Difference between revisions of "House Rules: Werewolf"

Revision as of 11:40, 12 January 2016

Werewolf: The Apocalypse is in 20th Anniversary edition! Despite this, the game is still rife with several rules issues and things that need to be dialed back on a multi-sphere game.

Banned Gifts

The following two gifts are simply not allowed, ever. No excuses, and we think ill of you for even asking about them. :P

- Katanka-Sonnak's Spear (Rank 5 Croatan)
- Maddening Howl (Rank 4 White Howler)

Altered Gifts

These gifts are altered from RAW, or clarified. For many these are balance reasons. For others they are clarifications of confusing rules. There are 70 gifts in all that we modify. They are presented here in alphabetical order by gift name.

A Thousand Voices (Rank 2 Wyrm Theurge)

This gift now uses the user's Manipulation + Primal Urge vs the listed difficulties, rather than any pool on the part of the target. The Storyteller should still call for Perception + Alertness at whatever difficulty would be appropriate to detect the phantasms were they real. For every two successes beyond three obtained by the target, the user's successes are reduced by 1, and the report to the target is adjusted accordingly.

Aura of Confidence (Rank 1 Shadow Lord)

Blocks Scent of the True Form, Sense Balance, Sense Wyrm, Sense Magic and Fatal Flaw gifts. Mages require +10 successes on any effect to discern anything about this individuals pattern, the effect reads to a Mage like the user is protected by a very strong sort of Arcane. The Faerie Art of Soothsay will tend to fail against the user. Gifts, powers, or boons that rely on 'reading an opponent for flaws' all fail automatically.

Banish Totem (Rank 3 Uktena)

With the appropriate, requisite knowledge, this Gift may be used against anyone with the Totem background, including Mages and Mortal+. It may also be used against the Orisha Bond background. Mages may use Spirit 2 as a sphere-to-sphere counter.

Beastmind (Rank 2 Red Talon)

User rolls Manipulation + Empathy vs the higher of the target's Willpower Rating, or the target's Wits + Intelligence. Successes subtract from the Wits (first), and Intelligence (second) until each has been reduced to 1. The victim's initiative bonuses are not impacted. The victim's judgement and ability to process becomes increasingly impaired as this gift is applied. Once both stats have been reduced to 1, the victim has been entirely reduced to animal-like consciousness.

The user may spend 1 rage to lower the difficulty by 2.

The effects last for a number of minutes equal to the user's Gnosis + any successes beyond what was needed to reduce the victim to 1/1, after which point, the dots begin returning at a rate of 1 per minute.

Multiple uses of this gift stack. A victim who is aware of the assault or is prompted by someone who is may roll willpower vs 8 to try and shake it off. Successes on that roll subtract from the duration as if one minute per success had passed. This roll may be extended if the victim is receiving outside coaching, urging them to 'get it together.'

Bury The Wolf (Rank 4 Homid)

The roll is Gnosis vs. a difficulty equal to the user's maximum Rage. This gift blocks all cursory inspections of the user from being identified as Garou. Suspicious or paranoid individuals who subject the user to intense supernatural scrutiny may still discover the user's Garou nature, but will require five additional successes for each success the user scored on their original Gnosis roll. Those without appropriate lore/superknow may decide, even if they discover the Wolf, that it's a latent - rather than concealed - aspect of the character, and so on.

Call The Rust (Rank 3 Bone Gnawer)

This gift works according to the RAW for mundane items. For totems and talens, the item may roll it's Gnosis vs 6 to resist the Gift in a contested roll. For artifacts and charms, the item's rating is rolled vs 6 instead. Mage foci subject to this gift, while in the hands of the mage for whom they are a focus, may be defended by a reflexive Willpower roll vs 8, or Arete vs 5 if the mage possesses Matter 2 or Prime 2. This gift does not function on Primium or or other exotic metals, but it does function on metals that do not conventionally corrode such as stainless steel.

Control Complex Machine (Rank 3 Glass Walker)

'Control' in this case means that the user of this gift may make the electronic device perform certain functions it is designed to do (or capable of) with a thought, automatically succeeding without rolling. This does not mean, for example, that the user instantly knows every piece of information in a large database (unless they knew of the database prior to using the gift), but it does mean that if they want to search for the database, they do not need to roll to defeat security to do so. Intelligence + Computer or Wits + Computer rolls may be called for to properly interpret the information, but the computer itself offers no resistance.

Self-aware machines may roll Willpower vs 6 to resist this gift. If they score three more successes than the user of this gift, they may trick the user into believing that the gift was successful and feed the user junk output. After three rounds, the storyteller may call for contested Subterfuge rolls to determine if the gift user can realize they're being deceived.

The difficulty of this gift is always 7.

Control Simple Machine (Rank 1 Glass Walker)

Totems, talens, artifacts, charms, and other magical devices are not simple machines, even if their physical form is such. Simple machines that are part of larger machines may be influenced but three successes are needed (e.g. the ignition switch in a car).

Create Element (Rank 1 Metis)

The output of this gift is no longer capped to 3 damage. Otherwise it functions according to RAW.

Curse of Hatred (Rank 2 Metis)

Target rolls Willpower vs. the user's Rage to contest this gift. Mages lose 2 quint instead of 2 rage. Faeries gain 2 Nightmare dice instead of losing two rage.

This gift may only be used once per victim per scene.

Curse of Lycaon (Rank 5 Red Talon)

Victim rolls willpower vs. the user's Gnosis to resist this gift. The transformation is temporary unless the user scores 3 or more successes. The victim remembers their time as a wolf, upon reverting back.

• 1 Success = Scene duration
• 2 Successes = Week duration
• 3 Successes = Permanent, but victim recovers personality traits over the course of a month+
• 4 Successes = Permanent, mortal victims recover enough to be found by magical means, but otherwise are a wolf forever+
• 5 Successes = Permanent, non-mortal victims recover their personality over the course of a month+
• 6 Successes = Permanent, non-mortal victims recover enough to be found by magical means, but otherwise are a wolf forever+

+ - Mages with the Mind sphere, Pooka, and other Changelings with Metamorphosis or Primal, may roll weekly to recover themselves and escape their wolf-form. (Mages need Life 3 or need to find someone with Life 4 or other abilities, but otherwise regain their access to Arete.)

Dazzle (Rank 3 Child of Gaia)

Any life-threatening situation, not just an attack (oncoming car, spreading fire) will end the effect. Every minute, or round, the subject may roll Willpower vs. difficulty 7 to come free. If they roll more successes than the user of the gift did to establish the trance, the trance ends. The difficulty goes down by one if there's a lot of commotion around them, and by two if the scene includes a lot of loud, sudden noises (like firearms or explosions) or the level of commotion/activity/noise around the victim dramatically changes from when the trance began.

After recovering from the trance, the victim is subject to -2 dice on all actions for one round (if a combat), or one minute.

Dam the Heartflood (Rank 4 Silent Strider)

This gift will stop vampiric disciplines (but not sublimation) from being usable, but not shut down any effects already in motion. It also silences any Hedge Magick that uses bloodletting as a focus. It also blocks any Faerie cantrip where bloodletting is part of the bunk. This gift allows the user to countermagick vs. (usually Verbena) mages who use blood or blood-letting as a focus using Manipulation + Occult vs 6. If the countermagick succeeds in the latter three cases, the user fails to injure themselves or their target, no blood is drawn, and no damage is scored. Yes, this can be used to rescue would-be sacrifices.

Direct The Storm (Rank 3 Shadow Lord)

Usable on anyone or anything in a berserk frenzy including Scathach and Gwydion sidhe, enraged Trolls, victims of certain mind magics, Vampires, folks with the Berserker 'merit' etc. Roll is vs. Willpower if the gift would otherwise not apply.

Dream of a Thousand Cranes (Rank 1 Hakken)

This is now a minor rite, not a gift, and it requires folding all one thousand cranes. Only Hakken may start play with this rite, others may learn it but it's not super common among non Beast Court shifters.

Eye of the Cobra (Rank 3 Galliard)

Targets that succeed in detecting that they are under influence of this gift (or are warned that they are) may roll willpower vs. 6 to contest the roll. The user of this gift may continue to roll to lure them in. As long as the user of this gift has at least 3 good successes ahead of the victim in the roll, the victim must approach the user. If the margin is 5 or more successes, they must move swiftly towards the user. If at least 1 success exists in favor of the user, the victim may not move away from the user, allowing the user to move to them.

Fabric of the Mind (Rank 5 Galliard)

This Gift has consequences that the user may not fully understand. They are not likely to be directly harmful to the user, but understand that this gift uses the power of dreams, and that means something. Inform staff upon every use of this gift, @mail is fine.

Faerie Kin (Rank 3 Fianna)

This gift relies on the health and status of The Dreaming, which is very poor in Detroit. For now, this gift appears to be absolutely minimal in utility within city limits.

Generally speaking, every point of gnosis spent on this gift's activation grants 10 points for the ST to build the Chimera that answers the call. (The Wyrd rede is basically mandatory, otherwise the Chimera is of very limited utility.)

In addition, activating this gift induces a Perception + Kenning (or Perception + Awareness or Perception + Primal Urge for folks who have those abilities, do not have Kenning, and are enchanted at the time) roll at a difficulty of 11 - (Gnosis Spent + Successes Rolled). Those who succeed the roll will know the exact location of the user of this Gift and that they are calling upon ancient, arguably legitimate, pacts sworn in time immemorial. Whether or not they respond is entirely up to them. (Seelie nobility, especially Houses Gwydion and Fiona are very likely to heed the call or at least investigate.)

SETTING NOTE: Detroit is in House Dougal territory. Many Dougals hold dim views of the Garou since the Impergium.

Fangs of Judgement (Rank 1 Philodox)

Duration is scene, not day. Mostly because the book-keeping is easier that way.

Feral Lobotomy (Rank 5 Theurge)

The difficulty is not capped. See threshold rules in the House Rules: General page.

The damage will fade over time, recovering at a rate of 1 dot per week unless 5 successes of overkill are achieved, at which point the damage is permanent until reversed.

Fog on the Moor (Rank 5 Fianna)

The user becomes immune to all physical attacks and mundane environmental effects. Magical sources of fire and other energies that directly target the user will still hit and do damage normally. Silver weapons will do damage normally. Enchanted (Prime 2) weapons or (Prime 3) natural weapons will still do damage. Those with the ability (Silver Claws, Prime 3) to do damage with their hands, may also grapple with the user.

Full Moon's Light (Rank 4 Ahroun)

The glow is only visible to the user of this Gift and their immediate pack and requires that the individual be actively - in that moment - engaged in some kind of resistance to the user, the user's pack, or the user's sept. Note that this could be as simple as "Plans to key the Ahroun's car because he parked like a douchebag" so from time to time the thing throws hilarious false positives, but under most use cases, it will reveal hostile enemies.

'Trying to not be seen by the user' is a form of working against the user as long as the use is either actively looking for them (in which case they're trying to foil the user's search) or if they're hiding as part of some sinister, other purpose such as an ambush.

Gorgon's Gaze (Rank 5 Black Fury)

Target resists with Willpower vs 7. The transformation is reversible, though not by the use of this gift. The victim has no memory of time passing while a statue, and destruction of the statue will kill the victim.

Gremlins (Rank 3 Ragabash)

• Diff 4 - Advanced electronics and compound devices (those that make extensive use of electronics or moderate use of both electronics and mechanics (laptops, desktops, smartphones, remote-controlled anything, hybrid and luxury cars, modern aircraft);
• Diff 5 - Simple electronics (dumb phones, pagers) and large, complex mechanical devices (factory equipment , modern cars, older aircraft);
• Diff 6 - Basic semiconductor devices (LED lighting, chemical sensors, solid-state devices, quartz-crystal and electric watches and clocks), advanced and human scale mechanics with only rudimentary electrical systems (old cars, very old aircraft, HVAC systems, toasters, etc);
• Diff 7 - Purely mechanical/thermal human-scale or simple mechanical devices (Waterwheels, ancient tractors and cars, modern firearms, steam engines, wind-up watches and clocks);
• Diff 8 - Small, simple devices with moving parts, no electronics, and only mechanical and/or basic thermal properties (Archaic firearms, archery equipment, compound levers, block and tackles, dippy-birds, water clocks);
• Diff 9 - Simple machines (Lever, wedge, screw, pulley - knives, axes, etc.)

A device broken by 3 successes can be repaired. A device broken by 5 successes is useless.

Talens and Charms are +2 diff to effect. Fetishes, Artifacts and Treasures are +4.

Technomagickal Foci are the higher of this table's difficulty, or the user's willpower, if the target is held by the user.

Halt The Coward's Flight (Rank 2 Get of Fenris)

Each success on the roll reduces the target's dexterity by 1, for purposes of movement, or subtracts 10mph from the victim's means of escape. If the victim is fleeing by magical means, this roll acts as direct countermagick.

Head Games (Rank 5 Galliard)

Difficulty is the victim's Willpower Rating. Victim rolls Willpower vs. the user's Gnosis to resist. Five successes are needed to establish total control over a victim's emotional state. Lesser successes allow for proportionaly smaller influences with effects at ST discretion, but at least equivalent to -1 die 'distraction' penalty for a single success with this gift.

Heart of the Mountain (Rank 4 Get of Fenris)

Clarification: This gift adds 1 success to the result of all soak rolls.

Inspiration (Rank 1 Ahroun)

If the comrades' willpower pool is full, this gift 'overcharges.' Basically this gift provides a temporary willpower point that is used first, if any willpower is used, and is lost by the scene's end if it is not used. (no additional loss of willpower is induced if it's used, when the scene ends.)

'Comrades' in this case means: 1) Packmates 2) Anyone who considers themselves to be subject to the user's commands (they lose the willpower if they disobey) 3) Very close, personal friends of the user who are only not packmates on account of not being the sort of person who packs up with people.

Willpower ratings are also considered to be 1 higher for purposes of pools that roll against a difficulty of 'willpower.'

Future Work will Discuss:

Intrusion (Rank 3 Glass Walker) Jam Tech (Rank 2 Homid or Glass Walker) Jam Weapon (Rank 1 Child of Gaia) Kneel (Rank 2 Black Fury) Laugh of the Hyena (Rank 3 Bone Gnawer) Liar's Craft (Rank 3 Ragabash) Liar's Face (Rank 1 Ragabash) Lightning Reflexes (Rank 1 Get of Fenris) Lover's Touch (Rank 3 Child of Gaia) Madness (Rank 5 Metis) Mindblock (Rank 4 Silver Fang) Open Moon Bridge (Rank 3 Ragabash) Open Seal (Rank 1 Ragabash) Paws of the Newborn Cub (Rank 5 Silver Fang) Plug and Play (Rank 1 Glass Walker) Power Surge (Rank 2 Glass Walker) Pulse of the Prey (Rank 2 Ragabash) Reach The Umbra (Rank 5 Silent Strider) Render Down (Rank 3 Red Talon) Scabwalker Curse (Rank 5 Red Talon) Scent of the Beyond (Rank 4 Philodox) Scent of the True Form (Rank 1 Philodox) Scream of Gaia (Rank 4 Lupus, Get of Fenris, or Wendigo) Scrying (Rank 3 Uktena) Signal Rider (Rank 4 Glass Walker) Sense Magic (Rank 1 Uktena) Sense The Unnatural(Rank 3 Lupus or Silent Strider) Sense Wyrm (Rank 1 Metis or Theurge) Shell (Rank 3 Metis) Silence The Weaver (Rank 3 Lupus) Smell Fear (Rank 1 Wyrm Philodox) Song of the Great Beast(Rank 5 Lupus) Staredown (Rank 2 Homid) Strike The Air (Rank 4 Child of Gaia or Stargazer) Take The True Form (Rank 4 Philodox) Taking The Forgotten (Rank 2 Ragabash) Terror of the Dire Wolf (Rank 4 Lupus) Trackless Waste (Rank 3 Red Talon) Umbral Tether (Rank 1 Theurge) Whelp Body (Rank 4 Ragabash) Wind Claws (Rank 3 Ahroun) Wolf At The Door (Rank 2 Red Talon)