Dramatic Systems: Frenzy

[Xenia]

Frenzy
The image of the werewolf is inherently tied to that of a snarling, uncontrollable beast. Every Garou carries Rage in his heart. Unless he can control and channel that Rage, he can lose control and run amok.
Any increase of Rage can lead to a frenzy, even if it’s gained as a buff from a Gift. The influx of Rage represents an attempt to awaken the primal beast that drives the Garou, leaning into the risk of what happens when a garou is out of balance.

System: If a Garou gains a Rage while their Temporary Rage is higher than their Temporary Willpower, they must test for Frenzy. Make a static test of Resolve + Current Willpower, difficulty Current Rage + bonus based upon the phase of the moon. This may be retested by spending a Willpower. Please note that higher ranks have modifiers to help them resist frenzy: +1 at Adren, +2 at Athro, +3 at Elder, and +4 at Legend.

Moon Phase	Modifier
Full	+4
Gibbous	+3
Half	+2
Crescent	+1
New	+0

Add +1 to the modifier if the phase of the moon matches your auspice or if you are currently in Crinos. (Not cumulative; only 1)
If you do not possess any Willpower when asked to make a frenzy challenge, you automatically fail the challenge.

Success means the player gains a Rage without frenzying. Failure means the Garou flies into one of the frenzies described below. While in either type of Frenzy, spending Gnosis, engaging in complex strategies, or communicating are all beyond a Garou. She must obey more base instincts of either attack or flee. If it may expedite the scene, the Storyteller may request your sheet to run the frenzy on your behalf, since you're following base, primal instincts instead of your character's mindset. You may also elect to hand your sheet to staff and step away from the scene to be surprised and abhorred by what you come back to!

The player can spend a Willpower point immediately to delay the frenzy for one round in combat or one minute out of combat. The character must leave the scene as quickly as humanly possible to go vent their frenzy somewhere else. This is an ongoing compulsion, not a way to ignore Frenzy. You may spend additional Willpower for additional time, but if you run out of Willpower or gain an additional Rage while suppressing your Frenzy, you launch into frenzy.


Fox Frenzy
Something has terrified you, perhaps it was a display of power, perhaps you were severely wounded, whatever the situation you feel the need deep within your soul to run, hide, disappear.

Fox Frenzy Triggers

• Being wounded
• Large quantities of weaponized Silver in the area
• Confinement
• Triggered Phobias
• Embarrassment or humiliation (i.e., public chastisement or failing a very public test)
• Any strong emotion (fear, sorrow, helplessness).

When in fox frenzy, a Garou shifts to his lupus form and seeks to escape from the situation. He will only fight if someone gets in his way, and will otherwise seek to get to someplace alone and safe. Once there, the Garou remains in Fox Frenzy for 3 turns in combat or 2 minutes out of combat before the frenzy wears off and the Garou can think rationally again.

Berserk Frenzy
You are angry, you are furious, and you will have blood. That is what the Berserk Frenzy calls out to. Something has made you angry, and if you do not control yourself there will be violence shortly.

Berserk Frenzy Triggers

• Being wounded
• Seeing a packmate wounded
• Being taunted by a superior enemy
• Triggered Hatreds
• Embarrassment or humiliation (i.e., public chastisement or failing a very public test)
• Any strong emotion (lust, rage, envy).

When in Berserk Frenzy, the Garou immediately shift to Crinos, and then attacks either the nearest moving creature next to her, friend or foe, or the source of her Rage (provided they can be reached in one round). She continues to attack moving targets until either there are none left on the battlefield, or she is knocked unconscious. However, should her current Gnosis be higher than her current Rage, she does have some moderate control over herself. Rather than simply attacking the nearest moving creature, she will attack the nearest moving enemy. In this manner, it is a good idea for a Garou to maintain a good bit of their Gnosis while fighting, lest they be lost into a Berserk Frenzy and lose control.

Berserk Frenzy lasts until the catalyst for the frenzy has been removed. After the Garou can no longer perceive the source of their Rage, remain in Frenzy for 3 turns, and then the Frenzy subsides. After a Berserk Frenzy, a Garou does not remember what happened during their Frenzy. This can lead to some unfortunate circumstances when the Garou realizes what they have done.

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Frenzy TL;DR
- Gaining Rage from gifts or frenzy triggers prompts a frenzy test (provided your temp Rage > your temp WP).
- A frenzy test is Resolve + WP vs Rage + Moon Phase Modifier (table above). Add 1 if your auspice matches moon phase, or you're in Crinos. If your rank modifies your Resolve + WP pool, note that too.
- A win means you gain the rage and don't frenzy. A loss means you gain the rage and frenzy.
- If you have no WP, you auto-fail.
- May spend WP to retest.
- May spend additional WP to suppress frenzy for 1 round (in combat) or 1 minute (out of combat).
- In frenzy, you are mindless: can't spend Gnosis, strategize, or communicate. You shift to Crinos (berserk) or Lupus (fox) and resort to natural weapons to flee or fight. Rage can only be spent for extra actions.
- You can have the ST run this for you, and even step away and come back to find out what happened, since your PC won't remember.
- If your Gnosis > Permanent Rage, you won't attack allies.
- Frenzy ends when catalyst has been removed for 3 turns.

Note: Thrall of the Wyrm Frenzy does not exist at this time, it is not something people prepare against or know about and is not currently a factor for people to need to deal with.