VOD: Pantheon

Challenges

The Basics of Challenges
By law of the Litany, when a group isn’t in the middle of immediate danger, its leader is open to be challenged at any time. Millennia of conflict have refined three particularly common methods of testing dominance: facedown, gamecraft, and duel. If the pack or sept faces a crisis, the type of problem influences the type of challenge, such as a duel fought to see who leads a midnight raid. Otherwise, the challenged werewolf is allowed to choose.

The stare down is a contest of wills. The challenger initiates it by growling at his opponent and staring him in the eye with an unblinking gaze. The first werewolf to back down loses. A simple contest, but still potentially dangerous. Once a werewolf’s hackles are up, he may work himself up into a frenzy and attack. Should this happen, the frenzied werewolf loses not only the confrontation, but Renown as well.

Gamecraft is a test of skill, cunning or wits. It may be a riddle contest, a game of chess, a test of knowledge (such as the hierarchies of spirits), or some similar mental exercise. The victor is the one who demonstrates superior intellect — or sometimes cunning, in the case of Ragabash who are willing to cheat.

The duel is straightforward single combat. The challenged Garou may choose the type of weapons used; such contests are rarely to the death… at least formally. But as with stare downs, duels may trigger frenzies of violence. Some septs, such as those dominated by Get of Fenris, rely on duels almost exclusively.

The loser of a test of dominance must show some sign of submission immediately — an “honorable surrender,” as the Litany puts it. Doing so might involve kneeling, falling to the ground, exposing the throat, or lowering the head and whimpering. Gamecraft has its own signs of submission, from the chess master who knocks over his own king to the storyteller who bows with a flourish and buys his rival a drink. In a physical contest, if the loser does not show some sign of relenting, the winner may follow through with a quick attack, cuffing or clawing his lesser until recognition is given.

Challenges in Pantheon
Basic Challenge Rules

• All Challenges generally happen on the Challenge Mound.
• In the absence of the Master of the Challenge, any Philodox may adjudicate the challenge, provided both parties consent to that Philodox.
• In the absence of any Philodox, both parties may consent to a trusted source adjudicating the challenge, but this is generally frowned on.
• Garou can challenge members of any Rank without the spirit's disfavor, but all Garou add their Rank to all challenge test pools.
• Klaives are sacred war weapons of Gaia, imbued with spirits and crafted with silver to strike down or foes. To pull a klaive on another garou is considered a death threat. Klaives are not sanctioned for use in challenges against Gaians unless 'death' is an officiated and accepted condition of the duel.
• All Bone Gnawers are considered 1 Rank lower in challenges. All Shadow Lords are considered 1 Rank higher.

How to Challenge
- A challenges B! (A cannot claim a position (or stance) and welcome challengers; if he wishes to claim, he challenges the sept as represented by the Master of the Challenge. If it's a matter outside of position, you must challenge another party, not assume another party is challenging you.)
- B decides on Stare Down, Gamecraft or Duel, unless the Master of the Challenge deems one more relevant to the task at hand.
- B then proposes the nature of the challenge, which A can give limited input on. The ultimate structure of the challenge will be decided on by the Master of the Challenge.
- Any individuals not on the mound are not involved in the challenge and are mere spectators. Any speaking out of turn will get them dismissed from the challenge. Some individuals may be called onto the mound as appropriate to the challenge, but only the Master of the Challenge has the right to do this.
- Any involvement of individuals OFF of the mound in the challenge ON the mound without sanction causes an immediate invalidation of the challenge.
- Challenges that cannot be immediately completed on the mound will be given a deadline, generally no longer than one moon cycle.
- The garou who loses the challenge is expected to show an honorable surrender, or will be regarded poorly by the sept and spirits.
- The Master of the Challenge names the official winner of the challenge.

What to Challenge
By default, Stare Down for Honor, Gamecraft for Wisdom, Duel for Glory.

Stare Down:
Mechanics for Stare Down are addressed here.
Please note that a Stare Down is not in and of itself considered an official challenge, but quite often the non-verbal form of argument used by wolves to declare dominance. Stare Downs are commonly used by lupus and metis to resolve a matter, and those are not inherently official challenges. That said, you may choose a Stare Down as the form your official challenge will take.

Gamecraft:
Gamecraft is the catch-all category. If you're not staring them down and you're not kicking their butt, it's gamecraft. While historically chess or puzzles or riddles or something like that, this has since blossomed into an entire category of 'prove yourself' challenges. If you have a challenge in mind but aren't sure what it is? It's probably gamecraft.

Duel:
Duels are encouraged to be completed on the mound, and one of the most popular Duels is "stay on the mound", with whatever stipulations you want to lay on. Common stipulations involve weapons, form, gifts, allies, and whether the fight is to first blood, to yield, or to death. Most progressive septs don't sanction duels to the death.

When to Challenge
Challenges fall into four categories in Pantheon: positional, rank, pack and personal. These can be done at any time, but are quite popular during Cracking the Bone at the moot.

Positional challenges are done for MAJOR sept positions (not moot positions, which are chosen by the sept leader). When a garou thinks they are capable of performing that position, they challenge to test their mettle. Many do it with no expectation of succeeding, just to see how far they've come. If the position is vacant, they challenge the Master of the Challenge (who represents the sept) for the position. These are generally gamecraft to demonstrate the ability to fulfill the duties of the position. A garou who has lost their position through challenge and begrudges it is frowned upon for a lack of dignity in respecting another garou was better suited for the post.

Rank challenges will be detailed under Rank & Devotion.

Pack/Tribe challenges do not require the Master of the Challenge, but generally involve a gathering of the pack (or tribe) and an agreed upon judge to moderate the challenge. These are used to settle in pack/tribal matters like position, grievances and asinine things like the last bite of venison.

Personal challenges are the most convoluted and iffy type of challenge. Common challenges involve:

• Territory - Challenging for the right to claim a fetish, location, property, or other such possession.
• Grievance - If a garou has a problem with another garou, and mediation has not worked, they may seek to resolve it through a personal challenge. Once the challenge is resolved, the matter is considered done.
• Mating (optional) - A formality to prove a garou is worthy of taking their mate from the garou who currently looks over the kin. Like a father handing off their daughter in marriage, but more brutal. This is never done without the consent of the kinfolk involved, and is a purely optional act that some more traditional and challenge-focused tribes lean into to 'formalize' a mating.

If you have any questions, please contact Staff.