Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

creation. Each Merit point invested in this fashion purchases
an additional one-dot rite.
STEP SEVEN:
DETERMINE ADVANTAGES
Rules regarding advantages can be found in Chapter 4
of the World of Darkness Rulebook. Certain advantages
have different implications and even forms when applied
to werewolf characters.
WILLPOWER
Werewolves are frequently tested emotionally and
pushed to the brink as the challenges arrayed against
them are many. Not least of these is Rage (see p. 171),
which constantly lures a werewolf to give in to his anger
and to kill without distinction. Willpower largely operates
for Uratha as it does for humans (see the World of
Darkness Rulebook), but sometimes it’s the only thing
standing between a werewolf and a battle lust that might
endanger the people most important to him.
A player may spend Essence in the same turn in
which he spends a point of Willpower. For more information
on spending Essence, see pp. 76-77.
HARMONY
Werewolves are not human. Even if a werewolf refuses
to believe she’s a fundamentally different person than she
was before the First Change, she must confront the fact
that her soul is a mixture of human intellect and predator
instinct, all fueled by a blinding supernatural fury. A
werewolf’s life is forever in balance between human and
animal. The best chance she has of maintaining control
over herself is to acknowledge her nature and walk the
middle road. Therefore, the concept of Morality that
applies to human characters is replaced by Harmony, the
internal balance that a werewolf must seek in order to
avoid being ruled by her worst impulses.
As an optional rule, Storytellers may allow those
players applying the werewolf template during character
creation to trade points of Harmony for experience points.
This usually reflects some horrible trauma on the part
of the werewolf, usually during or directly after the First
Change. The character’s lower Harmony reflects mental
or emotional scarring that makes it hard to control the
monstrous instincts within, while the experience points
gained represent the character learning something from
the event. Players may sacrifice one point of Harmony for
five experience points, dropping Harmony to as low as five
(for a maximum of 10 extra experience points).
Note that reducing Harmony in this way also reduces
starting Essence at character creation.
VIRT UES AND VICES
Werewolves use the same Virtues and Vices available to
mortal characters, though they play out differently. The Vice
of Wrath is obviously the most common among werewolves,
but all the other Vices apply. A werewolf driven by Envy
might resent humans for being able to enjoy ordinary lives,
while a gluttonous werewolf might savor the taste of prey so
much that she hunts even when she isn’t hungry. Similarly,
the ideals represented by a Virtue are usually expressed in a
manner befitting a werewolf’s new life. A character whose
Virtue is Prudence might make a powerful shaman, able to
look on the horrors and blandishments of the spirit world
without losing focus. A character fueled by Faith might adapt
more quickly to his new life, powered by the conviction that
the Change came upon him for a reason.
VETERAN PACKS
Storytellers may allow their players a certain
number of experience points to spend before play
begins, representing a greater period of time between
the characters’ initiation into werewolf life
and the start of the chronicle. We recommend
that this option not be used if players are new to
Werewolf: The Forsaken. It’s better for them to
learn about the setting through play until they’re
familiar enough with it to create veterans.
Freshly Changed 0 experience points
Established pack 35 experience points
Scarred veterans 75 experience points
Lords of all they survey 120+ experience points
STEP EIGH T: SPARK OF LIFE
At this point you should have a fairly fleshed-out
character with all the mechanics to determine whether
he’ll succeed at the various tasks that will face him over
the course of the chronicle. What’s left are the final nuances
of personality. Each trait on your character sheet
might have a story behind it — the reason your character
decided to pursue computer programming, the experiences
he had that rationalize his rudimentary Survival Skill,
and so on. Try to think of as many of these stories as you
can. Even a story that seems completely mundane — such
as learning how to fix a car from his father, who spent
most of his time trying to keep a VW microbus running
— provides another facet of your character’s personality
and another potential hook for the stories. Don’t overlook
potential physical or personality Flaws, either.
What do your character’s Attributes mean? Is his
Strength the patently obvious build of a weightlifter or a
surprising wiry power? Which Skills did he learn because
he had to, and which because he wanted to? What does
your character look like? Does he have a distinctive
appearance? Does he take care of himself? What color
are his eyes, his hair, his skin? Does he wear glasses, and
will he still need to after the Change? What does his
voice sound like? What does he look like in Dalu, Gauru,
Character Creation
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