Sample Weapon Fetishes
Level 2
Dagger of Retribution
Gnosis 5
This particular fetish, an ugly iron dagger, was devised as a means of tracking down stolen possessions and the thieves responsible. The werewolf concentrates on the lost item while holding the dagger; the weapon gently tugs in the direction of the item until the Garou reclaims it. If the fetish’s owner knows the face or name of the thief, he may use the dagger to locate the thief as well. The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation; the damage may deal lethal or aggravated damage to the thief but has no special effects on anyone else. To create a dagger of retribution, a werewolf must bind a vengeance-spirit into the dagger
The Scales of Themis use a level 4 Variation on this fetish that allows them to find the Guilty party in a crime.
Quiver of Silvered Arrows
Gnosis 3
Most of these tools were originally forged during the long ago days of open conflict with other tribes; the Shadow Lords and Get of Winter Wolves were particularly anathema to the Furies back then and were on the receiving end of more of these arrows than other tribes were. There are two enchantments on these arrows: first, they are sharper than typical arrowheads, and second, they do not break under ordinary use. That is to say, a Fury can shoot a silvered arrow at a Wyrm-thing, miss, and have the arrow strike a stone wall or the side of a tank, and it will not break. However, if she were to attempt to use the arrow as a melee weapon, climbing piton, or toothpick, she would risk breaking it. A quiver holds a dozen arrows, but counts as just one fetish. The arrows themselves grant the bow firing them the silver quality in addition to any normal traits they have These fetishes typically contain Lunes.
Snake Bow
Gnosis 5
This finely crafted bow has the skin of a snake running along the back (the convex side). Any arrow loosed from the activated bow does, if any of its initial damage is unsoaked, an additional level of aggravated damage on the following turn; the wound burns as if poisoned. A spirit empowers this fetish. The fetish is treated as a Bow in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Level Three
D’siah
Gnosis 6
Restricted to Silent Striders to start.
The d’siah, a knife with a flint blade curved like a crescent moon, is the signature weapon of the Silent Striders. Its sharpened outer edge is used for slashing attacks, while the trailing point can be used to thrust and tear on the return stroke. The war spirit bound into the blade, usually one of Cobra’s brood, is somewhat more discerning than spirits usually bound to klaives — a d’siah does aggravated damage only to creatures who are Wyrm-Affinity and any type of spirit.
In addition, after a successful strike, the Strider can activate the d’siah to drain a point of Gnosis from her opponent (or a point of Essence from spirits or a point of blood from a vampire). Because this requires a Gnosis test, the werewolf cannot use this ability of the knife on the same turn she spends Rage for extra actions.
The greatest strength of the d’siah is directed against the Striders’ greatest foes: Egypt’s vampires and their snake-like minions. The cobra-spirit in the blade lashes out violently against its tainted reflections, inflicting an additional level damage.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Fang Dagger
Gnosis 6
These daggers are always carved from the tooth or tusk of a great beast. After striking an opponent, the werewolf can activate the weapon, causing it to “bite” deeper into the wound. After a successful strike, make a gnosis test and do 2 additional levels of damage. Because this requires a Gnosis test, the werewolf cannot use this ability of the knife on the same turn she spends Rage for extra actions. To create a fang dagger, one must bind a snake-spirit or a spirit of war, pain, or death into the blade.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Sun Whip
Gnosis 7
This exotic fetish takes the form of a whip with small nuggets of gold bound into the coil, weighted with a large nugget in the tip. The creator’s tribal glyph (or occasionally family crest) is carved upon the base of the handle. When activated, the weapon glows slightly and erupts into either sunlight or flame upon making contact with a vampire. The whip does 3 aggravated damage against vampires, 1 lethal damage against everything else. To create a sun whip, a spirit of flame or sunlight must be bound into the whip.
The fetish is treated as a Whip in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Bow of Artemis
Gnosis 5
Restricted to Black Furies.
A Bow of Artemis is usuable only by a Maiden Black Fury. It is the perfect hunting bow, giving its wielder +4 traits to her Survival tests when using it to hunt for food. In battle, It has an the accurate trait in addition to the two other traits the bow gets standard, and causes those arrows that strike their targets to do an extra level of lethal damage. The bow is crafted by binding any spirit of Artemis' brood within.
The fetish is treated as a Bow in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Labrys
Gnosis 7
A fetish labrys is much like the standard double-headed axe of the same name. However, thanks to the war-spirit bound within, After activation it inflicts two aggravated damage. The fetish is treated as an axe in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Moon Bow
Gnosis 7
A Moon Bow appears as a short or longbow of dark wood, with glyphs for each of the moon phases carved on it. The bow shoots more accurately in the light of the moon; even when the moon appears during the day. To attune the bow initially, the Garou must fire an arrow at the moon, spend a point of Gnosis and succeed in a Gnosis test (difficulty 7). If successful, the bow is attuned to her until she gives it away. When shooting in the moon's light, she makes another Gnosis check (difficulty depends on the moon's phase; 8 for new moon, 4 for full); The wielder gets bonus traits on their attacks based on the Moon Phase:
Phase |
Bonus |
Full |
+5 |
Gibbous |
+4 |
Half |
+3 |
Crescent |
+2 |
New |
+1 |
The fetish is treated as a Bow in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Jambiya
Gnosis 5
Restricted to Silent Striders to start.
The fetish jambiya is most often a klaive forged in a form that pays homage to the Silent Strider heritage. The blade of a jambiya is curved, but it lacks the bottom point that would form the full crescent. Both edges of the blade are sharpened. Like the d'siah, it is typically used to slash with the outer edge, but the upswept point can be used to cut into the opponent with a backwards stroke. A fetish jambiya is forged from pure silver, and in larger proportions than ever created for a human wielder -- roughly four inches wide at its broadest, and about eighteen inches long, though it loses some of its reach to the curve of the blade. The knife is heavy in Homid form, but a wielder with a Strength of 4 and 1 point in Melee can handle it with one hand.
A successful strike with the fetish does aggravated damage and the damage is silver to those affected by strider. Because of the large quantities of silver used to make the blade, the wielders effective Gnosis rating is reduced by one while she carries the knife.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation, and silver which does not count towards the normal trait limit.
Level Four
Ironhammer
Restricted to Winter Wolves to start.
Gnosis 5
These onehanded hammers are potent war fetishes in their own right, and the signature weapons of the Get of Winter Wolf. Forged of silver-laced iron, an ironhammer inflicts 2 aggravated damage; Garou can soak these wounds, as the silver content is overwhelmed by the iron; the hammer returns to its rightful owner after each toss. To create an ironhammer, a spirit of war must be bound into a mighty hammer forged of silver-laced iron
The fetish is treated as a hammer in combat with with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation, and balanced which does not count towards the normal trait limit.
Klaive
Gnosis 6
The signature weapon of the Garou Nation, klaives are fetish daggers of a singular design, made to be used in Homid, Glabro, or Crinos form with equal ease. Klaives are rare weapons made from the purest silver, treasured and passed down from hero to hero. A werewolf who carries a klaive loses one point from his effective Gnosis rating, thanks to the silver. A war-spirit is usually bound into the klaive, allowing it to inflict aggravated damage even to non-Garou foes.
Pulling a klaive on another werewolf is considered a grave action, for a klaive duel is almost always to the death. Nonetheless, such duels have always been dangerously common, and this practice shows no sign of abating. Elders complain that too many of these sacred artifacts are in the ranks of reckless youths quick to use them for mundane tasks or to spill kin-blood; young werewolves argue that too many klaives are kept hidden away for rituals and great quests, when they could be better put to use against the Fallen and other foes.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation and silver which does not count against the trait limit; It does base 2 Aggravated damage
Some Klaives are bound with more specific war spirits causing them to have other effects. (See Alpha Klaive Below)
Alpha Klaive
Gnosis 8
Restricted to Silver Fangs to start.
This is a variation on the klaive unique to the Silver Fangs. This weapon acknowledges that sometimes good leadership is a better quality in an alpha than pure destructive power. Instead of binding a war-spirit into the blade, the blade forger uses a falcon-spirit. Instead of doing aggravated damage against all opponents, the weapon now aids the alpha in making crucial tactical and battlefield decisions, boosting his effective Leadership by two dots.
There is no war-spirit to aid the wielder, but it still inflicts 2 lethal damage. Werewolves cannot soak damage from the weapon and still treat the klaive's wounds as aggravated, because it is made of silver. The bearer loses one point from his Gnosis rating while carrying the weapon.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation, and silver which does not count against the trait limits.
Labrys of Isthmene
Gnosis 7
Restricted to Black Fury.
A labrys of Isthmene is a massive, double-headed waraxe dedicated to Isthmene, the Gorgon of battle. A signature weapon of the Black Furies, the weapon is designed to be wielded two-handed, but may be effectively used with one hand by any being with Strength 6 or higher. Attacks made with the labrys do 2 aggravated damage. Activating the fetish grants access to the Gift: Spirit of the Fray for the rest of the scene. The fetish will not function for a member of any tribe other than Black Fury. To create a labrys of Isthmene, one must bind a spirit of war into the labrys.
The fetish is treated as an axe in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Spirit Dagger
Gnosis 7
This blade has several important properties. The bite of this obsidian blade is grievously painful to spirits (including all manner of Banes), adding two levels of damage to any successful attack. But more impressively, the dagger can pierce the Gauntlet. By spending a Willpower point and making a successful Gnosis Test (difficulty is the Gauntlet rating), the wielder may make a single attack into the Penumbra. Note that unless the Garou has some way of seeing exactly where the spirit is, she is subject to the penalties for fighting blind. There are two downsides to this weapon. While the blade is practically unbreakable when striking spirits (including materialized spirits but not fomori), it reacts like volcanic glass when striking anything physical (i.e., it's liable to shatter when striking bone, wood, metal or almost anything harder than flesh). Also spirits can sense the blade's presence and react unfavorably to the bearer. Heron spirits are typically used to make a spirit dagger.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Tearer of the Veil
Gnosis 7
Legends tell that when the spear "Tearer of the Veil" is thrown, its bone tip whistles through the air like the screaming wind, doing sonic damage to all creatures that are neither Garou nor Kinfolk. The sound of "Tearer of the Veil" flying through the air incites Delirium as it rips through the Veil on its way to its target, sending most humans to their knees with paralyzing fear. There is considerable debate as to whether all Kinfolk, who carry Garou blood are immune to the sound of "Tearer of the Veil". Some stories even say that some non-Kin humans are also safe from the effects of its scream, despite their usual vulnerability to the Delirium.
System: When thrown the owner of the fetish makes an activation test per normal fetish activation. If successful the spear whistles as its thrown, all who hear the whistle that this spear emits are effected by the Delirium as though they saw a Crinos garou.
The fetish is treated as a Spear in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation, as well as the Balanced trait that does not count against the normal trait limit.
Level 5
Grand Klaive
Gnosis 7
These mighty blades are the klaives of the most legendary heroes. Carrying one of these immense silver swords costs a Garou two points from his effective Gnosis rating. A war-spirit is usually bound into the grand klaive, allowing it to inflict aggravated damage to non-Garou. Grand klaives are very rare and usually tied to specific Garou lineages, especially among the Silver Fangs, Night Claws, and Shadow Lords. Besides the usual war-spirit, a second spirit — such as a fire-spirit that might add soak traits against fire when the klaive is activated or an ancestor-spirit that might provide extra dots in an Ability such as Occult or Survival — is usually also bound into the grand klaive. The secondary spirit rarely minds sharing the fetish with another, as grand klaives represent the pinnacle of honor in the eyes of Gaia’s warriors.
The grand klaive inflicts 3 Aggravated damage. Werewolves cannot soak this damage except in their breed form. Werewolves, especially young ones, who possess a grand klaive attract the attention of the mighty. Elders often question the audacity of a youth who dares to carry such a sacred weapon, while his peers may covet the power and attention.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation, as well as silver which does not count against the normal trait limits.
Winter Hammer
Gnosis 6
Restricted to Winter Wolves to start.
These mighty two-handed hammers are the pinnacle of Winter Wolf craftsmanship. Like the lesser Ironhammers, they are forged from silver-laced iron and cooled in the blood of freshly slain enemies; however, the Get bind spirits of war and silver alike within. Each hammer inflicts 3 aggravated damage; the damage counts as silver damage, and is thus unsoakable to Garou. Whenever a blow from a Winterhammer slays its target, the hammer resounds with a powerful thunderclap, announcing to friend and foe alike that another enemy of the Get of Winter Wolf has fallen.
The fetish is treated as a Hammer in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation, as well as the balanced and Silver traits which do not count against trait limits.
There are seven of these hammers; some are wielded by powerful Winter Wolves. Each one has its own name and secondary power:
Forge-Crusher: blazes with fire when activated, and inflicts an additional health level of fire damage with each blow.
Grinding-Tooth can smash any stone into powder, obliterating a cubic foot of rock or concrete with every strike.
Spear-Chaser flies three times as far as its siblings when thrown, and the thrower never suffers any penalties for range.
Troll-Eater pulverizes bone and smashes armor; opponents Cannot soak to resist its damage.
Bright-Arm shines with the light of sun and moon alike; opponents who rely on sight to target opponents lose two traits from their pools when attacking its wielder.
Hag-Talon is fortified against the magic of enemies, granting its wielder three traits on any test made to resist mind manipulating powers.
Pain-Eagle leaves wounds that throb with agony; those wounded by the hammer suffer double the usual trait pool penalties for their wounds. Or their normal trait penalties if they have a way to ignore wound penalties.
Bronze Labrys
Gnosis 7
The Bronze Labrys does 3 aggravated damage; additionally, it moves under the influence of the Gorgons' spirit invested into it, and gives its wielder a free use of the gift Wyld Resurgence (including the willpower to heal the Aggravated damage. The Bronze Labrys can store up to five points of Gnosis, which its wielder may tap as a free action, to use as she sees fit; she can also invest her own Gnosis into the Bronze Labrys to replenish energy that she has spent. Lastly, once per day the Fury wielding the Bronze Labrys may use it to cut through up to a three-foot depth of almost any inanimate substance; doing so, she can dig a human-sized hole
Threefold Axe
Gnosis 7
Restricted to Night Claws to start.
The culmination of Night Claw smithing skill is the threefold axe, a weapon crafted to be useful against fae, shapeshifters and undead. Each one is forged of a blend of cold iron, silver and gold - a technique that would be all but impossible without the rites of forging and spiritual assistance. The resulting alloy is spiritually hardened. Because the alloy dilutes the purity of each metal (thus, the damage it inflicts on werewolves is not truly "silver damage," and therefore not unsoakable). However, the spirits within charge the power of each metal, giving the axe the power of each metal's mystical affinity.
Threefold axes does 3 aggravated damage; this damage can be soaked if the target is capable of soaking aggravated damage.
The fetish is treated as an axe in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation as well as the Cold Iron, Strange Composition: Gold, and Silver traits which do not count against the normal trait limits.
To properly finish a three-fold axe, the smith must bind an earth-spirit, a solar spirit of some kind, and a lunar spirit into the axe. Convincing the three spirits to coexist is almost as difficult a process as forging the axe in the first place, but the triple mystical power of sun, moon and earth is hard to deny.
Assassin's Klaive
Gnosis 5
The weapon of choice for Theurges who need to see a rival eliminated, these bone-colored blades are also used to quickly and quietly destroy those that prove to be difficult to attack directly. Sleek and deadly, assassin's klaives are easily hidden underneath clothing, and are quite innocuous if observers don't know what to look for.
The snake-spirit within the klaive allows the possessor to expend a point of Gnosis to activate one of the following abilities: surround himself with an aura of absolute silence for a scene (Gain a +4 on Stealth Tests), mask his scent for one hour, or eradicate his footprints while he walks for one day (+4 on Streetwise or Survival test to not be followed). The blade is not actually silver, but inflicts 2 aggravated damage.
The fetish is treated as an knife in combat with the 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation.
Owl Talon D'siah
Gnosis 7
Restricted to Silent Striders to start.
Only two of these ancient flint blades are known to exist. The curved blade is carved to resemble not the crescent moon, but the clutching talons of an owl. The Owl Talon has all the qualities of the standard fetish d'siah above but does an additional damage. In addition a second spirit, that of a desert owl, is bound to the blade; when the knife is activated to drain Gnosis after a successful strike, the owl-spirit snatches the energy up and channels it to the wielder, who adds it to his temporary Gnosis. The wielder's Gnosis may never exceed his permanent rating in this manner. Also, the wielder may activate the fetish after a successful blow against an Egyptian vampire. If successful, two blood points are drained from the vampire and converted into Gnosis for the d'siah's wielder. This Gnosis is dark and unnatural, and may push the werewolf into frenzy -- as long as the character has the tainted Gnosis in his pool, his difficulties to frenzy are reduced by one per point of tainted Gnosis. Once the affected points of Gnosis are spent, the Garou's frenzy difficulties return to normal.
The fetish is treated as a knife in combat with 2 weapon traits chosen at the fetishes creation as well as the Silver trait that does not count against trait limits.