Packs

[Xenia]

The pack is the fundamental social unit of the garou nation. Even more than Ostraka or Bone Gnawer, the worst thing you can be as a Gaian garou is packless. Not only does the pack provide a keen tactical advantage in combat, but it's also a key source of emotional support to get warriors through the anguish of war. Furthermore, by binding a pack to a totem, the impossible becomes probable.

Expanded Topics

• Pack Types
• Pack Structure
• Pack Tactics
• Pack Totem

Pack Criteria
A pack is defined as a pack by 3 different metrics:

1. Pack Members. Packs are formed groups of 3-10 garou forming a single social unit. In Greece specifically, this seems to extend to kinfolk as well. This is not the case globally. A pack can sustain on 2 members if a third is lost, but requires at least 3 to form.
2. Pack Purpose: Every pack has a singular goal or purpose that unites them all. This can be something as specific and singular as "clear out the banes from the Parthenon" or as vague and broad as "protect one another from outside threats". For example, the Alpha Pack has the purpose of "unite the caerns of Greece into a singular entity to defend the lands", and the Leyline Walkers have "seek and create sacred spaces of Gaia". In the event a pack's purpose is fulfilled, they must either disband or commit to another purpose.
3. Pack Totem: The difference between a pack and a social club is the presence of a totem spirit that watches over and empowers the pack. The Rite of the Totem is the threshold a group passes to become a formal, recognized pack. Without it, work together all you want, but you're just Grecian homies.

Patrols v. Packs
There are a number of reasons a garou might band together without fully forming a pack. As mentioned above, to be a pack, you need a totem, and a lot of the time that's more of a commitment than people are willing to take on. A ban can be a burden for someone not especially connected to the people they're working with, and a garou can only have one totem, so they may need to work with others but can't join their pack.

In cases like these, temporary packs may form, called patrols. A patrol can account for any group of garou up to 10, and is officiated using the Rite of Pack's Blood (a Level One Rite of Accord). Individuals who do not perform the Rite of Pack's Blood can still act as a patrol in the sense of the social unit, but will not gain any mechanical benefits for doing so.

Patrols that have undergone the Rite of Packs' Blood benefit from Pack Tactics (linked above) and qualify for any mechanic that specifies 'packmates', but with no totem they will gain no advantage from totem perks, and will still be viewed as "packless" for social reasons.

[Xenia]

Pack Types
A pack is defined by more than its stated goals. The purpose of a pack and the events that brought its members together forever defines its flavor and being a part of it affects each individual member. The combination of shared purpose and the means by which a pack is formed determines the pack type.

Sample Pack Types are listed below. If you're interested in a type not listed here, contact staff and we'll see about adding it.

Common Pack Types
Purpose Pack
Packs whose driving focus is fulfilling their purpose.
For this manner of pack, the purpose is the type. Purpose packs are among the most common types of packs in the Garou Nation. This type of pack consists of a group of Garou who have a collective, driving goal or an idea they wish to accomplish or uphold together, and who have convinced a totem to sponsor them in its pursuit. This driving goal becomes an overwhelming obsession in their lives. The composition of the pack in terms of members, auspices, duration... none of this matters in the quest of successfully fulfilling their purpose.

Scratch Pack
Packs who form as filler before members find their calling.
This is the pack equivalent to declaring your major "General Education" until you decide what you want to do. A Patrol with benefits. Scratch Packs are usually formed by garou terrified of being seen as packless as soon as they can scrounge together a purpose worth bonding over. These are always more long-term investments than a standard Patrol, as the packmates have taken the time to seek out a totem, and are in agreement to work with one another until they have a better sense of where they want to end up. Scratch Packs are formed with the acknowledgment that they will not last forever, and often accepted by more parental totems who lean towards guidance. It's rare that totems will take on Scratch Packs intended to last for a handful of months, however, as it seems a waste of investment on something that could easily have been done as Patrols.


Uncommon Pack Types
Auspicial Pack
Packs focused on supporting a single auspice.
With so many expectations placed upon garou to perform their auspicial duties, it's not uncommon to see members of an auspice turn to others for help. An Auspicial Pack is often a terrifying thing to encounter, as their expertise is generally unmatched, regardless of how they structure themselves. A Theurge pack may well be a coalition of a healer, a fetish-crafter, a ritualist, an umbral navigator, and a master of spirit lores, or it could be five garou who operate as a single finely honed machine to enact devastatingly effective rituals. Ahroun packs can be a solid front line of perfectly aligned fighters, or a mixed bag of different types of warriors spread across the battlefield for best effect and coordination. Whatever the auspice, this manner of pack truly highlights the auspice's strength.

Tribal Pack
Packs focused on supporting (and showcasing) a single tribe.
A tribal pack forms when a number of Garou wish to embody one of the stated virtues of their tribe and seek out patronage from one of their tribal totems. Tribal packs are considered old-fashioned by many of the young, but they are considered to be quite prestigious within the confines of the tribes, particularly in the eyes of their older members.
Certain tribal packs are chosen by the Elders of the tribe to act as champions for the tribe. They are called on to defend the tribe against aggression from within the Garou Nation as well as from outside threats. Outsider tribes tend to view such packs with a healthy dose of suspicion and even scorn, if they consider the tribe unworthy.

Tutelary Pack
Packs formed for training cubs or those who need the help.
While the standard practice is to avoid putting garou in packs until after their Rite of Passage, sometimes that's not the best call. In these cases, a Tutelary Pack is formed, assigning a number of cubs into a pack with a more experienced garou so they can get used to the pack instinct and hierarchy. This is particularly common in places with many “orphans,” particularly in areas torn by war, in places where the tribes have been devastated, leaving Kinfolk with children lacking mentors and safeguards.
Many tribes see this sort of pack as coddling, raising spoiled, weak cubs. Then again, when a sept doesn’t have enough Garou to train new cubs in addition to their other duties, these complaints are in passing; immediate, overwhelming need supersedes argument. Someone must take care of the young and make sure they’re ready to face the battles ahead. Active packs have their hands full, so a tutelage pack is a temporary bandage slapped on to fix one particular wound.

Blessed Pack
Superstitious packs focused on assembling one member of every auspice.
Due to rampant superstitions, a highly favored but uncommon form of pack structure is a Blessed Pack: a pack of 5 members with one of each auspice. Legends claim a pack so perfectly balanced is blessed in the eyes of the gods and the spirits, though more than one ragabash has pointed out that this makes a pack a "jack of all trades, master of none." Still, with garou as a mystical lot, many fixate on trying to achieve the perfect state of balance under the notion that they'll be equipped to handle anything tossed their way.


Rare Pack Types
Branded Pack
Packs focused on atonement.
A branded pack is a collection of fallen Garou seeking redemption in the eyes of Gaia, the spirits, and the Garou Nation. The spirit of a branded pack is almost always a spirit of redemption, such as Unicorn. A Garou’s motivation to join a branded pack comes from deep-seated shame. Her crime was not a minor violation of the Litany, but a severe failing that has brought scandal to the werewolf or her family. A Garou who has sired a single Ostraka might be forgiven without joining a branded pack if he shows the proper contrition. A Garou who sired half-a-dozen Ostraka without care brings horrific shame upon himself and his tribe, and the only redemption available to him might be serving within a branded pack. The nature of the sin depends largely upon the auspice, tribe, and character of the Garou in question. For example, the White Howlers consider cowardice on the field of battle to be an especially horrific sin, particularly for an Ahroun, while another tribe might not believe that such cowardice—while shameful—merits joining a branded pack.
A single sin against the Litany does not condemn the entire pack. Garou expect that the pack leader will handle the affairs of the pack, including its punishment. But a pack that fails to properly punish one of its members who has brought unforgivable shame on them suffers from the same scandal. After all, some say, if they lived in close quarters and spiritual union with her, why couldn’t they stop her?
Few worthy Garou allow their packs to endure the stigma of their personal shame. They become lone wolves until they find a way to redeem themselves in the eyes of Gaia and other werewolves. The problem is that lone wolves have a tendency to get into too much trouble on their own. How can you trust a criminal Garou in your territory when she already failed her former pack? Sometimes, a hero must fall to her lowest point before she can find redemption. Often, these fallen Garou seek each other out, knowing their redemption lies together, as they try to complete a near-impossible mission. If they fail, then at least no worthy Garou have died. If they succeed, they find redemption. Some Elders will form a branded pack from a collection of lone wolves near their sept who have previously failed. Such a pack functions as a support group for its members and helps them help themselves by giving them a common purpose to work towards. Likewise, some Garou refuse to leave their packmates, despite scandal and shame, and their presence transforms the pack into a branded pack.

Destiny Pack
Packs called together by great spirits and informed of their purpose.
A destiny pack is a collection of Garou champions who are specifically selected by a mighty totem spirit to complete a dangerous task considered vital to the interests of the Garou Nation and Gaia. These tasks might include things such as defeating a terrible enemy or stopping an insidious plot of the Wyrm. Such a mission is always voluntary, due to the extreme danger involved. These packs are sometimes nicknamed “hero packs.” Being selected to join one is always considered worthy of Renown, as the odds of survival are thin at best. Destiny packs rarely have the time to form complete bonds, but must make do with what fate throws at them. This is the only manner of pack that is able to form without Rite of the Totem. Your prophecy-mandated totem will be assigned to you at the outset of your quest.
You must leave your current pack in order to join a Destiny Pack. A garou cannot have more than one pack totem.

Dynastic Pack
Packs focused on totem and purpose more than its members, kept alive through multiple iterations.
A Dynastic Pack is more a living, breathing entity than a collection of garou. These packs, formed by a single person and with a single purpose, are often upheld for the sake of upholding them. So long as the totem and purpose remain the same, Dynastic Packs have been switching out members for years to keep them going. The Dynastic Pack is built on the sentiment of "keeping the dream alive." Very often, sept leadership will engage in Dynastic Packs to maintain familiarity and stability at the top of the food chain, giving these packs the lifespan of several pack generations. Beyond this, some families will take on a "patron spirit" and try to keep members of their family invested in that pack so the tie lives on. This manner of Dynastic Pack may go on for hundreds, even thousands of years.

[Xenia]

Pack Structures
In earlier times, the structure of a wolf pack was a matter of pure instinct. As with everything else over the course of time, packs grew infinitely more complex. Nowadays, there are a multitude of ways a pack can handle it's hierarchy, so long as it ascribes to one core tenet:

There must be an appointed contact for the pack. Whether or not they are in a position of authority over their anamae, this will be the person that interfaces with the sept leadership for matters involving the pack, and the person people know to talk to in order to contact the pack. Provided a contact is named, you may choose any structure you like.

Sample Pack Structures are listed below. If you're interested in a structure not listed here, contact staff and we'll see about adding it.


Common Pack Structures
Alphabet
Standard Alpha/Beta/Omega you're probably used to.
Alphabet packs were human's attempted analysis of the manner of wolves. It has a very clear and concise structure to it, and is the form most packs fall into out of habit from when it was initially popularized before wolves corrected them. In an Alphabet pack, you have a leader, a second in command, additional membership, and usually the lowest in the pecking order. The joke is you can choose as many positions as there are letters in the Alphabet to mix and match your pack into whatever you want, but there's usually at least an Alpha and a Beta, and often times an Omega.
This is most commonly seen in predominantly homid packs, where every member wants their own special title.

Pack Role	Role Duties
Alpha	Overall leader and decision maker. Has full authority.
Beta	Second-in-command. Supervises on Alpha's behalf, and acts as balance to alpha with counsel or protection.
Gamma	Protector; keeps pack members safe (often with physical force)
Delta	Triat specialist; focused in different kinds of Taint, as well as cleansing.
Epsilon	Questioner; intended to double-check all plans for holes.
Zeta	Smithy; finds (makes?) weapons and armor for pack members.
Eta	Quartermaster; finds mundane supplies and tools for pack members. (Can combine Zeta & Theta into Eta)
Theta	Groundskeeper; finds living quarters and territory for all pack members.
Iota	Intelligence gatherer; expected to report on threats and investigations.
Kappa	Appraiser; given stuff to figure out what to do with it.
Lambda	Mediator; tasked with finding and resolving conflicts in and out of the pack.
Mu	Lorekeeper; your one-stop reference for anything in gaian or mortal history.
Nu	Secretary; makes notes of the pack's deeds and findings and disseminates info.
Xi	Seer; responsible for looking for and interpreting mystical signs and visions.
Omicron	Trainer; focused on ensuring all packmates know how to defend themselves.
Pi	Mentor; usually an established higher-ranking garou serving as a reference for common knowledge.
Rho	Herald; responsible for contact with other packs, septs, and social entities.
Sigma	Mortal liaison; handles influences and mortal affairs.
Tau	Enforcer of order; expected to keep members in line.
Upsilon	Entertainer; tasked with keeping packmates in high spirits.
Phi	Detective; the person who focuses on making sense of chaos.
Chi	Tracker; trusted with finding things/people/locations as needed.
Psi	Caretaker; your own emotional support packmate.
Omega	The one everyone in the pack teases, but would fight to the death to protect.

Assembly Pack
Structure based on democratic ideology.
With the success of the Athenian Democracy, Greece saw Assembly Packs spring up across the Aegean. In this pack structure, all members gain an equal vote and an equal say in pack affairs. The figure that drives the whole system, Ho boulomenos ('he who wishes', or 'anyone who wishes'), encapsulates the right of any packmate to stand up and offer something before the pack. Rather than claiming authority over the matter, they are seen as merely presenting it as someone to act on, and deferring it to the will of the pack.
As one might expect, there are many struggles with Assembly Packs. With the intensity of their rage, many garou struggle to yield to the will of others. It is easy to preach about the will of the people when the people agree with you, but it can be difficult for an Alpha to cede her authority to the opinions of those who she might regard as her lessers. Occasionally, disputes can get out of hand, and when the mob turns, things can get ugly quickly. Issues are often decided with a simple majority vote. Eligible voters discover that having a voice in government requires a certain amount of discipline, lest they allow their emotions to turn them into a mob.
This is most commonly seen in homid packs, particularly scratch packs.

Pack Roles	Role Duties
Magistrate	An elected leader who possesses all of the authority of a Pack Leader and who handles the day-to-day business of the pack. Serves only at the will of the assembly, and must hear out any proposal set forth by other pack members.
Epistates	Acts as Magistrate when they're unavailable. Responsible for calling and counting votes.
Master-At-Arms	Military leader of the pack and enforcer of the majority's will.
Citizens	A term of respect for other packmates.

Bone Pack
Structure based on shifting authority.
The Bone Pack is generally used as a 'catch-all' term for packs who favor simplicity. There are two roles in a Bone Pack: the one with the bone, and those without it. The one with the bone is the leader. The ones without are not. Whoever holds The Bone is the final authority and decision maker on all pack matters.
While this seems like an easily abused form of structure, Bone Packs are often the most fluid and dynamic packs out there. Bone Packs follow a mentality similar to Lunar Packs (covered below) in that shifting leadership is necessary for a pack, but removes the criteria and instead defers to the trust and knowledge of the pack mates. In a Bone Pack, most view each other as equally qualified, and handing off the bone is the way to give authority to the person best suited for the situation.
In the event someone will not let go of the bone after they should, challenges certainly come up, and a fair number of packs have fallen to squabbling messes of might-makes-right challenges for every little thing. Some packs thrive with that tension. Some do not. Most of the time, if a Bone Pack is getting out of hand, a philodox will generally step in to suggest shifting pack structure or working out whatever it is stopping the pack from functioning as a cohesive unit.
This is most commonly seen in Purpose Packs, Scratch Packs, and Tutelary Packs (where, guess what, only the teacher gets the bone).

Lunar Pack
Structure based on auspicial focus.
Lunar packs believe one’s auspice is more than just the phase of the moon under which a Garou was born; it is a blessing directly from Luna that grants special insight and knowledge into all matters that fall under its bailiwick. In such a pack, leadership changes hands often, and the highest-ranked auspice most appropriate to the situation, referred to by the moon phase of that situation ("Phases), takes the reins of the pack until the problem is resolved.
Devotion to the lunar ideal requires a great amount of determination and dedication. Garou are expected to defer to more-experienced auspices and to trust in the insight of their packmates. As such, tensions arise within Lunar packs when the Phases disagree regarding which auspice should reign over an encounter. When there is a difference of opinion on which auspice has authority in a situation, the Phases vote, and a simple majority decides the matter. This resolution works well, until one or more of the unrelated auspices abstains from a vote and forces a stalemate.
This is most commonly seen in Blessed Packs, but are often used in larger packs as well, provided they have all auspices covered. Several packs have been caught using this Structure as a guideline and have made the Phases eligible to any member, not just the eldest of that auspice, but most Lunar packs take exception to that and have challenged over it in the past.

Pack Roles	Role Duties
New Moon	Rules over matters concerning stealth, cunning, and the questioning of traditional wisdom. She often challenges the wisdom of the other Phases within the pack, and she argues about who should claim dominion over matters that fall into the grey areas between jurisdictions.
Crescent Moon	Rules over matters concerning spirits, the mysteries of the Umbra, and rites. She often conflicts with the Gibbous Moon regarding matters of prophecy and lore.
Half Moon	Rules over matters concerning law and mediation. She also rules the pack during a time of peace, but often clashes with the Full Moon about the nature of peace and war, and which auspice should be ascendant at any given moment.
Gibbous Moon	Rules over matters concerning lore, the history of the Garou, and prophets and communicators. She often conflicts with the Crescent Moon regarding matters of prophecy and lore.
Full Moon	Rules over matters concerning conflict, war, and violence. It is expected a Full Moon shall lead during war. Tension arises when the Half Moon believes peace is still possible, but the Full Moon believes the pack must take up arms.

Uncommon Pack Structures
Priest Pack
Structure based on worship and mysteries.
Priests Packs dedicate themselves to learning the will of the spirits and gods and being their agents in the material world. Often times these packs are more formed around the totem or a place of power than any specific matter. They travel to umbral realms and undertake great quests for the gods.
Theurges are especially attracted to Priest Packs, finding solace in serving the spirits and acting on their behalf in the physical realm. However, other auspices are also attracted to this style of organization. Any Garou who feels a kinship with the spirits or gods and a yearning for a deeper purpose for their existence might feel drawn to a Theocratic pack.
This is most commonly seen in Purpose Packs, Auspicial Packs, Destiny Packs, and Dynasty Packs.

Pack Roles	Role Duties
Voice of the Spirits	Default Pack Leader, but she really is more akin to its most-respected teacher. The official duty of the Voice of the Spirits is to serve as the mouthpiece for messages from spirits; as such, she is usually chosen by them. The voice of the present.
Voice of the Gods	Either a substitute for, or equal to, the Voice of the Spirits if the pack is focused on Divinity instead of spirit worship. The voice of the present.
Chief Augur	The second in command to the pack leader, charged with noting/recording all prophecies. The voice of the future.
Keeper of the Mysteries	A historian and caretaker of the younger and inexperienced. The voice of the past.

Wolf Pack
Structure based on Lupus instinct.
Homids got it wrong. Alpha? Beta? Omega? Those are all Weaver terms. No, the homids tried, but they missed their mark. A pack is a unit. A family. The alpha provides for his pack; he doesn't order them around. The lupus dynamic is instinctive and doesn't need to be asserted as desperately as the homids have tried to do. A wolf pack is an instinctive demonstration of social dynamics that functions more like a family than anything else.
This is most commonly seen in Tribal packs or other packs with a majority of lupus members.

Pack Roles	Role Duties
Zedakh	Pack Leader, focused on leading fights as well as protecting and providing for pack members.
Uldakh	The second in command, focused on morale and handling grievances before they become issues.
Taldakh	The member of the pack who needs the most help/attention.

Rare Pack Structures
Cult Pack
Structure based on exaltation of one individual.
Cult packs believe that if the world is to have any hope of surviving, a few must surrender false freedom to seize victory. War is eternal; only those with the discipline to endure the battle will survive to its end. Cultists believe that the ends always justify the means. Packmates pledge their utter loyalty and devotion to their leader and enforce her will to complete their pack’s mission.
Totems who accept Cult packs, especially more conservative tribal totems, feed on their loyal fervor and encourage this style of organization. Cult packs led by a Philodox tend to be more political in nature, leading to a dictator-style leadership, seeking to impose its will upon others. Ahroun leaders tend to encourage a military hierarchy, preparing for a never-ending battle for glory and honor.

Pack Roles	Role Duties
The Leader	All powerful and unquestioned leader of the pack. Gives commands and expects they are obeyed.
Minister of Harmony	Sees to happiness and contentment of packmates, focusing on logistics, morale, counsel, etc.
Minister of Peace	Enforcer of the leader's will, and protector of his followers.

Mystery Pack
Structure based on fate, chaos, and trust.
A favorite of the superstitious or the particularly wyld, the Mystery Pack is a structure based on pure luck and chance. They choose their leader at random, and lean on fate to demonstrate the path the pack should take. At the founding of the pack, the members must choose "interval" and "means".

• Interval indicates how frequently the leadership in the pack will shift. This is generally a recurring cycle (annually, seasonally, daily), but can be tied to a catalyst of some sort (any time war is declared, every eclipse).
• Means is the method of selection. This can be drawn straws, randomly chosen numbers, or any other means based on pure chance. Challenges are not applicable here. No one has anything to prove.

Based on these criteria, the leader of the pack is chosen and can therein redefine the pack's means of addressing any given situation. This requires extensive trust and even more demanding faith. These packs frequently struggle, as fate very rarely works consistently in someone's favor, and a number of members may not like the outcome of random chance.

Pack Roles	Role Duties
The Chosen	Whoever was chosen by the means agreed upon. They make all calls and decision for the pack, though they may handle that leadership however they choose.
Sortitiate	Arranges and oversees the choosing detailed above. If the Sortitiate becomes Chosen, another Sortitiate must be named.

Anarchy Pack
Absence of structure.
A more extreme variation of Assembly and Bone packs, Anarchy packs do away with the notion of a pack leader in entirety. They lean on the notion that everyone's voice is equal, and hope that will be enough to make things work. Most packs do not start as Anarchy Packs, but often become so with the loss of a leader and the mournful thought that no one else could ever take their place. Since packs still require a contact for purposes of communicating with the sept, it usually isn't long until an Anarchy Pack transitions into another structure, but there are certainly some anti-establishment garou who have committed to making an Anarchy Pack their way of life.