Despite their protests, Garou aren't perfect. Sometimes persuasion and private means of discipline fail, and it's necessary for the tribe or sept to publicly sanction one of its members. Rites of Punishment enforce Garou justice, setting an example for others and reinforcing the primacy of the group over the individual. These rites take place only after other efforts at correction fail.

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

Failure to succeed in performing a punishment rite is often understood as Gaia's sign that you have overestimated your target's guilt. The Storyteller may choose for punishment rites to fail automatically against a truly innocent target, earning Renown loss for the punishers.

Note: Punishment Rites that strip Permanent Renown also strip an amount of Temporary Renown. This prevents a character who faces a punishment rite from immediately regaining lost Permanent renown, if they would have otherwise been eligible for Rite of Accomplishment. If you lose the renown that would be the minimal for the rank you would also lose that rank.

Basic Rites

Rite of Ostracism

Challenge: static Social vs. 11 Traits

Number of Ritualists: 3

Description: A common punishment for lesser crimes, this rite casts an offender out of their tribe and their Sept for a time -- sometimes even from their pack. Participants in the rite encircle the offender. Each one says to Gaia: "Of all Gaia's children, I have no such brother/sister." They repeat this phrase to the offender and turns their back. When all have spoken, the participants walk off into the night, and the punished Garou is alone. The punished becomes a non-person, ignored whenever possible, and driven off with snapping fangs when they cannot be ignored. This ostracism is so strict that other Garou are free to stand by while the punished's life is in danger -- and if a merciful Garou does choose to help, the help will be minimal.

Effect:  Ostracism costs its target Permanent Renown as deemed appropriate by the Sept -- a minimum loss of two, a maximum loss of four. This additionally triggers a loss of temporary renown as applicable (-1 temp Glory, -7 temp Honor, -1 temp Wisdom).

Duration: This punishment traditionally lasts from one phase of the moon to the next, although Sept and tribal leaders can establish as long a duration as they see fit.

Stone of Scorn

Required: An actual stone, imbued with a spirit of sorrow or shame. This can be created for the occasion, or the sept can keep a permanent Stone of Scorn on hand.

Challenge: static Social vs. 11 Traits

Number of Ritualists: 3

Description: You force an offender to watch as you pass the stone from Garou to Garou. Each participant carves or paints the stone with a symbol of contempt while telling an embarrassing story about the target. This mockery lasts until dawn, although the juiciest tales linger in the mind even longer. 

Effect: The punished Garou temporarily loses one Honor and one Wisdom. This additionally triggers a loss of temporary renown as applicable (-8 temporary Honor, -2 temporary Wisdom).

Duration: The punished Garou regains their Honor and Wisdom when they next perform a deed worthy of Honor. (And from this worthy deed they gain no Renown.)

Voice of the Jackal

Challenge: static Social vs. 11 Traits

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: This punishment is used when a Garou's actions have brought shame not only to themselves, but also to their sept or tribe. You blow a fistful of ash or dust onto the offender and intone: "As thy (cowardice, wrathfulness, selfishness, etc.) proves thee to be of jackal blood, let thy voice proclaim thy breed!"

Effect:  The punished loses Glory and Honor. Their voice becomes a high-pitched, nasal, and shrill whine, such that they have a two-Trait penalty in all Social Challenges and gain the Negative Social Traits Obnoxious x2. Garou under this punishment are called "jackal-hounds." This additionally triggers a loss of temporary renown as applicable (-2 temporary Glory, -7 temporary Honor).

Duration: Until you choose to end the punishment. A jackal-hound can try to decrease the amount of time they are affected by performing great deeds of service. Their Renown loss is permanent.

Intermediate Rites

The Hunt

Challenge: Static Social vs. 14 Traits (11 for Philodox performing the Rite)

Number of Ritualists: 5

Description: This death sentence fits Garou who commit a capitol offense like unjustified murder, but who yet retain some shred of honor. Choose a number of Garou for the Hunt. Decorate their bodies and yours with glyphs of paint or clay that identify you as a Hunting Pack. This is an honor, and other Garou will give ground to you as you carry out your duty. You are the Master of the Hunt, and you lead the pack in a chase to run down the criminal and kill them. You give no mercy, but their death is considered just atonement for their crimes: they should be buried and mourned with honor.

Effect: Use normal systems to hunt down the offender and exact justice. Alternatively -- at a Storyteller's direction -- deal with it in a single static Social Challenge against the target's Rank plus four Traits. If you fail this challenge, your target fought so well that they earn Glory posthumously. Either way, they're still dead.

Tears of Luna

Challenge: Static Social vs 16 Traits (14 for Philodox)   

Number of Ritualists: 1 

Description: The Tears of Luna are said to be a foolproof way of determining the guilt of a suspected criminal. If there is ever any doubt about the guilt of the author of a serious crime such as deliberate violation of the Litany, rape, or murder, this rite is invoked. The suspected offender is first subject to markings on his body made by the ritemaster. Generally this mark can be the shape of the offender's auspice glyph carved with silver and painted a silvery color. The offender is then splashed with ice-cold water, and exiled for one phase of the moon, starting with his own auspice. From that day to the next moon the offender believes that all rain that falls on him is liquid silver. The rain actually causes him harm, and he is unable to soak or heal these wounds. The wounds themselves are illusory. If the offender is innocent, he does not take any real damage from this "silver" rain, only believes that he does, but if guilty he suffers aggravated damage. Assuming he survives, the violator nonetheless suffers terribly. 

Effect: The one moon this trial lasts, the suspected criminal cannot replenish his Gnosis. The drops of rain hitting him feels like shards of silver driving into his skin. The  "silver"  does one level of aggravated damage per rainfall. The suspected offender can spend Willpower to ignore the illusion for the duration of one scene, but he cannot heal any of the wounds caused by the silver rain until the trial is over. For some reason, it always seems to rain just a little bit more when this rite is invoked. 

Rite of Silver Death

Challenge: Static Social vs 16 Traits (14 for Philodox)  

Number of Ritualists: 3 

Description: Only the Rite of Gaia’s Vengeful Teeth is a worse punishment than the Rite of Silver Death. The werewolves reserve it for those who kill their own kind without provocation or lawful challenge but rather through cold, calculated murder in order to achieve some aim or goal. For example, a werewolf who kills another to steal a fetish or ascend to power would be a likely candidate to suffer this punishment… if he could be proven guilty. A lesser crime might warrant a Hunt, where the offender may at least redeem herself by dying well; but in the Silver Death there is no redemption, only further shame and humiliation. Before the assembled werewolves (at least two others) and spirits, the ritemaster recites the crime(s) of the offender. As he does so, all strength drains from the offender’s body, so that she may do nothing but cower as one of the Garou (usually the ritemaster, sometimes the murdered one’s packmate or Kin) raises the klaive for the deathblow.

Effect: The doomed one cannot step sideways or move from her spot. A Willpower Challenge (against 7 traits) is necessary to stand bravely at the end; a failure costs 1 Glory and 2 Honor (as the doomed one broke at the end and groveled most pathetically).

Rite of the Silver Forge

Challenge: Static Social vs. 14 Traits (11 for Philodox) 

Number of Ritualists: 5 

Description: This rare punishment rite is reserved for culprits who have proven themselves to be demonstrably tainted yet who are deemed to yet have some hope of redemption. If performed correctly, this rite creates a direct link between the target and the Realm of Erebus; the next time the target steps sideways, she appears in Erebus rather than the Penumbra, and cannot leave until Charyss has deemed her "cleansed." This rite works only against Garou targets; non-Garou do not possess the proper connection to Erebus in the first place.

Effect: The participants must know the target and must believe wholeheartedly that she is guilty of crimes against Gaia, but capable of repenting. The rite participants do not have to be in the presence of the target - all that is required is that the know the target's Garou name and be within 100 miles of the target.

Note: If the rite is cast unjustly, the ritemaster suffers the effect instead, and must account for his lack of fair judgment in Erebus the next time he tries to enter the Umbra.

Rite of the Stolen Wolf

Challenge: Static Social vs. 14 Traits 

Number of Ritualists: 1 

Description: This rite is usually enacted for crimes against other Garou or Kinfolk. The ritemaster cuts off a piece of the victim's fur and seals it in a box or shell. This item is then buried and cannot be reopened for a period determined by the caster. Destroying the case causes the Garou to lose the wolf permanently. No challenge is required; however, preparing the receptacle takes many days and the target may not be willing to surrender the wolf.

Effect: The ritual strips a Garou of all her Rage. She thus loses the wolf and can no longer shapeshift, frenzy, gain Rage or spend it. Typically, this punishment lasts for a set amount of time depending on the crime's severity. When the rite expires, the Garou is once again able to tap her Rage - ideally having learned a valuable lesson.

Satire Rite

Challenge: static Social vs. offender's Rank + ten Traits (or + six Traits for Philodox performing the Rite)

Number of Ritualists: 5

Description: This ritual expresses scorn in a more lasting and devastating way than the Stone of Scorn. Have Philodox and Galliards create special songs, dances and performance pieces just to ridicule the offender. Perform these works in front of the entire Sept, with the offender visible to everyone. The oral traditions of the Garou will give these performances long life; especially cutting remarks may even travel by word of mouth to distant Septs.

Effect: The target loses one Rank, and loses enough Renown to place them at the minimum for that Rank. If you fail the Challenge, then the Satire is ineffective and the target loses no Rank; you, however, must make two Simple Tests, and if you fail both of them you lose Wisdom for looking like a fool.

The Rending of the Veil

Required: An ordinary non-kinfolk human target.

Challenge: static Social vs. 11 Traits

Number of Ritualists: 1

Description: Sometimes an ordinary human being can commit a crime against Gaia so great that it's not enough for you to simply execute them; you must exact ritual justice. Find your target as they sleep. Leave a small bag of burning dung and herbs within ten feet. When your target wakes, the Delirium has been burned out of their minds. Then, you lead the Garou in scaring the hell out of the offender -- hunting them down in Crinos form, tormenting them, running them ragged into the ground. If you allow them to survive, they will usually suffer from permanent nightmares or madness for the rest of their lives. This Rite is not considered a Veil breach if it goes through the proper Sept channels. If you fail the Challenge to perform the rite, attempt two simple tests: failing both puts you under the Delirium for the night.

Effect: The target is immune to the Delirium for one night. 

Duration: Their immunity lasts only the night, but their therapy bills last forever.

Advanced Rites

Gaia's Vengeful Teeth

Challenge: static Social vs. 15 Traits (12 for Philodox performing the Rite)

Number of Ritualists: 5

Description: This punishment is reserved for the greatest traitors to the Garou Nation -- those who choose to support its enemies, and whose actions cause unrecoverable loss. You and at least four others drag the offender to a desolate stretch of stony earth. Stab your hand, smearing your blood over the offender's eyes, ears and forehead. Recite their sins against Gaia. Then the punishment takes hold.

Effect: Every surface of Gaia -- every loose stone, blade of grass, and splashing brook -- transforms into razor-edged silver just before the traitor can touch it. They cannot cross into the Umbra while they are still anointed with your blood. You and the other Garou give the traitor a head start, and then give chase. The ensuing attempt at escape forces the traitor to cut themselves to ribbons on Gaia's back. Once dead, their name is struck from all histories, only ever invoked as a curse.

Duration: Permanent. Nobody survives this rite.