Step One:
Character Concept
Before you write down a single word or darken a single dot, you need to develop
a character concept. The concept needs be only a general idea of what your
character is like. Make it something unique and interesting that you will
enjoy playing for the long haul. as you progress through the character-creation
process, you may change or adjust this concept to suit your needs or wants,
but it gives you a starting point. The character concept is something like
a thesis sentence for your character. An example might be, " My character
ran away from home in her early teens to escape an abusive parent, and she
had her First Change in a youth shelter. Now she spends her time looking out
for the other runaways, since no one else will." The concept should be
unique and interesting enough to satisfy you and the Storyteller.
Once you've decided on a concept, you must make three choices to support that concept. You must choose your character's breed (species), her auspice (Role in Garou society) and her tribe (The group that claims her as a member). The better you understand these aspects and can interrelate them with each other and your core concept, the more complete and interesting your character will be.
Breed: The garou are creatures of two worlds who truly belong to neither. Werewolves are outsiders in a way that few humans have ever experienced directly. They cannot even breed among their own kind. arou must breed with humans and wolves to perpetuate their kind and breed healthy (and fertile) offspring.
For two werewolves to mate is to violate one of the oldest taboos among the Garou. The product of such a union is always sterile and either deformed or insane (sometimes both). Worse, the offspring is born in Crinos form, and it cannot shapeshift until eight years of age, requiring the parents to raise it away from human society. Even when werewolves do breed with humans or wolves, the offspring rarely breeds true. Nine out of 10 births are normal Kinfolk wolf cubs or human infant, marked only by their blood relation to the Garou. In some families, the strain might vanish for generation, only to appear long after the Kinfolk have drifted apart from their Garou relatives. In others, several children in a single generation might experience the First Change. The garou try to track all descendants and relatives (wolf and human) to locate potential werewolves. When Garou find any who are about to enter the FirstChange (either from observation or happenstance), they bring that one into their tribe teach them about who and what they are, and about the war that they were born to fight.
The Garou's current generation is believed to be the last, as more signs of the Apocalypse come to pass. Garou are under less pressure to breed in the end times, since nobody truly believes that a child born now will be mature in time for the final battle. The Three breeds are homid (Born to humans), Lupus ( born to wolves) and metis (born from the union of two Garou). all metis characters have deformities (see pp.60-61 W:tA 3rd core)
Auspice: Your character's auspice
is the moon-phase under which she was born. It's similar to an astrological
birth sign, but it plays a much more significant role in a werewolf's life.
To the Garou, Luna is a central figure in their lives, and they draw their
Rage from her. Your character's auspice indicates her profession in Garou
society, some of her strength and some of her weaknesses. You may choose from
five different auspices: Ragabash (Trickster, scout or spy), Theurge ( Shaman,
seer or mystic), Philodox ( Judge, Lawgiver or Mediator), Galliard (Historian,
Bard or Storyteller) and Ahroun ( Warrior or Guardian). Your character's auspice
may have a strong effect on her personality. Ahroun tend to be violent while
Ragabash are often clever.
[Complete information on each auspice can be found on pp. 63-67 W:tA 3rd core]
Tribe: In the shadow of the
coming Apocalypse, packs are usually composed of many tribes, since Garou
are too few in number to follow the older practice of creating a pack composed
entirely of one Tribe's members. Even so, a garou's tribe provides context
for who and what he is.Each tribe has a spirit totem that influences much
of the Tribe's characteristics. Choose your character's tribe carefully. Your
choice will impack her background (and available Backgrounds).
Players May Select any of the 12 tribes described in Werewolf; See pp.68-91
for further information on each tribe and its unique characteristics.
Step Two:
Choosing Attributes - Physical,
Social and Mental
Once you've defined your concept and selected your character's breed, auspice
and tribe, it's time to begin assigning numbers. The first step is to assign
scores to each of your character's attributes. The attributes define your
character's innate capabilities and aptitudes. How fast can your character
move? is she attracted or even beautiful? How sharp are her senses? The ttributes
answer each of these questions objectively.
First, prioritize your three attribute categories ---- Physical, social and
Mental. Decide which category your character is best at (Primary), which category
is above average (Secondary), and which category is merely average (Tertiary).
is she more mental than physical --- more perceptive and intelligent than
strong and tough?
Physical Attributes define your character's physical limits, such as how fast he can run, how much he cant lift and how healthy he is. If your character is primarily action-oriented, then you'd be well advised to make Physical your primary category.
Social Attributes define your character's ability to interact with, relate to and sometimes use others. Social Attributes first impressions, your character's ability to inspire or lead people and how attractive he is. If your character is a charmer or a deceiver, Social Attributes make a good choice for your primary category.
Mental Attributes define your character's mental capacity. How quickly can she think? how sharp is her eyesight? how smart is she? if your character likes puzzles or is an investigator, then Mental Attributes should be primary.
Your character concept should give you direction on how to prioritize your attributes, but don't feel straightjacketed into such choices. Yes, it's perfectly viable to play a former soldier with Mental Attributes as primary ( a genius tactician ) or an artist with Physical in the primary slot ( a dancer, perhaps). As note previously, you can still modify your basic concept, and Attribute priorities might prompt you to alter your focus or intent.
Your character beings with each Attribute at one dot. Priority selectiond etermines how many additional dots you may place in each cateogry: divide seven dots among your character's primary Attributes, five dots among her secondary Attributes and three dots among her tertiary Attributes. You may choose to apply seven dots to your character's Mental Attributes, Five to his social Attributes and three to his Physical Attributes, for example. You are also not limited in how many dots you can assign to any one Attribute ( in the preceding case, you could apply all three dots in your Physical category to Dexterity, leaving you with Strength and Stamina at one dot and Dexterity at four). You may nto raise an attribute above five Dots.
Freebie Points allow you to increase an attribute or two later on if you feel it necessary.
Step Three:
Choosing your Abilities - Talents,
Skills and Knowledges.
Abilities describe what your character knows and can do. They represent what
he's learned as opposed to what comes from natural potential. Like attributes,
Abilities are rated from one to five dots. This rating represents your character's
competence in that area. You use this number ( usually added to an Attribute)
to determine how many dice you roll when your character uses an Ability. Abilities
are also prioritized into Primary, Secondary and Tertiary categories, just
as Attributes are.
Abilities illustrate the knacks and proficiencies the character has developed through hard training or from some natural giftedness. In the course of a game you’ll match the Abilities up with the appropriate Attributes to determine a die pool that will be rolled to indicate the character’s success or failure. Abilities are divided into the following three groups of 10: Talents, Skills and Knowledges.
Talents are Abilities your character can work out on her own or develop intuitively. It's soemtimes necessary to practice Talents in order to purchase or increase them, but they aren't learned from a teacher or a book. They can be gained through direct experience. IF your character lives on the streets, for example, it's easier to pick up Streetwise. Some talents such as ( Athletics, Brawl, or Expression) can be trained, but it's not required. If your character tends to survive through her own wits or common sense, Talents are appropriate as the Primary Category.
Skill are Abilities learned through training. This category includes those Abilities one learns step-by-step through practice as well as those learned from a teacher. If your character is good at learning through practice, Skills make a good primary choice.
Knowledges are the Abilities that one can learn only through rigorous study and application. Many are learned in school or from books, but they can be acquired through experience. If your character is educated, has a good memory or spends a great deal of time in study, Knowledges are appropriate for the Primary ability category.
Assign each Ability category a priority (Primary,
Secondary, Or Tertiary). As with Attributes, let your concept guide your decision.
Unlike attributes all Abilities start at Zero dots.
Assign 13 dots to your primary category, 9 dots to your secondary
category and 5 dots to your tertiary. You may not assign
more than three dots to any Ability. But you can increase abilityes to four
or five dots with Freebie points later.
Step Four:
Advantages
Advantages are neither prioritized nor ranked. Instead, each Advantage has
a specific number of dots alloted. It is possible to increase them with Freebie
points later.
Backgrounds
- Overview
Your character receives five dots to assign among the 10 Background Traits.
Read your choice of tribe carefully before assigning any dots, because some
tribes restrict Background choices during character creation. Backgrounds
chosen should tie into your character concept as defined in Step One.
Allies - No limit, but, every ally must be listed, named
and titled.
Ancestors - No limit, but for over 4 detailed reason
as to why it fits concept must be given.
Contacts - No limit, but, every contact must be listed,
named and titled.
Fetish - No fetish rating over three, each fetish must
be detailed along with page reference. Custom fetishes must be O.Ked by ST.
Kinfolk - No limit, each kinfolk must be come with a
full character sheet, before they can be RPed.
Mentor - Can only be taken if the Mentor is a player
character.
Pure Breed - No limit.
Resources - Limit of three, unless detailed reason as
to why it fits your concept is included.
Rites - Limit of three, unless detailed reason as to
why it fits your concept is included and every known rite must be included.
Totem - Unless taken as personal totem, which means double
the cost, this can't be taken at character creation.
Gifts
Your character receives three Level One Gifts (powers the spirits grant to
the Garou). Choose one gift from each of the appropriate Breed, Auspice and
Tribe lists ( see the Tribe listings in the Character Creation Summary pp.
100-101 W:tA 3rd core). You may spend freebie points to choose more Gifts,
but they must also be Level One.
Renown
Renown is vital for your character, since it defines how famous she is among
the Garou. Your character's auspice determines her starting permanent Renown.
Character's do not begin with temporary Renown ( with the exception of packs
with certain pack Totems, as listed in the Appendix of W:tA 3rd core)
Rank
Rank is a Garou's station and trustworthiness in werewolf society, and it
is determined by Renown totals ( These requirements are different for each
auspice). All characters begin at Rank 1 ( Cliath )
Step Five:
Finishing Touches
Now it's time to round out your character and customize him with freebie points.
At this stage, you also determine your character's base Rage, Gnosis and Willpower.
Rage
Rage quantifies your character's inner anger and turmoil. High Rage makes
it more difficulty for Werewolves to deal with normal humans and Wolves. Your
character's auspice determines his starting Score.
Gnosis
Gnosis determines how spiritual your character is and how in tune she is with
the natural world. A werewolf with no Gnosis has no connection to the spirit
world and cannot step sideways under her own power. Breed determines your
character's initial rating.
Willpower
Willpower describes how much self-control your character has and how determined
he is in adverse circumstances. Players may use Willpower to control character
actiosn when events conspire to force an instinctive response (Frenzy and
such). Your character's tribe determines his initial Willpower.
Freebie Points
The Final step. You now have 15 freebie points with which to round out your
character and select Traits you couldn't afford previously. Each triat has
its own price ( See the table in Character Creation SUmmary on p. 102 W:tA
3rd Core)
Spark of Life
Now it's time to work out some of those character qualities that have nothing
to do with game Mechanics. It's not absolutely necessary to write these qualities
down, but doing so is highly recommended. At the very least, think about each
of them after character creation and during games thereafter. Some will change
over tiem while others may be reinforced.
Appearance
What does your character look like? How do her Traits affect her appearance?
If she has four dots in Strength, those muscles will show, if she has high
Charisma, that rating will translate to how she moves and talks. Go over her
concept and Traits to see how you can use them as descriptive hooks. Your
choices will reflect not only your character's appearance, but also how she
dresses, how she acts and how she speaks. Does she move with confidence and
have a steady gaze, or is she hunched over, refusing to look anyone in the
eye? Does she prefer casual, rugged clothing, or does she have more expensive
and refined tastes? it is much more evocative to say, " My character
walks with a pronounced limp, possibly from an old injury." Than to say,
" My character has one dot of Dexterity."
Specialties
Characters with high Traits may be very good at some tasks -- Even more than
the number of dots would imply. If your character has any Attribute or ability
at Four or Five dots, you may choose a specialty that applies to that Trait
( appropriate specialties are list with Traits in Chapter Four W:tA 3rd Core).
Keep your concept in mind when choosing specialties. ( an ex-marine might
choose " Assault rifles" as a firearms specialty, where a gangsta
might choose "pistols") You can lave specialties blank and choose
them during play, but it's just as appropriate to select them right away.
Specialties serve as roleplaying tools, and they provide a bonus to dice rolls
that apply to them ( See p.108).
You can also Assign specialties to Traits rated at three or fewer dots. You
won't get a bonus in this case, but you can use it as a roleplaying tool or
guise. The specialty would indicate character preference rather than any objective
improvement. In no case can you take a specialty that the Storyteller deems
too broad ( Such as " Small Arms" for firearms or " Keen Senses
" for alertness)
Quirks
Everyone has unique habits, anecdotes, interests and hobbies. These quirks
do not define the character centrally, but they do give that character more
color or depth, as well as a more realistic feel. Write a few sentences on
the back of your character sheet describing some of these quirks. THey could
range from a wickedly brutal sense of humor to a hatred for poodles to a penchant
for quoting favorite action movies. You can always add more quirks after play
begins if new possibilities occur to you.
Motivations
What drives your character? Why does she go out and battle the Wyrm? Why does
she risk her life for her packmates and Gaia on a regular basis? While it
may seem that fighting the Wyrm is worthy for its own sake, surely most Garou
have other reasons for continuing a millennia-long war. What in your character's
history or concept pushes her to destroy the Wyrm's corrupting influence?
A compelling, dramatic reason can give you a lot of mileage for roleplay in
any chronicle. Perhaps a gang of Fomori killed your character's family when
she had her First Change, and every blow she strikes against the Wyrm's minions
is a blow struck for her family. This motivation needs not lead her only to
battle, though. She might also want to find her family's spirits and lay them
to rest with the knowledges that their deaths have been avenged. Your character's
motivation must answer the question " Why does she fight this war? "
Normal Identity
Many homids choose to maintain a " normal " Life in human society.
After all, not all Garou decide to leave their old lives behind entirely,
some tribes, like the Bone Gnawers, Children of Gaia and the Glass Walkers,
spend a great deal of time among mundane humanity. Even some members of other
tribes, like the Get of Fenris and Black Furies could have mundane identities.
How does your character maintain such an existence? how does she deal with
the risks Rage can present, such as frenzy of endangering innocents?
Lupus Garou sometimes choose to spend time among mundane wolves as well. Such a Garou ( Even the smallest Ragabash) will usually assume the Alpha position of any wolf pack he joins. How does he itneract with other wolves? How does he interact with humans who come hunting?
These possibilities aren't exclusive. A homid might choose to live as a wolf for a time, and a Lupus might experiment with living in human society (althought such an experiment is unlikely for a Red Talon).
The Pack
More importan tot he Werewolf chronicle than any of the individual character
is the pack they form. AMong garou, the Pack is the basic social unit; Garou
who are not part of a pack are practically social outcasts. For a pack to
work, the characters must cooperate with each other. Pack unity is important
to success among werewolves.
It may be difficulty to conceive of playin a group as closely knit as a pack, but consider that the Garou who make it up have been through hell ( Also called the Rite of Passage) together. They've lived with each other, breathed the same air, eaten the same food and lived with the same decisions. They came together after their respective First Changes, and they have spent nearly all of their time since working ( or playing ) together.