general characteristics (attributes or wp/rage/gnosis etc) by chopping Gnosis vs 7. The number of successes determine accuracy of assessment. Costs 2 power.
- Babelmind: By intruding on the victim's thoughts, the spirit jumbles what the victim says or hears. Simple words are misheard and complex conversations turn into gibberish. Gnosis vs target's willpower. This Charm effects a single target (spirit or living) and lasts the scene. The cost is 3 power.
- Blast: The spirit spends Three Essence to make an empowered attack that deals half its Rage total (round up) in levels of Aggravated Damage against a target. This blast takes whatever form is appropriate to the spirit -- a tongue of flame, a bolt of lightning, a barrage of shuriken, whatever.
- Blood Sucking: Spirit can suck blood from a target and gain power from it. The spirit must enter combat with its victim (unless blood is being given in chiminage) and gains 1 power per 1 point of damage/blood points. Cost is 3 power.
- Call to Duty: With this charm a spirit of noble essense may summon a herd of spirits of its type to gather together to assist in protecting what must be protected.
- Cleanse the Blight: The spirit removes spiritual corruption as in the Rite of Cleansing. Most spirits have limited access to this Charm, being able to use it under certain conditions, such as beneath a full moon or within a fairy ring. Cleansing requires a static Gnosis Challenge versus a variable difficulty: three Traits for minor corruption, six Traits for well-established taint, and nine Traits or more for old, pervasive evils.
- Control Electrical System: The spirit takes control of an electrical device by making a static Gnosis Challenge versus a number of Traits representing the device's complexity, ranging from three (a lightswitch) to nine (a supercomputer). The spirit may then perform any task with the machine a normal operator could.
- Control Forest: Spirit does a test Gnosis vs local Gauntlet; the forest will animate and attack the target of the spirit's choice. The typical animated tree will have str 3, brawl 3, dex 4, stam 6, 10 non penalty health levels and no other abilities or attributes. They are not mobile and cannot give chase. The effect generally lasts one scene; the trees will become normal almost immediately if the spirit departs. Power cost is 10.
- Create Fire: The spirit summons a gout of flame if it can make a static Gnosis Challenge: against three Traits for a candleflame, six for a hearthflame, nine for a conflagration. Unless ignited on a combustible fuel source, this fire will quickly die out.
- Create Shadows: The spirit can create, shape and manipulate shadows in the physical world. Apart from their unusual animation, these shadows are perfectly mundane, unable to attack or manipulate physical objects- although they can speak in shadowy whispers. Spirits with this charm often use it to unnerve or frighten humans, often to scare them away from the spirit's territory. To use, Gnosis vs the local Gauntlet. Cost is 1 power.
- Create Wind: The spirit makes a static Gnosis Challenge to control the local winds. A challenge against one Trait is enough for a brief gust; against ten Traits, the spirit summons a tornado.
- Cut: Allows spirit to cut a person or object in the physical world. It works across the Gauntlet. For 1 power, the spirit can "scratch" the target like an angry cat for an effect that does not reduce health levels. To do real damage, spirit must spend 2 points of power per non-aggravated damage; 3 points of power for aggravated damage.
- Flee: This charm gives the spirit a chance to avoid the presence of others through pacifistic means. Gnosis vs target's willpower to let the spirit go.
- Fortune: This charm allows the spirit to have a luck like retest.
- Dark Omen: Spirit can deliver a vision of target's future, usually something dark and bleak. If spirit is successful in providing vision, character will be distracted by it and at -1 to all challenges for remainder of scene.
- Disable: Spirit can temporarily paralyze its target by rolling Rage vs target's stamina + 3, effect lasts for 1 turn. Cost is 5 power.
- Dream Journey: Spirit can intrude into the dreams of the sleeping target and interact there. There is no physical carryover and though the dream is exceptionally vivid, the sleeper will not remember it upon awakening.
- Flood: The spirit spends one essense to raise the waters of a nearby river, stream or lake to its flood level. The power of the spirit controls how much water they can effect.
- Forest Sense: The spirit can sense all that transpires in its Domain of the forest both in the Umbra and on Earth, although it still requires successful Gnosis chop for specific perceptions.
- Freeze: By spending Rage Traits, the spirit turns drops the air temperature to antarctic levels. Everyone nearby takes one level of Aggravated damage per Rage Trait spent, as the cold bites into their bones. Some spirits of fire have a similar charm to produce the opposite effect, but with heat.
- Healing: The spirit can heal wounds by making an extended static Gnosis Challenge. The difficulty is eight Traits to heal Aggravated wounds, or six otherwise. The spirit's Gnosis is its upper limit for the number of wounds it can heal, and it can only use this Charm on a target once per scene.
- Hide: The spirit can conceal itself; an opponent wishing to find the spirit must chop Mentals vs the spirit's Willpower +5.
- Inner Pain: Spirit may cause a living being intense pain. For each 2 dots of power spent, the target loses one health level.
- Insight: The spirit can spendan action and one essense to see the truth of the reason behind the actions of another.
- Iron Will: The spirit may spend one essense to not be effected by powers that would make them act against their nature.
- Open Moon Bridge: The spirit opens a Moon Bridge up to a thousand miles in length. Its endpoint can be anywhere, not just a Caern.
- Open Sky Bridge: Open Moon Bridge, except that it opens portals in the sky. There does not have to be a caern present. The total distance covered is 1000 miles. This Charm is used to travel along either solar "roads" in the realms of the Celestine Helios, or lunar roads in the realms overseen by the Celestine Luna. Only those spirits associated with Helios or Luna may use this Charm.
- Peek: The spirit has the innate power to peek through the Gauntlet, from the Umbra into Earth.
- Purify: Spirit can remove toxins/taint from physical beings (such as Garou). The spirit spends 1 power point per health level to heal damage. An additional expenditure of 3 power flushes the poison/taint from the being's system.
- Scent of Safety: Spirit can instinctively home in on best path to the nearest safe haven.
- Shapeshift: The spirit can alter its shape, size, and appearance. It doesn't gain any special powers a new form would have: a coyote-spirit changing into a dragon doesn't get to breathe fire. If the spirit is attempting a disguise, anyone who knows the person they're imitating my attempt a Mental Challenge to see through the disguise.
- Shield: The spirit can spend two essense to give another two of their health levels.
- Shatter Glass: A static Gnosis Challenge versus six Traits results in the spirit's power shattering all glass nearby. The higher the spirit's Rage, the more glass this affects. Secondary damage from the glass is up to the Storyteller.
- Short Out: A less versatile Control Electrical System, this charm lets a spirit simply short out the power to a system -- if it can make a static Gnosis Challenge against six Traits.
- Soul Reading: With a glance, the spirit can see a person's inner temperament (nature).
- Swift Flight: Spirits that can fly have their speed tripled, up to a maximum of three times their Willpower plus sixty yards per turn.
- Tracking: The spirit may spend one Essence to track its prey for the remainder of the scene. This works on one side of the gauntlet or the other but not both.
- Umbrastorm: Spirit can cause great downpour in surrounding Umbra. Due to the strange nature of the Umbra, it is not always just water that falls from the sky. The power cost is 5 for a storm one mile in diameter with 40 mph winds. The size of storm increases by 10% or the mph by 10 for each 2 additional dots of power the spirit sends. Storms created by this charm generally last until they die down naturally.
- Umbraquake: The spirit shakes the very fabric of the Umbrascape, dealing bashing damage equal to half its Rage, rounded up.
- Updraft: By spending a point of Willpower, the spirit summons a column of wind to lift a human-sized target in the air, keeping it trapped for one turn per current Gnosis.
Bane (Wyrm) Charms
- Animate: Allows a banes to take over a dead body and send it against the living. Gnosis vs local Guantlet. A zombie thus animated has Physical Attributes of 3 each; 7 no-penalty Health levels and a Brawl of 3 but no other Attributes. It only works with one corpse at a time. These zombies will be automatically killed if head is severed; the difficulty to ignite them on fire is 4; immolation will cause the corpse to turn to ash in a matter of turns and cause the bane to retreat. Cost is 5 power.
- Blighted Touch: The bane amplifies a target's negative characteristics. They must touch their target and make a Willpower Challenge; if successful, their target's Negative Traits are doubled for the rest of the session.
- Choke: (almost exact write up for break wind charm consider them combined here) Spirit is able to generate clouds of suffocating ash, smoke or noxious gas. All who smell this thick, rolling greenish gas must make a static Willpower chop or choke and fall on ground or run for fresh air. Radius is initially 3 yards but can spread windwards for three turns. If the victim is a Garou who cannot escape the area of effect, they must roll to resist frenzy. The cost is 5 power.
- Consumption: Most often possessed by banes, dream and fear spirits, this charm allows the spirit to consume emotional energies and convert it into power. Thereafter, for each point of rage that is spent and/or each failed willpower roll in the spirit's vicinity for the duration of the scene, it gains 1 power. If other characters have emotional outbursts the spirit may gain 1 additional power per character having an outburst of intense anger, grief, passion, fear, etc. Power cost is 10. the duration is rest of scene. Works across the Guantlet; touch is not required but range is limited to near vicinity; the emotional energies of characters who leave the area of the scene no longer feed the spirit.
- Corruption: By making a Gnosis challenge against the target's Willpower, the bane implants a single evil suggestion that their target must act on before the session is through. The bane may use this Gift across the Gauntlet.
- Craving: By spending 4 power and chopping Gnosis vs target's willpower, spirit can cause victim to suffer hunger and thirst that cannot be assuaged by normal food or drink. The effect will last until the spirit rescinds it or another means of breaking it is obtained.
- Death Fertility: Spirit can stimulate the rapid growth of pre-existing health condition such as disease, infection, parasites, open wound, cancer, poisoning, suffocation be they natural or caused by a different charm, gift or magic. Chop rage vs target's Willpower. Inflicts a level of lethal damage. Cost is 5 power.
- Incite Frenzy: If the bane can win a challenge of its Rage against a target Garou's Willpower, the bane forces that Garou into Frenzy.
- Possession: The spirit can control and manipulate a living being or inanimate object, given enough time. The spirit settles in a dark place and concentrates, taking no other action. How quickly the possession occurs is governed by an extended static Gnosis Challenge against the target’s Willpower: One success allows the possession to happen in six hours; two successes, in three hours; three successes, in one hour; four successes, in 15 minutes; five successes, in five minutes; and six or more successes, instantly. If the spirit is interrupted before this time passes, its attempt fails, and it has to start again.
Weaver Charms
- Absorb Fetish: Spirit can absorb a fetish/talon into its own pattern, increasing its strength and power. The spirit must make physical contact with the fetish, make a test of Gnosis vs the fetishes' rank. Weaver spirit can only absorb while undisturbed; any attacks made upon it will disrupt it and it will have to reactivate the Charm from scratch. The spirit gains 1 dot of gnosis for each rank absorbed; the cost is 8 power and the effect is not instantaneous; a level 1 fetish takes 5 min to absorb; a level 3 fetish takes an hour; a level 5 fetish takes 12 hours.
- Calcify: The weaver-spirit entangles the target in the pattern web by making an extended challenge of its Willpower against the target’s Rage. Each success removes a Physical Trait or Essence Trait from the target, as it becomes partly bound. The target becomes fully bound if it reaches zero Traits this way; it can only be freed by packmates, Wyld energy, or some other force capable of tearing the pattern web. The Traits lost return as soon as the Target is free.
- Cling: Spirit can attach itself to any target by making successful attack roll. They then act at Willpower +5 for grappling purposes. Only successful counter grappling, reducing the spirit's power to zero, or forcing it into slumber can remove the clinging spirit. Cost is 1 power.
- Conformity: Weaver Spirits use this charm to ensure that all who live in their domain obey the rules and conform. Spirit can whisper suggestions in a target's ear and the target will be inclined to act upon that thought. Gnosis vs target's Willpower. This charm can be used across the Gauntlet. Cost is 3 power.
- Craft Merchandise: At the cost of 2 power, spirit can reshape an item from one type to another. Like the homid gift: Reshape Object, but specifically consumer goods. Bigger items like furniture and microwaves cost 5 power.
- Craft Technology: Functions like gift Reshape Object but only functions on complicated/intricate technological items. Cost is 3 power per object.
- Divide and Conquer: Spirit can split into multiple versions of itself. The first clone is -1 Gnosis, -1 Rage, -1 Willpower and -5 current power to itself (post charm activation). The second clone is -2 Gnosis; -2 Rage, -2 Willpower and -5 power from first. The spirit can only create as many clones/children as can be achieved without Gnosis, Rage, Willpower or zero falling to 0. Cost is 5 power.
- Solidify Reality: The weaver-spirit reinforces the Pattern in the target, making it difficult to damage. For each success in an extended Willpower Challenge against six Traits, the target gains one Health Level or Essence Trait. The effects last one day, Multiple uses of this charm are not cumulative.
- Spirit Static: With an act of will, the spirit raises the local Gauntlet rating by one, fortifying the defenses between worlds. Multiple spirits with this charm can work in concert, raising the Gauntlet by a maximum of three. A spirit using this charm must stay nearby and concentrate, suffering a two-Trait penalty to all challenges.
Wyld Charms
- Break Reality: The wyld-spirit wreaks havoc with the local reality of its target, transforming it by degrees. If it suceeds in a static Gnosis Challenge against six Traits, it canmake minor changes: turning liquids into gases, changing the electrical resistance of a metal, or making a strong substance brittle. Then by spending an additional Gnosis Trait, the spirit can make major changes: giving life to an inanimate object, sealing off all the doors to a room, or shrinking a Garou to the size of a mouse, for example. But if the challenge fails, the spirit loses one Essence; it must then attempt two Simple Tests. If both of those fail, the spirit also loses one Gnosis.
- Disorient: The wyld-spirit harmlessly rearranges the local geography, making it difficult to know where you're going or where you've been. To do so, the spirit must make a static Gnosis Challenge against six Traits or the local Gauntlet rating, whichever is higher.
Spirits
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