Paul Bode's Roleplay Game

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.

 

 

Coatimundi:  Coatimundi is the most curious totem in the jungle. Related to Raccoon, he has his nose in everything and is always breaking things. But he knows his way around like few others and gives his lore and secrets to his children.

Traits: Children of Coatimundi gain Subterfuge 3, Stealth 2 and Area Knowledge (Amazon) 3. However, as a totem of cunning, he is without honour. His children lose 2 Honour every time they gain Renown.

Ban: Coatimundi’s children must not scold or harm pests, such as Coatimundis, mice and curious monkeys. They must always give a beggar something for his troubles (his children are quite popular with Bone Gnawers).

 

 

Coyote:  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 extra Stealth dice, three extra dots of Streetwise, one dot of Subterfuge and one dot of Survival. He always has the ability to find his children wherever they are (i.e., 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 from any temporary Wisdom 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.

 

 

Cuckoo:  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 quarters in septs, earning the resentment of more "deserving" Garou.

Traits: Cuckoo grants her packs an additional dot of Manipulation and two dots of Subterfuge. In addition, it 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 "tech" 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, lest 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.

 

 

Fox:  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 hornet's 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 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.

 

 

Goat:  Wily and voracious, Goat is an excellent debater and can survive on anything. Also, his horns and powerful feet can show the most stubborn opponents the light. Goat teaches his children how to pursue a point to its end, no matter what the cost. He isn't above using dirty tricks to get his way, either.

Traits: Goat gives his children +2 Subterfuge and +2 Survival. His children make all Willpower rolls at -1 difficulty.

Ban: Goat's children must always eat what is offered to them.

 

Machine Messiah:  Humans and Garou alike have speculated about the immense power of machine intelligence in the future. The ultimate manifestation of this speculation is the Machine Messiah, the spirit of Artificial Intelligence Yet To Come. The Messiah appears as a large, elegantly built computer mainframe, speaking in the language of those who summon it.

Traits: The Messiah grants the Gift: Control Simple Machine to its children. Each pack member also receives a two-die bonus to any extended or resisted Intelligence roll.

Ban: Children of the Messiah must do everything they can to advance the coming of the machine intelligence “singularity.” They must also work to prevent human mages and the Wyrm from controlling machine intelligence.

 

 

Mitanu:   Mitanu, like most other planetary Incarnae, isn’t above acting as patron to a pack. However, he doesn’t act as totem to any pack without a Bone Gnawer, Ragabash or someone born under his sign - such a pack is obviously a humourless lot.

Traits: Mitanu’s children are masters of improvisation. They gain three dice to both Subterfuge and Streetwise rolls, and learn the Gift: Blur of the Milky Eye. What’s more, any Ragabash Gift costs one less experience point to learn for one of Mitanu’s chosen.

Ban: Mitanu expects his children to fend for themselves by finding appropriate tools for any task as they go along. He disapproves of over reliance on any one item, and forbids his packs to carry any particular fetish or weapon for more than a month. Talens are exempt from this rule.

 

Moodai the Possum:  Moodai the Possum is an urban totem followed by many Bone Gnawers. A nimble and cautious spirit, Moodai adapts well to any environment, as do his Children. The Children of Moodai, although not respected, are often called upon to perform tasks unsuited to other Garou.

Traits: Moodai teaches his Children Stealth 3 and Survival 3. His Children also become adept climbers, subtracting three from the difficulties of all climbing actions.

Ban: Children of Moodai must leave fruit and other food for the many possums that forage in city parks.

 

Opossum:  The only marsupial to thrive in North America, 'Possum is a wily survivor, able to exist in the wilderness as well as in cities. 'Possum has learned the value of deception in escaping dangerous situations, but when cornered she is a fierce adversary. Her immunity to snake venom aids 'Possum's success in keeping the snake population under control

Traits: Packs who follow 'Possum gain Stealth 3 and the Gift: Resist Toxin. In addition, each pack member gains automatic initiative when cornered or forced into combat.

Ban: Children of 'Possum must never kill one of her children. They must be particularly careful when driving, especially on rainy nights, and must attempt to decently dispose of any "roadkill" they encounter.

 

Raccoon:  Raccoon is a survivor. He lives anywhere, city or wilderness, and adapts as he sees fit. He prefers to be left to his own devices but becomes a fierce and cunning fighter when cornered.

Traits: Raccoon teaches his children +2 Stealth and +3 Survival. They gain an extra die of Brawl during any claw or swipe attack.

Ban: Raccoon asks his children to leave small, shiny objects in the forest for him to find.

 

Red-cockaded Woodpecker:  This endangered bird makes her home in the sticky pine forests of the southeast. In Appalachia she lives in eastern Kentucky, one of her swiftly dwindling natural habitats. She is known for her tenacity and agility.

Traits: Each of Woodpecker's children gain Athletics 2 and Survival 2. Her children also have an easier time foraging for food in the wilderness, particularly in the form of vegetation. Woodpecker grants her followers the Gift: Spirit of the Bird. Children of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker can manoeuvre with ease through sticky substances such as tar, quicksand or pine resin.

Ban: Children of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker must attempt to prevent the extinction of this species. They must avoid causing harm to any woodpeckers they encounter.

 

Roadrunner:  Preternaturally quick, Roadrunner relies on her speed to carry her far from danger. Rapidity of movement implies an equal fleetness of mind, so Roadrunner embodies the ability to think quickly and to change course in midstream without a misstep.

Traits: Roadrunner grants her followers an additional dot in Intelligence. In addition she gives her children Enigmas 1 or an additional dot in that Knowledge if already possessed.

Ban: Roadrunner forbids her children to hunt roadrunners. She also asks her followers to protect desert habitats.

 

Tammany Hall:  For all those desiring power in the political arena, there is no greater totem than Tammany Hall. However, an alliance with this entity is, in the eyes of other Garou, often as bad as a deal with the devil. Tammany Hall represents political power as an end in and of itself, disregarding the democratic process that is suppose to support it. Oddly enough, lupus Garou trying to operate in the city sometimes demonstrate no antipathy toward Tammany Hall’s ideals, as they don’t respect the human notion of democratic process to begin with.Tammany Hall is a clearly American totem, appearing as a great tiger, often with its name neatly lettered across its side like the famous political cartoon. However, it may have other names and faces in other countries, wherever political graft has become so prevalent enough to have earned its own symbolism. (Which is probably to say, everywhere.)

Traits: Tammany Hall grants its packs an additional dot in Manipulation and two dots in Politics. In addition, Weaver-spirits connected with the city in some way will often obey the pack members. When using this power, the player rolls Manipulation + Politics (difficulty equal to the spirit’s Willpower). Success indicates that the spirit obeys the Garou for a short period of time, as long as the request doesn’t require it to go against standing orders. More successes cause the spirit to act with more efficiency and zeal.

Ban: Members of Tammany Hall must vote early, and they must vote often. They may never vote against the sept’s chosen political agenda.

 

Termite:  Termite is a cousin of Roach, and is even more Weaver-prone than her kin. She lives in huge burrows and hills and encourages Garou to cooperate. She is ancient, knowing tales and songs of the long-ago Dragon Kings and even of the lost Changing Breeds. She plans to follow the Weaver to victory, burrowing into the works of Man and Garou. Children of Termite may be from any tribe, but Bone Gnawers follow her more closely than anyone else. Some Glass Walkers have taken her as a totem also.

Traits: Packs of Termite get three extra dice when they act to benefit the group before themselves. Each member may also buy any Gift that involves chemical weaponry (such as Visceral Agony, Odious Aroma, Resist Toxin or Venom Blood) for one less experience point than the usual cost. Each pack member gets the Bone Gnawer Gift: Cooking as well, although they don’t need to cook the food. They may simply eat anything wood or paper-based and be nourished (somewhat to the disgust of other Garou).

Ban: Termite demands that her kind be spared, and that their proper role (as eaters of dead trees and dead wood) be respected. They are not “pests” but nature’s recyclers.

 

Tulu the Kookaburra:  A staunch foe of the Wyrm, Tulu is always in good humour, laughing in the face of death. Tulu is an intelligent warrior and swoops down upon his prey, breaking their backs with a flick of his powerful beak. His manic laughter echoes across the Dreamtime. Tulu is sometimes called the Father of the Bunyip, for it was he who spilt the Rainbow Serpent’s blood, from which the Bunyip were formed.

Traits: Children of Tulu have an irrepressible sense of humour and never suffer from Harano. Tulu teaches his Children Subterfuge 3 and the Gift of Laughter.

Ban: Children of Tuli must kill any snake they see, symbolic of their battle against the Wyrm. The exception to this rule is any servant of the Rainbow Serpent.

 

Whitewater:  Whitewater is known for her mercurial nature, by turns playful and menacing. She is the symbol of self-challenge and the wild, free spirit of Gaia. Whitewater delights in rapid movement and constant change. Whitewater's laughter pierces the forests and announces her presence over long distances.

Traits: Whitewater endows her Nunnehi and Garou children with Swimming 3 and Boating 2. Her children also gain an additional point of Dexterity when involved in activities which take place in rapidly moving water. Whitewater teaches her Garou children the Gifts: Mother's Touch and Wisdom of the River.

Ban: Whitewater requires her children to make their homes near her banks. She also asks that any who honour her refrain from polluting her rivers.