Totems

For house rules on totems in general, see the shifter house rules page.

For non-totem spirits, see the Spirits page.

Totems of Respect

These grand spirits represent virtue and honor, and werewolves look to them when in need of advice or leadership and diplomacy. Some of the greatest Garou leaders have been followers of the totems of Respect.

Falcon

Background Cost: 5

Like the Silver Fangs he serves, Falcon is a most noble spirit. His keen eyes look deep into the Garou heart, rewarding and inspiring the valorous and honorable. A respected totem, Falcon brings unity to the Fangs and thus to the Garou. Rumors of the Silver Fangs' less-than-sterling performance of late has tarnished Falcon's reputation only slightly.

Traits: Packs chosen by Falcon gain three (3) dice to Leadership as well as an extra four (4) Willpower points per story. Each pack member also gains two (2) points of Honor Renown.

Ban: To Falcon's children, dishonor is worse than death; they can never allow themselves to lose permanent Honor. If they do, they must either put right the wrong or perform a Rite of Contrition and further atone for their offense by hurling themselves at a powerful minion of the Wyrm. While essentially a suicide run, their blood will wash away the stain on their names.

Source: WtA 294

Falcon's Brood

Grandfather Thunder

Background Cost: 7

Like his Shadow Lord children, Grandfather Thunder is more feared than respected by other Garou. Thunder is patient and subtle, and he seldom sends his ow avatar to packs. Instead, he commands one of his Stormcrows to tend them.

Traits: Thunder's packs can call upon five extra Willpower points per story, and they gain three (3) dice to Etiquette. All pack members can also gain two (2) extra Intimidation dice when they invoke Thunder. Many Shadow Lords see little difference between respect and fear. Each pack member also gains one (1) point of Honor Renown. Shadow Lords will follow the pack's activities with keen interest.

Ban: Grandfather Thunder commands his children to give their peers and their rivals no more respect than they deserve.

Source: WtA 294

Grandfather Thunder's Brood

Pegasus

Background Cost: 4

Like the Black Furies it holds under its wings, Pegasus is chiefly concerned with protecting sacred places. It comes to its packs as a winged horse with fire in its eyes, and it teaches them Gifts associated with travel and air. Because of the rivalry between the Black Furies and the Get of Fenris, Pegasus will never accept a pack with even one Get member.

Traits: The Children of Pegasus can call upon an extra three (3) Willpower points per story, and gain three (3) dice in an Animal Ken dice pool. Each pack member gains two (2) points of Honor Renown. Black Furies are well-disposed toward the pack.

Ban: Garou chosen by Pegasus must always aid females of all species, young females in particular.

Source: WtA 294

Pegasus's Brood

Stag

Background Cost: 6

Great Stag is an ancient spirit, older than the Fianna who claim his as totem. He is associated with masculinity, virility, and the wild raw power of nature. Light and dark are both in Stag. He gave the Garou their affinity with nature, and he teaches responsibility toward humans, but he is also the master of the Wild Hunt. An avatar of Stag occasionally appears to lost Gaou, leading them to safety or otherwise aiding them.

Traits: Stag's packs can call upon an extra three (3) Willpower points per story, gain three (3) dice to a Survival dice pool, and one (1) die to Stamina dice pools for long-distance running. Each member gains three (3) points of Honor Renown. Fianna will always be well-disposed toward them, and faeries, spirits, and changelings honor them as well.

Ban: Children of Stag must always show respect toward prey, including performing a Prayer for the Prey after a successful hunt. Children of Stag must always aid the fae.

Source: WtA 295

Stag's Brood

Totems of War

These totems are spirits of battle, tactics and Rage. Ancestral warriors or predator spirits are the most common war totems. Naturally, warriors are the chief followers of these totems, although scouts and eve healers (in the case of Bear) ally themselves with these bloodthirsty spirits. While they don't garner the same sort of respect among Garou as other totems, their assistance is invaluable on the battlefield.

Bear

Background Cost: 5

Great Bear is wise in peace and fierce in war. He is renowned as a master of healing and mystical rites. Garou don't favor this totem often because of a mistrust for his true children, the Gurahl werebears.

Traits: Bear's children gain three (3) dots of Medicine. Each pack member's Strength increases by one (1) permanently, and each pack member may use the Gift: Mother's Touch once per day. The pack also gains the ability to hibernate for up to three months at a time without food or water. Garou with this totem are well-regarded by werebears as well as certain animistic peoples. Such is not the case with other Garou, however. All pack members lose five (5) points of temporary Honor Renown if they have that many. Furthermore, they must subtract one (1) from any temporary Honor Renown awards they receive. The pack members must work harder to prove that they are honorable.

Ban: Bear asks nothing of his Garou children. Asking for his favor has already cost them much standing among their own people.

Source: WtA 295

Boar

Background Cost: 5

Boar is feared by hunters, and with good reason. He is too angry to pass up a challenge, too fierce to concede a fight, and too ornery to die with good grace. Many combative young packs, particularly of the Get of Fenris and Fianna, choose Boar as their totem.

Traits: A hearty scrapper, Boar grants his packs two (2) dots of Brawl; each pack member also receives an additional dot (1) of Stamina.

Ban: Children of Boar must never hunt or eat boars.

Source: WtA 295

Fenris

Background Cost: 5

Over a thousand years ago, the Norse spoke of the ravening Wolf-God Fenris, a beast even the other gods feared. He is powerful, bloodthirsty, and he neither gives nor expects quarter. The patron of the Get of Fenris is a warrior's totem who disdains weakness and chooses only packs that soak their blades and claws in the blood of foes frequently.

Traits: Fenris' packs get an additional (1) point in a Physical Attribute (Dexterity, Strength, or Stamina, at the individual's choice), even if it increases the rating over 5. Each pack member gains two (2) points of Glory Renown. Get of Fenris respect the followers of their tribal totem a little more than other "outsiders" and they test them often by inviting them on Wild Hunts and battles against powerful enemies.

Ban: Fenris requires that his followers never pass up an opportunity for a worthy fight.

Source: WtA 295

Fenris's Brood

Griffin

Background Cost: 4

Griffin mourn those species lost to extinction, and his rage against humans - so often the killers of entire species - makes him one with his Red Talon children. Always hungry, always hunting, Griffin strikes like lightning and kills without hesitation.

Traits: A swift, watchful hunter, Griffin grants three (3) dice to an Alertness dice pool. In token of Griffin's avian aspect, each pack member can communicate with birds of prey without resorting to a Gift. Each pack member gains two (2) points of Glory Renown. Red Talons respect the followers of Griffin.

Ban: Griffin's children may not associate with humans. Griffin almost never accepts a homid Garou as his child.

Source: WtA 295

Griffin's Brood

Rat

Background Cost: 5

Silent and quick, Rat is adept at hit-and-run warfare. Rat fights to weaken, cripple, and finally overwhelm, but he can be as vicious as any other when cornered.

Traits: Rat's children can call upon five (5) Willpower points per story. Rat teaches how to bite to best advantage, subtracting one (1) from the difficulty of all biting rolls. The pack also subtracts one (1) from the difficulties of all rolls involving stealth or quiet. Bone Gnawers respect Rat's children and will aid them (although not at the risk of their own lives). Ratkin will be more tolerant of the pack than of most Garou.

Ban: Rat's children must never kill vermin.

Source: WtA 295

Rat's Brood

Wendigo

Background Cost: 7

Cloaked in ice, roaring like the wind, eating the hearts of foes - that is Wendigo, cannibal spirit of the frozen north. He teaches the Garou to be as relentless as the storm, harnessing the cold bitterness of their hearts and turning it to a lethal rage.

Traits: Each pack member gains five (5) Rage points per story, regardless of his actual Rage rating. Each pack member also gains two (2) points of Glory Renown. While the Wendigo tribe respects Wendigo's children, they don't trust them easily, for Wendigo is unpredictable.

Ban: Wendigo's children must always aid animistic peoples in need.

Source: WtA 295

Wendigo's Brood

Totems of Wisdom

These spirits are the keepers of mystical secrets. Garou who ally with them learn to uncover hidden truths and rare Gifts. More straightforward Garou don't trust them, but those who seek answers in the unknown find friends among the totems of wisdom.

Chimera

Background Cost: 7

The totem of the Stargazers, Chimera is an enigmatic spirit, mysterious She of Many Faces, who invites one to find the inner wisdom beneath layers of puzzles and deceptions.

Traits: Chimera's children are granted the ability to disguise themselves or something else when in the Umbra. (Gnosis roll, difficulty 7). Chimera also teaches how to find the truth behind a tangle of deceptions; the pack gains three (3) dice to Enigmas and one (1) to Perception. Each pack member subtracts two (2) from all difficulties involving riddles, dream interpretation, or enigmas. Each pack member also gains two (2) points of Wisdom Renown. While Stargazers will notice the pack's affiliation, that affiliation won't necessarily influence their opinion of the pack.

Ban: The pack must seek enlightenment, but otherwise Chimera places no restrictions.

Source: WtA 296

Chimera's Brood

Cockroach

Background Cost: 6

Cockroach, say the cockier Glass Walkers, is the totem of the modern age. To be sure, Cockroach is quick, hardy, and persistent. Hardly a nook exists in the city in which its kin can't be found.

Traits: Each pack member subtracts two (2) from difficulties involving computers, electricity, and science. The pack gains three (3) dice on rolls to activate Gifts affecting technology. Also, Cockroach's pack has the ability to enter the Umbra and view data stored on media or streaming through cables with a successful Gnosis roll.

Ban: Pack members must take pains not to kill cockroaches.

Source: WtA 296

Cockroach's Brood

Owl

Background Cost: 6

Silent watcher, Owl strikes without warning in the darkness. Like the Silent Striders who claim the totem's protection, Owl holds hidden wisdom. The totem is also associated with secrets of death and the shadowy Dark Umbra. Some believe that owls are vengeful spirits of the dead.

Traits: Owl's children are often gifted with premonitions of danger and the location of mystic places long forgotten. Upon entering the Umbra, each of Owl's children gains wings, allowing them to fly from place to place. Owl's children subtract two (2) from all difficulties involving stealth, silence, or quiet. The pack gains three (3) dice when using any Gift involving air, travel, movement, or darkness. Each pack member gains two (2) points of Wisdom Renown. Silent Striders may appear mysteriously to aid the pack when it is in danger. Ratkin and children of Rat do not get along well at all with Owl's children, considering Owl's predatory nature.

Ban: Owl asks that the pack leave small tied or helpless rodents in the woods for him and his kind.

Source: WtA 296

Owl's Brood

Raven

Background Cost: 5

Raven is perhaps the cleverest bird. He likes to play, baiting wolves and then flying out of range when they lunge for him. Raven is wise, for he feeds without hunting, by following wolves and picking over their kills. If he finds an animal dead in the snow he summons the wolf to tear open the carcass for him. For time out of mind Raven has been companion to the wolf, finding food and feasting with the hunters, teaching him wisdom through his games. After all, who wants to look foolish by trying to catch the uncatchable bird? Raven is also a totem of wealth, making sure the wolves want for nothing, although he himself is always hungry.

Traits: Raven grants his packs three (3) extra dice in Survival, one (1) in Subterfuge, and one (1) in Enigmas. Each pack member gains one (1) point of Wisdom Renown. Wereravens (Corax) are sympathetic to Raven's Garou followers.

Ban: Raven expects his Children to carry no wealth, instead trusting him to provide.

Source: WtA 297

Uktena

Background Cost: 7

Uktena is an ancient water spirit with the features of a serpent, cougar, and deer. He is a spirit of riverbeds and dark places, and he knows many hidden secrets.

Traits: Uktena places a protective ward on each of its children while they are in the Umbra, adding three (3) dice to all soak rolls. Uktena teaches secret lore to its children, so each member gains two (2) extra experience points per story that may be applied only to improving Enigmas, Occult, Rituals, Gifts, or other mystical knowledge. In addition, each member gains two (2) points of Wisdom Renown when accepted by their new totem.

More straightforward Garou distrust Uktena's mysterious ways. Social-roll difficulties increase by one when interacting with werewolves of tribes other than Uktena or Wendigo. Garou of the Uktena tribe treat the pack like brothers.

Ban: Uktena asks that its Children recover mystical lore, objects, places, and animals from minions of the Wyrm

Source: WtA 297

Uktena's Brood

Unicorn

Background Cost: 7

The totem of the Children of Gaia, Unicorn is wise totem of peace, purity, healing, and harmony. She is the embodiment of the blissful and encompassing love of Gaia.

Traits: Unicorn's children gain her swiftness in the Umbra, moving at twice the normal speed. They subtract two (2) from all difficulties involving healing and empathy, although they add two (2) to all difficulties to harm other Garou not of the Wyrm. The pack gains three (3) dice when using Gifts of healing, strength, and protection. Each pack member gains three (3) points of Wisdom Renown. Children of Gaia will always aid and usually side with the pack in disputes.

Ban: Unicorn's children must aid and protect the weak and exploited, as long as doing so doesn't aid the Wyrm.

Source: WtA 297

Unicorn's Brood

Totems of Cunning

As a rule, Garou don't look kindly on trickery and stealth, so pack totems of cunning are fairly rare. These days, however, more and more young Garou look to new ways of thinking to combat the threats they face. Should they choose to ally with these clever spirits, however, they will find they are little trusted by more "respectable" traditionalist Garou.

Coyote

Background Cost: 7

Coyote is the consummate trickster. He's an outlaw, more Ragabash than Ragabash. Utterly unpredictable, remarkably lusty, and sometimes even foolish, Coyote is a clever warrior and a master of deception.

Traits: Coyote gives his packs three (3) extra Stealth dice, three (3) extra dots of Streetwise, one (1) dot of Subterfuge, and one (1) dot of Survival. He always has the ability to find his children wherever they are - this ability doesn't have to be purchased with extra Background points.

Although Coyote is cunning, he isn't considered particularly wise. Each member of the pack subtracts one (1) from any temporary Wisdom Renown received. If something goes wrong, everyone blames the pack regardless of culpability. Coyote's children have more than their share of difficulties, but at least they never get bored.

Ban: Coyote wouldn't think of limiting his children.

Source: WtA 298

Cuckoo

Background Cost: 6

The cuckoo lays her egg in the nests of other birds. the chick then pushes the other squabs out of the nest, and the unsuspecting foster parents raise it. Likewise, the children of Cuckoo are master infiltrators, able to enter caerns, Pentex offices, and even Black Spiral Hives without being challenged. Exceptional spies and manipulators, packs aligned with Cuckoo often win prize fetishes and choice of quarters in septs, earning the resentment of more "deserving" Garou.

Traits: Cuckoo grants her packs an (1) additional dot of Manipulation and two (2) dots of Subterfuge. In addition, she grants the power to be overlooked. The player of the pack member granted this power rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 6 or higher depending on how well the Garou blends in to begin with). Anyone who notices her must get more successes on a Perception + Alertness roll than the Garou's player rolled. Guards will assume that the pack member is "one of us" and even a ranking officer won't think twice about the technician or servant in the corner. Should the character draw attention to herself (by attacking someone or speaking loudly, for instance) the player must roll again immediately with a +2 difficulty penalty, les the character lose the effect.

Ban: Cuckoo's children are opportunists who often seek to improve their pack's situation at the expense of others. Garou aware of the pack's affiliation will be very wary. Pack members lose two (2) temporary points from any Honor Renown award.

Source: WtA 298

Fox

Background Cost: 7

Fox likes to confound both prey and enemy, be it a rabbit who doesn't see danger approaching or a pack of hounds who follow him into a hornets' nest. He loves to trick opponents into trusting him, then ensnare them in a cunning trap. He loves it even better if the trap also teaches the foe a lesson.

Traits: Fox teaches his followers Stealth 2, Subterfuge 3, and Streetwise 2, the better to confuse opponents (who, it should be noted, are not always enemies). He also grants each pack member a (1) dot of Manipulation.

Ban: Fox asks only that his children not participate in fox hunts, and that they always help foxes subjected to such hunts. Most other Garou view Fox's children as untrustworthy; pack members receive one (1) less temporary point from any Honor Renown award.

Source: WtA 298