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Fetish Creation

Page history last edited by TC STs 9 years, 11 months ago

So you want to make a Fetish?

 

There are several things out-of-character that you will need to have before you can begin the process of crafting a Fetish.

 

1. The Rite of Fetish Creation

 

While these rules present an alternate set of challenges for the creation of a Fetish, they are only a substitute for the normal ritual challenges, not a replacement for the ritual itself.  In order to create a Fetish, you must know this ritual.

 

2. A mechanical write-up for your Fetish

 

Want to create a Fetish that shoots fire at your enemies?  Consider how this will work mechanically.  Will you use a gun as the actual item, making the tests a standard Firearms challenge, or would you rather have a staff that shoots that fire from the top of the crystal, and will it test with your Physical Traits or your Mental Traits?  Once you have hammered out the technical details, you are ready to move on to the next part.

 

3. Determine the level of your Fetish

 

One – This level of fetish is useful, but not incredibly powerful, within the specific field it was designed for. They typically have very limited use and may not be useful at all for some Garou.

 

Two – This level of fetish is capable carrying out a task for the creator in a limited circumstances. They rarely get much use, but when they are needed are invaluable help. Weapons of this level are, at best, only as effective as a Garou's own natural weaponry.

 

Three – This level of fetish is versatile enough to be used in a variety of situations. They see quite a bit of use, and are universal enough that all Garou would find them useful. Weapons of this level have useful effects that often make them preferable to claws and teeth, even if they are not more damaging.

 

Four – This level of fetish offer potent effects over a sustained period of time, or offer a devastating single effect. Weapons of this level are extremely dangerous, even to other Garou.

 

Five – This level of fetish is the greatest of the greats. They can perform miracles, change battles, and make enemies question their actions. Weapons of this level can be dangerous to an entire pack of Garou. These are often sept or tribal treasures. Only this level of Fetish can posses more than one power. 

See the listing of Example Fetishes on the Fetishes and Talens page to get an idea of what level your fetish concept might be.  

 

4. ST Approval of the concept

 

Send us off an e-mail detailing your concept, as well as the specific mechanics you have in mind.  We will discuss it as a staff, taking into consideration overall balance and flavor.  Once you have our stamp of approval, you’re ready to start working on it IC.

 

So your character wants to make a Fetish?

 

The process of making a fetish is as much a ritualized practice, as it is a negotiation between two individuals who both want to come out on top.  The spirit that the Garou will choose to bind into the fetish will try to get as many concessions and bans as it possibly can, while the Garou will try to give away as little as possible while still acquiring a powerful weapon to use against his enemies.  But over the millennia that the Garou have been forging fetishes and talens, they’ve learned a lot about what entices a spirit to be bound within an object.

 

Step One -- Acquiring a worthy object

 

While spirits will behave as though the quality of the object doesn’t matter to them, the truth of the matter is quite the opposite.  If they are going to be bound into an earthly object, spirits want it to be an object of beauty, something to compliment their personalities, and ultimately, to make other spirits and Garou jealous.

 

System: The Garou will want to seek out an item that has a crafts level equal to the level of the Fetish (thus when making a level one Bell of Ice the spirit could be bound into a bell crafted with only one level of Crafts: Metalsmithing).  If the item doesn’t meet this requirement, for every point of difference between the crafts level of the item, and the level of the Fetish, the spirit gains a +2 bonus to during the chops for the Rite of Fetish (thus if a Garou attempted to create a Klaive, but used a sword that was crafted with only two levels of Crafts: Weaponsmithing, the spirit would gain a +4 bonus on the challenges for Rite of Fetish).

 

In order to acquire the item, the Garou has a number of paths to finding what he needs.  The easiest means is looking for another player on the game floor that has the level of crafts you want.  However if that isn’t an option, the Garou can also seek assistance from his Allies, Contacts, or his Kinfolk.  The crafts level of the item acquired will be equal to the number of background points expended in finding it (and the player may mix and match his backgrounds to reach the level of crafts he is looking for).  Finding an object through this route takes a number of weeks equal to the level of crafts that you are looking for.

 

Step Two -- Preparing the Item for the Ritual

 

In order to spiritually cleanse the object it must be prepared over four nights with each of the four elements.  Exactly how each of the four elements are involved in the preparation is up to the player; but a common means is to put it in a place where water can run over it for the first night, bury it in purified earth for the second night, leave it to hang in the winds for the third night, and suspending it over an open flame for the final night.  Once this has been done, the item is ready to have a spirit bound within it.  

 

Step Three -- The Cleansing of the Ritualist

 

Before beginning the Rite of Fetish the ritualist must take the time to cleanse themselves of spiritual impurities.

 

System: This is accomplished through a Rite of Cleansing.  Another player may perform this rite for them if they do not know the rite themselves.

 

Step Four -- Contacting the Spirit

 

Once the item is ready, and the ritualist has been cleansed, then it is time to contact the spirit that you wish to bind.  This may be done through a Rite of Summoning, by journeying to the place where the spirit lives, or by any other means that the ritualist possesses to locate the spirit he wishes to make a deal with. As with all meetings with spirits, the ritualist should prepare some kind of chiminage to placate the spirit upon arrival.

 

System:  If the Rite of Summoning is used to contact the spirit, the ritualist should expect the same results as normal for the spirit’s arrival (Spending no Social Traits means the spirit will arrive at its leisure -- within several hours, at least -- and it will be annoyed with you, in need of being placated. Spend one Social Trait to make it arrive quickly -- but be no less annoyed. It takes two Social Traits to ensure that the spirit arrives quickly and in an amiable mood. Three Social Traits spent creates the best-case scenario: the spirit arrives quickly and favorably inclined toward you, since you clearly put so much skill into your summoning).  If no placation is offered by the Garou (and no traits are spent) the spirit gains +1-3 traits for the Rite of Fetish at ST discretion.

 

Step Five -- The Negotiation Begins

 

Now that all of the preliminaries are out of the way, the Garou is ready to actually begin the Rite of Fetish proper.  The Garou presents the object for the spirit to inspect, and makes the first request for the spirit to enter the object.  Regardless of the quality of the item, the spirit will always denounce it as being of terrible quality, and not worthy of being a fetish (a beautiful gold faberge egg will receive the same response as a rubber ball that the Garou has doodled on).  But this is simply the way that the negotiations work, and it is the Garou’s turn to try to play up the value of the object, convincing the spirit that it is worthy without offering any concessions.  Sometimes this alone will be enough to convince the spirit to enter the item, and the ritual will finish without issue.  But normally this will not be enough, and the Garou will have to come up with creative ideas to convince the spirit that this deal is in its best interest.

 

System:  In order to complete the Rite of Fetish, the player must engage in an Extended Challenge, pitting their Social Traits against the spirit’s Social Traits (determined based upon their Gnostic rating).  The ritualist must accumulate a number of successes equal to the predetermined level of the Fetish, before the spirit accumulates that same number of successes.  There are no applicable Ability retests for these challenges, however there are a number of ways to gain an advantage over the spirit (see the table below).  If the spirit accumulates more successes than the player, it simply becomes bored with the character and leaves, causing the rite to fail.  Once the ritual has failed once for an object, no spirit will ever allow itself to be bound into that object; somehow the spirits always know when this happens, and will not accept a vessel that was denounced by another spirit.

 

As the deals begin, the spirit will expect some kind of major chiminage offering, or at least a 1 trait taboo (Note: canon fetishes are exempt from this requirement as most of them already include applicable drawbacks).  If this is not offered by the Garou before beginning the Extended Challenges, the spirit gains a trait bonus equal to twice the level of the fetish (if a Taboo is offered, its trait bonus is reduced by 1 for the ritualist).

At any time during the Extended Challenges, after the completion of a challenge, a player may call for a hold on further challenges and make additional offers to the spirit (in keeping with the rules on the table below).  Should the offer made by the player be successful they receive any bonuses on all subsequent challenges, but any changes to traits does not change the result of the previous challenges that have already been completed.  Once the player has finished making any additional offers, the challenges continue where they left off.

 

Rite Modifiers

Trait Bonus

Call to Duty (Basic Philodox Gift) may be used as a supernatural edge within the Rite. A successful use causes the spirit to feel inclined to assist the ritualist. However usage of this gift does not allow the Philodox to simply say “Get in the Fetish”; that sort of thuggery tends to earn a well deserved ass-kicking from the spirit in question.

+1 trait bonus (Can only be done once per Ritual)

Clever persuasion can work to convince a spirit to enter a fetish. Many spirits choose to just ignore anything that the ritualist says – Gnosis talks, and bullshit walks. Nonetheless, a well delivered speech or song can improve the spirit’s opinion of the ritualist. The ritualist gains this bonus through a successful Static Social Challenge (retest Performance) difficulty equal to the spirit's Social traits.

+1 trait bonus (Can only be done once per Ritual)

Gnosis is a costly, though reliable, way of bribing a spirit into agreeing to form a fetish.  In essence the Garou agrees to provide the spirit with a gift of Gnosis every day that he owns the fetish.  Mechanically the Garou’s Permanent Gnosis is reduced by one for as long as he owns the Fetish.  This Gnosis may not be purchased back as long as the Garou possesses this fetish (though is regained free of cost if the fetish is given away, lost, or broken), and should it ever change hands, the Garou that attunes it suffers this drawback.

+2 trait bonus (This offer may be given multiple times per Ritual, however the drawback is cumulative)

Taboos can be offered either by spirits, or by the ritualist. Many spirits are very fond of simply demanding a taboo and then not stating what it should be, forcing the ritualist to think on their feet. The ritualist gains a +1-3 trait bonus on the Rite of Fetish depending on the Taboo accepted. A 1-trait Taboo would be “I will be the only Garou to wield this fetish” while a 3-trait Taboo would be “Any woman who looks upon this fetish will be put to death”.     Players are encouraged to come up with interesting Taboos.

+1-3 trait bonus at ST Discretion (This offer may be given multiple times per Ritual, for each Taboo added)

Direct threats are rarely successful, as the spirit is always capable of simply leaving, and not participating in the Rite of Fetish.  However when done correctly, it does prove to be an effective tool for convincing the spirit to cooperate. Whether this takes the form of Physical, Social, or Mental Challenges vs the Spirit depends on what type of threat the character attempts. Successful threats (as determined by the Storyteller) provide a great boon, however failure means the immediate end of the ritual.

+3 trait bonus (Can only be done once per Ritual)

Indirect threats are sneakier, but often less effective than direct ones. The problem arises from trying to find a threat that the spirit will find convincing, without feeling betrayed by the Garou. Threatening a Fox spirit by saying that if it doesn't agree to be bound you will go and participate in a fox-hunt is a good way to get the spirit to leave the Rite (if not openly attack you). However if the character can find the right leverage (as determined by the Storyteller) they receive a bonus.

+1 trait bonus (Can only be done once per Ritual)

Doing research on a fetish makes later phases of fetish creation easier. The crafter may spend a week and expend a temporary level of Kinfolk or Mentor to ask them to look into the fetish they are trying to craft. At the end of the week they may make a Simple Test with an ST, on a Win (not a tie) they receive a +1 on their Rite of Fetish attempt. This may be done as many times as the player has levels of Kinfolk or Mentor, though each level may only be expended once per Fetish creation.  Obviously this must be done before the Rite begins, and cannot be offered mid ritual to change the outcome.

+1-10 trait bonus (May only be used when researching a Fetish that someone else has created before; typically this means canon fetishes found in the White Wolf books)

Additional bonuses may be provided at Storyteller discretion for past interactions between the spirit and the player (such as, if the character has recently completed a quest for the spirit, it will be favorably disposed towards the character, providing bonus traits for the rite).

Variable trait bonus determined by ST

Players may choose to exchange any number of +2 trait bonuses for a free retest in the Extended Challenges for the Rite of Fetish.  This is the only means by which a player may acquire and use a retest for the challenges. (e.g. Mike decides to use Call to Duty and performs a successful dance Performance to win the favor of the wind-spirit he is dealing with. However instead of taking a +2 trait bonus from these two feats, he instead takes a free retest to use in the upcoming Extended Challenges.)  Any number of these retests may be used on a single challenge (it is not limited by the normal rules allowing only a single retest per challenge).

-2 Trait Bonus but gains 1 Retest for the Rite of Fetish (May be done multiple times, as long as the player possesses at least +2 bonus traits from the above modifiers)

 

Errata (or, where else do I put this?):

 

Fetishes may not duplicate the effects of gifts.  Even fetishes that provide similar effects, such as Wyrm Scars, Phoebe’s Veil, and the Questing Collar (Mimicking Sense Wyrm, Invisibility, and Geas, respectively) they always come with greater drawbacks or requirements than their gift counter part (The Wyrm Scar is always active, making it largely useless in a city setting where it is constantly itching; Phoebe’s Veil can only be activated at night; and the Questing Collar is clearly visible, and does not compel the subject to obey, other than through threats).

 

Fetishes do not provide greater than a +3 bonus to any specific ability, and do not provide a blanket bonus to any trait category (e.g. a fetish may provide +2 traits when soaking damage, but will not provide +2 physical traits in all challenges).  This also applies to weapons, which cannot receive greater than a +3 bonus in addition to the standard traits of the weapon (The only exception being a Grand Klaive or similar fetish with multiple spirits bound inside).

 

Canon Armor fetishes listed as providing “Armor Rating X” will provide half that amount (rounded up) in Health Levels upon activation.

 

If the ritualist does not possess the gift Spirit Speech, and chooses to deal with a spirit outside of his totem’s brood, the spirit gains a +2 trait bonus for the Rite of Fetish challenges.


In order to create a Fetish with more than one spirit bound within it (and thus more than one effect) the ritualist must create the pact with the first spirit and bind it inside.  After completing the deal with the second spirit, and succeeding in the Extended Challenges, they must engage in a number of Static Challenges equal to the level of the fetish; with the ST pitting the Fetish’s Gnosis Rating against the Gnosis traits of the first bound spirit.  If even one success is achieved on these challenges, the fetish explodes as the two spirits do not mesh, and the object is destroyed.  When attempting these challenges, the player may add additional Gnosis expenditures, or additional Taboos of 2 traits or higher.  These may only be exchanged for additional retests, and are the only way to retest on the Static Gnostic Challenges.  These must be done before these challenge begin, and the challenges may not be paused at any time during.

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