Hamish/Rites
Level 1
Rite of Binding (Mysticism) - This rite binds a spirit to a Garou, making it his servant. The more powerful the spirit is, the more difficult the process is. Although any encountered spirit is subject to binding, the Garou generally feel that spirits should be bound only when needed. They do not feel good about binding spirits for great lengths of time. This point does not go uncontested, however, particularly by the mystics of the Uktena tribe.
Spirits trapped through this rite may be bound into temporary service or into objects to create talens. No spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character's totem. Spirits can be bound into objects, places and people, although the Garou generally don't perform the last feat unless the need is great. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic.
System: A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit's Gnosis rating by one. The Garou's player must then roll Willpower (difficulty of the spirit's adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service (one week per success). In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used.
Rite of Blood Taint (Accord) - If the Dancers suspect that someone contains the taint of Dancer blood in their heritage, they perform this rite. The ritemaster spends one Gnosis point. While the target does not need to be present, the ritemaster must have possession of something that the target touched within the past five days. This rite "activates" the tainted blood subtly, giving glimpses of violent and terrifying past lives, or causing Garou or Kinfolk to hear voices that urge them to commit atrocities. The stronger the taint of blood is, the more pronounced the effects are. A full-blooded Dancer Kinfolk might suffer a psychotic break, for example. These effects last for one session.
Rite Of Contrition (Accord) - This rite is a form of apology; it is often used to prevent the enmity of spirits or Garou whom an individual has annoyed, or to prevent war between septs or tribes. The rite most often involves the enactor dropping to her belly and sliding forward. the Garou may also whine and lick his paws or hands. If performed well, however, a simple inclination of the head may suffice. To enact this rite successfully, the Garou must either give a small gift to the offended individual, or in the case of a spirit, possess some aspect of the spirit in question (for example, a clay falcon if the Garou is appealing to the totem spirit Falcon).
System: The difficulty level of the rite equals the Rage of the target spirit or Garou (maximum of 10). One success is considered enough for a gracious apology, but may not be enough to mend friendships or forgive grevious errors. The more successes, the greater the wrong that can be forgiven. Garou who refuse to recognise a Rite of Contrition are looked badly upon by elders; most spirits will always accept a well-performed rite. This effect lasts until the Garou performs an action that could harm or insult the other.
Rite of Desecration (Accord) -- As the Rite of Cleasing, but this mockery of that rite desecrates an area with Wyrm taint.
System: This rite can be cast upon more than one person or object, but the leader must spend one Gnosis point on each extra thing or person in need of cleansing. The difficulty level depends on the level of taint. Only one success is required. If the character performs the rite at sunset, the difficulty of the rite decreases by one.
Rite of Silence (Mysticism) -- Garou who need to be silent use this rite to make up for any lack in natural ability. For the duration of this rite, the Garou are incapable of making any noise even if they bang on a drum or shatter glass. With the assistance of Raven-spirits, the Garou can sneak through dry underbrush or over a gravel road without making a sound.
System: The Garou invoking this rite confines herself in a dark room or cave. She whispers her darkest secret and then utters an oath of silence. Raven-spirits, attracted by her secret, carry any sound she makes into the Umbra once she leaves her confinement. If the werewolf chooses to speak for any reason, the rite ends immediately. The Raven-spirits, disappointed that the Garou did not reveal any more secrets, return the sounds they carried. For several minutes, the Garou is surrounded by a cacophony she created earlier.
This rite silences only those sounds the Garou would have made directly. If she were to throw a rock at a window, for instance, the whistle of the rock through the air would be silent, but the shattering glass would not. If she punched the glass with her bare hand, the breaking window would not make a sound.
Rite of Talisman Dedication (Mysticism) -- This rite allows a Garou to bind objects to her body, allowing these objects to fit the Garou's various forms (jeans will grow to accommodate the size increase of the Crinos form, etc.) and accompany the Garou into the Umbra. Such talismans are most commonly mundane items, for spiritual items such as fetishes and talens automatically remain with the Garou in all forms. A Garou most often performs this rite during the phase of the moon under which he was born. Each auspice has its own peculiar ritual.
System: The cost is one Gnosis point per object dedicated, and a Garou may never have more objects bound to himself than his Gnosis score. Certain particularly large objects (Storyteller's discretion) are considered more than one of the purpose of "cost". For the purposes of Dedication, an entire set of clothing is considered one item.
The Storyteller and the player should decide what happens to the object when the character assumes certain forms. For example, when the character assumes Crinos form, her backpack's straps may simply grow to fit around her shoulders (although the pack still cannot hold more items than normal). When the character is in Hispo form, her knife may meld with her body. In such cases, the object will appear as a tattoo; others must spend a Willpower point to remove the object from the character.
- Note on Dedicated Items: A full set of clothing (top, bottom, undergarments, shoes, socks, coats, and so on) counts as one item. The idea here is that if you don't intend to use it in another form (glabro being the exception, since it can use most human items normally), the item counts as part of a character's 'full set'.
- Additional accessories count as additional items. A weapon is one item (including a loaded gun). An additional clip of bullets is one item. A holstered weapon can be dedicated as part of the note full set of clothing, but if this is the case, it can not be recovered when a character shifts, and is only available in non-wolf forms. Items in pockets are likewise unavailable in any other form, but do not take extra dots of Gnosis.
Rite of the Questing Stone (Mysticism) -- This rite allows the werewolf to find a person or object (locations do not count). He must know the name of the object or individual. The difficulty of the rite is reduced if the Garou has some piece of the object or person (for example, a clipping of hair or a piece of cloth). He must dangle a stone or needle from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought. Glass Walkers often use maps and substitute a compass for the traditional stone and thread.
System: Standard roll. If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual, the difficulty drops by one. The rite gives the Garou a sense of only the objects general location, not its exact position.
Rite of the Survivor (Punishment) -- This is one of the most dangerous rites a Black Spiral can learn. It is only bestowed by a spirit, Incarna or Black Spiral elder who has victimised the poor bastard in a particularly brutal manner. If the victim survives, she cannot recall what she experienced, but inherits this rite instead. The Black Spiral never realises the source of her continuing pain, but still feels an overwhelming need to exact her frustrations on others. The survivor can then perform similar abuse on selectively chosen victims. The most common application of this ritual is during ceremonies of abduction and breeding.
System: Um. Use your imagination.
Level 2
Renewing the Talen (Mysticism) -- As a form of lesser fetishes almost, talens are spirit-imbued items that have a limited number of uses: One. Some talens can be "refueled," however, with this rite. This rite charms and seduces the spirit involved to return to the talen, and it must be performed through singing and enticing and other forms of beguiling.
System: By performing this rite prior to the Rite of Binding, the character effectively lowers her difficulty to perform that rite by one.
Rite of Spirit Summoning (Mysticism) - Garou mystics are adept at calling spirits. This ability can range from summoning minor Gafflings to invoking totem spirits to seeking counsel with Incarna. Summoning spirits involves complex rituals, long periods of meditation and tribal mantra chanting. Within the spirit world this process is far easier. This rite compels spirits to seek those who call them; furthermore, once the summoning is successfully completed, the spirit cannot escape its caller and must attend the mystic. Many spirits, particularly minor ones, are too weak to resist a powerful summoning; powerful ones come out of curiosity. The chance of a successful summoning depends upon the skill of the mystic, the power of the spirit, and the strength of the area's Gauntlet.
System: The ritemaster must pierce the Gauntlet just as if he were entering the Umbra (Gnosis roll against the Gauntlet). A mystic already within the Umbra is not required to pierce the Gauntlet. The power level of the spirit determines the difficulty level of a successful summoning. The Storyteller can determine target numbers from the chart below:
Spirit Type - Target Number
- Gaffling - 4
- Jaggling - 5
- Totem Avatar - 7
- Incarna - 8-9
- Celestine Avatar - 10
For each hour the Garou spends invoking the spirit, his target number drops by one. No target number may fall below 3. The Garou must then make a Gnosis roll OR a Wits+Rituals roll and achieve as many successes as possible, with the following results:
Successes - Effect
- 1 - Spirit comes eventually and is initially hostile
- 2 - Spirit manifests quickly, but is initially hostile
- 3 - Spirit comes immediately and is neutral
- 4 - Spirit comes immediately and is passively benign
- 5 - Spirit comes immediately and is friendly
A botched roll is likely to have disastrous results. Often a botch summons the wrong type of spirit in great numbers or with great hostility. Botches can quite easily cause a swarm of Banes to appear.
The Storyteller should feel free to adjust the above tables as she wishes. In certain cases, a Garou who attempts to summon a specific spirit will have no chance of success; at other times, he will have almost no chance of failure. The Storyteller is advised to treat each use of this rite individually and to use common sense in her decisions.
A Garou who successfully summons an Incarna avatar gains two points of Wisdom.
Rite of the Spirit Brew (Mysticism) -- With this rite, a Garou imbues a small volume of water with Gnosis. The most time-consuming aspect of the rite involves actually creating the container. It must be sturdy enough to survive long journeys but ready mystically to hold the spiritual energies. This process allows the Garou to store a reserve of Gnosis for use during a particularly grueling conflict or extended journey.
System: After several hours of meditation and prayers to Gaia, the Garou buries the receptacle in purified earth for three days. At the end of that period, the Garou recovers her prize. The water now holds three Gnosis points that can be consumed by anyone. Should a creature incapable of using Gnosis drink the liquid, nothing happens and the Gnosis is lost.
The nature of the container depends purely on the Garou and the circumstances in which she finds herself. Many Get of Fenris use army canteens, whereas the Pure Ones remain fond of buffalo-hide waterskins.
Level 3
Rite of the Fetish (Mysticism) - This rite allows a Garou to create a fetish (an object with a spirit bound into it). To do this, the Garou must first cleanse the potential fetish by placing it under running water (even tap water), burying it in pure earth, exposing the object constant breezes or suspending it above flame for three consecutive nights. The Garou must then force or persuade a spirit to enter the prepared object. The Fianna claim that cajoling or flattering a spirit produces the best results, while the Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders claim that bribery (expending Gnosis) works best.
System: Roll Wits + Rituals (difficulty 10). Each point of permanent Gnosis the Garou spends during the rite reduces the difficulty by two. A botch indicates the spirit is suddenly released (if the spirit was coerced into participation, it will almost assuredly attack). If the Garou is attempting to force a spirit into the fetish, she must first attack the spirit and reduce it to zero Power before attempting to bind it into the fetish. A newly created fetish will not work until the bound spirit has recharged its Power.
