Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

162
Chapter II: Character
awaken the spirit of a murder weapon to question the spirit
about its former owner, for instance. Indeed, using this rite
brings a new spark of life to the Shadow.
Performing the Rite: The ritemaster drums, chants,
dances or performs some other form of rhythmic noise and
motion as she moves about the object or place to be awakened.
The culmination of the rite is a loud howl, which is
meant to shake the spirit free of sleep.
Dice Pool: Harmony
Action: Extended (15 successes; each roll represents
one minute)
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: All successes are lost, and the
rite fails. The ritemaster may not attempt to awaken that
particular spirit again for 24 hours.
Failure: No successes are added.
Success: Successes are gathered. When 15 or more are
accumulated and the rite is performed on a mundane item
or place, it wakes the potential spirit within. The item then
possesses a spirit analogue in the Shadow Realm.
When performed on an animal, this ritual “wakes”
a Gaffling related to that animal in the spirit world. The
Gaffling isn’t directly connected to the animal in question,
though, and it doesn’t have to remain in the animal’s area. For
example, performing the rite on a Doberman pinscher wakes
a dog-spirit that might not necessarily look like a Doberman.
A newly awakened spirit is always a Rank 1 Gaffling
with average traits for its class (see p. 279). The rite cannot
be performed on sentient creatures such as humans, or on
objects or animals that already have awakened spirits associated
with them. The ritemaster gains a +1 to all rolls to
influence the newly woken spirit, including Gifts and rites,
for the duration of the scene in which this rite is performed.
Although the spirit doesn’t always show gratitude, it’s usually
slightly suggestible for the first few hours of its existence.
Exceptional Success: Several successes are gained at
one time. If 20+ are accumulated, the spirit has an increased
chance of being positively disposed toward the ritemaster.
Fetish Rite (••••)
The Fetish Rite is a complex and subtle ritual with
untold thousands of variations, but the intended result is
always the same — the creation of an object empowered
by a spirit bound within. A properly created fetish can call
on strange powers that no mundane object can emulate,
but only if the spirit within is properly appeased.
The Fetish Rite requires a peaceful and at least marginally
cooperative spirit to be on hand. That spirit might have
been summoned with Call Gaffling or a similar ritual, it
might have been captured by werewolves in an ambush, or
it might simply have been persuaded to participate. If the
spirit is a captive, it must be bound with the Bind Spirit rite.
The particular sort of spirit that must be bound in a
given fetish is determined by the fetish’s description. (See
“Fetishes,” p. 204.)
A hostile spirit bound into a fetish is likely to slowly corrupt
that object, perverting its function and powers to match
the spirit’s anger over its imprisonment. In most cases, if the
fetish item is broken, the spirit is freed. Most spirits do their
best to remain free after a stint within a fetish, though some
acquiesce to being bound again if properly appeased.
Performing the Rite: The object to become a fetish is
placed at the center of a ritual circle. If the spirit is a hostile,
bound spirit, the fetish focus had better be within the
spirit’s binding circle before the rite begins or the binding is
broken when the object enters. A small amount of chiminage
appropriate to the spirit is burned as appeasement.
The ritualist expends some Essence to bind the spirit in
place as he describes the fetish’s purpose and powers in the
First Tongue, and he walks an ever-shrinking circle around
the spirit and the fetish. Over the course of the ritual, the
spirit’s substance decays and is visibly pulled into the item.
When the rite is complete, the spirit is wholly bound.
As a general rule, the spirit bound in a given fetish
must be of similar Rank to the fetish level. A one-dot
fetish can be created with a Gaffling, while a three-dot fetish
requires a Jaggling. The exception is five-dot fetishes,
which require particularly powerful Jagglings (Incarnae
cannot be bound by this rite). Sample fetishes are found
on p. 204. Spirit Ranks are found on page 279.
Cost: 1 Essence per level of the fetish to be created
Dice Pool: Harmony
Action: Extended (15 successes + 10 successes per level
of the fetish to be created; each roll represents one minute)
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: All accumulated successes are lost;
the vessel is ruined, and the spirit is freed from its binding.
Failure: No successes are added.
Success: Successes are added, and when the required
number is accumulated, the fetish is created.
Exceptional Success: No additional effect beyond the
several successes gained.
Suggested Modifiers
Modifier Situation
+2 Chiminage is very valuable to the spirit
+1 Spirit is sympathetic to the werewolf or the
werewolf’s goals
+1 or more The werewolf outranks the spirit*
+1 Chiminage is particularly valuable to the spirit
+1 The fetish vessel is of fine quality
+1 Werewolf’s pack totem is of the same brood
as the spirit
–1 or more The spirit outranks the werewolf*
–1 The fetish vessel is poorly made
–2 Spirit is hostile to the werewolf or the
werewolf’s goals
*The werewolf’s honorary Rank as determined by total
Renown (see p. 272) is compared to the Rank of the spirit
summoned. If the werewolf outranks the spirit, the Harmony