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Social Merits and Flaws

Family Support (1 pt. Merit)
Your family knows what you are and accepts your new life wholeheartedly. Perhaps your parents are Kinfolk and have prepared themselves for the potential that you might be a full Garou. However they need not be actual Kin (of the sort purchased through the Kinfolk Background); they may not understand what you’ve become, but still believe you are “special” or “gifted.” While you can’t assume they will risk themselves for you or your pack, you can rely on their moral support and understanding — and maybe a place to crash on occasion.

Favor (1 to 3 pt. Merit)
You have earned the favor of someone more powerful than yourself because of something you did in the past. Work out with your Storyteller who exactly owes you the favor — perhaps an elder of your sept, an influential member of your tribe, or even a powerful pack of Garou. A 1-point Merit indicates that you provided a minor service; a 2-point Merit means that you have done something significant for them; a 3-point Merit probably means that you saved their life (or the life of someone important to them). You can ask for (and expect to receive) a similar level of favor in return. You can only call in this favor once; after that, your previous service holds no particular sway. While it stands, however, other Garou may know that someone important is indebted to you and react to you accordingly.

Pitiable (1 pt. Merit)
Something about you makes others look at you as if you are deserving of their pity. Perhaps they see you as still a cub, despite your age or experience. You gain one die on Social rolls when actively playing up your pitiable nature. Wheedling someone into helping you would be appropriate; intimidating them into submission would not. Final word rests with the Storyteller in regards to when this Merit’s benefit may be used.

Camp Goodwill (1 pt. Merit)
You have earned the attention and favor of a particular Garou tribal camp. Perhaps you’ve done them a favor, or maybe they’re trying to recruit you. Regardless, all Social rolls when interacting with that camp are made at –1 difficulty. You may not be a member of this camp when you first take this Merit, although you can become recruited into the camp during play at the Storyteller’s discretion. You may take this Merit multiple times for different camps, and may take it for tribal camps other than your own tribe, each with the Storyteller’s approval.

Animal Magnetism (2 pt. Merit)
Others of your breed (humans if you’re homid, wolves if you’re lupus; metis should pick either humans or wolves, not Garou) find you especially attractive. Your rolls to attract, persuade, charm, or seduce those individuals is at –2 difficulty. This effect does not apply to threatening or intimidating actions.

Good Old Boy (or Girl) (2 pt. Merit)
You’re an intrinsically nice person, and you genu-inely care about your fellows. Werewolves and other Kin (both human and wolf) tend to like you and confide in you. Even lupus Garou may approach you in a friendly manner; something about you just seems trustworthy and inviting. Take an extra die on all Social rolls involving interaction with Garou or Kinfolk

Natural Leader (2 pt. Merit)
You were born with a strength of bearing to which others naturally defer. You receive two extra dice when making Leadership rolls. You must have a Charisma of 3 or greater to purchase this Merit.

Notable Heritage (2 pt. Merit)
Your direct family line is particularly renowned, either in Garou society or in the human world. You must choose (with your Storyteller’s approval) which world your heritage relates to, and detail your family line accordingly. You are at –1 difficulty to all Social rolls when working in the appropriate society (with Garou and Kinfolk who are aware of werewolf society, or when dealing with humans who are aware of your heritage). You are expected to live up to your lineage’s reputation. If you fail to do so, you may find the Merit dwindling over time as stories of your own failings begin to outweigh the high regard your family receives. This Merit may not be taken by Bone Gnawers.

Reputation (2 pt. Merit)
Your reputation among the Garou of your sept does you credit. You may have earned this good name independently, or through the actions of your pack. When you deal with the Garou of your sept, you gain three extra dice to your Social dice pools. Reputation should not be confused with Renown; you may have a good “name” with your sept while possessing relatively little Renown. You may not take the Flaw: Notoriety.

Supporter (2 pt. Merit)
You inspire all around you to greater efforts. Whether by speaking, writing, or leading by example, you give anyone who works with you reason to go on and hope of success. You have a –2 difficulty on Social rolls, and you give any group effort +1 to its total dice pool.

Noted Messenger (3 pt. Merit)
Legends and Elders have used your services to deliver their important words. You may have even been called upon to carry messages of peace (or war) between the Nation and outside forces. Because of your reputation as a reliable messenger, you can pass through other Garou territories without your presence causing offense, and you may be allowed into any sept (or other locale where your reputation is respected, such as spirit courts or Fera holdings) unchallenged, as long as you carry a message for someone residing there. However, you are expected to behave in accordance with your reputation; if you take offensive actions, act indiscreetly, or speak rudely while in the line of duty, it may affect how you are treated (and may cause the Storyteller to deem that you lose this Merit). Supernatural Companion (3 pt. Merit)You have a friend or ally who happens to be a vampire, mage, wraith, changeling, or other non-werewolf supernatural creature. Although you may call upon her in time of need, she also has the right to call upon you (after all, you are friends). This relationship, however, does not have the sanction of your kind or hers, and you’ll likely face scandal — or worse — if you are found out. Meeting places and methods of communication are always risky. The Storyteller creates and controls your companion, but does not reveal to you her full powers (or secret motivations).

Conniver (1 pt. Flaw)
There is no honor among thieves, nor trust among liars. You are known as someone whose word cannot be trusted. Whether earned or not, you have a reputation for deceit and treachery, and you lose one die from all Social rolls involving any extension of trust, truth, or believing your words.

Dark Secret (1 pt. Flaw)
You possess a hidden past which, if revealed, would cause you great embarrassment at best and make you an outcast or even hunted in Garou society at worst. Perhaps you had a lover who is a Black Spiral Dancer. Maybe you were responsible for the slaughter of your former pack or the mysterious death of a sept leader. This secret preys on your mind at all times, even though your friends and packmates are unaware of your shame. Occasionally, hints about your secret may arise in stories and you must take precautions to keep the knowledge from coming out into the open. So long as your secret remains unknown to those who might use it against you, you may keep the Flaw, even if a few individuals discover it. If your Dark Secret ever resolves itself so that it is no longer a factor in your life, you must sacrifice the experience points to buy it off.

Enemy (1 to 5 pt. Flaw)
You have acquired an enemy (one or more individuals) that not only knows what you are, but also has power of their own. The 1-point version of this Flaw may signify that your enemy is another Garou of your own rank who has taken a strong dislike towards you or who blames you for some past wrong. The 3-point version may represent a pack of Black Spiral Dancers who bear a particular grudge against you or a small group of supernaturally potent were-wolf hunters who have tagged you as a specific target. A 5-point Enemy may mean that you have angered one of the legends of Garou society or a powerful elder vampire.

Naive (1 pt. Flaw)
You are hopelessly naïve about the nature of reality and see everything through “rose-colored glasses.” You may have been brought up in wealth and privilege or be a survivor of abuse and trauma that you have repressed. You are hesitant to suspect evil or foul play in others, which can be a serious problem. The difficulty for any rolls for you to detect another person’s ill intent, from the Sense Wyrm Gift to Empathy rolls, is raised by 2.

Twisted Upbringing (1 pt. Flaw)
The Garou who found you after your First Change, and who oversaw your Rite of Passage and early entry into Garou society, taught you everything they knew — and it was all wrong. Whether they did this out of ignorance or perversity is up to you and your Storyteller to decide. Your wrong assumptions and skewed beliefs cause you a great deal of grief until someone straightens you out. Eventually you may overcome the problems caused by this Flaw (and be able to pay the experience point cost to buy it off), but in the meantime, it should present you with a number of good roleplaying opportunities.Camp Enmity (1 pt. Flaw)You have earned the attention and disfavor of a particular Garou tribal camp. Perhaps you’re a former member of the camp, or have refused to join them and they feel slighted. Perhaps they feel you’ve done them wrong, or the camp you are a part of is ideologically opposed to what they stand for. Regardless, all Social rolls when interacting with that camp are made at +1 difficulty. You may not already be a member of this camp when you first take this Merit, although you can become recruited (or re-recruited) into the camp during play at the Storyteller’s discretion. You may take this Merit multiple times for different camps. Storytellers are encouraged to incorporate Storyteller characters of the appropriate camp into their storylines, so as to make this a meaningful Flaw.

Gullible (2 pt. Flaw)
Maybe you’re slow on the uptake, or maybe you just never learned to separate truth from fiction. Whatever the cause, you’re particularly susceptible to lies and half-truths. You lose three dice from all dice pools relating to guile and subterfuge (not stealth), whether perpetrating your own feeble lies or attempting to penetrate someone else’s words to find the truth.

Outsider (2 pt. Flaw)
Because of rumors (true or not), an ill-done deed, poor decision, or some other character flaw, you have a poor reputation among Kinfolk and Garou. They don’t necessarily hurt you, but they let you know you aren’t welcome in their camps or homes. Make all Social rolls involving interaction with werewolves and Kin at +2 difficulty.

Persistent Parents (2 pt. Flaw)
Most werewolves, unless they have Kinfolk parents, sacrifice their family ties after their First Change, in order to protect the Veil. Your parents, however, have not given up on you. They may hire detectives to find you, plaster posters with your picture on it around town, pester radio and television stations to run public service ads, or dedicate websites and utilize social media to recruit the aid of the internet in order to try to find you. They may be ignorant of your new life, suspecting instead that you have run away, joined a cult, or been kidnapped. They may instead have ties to Pentex or other organizations with ulterior motives in locating you. Only homids may take this Flaw.

Notoriety (3 pt. Flaw)
You have acquired a bad name among the Garou in your sept, either through your own actions or because of something involving your pack. You suffer a penalty of two dice on any Social rolls involving Garou of your sept other than your own pack. Renown (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with your reputation. Your own sept members (other than your pack) dislike you regardless of how much Renown you have. You may not take the Merit: Reputation.

Ward (3 pt. Flaw)
You are devoted to protecting someone, perhaps a close friend or relative from the days before your First Change. This may be a child (or wolf cub) that relies upon you for care as well as protection. Or it can be an adult who, because of their connection to you, finds themselves exposed to dangers beyond what they can handle themselves. It could even represent a small pack of wolves who rely on you to protect them from human and supernatural predation. Regardless, your Ward’s path is firmly tied to yours in some way, and they have a knack for finding themselves in the middle of trouble, looking to you to save the day.

Hunted (4 pt. Flaw)
A dedicated werewolf hunter has targeted you as his quarry, convinced that you are a monster out of legend bent on preying upon humans. (He’s not, of course, entirely wrong.) Anyone you know, including your pack members or humans you are close to, may be in danger from the hunter. While your nemesis desires the elimination of all werewolves, his primary focus is on you. As fate would have it, the Delirium has no effect on your pursuer. He is also intelligent and resourceful, far more likely to set nasty traps for you than to blunder into any pitfall you leave for him.

Metis Child (4 pt. Flaw)
You begin play as the parent of a metis cub from an illicit relationship with another Garou. You need to decide the circumstances surrounding the birth of the child —who the other parent is, when this happened, if you are currently attempting to raise the child in your own sept, or if the cub was fostered out to another sept to avoid further embarrassment. The effects of this Flaw include a two dice penalty to any Social rolls made regarding Garou who know of your child, as well as the additional burden of being required to take responsibility for your cub’s welfare (you miserable charach). As a Litany-breaker, you will probably be unable to hold any important sept offices or be trusted with important tasks, no matter how much you strive to prove yourself. Metis characters cannot take this Flaw.If a character sires or bears a metis cub during the events of the chronicle, the penalties of this Flaw may apply, but no bonus points are granted for it.

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