House Rules/Shifter Frenzy

This is a subset of House_Rules/Shifter, split out due to length.

Primary reference: WtA 190-191

Triggers

Here are some things that may trigger a Frenzy roll, at ST discretion. In the absence of a ST, this depends on player consensus.

• Embarrassment or humiliation (such as botching an important roll)
• Any strong emotion (such as lust, rage, envy)
• Extreme hunger
• Confinement, helplessness
• Being taunted by an enemy
• Large quantities of silver in the area
• Being wounded or seeing a packmate wounded

This can happen multiple times per scene. If you really want to bed this one person, but you smack your shin on something hard and they make fun of you in front of a crowd, that's three rolls.

Highly emotional and personal circumstances require rolling more dice. Examples:

• Black Fury encounters a rapist
• Silent Strider with claustrophobia is threatened with imprisonment

Rolls

Difficulty of the Rage roll depends on the moon phase, see '+moon'.

• Rank 3: +1 diff. Rank 4: +2 diff. Rank 5: +2 diff, only 5+ successes results in a Frenzy. (WtA 125)
• Calm Heart merit: +2 diff. (WPG 2nd 12)

Roll result	Interpretation
0 successes	You keep it together.
1 to 3 successes	Angry reaction (e.g. snarl, lunge, glare).
4+ successes	You enter Frenzy, either Berserk (fight) or Fox (flight) as appropriate. You can spend a Willpower to end it immediately. Otherwise, it lasts until the trigger goes away and you succeed at a Willpower roll (difficulty = your Rage).
6+ successes	You enter Thrall of the Wyrm Frenzy. Always a Berserk Frenzy. You cannot spend a Willpower to end it immediately.

Any Rage roll may trigger Frenzy, including activating a gift.

You roll your permanent Rage, not temporary. '+roll Rage' accounts for this.

Types

All types

• You can't use special maneuvers or pack tactics. You can bite, claw, or run.
• You can spend Rage for extra actions, but you can't use split actions.
• You normally can't use Gifts or step sideways.
• You do not lose dice due to wound penalties.

Berserk frenzy

• Immediately shift to Crinos or Hispo (your choice) and attack anything that moves.
  • You won't attack your packmates.
  • You will attack allies outside your pack.
  • Exception: If you're in the Thrall of the Wyrm, you attack indiscriminately.
  • Exception: If your permanent Rage exceeds your permanent Gnosis, you must spend a Willpower to figure out which moving shapes are your packmates. Also, after the frenzy, you forget what happened during it, and often collapse.

Fox frenzy

• Immediately shift to Lupus and flee in terror for your life.
• You attack anything that gets in your way (to get past it, not to kill it).
• Once you reach a safe hiding place, you stay there until the frenzy ends.

Thrall of the Wyrm frenzy

• Always Berserk.
• Attack indiscriminately, even packmates.
• When you kill or incapacitate someone, roll Wits vs 7. On a botch, act according to your breed:
  • Homid - spend a turn eating their flesh
  • Metis - spend a turn performing unspeakable acts of perversion on their bodies
  • Lupus - keep attacking them until their body is torn limb from limb