Enduring Twilight: Old World of Darkness
Werewolf 101
Lesson Five: Finishing the Sheet
Freebies, Merits and Flaws
Freebies -
Ok - seems like you've finished your sheet already, right? Wrong! Here comes
what I consider the "fun part" (or the annoying part, if there's a lot you want
to do and only have so many points to spread) This section is the "freebies"
which you can use to "round out" your character, customizing them as you see fit
(yep, for those of you who wanted a 5 in Crafts: Basket Weaving, here's your
chance to move from 3 dots to 5!). If you really wanted a higher rating in an
Attribute, Ability or Advantage, or one of the Gifts that isn't normally
available to your Breed, Auspice or Tribe, now's the time to go back and get it. You've got 15 points, which may seem like a
lot, but whoa - don't go thinking they're dots that you can throw anywhere. You
have to "buy" dots with the freebie points, and where the dot goes determines
how much it costs. (after all, Attributes are much more useful, flexible, and in
demand for rolls than individual abilities, and they're priced accordingly) I've
included a chart with the cost breakdown. (from page 102, Werewolf: the Apocalpyse, WW3801)
| Trait | Cost |
| Attributes | 5 freebie points per dot |
| Abilities | 2 freebie points per dot |
| Backgrounds | 1 freebie point per dot |
| Gifts | 7 freebie points per Gift (Level One only) |
| Rage | 1 freebie point per dot |
| Gnosis | 2 freebie points per dot |
| Willpower | 1 freebie point per dot |
You can combine the dots you buy with freebies any way you wish, so long as the cost doesn't exceed the number you get to start with (15)
Merits & Flaws
Merits and flaws are 'extras' - they tend to be things that can't be quantified
easily in a 1-5 (much less 1-10) scale, and are often character 'quirks',
whether good or bad. Both merits and flaws have freebie point values - merits
cost freebies, while flaws give you extra freebies. Don't go crazy with
them though - you're only allowed to get 7 extra points from flaws. You can take
more flaws than that if you really want to, but you won't get points for them.
There's tons of merits and flaws scattered in dozens of books, and sometimes you
can even take them from other game lines (if the Storytellers say it's okay) but
I've included a list of the ones from the Player's Guide to Garou to get you
started - if you need more than this you can probably dig up plenty in other
sourcebooks.
| Physical | ||
| Double-Jointed | 1pt M | -2 difficulty to all flexibility related rolls |
| Mixed-Morph | 1 or 5pt M | 1 point - Partial transformations are
difficulty 6 (not 9) 5 points - no need to roll for partial transformations at all. |
| Perfect Balance | 1pt M | -2 difficulty to all balance related rolls |
| Wolf Sight | 1pt M | dim color vision, +1 die to perception rolls involving movement or taking place at night |
| Ambidextrous | 2pt M | +1 difficulty to each hand if doing 2 things at once, +1 difficulty to off-hand writing (off-hand penalties usually much higher) |
| Fair Glabro | 2pt M | No social penalties in Glabro form (between human and war form) |
| Lack of Scent | 2pt M | +2 difficulty for others to track you by scent. Some social problems with wolves or Lupus-born Garou |
| Daredevil | 3pt M | extra dice and easier rolls for really dangerous actions |
| Huge Size | 4pt M | up to 7ft tall & 400lbs in Homid, add an extra health level |
| Metamorph | 7pt M | no need to roll to change forms, roll Wits + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8) to choose which form you assume if knocked unconscious |
| Animal Musk | 1pt F | +2 difficulty to social rolls with Humans if they get near you |
| Hard of Hearing | 1pt F | +2 difficulty to all hearing related rolls |
| Monochrome Vision | 1pt F | completely blind to all colors - everything is shades of grey |
| No Partial Transformation | 1pt F | Pretty self-explanatory. You cannot transform just part of you, no matter how hard you try. Whole body only. |
| Short | 1pt F | Character is very short, +2 difficulty to pursuit rolls |
| Strict Carnivore | 1pt F | Can only eat meat - the closer to raw the better |
| One Eye | 2pt F | 2 dice penalty to all depth-perception related rolls |
| Bad Sight | 3pt F | +2 difficulty to all sight related rolls, Lupus form gets no perception bonuses for vision. Also night-blind. |
| Deformity | 3pt F | some form of physical deformity - discuss with a Storyteller |
| Lame | 3pt F | 2 dice penalty to movement in all forms. Cannot take merit: double-jointed |
| Monstrous | 3pt F | Appearance 0 - you're truly hideous and repellent |
| One Arm | 3pt F | -2 dice when doing something requiring both hands. Hispo and Lupus running speeds reduced to 75% normal. |
| Deaf | 4pt F | automatically fail all hearing related rolls. |
| Mute | 4pt F | Cannot speak, period. Must write or use sign language |
| Wolf Years | 5pt F | You age like a wolf - very, very fast |
| Blind | 6pt F | automatically fail all sigh related rolls. Stepping sideways is +1 difficulty. |
|
Social |
||
| Animal Magnetism | 1pt M | seduction or animal attraction rolls -2 difficulty with others of your breed form (Human if you're Homid-born, etc.) |
| Elder's Favor | 1 to 3pt M | An elder owes you a favor - value of merit is how important the favor you did for them. |
| Family Support | 1pt M | Close family supports you - even if they don't know what you are. |
| Reputation | 2pt M | +3 dice to social rolls with others of your sept. (May not take flaw: notoriety) |
| Dark Secret | 1pt F | A deep dark secret in your past that can cause trouble if known. Talk to a Storyteller. |
| Enemy | 1 to 5pt F | You have an enemy - value of flaw is measure of their strength and how bad they can make things for you. |
| Twisted Upbringing | 1pt F | You were taught all the wrong things about life as a Garou and get into trouble frequently through misunderstandings. |
| Persistent Parents | 2pt F | Your parents aren't Kinfolk, but they keep trying to find you. |
| Hunted | 3pt F | A dedicated, delirium immune hunter has taken to hunting you. |
| Notoriety | 3pt F | -2 dice to all social rolls involving members of your sept. (May not take merit: reputation) |
| Metis Child | 4pt F | The parent of a metis child - the character broke the Litany, has to see to the child's welfare and also has the effects of "Notoriety" flaw. |
| Mental | ||
| Common Sense | 1pt M | Whenever you're about to do something really dumb the Storytellers can warn you not to do it. Highly recommended for new players |
| Concentration | 1pt M | Take no penalties under circumstances that might cause difficulties with concentrating. |
| Berserker | 2pt M | Enter frenzy at will, allowing you to ignore wound penalties |
| Code of Honor | 2pt M | Gain an automatic success in resisting temptations to violate your personal code. gain 2 dice to willpower rolls to resist supernatural compulsions to violate this code. Talk to a storyteller about the 'details' of the code of honor. |
| Eidetic Memory | 2p M | Photographic memory (see book for details, pg 163) |
| Calm Heart | 3pt M | +2 Difficulty to all Frenzy rolls. |
| Jack of All Trades | 3pt M | If you make a roll on a Skill you have no dots in you take no penalty. You can try to roll a Knowledge you don't have at +2 difficulty |
| Iron Will | 3pt M | +3 dice to resist attempts to manipulate your mind, and spend 1 Willpower to shake off mental control of a vampire. Does not help against emotional manipulation powers. |
| Compulsion | 1pt F | There is something you must do - so intensely it takes spending Willpower to avoid it. Discuss appropriate compulsions with a Storyteller |
| Nightmares | 1pt F | Horrible nightmares - occasionally lose 1 die to all actions after a very bad bout (Storyteller's discretion). |
| Shy | 1pt F | All social rolls for dealing with groups are +1 difficulty, +2 if you are the center of attention |
| Soft-Hearted | 1pt F | Very shaken by the sight of suffering and avoids it at all costs. |
| Speech Impediment | 1pt F | You have some sort of speech impediment that makes conversation difficult - particularly in higher stress situations. +2 difficulty to applicable rolls. |
| Amnesia | 2pt F | You remember nothing prior to your First Change - education is intact but personal details are missing. That doesn't mean your past has forgotten about you, however... |
| Pack Mentality | 2pt F | You're part of a pack, and can't function without it. -1 difficulty to rolls involving pack actions or strategy when with at least one pack member, +1 difficulty when alone to any action you would normally expect help with (like combat). |
| Phobia | 2-3pt F | An illogical, overwhelming fear. Discuss
appropriate types of phobias with a Storyteller. 2pt - make a willpower roll if faced with your fear. 3 successes required to approach or deal with object of fear 3pt - make a frenzy check to avoid 'fox frenzy' when faced with your fear. |
| Short Fuse | 2pt F | -2 difficulty on all Frenzy rolls, making it easier to frenzy. |
| Vengeful | 2pt F | You have a thirst for vengeance that overwhelms everything else. Spend Willpower to ignore the obsession for a time and concentrate on something else. |
| Weak-Willed | 2pt F | You have little resistance to mind control or intimidation. Also, you can only spend Willpower in life-threatening situations or it is appropriate to your Auspice |
| Deranged | 3pt F | You are insane. Pick a derangement - and clear it with a Storyteller. |
| Hatred | 3pt F | Certain types of people or things arouse great anger and hatred in you. Roll to resist Frenzy when confronting an object of the Hatred. Discuss an appropriate one with a Storyteller (and no, "hatred of the Wyrm" does not count - All Garou are expected to hate the Wyrm to one extent or another.) |
| Territorial | 3pt F | You are as territorial as any wolf and don't like to leave the territory. Outside of it, all actions are +1 difficulty due to unease. Roll to resist Frenzy if strangers enter your territory without permission. |
| Ability Deficit | 5pt F | -5 dots in one of your Ability groups. (No Ability in that category can go above 3 when starting.) |
| Supernatural | ||
| Ancestor Ally | 1pt M | One of your Ancestor spirits is very fond of you. -2 difficulty to rolls to contact that spirit. Talk to a Storyteller about developing the personality of the Ancestor. (Must have at least 1 dot in Ancestors.) |
| True Love | 4pt M | |
| Moon-Bound | 2pt M | |
| Spirit Magnet | 2pt M | |
| Lucky | 4pt M | |
| Natural Channel | 3pt M | |
| Immune to Wyrm Emanations | 6pt M | |
| True Faith | 7pt M | |
| Banned Transformation | 1 to 6pt F | |
| Cursed | 1 to 5pt F | |
| Foe From the Past | 1 to 3pt F | |
| Forced Transformation | 1 to 4pt F | |
| Insane Ancestor | 1pt F | |
| Slip Sideways | 1pt F | |
| Mark of the Predator | 2pt F | |
| Sign of the Wolf | 2pt F | |
| Pierced Veil | 3pt F | |
| Dark Fate | 5pt F | |
| Taint of Corruption | 7pt F |
Lesson Six: Character History and Submitting Everything for Approval
