Werewolf/Fetish

This page will get cleaner after a while. For now I'm using it as a place to put down what is gone over in custom fetishes so that everyone has a clear understanding, and it is documented.

These clarifications specifically apply to the Werewolf and Purified spheres. Mage will function similarly - but if a Mage makes a Fetish for a Werewolf or Purified, it needs to follow the guidelines below.

Fetish HR's

• Fetishes are limited in size from 0-5. Fetishes may, however, affect things larger than themselves.
• Each successive roll to activate a Fetish within a scene incurs a -1 penalty, stacking, to each roll. This is on top of any penalty from the Fetish's rank, and continues for the duration of the scene. Essence can still be used to activate a Fetish, unless a Dramatic Failure has been rolled.
• You may release the spirit of a Fetish, and regain all the XP spent for it (in terms of GMC cost) once a month. This is to allow people to release Fetishes no longer needed and invest the points into something that is.

Creating a Fetish

First thing in creating a Fetish - The Concept. Do not think of the mechanics, the points, or anything else other than the most generic. I want a Fetish to make me fly. I want a Fetish that makes me better at punching. I want a fetish that turns people's teeth green. Once you have that basic concept down, you can move on to the nitty gritty.

Refer to Lore of the Forsaken pg 138 for the Point System. We will not be reprinting it here. If you need help, ask! Please have some familiarity - at least read the section concerning the creation.

Finally. Story. Fetishes are not isolated items. They have a specific Spirit inside them. There should be a story behind this! Keeping in mind that unless you're forcibly binding a spirit, you are entering into a bargain - failing to keep your side of the bargain has consequences.

Key Things to Remember

• All Fetish's are activated with a Harmony roll or Spending an Essence if you are a shifter. If you take the additional cost Restriction, then that is above and beyond that. So it would be a Harmony Roll and 1 Essence, or 2 Essence. If you cannot spend 2 essence in one turn, and choose to spend essence to activate, it will take 2 rounds.
  • The Level of the Fetish is a Penalty to the Harmony roll. So a level 2 fetish is -2 to the Harmony Roll
  • If you are Purified, it is Power - Level of Fetish
  • If you are a Mage, Its a Gnosis+Spirit - Rank roll.
• All Fetish's as standard are an Instant Action to activate. There is a Enhancement that can make it Reflexive. You might want that for combat fetishes.
• The entry for 'This is a Klaive of x damage' is required for any melee weapon that you wish to be able to use in Gauru form. This is what a Klaive is, a Uratha forged Fetish Weapon that can be used with Weaponry in Gauru form. You can indeed have other powers bound into the weapon, but that power is required to make such a weapon a Klaive.
  • You still cannot use a Klaive with Fighting Styles in Gauru
  • Fighting Finesse and Klaives still cannot be used in Gauru form. Strength is the primary method for attack, there is too much Rage to do things in a finesse manner
  • All Klaives are Fetish Weapons. Not all Fetish Weapons are Klaives. A club made of an iron pole ripped from a building is not a Klaive. Guns and Bows cannot be Klaives.
  • GMC Update: With GMC, all damage rating on weapons have been lowered by one. A minor Klaive is now classified at 0 to 1 damage (+20 fetish points) and a greater klaive at 2 to 3 damage (+30 fetish points).
• Talens must come out to 30 points or less after all enhancements and restrictions are applied.
  • They cannot have the Tattoo Enhancement
  • They cannot have the Restricted Number of Uses Restriction
  • They Must have the Talen Restriction
• Fetishes naturally last for a Scene once activated, unless they have a Restriction
• If you are a member of a Lodge that gives you a fetish, you get it for free.
  • If the lodge description says something along the lines of "May be given xxx upon joining," then you can purchase that for half the merit dot cost.

These are Guidelines We (Alamut and Niflheim) use when creating a fetish. These are little things I've noticed about fetishes in the book, and will always play a part when I approve or deny a fetish.

• Fetishes will never have a separate roll to activate its power. The strength of a power (if it needs a strength value) will always be determined by the Harmony-Fetish Level activation roll, or 1 success if you spend to activate it instead of rolling. You may need a second roll to interpret the power (Such as in Aura vision, or prophetic visions) but never to determine how effective the power is.
• In that same note, Fetishes rely on the power of the Spirit within - NOT your Primal Urge, Feral Heart, Chi, or Gnosis score. Only in VERY rare cases will this come into effect - more often then not it will be the success made on the activation roll that determine the strength of the roll.

• EXCEPTIONS TO ABOVE

I have found that there are numerous exceptions to these two rules in the books. Numerous. Therefore, it is possible to make use of such things, but it will be very rare to do so. Very rare, and the pass on my gut check will be more difficult.

THE GUT CHECK

Whenever a Fetish comes in the door, Staff will review it. If they feel it is too powerful, even if it is perfectly legal by the rules, they reserve the right to deny that incarnation. Taking on a few more Restrictions is a good way to get it approved. Fetishes that are powerful should have powerful drawbacks.

Additional Powers and Clarifications

Level 1 Powers (10 Points)

• Toxicity 1 (Stackable)
• 1 points of Armor (Stackable to a max of 5 in both sides) (So 2/0, or 1/1 or 0/2)
• +1 Defense (Does not stack)
• Reduce Defense Penalty of Armor by 1
• Ephemeral Ammo: creates ammo of appropriate type or caliber, in minimum amount. (12 arrows, listed clip size for non extended magazine. Damage is -1 of normal)
• AP 1 (stackable to AP 3 for +30)

Level 2 Powers (20 Points)

• +2 to Initiative
• Improved Ephemeral Ammo: ammunition can now take on 'subtype'. (bodkin, broadhead, frangible, hollow point, AP) cannot be material 'type' (silver, iron) (damage is -1 of normal)
• +4 to A single Skill roll (Only Athletics, Only Occult, Only Weaponry)

Level 3 Powers (30 Points)

• 9 Again to one specific Skill, or 1 specific roll (such as Harmony).
• +4 Single Ephemeral stat (power/finesse/resistance, but not the corresponding Mental/Physical/Social stats)

Level 5 Powers (55 Points

• 8 Again to one specific Skill, or 1 Specific roll (such as Harmony).

Minor Restrictsions (-5 Points)

• Extra Cost: 1 Lethal

Major Restrictions (-10 Points)

• Extra Cost: 1 Agg

Clarifications

• Yes. +4 or +2 powers may be specifically applied to specific Task Rolls... such as Ritual Harmony rolls.
• The Level 5 power that Ignores all common defenses will apply to only one type of defense - Magical Resistance, Magical Armor, Mundane Armor, or Defense. It will be looked at with a very critical eye.
• Unless otherwise stated, The same powers that do the same thing are not stackable (That is, you can not have two level 10 powers that both give +2 to the same skill). Power wise the same power does not stack from multiple fetishes either (That is, two fetishes with +2 to the same skill will not give you +4)
• Dodge, is not an acceptable Roll target like Harmony.
• Gifts of Rank 3, 4 and 5 are Restricted/Not Permitted. Gifts of Rank 1 and 2 are permitted as mirrored effects in Fetishes. (Auspice and other restrictions still in effect) Fetish Power is +10 higher than the rank of the Gift. (+30 for a rank 2 Gift)

• The Minor enhancement of Time is intended for powers that are instant in duration.

• The same restriction that does the same thing for the same point cost, is not stackable (That is, you cannot have two Extra Cost: 1 Essence for a total of +2 essence and -10 points). You cannot have multiple Chiminage for one Fetish, unless that Fetish is bound with 2 Spirits.

• Only powerful Rank 5 Fetishes are bound with 2 Spirits, and these are two Rank 4 spirits.

Chiminage

Minor and Major Chiminage restrictions are somewhat notorious to understand. here are a few simple rules.

• It is never Essence. Essence from a werewolf is bland, untastey, and with no Resonance. Chiminage is specific to a spirit looking for Essence created from something that rings with Resonance it enjoys.
• It is never multiple things. Chiminage (Either major or minor) is always a single thing presented to the fetish. Spending a day running around with a sock on your head is not chiminage. The Essence generated in this manner is free floating available to any spirit that comes by. That's no good to the Fetish. Hunting down prey and then presenting that kill to the fetish? Thats good.
• Minor is easy to obtain. If it doesn't cost significant Resources, danger, or rarity, its worth 5points. The eyeball of an honorably defeated foe has been one of my favorite Major chiminage's of late, to give an example.
• 90% of the time, you have to present the chiminage after every time you use the fetish before you can use it again. Until you present that Chim, you cannot use the fetish. This is sort of on an Honor system, but if staff does find you violating this, you may have your fetish taken away from you at the least.
• The other 10% of the time its a weekly thing. This is rare and not very often. I do not prefer this method, but sometimes it thematically fits the fetish. The fetish works whenever as many times as you want it to work, as long as within the last week you have performed your chiminage. Forget to, and it stops working until you do again.

WolfBlood Fetishes

• Wolfblood Fetishes are special. They cannot be above Level 2 when all the points are calculated. (No more than 20 points after all Powers, Enhancements, and Restrictions) They cannot take Extra Cost Restrictions. They are considered 'Always Awake' which means they can be sensed by many different things (Unseen Senses, Mages, even Werewolves can sense the Active Spirit Within)
• They are restricted to level 2 or less
• This does not mean they are always on. Their power still needs to be activated. That is done by invoking the Ban of the Spirit within, forcing it to invoke its preprogramed ability.
• This is a -2 to all Fetish creation rolls when making a Wolfblood Fetish.

WB Fetish Levels

Talens Require WB(••+)

Fetish (•) Requires WB (•••+)

Fetish (••) Requires WB (••••+)

The Fetish +note and Submission

Custom Fetishes will be noted on you in the following manner, please also submit them in the same manner, for ease of purpose.

+note me/Fetish - (Name)

(Name of Fetish)

(Level of Fetish)

• (+points) - First fetish Power
• (+points) - Other Fetish powers if any
• (+points) - Any Enhancements
• (-points) - Any Restrictions

Physical description and spirit within the fetish.

Mechanical rules of the fetish

Roll: (As Harmony-Level)+extra cost OR spend 1 Essence (+extra cost)

Action: (Instant, Reflexive with Enhancement, Extended with Restriction)

Duration: (Scene, or longer with Enhancement, shorter with Restriction)

Book Fetishes will be noted with the description from the book and the page number. They will also include usually the Roll, Action, and Duration for easy reference.

The XP

Fetishes cost the same as Merits do; but scenes can be submitted for the creation, bargaining, or performance of chiminage for the spirit prior to the binding for a Beat.