Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blank It

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Chapter II: Character
and insight. Bone Shadows recognize the importance
of Wisdom for the paths it helps them pick among
the many worlds. Spirits respect a werewolf with great
Wisdom, for she acts with understanding and seeks to
learn their ways.
• Cunning (Irraka and Iron Masters) — Sometimes
the path to victory cannot be attained through
the paths of Purity, Glory, Honor or Wisdom. Sometimes
it takes Cunning, the ability to know when one
must act counter to proper behavior for the good of the
pack. Cunning is the blessing of Luna Enshrouded, the
moon that hides her face. The Irraka is charged with
mastering the path of Cunning, which is no small task.
He must know when to use guile rather than instinct,
stealth rather than brutality. Iron Masters recognize
the value of adaptation and adoption — and therefore
Cunning — in survival. They know that if the Uratha
don’t keep up, ever-changing, they will be left behind as
another of the Shadow’s spirit-memories. Spirits recognize
the talents of a werewolf with great Cunning, for
only the truly accomplished can play the fool without
actually practicing folly.
GAINING AND LOSING RENOWN
A character begins with three dots of Renown at
creation, of which one must be assigned to the category
associated with her auspice and one to the category associated
with her tribe. A Bone Shadow Elodoth must begin
with at least one dot in Honor and one in Wisdom. The
remaining point is assigned as you please. Your character
might begin with Honor •, Wisdom • and, say, Purity •
(or another third trait). She might begin with Honor ••
and Wisdom •. Or she might begin with Honor • and
Wisdom ••.
Renown may be purchased with experience points
during the course of the game, but the social aspect of
gaining Renown should be roleplayed. Details concerning
the roleplaying demands of purchasing Renown begin on
page 194.
When Renown of any kind is increased through
experience points, your character gains use of a free new
Gift at that same level. This Gift must be chosen from one
of the lists for which your character has a tribe or auspice
affinity. For example, if the Honor Renown of a Hunter
in Darkness Cahalith increases from • to ••, he gets a
new two-dot Gift from one of the following lists: Gibbous
Moon, Inspiration or Knowledge (from his Cahalith
affinity), or Elemental, Nature or Stealth (from his Hunter
in Darkness affinity). Or a two-dot Gift could be chosen
from the Father Wolf or Mother Luna lists since all Forsaken
have affinity with them.
For full details on gaining Renown in play, see p. 194.
RULES EFFECT S OF RENOWN
Your character cannot purchase a Gift whose level
exceeds his dots in his highest primary Renown. If your
Bone Shadow Rahu has ••• Purity and • Wisdom, he can
have Gifts up to three dots, but no four-dot Gifts. If his
highest primary Renown is increased, higher level Gifts of
any kind can be acquired thereafter.
Renown also acts as a bonus to dice pools when Gifts
are used. Each Gift that requires a roll calls for a dice pool
of Attribute + Skill + a Renown type. There is no penalty
for using a Gift if your character doesn’t possess any dots
in the appropriate Renown category; you simply don’t gain
the benefit of those extra dice. For more information, see
Gifts, p. 102.
As a measure of esteem among tribe members,
Renown influences interaction between werewolves,
specifically those of the same tribe. When your character
interacts socially with a fellow tribe member, add your
dots in tribal Renown to your Social dice pools. Say your
Iron Master negotiates a deal with another Iron Master.
Your character has a Cunning Renown of 3. You add three
dice to your Manipulation + Persuasion dice pool. If such
interaction calls for a contested roll on the other tribe
member’s part, however, his Renown is added to the dice
pool rolled for him. So, if a contested roll is allowed for the
Iron Master with whom your character negotiates, and his
Cunning is 4, four dice are added to rolls made for him.
Such dice bonuses based on Renown do not apply to social
rolls made toward members of other tribes.
Finally, your total Renown determines your character’s
honorary Rank among spirits. (See p. 272.)
LOSING RENOWN
It doesn’t happen often, but werewolves sometimes
change tribes. Perhaps their ideologies stray too far
from the mainstream, or members of the tribe perform
acts or uphold values that defy ones the character
cherishes. Though a werewolf might find himself unable
to live with his former tribe, few of the People look
kindly on the prospect — it implies a certain unfavorable
transience. The process of changing tribes is fully
explored on p. 150. For now, it’s important to know that
changing tribes costs a character a dot of Renown (and
possibly more) affiliated with his old tribe. So, if he was
an Iron Master, he loses a dot of Cunning Renown. If
he intends to regain that dot, experience points must be
earned and spent, and he must impress spirits or other
Forsaken with acts of guile.
Remember that a character’s Renown in other categories
cannot exceed his highest primary Renown. If a loss of
Renown would mean that a secondary Renown trait is now
higher than any of the character’s new primary Renown,
the secondary Renown is lost as well. For example, if a
Blood Talon Rahu with Purity ••, Glory ••• and Honor
••• renounced his tribe and lost a dot of Glory, he would
also have to lose a dot of Honor, as his Honor couldn’t be
higher than the highest of his primary Renown traits.
Also, a character doesn’t forget or lose Gifts via losing
Renown; a character who drops from Glory ••, Honor •