Paul Bode's Roleplay Game

Totems of Wisdom

 

These spirits are the keepers of mystical secrets. Garou who ally with them learn to uncover hidden truths and rare Gifts. More straightforward Garou don't trusted them, but those who seek answers in the unknown find friends among the totems of wisdom.

 

Ayahuasca:  Ayahuasca is also known as Jagé or Jajé. He resides in (“owns”) a hallucinogenic shaman’s brew made in South America. Chief ingredients of this brew are the vine of banisteriopsis caapi, chacruna leaves and other tree barks (depending on the medicinal properties desired). The bark is scraped from these ingredients and boiled for hours, eventually producing ayahuasca.The word comes from the Quechua Indians. It is also known as the “vine of the soul,” the “vine of the dead” and the “vine of little death,” for the visionary, mystical “death” a shaman undergoes when being initiated by the drug.After preparation, the ayahuascero blows tobacco into the bottle the brew has been poured into. This cleanses it of bad spirits, purifying the brew for those who will ingest it. Following ingestion, the foul-tasting brew causes violent vomiting. Once this has passed, the visions begin. Ayahuasca can take the user out of his or her body and travel anywhere in the world with her to look upon (but no interact with) people and places she wishes to see. Sometimes, this out of body experience is done with the aid of real animals, as the ayahuascero shares the body - and thus the senses - of an animal journeying to the desired area, such as a bird or snake.Ayahuasca also befriends its users to the jungle, matching their rhythms to it. Afterward, travel through the jungle is much easier in little ways: Roots do not seem to trip, leaves do not need to be hacked aside, and, most importantly, insects do not become a bother. Insects refuse to bite a Garou in throes of ayahuasca. For these reasons, ayahuasca has become a popular drug among Garou Theurges in the Amazon War.Little is known to the Garou about the spirit itself. The native Uktena in the Amazon know much they do not tell, saying that Ayahuasca will only reveal as much of himself to his children as he desires. If someone wants to know more, they must ask Ayahuasca, which means taking the drug.What is known is that the drug is intimately tied to the ecology and mystical power of the jungle. It is thought by some to be the personified manifestation of the jungle itself, a union of all low-level spirit consciousness of the Umbrascape. This would explain the non-local knowledge and travel ability of those who experience the drug.The were jaguars are said to know the most about Ayahuasca, but since they are on bad terms with the Garou, they do not reveal what they know. Many Garou war leaders in the Amazon have forbidden the use of ayahuasca by their troops, fearing that the drug is aligned in some way with the Balam and that they can use it to wreak some form of spiritual revenge on the Garou, perhaps by leading Garou ayahuasceros astray in the deep jungle. There has been no basis for these fears, however.

Traits: Children of the Anahuac (Ayahuasceros) gain three points of Gnosis per story. They also learn Survival 2 and Occult 3 (they may thus possess more than five dots in Occult).

Ban: An Ayahuascero’s Gnosis becomes “delicate.” A botch on a Gnosis roll will cause a loss of one permanent Gnosis point. The Ayahuascero is said to have “lost knowledge” and must work to gain it back.

 

Boobook the Owl:  Boobook is a versatile bird, small and dark, with golden eyes. Unlike other owls, she is active in the daytime as well as at night. Boobook is difficult to see, for her plumage allows her to blend into the foliage of the trees in which she roosts. Her flight is swift and silent.

Traits: Boobook teaches her Children adaptability; they may gain temporary aptitude with any Ability, at two dots, once per story. She also teaches her Children Stealth 3.

Ban: Boobook’s Children must be adaptable and versatile, never becoming set in their habits or ways.

 

Bougoodoogah the Lyrebird:  Bougoodoogahdah is a secretive bird who mimics the cries of other Dreamtime dwellers. He has a drab, brown body but a spectacular tail, shaped like a lyre.

Traits: Children who follow Bougoodoogahdah gain Expression 2 and Subterfuge 2. They also learn the Skill Mimic, which allows them (with a successful Manipulation + Mimic roll) to duplicate a variety of sounds: 6 for another voice, 9 for a car engine.

Ban: Children of Bougoodoogahdah must never be flamboyant. They must dress in drab colour and may never be centres of attention. Their performances should be modest, always hidden from view.

 

Buffalo:  Buffalo is sturdy, patient, slow to anger and filled with the wisdom of the future. His dreams of prophecy and words of wisdom have stopped wars before they could start.

Traits: Buffalo grants +3 Stamina to the pack's soak pool, and subtracts four from all difficulties in interpreting dreams. His children also gain +3 Survival when searching for food and safe water. Uktena and Wendigo Garou consider followers of Buffalo friends, unless the pack proves otherwise.

Ban: Buffalo asks that his children protect the great herds of buffalo that roam the ranges. This Ban doesn't mean preventing the death of a buffalo for food, but rather is a request to defend the herd from those who would slaughter them by the hundreds for profit.

 

Chameleon:  Chameleon is the ultimate adapter. He changes himself to fit in with his environment, and his eyes see everything around him. Chameleon is usually favoured by Garou who prefer to observe and learn unobtrusively.

Traits: Chameleon teaches his children the Gift: Blur of the Milky Eye and grants them three points of Perception.

Ban: Chameleon's children must always observe their surroundings before acting.

 

Chimera:  The totem of the Stargazers, Chimera is an enigmatic spirit, mysterious She of Many Faces, who invites one to find the inner wisdom beneath layers of puzzles and deceptions.

Traits: Chimera's children are granted the ability to disguise themselves or something else when in the Umbra. Chimera also teaches how to find the truth behind a tangle of deceptions; the pack gains three dice to Enigmas and one to Perception. Each pack member subtracts two from all difficulties involving riddles, dream interpretation or enigmas. Each pack member also gains two points of Wisdom Renown. While Stargazers will notice the pack's affiliation, that affiliation won't necessarily influence their opinion of the pack.

Ban: The pack must seek enlightenment, but otherwise Chimera places no restrictions.

 

City Father/Mother:  Every city has a pulse, an energy that each living thing within the city contributes to. If the city is large enough, this pool of energy manifests in the being of the City Father or City Mother. To date, the Glass Walkers have had interaction only with Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Toronto, Boston and London, though the tribe believes other cities harbour such spirits. The totem appears in an anthropomorphic form representative of its city. Chicago has broad shoulders, Atlanta is a southern belle with faded and charred skirts, and Toronto is nattily dressed and a little boring.

Traits: Children of a City gain an intimate knowledge of the place as if they had the Bone Gnawer Gift: Attunement. Sometimes, a City can warn its children of impending danger by sending a messenger, usually in the form of someone who loves the city. Children of the City can draw on three dice of an Area Knowledge Dice Pool for their city. Glass Walkers gain one Wisdom when accepted, but any other tribe member who is discovered to have the City as a totem immediately loses 1 Honour.

Ban: City Mothers and Fathers often ask of their children favours usually having to do with helping the whole city. If these favours are not granted, the totem may withdraw any support.

 

Cockroach:  Cockroach, say the cockier Glass Walkers is the totem of the modern age. To be sure, Cockroach is quick, hardy and persistent. Hardly a nook exists in the city in which its kin can't be found.

Traits: Each pack member subtracts two to difficulties involving computers, electricity and science. The pack gains three dice on rolls to activate Gifts affecting technology. Also, Cockroach's pack has the ability to enter the Umbra and view data stored on media or streaming through data cables.

Ban: Pack members must take pains not to kill cockroaches.

 

Corn Maiden:  The giver of the great gift of corn, Corn Maiden is notable for being one of the few spirits affiliated with the Weaver that the Pure Lands Garou willingly trust. She is a strong totem with deep ties to the element of earth and the strength of plants; she also draws power from generosity. She is much loved among human nations, and her packs receive much of the same friendship.

Traits: Corn Maiden’s packs learn the Gift: Cookfire; they also receive two temporary points of Wisdom. So long as they are friendly and helpful, Corn Maiden’s children also receive three dice on any Social roll dealing with humans.

Ban: Corn Maiden’s children must assist their human relatives with the planting and harvesting of corn, and are asked to give the gift of planting to other nations they may encounter. Packs who follow Corn Maiden usually carry a handful of corn kernels with them whenever they go, should a stranger be in need of food, or should they meet someone who has yet to learn the mystery of planting.

 

Dolphin:  Graceful and playful in the ocean, Dolphin watches the seas and acts as their guardian and watchdog. Marine disasters sadden and frighten her. They include the depletion by fisheries and various oil spills. Most of Dolphin's children are impressively active in environmentalism, even for Garou. Such werewolves often protest or interfere with whaling and illegal oceanic dumping.

Traits: Dolphin grants her packs 1 Wisdom, +3 Empathy and 2 points of Charisma.

Ban: Dolphin's children must prevent the hunting of marine mammals and work to stop water pollution.

 

Father Peyote:  Revered by many Native Americans, peyote is a powerful sacramental drug, not a recreational toy. Peyote can show the way to a noble and fulfilling life. The Wendigo and Uktena Garou have a special relationship with peyote, known to them as the spirit Father Peyote.Peyote is a cactus; the “buttons” of the cactus are the psychedelic part, eaten like a radish by peyoteists. The name comes from the Aztec “peyote” (its Latin name is lophophora williamsii lemaire). Peyote is never smoked, although it can be ground into a powder for tea and served to those who can’t chew the buttons.Ingesting a button causes hallucinations (or real spirit world experiences for those who know how to interact with the other side, such as Garou). It can cause nausea, so the peyote’s should fast for 24 hours before eating it.As the drug takes effect, euphoria sets in. As the night goes on (Father Peyote prefers to work at night), good feelings intensify. Colours become vivid and sounds pleasing. Prayers can gain intense meaning and moral quality. When the euphoria reaches its peak, inner peace and withdrawal from the world set in, and supernatural visions are experienced. To some, Father Peyote himself may appear in any of his numerous guises (a wise but spry old were coyote is the most common for Garou). However, it is at this time that monsters may appear. If the peyote’s has done wrong to them or the people they represent, Father Peyote will not defend him.Peyote should not be confused with mescal (sophora secundifora, wild or mountain laurel), whose blossoms are poisonous (aerosol and ingestion). However, mescal is said to “point the way to peyote,” for it often grows near the peyote cactus.Father Peyote is said to be a very old spirit, but no on now knows all the tales of his history. The Uktena say he first showed himself to them when they migrated south from their trek across the land bridge millennia ago. He gifted them with intimate knowledge of the desert regions in which his cacti grew. They passed such knowledge on to their Kinfolk, along with the peyote way, the rules for communing with Father Peyote.The Dreamspeakers claim Father Peyote tells different secrets to his many children, and that Garou, humans and mages are all given special lore of their own. It is thus useless to argue any doctrine gained from Father Peyote, for he gives each person different insights.There are some, however, who whisper that Father Peyote has been touched by the Wyrm, and this is the reason for bad trips. They warn that use of peyote could deliver the poor seeker into the lair of the Wyrm if Father Peyote is weak that night. Experienced Theurges scoff at this idea, claiming that Father Peyote has never led anyone wrong who came to him in a sacred and pure manner. If anyone has fallen off the path, they say, it is because of his own will or failing.

Traits: Followers of Father Peyote each gain two extra Gnosis points (Glamour for changelings) per story, regardless of their permanent ratings. In additional, they mad add one to their Rituals and Enigmas.

Ban: Peyoteists must commune with peyote (take peyote in a sacramental manner) at least once per season, and they must uphold their cultural values.

 

Fog:  Fog is a quiet and obfuscatory ally. He holds many secrets in the gauzy folds of his cloak and teaches his children the value of subtlety and patience. Fog is most favoured by Stargazers, Uktena and Ragabash.

Traits: Children of Fog may add an extra die to Subterfuge and Stealth Dice Pools. They also receive -1 difficulty to all Occult and Enigmas rolls and gain the Gift: Curse of Aeolus.

Ban: If a child of Fog reveals a secret to someone outside her sept, she loses one Willpower point permanently.

 

Frog:  Frog bridges the gap between water and land, between change and stability. She symbolises transformation and adaptability, both great keys for survival. A bringer of rain, to bless or curse, Frog holds within her tiny form great stores of power.

Traits: Frog grants her followers Swimming 1 or an additional dot in Swimming if the Skill is already possessed. In addition, Frog teaches her children the Gift: Sing Down the Rain. Frog’s children also gain an additional dot in Dexterity rolls involving leaping or sudden movement.

Ban: Frog asks her children never to harm frogs or other amphibians and to seek to preserve the wetlands that are her earthly home.

 

The Grandfather:  The Grandfather represents the protective nature of the mountain which bears its name. He symbolises the wisdom that comes from extreme age as well as the solidity of a rock. He is a tolerant and hospitable spirit and will not abide petty bickering in his vicinity.

Traits: Each of Grandfather's children gains three dice to add in any combination to his or her social rolls once per story. In addition, individual pack members can add one to their Strength during combat which takes place on solid ground, upon, or inside a mountain. Each pack member gains Athletics 2 when involved in rock climbing.

Ban: Grandfather's children must never be too hasty in judging others by their race, social group, or other distinguishing factor. Obvious enemies are excluded from this stricture.

 

Hakahe:  It’s very rare for Hakahe to serve as a pack totem and even rarer for him to patronise a pack without at least one Uktena among them. Nonetheless, the Ebon Whisperer will once in a great while lend his favour to a pack that seeks him out and beseeches his guidance.

Traits: Hakahe grants his packs an additional three dice on Crafts and Repair rolls, and teaches his children the Gift: Reshape Object. All Occult rolls made by pack members are at -2 difficulty.

Ban: Children of Hakahe must work to build things of importance among human communities, the better to teach humans to build rather than destroy.

 

Hare:  Hare, also called Mahtigwess or Great Rabbit, is a trickster spirit. He is a trickster and provider, and often rescues the peoples of the world from hideous beasts. However, his strategy is trickery, not warfare. He produces food for those in need, making sure that none go hungry.

Traits: Hare teaches his Children Survival 2, Subterfuge 2 and Athletics 1 and grants the gift Leap of the Kangaroo. Those who must run swiftly have the difficulty of their efforts reduced by one,

Ban: Hare asks his Children that all his kin be spared.

 

Heron:  Heron is a curious spirit, and her long beak is often probing into affairs that others would like to keep quiet. She is graceful and wise, and chooses only packs that exemplify her standards of purity, elegance and inquisitiveness.

Traits: Heron’s Children receive one point of Wisdom. They also gain +3 Enigmas, and may add three dice to any Dice Pool that involves cleansing or purifying something or someone in Gaia’s name (the Rite of Cleansing, for instance). Finally, Heron teaches her followers the Gift: Open Seal.

Ban: Heron requests that her followers discover and lay bare secrets at least once a moon. These secrets must be revealed to the entire sept at least, and must also be of some importance - discovering a Kinfolk’s secret infatuation is of little import, but revealing a vampire’s savings account number might suffice.

 

Ibis:  The ancient bird of Thoth, Ibis imparts wisdom and aids recollection. Striders revere Ibis, for only through him may they regain even a fraction of their sundered memories.

Traits: Followers of Ibis gain the power of Eidetic memory - they make an Intelligence roll (difficulty variable) to remember anything seen, heard or smelled, however briefly. Also, the difficulties of all magic used against them (including mage magic, hedge magic and vampire Thaumaturgy, but not wraith, werewolf or changeling powers) are increased by one.

Ban: Followers of Ibis may never harm a bird (this applies to Corax as well). They must also seek out lost and forgotten lore.

 

Invisible Hand:  The Invisible Hand is a powerful market-spirit, strong in the ancient Greek city-states, the Venetian Republic, the Hanseatic League, and in early American. His is a favourite of the Glass Walkers and of some Children of Gaia. Some Garou interpret him as a spirit of pure capitalism. Others seem him as a spirit of exchange which leaders regulate for the benefit of the common people, and still others hold that he is the patron of Gaian 18th century physiocracy: the economic idea that wealth can be created only by husbanding the Earth. In any case, the Hand insists that his children deal fairly with all, while allowing themselves fair profit.

Traits: Followers of the Hand are acute business-wolves, whether haggling over a steaming elk carcass or acquiring a bankrupt company. They will always find it easy to learn the Law of the Jungle or human law; each pack member gains two dice of the Law Knowledge. In addition, the pack gains three extra dice on any dice pool made to strike a “deal” of any sort, whether merchant negotiations, peace talks, or even some instances of gamecraft.

Ban: The Hand will disown any child who cheats or reneges on a bargain.

 

Lava:  Lava is the maker of the world. Her substance will one day become the hard rock of the earth. But that is in the future; for now, Lava is fluid and mobile, perhaps the only rock totem that understands change and movement. She is a hot totem, coming so recently from Gaia’s womb, and can cough out clouds of gas she brings with her.

Traits: Lava grants her Menehune the ability to shapeshift into molten lava. This amazing ability costs the Menehune one Glamour point per turn he is in this shape. While molten, the Menehune can flow into cracks and he is seeringly hot; he will ignite anything flammable over which he flows. Garou gain a Gift that allows them a similar power; it is called Gaia’s Blood.)

Ban: Lava demands that her children never flee from an enemy but keep moving onward - inexorably, unstoppable.

 

Lu-Bat:  Lu-Bat has been known to serve as a totem of Wisdom if properly approached, although he often refuses such requests. He prefers that Garou find their own way and make their own decisions, and will only act as a pack’s patron if convinced that the pack will not use him as a crutch.

Traits: Lu-Bat grants an understanding of riddles and the hearts of others; his children make all Enigmas, Empathy and Occult rolls at -2 difficulty. The Peaceful Counsellor also grants each of his children an additional point of Perception and two points of temporary Wisdom.

Ban: Children of Lu-Bat are not allowed to act hastily; his packs must always have a backup plan for every major endeavour they attempt.

 

Mammoth:  Mammoth is a powerful spirit whose children no longer walk the earth. This giant exists only in the Umbra. Mammoth symbolises awesome power coupled with the ability to use that power wisely. Ancient humans once hunted the mammoth, which, like the buffalo, provided food and clothing for many individuals. Mammoth's bones were sometimes used in the building of shelters for early peoples.

Traits: Each of Mammoth's children gain Enigmas 2 and add two to their Strength. Once per season, his children can use the Gift: Summon the Great Beast, calling a mammoth to appear.

Ban: Children of Mammoth must never be bullies and must avoid the temptation to seek power for its own sake.

 

Meros:  It is much more difficult for a pack to actually reach Meros to ask his patronage than it is to convince him of their worth. The wandering Incarna is usually willing to serve as patron to a pack, assuming that they understand all that entails.

Traits: Children of Meros find it easier to navigate the Dark Umbra; each one gains -1 difficulty to their die rolls dealing with the land of the dead or its inhabitants. They cannot lose their way, and can find their way to any destination given time (although the route is not necessarily the shortest or safest). The pack gains three dice to Enigmas and Occult rolls, and each pack member gains two points of temporary Wisdom.

Ban: Meros expects his children to travel, in order to broaden their minds. Packs of Meros must spend four months out of every year “on the road”.

 

Owl:  Silent watcher, Owl strikes without warning in the darkness. Like the Silent Striders who claim the totem's protection, Owl holds hidden wisdom. The totem is also associated with secrets of death and the shadowy Dark Umbra. Some believe that owls are vengeful spirits of the dead.

Traits: Owl's children are often gifted with premonitions of danger and of the location of mystic places long forgotten. Upon entering the Umbra, each of Owl's children gains wings, allowing them to fly from place to place. Owl's children subtract two from all difficulties involving stealth, silence or quiet. The pack gains three dice when using any Gift involving air, travel, movement or darkness. Each pack member gains two points of Wisdom. Silent Striders may appear mysteriously to aid the pack when it is in danger. Ratkin and children of Rat do not get along well at all with Owl's children, considering Owl's predatory nature.

Ban: Owl asks that the pack leave small tied or helpless rodents in the woods for him and his kind.

 

Rattlesnake:  Rattlesnake is an old, wise totem of the Pure Ones. He is capable of great compassion and even greater fury. When angered, Rattlesnake is a harsh foe with a very long memory. Like his namesake, Rattlesnake is easily offended. But Rattlesnake's anger is almost ironic when one considers his patience; he is capable of great things, and demands that his children carefully consider any situation before acting. Once his followers strike, however, there is seldom an enemy left alive.

Traits: Rattlesnake grants his children second sight, giving them the Gift: Pulse of the Invisible. His pack gains the ability to entrance listeners through singing or howling (Manipulation + Performance, difficulty 8). In addition, the pack gains Past Life 3; this is not an actual affinity with Garou ancestors, but an ability to learn ancient knowledge and lore by accessing primal memories. All Uktena and Wendigo will recognise and honour Children of Rattlesnake.

Ban: Rattlesnake asks that none of his followers attack any serpent, and that his children honour the Pure Ones.

 

Raven:  Raven is perhaps the cleverest bird. He likes to play, baiting wolves and then flying out of range when they lunge for him. Raven is wise, for he feeds without hunting, by following wolves and picking over their kills. If he finds an animal dead in the snow he summons the wolf to tear open the carcass for him. For time out of mind Raven has been companion to the wolf, finding food and feasting with the hunters, teaching him wisdom through his games. (After all, who wants to look foolish by trying to catch the uncatchable bird?) Raven is also a totem of wealth, making sure the wolves want for nothing, although he himself is always hungry.

Traits: Raven grants his packs three extra dice in Survival, one in Subterfuge and one in Enigmas. Each pack member gains one Wisdom point. Wereravens are sympathetic to Raven's Garou followers.

Ban: Raven expects his children to carry no wealth, instead trusting to him to provide.

 

Salamander:  Salamander is famous for her ability to survive through the use of protective colouration. She demonstrates the wisdom of stealth and the need to adapt to the local surroundings. Some species, known as lungless salamanders, absorb oxygen through their skin rather than by breathing.

Traits: Packs who follow Salamander gain Stealth 2 and the Gift: Blissful Ignorance. In addition, each pack member is able to exist for a short time (one scene per story) without breathable air.

Ban: Followers of Salamander must avoid causing harm to any salamander they see. They must immediately seek atonement for any salamander killed accidentally. They must also work to preserve lands where salamanders currently thrive.

 

Shantar:  Although the Loom Maker is somewhat alien by human standards, she is relatively approachable as a pack totem. If a pack is willing to go to the trouble to reach her and ask her favour, she usually agrees (provided there are no knee-jerk anti-Weaver crusaders among the pack).

Traits: Shantar encourages her children to be creative and inventive. The pack receives two extra dice on Repair, Crafts and Computer rolls. Furthermore, Glass Walker Gifts cost one less experience point to learn for Shantar’s children. Finally, each of Shantar’s children gain one extra die to any swimming rolls, or any rolls made to navigate the Weaver’s Webs.

Ban: The Loom Maker charges her children to heal rather than harm when dealing with the Weaver. She often gives her packs dangerous quests to cut Wyrm-influence away from the Webs.

 

Tin Hau:  Tin Hau, goddess of the sea and fishermen, is a Totem of Wisdom. She has a big moor on the 23rd day of the third moon of the New Year.

Traits: Tin Hau attunes her followers to the South China Sea. This gives characters an extra two dice on all rolls while sailing in the South China Sea. In the past, storms have stopped for passing "pirate" ships, and storms have sunken enemy ships when Tin Hau felt that her Garou "children" were in danger.

Ban: Tin Hau will not allow the sea to be desecrated. Tin Hau will send storms to destroy those who pollute the South China Sea.

 

Toad:  Toad is a very strange totem. He is lord of many medicines and poisons, and can concoct on his back anything from hallucinogens to deadly toxins. He can also provide healing elixirs.

Traits: Children of the Toad gain Medicine 3. With the right materials, they can concoct many strange elixirs. They also gain the Resist Toxin and Venom Gifts. However, toad demands a price for his powers…

Ban: Toad’s children are ugly: lose two points from Appearance. They also must not harm toads.

 

Trout:  Trout is something of a trickster figure, but he is also a spirit of bounty and generosity. He teaches his children to be as slippery and swift as he is.

Traits: Trout teaches his children the Gift: Spirit of the Fish. Pack members subtract 2 from all difficulties involving swimming or escaping their enemies. In addition, any one pack member at a time can call on an extra two dice for any Wits roll.

Ban: Trout’s children must never take more fish than they need from the river. Trout also asks that all his children learn to swim without the benefit of Gifts.

 

Twister:  Mercurial and swift, Twister speeds through the countryside on wings of wind. He is destructive, powerful and alien. However, from wild destruction come new beginnings. Twister's children tend to be forces of change and dynamism, throwing the doors open to new ideas.

Traits: Twister's packs gain one point of Dexterity and one point of Strength. They also gain Primal-Urge 2.

Ban: Twister's children must never leave a residential area without some minor act of destruction. (Many of his packs playfully single out trailer parks for attention.)

 

Uktena:  Uktena is an ancient Water spirit with the features of a serpent, cougar and deer. He is a spirit of riverbeds and dark places, and he knows many hidden secrets.

Traits: Uktena places a protective ward on each of its children while they are in the Umbra, adding three dice to all soak rolls. Uktena teaches secret lore to its children, so each member gains two extra experience points per story that may be applied only to improving Enigmas, Occult, Rituals, Gifts or other mystical knowledge. In addition, each member gains two points of Wisdom when accepted by their new totem.More straightforward Garou distrust Uktena's mysterious ways. Social-roll difficulties increase by one when interacting with werewolves of tribes other than Uktena or Wendigo. Garou of the Uktena tribe treat the pack like brothers.

Ban: Uktena asks that its Children recover mystical lore, objects, places and animals from the minions of the Wyrm.

 

Unicorn:  The totem of the Children of Gaia, Unicorn is a wise totem of peace, purity, healing and harmony. She is the embodiment of the blissful and encompassing love of Gaia.

Traits: Unicorn's children gain her swiftness in the Umbra, moving at twice the normal speed. They subtract two from all difficulties involving healing and empathy, although they add two to all difficulties to harm other Garou not of the Wyrm. The pack gains three dice when using Gifts of healing, strength and protection. Each pack member gains three points of Wisdom Renown. Children of Gaia will always aid and usually side with the pack in disputes.

Ban: Unicorn's children must aid and protect the weak and exploited (as long as doing so doesn't aid the Wyrm).

 

Wind Incarna:  The Wind Incarna are abstract, almost alien, representatives of the various winds. Garou can contact these Incarna only through meditation or while in the Umbra. Each Wind Incarna has subtle variations and bestows different gifts upon its children. The Zephyr Stargazers, who highly respect these Incarna, learned many of their Kailindo secrets from such Wind-spirits. Similarly, Wendigo are on good terms with the North Wind, and a Wendigo needs to pay one less Background point to ally with the North Wind Incarna.

Traits: The East Wind's packs may draw on three extra Gnosis points per story, and their frenzy difficulties are at +1.The South Wind grants his children the Gift: Eye of the Eagle and one Stamina point.The North Wind grants his packs Occult 3 and Enigmas 2.The West Wind grants Meditation 3 and three extra Willpower points per story.The Ethereal, or Umbral, Wind reduces the difficulty to step sideways by 2.

Ban: The followers of a Wind Incarna must meditate for one hour per week.

 

Winter Wolf:  Winter Wolf is the master of survival in harsh conditions. His domain consists of some of the harshest land in the world, and there he has managed to live as a king. He is very in touch with the Wyld; his animal nature is strong and cunning. He is as fierce as any creature can be, yet knows when a hunt should be left to more foolish creatures.

Traits: He teaches his children how to endure in harsh conditions, granting them a plus one to their Stamina and two points of Survival. He also shows his children the Wyld within them, granting them an extra level of Primal-Urge and Animal Ken. The greatest gift of Winter Wolf, however, is strength of will. He gives his followers access to three extra points of Willpower per story. To gain this extra Willpower, however, the child must grant Winter Wolf the temporary gift of one Gnosis point.

Ban: Winter Wolf asks that during the harsh months, food should be left out for those of his kin who did not find the proper rock under which to dig.