Werewolves know the truths of the world, behind all we see and touch lies the Hisil, the spirit world.
Every rock, tree and traffic light has a spirit. With the proper offerings these spirits can be asked to spread their influence across the world. A Werewolf’s dots in Rituals represents the knowledge and ability to make these requests, and see them granted. Werewolves gain dots in Rituals exactly as they do in the Core book. They may be taken instead of Gifts when gaining renown, or bought at their own price New Dots x 7.
Rituals Glossary
Rituals Cheat Sheet
Acquiring Influences
Acquiring Influences: When a Werewolf purchases his first dot of Rituals he gains two dots worth of Influences. These influences must be known by one of the Werewolf's Totems - be it pack, lodge, tribe or Luna Herself - and cannot exceed the Totem's own Influence. Each dot of Rituals he purchases beyond the first grants another free dot of influence. The Werewolf may also purchase Influences independently for the cost of New Dots x 5 experience. A Werewolf may never have an Influence with more dots than he has dots in Rituals or an Influence that is unknown to his totems.
Influence Errata
At five dots Spirits gain the influence “Mass Create”, however the mechanics for ritual magic make multiple targets into a factor, not a dot. Therefore we propose an alternative five dot effect: Exult. The target gains (or looses) properties as aspects of it's spiritual self overwrite the material. A care that was lovingly restored over months may be given the ability to protect it's passengers from accidents, while a car brought as a status symbol may inspire envy with all who look upon it.
In addition we propose an additional one dot effect: Discover. Ritemasters may interrogate spirits to learn of about entities that fall under their influence.
Who Knows What
The following influences are provided by The People's totems. The exact limits of such powerful spirits is unkown, but as a Werewolf can never buy an Influence above five dots, the exact numbers don’t matter.
* In theory a Werewolf could use Control Silver to stop Silver doing aggravated damage to Werewolves. In practice this amounts to bribing Luna to undo her curse. That's not going to work.
** Territory includes the gauntlet and passage across it.
*** Pack covers both individual packmates and the pack as a conceptual whole.
The Vision
Nothing in the world is free, no power is without a cost, and no Spirit so philanthropic that it would divest its power without first demanding a price. There are two ways for a ritemaster to pay the spirit for it's services. The first is to pay in Essence, the closest thing the Shadow has to a standardised currency. The second is for the pack to pay in chiminage.
The difficulty of the condition is decided by the power of the influence being called. Accordingly the conditions are rated on a 1 - 3 scale, described below, with 1 being minor tasks, and 3 taking the form of major expenses. The cost for a ritual is equal to half the highest Influence being invoked, round up.
A Ritemaster has some ability to intuit or calculate likely payments, and the Storyteller should reveal to the player an appropriate cost, personalised to both the totem and the desired ritual effects. When the pack have acquired appropriate payment or performed an appropriate service they may perform the ritual.
A ritual designed chosen by intuition alone is not brilliant but it is good enough. The Ritemaster will have a number of rolls equal to half his Occult, rounded up. If the Ritemaster wishes to do better than their own intuition they can perform a vision quest to learn more about the problem and what ritual might solve it. The ritemaster travels through the Hisil (or the material if the problem lies with spirits upon this side of the Gauntlet). Each relevant fact provides one extra roll, to a maximum of Occult + Wisdom rolls. As a guideline, if the Ritemaster is looking in appropriate places he should uncover two or three facts a scene.
Rites skip this step, the experience cost of a Rite represents learning it in such detail that the Ritemaster's knowledge is enough to provide the maximum number of rolls without a vision quest.
Some rituals just aren't possible. No Ritemaster can cut a bargain that asks her Totem to break it's Ban, go against it's fundamental nature, or just seriously harm it's interests. The Storyteller is strongly encouraged to default to rites working and only use this rule when a ritual would make no sense at all. When a ritual is impossible the ritemaster intuits it before doing any work.
Sample Conditions/Debts
Piddling (O): Tiny tasks, rarely with any monitary cost of risk of harm. Loud speeches, clutching specific objects, and swearing off negligable acts are the most spirits will demand. These acts rarely take longer than an action with proper preparation and can usually be achieved in a scene without. A piddling task is worth one Essence.
Examples: Cast a handful of cut grass into the sky; Cry aloud a prayer to the shadows; Clutch a effegy doll craved of stone
Minor (OO): Inconveniences. Minor costs can take some investment, but not much. Small amounts of personal harm, or a scene or two of devoted activity are generally enough. And they can almost certainly be met within a few hours. A minor task is worth three Essence.
Examples: Cut a gash in your right hand and bleed into a fire; Dance naked together beneath the moon; burn a completely an effegy of the Spirit.
Major (OOO): Serious Losses. Major costs can get expensive, involve serious personal or perperty damage. Even when prepared it can take a full scene to achieve them, and unprepared could take a day or more. A major task is worth five essence.
Examples: Rite members must submit themselves to near drowning; Craft a great totem pole embodying the Spirit in a public location; Members must sleep around a campfire in the wilderness for two full nights.
Every rock, tree and traffic light has a spirit. With the proper offerings these spirits can be asked to spread their influence across the world. A Werewolf’s dots in Rituals represents the knowledge and ability to make these requests, and see them granted. Werewolves gain dots in Rituals exactly as they do in the Core book. They may be taken instead of Gifts when gaining renown, or bought at their own price New Dots x 7.
Rituals Glossary
- Ritual Trait: Rituals.
- Magic User: Ritemaster (sometimes shaman or witch).
- Theme: Influence.
- Brought Ritual: Rite.
- Improvised Ritual: Ritual.
- Spell: Ritual.
Rituals Cheat Sheet
- Step One: The player and storyteller agree which Influence will be used, and at which level. (OOC)
- Step Two: The ritemaster undergoes a vision quest to fine tune his ritual. (Optional) (IC)
- Step Three: The ritemaster acquires any tribute or chooses to pay with Essence. (IC)
- Step Four: The ritemaster brings her pack together to perform the ritual. (IC)
- Step Five: The player assigns successes to factors. (OOC)
- Step Six: The ritual takes effect. (IC)
Acquiring Influences
Acquiring Influences: When a Werewolf purchases his first dot of Rituals he gains two dots worth of Influences. These influences must be known by one of the Werewolf's Totems - be it pack, lodge, tribe or Luna Herself - and cannot exceed the Totem's own Influence. Each dot of Rituals he purchases beyond the first grants another free dot of influence. The Werewolf may also purchase Influences independently for the cost of New Dots x 5 experience. A Werewolf may never have an Influence with more dots than he has dots in Rituals or an Influence that is unknown to his totems.
Influence Errata
At five dots Spirits gain the influence “Mass Create”, however the mechanics for ritual magic make multiple targets into a factor, not a dot. Therefore we propose an alternative five dot effect: Exult. The target gains (or looses) properties as aspects of it's spiritual self overwrite the material. A care that was lovingly restored over months may be given the ability to protect it's passengers from accidents, while a car brought as a status symbol may inspire envy with all who look upon it.
In addition we propose an additional one dot effect: Discover. Ritemasters may interrogate spirits to learn of about entities that fall under their influence.
Who Knows What
The following influences are provided by The People's totems. The exact limits of such powerful spirits is unkown, but as a Werewolf can never buy an Influence above five dots, the exact numbers don’t matter.
- Mother Luna - Shapeshifting, Spirits, Silver*, Madness, The Moon.
- Black Wolf - Territory**, Pack***, Hunting, Wolves, Darkness.
- Death Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Death.
- Destroyer Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Battle.
- Dire Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Wilderness.
- Rabid Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Fervour.
- Red Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Change.
- Silver Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Nobility.
- Soulless Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Sin.
- Winter Wolf - Territory, Pack, Hunting, Wolves, Weakness.
* In theory a Werewolf could use Control Silver to stop Silver doing aggravated damage to Werewolves. In practice this amounts to bribing Luna to undo her curse. That's not going to work.
** Territory includes the gauntlet and passage across it.
*** Pack covers both individual packmates and the pack as a conceptual whole.
The Vision
Nothing in the world is free, no power is without a cost, and no Spirit so philanthropic that it would divest its power without first demanding a price. There are two ways for a ritemaster to pay the spirit for it's services. The first is to pay in Essence, the closest thing the Shadow has to a standardised currency. The second is for the pack to pay in chiminage.
The difficulty of the condition is decided by the power of the influence being called. Accordingly the conditions are rated on a 1 - 3 scale, described below, with 1 being minor tasks, and 3 taking the form of major expenses. The cost for a ritual is equal to half the highest Influence being invoked, round up.
A Ritemaster has some ability to intuit or calculate likely payments, and the Storyteller should reveal to the player an appropriate cost, personalised to both the totem and the desired ritual effects. When the pack have acquired appropriate payment or performed an appropriate service they may perform the ritual.
A ritual designed chosen by intuition alone is not brilliant but it is good enough. The Ritemaster will have a number of rolls equal to half his Occult, rounded up. If the Ritemaster wishes to do better than their own intuition they can perform a vision quest to learn more about the problem and what ritual might solve it. The ritemaster travels through the Hisil (or the material if the problem lies with spirits upon this side of the Gauntlet). Each relevant fact provides one extra roll, to a maximum of Occult + Wisdom rolls. As a guideline, if the Ritemaster is looking in appropriate places he should uncover two or three facts a scene.
Rites skip this step, the experience cost of a Rite represents learning it in such detail that the Ritemaster's knowledge is enough to provide the maximum number of rolls without a vision quest.
Some rituals just aren't possible. No Ritemaster can cut a bargain that asks her Totem to break it's Ban, go against it's fundamental nature, or just seriously harm it's interests. The Storyteller is strongly encouraged to default to rites working and only use this rule when a ritual would make no sense at all. When a ritual is impossible the ritemaster intuits it before doing any work.
Sample Conditions/Debts
Piddling (O): Tiny tasks, rarely with any monitary cost of risk of harm. Loud speeches, clutching specific objects, and swearing off negligable acts are the most spirits will demand. These acts rarely take longer than an action with proper preparation and can usually be achieved in a scene without. A piddling task is worth one Essence.
Examples: Cast a handful of cut grass into the sky; Cry aloud a prayer to the shadows; Clutch a effegy doll craved of stone
Minor (OO): Inconveniences. Minor costs can take some investment, but not much. Small amounts of personal harm, or a scene or two of devoted activity are generally enough. And they can almost certainly be met within a few hours. A minor task is worth three Essence.
Examples: Cut a gash in your right hand and bleed into a fire; Dance naked together beneath the moon; burn a completely an effegy of the Spirit.
Major (OOO): Serious Losses. Major costs can get expensive, involve serious personal or perperty damage. Even when prepared it can take a full scene to achieve them, and unprepared could take a day or more. A major task is worth five essence.
Examples: Rite members must submit themselves to near drowning; Craft a great totem pole embodying the Spirit in a public location; Members must sleep around a campfire in the wilderness for two full nights.
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