Philodox Gifts

[Xenia]

Philodox Gifts

Level One Gifts

• Fangs of Judgment
• Ma'at's Feather
• Resist Pain
• Sense the Balance
• Subpoena
• Tongue of the Wild Court
• Traitor's Bane

Level Two Gifts

• Building a Legend
• Burden of Doubt
• Entrance the Mob
• Firm Stance
• Marshal's Vigilance
• Realm Wisdom
• Strength of Purpose

Level Three Gifts

• Divided Heart
• Iron Sharpens Iron
• Mental Speech
• Pack Tactics
• Scent of the Oathbreaker
• Stoking Fury's Furnace
• Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

Level Four Gifts

• Castigate
• Forced Transformation
• Invoke Earth's Contract
• Reality's Path
• Rebirth
• Roll Over
• Snarl of the Predator

Level Five Gifts

• Burden of Knowledge
• Drown
• Gaia's Divine Vengeance
• Heart of Fury
• Soul's Guilt
• Spirit Mastery
• Tangling the Thread

[Xenia]

Level One

Fangs of Judgement
It falls upon the Philodox to levy not only judgment but also punishment against those who have fallen from their proper stations. This Gift, taught by an ancestor-spirit, causes the werewolf's attacks to burn with the righteous power of law.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Test Pool: None

System:
Spend a simple action to activate this Gift. For the next 10 minutes Your attacks become empowered to bring judgment. Any attack deals one additional level of damage to creatures currently effected by a punishment of their society (Punishment rites, Negative status, Punishment Oaths);

Affinity:
In addition to the above, This gift also modifies your attacks when you are in any formal challenge.


Ma'at's Feather
According to Egyptian legend, if the heart of one of the dead was heavier than Ma’at’s feather, she would feed it to the beast Ammit, destroying their soul entirely. If it was lighter, then the dead person was admitted to the afterlife. This Gift was first the province of Silent Strider Philodox (and is still most common amongst that tribe), but has spread throughout all of Garou society in recent years as the tribe has spread across the world recently. It allows the Philodox to sense the weight of a fallen Garou’s soul and determine if he died as one of Gaia, or had fallen to the Wyrm. It is used to determine what rituals will be undertaken for the deceased, and is taught by a bird- or lion-spirit.

Cost: None

Test Pool: Wits + Occult versus target's Resolve + Permanent Gnosis at time of death

System:
Spend a standard action to examine the dead garou and engage the Storyteller in a challenge. The Storyteller will throw behind their back for this challenge; they may ask for retests if you have them available. If you won the challenge, the Storyteller may still offer a retest if you have them available - if you do engage in the retest then and lose, it will still be treated as a success as you did succeed on the initial challenge still.

If successful you are able to determine if the Garou died in service to Gaia or if in the end they betrayed the Mother.

Affinity:
You are also able to learn the precise nature of the Garou's guilt if they failed to stay loyal to Gaia, learning how precisely they turned on Gaia before the end.


Resist Pain
When the world is in jeopardy, there is no time for rest or for weakness. The body must be as resistant as stone, able to stand even the greatest agonies without flinching. Gaia’s children can learn to toughen themselves beyond imagining, withstanding pain that would bring a human to her knees. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: None

Test Pool: None

System:
You are immune to pain, wound penalties, and torture.

Affinity:
You may expend 1 point of Willpower and use your simple action to grant any target within a number of steps equal to the number of dots you possess of Survival the benefits of this Gift for the next hour.


Sense the Balance
The world exists in a state of balance -- a pull between Weaver, Wyld, and Wyrm. With concentration, you can pierce the veil of reality to discern if a creature has a certain affinity for one aspect of the Triat over the others. If your perception is keen enough, you determine fine nuances of that balance, even to the extent of identifying whether that creature has recently associated with an aspect of the Triat. Most keen eyed spirits can teach this Gift, though most Garou find their instruction from an owl sprit.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Wits + Empathy vs Target's Resolve + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action to make an opposed challenge against your target using this Gift's test pool.

If you succeed, you can determine whether the creature is most associated with the Wyld, the Weaver, or the Wyrm. This Gift allows you to determine which type of supernatural creature your target is (if any), such as Garou, Vampire, Fae, Ghoul, Kinfolk, Bane, etc. If your target is possessed by a Bane, a Vampire, or another creature, this power reveals that information and determines the possessing creature's type.

If you have no experience, knowledge, or "Scholar Of" related Merit of the specific creature type, the Storyteller may simply describe facets of the creature rather than answering with detailed information. For example, she might say, "It seems to be a creature that drinks blood and only comes out at night."

Once you have taken your target's measure, you automatically learn of any Taint she might have from the Triat, even if she isn't directly associated with a member of the Triat.

Exceptional Success:
You can also sense if your target has recently been to a place associated with the Weaver, Wyld, or Wyrm.

Affinity:
Philodox need to know if they are dealing with a Garou immediately, as such any Philodox with this Gift is able to immediately recognize a Garou for what they are without needing to activate this Gift or test - unless the Garou is making use of a power that would conceal their nature.


Subpoena
The spirits of law and justice have empowered you to mystically summon an individual to your presence. These spirits deliver your summons, formally declaring your identity to the recipient, the reason for your summons, and the location at which the recipient must appear. If she fails to honor this call, the spirits punish her for her denial. The very spirits that deliver this message, that is law- and justice-spirits are the teachers of this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Charisma + Academics + Rank versus target's Composure + Willpower + Rank

System:
Spend a standard action to verbally issue a summons, identifying your target to the spirits and informing them of the reason for the summons. Make an opposed challenge against your target. To attempt this challenge, you must be familiar with your target. If you succeed, a spirit travels to your target's location, manifests, and delivers your summons, declaring your name, Rank, and the desired location for her appearance.

Immediately afterward, the target must declare whether she accepts or rejects the summons. Failure to answer is considered a rejection by the spirits.

If she rejects the summons, the target immediately loses 1 point of Willpower which cannot be regained for 30 days. While suffering this Willpower loss, the target may choose to change her mind and accept the call, regaining the lost points of Willpower. If the target opts to accept the call after having previously rejected it, you may select a new time and location for the appearance, to be delivered to your target by the spirits in the same manner as before.

If your target accepts the Subpoena, she must actively attempt to arrive at the specified location at the appointed time. The spirits notify you when your target is nearing the appointed location. Failure to arrive at the designate time causes your target to immediately lose 1 point of Willpower for 30 days, as if she had denied the summons.

The target retains all of her survival instincts and thus cannot be compelled to walk off a cliff or enter a situation that she realizes may be an ambush. If she cannot physically present herself for these reasons, she may contact you through another means, such as a spiritual messenger. If she believes she is in danger, she may take up to 10 minutes to prepare herself before answering the Subpoena without suffering penalty.

A character may be targeted by this Gift multiple times, but the penalties are not cumulative. If she cannot be reached by spirits, such as if she is behind a Spirit Ward of cannot by seen by spirits, the spirits will wait until they can deliver the summons or until one week passes, whichever is shorter. A target must answer Subpoenas in the order they are received.

Misuse of this power is strongly frowned upon. Issuing accusations and calls to appear as a witness are valid uses of this Gift, but using a justice spirit as an arbitrary messenger is considered grounds for Renown loss, as is any use of this power in bad faith.

Exceptional Success:
The target loses 2 points of Willpower, instead of the usual 1 point, if she rejects the summons or fails to arrive on time.

Affinity:
Philodox love tattletales. The spirits contact you on an hourly basis to inform you about your target's progress, revealing their distance, what they're busy doing, and their speed towards the specified location.


Tongue of the Wild Court
You remember the times of your distant ancestors, when great beasts roamed the earth. Many such creatures were allied with the Garou and taught them animal languages. With this Gift, your mere presence awakens the spiritual aspect of animals as you draw near. This heightened self-awareness affects birds, mammals, reptiles, and even fish, allowing you to communicate as though speaking a common language and invoke ancient pacts to secure the aid of such animals. Any animal-spirit can teach this Gift.

Cost: None or 1 or 2 Gnosis (see Gift)

Test Pool: Manipulation + Animal Ken versus target's Composure + Willpower

System:
The first part of this power is always active once this Gift has been purchased; this power allows you to invoke ancient pacts, swaying animals to your side. Mundane animals have no fear of you, and you instinctively know how to communicate with such creatures - you do not suffer the effects of the curse when dealing with mundane animals. You need not imitate animal noises or gestures to communicate; any combination of sounds or movements can carry your meaning to animals watching you.

Additionally, you can leverage your status to request service from mundane animals. To do so, spend 1 point of Gnosis and expend a standard action to entreat a beast, convincing it to serve you for the next hour. You may opt to spend a second point of Gnosis during activation, causing the animal to serve you for up to 24 hours. An affected creature assists you however it can, but it will not fight on your behalf, directly endanger itself, or lead you to its young. It will answer questions to the best of its ability, though the extent of its understanding is limited. You can only have one animal in your service at a time; engaging another releases the first from its duty to serve.

An animal cannot speak to you or cooperate with you if its loyalty is already commanded by another supernatural creature. Animals that are supernatural in origin, such as bygones, are not affected by Tongue of the Wild Court, nor does the Gift affect spirits, even those shaped or themed like animals.

Exceptional Success:
You do not need to spend the second point of Gnosis to make the animal serve you for up to 24 hours.

Affinity:
You can convince a group of animals to assist you at once. If multiple beasts are together within your line of sight when you request their services, you may command a total number of normal beasts equal to the dots you possess of the Animal Ken ability. To do so, spend 1 point of Gnosis and make an opposed challenge against the animal with the highest resistance.


Traitor's Bane
Few things enrage the spirits more than those who violate their sacred duty to Gaia. Calling on spirits of judgement and wrath, you can enlist their aid to punish those who have betrayed their purpose, guiding your strikes as you mete out justice. A spirit of judgement or vengeance teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Rage

Test Pool: None

System:
Spend a simple action to howl in expression of your hatred and contempt for those who have fallen from Gaia's purpose. or the next hour, your Physical attacks gain the Accurate equipment quality against such targets. This Gift targets any entity who has succumbed to Taint in some fashion: Wyrm-serving garou, fae who have succumbed to the Wyld, mindless Weaver Drones, etc. The Gift cannot affect any entity created in service to that aspect of triat (banes, wyldlings, etc.), but anything that has strayed from their original path is fair game.

Your cry for justice inspires those around you. When joining you in attacking your target, a number of allies up to the number of dots you possess of the Leadership ability receive a +2 bonus to resist fear-based attacks, such as Primal Fear, while this Gift is active.

Affinity:
In addition to accurate, all your attacks against these targets deal an additional point of damage. You may extend this benefit to the allies you are granting the other benefit of this Gift.[/list]

[Xenia]

Level Two

Building a Legend
The Philodox are the natural leaders of the Garou in times of peace, bolstered by the faith and trust given to them by their charges. Each time the werewolf is accorded Renown by his fellows, he experiences a surge of confidence. A lion-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: None

Test Pool: None

System:
Whenever a Galliard signs off on any renown you have been awarded, you immediately regain 1 point of Willpower, up to your permanent Willpower rating. The effects of this Gift are Permanent.

Affinity:
A rising tide raises all ships. If you and others all earned renown for the same action, you are able to extend the benefits of this Gift to all who have their Renown signed off at the same time as you.


Burden of Doubt
Deep within even the most honorable or innocent of persons, the seeds of doubt lie deeply buried. Through the power of your consternation, you can cultivate these seeds until they blossom into a physical affliction. This Gift is taught by a lion spirit.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Manipulation + Politics versus target's Composure + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action to verbally condemn your target who must be able to hear your condemnation. If you succeed in an opposed challenge, your target feels the weight of your judgement as her limbs become heavy with doubt and fatigue.

Your target reduces the damage she would normally deal on her next successful Physical attack by 2 points (minimum 0). Additionally, until your target successfully strikes someone with a Physical attack, she cannot benefit from the Accurate, Brutal, or Deadly equipment qualities.

Exceptional Success:
The damage reduction from Burden of Doubt lasts for your target's next two successful Physical attacks, instead of the standard one attack.

Affinity:
You may use this Gift on two targets both within three steps of each other. Engage in both challenges separately.


Entrance the Mob
The rancorous mob and the well-trained pack have one thing in common--both can be directed by an impassioned speaker. You have the ability to force a pack-like unity on a crowd of people, forcing them to temporarily remain calm and consider your point of view. While you can't actively control them, you do have the ability to sway their actions through well-chosen words. A lion-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Test Pool: None

System:
Spend your standard action to activate Entrance the Mob. For the duration of this Gift, you retain the attention of everyone that can hear your voice. This effect lasts for up to one full turn for each dot of the Performance ability you possess, although you may choose to end it sooner by ceasing to speak. While this power is active, anyone within hearing distance must listen to you, talk reasonably, or leave. You cannot force others to like you or talk to you, but they must listen as long as you continue talking, or until you reach the maximum duration allowed by your Performance ability. Once Entrance the Mob expires, opponents can attack you normally, and you cannot activate this power again for the next hour. If you attack, use a supernatural power, or attempt to move away from aggressors, Entrance the Mob ends immediately.

Your allies are not exempt from Entrance the Mob. No one under the effect of this Gift can attack while this Gift is active.

Affinity:
As an alternate activation, you may instead use this Gift when enacting a Punishment Rite. This must be done at the beginning when starting the Rite. This Gift then persists until the completion of the Punishment Rite. Activating the Gift in this manner costs 3 Willpower as opposed to the normal 1.


Firm Stance
With the affirmation of his fellow Garou behind him, the Philodox has no ear for paltry attempts to sway him from his path. His Honor acts as a shield against the subversive words of the Wyrm’s minions and the misguided arguments of less righteous werewolves. A falcon-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Test Pool: None

System:
When targeted by a Social power, the Philodox can activate this Gift reflexively without needing to spend an action. Gain a bonus to resist the Social power equal to half your Permanent Honor (round up, maximum 5).

You may not use this Gift if the individual targeting you with this power has more Permanent Honor than you.

Affinity:
In addition to the bonuses to resist such an effect, the Garou gains a Gift retest to resist the effect.


Marshal's Vigilance
Yours is the unflinching stare of the hardened warrior. With a sharp glance and a tacit show of force, lesser wolves and lesser men find themselves thinking twice before provoking hostilities in your presence. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Rage

Test Pool: Intelligence + Intimidation versus target's Resolve + Willpower

System:
Expend your standard action to glare at your target and make a simple show of force. This act could take the form of a soft growl, the brandishing of a sword, or the nocking of an arrow. Then, make an opposed challenge. If you succeed, your target becomes instantly aware that she is the object of your attention, as well as a potential target. For the next 10 minutes, you automatically have her Gaze and Focus, for as long as you remain visible.

For the duration of the scene, if your target attempts to initiate combat with a surprise action, you will be able to take an action concurrent with her, handled in order of initiative. Additionally, you may make an immediate use of the Quick Draw combat maneuver for free.

Use of this power requires you to have line of sight on the target. Wolves and other Garou may view the use of this Gift as a form of social aggression, possibly initiating a Staredown. You can only have this power active against a single target at a time. Should you affect another target with Marshal’s Vigilance while it is already active, the effects of the power on your previous target end.

Exceptional Success:
Your opponent’s weakness is made plain before your piercing stare. If your target makes a combat attack at any point during the power’s duration, you may use one of the following combat maneuvers against her once, without spending Willpower: Disarm, Grapple, or Knockdown.

Affinity:
You may have this power active against a number of targets up to your Rank without its effects ending. Should you affect a target with this power beyond that number, you must choose a target already under the effect of your Gift and release her from its effects.


Realm Wisdom
A wise Garou knows to obey the laws of a realm for maximum results; however, sometimes those laws aren’t immediately obvious. Although experience is the best teacher, sometimes a Philodox needs to take a shortcut. By channeling the wisdom of a realm’s spirits, the Philodox can intuitively guess important facts about the realm. This Gift is taught by an ancestor-spirit.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: None

System:
Meditate for the next five minutes, opening your heart to the energies and spirits of your present location. You learn the secret language of whatever spirits inhabit this umbral realm and innately understand the following secrets specific to this realm:

• The name of the umbral realm and its general location within the Tellurian relative to the Material Realm: Penumbra, Near Umbra, Deep Umbra.
• The affinity of the umbral realm: Wyld, Weaver, or Wyrm.
• The approximate archetype of the umbral realm and its general reflection on the Material Realm.
• The basic laws of the realm, including any unique properties of the realm that might limit or amplify your agency and abilities, and the exact methods by which a traveler may enter and leave this umbral realm

Affinity:
Philodox know the importance of appearing ready immediately. By raising the cost of this Gift to 2 Gnosis they may activate it by spending a full turn in concentration rather than the usual five minutes.


Strength of Purpose
You relish battle and look forward to it as part of your destiny within Gaia’s world. You are Garou, raised to fight and to die in defense of the Great Mother, and you see this calling as a glorious duty rather than a burden. Because of this dedication, you are among the first of Gaia’s warriors into battle—and the last to retreat. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: None

Test Pool: None

System:
When you take damage that results in marking off boxes in your Incapacitated wound track, you immediately heal 1 point of damage—normal or aggravated—and immediately regain 1 spent Willpower. You then apply the damage. Strength of Purpose does not require an action, but once triggered, it cannot be triggered again for five minutes.

Affinity:
You regain 3 spent Willpower rather than the standard 1.

[Xenia]

Level Three

Divided Heart
The heart of the werewolf is filled with rage, and quite often, this internal fire can overcome a werewolf’s strength of will. With this Gift, taught by any tree spirit, a Philodox can briefly allow another to “hold back” the fury inside, lest a poorly made decision cause irreparable damage.

Cost: None

Test Pool: None

System:
Spend 5 minutes talking with a Garou to help them soothe their Rage. After those 5 minutes, the Garou gains a bonus equal to your Primal Urge to resist frenzy or other effects that target the Garou's Rage for the next half an hour.

Affinity:
By spending a Willpower when activating this Gift, it can instead by activated with only a standard action and giving a small verbal statement such as "cool down!".


Iron Sharpens Iron
Conventional wisdom teaches that an experienced warrior brings more to a battle than simply another sword. Offering guidance and direction to your allies, you have the power to impart the benefits of your skill and expertise. Others find themselves bolstered by your influence and command, their efforts strengthened by your example. Perseverance and training have made you a powerful force on the battlefield. A war-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: None

System:
Use your simple action to shout words of inspiration to your allies. Choose one of your abilities. For the next five minutes, a number of allies up to the number of dots you possess of the Leadership ability may opt to use the value of your chosen Ability in place of their own.

A recipient of this power can only benefit from a single application of Iron Sharpens Iron at a time. Should a second user of this power attempt to target one of your beneficiaries, she must choose which application to retain and which to relinquish.

Affinity:
You may choose up to two Abilities to share with your allies.


Mental Speech
This Gift grants mental communication, even over vast distances. Bird spirits and spirits of intellect teach this Gift. Owl is a particularly sought-after teacher, and those who learn from him claim to have enhanced abilities at night.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Test Pool: None or Charisma + Empathy versus target's Composure + Willpower

System:
Expend a standard action to create a telepathic connection with a single subject you are familiar with within (5 miles x permanent dots of Willpower) and on the same place of existence as you; if the target is willing there is no challenge, if they are not then engage them in the Gift's contested challenge. For the purpose of determining whether or not a subject is willing, she knows beforehand who is attempting to contact her and may decide whether or not to accept the connection.

Once the connection has been established to a willing target, you and your target may communicate via telepathic whispers for as long as you both wish. If connected to an unwilling target the connection lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Rank +1, at which point if the target is still unwilling you may engage them in another challenge to maintain the connection. This link conveys short verbal messages as well as vague images - enough that a person could understand what you're looking at, but not so much they could help you search for something in your line of sight however it does not transmit involuntary thoughts, or memories.

A person can only participate in a single Mental Speech at a time. If you are targeted to participate in another Mental Speech while your preexisting Mental Speech is already active, you must decide whether to remain in the existing instance or join the new one.

If at any point a willing individual becomes unwilling this effect immediately ends unless you can succeed on the Gift's challenge against them, in which case the Gift follows the unwilling rules until the target becomes willing again.

Affinity:
Philodox often use this Gift to try and learn what someone is thinking, even if they don't wish to share. As an alternate activation, by spending a standard action to activate this Gift they can engage an unwilling target that is within line of sight in the Gift's challenge. If successful, they are able to glean the target's surface thoughts or transmit directly a single sentence message into the target's mind before the connection breaks.

On an exceptional success, they may do both actions if they so wish.


Pack Tactics
Wolves instinctively fight using pack tactics, supporting one another to bring down their quarry. Your commanding will inspires others to fight like such a pack, working together as a unified force. With your guidance, even a diverse group can truly fight as one. A wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Rage

Test Pool: None

System:
Expend a simple action to howl or speak words of encouragement. Select a number of allies up to the number of dots you possess of the Leadership ability. This symbolic gesture unifies the instincts and spirits of your allies, encouraging them to fight as a united force. Until the start of your next Universal round action, each character targeted by Pack Tactics can offer one another a single use of the Assist Attacker or Assist Defender mass combat tactics without expending actions to do so. This additional mass combat tactic can be used during Rage rounds, but only one such action can be used each turn. Multiple applications of Pack Tactics do not stack.

At the start of your action during the next Universal round, you may choose to spend another simple action to continue howling or speaking. If you do, the effects of this Gift continue, as if you enacted the Gift this turn. You can perform this continuation every turn thereafter, but if you choose not to continue the power on a given turn, you must spend a Rage and a simple action to reenact the Gift anew thereafter.

Affinity:
Your presence is especially inspiring. Your targets can use a single combat maneuver without expending Willpower to do so, as an alternative to using the Assist Attacker or Assist Defender combat tactics. Only one free combat maneuver can be gained this way each turn. They must still spend the action to perform the combat maneuver.


Scent of the Oathbreaker
Oaths sanctified before a Philodox are a serious matter indeed, so this Gift grants the judges of the Garou nation the ability to know when an oath has been broken and to track down the oathbreaker to correct him personally. A dog-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: None

System:
The Philodox may spend a simple action to sanctify any oath or promise he personally witnesses, no matter how formal or informal. If at any point in the future one of the individuals sworn to the oath breaks it, the Philodox immediately becomes aware of this, and all rolls for the werewolf to track the oathbreaker by scent gain +2. This benefit lasts until the Philodox next stands in the oathbreaker’s presence.

Affinity:
Upon the oath breaking the Philodox also gains some slight insight into the information surrounding the promise breaking. Examples are, "They were forced to break the oath," or "They forgot about the oath," or "They never intended to keep the oath." The information is vague and can be incomplete, though is always true.


Stoking Fury's Furnace
You’ve trained your heart to endure the Rage that flows through you. When the need arises, you can tap into that fury, pushing your body past its limits. This process can be dangerous, but sometimes the risk is worth the reward. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: None

Test Pool: None

System:
Once learned, this Gift is always active. The Garou gains one Rage point any time that he takes damage, and he does not have to check for frenzy from that specific stimulus (other stimuli induce frenzy checks as normal). In addition, the Garou can spend one Rage point — and only one — per turn without losing any temporary Rage. However, if he spends multiple Rage in any turn, they are marked off as usual.

Affinity:
When you gain a point of Rage from Stoking Fury's Furnace, you may target another individual within 20 steps and they gain the point of Rage instead. No character may be affected by more than one application of Stoking Fury's Furnace per turn.


Wisdom of the Ancient Ways
All werewolves have an innate connection to the cycle — a spiritual, racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient lore. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 2 Gnosis

Test Pool: None

System:
By spending at least three standard actions in meditation on a certain subject, the philodox can enter a trance like state to commune with Ancestors of the garou nation for advice. As this taps into the collective history of the garou nation, even those without the Ancestors Background can use this Gift (although those with Ancestors have a much easier time). Narratively, this should draw the Philodox into a vision quest in the umbra, leaving his body behind and unable to retain any sense but touch. A Philodox may choose to end the vision quest upon physical contact, and will automatically snap out of this trance upon receiving damage. Please remember out of character to ask a player if they consent to physical roleplay before actually touching someone.

On this vision quest, the Storyteller is encouraged to offer interactive helpful visions and glimpses into the ancestral knowledge surrounding the topic at hand. Perhaps he might glimpse a fetish's creation or witness a frightened Cliath listening in on a conversation that got her killed. Either way, the Philodox will return with lost knowledge related to the topic at hand.

In the event that there isn't time or interest out of character in doing a full vision quest, a player may elect to ask a question off of this list, and an additional question for each level of Ancestors and Rank they possess.

• Is this known by another name in Garou history?
• Where was this last encountered?
• When was this last encountered?
• Has this historically had a Weaver, Wyld, or Wyrm Affinity?
• Was this created by a Garou or kinfolk?
• If the garou nation has faced this subject before, how did they handle it?
• If any exist, who is a known Ancestor Spirit who died to this subject?
• If any exist, who is a known expert on this subject in the Garou Nation at present?
• If any exist, who is a known descendent of this subject?
• If it is known, what is the safest way to store/keep this subject? (Tricks to imprisonment/sealing away/etc)
• Historically, what is the subject's greatest known strength?
• Historically, what is the subject's greatest known weakness?

It should be emphasized that these are not confirmed, empirical truths in the grand scheme of things, but truthful information to the best knowledge of the history of the Garou Nation.

Affinity:
By spending an additional Gnosis per participant, the philodox may invite others to join on this vision quest. While they cannot physically interact or be acknowledged by those encountered (only the philodox is discernible to the spirits), they can witness everything that happens and communicate with the philodox freely. If this is used, the Philodox may use the highest Rank and Ancestors Rating from the participants.

[Xenia]

Level Four

Castigate
A Philodox has the ears of the spirits, and they respect her words. If she calls on them to harshly judge another Garou, they will temporarily revoke their favor from the target of her ire. The Philodox calls upon the spirits to revoke their favor from another Garou; she must verbally state the target’s offenses against the spirit worlds, and the target must be present; if successful, the target loses both Renown and spiritual Gifts. A hyena-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Charisma + Occult + Rank versus target's Composure + Willpower + Rank

System:
Expend a standard action to verbally reprimand your target. You must have your target's Gaze and Focus to do so. Your castigation must include some reason, however spurious, explaining why the spirits should punish the target. If you succeed in an opposed challenge, you mystically mark the target, indicating that the spirits must treat the victim as though she has 0 Rank (that is effectively a cub) for the purposes of activating Gifts or adding Rank to her test pools. This reduction does not affect any other properties of Rank, such as bonus attributes or downtime activities. This effect lasts for 10-minutes.

Alternatively, you may use this Gift to enact a longer-lasting punishment. To do so, you must place your hands on the target for three consecutive standard actions as you recite a litany of her crimes. If you succeed in an opposed challenge, your Castigate affects the target for 30 days. You may choose to end the effects of this power before the end of its duration by expending a simple action to do so.

Exceptional Success:
If you achieve an exceptional success, the duration of Castigate increases to one hour, or in the case of a longer punishment, 60 days.

Affinity:
As a master of the Law, you may choose to instead use the test pool of Intelligence + Law + Rank versus target's Resolve + Willpower + Rank instead of the normal test pool if you wish.


Forced Transformation
Gaia's foremost gift to her children is the power to change shape. With this Gift, a Garou can seize control of that ability, causing her opponents to lose control of their physical forms and assume whatever shape she demands. So long as the target can achieve the chosen form, they must transform into it, remaining trapped that body, unable to shift for a short while. An ancestor spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Wits + Animal Ken versus target's Resolve + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action to force a target who is capable of changing forms to change her shape into one you choose. This transformation takes place on the target's next available standard action. If the target is unwilling, you must defeat her in an opposed challenge in order for this Gift to take effect. Regardless of whether or not the target is willing, once you enact Forced Transformation on her, she cannot voluntarily change shape for the next two full turns.

Forced Transformation has no effect on creatures that cannot change form, but it can be used on other supernatural creatures that possess transformative powers. Use of this Gift does not grant you knowledge of what forms your target is capable of assuming, nor can it force a target to assume a form to which she does not possess access. You can only command your target to assume those forms you know or suspect your target can assume. If you are unsure about your target's breed or nature, you can compel her to revert to her natural form without knowing what that form is. Targets affected by this power change shape without expending an action or resources.

Exceptional Success:
On an exceptional success, the target is not only locked into that form, they are locked into the truest version of that form possible. As such, if the target possesses Merits, Gifts, or other Abilities that augment that form they cease to function for this Gift's duration. (E.g. A Garou forced into Lupus would not be able to make use of Razor Claws, etc).

Affinity:
You prevent your target from voluntarily changing shape for a number of turns up to the number of dots you possess of the Law ability, instead of the standard two turns.


Invoke Earth's Contract
Calling on the ancient pacts between Garou and Gaia to protect the earth, you infuse your body with great resilience. Your skin takes on a faint gray cast as your body becomes imbued with the spirit of stone. Attacks barely scratch your granite-strengthened skin. Earth elementals teach this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: None

System:
Use your standard action to invoke the special bond between you and the spirits of elemental earth. For the next hour, you gain the Full Body and Ballistic equipment qualities. These qualities are immune to the Armor Piercing weapon quality, due to their supernatural nature. You cannot benefit from this power more than once per hour.

Affinity:
As an alternate function, you may choose to expend 1 point of Gnosis and spend a standard action to activate this Gift, causing a wall of stone stalagmites to rise from the ground. The stalagmites cross haphazardly, like jagged teeth, obstructing any clear path. While they block movement, the stalagmites opponents can attack through them, and they do not block line of sight or Gaze and Focus. The wall is 10 steps long, 10 steps high, and two feet thick. It has 4 health levels. If all of its health levels take damage, it shatters and dissipates back into the ground.


Reality’s Path
Perception is subjective, but the Philodox cannot afford that luxury. This Gift allows the user to sense whether what the subject believes to be true is actually false. A Jaggling of Falcon teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Willpower

Test Pool: None

System:
Upon hearing a statement from their target, the Philodox can spend a simple action and activate this Gift to learn if the statement is really true as the individual believes it to be. The Philodox then immediately learns if the statement said is actually true, or is in fact false.

Note that this Gift only works when a subject speaks what he truly believes; packmates can’t go on “fishing expeditions” by throwing out names to determine who really committed a deed, for example. Further, if the individual you use this Gift on is deliberately lying the Gift will always report that back as truth. Reality's Path only works if the target speaks what they believe to be the truth.

Reality’s Path deals with knowable facts (“She never intended to return”, “despite his boast, your brother didn’t kill the Bane single-handed”), not greater spiritual truths.

Affinity:
Upon learning that a statement is false, the Philodox also learns some information about why the subject believes it. For example learning that the individual has been deliberately mislead, or there was a trick of the light that confused them, etc.


Rebirth
From death can come hope. From the ashes of ruin can come renewed fighting spirit. The Philodox sheds his blood over the bones of the fallen to briefly return a creature to life. A phoenix-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Gnosis + 1 or more levels of Lethal Damage (see Gift)

Test Pool: None

System:
The werewolf must touch the bones of an animal corpse that has been dead no longer than (werewolf's Gnosis) months and carries no Wyrm taint. The werewolf then activates this Gift and inflicts a number of lethal health levels upon himself, depending on the size of the corpse. Small creatures such as small birds or rodents require one level; medium sized creatures such as wolves, falcons, and iguanas require two; large creatures such as horses, alligators, and dolphins require three; and enormous creatures such as elephants or giraffes require four or more at the Storyteller’s discretion. Over the next five minutes, her blood forms into new muscle and flesh, filling in the gaps in the body until it is whole again. The revised creature is loyal to the Philodox for the duration of its existence, but returns to its original state when the sun next crosses the horizon. The werewolf cannot use this Gift on the same corpse a second time.

Affinity:
You may use this Gift on a mortal human, so long as they satisfy all the other requirements of the Gift. Doing so takes 2 levels of aggravated damage. They still only rise until the sun next crosses the horizon. The individual remembers nothing since their death, though they may be able to give a good account of what occurred up until they died.


Roll Over
The Philodox can call on her power to radiate a commanding presence that compels others to submit to her. Should she succeed in a test of wills, she dominates her foe, which causes humans to fall to their knees and wolves to roll on their backs. Either a lion- or a wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: None

Test Pool: Charisma + Law + Rank versus target's Composure + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action and target an individual within 10 steps in this Gift's contested challenge. If the Gift takes effect, the victim can take no action other than submission unless he is in direct danger. If attacked, the target is able to apply their full defense against the attack. You must spend a simple action each round you have an action in order to maintain this effect, though you can perform other actions and even look away. If you fail to spend a simple action in a given round the effect immediately ends.

Exceptional Success:
Once you stop spending simple actions to maintain the effect, the individual is still bound for two more rounds before they are able to act again.

Affinity:
Instead of spending a simple action on a given round you may choose to spend 1 point of Gnosis instead.


Snarl of the Predator
Wolves struggle for dominance through tests of strength and will. The most primitive-and arguably the most important-of these is the staredown. BY glaring into your opponents eyes, you can inflect terror into her hear and force her to submit to your will. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Rage

Test Pool: Charisma + Intimidation versus target's Composure + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action to make a display of strength and dominance, such as growling, posturing, or raising hackles in your fur. If you succeed in an opposed challenge against your target, she immediately flees in terror for five minutes. The target cannot willingly come within five steps of you for this power's duration. In addition she actively seeks to avoid your presence and fears your against for the rest of the game session and she cannot initiate a Staredown against you.

If your target is a Garou or Fera, she may choose to kneel or roll over onto her back instead of fleeing. A shapeshifter who chooses this option must do so during her next available action, and she must continue to submit for two full turns. She cannot attack you for the next five minutes, unless you attack her first. However, she is not forced to flee or to stay away from you. If the target is attacked, including by you, she can defend herself normally.

Exceptional Success:
If you achieve an exceptional success when attempting to use this power, the effects last for one hour, instead of five minutes, and submission lasts for five turns instead of two.

Affinity:
You may forgo the traditional means of enacting Snarl of the Predator, and may instead choose to activate this power with a glare as cold as ice, rather than more visible aggressive behaviors. Such an activation changes the power's test pool to Intelligence + Intimidation versus target's Resolve + Willpower.

[Xenia]

Level Five

Burden of Knowledge
The Garou floods an individual with the knowledge of all her own limitations, making the victim aware of every flaw or failing and reminding her of all the wrongs she has committed or caused. The weight of this enlightenment can either change an individual for the better, or drive her into suicidal despair or murderous frenzy. Few individuals survive the effect of this Gift unscathed. This Gift can sometimes bring an errant Garou back from the edge of corruption or cause an enemy of the Garou to be “born again.” A spirit from Erebus teaches this Gift .

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Intelligence + Empathy versus target's Resolve + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action and target an individual within 10 steps and engage them in this Gifts contested challenge. Success causes the victim to experience every negative aspect of her personality and past, including secret vices, shortcomings, failures and other similar faults.

The Storyteller should decide what ultimate effect the Gift produces in the victim – either a desire to reform her ways and correct her failings, an impulse to kill herself out of shame and despair or some course of action in between the two extremes. However while suffering this distraction, for the next hour the target suffers a -5 penalty on all non-defensive challenges and further should they fail a non-defensive challenge they are treated as though they dramatically failed.

Once the victim has experienced the total effect of the Gift, the intense awareness begins to fade – but residual memories may plague the victim for a long time afterward.

Exceptional Success:
The duration of this effect lasts for the next two hours rather than just one.

Affinity:
The penalty on all non-defensive challenges increases to a -10.


Drown
This Gift causes the lungs of an opponent to fill with liquid. The victim must receive immediate medical or magical assistance or die within a few minutes. The target of the Gift can attempt to help herself but she can do nothing but attempt to expel the fluid. This Gift can either function as a way to capture an opponent, render an enemy helpless or inflict punishment on an individual. A Kelpie-spirit teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 Rage

Test Pool: Charisma + Law versus target's Composure + Willpower

System:
Spend a standard action and target an individual within 5 steps and engage them in the Gift's contested challenge. The victim must receive help immediately or else die by drowning. The victim may attempt to help herself by trying to cough up or otherwise expel the fluid, but she can take no other actions (including movement away from her surroundings) while she is making the attempt. In order to cough up the fluid the target must spend both their standard and simple action and succeed on a static Stamina + Survival diff (your Rank + Law). If they do not try to cough up the liquid they may instead choose to try and take other actions however they suffer a -3 penalty on all actions other than trying to cough up the water. This penalty increases by 1 each turn. Once the penalty is equal to the target's current Stamina, they pass out from suffocation and will soon die.

A person wishing to offer assistance may do so by spending their standard action and succeeding on a static Wits + Medicine diff (your Rank + Law) to force the water from the victim's lungs.

Exceptional Success:
The penalty starts at -5 rather than the usual -3.

Affinity:
Just succeeding once isn't enough to get the water out. They must succeed 3 times in order to empty their lungs. In some small reprieve, each success does reduce the penalty by 1 and prevent if from increasing for that turn.


Gaia's Divine Vengeance
While the cycle of life inevitably involves death and suffering, there exists an underlying natural law that governs all creatures. So potent is your judgement that you can declare a target in violation of the natural order, calling Gaia's divine vengeance upon her. This burden manifests itself as a powerful curse, enhancing her vulnerabilities. A spirit of judgement teaches this Gift.

Cost: 2 Rage

Test Pool: Manipulation + Leadership + Rank versus target's Composure + Willpower + Rank

System:
Spend your standard action to howl in fury at your target. If you succeed in an opposed challenge against her, your target is condemned by the weight of your judgement. She cannot benefit from any armor as it simply fails to protect her while under this curse.

In addition, the target becomes especially susceptible to her supernatural weaknesses, receiving 1 additional point of damage when struck by them. Garou receive an additional point of damage from silver, vampires from sunlight and fire, etc.

This Gift lasts for one hour by default. However, for those you deem truly heinous, you may choose to enact a longer-lasting punishment. To enact this longer curse, you must lay your hands on the target for three consecutive standard actions as you recite a litany of her crimes. If you succeed in an opposed challenge against her, your Gaia's Divine Vengeance persists for 30 days.

Exceptional Success:
For the next hour, any damage you inflict on the target of Gaia's Divine Vengeance is aggravated damage, regardless of the source.

Affinity:
If your target has higher Rank than you, you may choose to remove Rank from both of your test pools for this Gift.


Heart of Fury
Through the strength in your heart and the power of your voice, you can galvanize the Rage of those who follow you. Perhaps you weave brave tales, sing spirited songs, or stir others with an impassioned cry. Whatever the means, you are a source of strength and inspiration on the battlefield. A lune teaches this Gift.

Cost: 2 Gnosis

Test Pool: None

System:
Expend your standard action to use Heart of Fury. Choose a number of allies up to the number of dots you possess of the Intimidation Ability, to a minimum of 1 ally. You and each additional target gain up to 2 points of Rage. In addition, the first time Heart of Fury affects a character during a combat scenario, she regains 1 point of Willpower. No character can be affected by more than one application of Heart of Fury per turn.

Affinity:
You may choose to affect a number of targets equal to twice the number of dots you possess of the Intimidation Ability.


Soul’s Guilt
This powerful but very temperamental Gift allows the weight of guilt which rests on the heart to emerge to the surface. The effect varies, but usually appears as shadowing across the subject’s features; the shadows deepen as the guilt grows (other effects include “howls of demons,” the sound of winter winds or even ominous music). Note that, while useful, it has some severe limitations, for it registers only what troubles the individual. To a single old lady, a white lie may give her nightmares and deeply shade her soul, while a vigilante may sleep the sleep of the just and go undetected by this Gift. Soul’s Guilt is taught by one of Falcon’s brood, or any spirit associated with Justice.

Cost: None

Test Pool: Wits + Empathy versus Target's Resolve + Willpower

System:
The Garou must look at (or in some cases, listen to or smell) the target and concentrate for one full turn. Then engage the target in a contested challenge. If successful you are able to glean the rough level of the target's guilt.

Exceptional Success:
In addition to getting the target's rough level you also learn from them what they are currently feeling the most guilty about. If there is some debate, default to the most recent source of guilt.

Affinity:
As a Philodox you always need to know what a person is guilty about; on a normal success you learn what the target is currently feeling the most guilty about. If there is some debate, default to the most recent source of guilt.

Upon achieving an exceptional success, rather than the information about what the individual feels most guilty about being transmitted to just you, you may instead make the target announce the source of their guilt out loud. You may choose to do this after learning what they are most guilty about.


Spirit Mastery
By asserting your dominion, you can banish a spirit from your presence. Should you desire, you can make lesser spirits your prey, absorbing their essence as sustenance. The avatar of any Incarna teaches this Gift.

Cost: 1 or 3 Gnosis (see Gift)

Test Pool: Intelligence + Occult versus Special (see below)

System:
Expend a standard action to immediately banish any single Gaffling or Jaggling spirit from your line of sight for one hour. You must be able to see the spirit in order to banish it. If you spend 3 points of Gnosis to activate this Gift, you may instead banish all Gaffling and Jaggling spirits from your line of site for one hour.

In addition, you can choose to spend 3 points of Gnosis and both your standard and simple action when activating this Gift to attempt to banish an Incarna spirit. If you succeed in an opposed challenge against it, it is banished from your line of sight for 10 turns.

The use of this Gift may cause you to gain Spirit Notoriety with a specific class of spirits at Storyteller discretion.

Exceptional Success:
The duration of the banishment for an Incarna spirit extends to one hour.

Affinity:
You may use either of the first two activations of this Gift for only a simple action. It still takes both your standard and simple action to attempt to banish an Incarna.


Tangling the Thread
At a child's birth the Moirai spin out their thread. Klotho, the "the Spinner," who spun the thread of life, Lakhesis, "the Appointor of Lots", who measured it, and Atropos, "She who cannot be turned," who cut it short. But even still, a person can choose, and change their fate. With this Gift, however, you give them little choice except to walk down to road you decree, lest they suffer the wrath of the Fate. A fate-spirit teaches this Gift. Such spirits often take the form of dusky turtle doves, though some take on the forms of spiders, weaving elegant tapestries of fate.

Cost: 1 Gnosis

Test Pool: Manipulation + Leadership versus Target's Composure + Willpower

System:
Expend a standard action to vocally issue a prohibition to your target. If you succeed in an opposed challenge against your target, she becomes mystically bound by this Gift and forced to uphold the prohibition for 30 days.

If your target freely gives an oath to maintain the prohibition, she may choose to be bound for an Olympiad (4 years). Garou who seek redemption often willingly submit to this restriction as a demonstration of their honorable intent. For example, a Garou may declare, "I will not return home until I have recovered my family's klaive!"

Once affected, the target cannot break the prohibition without first spending a point of Willpower. If she does so, she can then freely engage in the prohibited activity for 10 minutes. If she unwilling to spend a point of Willpower, then she cannot engage the prohibited activity. If, after 10 minutes pass, your target is still in the process of the prohibited activity, she must immediately cease. However, she is not obligated to undo the results of her work. For example, if the target is prohibited from leaving the city, then spends a point of Willpower to board a ship, she is not obligated to jump out of it once 10 minutes have passed. If she has no points of Willpower remaining, she can act freely.

Prohibitions must not be inherently life-threatening in nature, such as forbidding the target from breathing or drinking water, though they may oblige her to do dangerous things, such as entering enemy territory. In no circumstances can this power rob at target of the ability to defend herself in an opposed challenge, but forbidding a target from engaging in violence is a valid use of this Gift, leaving her unable to attack should violence break out.

Alternatively, you can use Tangling the Thread to bind your target to the completion of a quest as part of her punishment. This use of the Gift requires that you lay hands on the target for another three consecutive standard actions as you detail the quest requirements. If you succeed in an opposed challenge against your target, she becomes bound to the quest. If she has not attempted to advance her quest by the end of each game session, she begins the next game session down 3 Willpower which cannot be recovered until she has made an attempt to continue on her quest. This effect lasts for an Olympiad.

The quest-application of this Gift should not be used to compel player attendance or punish a lack of it. If a player whose character is under the effects of this Gift is unable to attend game sessions, the Storytelling staff will work with her to resolve any missed sessions though downtimes or the like.

If the target is already affected by Tangling the Thread, she cannot be subsequently affected until the first one is completed or its duration ends. However, the spirits will not abide a frivolous use of this power intended to protect the target from subsequent instances. In those instances the Moirai themselves are happy to supply a more fitting compulsion determined by the Storytelling staff. The Moirai do not have any restrictions on the quest they may provide, and such a quest lasts until completed, or until Atropos decides it's time to cut the target's thread.

You may choose to end the effects of this power before the end of its duration by expending a simple action.

Affinity:
Giving someone orders is something the spirits give weight to. You may choose to add Rank to both your and your target's test pools if you so wish. If you do so, in addition to the normal penalties for violating their prohibition, they also risk Honor Renown loss as the spirits too hold them accountable as much as fate. However, when doing so make sure your prohibitors are in line with the Garou nation, lest the spirits find you wanting for a trivial use of this power.