Rites of Renown
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 3:17 pm
Rites of Renown
These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual werewolf and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.
System: The ritemaster’s player must make a Charisma + Rituals test.
Level One
Rite of Boasting
Level One
Boasting and bragging have always been a vital aspect of warrior cultures. Boasts serve to work up a fighter’s courage while putting fear into the opponent. But to truly impress, the boaster must back up his claims. This rite is more than formalized bragging, for it forces the Garou to “put up or shut up.” Before a battle or mission, the Garou boasts before all assembled that he will perform a particularly impressive feat (for example, “I will kill three leeches with only my claws,” “I will scale the stone wall with my bare hands” or “I will be the first to reach the phalanx and break it.”). The boast is performed in a ritual fashion, with a short recitation of lineage and a summary of glorious deeds performed to date. If he makes good on his boast, he magnifies the Glory of the act. If he fails, the resulting derision of his peers costs him Glory; boasting is only respected if you can back it up. This rite is most commonly used among the Night Claws, Get of Winter Wolf, and White Howlers, but most tribes have some version of it.
System: Standard test, though the difficulty may be modified by the Storyteller based on the difficulty and glory of the proposed feat — modest goals are harder to boast about than impressive lunacy. If the boast is carried through, the Garou earns one additional Glory (or Renown relevant to the boast). If he fails and lives, he loses that amount. If he dies while carrying out his deed, there is no effect. This bonus/penalty lasts for a full lunar month from the day the boast was accomplished or failed. This may only be performed once a session.
A single pack may boast of a deed, but only the pack leader can perform the rite. In this case, the difficulty is increased by one, and the entire pack gains or loses the Renown.
Rite of Wounding
Level One
This rite celebrates a Garou’s first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honor this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Winter Wolf always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting. By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures.
System: Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf’s pack and sept are normally present. This rite guarantees that this scar will never be healed, and grants an additional Glory. A given character may only benefit from this rite once for the renown; though some Garou do have this rite performed on later scars that mean something to them in order to preserve them, such scars will never heal though there is no additional glory earned.
Rite of Passage
Level Two
After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed. Similarly, a cub is not a member of any tribe until his Rite of Passage.
During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have the courage, honor, and wisdom befitting a werewolf. However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also coming of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multi-tribal septs usually reach a compromise. A Stargazer rite often takes the form of a vision quest, while the White Howlers commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn. Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders.
If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou. These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes. At the moment a cub is marked, avatars of tribal totems will manifest to offer the cub a place in their tribe, at which point the cub may choose their tribe and share a moment with their totem.
If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves.
System: Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1 and do not openly manifest the Advantage and Disadvantage of a tribe. They may buy Breed and Auspice gifts, since these are immutable. After their Rite of Passage, they gain Rank 1, manifest their tribe's Advantage and Disadvantage, gain one tribal gift, and gain the ability to purchase further Tribal Gifts.
Rite of Praise
Level Two
This rite honors a werewolf who has given more, risked more, and sacrificed more than necessary for the good of other Garou, Gaia, or anything related. The entire sept is gathered as the ritemaster presents the commendation, often with a token worthy of the honoree, such as a fetish, as a final reward. This rite is not used lightly, or to reward expected behavior — it honors only the greatest.
System: The ritemaster presents to the sept the deeds and actions of the chosen Garou warranting such praise. If successful, the praised Garou gains a +2 on mundane Social Challenges and Staredowns within the sept over the next three months. Further NPCs are more likely to listen to the chosen Garou and offer them respect during this time.
Level Three
Rite of Succession
Level Three
This rite is performed whenever a Garou takes up a position of authority or responsibility within the sept. The sept gathers to witness the succession, and the ritemaster recites a list of the werewolf's credentials and accomplishments that qualify her for the position. The successor must bring an animal sacrifice, appropriate for her new position, killing it in front of the ritemaster. Everyone present eats a piece of the sacrifice, then the ritemaster takes a bone from the carcass and carves a glyph into it with her claws as a signifier of the new werewolf’s position. In conclusion of this rite, the sept howls honor of the successor to the sky.
System: If the predecessor is present and performs the proper role, the ritemaster gains a bonus equal to that werewolf's Rank on the challenge. The successor gains their predecessor's rank as a bonus to mundane Social challenges and Staredowns, valid for the first month they hold the position.
These rites celebrate both the specific accomplishments of an individual werewolf and his achievement of a new station in the pack or sept. Garou long to receive such rites as much as they fear facing a rite of punishment.
System: The ritemaster’s player must make a Charisma + Rituals test.
Level One
Rite of Boasting
Level One
Boasting and bragging have always been a vital aspect of warrior cultures. Boasts serve to work up a fighter’s courage while putting fear into the opponent. But to truly impress, the boaster must back up his claims. This rite is more than formalized bragging, for it forces the Garou to “put up or shut up.” Before a battle or mission, the Garou boasts before all assembled that he will perform a particularly impressive feat (for example, “I will kill three leeches with only my claws,” “I will scale the stone wall with my bare hands” or “I will be the first to reach the phalanx and break it.”). The boast is performed in a ritual fashion, with a short recitation of lineage and a summary of glorious deeds performed to date. If he makes good on his boast, he magnifies the Glory of the act. If he fails, the resulting derision of his peers costs him Glory; boasting is only respected if you can back it up. This rite is most commonly used among the Night Claws, Get of Winter Wolf, and White Howlers, but most tribes have some version of it.
System: Standard test, though the difficulty may be modified by the Storyteller based on the difficulty and glory of the proposed feat — modest goals are harder to boast about than impressive lunacy. If the boast is carried through, the Garou earns one additional Glory (or Renown relevant to the boast). If he fails and lives, he loses that amount. If he dies while carrying out his deed, there is no effect. This bonus/penalty lasts for a full lunar month from the day the boast was accomplished or failed. This may only be performed once a session.
A single pack may boast of a deed, but only the pack leader can perform the rite. In this case, the difficulty is increased by one, and the entire pack gains or loses the Renown.
Rite of Wounding
Level One
This rite celebrates a Garou’s first battle wound. Each tribe marks this moment differently, but all honor this sign of courage. Many tribes rub ash into at least part of the wound to form a scar of remembrance. The Get of Winter Wolf always end this rite with a fierce all-night revel filled with drinking and fighting. By contrast, the Children of Gaia end their Rites of Wounding with prayers for peace and understanding among all creatures.
System: Only the wounded character and the ritemaster must be present for this rite, although the werewolf’s pack and sept are normally present. This rite guarantees that this scar will never be healed, and grants an additional Glory. A given character may only benefit from this rite once for the renown; though some Garou do have this rite performed on later scars that mean something to them in order to preserve them, such scars will never heal though there is no additional glory earned.
Rite of Passage
Level Two
After a cub undergoes his First Change and becomes aware that he is a werewolf, he must undergo his Rite of Passage. Werewolves are not accorded adulthood or respect until they pass this seminal rite; they are mere cubs until that time. They are not even considered true Garou, and Shadow Lords do not refer to them as such until this rite is completed. Similarly, a cub is not a member of any tribe until his Rite of Passage.
During a Rite of Passage, the cubs must complete a dangerous quest meant to prove that they have the courage, honor, and wisdom befitting a werewolf. However, few cubs undergo this rite alone. They are often joined by their pack-to-be, other cubs who are also coming of age. The ritemaster commands the would-be pack to go out into the world with a definite goal to achieve, and he forbids it to return until it has tried its best to accomplish this goal. Different tribes impose different goals, although multi-tribal septs usually reach a compromise. A Stargazer rite often takes the form of a vision quest, while the White Howlers commonly send their cubs into combat with Wyrm-spawn. Invisible spirits sometimes accompany the cubs in order to watch over them and report their doings to the elders.
If the cubs succeed in their quest, a ritemaster performs this rite upon them, marking them with a pictogram that brands them as full-fledged Garou. These pictograms are usually painted, but the Red Talons carve them into the flesh of the young heroes. At the moment a cub is marked, avatars of tribal totems will manifest to offer the cub a place in their tribe, at which point the cub may choose their tribe and share a moment with their totem.
If the cubs fail, however, they are considered second-class citizens until they are granted another opportunity to prove themselves.
System: Before the Rite of Passage, Garou are not yet Rank 1 and do not openly manifest the Advantage and Disadvantage of a tribe. They may buy Breed and Auspice gifts, since these are immutable. After their Rite of Passage, they gain Rank 1, manifest their tribe's Advantage and Disadvantage, gain one tribal gift, and gain the ability to purchase further Tribal Gifts.
Rite of Praise
Level Two
This rite honors a werewolf who has given more, risked more, and sacrificed more than necessary for the good of other Garou, Gaia, or anything related. The entire sept is gathered as the ritemaster presents the commendation, often with a token worthy of the honoree, such as a fetish, as a final reward. This rite is not used lightly, or to reward expected behavior — it honors only the greatest.
System: The ritemaster presents to the sept the deeds and actions of the chosen Garou warranting such praise. If successful, the praised Garou gains a +2 on mundane Social Challenges and Staredowns within the sept over the next three months. Further NPCs are more likely to listen to the chosen Garou and offer them respect during this time.
Level Three
Rite of Succession
Level Three
This rite is performed whenever a Garou takes up a position of authority or responsibility within the sept. The sept gathers to witness the succession, and the ritemaster recites a list of the werewolf's credentials and accomplishments that qualify her for the position. The successor must bring an animal sacrifice, appropriate for her new position, killing it in front of the ritemaster. Everyone present eats a piece of the sacrifice, then the ritemaster takes a bone from the carcass and carves a glyph into it with her claws as a signifier of the new werewolf’s position. In conclusion of this rite, the sept howls honor of the successor to the sky.
System: If the predecessor is present and performs the proper role, the ritemaster gains a bonus equal to that werewolf's Rank on the challenge. The successor gains their predecessor's rank as a bonus to mundane Social challenges and Staredowns, valid for the first month they hold the position.