Rage is the amount of that primal Beast that still exists in a Garou. It is not just an increased capacity for battle, but a force that could just as easily become mindless violence on a frightening scale. It is the instinctual cunning and hunting ability mized with savage bloodlust and unpredictable horror.
Rage is a blessing and a curse to the Garou. It is the distilled raw force sent from Gaia that allows them to punish all who seek to destroy Her. This connection to both aspects of Rage makes the Garou frightening warriors. They can walk in the world of the human or that of the beast and be equally powerful in both.
The debate about the origin of Rage has been going on since the beginning of werewolf society. Many say that it was given to the Garou by Luna, as it is the auspice that determines how much Rage a Garou has, at least at the beginning. Some contend that Rage is a curse of the Wyrm, a little of the destroyer in the children of the creator. But the most vocal tell that it was Gaia's choice that her most favored sons and daughters be given this great weapon, and that it is their noble responsibility to use it wisely.
Much of a Garou's struggle comes from this never-ending battle against themselves. The Beast is never far from a Garou's thoughts, and many live in the dread of what might happen should it ever gain control.
Rage is recorded on the character sheet in two forms. The first is the Rage rating, indicated by the dots. This rating is your character's permanent Rage. The second is the Rage pool, which is shown by the squares underneath. These squares tell you how much Rage you have left to spend.
When you spend a point of Rage, remove it from the Rage pool squares. Do not take it from the permanent dots of the Rage rating. This rating stays constant, while the pool will drop during the course of the story. At certain times, a werewolf's Rage can actually go higher than his permanent rating, but only if the situation is sufficiently infuriating.
Using Rage
Rage points must be spent at the beginning of a turn in the delcaration stage. You can spend Rage only in times of stress.
Rage is a powerful and versatile weapon for the Garou. The following are some of its uses and dangers:
Frenzy: Frenzy is the most frightening drawback of using Rage. Frenzy is the violent outburst, the untamed savagery, the animal instinct for blood and brutality that lurks in the heart of every werewolf. Whenver a player gets four or more successes on a Rage roll, the character enters a frenzy.
Extra Actions: A player can spend Rage to give her character extra actions in a single turn. However, a Garou cannot spend more Rage points in one turn than half of her permanent Rage rating.
Changing Forms: A player may spend a Rage point for his character to change instantly to any form he desires, without having to roll Stamina + Primal-Urge.
Recovering from Stun: If a werewolf loses more health levels in one turn than his Stamina rating, he is stunned and unable to act in the next turn. By spending a Rage point, the character can ignore the effect and function normally.
Remaining Active: If a character falls below the Incapacitated health level, a player can use Rage to keep her character going. Doing so requires a Rage roll (difficulty 8). Each success heals a health level, regardless of the type of wound. A player may attempt this roll only once per scene. If this roll fails, the character doesn't recover.
However, this last-ditch survival effort has its price. Like all Rage rolls, the character is still subject to frenzy. The wound will also remain on the Garou's body as an appropriate Battle Scar.(Note: Online players consult your storyteller about spending Rage to remain active)
Beast Within: Occasionally, a Garou is more of the wolf than of the world, and she must pay the price for it. For every point of Rage a character has above her Willpower rating, she loses one die on all social-interaction rolls. People, even other werewolves, can sense the killer hiding just under her skin, and they don't want to be anywhere near it.
Losing the Wolf: If a character has lost or spent all his Rage and Willpower points, he has "lost the world," and he cannot regain Rage. The Garou cannot shift to anything except his breed form until his Rage returns. The character must regain at least one Willpower point before he can recover any Rage.
Gaining and Regaining Rage
A Rage pool fluctuates from session to session and from turn to turn. Luckily, Rage replenishes itself in several ways.
The Moon: The first time a werewold sees the moon at night, the Beast inside stirs, and Rage floods back into her. Under a new moon, the character gets one point; under a waning moon, two points; under a half or waxing moon, three points; and under a full moon, four points. However, if the moon phase corresponds with the character's auspice, she regains all of her Rage. This phenomenon occurs only at the first sighting of the moon each night.
Botch: If the Storyteller approves, a werewolf might receive a Rage point after a botched roll. Rage comes from stressful situations, and seeing the action you were attempting blow up in your face, sometimes literally, can be a very stressful situation. An Garou tempers shouldn't be taken lightly. Not to mention...
Humiliation: Rage will also come rushing back if anything a Garou does proves particularly humiliating. The Storyteller decides whether a situation is embarrassing enough to warrant a Rage point. Garou tend to be very proud, and they don't take being laughed at well.
Confrontation: Again at the Storyteller's approval, a character could receive a Rage point at the beginning of a tense siation, in the moments right before combat starts. This gain accounts for the anticipation and hackle-raising that happens just as tempers start to flare.
New Stories: When a new story begins, each player should roll a die to determine how many Rage points he possesses currently. (They might even exceed their permanent Rage ratings, at the Storyteller's discretion.) Yes, characters might end up with less Rage than they had at the end of the last sotry. Such is the way of Rage. It is always moving and never predictable.
The player is encouraged to explain this increase or decrease in Rage by describing what happened between sessions. If they come up with some creative tales, Storytellers can be a little more giving with the Rage as the new story progresses.
