Merits and Flaws

Merits:

Acute Sense (1 pt. Merit)
One of your senses is exceptionally sharp (even for a Garou). Choose sight, hearing, smell, touch, or taste. The difficulty for all tasks involving use of this particular sense is reduced by two. This Merit can be bought more than once for different senses, but only one time for each particular sense. The difficulty reduction for a given sensory roll is accumulative with other difficulty reductions (due to Gifts, etc.), but only a single reduction for Acute Sense is applicable in any given roll. Acute Sense cannot be purchased for any sense if it is missing or hampered via a Flaw (i.e., Blind, Bad Sight, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Anosmia, etc.).

Alcohol Tolerance (1 pt. Merit)
With a successful Stamina roll (difficulty 7), you can shake off the effects of intoxication, suffering no coordination penalties that might normally affect a drunken fighter. This Merit works against all natural intoxicants, even if processed (such as cocaine), though not against poisons or entirely man-made chemical drugs (such as meth).

Ambidextrous (1 pt. Merit)
You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity and can perform tasks with your “wrong” hand at no penalty. The rules for taking multiple actions still apply, but you do not suffer a difficulty penalty if you use two weapons or are forced to use your off hand to complete a task.

Ancestor Ally (1 pt. Merit)
One of your ancestor spirits is particularly close to you. You have –2 to your difficulty to contact this ancestor via your Ancestors Background. Flesh out your special ancestor with a name, personality characteristics, significant abilities or powers, details about her life, and her reputation among Garou. To purchase this Merit, you must have Ancestors as a Background.

Animal Magnetism (2 pt. Merit)
Others of your breed (humans if you’re homid, wolves if you’re lupus; metis should pick either humans or wolves, not Garou) find you especially attractive. Your rolls to attract, persuade, charm, or seduce those individuals is at –2 difficulty. This effect does not apply to threatening or intimidating actions.

Berserker (2 pt. Merit)
You have uncanny control over your inner anger, and can use your Rage as most Garou cannot. You can enter a berserk frenzy at will, ignoring your wound penalties. You still suffer the consequences of any actions committed in the throes of frenzy. When circumstances might cause you to frenzy, you must make a standard roll to see if you do so or not.

Calm Heart (3 pt. Merit)
You remain calm and collected even in the most trying of circumstances. Rage rolls are at +2 difficulty, reducing the chances of frenzy.

Camp Goodwill (1 pt. Merit)
You have earned the attention and favor of a particular Garou tribal camp. Perhaps you’ve done them a favor, or maybe they’re trying to recruit you. Regardless, all Social rolls when interacting with that camp are made at –1 difficulty. You may not be a member of this camp when you first take this Merit, although you can become recruited into the camp during play at the Storyteller’s discretion. You may take this Merit multiple times for different camps, and may take it for tribal camps other than your own tribe, each with the Storyteller’s approval.

Code of Honor (2 pt. Merit)
You have a rigid personal code of ethics to which you adhere. The specifics of this code must be worked out with the Storyteller prior to play, and the character must follow it strictly. Characters with this Merit gain two additional dice to all Willpower rolls when acting in accordance with their code (e.g., defending the helpless) or when attempting to avoid violating their code. You may choose something already established (the Litany is a common Code of Honor amongst Garou) or create your own list of moral and ethical dos and don’ts with
your Storyteller’s approval.

Common Sense (1 pt. Merit)
You have an abundance of plain, everyday common sense (which is often not so common among humans or Garou). Whenever you’re about to do something counter to common sense, the Storyteller may step in and advise you that you’re about to do something that your character would recognize as foolhardy. This Merit is particularly recommended for novice players still coming to grips with the world of Werewolf and its dangers.

Computer Aptitude (1 pt. Merit)
You are familiar with and talented in the uses of computer equipment. All rolls involving computers (hardware, software, or operations) are at –2 difficulty for you.

Concentration (1 pt. Merit)
You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Characters with this Merit are unaffected by any circumstantial penalties that otherwise might affect their dice pools or difficulty ratings (e.g., nearby gunfire, overpowering aromas, or hanging upside down).

Danger Sense (3 pt. Merit)
You’ve got a knack for knowing when something bad is about to happen. When you are in danger but not aware of it, the Storyteller should make a secret roll against your Perception + Alertness; the difficulty corresponds to the immediacy of the danger. If the roll succeeds, you are given a sense of foreboding. Multiple successes may refine the feeling and give an indication of direction, distance, or nature of the threat.

Double-Jointed (1 pt. Merit)
You possess uncanny suppleness, making all dice rolls that require flexibility (such as wriggling free from an opponent’s grasp) at –2 difficulty. You can contort yourself into odd positions or squeeze into small spaces.

Eidetic Memory (2 pt. Merit)
You remember, with perfect detail, things you see and hear. Documents, photographs, conversations, etc., can be committed to memory with only minor concentration, as can complicated trails, complex scents, or detailed howls. Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions, you must make a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6) to summon enough concentration to absorb what your senses detect.

Expert Driver (1 pt. Merit)
You drive like you were born behind the wheel. All difficulties on driving rolls are reduced by two.

Family Support (1 pt. Merit)
Your family knows what you are and accepts your new life wholeheartedly. Perhaps your parents are Kinfolk and have prepared themselves for the potential that you might be a full Garou. However they need not be actual Kin (of the sort purchased through the Kinfolk Background); they may not understand what you’ve become, but still believe you are “special” or “gifted.” While you can’t assume they will risk themselves for you or your pack, you can rely on their moral support and understanding — and maybe a place to crash on occasion.

Favor (1 to 3 pt. Merit)
You have earned the favor of someone more powerful than yourself because of something you did in the past. Work out with your Storyteller who exactly owes you the favor — perhaps an elder of your sept, an influential member of your tribe, or even a powerful pack of Garou. A 1-point Merit indicates that you provided a minor service; a 2-point Merit means that you have done something significant for them; a 3-point Merit probably means that you saved their life (or the life of someone important to them). You can ask for (and expect to receive) a similar level of favor in return. You can only call in this favor once; after that, your previous service holds no particular sway. While it stands, however, other Garou may know that someone important is indebted to you and react to you accordingly.

Immune to Wyrm Emanations (6 pt. Merit)
Gaia has blessed you with a powerful resistance to the poisons of the Wyrm. Although you still take damage from balefire, supernaturally-caused radiation, Wyrm elementals, or other forms of Wyrm toxins, you do not suffer any dice pool penalties from them. Banes cannot possess you.

Inner Strength (2 pt. Merit)
You have the grit of a true survivor. In a crisis, your deep reserve of determination gets you through. Reduce the difficulty of Willpower rolls by two if struggling against overwhelming odds.

Iron Will (3 pt. Merit)
You have a tremendous ability to resist outside attempts to take over your mind. You receive three extra dice to resist attempts to manipulate your mind, and may spend a Willpower point to shake off the direct mental control of a vampire. This Merit works only against direct mental control, not emotional manipulation; Gifts that induce frenzy still have the usual chance to succeed, for instance.

Jack-Of-All-Trades (3 pt. Merit)
You have a little knowledge about a lot of things. If making a roll on a Skill you do not possess, you do not suffer the usual penalty to the roll’s difficulty. You may attempt a roll on a Knowledge that you do not possess, although the difficulty for the roll is raised by 2. Only homid or metis characters may take this Merit.

Language (1 pt. Merit)
You know a language in addition to your native one. You can take this Merit multiple times, each reflecting a different language. Spirit Speech is a Gift and cannot be learned using this Merit. Garou are not required to use this Merit to purchase Garou Tongue or lupine communication; those are considered to come as naturally to them along with their native homid language.

Lightning Calculator (1 pt. Merit)
You have a natural affinity with numbers and mental calculations, making you a natural when working with finance, estimating at a glance, computing odds, figuring complex variable equations, and the like. All rolls where mental math comes into play are made with a –2 difficulty. Another possible use for this Merit is figuring the odds of success or failure of a particular endeavor, assuming you have sufficient data upon which to base your calculations. In appropriate situations, you may ask the Storyteller for the difficulty of a task you are about to undertake before committing to the effort.

Lucky (3 pt. Merit)
You enjoy some special favor from Gaia or some other powerful spirit. You may re-roll any three failed rolls per story, including botches, but you may try only once per failed roll.

Mechanical Aptitude (1 pt. Merit)
You are naturally adept with all kinds of mechanical devices (note that this aptitude does not extend to electronic devices, such as computers, or anything that does not work predominantly through moving parts). The difficulties of all dice rolls to understand, repair, or operate any kind of mechanical device are reduced by 2. However, this Merit does not help you drive any sort of vehicle; once you’re behind the wheel, you’re on your own.

Mixed-morph (1 pt. or 5 pt. Merit)
You find the art of partial transformation relatively easy, and make the required Dexterity + Primal Urge roll at difficulty 6 rather than difficulty 9. The five-point version of this Merit eliminates the need for a Willpower point; you can achieve partial transformation almost at will.

Moon-Bound (1 pt. Merit)
You are more in tune with your auspice than most Garou. When Luna waxes in your auspice, you receive one extra die to each of your rolls. Correspondingly, when Luna wanes in your auspice, you receive one less die to every roll.

Natural Channel (3 pt. Merit)
You find crossing the Gauntlet easier than many of your fellow Garou. The difficulty for stepping sideways is one less for you

Natural Leader (2 pt. Merit)
You were born with a strength of bearing to which others naturally defer. You receive two extra dice when making Leadership rolls. You must have a Charisma of 3 or greater to purchase this Merit.

Natural Linguist (2 pt. Merit)
You have a flair for languages. Add three dice to any dice pool involving written or spoken language, and each purchase of the Language Merit gives you two languages instead of just one.

Notable Heritage (2 pt. Merit)
Your direct family line is particularly renowned, either in Garou society or in the human world. You must choose (with your Storyteller’s approval) which world your heritage relates to, and detail your family line accordingly. You are at –1 difficulty to all Social rolls when working in the appropriate society (with Garou and Kinfolk who are aware of werewolf society, or when dealing with humans who are aware of your heritage). You are expected to live up to your lineage’s reputation. If you fail to do so, you may find the Merit dwindling over time as stories of your own failings begin to outweigh the high regard your family receives. This Merit may not be taken by Bone Gnawers.

Noted Messenger (3 pt. Merit)
Legends and Elders have used your services to deliver their important words. You may have even been called upon to carry messages of peace (or war) between the Nation and outside forces. Because of your reputation as a reliable messenger, you can pass through other Garou territories without your presence causing offense, and you may be allowed into any sept (or other locale where your reputation is respected, such as spirit courts or Fera holdings) unchallenged, as long as you carry a message for someone residing there. However, you are expected to behave in accordance with your reputation; if you take offensive actions, act indiscreetly, or speak rudely while in the line of duty, it may affect how you are treated (and may
cause the Storyteller to deem that you lose this Merit).

Perfect Balance (1 pt. Merit)
You have an uncanny knack for staying on your feet (two or four, depending on your form) either from natural talent or from long hours of training. Any rolls you make to attempt balance-related physical activities (e.g., Dexterity + Athletics for tightrope walking, maneuvering across ice, mountain climbing, or rock scaling) are at –2 difficulty.

Pitiable (1 pt. Merit)
Something about you makes others look at you as if you are deserving of their pity. Perhaps they see you as still a cub, despite your age or experience. You gain one die on Social rolls when actively playing up your pitiable nature. Wheedling someone into helping you would be appropriate; intimidating them into submission would not. Final word rests with the Storyteller in regards to when this Merit’s benefit may be used.

Reputation (2 pt. Merit)
Your reputation among the Garou of your sept does you credit. You may have earned this good name independently, or through the actions of your pack. When you deal with the Garou of your sept, you gain three extra dice to your Social dice pools. Reputation should not be confused with Renown; you may have a good “name” with your sept while possessing relatively little Renown. You may not take the Flaw: Notoriety.

Seldom Sleeps (2 pt. Merit)
Whether due to a strong constitution, a frenetic nature, or even a hint of ancestral magic in your blood, you require significantly less sleep than the average Garou. While rest is still required after exertion, sleep is seldom necessary. One hour a night is fine, and even an hour every three days won’t make you more than a little bleary-eyed. You are not immune to sleep-causing supernatural effects, and you must still rest (no combat and no efforts requiring rolls) after using taxing rituals or Gifts. You are not always perky, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, but you suffer no penalties or ill effects from remaining awake for extended periods.

Self-Confident (5 pt. Merit)
You are so sure of your own abilities that when you expend Willpower to gain an automatic success on an endeavor, you have a chance to gain the benefit of that expenditure without actually losing the Willpower. When you spend Willpower for an automatic success, you do not actually lose it unless the auto-success is the only one garnered in the roll. This Merit may only be used in challenging situations, that is, when the difficulty of your roll is six or higher. You may spend Willpower for an automatic success at other times, but if your difficulty
is five or less, the Willpower will be spent regardless of what you roll.

Silver Tolerance (7 pt. Merit)
You are blessed with an extremely unusual tolerance toward silver. You may soak silver damage in any form at difficulty 8, although this does not change the type of damage that silver does.

Spirit Magnet (1 pt. Merit)
You naturally attract the attention of the spirits whenever you cross the Gauntlet into the Umbra. Most of the time, the Umbral inhabitants are simply curious, gathering around you to see who you are and what you’re doing in their “neck of the woods.” Occasionally you attract more than you bargained for — Banes are also likely to come calling. None of the spirits who collect in your vicinity are under your command unless you use a Gift that allows you to command them or influence them in some way.


Supernatural Companion (3 pt. Merit)
You have a friend or ally who happens to be a vampire, mage, wraith, changeling, or other non-werewolf supernatural creature. Although you may call upon her in time of need, she also has the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). This relationship, however, does not have the sanction of your kind or hers, and you’ll likely face scandal — or worse — if you are found out. Meeting places and methods of communication are always risky. The Storyteller creates and controls your companion, but does not reveal to you her full powers (or secret motivations).

Supporter (2 pt. Merit)
You inspire all around you to greater efforts. Whether by speaking, writing, or leading by example, you give anyone who works with you reason to go on and hope of success. You have a –2 difficulty on Social rolls, and you give any group effort +1 to its total dice pool.

Time Sense (1 pt. Merit)
You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using a watch or other mechanical device, even after long periods of unconsciousness. This allows you to know (among other things) what phase the moon is in.

True Love (4 pt. Merit)
You have a true love — a Kinfolk, human, wolf, or perhaps even another Garou. Simply the knowledge that this individual exists provides joy and strength to you even in the darkest hour. The Wyrm may be winning, the battle may be endless, but you know there is something beyond the esoteric to keep fighting for. When you are suffering, the thought of your true love gives you strength. In game terms, this Merit allows you one automatic success on any Willpower roll, but only when you are actively striving to protect or come closer to your true love. Also, the power of your love may be strong enough to protect you from other supernatural forces (at the Storyteller’s discretion). However, having a true love may also be a hindrance, and they may require aid (or even rescue) from time to time. True Love between Garou (even if it is not acted upon) may be seen as near-enough to a breach of the Litany to cause
scorn or even scandal if it is suspected by others, making it appropriate justification for a Dark Secret Flaw as well.

Untamable (5 pt. Merit)
You are a wild soul who has never bent to the leash. You are immune to vampiric Domination (but not emotional manipulations via Presence) and these Gifts will not work on you: Roll Over, Obedience, and Mastery.

Wolf Sight (1 pt. Merit)
In all your forms, you see colors and intensities of light as a wolf does. Your color vision is slightly less distinct than that of humans, though you embrace the full spectrum of colors. Your night vision, however, far surpasses human nocturnal vision. You also notice movement more readily. You gain an extra die to all visually-based Perception rolls that involve movement or take place at night.

Bad Taste (2 pt. Merit)
You are gamey to the palate and revolting to the taste buds; plainly put, you taste nasty. Anyone who bites you (vampires, Garou, fomori, Wyrm monsters) is immediately nauseated. The biter must spend a Willpower point or retch uncontrollably for a scene. There is a drawback, however: lupus Garou and wolves are unlikely to lick or groom you, and even affectionate nibbles are affected by your foul flavor.

Fair Glabro (2 pt. Merit)
You have a Glabro form that can pass for human, though it’s still larger than normal people. You have no penalties to Social Attributes in Glabro form.

Lack of Scent (2 pt. Merit)
You either have no scent at all or only a very faint odor. Any humans, animals, or Garou who attempt to track you by scent have a +2 difficulty to do so. You may find it difficult to deal with lupus Garou or wolves, as they tend to mistrust your lack of a “natural” scent.

Physically Impressive (2 pt. Merit)
You appear dangerous both in outward demeanor and in physical bearing, and exude a confidence that impresses opponents. Add one die to all Social rolls that involve intimidation.

Daredevil (3 pt. Merit)
You excel at taking risks and have a talent for surviving them. When attempting exceptionally risky non-combat actions (such as leaping from rooftop to rooftop thirty stories above the ground), you may add three additional dice to your rolls. In addition, you may negate a single botch die on those rolls. Generally, an action must be at least difficulty 8, and with the potential to inflict at least three health levels of damage if failed, to qualify for this bonus.

Long-Distance Runner (3 pt. Merit)
Through practice and/or innate skill, you have developed your ability to run very fast for a very long time. You can run at double your normal running speed for one hour per dot you possess in Stamina. This Merit is very popular with Silent Striders. You must have at least four dots in Stamina to purchase this Merit.

Natural Weapons (3 or 4 pt. Merit)
You are greatly in tune with your wolf physique. Your balance and physical acuity in Lupus form are greater than in Homid form. Subtract one from the difficulty of any attack roll with an innate natural weapon (e.g., claw, bite, kick, etc.) when in Lupus form. However, add one to the difficulty of any such attacks made while in Homid form. There is no change to your attack rolls in other forms. This Merit costs 3 points for lupus or metis characters, and 4 points for homid Garou.

Huge Size (4 pt. Merit)
You stand close to 7’ tall and may weigh as much as 400 pounds in your Homid form; your other forms are also proportionately huge. This Merit gives you an extra health level, which acts as an additional Bruised health level for purposes of calculating damage and wound penalties. Of course, with your immense size comes other problems (blending into a crowd, finding clothes that fit, fitting into an airplane seat, etc.).

Metamorph (7 pt. Merit)
Shapechanging for you is as easy as breathing. You do not need to roll to change forms, nor is it necessary to spend a Rage point for an instantaneous shift. You make your changes as if you scored five successes on your roll to shift forms. If you lose consciousness from wounds or for some other reason, you may roll Wits + Primal Urge (difficulty 8 ) to choose which form you assume rather than reverting to breed form.

Flaws:

Ability Deficit (5 pt. Flaw)
Whether due to poor education, lack of opportunity, or simple laziness, you’ve fallen short of your potential. You have five fewer points to distribute in one of your Ability categories: Talents, Skills, or Knowledges. Therefore, the most you could initially take in that category would be eight points, and the least would be zero. Of course, you can still spend freebie points to take Abilities in the affected category. However, you cannot have any Ability in that category at three dots or higher at the start of the game. This Flaw is particularly appropriate to lupus characters that have yet to learn much about life as Garou.

Absent-Minded (3 pt. Flaw)
You forget things: important things like names, phone numbers, and which route to take to the caern. You often forget tasks you’ve been assigned, what day or time certain happenings are taking place, or even when you last ate. Although you don’t forget Skills, Talents, or Knowledges, in order to remember specific details about anything more significant than your own name, you need to make an Intelligence roll (difficulty is set by the Storyteller).

Amnesia (2 pt. Flaw)
You have no memory of your past before your First Change. You don’t know if you still have a family, or if someone is out to get you, much less where you were born or anything about your education (although you do remember what you’ve learned). Your past, however, may catch up with you, revealing many surprising facts about your former life. You may take up to five more points in Flaws that remain unknown to you. Your Storyteller picks them for you and brings them into play (to your surprise) during the course of your chronicle.

Animal Musk (1 pt. Flaw)
You have the odor of an animal, even in Homid form. Whenever you are indoors or in a crowd of people, you make all Social rolls at a +2 difficulty. Outdoors or in situations where you can distance yourself from humans, your odor is not noticeable. Wolves (and lupus-born Garou) take little notice of this Flaw.

Anosmia (1 pt. Flaw)
Whether from birth or due to some illness or accident, you’ve lost all sense of taste and smell. You automatically fail any roll involving these two senses, including Primal Urge rolls for tracking or hunting. In Lupus form, it’s even more crippling, since smell is a wolf’s most acute sense; this Flaw cancels out the –2 difficulty to Perception rolls a Garou gets in that form. There’s a slight benefit, however: At the Storyteller’s discretion, you may be immune to the debilitating effects of environmental conditions, Gifts and supernatural abilities that rely on odors.

Bad Sight (3 pt. Flaw)
You have a hard time seeing due to an uncorrectable visual defect. The difficulties of all dice rolls related to sight increased by two. Your Lupus form does not receive the standard bonus to Perception for visual checks, though the bonuses to other senses are not affected. Unlike nearsightedness or farsightedness, this defect cannot be corrected.

Banned Transformation (1 to 6 pt. Flaw)
Some circumstance, event, or situation inhibits your ability to change forms, except to return to your breed form. To overcome the restricting factor requires the expenditure of a Willpower point and a successful Willpower roll (difficulty . Some examples of triggers and their relative point costs include:
• Relaxing music (1 point)
• In the vicinity of wolfsbane (2 points)
• Unless you spend a Rage point (3 points)
• When around silver (4 points)
• During the day or during the night (5 points)
• When the moon is not visible (6 points)

Blind (6 pt. Flaw)
You cannot see. You automatically fail any rolls based solely on vision. Difficulties on all Dexterity-based rolls are increased by two as well. All rolls made to step sideways are at +1 difficulty, as you cannot use the usual method of visualizing the other world. This flaw can be taken by metis characters as their disfigurement (for no freebie points).

Camp Enmity (1 pt. Flaw)
You have earned the attention and disfavor of a particular Garou tribal camp. Perhaps you’re a former member of the camp, or have refused to join them and they feel slighted. Perhaps they feel you’ve done them wrong, or the camp you are a part of is ideologically opposed to what they stand for. Regardless, all Social rolls when interacting with that camp are made at +1 difficulty. You may not already be a member of this camp when you first take this Merit, although you can become recruited (or re-recruited) into the camp during play at the Storyteller’s discretion. You may take this Merit multiple times for different camps. Storytellers are encouraged to incorporate Storyteller characters of the appropriate camp into their storylines, so as to make this a meaningful Flaw.

Compulsion (1 pt. Flaw)
You feel compelled to take certain actions at certain times or under specific circumstances. This psychological quirk sometimes takes a highly ritualized form (constant hand-washing or grooming) or else manifests in trigger situations (compulsive gambling, swearing, talking, stealing). This Flaw not only causes problems for you, but for your packmates as well. You may spend a Willpower point to avoid your compulsion temporarily. Check with your Storyteller to find out how long you can resist before you must spend another Willpower point or succumb to your compulsion.

Conniver (1 pt. Flaw)
There is no honor among thieves, nor trust among liars. You are known as someone whose word cannot be trusted. Whether earned or not, you have a reputation for deceit and treachery, and you lose one die from all Social rolls involving any extension of trust, truth, or believing your words.

Curiosity (2 pt. Flaw)
You find mysteries of any sort irresistible. Whether it’s a closed drawer, a whispered conversation, or a mysterious light just beyond the trees, you have to know what is going on at all times. Anytime you are presented with the unknown, make a Wits roll or else you must go investigate. The difficulty varies with the roll involved: 5 for simple things (“What is in that storage unit?”) and up to 9 for intense circumstances (“I wonder what those fomori are planning. I’d better go listen in. What could possibly go wrong?”)

Cursed (1 to 5 pt. Flaw)
You have fallen afoul of someone with supernatural abilities that has cursed you with a specific effect. This curse may have been laid during your prelude, or perhaps even at your birth; it may even be inherited from your ancestors. Your curse is very specific and difficult to dispel without undertaking some major quest or atoning for whatever offense you have committed. Some examples include:
• (1 point) If you pass on a secret you were entrusted with, your betrayal will come back to harm you in some way.
• (2 points) Things you value for sentimental or functional reasons tend to disappear — mementos, minor fetishes, or significant utilitarian items like the keys to your car or your favorite knife.
• (3 points) Tools break or malfunction when you try to use them, always to your own detriment or inconvenience.
• (4 points) Relationships seem to go wrong as soon as you begin to care for someone. This might keep you from establishing good relations with the members of your sept, your kinfolk, or the rest of your pack.
• (5 points) At critical moments, you tend to experience catastrophic failures. A Fetish doesn’t work when you need it most, your gun misfires or jams during combat, or you get stuck while crossing the Gauntlet in an emergency situation. As a significant Flaw, Storytellers should feel free to put you into peril on a frequent basis with this level of Curse.

Dark Fate (5 pt. Flaw)
You labor under some future doom, marked by Fate for a horrible end. All you strive for will amount to nothing. From time to time, you receive flashes of visions regarding your destined fate, causing you to suffer prematurely. You can overcome your morbid moods by spending Willpower, but this only works temporarily. Sooner or later, you will meet your fate (when is left up to your Storyteller, but it will happen during the course of the chronicle — otherwise, this Flaw would be worth no points). In the meantime, however, you can still attempt to achieve something worthwhile. You may do so with a sense of freedom and abandon, since you know that unless a situation leads directly to your ultimate doom, you stand a good chance of surviving and succeeding. This Flaw works well in conjunction with the Fate Background, which allows you to survive lesser potential bad ends so that you can meet the true doom laid on you

Dark Secret (1 pt. Flaw)
You possess a hidden past which, if revealed, would cause you great embarrassment at best and make you an outcast or even hunted in Garou society at worst. Perhaps you had a lover who is a Black Spiral Dancer. Maybe you were responsible for the slaughter of your former pack or the mysterious death of a sept leader. This secret preys on your mind at all times, even though your friends and packmates are unaware of your shame. Occasionally, hints about your secret may arise in stories and you must take precautions to keep the knowledge from coming out into the open. So long as your secret remains unknown to those who might use it against you, you may keep the Flaw, even if a few individuals discover it. If your Dark Secret ever resolves itself so that it is no longer a factor in your life, you must sacrifice the experience points to buy it off.

Deaf (4 pt. Flaw)
You were either born profoundly deaf or have lost your hearing entirely. You may feel sound vibrations from sufficiently loud noises, but you hear nothing. The difficulty of any Perception rolls related to sound is increased by three. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn disfigurement.

Deformity (3 pt. Flaw)
You have a misshapen limb, a twisted spine, or some other deformity that interferes with your physical abilities and your interactions with others. A hunchback, for instance, would lower a character’s Dexterity by two dots and increase the difficulty of die rolls relating to social skills by one. A withered arm might reduce Dexterity by 2 for all manual manipulation rolls, reduce your running speed in any four-legged form, and increase social skills’ difficulty by one. You should work out the nature of your deformity with your Storyteller, as well as the exact penalties offered. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their metis disfigurement.

Deranged (3 pt. Flaw)
You suffer from a permanent form of insanity, either due to a congenital defect or some past trauma. Willpower may allow you to overcome your insanity temporarily, but it always returns.

Docile (1 to 3 pt. Flaw)
Your distance from “the wolf” dampens the fires of Rage within you, hampering your ability to access them in Gaia’s service. For every point of Docile you take, your maximum Rage is lowered by 2, and can never be bought above that level. Others may see you as “domesticated” or “more dog than wolf” and react with derision.

Double Jeopardy (3 pt. Flaw)
Gaia has marked you strongly. You were born not with one, but two significant metis deformities. These may be related, but must be two clearly separate disfigurements. A pair of antlers, or two rows of shark teeth would only be one deformity, but antlers and hooves, or a row of shark’s teeth and a set of gills would be acceptably different. The Storyteller has the final judgment on whether the two deformities are significant enough to qualify for this Flaw. This flaw can be taken only by metis Garou.

Driving Goal (3 pt. Flaw)
You are driven by a personal goal that compels you in sometimes startling ways. The goal is always unachievable: reform the Black Spiral Dancers, balance the Triat, make amends for your ancestors’ crimes in the War of Rage. But while many Garou may empathize with your objectives, few are as consumed by the singular nature of your focus. You must work toward your goal throughout the chronicle (though you can avoid it for short periods by spending Willpower), and your one-track mind continually gets you into trouble with those who do not share the intensity of your vision. Choose your goal carefully, as it will be the focus of everything your character does.

Enemy (1 to 5 pt. Flaw)
You have acquired an enemy (one or more individuals) that not only knows what you are, but also has power of their own. The 1-point version of this Flaw may signify that your enemy is another Garou of your own rank who has taken a strong dislike towards you or who blames you for some past wrong. The 3-point version may represent a pack of Black Spiral Dancers who bear a particular grudge against you or a small group of supernaturally potent werewolf hunters who have tagged you as a specific target. A 5-point Enemy may mean that you have angered one of the legends of Garou society or a powerful elder vampire.

Flashbacks (6 pt. Flaw)
You managed to make it through your First Change, but not wholly intact. The most insignificant thing can throw you into a different mood or state of mind, and as such your behavior is extremely unpredictable. Because of your precarious emotional state, your Willpower fluctuates. At the beginning of each story, make a Willpower roll (you may not spend Willpower for an automatic success). If you succeed, you may participate in the story as normal. If you fail, however, your Willpower score is considered to be 1 for the duration of that session, and you have only one Willpower point to spend. You may roll again at the beginning of the next session to see if your Willpower for that session works as normal.

Foe from the Past (1 to 3 pt. Flaw)
You have inherited an enemy, not because of anything you’ve done, but because one of your ancestors incurred his wrath. The strength of the enemy determines the point value of the Flaw.
• (1 point) A werewolf hunter whose parents were killed by your forebear.
• (2 points) A mage whose mentor suffered at the hands of one of your ancestors.
• (3 points) A powerful vampire or spirit creature who has sworn a vendetta against your family line.You should work with the Storyteller to come up with a logical backstory surrounding your ancestor’s enemy, since encounters with your foe may provide an ongoing story arc for your chronicle. You must possess the Ancestors Background to take this Flaw.

Forced Transformation (1 to 2 pt. Flaw)
Certain circumstances force you to undergo an uncontrollable shift in form. You may resist the change by spending a Willpower point, but once you have made the forced change, you may not change back until the triggering situation has passed. You may use the following examples or design your own circumstances and point costs (with Storyteller approval).
• The full moon forces you to assume your Crinos form. (2 points)
• You automatically change to Crinos when your auspice wanes (2 points)
• Sexual arousal stimulates a forced change (1 point to Glabro; 2 points to Crinos; 2 points to Homid if you are a lupus)

Gullible (2 pt. Flaw)
Maybe you’re slow on the uptake, or maybe you just never learned to separate truth from fiction. Whatever the cause, you’re particularly susceptible to lies and half-truths. You lose three dice from all dice pools relating to guile and subterfuge (not stealth), whether perpetrating your own feeble lies or attempting to penetrate someone else’s words to find the truth.

Harano Prone (4 pt. Flaw)
Characters suffering from this Flaw are prone to bouts of deep depression, indolence, and mood swings. You must make a Willpower roll every scene in which you suffer some form of setback. If the roll fails, you fall into a bout of temporary Harano. You may become morose and inactive, or suddenly spring into self-destructive activity. Your perceptions go awry, causing you to lose a die from every dice pool. If you botch the Willpower roll, you also acquire a temporary derangement (see below). You may delay the Harano attack for a single scene by spending a Willpower point

Hard of Hearing (1 pt. Flaw)
You have problems hearing certain sounds or ranges of sounds, or have some other problem that affects your auditory senses. You have a +2 difficulty to all rolls involving hearing sounds. You do not receive the normal bonus for Perception in Lupus form for auditory checks.

Hatred (3 pt. Flaw)
Certain types of people or situations arouse an uncontrollable and irrational hatred in you, causing you to make a frenzy roll whenever you confront the object or objects of your hatred. Furthermore, you actively look for opportunities to wreak destruction on your chosen targets. You should choose your nemesis carefully, since the Flaw can affect your relationship with your pack or sept, and can get in the way of your duties as a Garou. Hatred of the Wyrm is assumed and doesn’t count as a suitable object for this Flaw.

Hunted (4 pt. Flaw)
A dedicated werewolf hunter has targeted you as his quarry, convinced that you are a monster out of legend bent on preying upon humans. (He’s not, of course, entirely wrong.) Anyone you know, including your pack members or humans you are close to, may be in danger from the hunter. While your nemesis desires the elimination of all werewolves, his primary focus is on you. As fate would have it, the Delirium has no effect on your pursuer. He is also intelligent and resourceful, far more likely to set nasty traps for you than to blunder into any pitfall you leave for him.

Impatient (1 pt. Flaw)
You have no patience for standing around and waiting. Now is the time for action. Make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) any time you try to wait rather than act immediately. Failure means you’re off to tackle what’s got to be done, on your own if necessary.

Insane Ancestor (1 pt. Flaw)
An insane ancestor of yours occasionally takes over when you seek help from the spirits of your forebears. Usually, this ancestor appears only under certain common circumstances, such as when Black Spiral Dancers threaten you or whenever a certain common rite is performed in your presence. When the Storyteller deems this circumstance has come about, roll your Ancestors Background, difficulty 6. Any successes indicate that your ancestor takes control of you for the scene, or until someone recognizes what is happening and manages to convince him to relinquish control once more. You should create your ancestor, name him, and describe his madness. You may spend a Willpower point to stifle the ancestor-spirit for
the scene. You must purchase the Background: Ancestors to take this Flaw.

Intolerance (1 pt. Flaw)
You have an irrational dislike of a certain thing: an animal, class of person, situation, or object. You gain a +2 difficulty on all dice rolls involving the focus of your intolerance. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of what you can choose to have an Intolerance of: some dislikes may be too trivial to count (doughnuts or mechanical pencils) while disliking “the Wyrm” is already a common mindset for Garou and hardly counts as a Flaw.

Lame (3 pt. Flaw)
Either from birth, an accident, or a major battle scar, your legs are damaged, which prevents you from running or walking easily. You have a pronounced limp and may need assistance from a cane or walking stick. Your walking speed is one-quarter that of a normal human, and running is impossible. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their metis disfigurement.

Mark of the Predator (2 pt. Flaw)
You give off emanations of a predatory nature. Herbivores shy away from you, while carnivores see you as a potential threat and may offer challenge. You may not possess the Skill: Animal Ken.

Metis Child (4 pt. Flaw)
You begin play as the parent of a metis cub from an illicit relationship with another Garou. You need to decide the circumstances surrounding the birth of the child —who the other parent is, when this happened, if you are currently attempting to raise the child in your own sept, or if the cub was fostered out to another sept to avoid further embarrassment. The effects of this Flaw include a two dice penalty to any Social rolls made regarding Garou who know of your child, as well as the additional burden of being required to take responsibility for your cub’s welfare (you miserable charach). As a Litany-breaker, you will probably be unable to hold any important sept offices or be trusted with important tasks, no matter how much you strive to prove yourself. Metis characters cannot take this Flaw.If a character sires or bears a metis cub during the events of the chronicle, the penalties of this Flaw may
apply, but no bonus points are granted for it.

Monochrome Vision (1 pt. Flaw)
You cannot distinguish between colors, but see the world in varying shades of black and white and gray. This is not true color-blindness, which usually refers to the inability to distinguish between certain colors (such as red and green). Color has no meaning for you, though you can differentiate intensities of shade — dark gray, light gray, dull gray, etc. This Flaw occurs more frequently among lupus Garou.

Monstrous (3 pt. Flaw)
Your physical appearance is truly hideous to your fellow Garou. All your forms bear some grotesque qualities; your Homid form barely looks human, while your other forms have something significant that disfigures them. You should decide what you look like. Your Appearance rating is zero, and cannot be raised higher with experience points barring some remarkable circumstances. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn deformity.

Mute (4 pt. Flaw)
You cannot speak, in any form. Even communicating via Garou Tongue or lupine language (which relies upon both vocalizations and body movements to communicate) are beyond you, as is Spirit Speech. As a player, you may communicate with the Storyteller and describe your actions, but your character cannot talk to other characters unless everyone concerned possesses a commonly understood sign language (via the Language Merit). Otherwise, your character must communicate through writing or body language. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inborn disfigurement.

Naive (1 pt. Flaw)
You are hopelessly naïve about the nature of reality and see everything through “rose-colored glasses.” You may have been brought up in wealth and privilege or be a survivor of abuse and trauma that you have repressed. You are hesitant to suspect evil or foul play in others, which can be a serious problem. The difficulty for any rolls for you to detect another person’s ill intent, from the Sense Wyrm Gift to Empathy rolls, is raised by 2.

Nightmares (1 pt. Flaw)
You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Upon awakening, you must succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or lose a die on all actions for that day.

No Partial Transformation (1 pt. Flaw)
You have no ability to mix forms; you cannot shift your larynx in Lupus to be capable of human speech, or grow a wolf’s muzzle in Glabro. You can only change into the complete form.

Notoriety (3 pt. Flaw)
You have acquired a bad name among the Garou in your sept, either through your own actions or because of something involving your pack. You suffer a penalty of two dice on any Social rolls involving Garou of your sept other than your own pack. Renown (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with your reputation. Your own sept members (other than your pack) dislike you regardless of how much Renown you have. You may not take the Merit: Reputation.

One Arm (3 pt. Flaw)
You were either born with only one arm or lost your arm through an injury of some sort. You suffer no secondary-hand penalty, since you have adapted to using your one hand for most activities. When you need to use two hands, however, you lose two dice from your dice pool. Your running speed in Hispo and Lupus form is 1/2 of normal. Metis characters may take this Flaw (for no freebie points) as their inherent deformity.

One Eye (2 pt. Flaw)
You lack depth perception and have limited vision, due to the fact that you only have one eye. Your blind side has no peripheral vision. The difficulties of all Perception rolls involving eyesight are increased by two, and when depth perception is involved (such as during ranged combat), the difficulty is increased by an additional +1.

Overconfident (1 pt. Flaw)
You can do anything — or so you think. No challenge is too big for you to tackle, regardless of whether you actually have the skill to succeed. Never refuse to attempt something due to being outgunned, outclassed, or outnumbered. If you fail, you will find someone or something else to blame; it couldn’t have been any lack on your part, of course.

Pack Mentality (2 pt. Flaw)
You are lost without your pack. Their presence not only supports you, it helps define you. When you are with at least one member of your pack, you have –1 difficulty on all rolls involving group activities or strategies; when you are not, your difficulty increases by 2 on any task. You sometimes have trouble making decision without your pack to help you, even if you are the pack leader. In stressful situations, you may need to make a Willpower roll to act on your own.

Pierced Veil (3 pt. Flaw)
Unlike most Garou, your Crinos form does not trigger the Delirium in mortals. This makes you particularly vulnerable to werewolf hunters, who may find it less difficult to pursue you back to your caern, putting the members of your sept in considerable danger.

Persistent Parents (2 pt. Flaw)
Most werewolves, unless they have Kinfolk parents, sacrifice their family ties after their First Change, in order to protect the Veil. Your parents, however, have not given up on you. They may hire detectives to find you, plaster posters with your picture on it around town, pester radio and television stations to run public service ads, or dedicate websites and utilize social media to recruit the aid of the internet in order to try to find you. They may be ignorant of your new life, suspecting instead that you have run away, joined a cult, or been kidnapped. They
may instead have ties to Pentex or other organizations with ulterior motives in locating you. Only homids may take this Flaw.

Phobia (2 pt. or 3 pt. Flaw)
You have an overwhelming fear of something. Spiders, snakes, crowds, and heights are examples of common phobias. If you have a mild phobia (2 points), you must make a Willpower roll every time you encounter the object of your fear. The difficulty of the roll is determined by the Storyteller and based on the circumstances of the encounter. You must make at last three successes in order to approach the object of your fear or deal with the fearful situation. If you fail the roll, you must run away. The three-point version of this Flaw requires that you make a frenzy check to resist fox frenzy when you are faced with what you fear. Your Storyteller must approve your choice of phobia.

Short (1 pt. Flaw)
You are well below average height — four and a half feet (1.5 meters) tall or less in Homid form. Your diminutive size causes you problems, making it difficult to see over obstacles, reach high shelves, or manipulate things built for average individuals. This lack of stature is mirrored in all of your forms. Your running speed is halved, and your Storyteller may choose to levy additional penalties as appropriate in any given situation, although occasionally, this Flaw can give you a concealment advantage.

Short Fuse (2 pt. Flaw)
You are closer to the Wyrm than most Garou; your Rage burns hotter within you than most. Your difficulty for Rage rolls is decreased by two, and you fall more readily into the “thrall of the Wyrm.” Be careful when choosing this Flaw; it can bring worlds of trouble down upon you and your pack.

Shy (1 pt. Flaw)
You dislike being the center of attention and feel uncomfortable in crowds. Difficulties for all rolls involving social interaction with strangers are increased by two. If you are the focus of the situation, even amongst those you know, the difficulty increases by three.

Sign of the Wolf (2 pt. Flaw)
The folklore of werewolves holds true as far as you’re concerned. Like the shapechangers of myth and legend, you possess eyebrows that meet in the middle of your forehead, hair grows on the palms of your hands, and the second and third fingers of your hands are the same length. You may even manifest a pentagram on your palm before and during your auspice’s phase of the moon. While most people may simply wonder at these bizarre physical manifestations, werewolf hunters who notice these signs suspect your true nature.

Slip Sideways (1 pt. Flaw)
You find it difficult to control travel between the physical world and the Umbra, sometimes entering the spirit world when you don’t intend to. When stressed and near a reflective surface, you must roll Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) to avoid shifting into the Umbra unintentionally. In order to overcome the Gauntlet, you must still roll your Gnosis, but the difficulty is 1 less than usual. If you deliberately try to step sideways, you do so at the normal difficulty.

Soft-Hearted (1 pt. Flaw)
Whether because of an abundance of empathy and compassion, or simply a weak stomach, you cannot stand to watch others suffer. You must avoid or leave any situation that involves someone in physical or emotional pain, unless you succeed on a Willpower roll (difficulty 8 ).

Speech Impediment (1 pt. Flaw)
You have a stammer, lisp, or other speech impediment that interferes with verbal communication. This impediment affects not only your human voice but also carries over into the Garou tongue, marring your howls and snarls so that they are difficult to understand. The difficulties of all die rolls involving verbal communication are increased by two. This Flaw must be roleplayed whenever possible.

Strict Carnivore (1 pt. Flaw)
“Vegetarian” is just another way of saying “lazy hunter.” Vegetables and grains give you no nutritional benefit; you can only subsist on meat — the closer to raw, the better. You have real problems in areas where meat is scarce.

Taint of Corruption (7 pt. Flaw)
Somehow, the Wyrm has touched you and left its taint upon your spirit. When other Garou invoke the Gift: Sense Wyrm, you register as strongly Wyrm-tainted. The taint is innate, and cannot be removed by a Rite of Cleansing (which serves only to make you ill and sore). Minions of the Wyrm trouble your sleep, attempting to lure you fully into the service of the Destroyer. You are at +2 difficulty on any rolls made to resist the powers of “fellow” Wyrmspawn — fomori powers, Black Spiral Dancer Gifts, Bane Charms, vampiric Disciplines, or the
like. Only your pack can keep you from succumbing to the Wyrm, provided they give you their support and assistance. Ridding yourself of this Flaw requires a major quest and can provide the heart of a character-driven chronicle.

Territorial (2 pt. Flaw)
You have the wolf’s territorial nature. You dislike leaving your home turf or having people you don’t know infringe upon your claimed space. Before play starts, work with your Storyteller to define your territory. You must roll to avoid frenzying whenever strangers enter your territory without your permission, and are reluctant to leave there except under desperate circumstances.

Twisted Upbringing (1 pt. Flaw)
The Garou who found you after your First Change, and who oversaw your Rite of Passage and early entry into Garou society, taught you everything they knew — and it was all wrong. Whether they did this out of ignorance or perversity is up to you and your Storyteller to decide. Your wrong assumptions and skewed beliefs cause you a great deal of grief until someone straightens you out. Eventually you may overcome the problems caused by this Flaw (and be able to pay the experience point cost to buy it off), but in the meantime, it should present you with a number of good roleplaying opportunities.

Vengeful (2 pt. Flaw)
You have a score to settle; perhaps Black Spiral Dancers murdered your family or a Pentex First Team destroyed your original pack. Taking revenge on the individual or group responsible is your overriding priority in any situation where you encounter them, or have the opportunity to come closer to your revenge. You may temporarily resist your need for vengeance by spending a Willpower point.

Ward (3 pt. Flaw)
You are devoted to protecting someone, perhaps a close friend or relative from the days before your First Change. This may be a child (or wolf cub) that relies upon you for care as well as protection. Or it can be an adult who, because of their connection to you, finds themselves exposed to dangers beyond what they can handle themselves. It could even represent a small pack of wolves who rely on you to protect them from human and supernatural predation. Regardless, your Ward’s path is firmly tied to yours in some way, and they have a knack
for finding themselves in the middle of trouble, looking to you to save the day.

Weak-Willed (3 pt. Flaw)
You have little resistance to attempts to dominate or intimidate you. Domination-focused Gifts such as Stare-down, Roll Over, etc. automatically succeed against you. Your difficulties to resist Social Talents such as Intimidation or Leadership, as well as mind-altering spells or magic, are increased by two. Your Willpower may never rise above 4.