Paul Bode's Roleplay Game

Rite of Contrition (Level 1): Most commonly used to prevent animosity between Garou, spirits, or anyone else of the shifter nation; this is a formal apology that is very handy for any Theurge to know in the event they manage to offend a spirit by accident. It is highly recommended (though not required) that other auspices learn this one as well to apologize to whomever they've offended. The en-actor drops to their belly and slides forward, the neck exposed with offers of a small gift may be better received than one without.

 

House Rule: I allow players to adopt the rite to their own character, as long as the apology is respectful and considers the nature of the target. So apologizing to crow might use silver foil or shiny gifts, apologizing to Fenris may require a savage fight ending with showing throat, Stag might involve helping a young fawn to its feet or releasing it from a trap. Silver Fangs might not grovel but they would bow or kneel, Silent Striders offering a gift from a far away land, Shadow Lords telling the honest truth. All should entail some sacrifice, regardless of size. If a gift is offered – it adds a success to the roll - but only if the rite is successful. There is no cost – other than the suitable gift.

 

System: Roll Charisma and Rituals (Diff 7) – 1 success is usually enough, but serious crimes can require more. Spirits usually forgive without bitterness or resentment – but skin-changers can keep some residual resentment or bitterness. If used on a PC, the role-play should consider the apology be made as genuine and the gift should be of value.

 

 

Rite of Talisman Dedication (Level 1): Allows for the binding of objects to the body, such as clothing, backpacks, and other common mundane items so that when you shift or go into the Umbra with these things, you don't lose them. Fetishes don't use this rite, as they shift or go Umbral with you automatically.

 

House Rule: The item is bound to a form...and it will come off or be visible when in that form. This way clothing seems to morph out of fur when shifting into homid. Other times it will be a tattoo in other forms, even though it maybe concealed by fur. You may bind as many items as you permanent gnosis. Small items – gun, book, shirt, box of pencils take up one gnosis. Large items – rifle, board game, full clothing set, art set take up two gnosis. Each item 'locks' down a gnosis (you can still spend it, use it but it counts to your total of bound items), this is shown as a line across the permanent point. You may not bind silver to yourself. You may not have an item larger than your breed form surface area. You may not 'overlay' tattoos. You may not bind living things. All items should be 'purified' or 'cleansed' before binding. Unless you are a Glasswalker cleansing tends to destroy technological items. I allow 'free' bindings if you have some items bound for ease of gameplay. Wallet with some relevant items inside (coins or credit card), a mobile phone if bound by
a Glasswalker. Clothes can be replaced by other 'purified' clothing with the current items being worn counting as the bound items. Cost - all items, regardless of size cost 1 temporary gnosis to bind.

 

System: Roll Wits and Rituals (Diff 7, unless otherwise stated) – 1 success is usually enough, but very large items can require more. An axe might require 2 or 3 successes.

 

 

Rite of the Questing Stone (Level 1): A Garou can find a person or object, but in order to find it he must know the name of the individual or object he's looking for. A small stone or needle must be dangled from a thread while concentrating on the item or person sought.

 

House Rule: I allow any method of tracking...rolling a marble, flipping a stick and it will land pointing the direction, closing eyes and drawing a cross on a map, a sort of compass floating in water, following animal signs or dowsing all maybe used. The method should suit the character with Glasswalkers preferring maps and compasses to more natural means.

 

System: Wits and Rituals (diff 7 (or possibly 6). If the Garou has a piece of the item or individual (a clipping of hair, a piece of cloth) the difficulty drops by one. The werewolf gains only a sense of the object's general location, not its exact position. The rite could involve a single roll, or a long extended roll with regularly checking...therefore it could last for hours.

 

 

Rite of Binding (Level 1): Binding a spirit to a Garou is a difficult process if the spirit you want is a really powerful one. Garou only bind spirits to them when needed, and having a spirit for a servant only works for a short amount of time. Most spirits don't want to be bound, and most Garou don't want to bind spirits. This is the rite that makes talens.

 

House Rule: The spirit has to have been found naturally, awoken or summoned and the gift Spirit Speech is required to make the deal. Chiminage is required, a task done, gnosis offered to the spirit or a regulation/restriction of behaviour for the spirit to take temporary residence in an object (Trout may require you to not eat fish for a week, Grain may require you to plant crops, Rabbit may require/have evidence that you can be/are fertile for a week.) It should not be held for too long and once used it is used it does its task and leaves. The object must be desirable and suitable for the spirit (keeping Magma in a wooden ornament would be foolish, Owl would like a book of wisdom, tree or animal carving of it and Falcon requiring an item that commands high respect). The power it grants is relevent to the spirits nature and powers according to like powers in the canon (Owl grants flight in the Penumbra, Unicorn grants healing and Fenris builds rage). They may give a one shot gift that the spirit teaches and any required rolls and pools are made by the person activating the talen, not the creator. So, a healer is more likely to use a healing talen correctly. Once fired the talen case is empty and if undamaged can be used again. A Garou can attempt this rite only in the presence of a spirit, and it is usually performed in the Umbra. When attempting to bind a spirit, a Garou must first spend a number of Gnosis points (minimum of one). Each point of Gnosis spent reduces the spirit’s Gnosis rating by one. The Garou’s player must then roll Willpower (difficulty equals the spirit’s adjusted Gnosis). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit may be forced into service, with each success binding the spirit for one week. In the case of a talen, the spirit is bound until the object is used. Talens don't usually need binding, but often I will ask this for weaker spirits used in talen making. Greater powers require more powerful spirits and more extreme chiminage. No spirit allows itself to be bound unless it is friendly to the binding character or their totem. Failing this rite can be dangerous, for the spirit is very likely to become hostile and attempt to harm the mystic.

 

System: Wits + Rituals roll (difficulty 7 but adjustable by preparation, and additional roll required for spirit to accept)