Rumble Street
Totems of War
The binding force that holds a pack of werewolves together is their association with a totem spirit. Although a pack of werewolves chooses the totem that they feel best represents them, a quest to find a totem also gives the spirit a chance to decide whether it really wants to adopt the Garou. It's for this reason that totems often refer to their packs as their "children."
Totem spirits are almost universally Incarnae. While many are animal spirits, a number of packs hold to mythological beings, elemental forces, and even stranger spirits as totems. When a spirit chooses the pack, it sends a totem avatar -- a Jaggling--to attend to the pack. The devotion of the Garou gives the totem and its representative power, and their actions further the totems' goals. In return, the totem empowers them to carry out its goals in a direct fashion.
Background Costs And Traits
Players use their pooled points in the Totem Background to "buy" the totem spirit that has chosen their pack. Each pack can only be affiliated with one totem. Each totem in this section lists the benefits that the pack gain when accepted by it; unless the totem's description says otherwise, all bonuses and penalties apply as soon as the totem accepts the pack.
Players can enhance their pack's totem by spending experience points to increase their characters' Totem rating, per the Background's description. Totem spirits can also teach Gifts relating to their affiliation and powers. Some totems allow their children to use a particular Gift without teaching it to them, channeling the spirit's power directly.
A totem does not just grant power to a pack; it also has restrictions that the werewolves must follow. These constraints on the pack's behavior form part of the totem's Ban. If the pack members don't follow the Ban, their totem will cut off assistance. In this case, the werewolves lose all of the benefits of their totem, including access to extra Willpower, Gifts, and Traits, until they undertake a Rite of Contrition to appease their totem. A pack who repeatedly offends their totem may find that the spirit abandons them entirely.
The totems that follow are among the most common patrons to Garou packs. Several of these totems act as tribal totems, but members of that tribe don't gain the benefits of that totem. Only individual packs who ally with an avatar of those totems gain the benefits. Most cubs learn their tribal Gifts through the spirits that they meet during their Rite of Passage.
Totem Traits
Totems can give members of a pack a wide range of Traits. These Traits come in two forms: Individual Traits and Pack Traits.
Individual Traits: Every member of the pack gains all of a totem's Individual Traits as soon as they gain the totem's favor, and retain these Traits while they remain allied with the totem. The most common Individual Traits include temporary Renown, but some totems offer Attribute dots and even Gifts as Individual Traits.
Pack Traits: Any member of a pack can draw upon a Pack Trait, but only one at a time. If a totem grants dots in a Skill, or a Gift, the first werewolf to draw upon the bonus in a given scene holds on to that specific Trait until the end of the scene, or until they relinquish it. In combat, relinquishing or claiming a Pack Trait is a reflexive action. A pack member can't "pass on" a Pack Trait to another member of the pack, it instead goes back to the totem spirit, who gives it to the next packmate who requests it. A pack can't divide a Trait between members -- one of Falcon's children who claims his totem's Leadership dots gets all three. He can't take one or two and leave the others for another packmate.
Pack Traits that include pools of points, such as the Willpower pool granted by Falcon, are available to any member of a pack to draw on. If the totem's pool has any points remaining, any member can choose to spend a point from the pool rather than his own pool. Such pools of points refresh at the end of each story.
The Totems Of War And Where To Find Them
These totems spur characters to greater heights of violence and Rage. Predatory animals and ancestral warriors are the most common totems of war. While packs focused on fighting the Wyrm are the chief followers of these spirits, scouts, healers, and other packs who expect to see a lot of combat will ally themselves with these spirits.
Bear ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 374 )
Background Cost: 5
Bear is wise in peace and fierce in war. He is a master of healing and mysticism, but the Garou mistrust him, for Bear's true children are the Gurahl -- werebears with no fondness for the Garou.
Individual Traits: Bear's children gain a dot of Strength, can use the Gift: Mother's Touch once per day, and can hibernate for up to three months at a time without need for food or water. Garou lose five points of temporary Honor renown (if they have it to lose), and reduce all Honor Renown awards by one point.
Pack Traits: Bear's packs can use three dots of Medicine, and are well-regarded by werebears.
Ban: Bear asks no specific behavior of his Garou. Petitioning for his favor has already cost them a great deal of standing among their own people.
Bird Of Paradise ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 121 )
Background Cost: 6
Bird of Paradise is a bright, colorful, small corvid; a distant cousin to Raven. What he lacks in Raven's wisdom, he has in pure glory. He uses his brilliant plumage to attract mates, in spite of the many vicious creatures in the rainforest. He fancies himself the king of the trees, and all evidence supports that claim. He laughs down at Crocodile, and flies far too fast for Cobra. His followers pride themselves in drawing attention.
Individual Traits: By reflexively spending a point of Rage when an opponent's player has announced an attack, the follower can force the opponent to attack her instead of the opponent's intended target. She can still roll to dodge and soak as normal. Additionally, Bird of Paradise's followers gain a dot of Dexterity.
Pack Traits: A pack to Bird of Paradise has access to three additional points of Rage, and two points of Willpower.
Ban: Bird of Paradise demands its followers bear bright obvious adornments to their clothes, and remain majestic and obvious at all times. His followers cannot hide, even when fleeing from an assailant.
Boar ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 374 )
Background Cost: 5
Hunters fear the boar, and for good reason: he is too angry to pass up a challenge, to fierce to ever give ground, and to ornery to die before doing massive damage. Combative young packs see theses as virtues -- especially Garou among the Fianna and Get of Fenris -- and choose Boar as their totem.
Individual Traits: Boar's children gain a dot of Stamina.
Pack Traits: Boar's packs can use two dots of Brawl.
Ban: Children of Boar must never hunt or eat wild boars.
Carrion Bird ( Tribebook: White Howlers 20th Anniversary Edition -- 74 )
Prerequisite: White Howler
Background Cost: 7
Death is a process of natural selection, but those who have fallen can nourish those who still live. To the eyes of Carrion Bird, they have become nothing but a resource for those who still live. Carrion Bird only accepts packs who are steadfast survivors, but has no interest in cowards. Only by proving themselves capable of entering dangerous situations and surviving them can a pack gain (and retain) Carrion Bird's favor.
While the natural versions of Carrion Birds are considered a sub-species of Crow or Raven, Carrion Bird's supernatural aspects hold no particular alliance with Grandfather Thunder or other patrons of Crow or Raven. Carrion Bird follows Lion, and Lion alone, at least as long as it serves his best interests to do so.
Modern Times: When the White Howlers became the Black Spiral Dancers, this pragmatic totem-spirit shifted its alliance as well. It now acts as a totem predominantly to those who serve the Wyrm. Any who follow it after the Howlers' fall subtract an additional two from any awards of temporary Honor Renown, and are likely to be held in suspicion of being Wyrm-tainted themselves.
Individual Traits: Those who follow Carrion Bird subtract one from the difficulty of all Survival rolls, and gain an extra die on any roll where their own death is on the line, including, but not limited to combat. Each pack member subtracts one from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.
Pack Traits: Carrion Bird's packs gain three dots in any rolls related to scrounging, scavenging, or making use of discarded materials (or corpses), and two points of Willpower per story. Corax are well disposed towards the pack.
Ban: Those who follow Carrion Bird may not participate in funerary rites or practices (formal or informal) of any sort.
Clashing Boom-Boom ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 106 )
Background Cost: 8
Clashing Boom-Boom is the ancient spirit of War. She chooses only the greatest warriors as her children, and expects to be obeyed at all times. She is not only a great warrior, but also a great tactician and leader. She takes on the form of an iconic war machine of an age; while many of her packs still see her as a stealth bomber, some werewolves now see their totem as a Predator drone. The Garou that follow her are fierce and disciplined soldiers.
Individual Traits: Followers of Clashing Boom-Boom gain two extra dice on their Firearms and Melee rolls and the maximum difficulty for any roll involving weapons is 8.
Pack Traits: Packs that follow Clashing Boom-Boom gain three dots of Leadership.
Ban: Clashing Boom-Boom does not tolerate insubordination of any kind. Her followers must follow any orders given to them by a higher-Ranked Garou. Refusing a direct order from Clashing Boom-Boom herself will result in her turning on the pack.
Fenris ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 374 )
Background Cost: 5
Norse legends speak of the ravening God-Wolf Fenris, the beast that will eat the sun at the end of days. Fenris is powerful, bloodthirsty, and never gives nor expects quarter. The patron spirit of the Get of Fenris is a warrior's totem, interested only in packs of Garou that spill their foes' blood frequently.
Individual Traits: Each werewolf gains two points of Glory Renown, and increases one of their Physical Attributes by 1 (choose which when accepted by the totem).
Pack Traits: The Get of Fenris respect any pack who follows Great Fenris, and will test their worthiness to the totem by inviting them to Wild Hunts and battles against powerful enemies.
Ban: Fenris' children must never pass up an opportunity for a worthy fight.
Green Dragon ( Tribebook: White Howlers 20th Anniversary Edition -- 74 )
Prerequisite: White Howler
Background Cost: 7
When the White Howlers roared into battle, few could stand before their might and bravery. Those who followed Green Dragon were among the fiercest of the fierce, refusing to consider defeat as an option.
Green Dragon's ferocity and refusal to back down played a large part in the Howler's decision to charge the Labyrinth, and their defeat there. With great hubris comes great potential for corruption, and in modern times, Green Dragon acts as one of the strongest Totems in Whippoorwill's brood, acting as a patron to some of the Black Spiral Dancer's fiercest packs.
Individual Traits: Thrice every day, Green Dragon's followers can breathe fire. The player spends one Rage point and rolls Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 8) to aim the attack, out to a range of six yards. It inflicts two levels of aggravated damage.
Pack Traits: Packs that follow Green Dragon gain three points of Willpower per story, and are held in high regard by Ahrouns.
Ban: Green Dragon hates cowardice. Any of his followers who run from a fight or fall to Fox Frenzy for any reason lose the Individual Traits gained from their patron for a full day.
Griffin ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 374 )
Background Cost: 4
Griffin remembers those species lost to extinction, and he mourns each and every one of them. This has kindled a terrible rage against humans -- the slayers of entire species -- that he shares with his chosen Red Talons. Always hunting, always hungry, Griffin embodies the swift hunter.
Individual Traits: Griffin's children can communicate with birds of prey without the use of a Gift, and gain two dots of Glory.
Pack Traits: Griffin's packs gain three dots of Alertness, and Red Talons show their respect for the pack. Ban: Followers of Griffin cannot associate with humans. Griffin has not yet accepted a pack containing a homid Garou.
Honey Badger ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 107 )
Background Cost: 7
Most predators are loath to attack a Honey Badger, and they are right to do so. Not only is the Honey Badger a fierce and tenacious predator, but it is a tireless fighter and has a tough defensive hide that allows it to escape most dangers. The Honey Badger is reckless and will enter a fight even if the odds are against it.
Individual Traits: Followers of the Honey Badger gain a dot of Strength and reduce all wound penalties by 1.
Pack Traits: Packs who follow Honey Badger gain access to the Gift: Resist Pain.
Ban: Honey Badger's children may never back down from a fight, no matter how bad the odds are against them.
Lion ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 121 )
Background Cost: 8
Lion is king of the savannah, and for good reason. His immense roars and powerful jaws put him on top of the food chain, and guarantee his position against any would-be predators. Lion's folly is that he is hardly a team player. His pride might work together, but his aloof nature keeps him distanced from them. While the women hunters of the pride work to feed the young, he rests lazily awaiting tribute.
Individual Traits: Followers of Lion gains a dot of Charisma and Strength. Additionally, on any contested roll using a Social Attribute, a follower of Lion wins on any ties as if she were the defender. This effect requires a point of Gnosis.
Pack Traits: Lion's pack can belt out a powerful roar. One member at a time can use the Shadow Lord Gift: Thunderclap, but focused on the sound of her roar. Additionally, Lion's pack can access two Gnosis and two Rage.
Ban: Lion is known as a glory hound, taking credit for his pride's kills. For this reason, followers of Lion lose one point from any Glory rewards, and increase the difficulty of any teamwork rolls by 1.
Loki ( Changing Breeds 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 169 )
Background Cost: 7
The Liesmith is a spirit of war who believes the best lessons are written in blood. While most Nuwisha prefer to hang back when others charge into battle, followers of Loki leap to the forefront of combat, taking as much joy in bloodshed and mayhem as a Get of Fenris.
Individual Traits: Loki grants his followers one additional Bruised Health Level and an extra dot of any one Physical Attribute, which can increase the Attribute above 5.
Pack Traits: None
Ban: Followers must always accept formal challenges to combat, even from the Wyrm. They must also offer their kills as sacrifices to Loki.
Minotaur ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 514 )
Background Cost: 6
Minotaur is the embodiment of the man that becomes the beast: the sentient being who craves animalistic power. He respects strength and holds contempt for the weak, and thus has come to favor the Skin Dancers, who parlay a small strength into a much greater one. Although not a direct servant of the Wyrm, Minotaur bears a faint touch of Beast-of-War's taint. He hates and envies Pegasus, particularly her high status among other Gaian spirits. He is misogynistic to some degree, although a strong female Skin Dancer can earn his respect in ways that a human female never could.
Traits: Minotaur places his children in contact with spirits that can teach them Gifts, and thus his children can learn most Gifts of Rank Three or lower (at out-of-tribe costs, of course). He also grants each of his children an extra dot of Stamina and an extra dot of Survival.
Ban: Minotaur demands that his children hurt and slay any of Pegasus' children that they meet. They do not have to exact Minotaur's vengeance immediately, but they can never let a Black Fury or other werewolf who follows Pegasus live in peace.
One Voice ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 56 )
Background Cost: 4
Spirits of revolution are nothing new and have empowered packs in some form or another for centuries. In the last few years, though, advances in instantaneous mass communication both cultural and technological have given rise to a new variety of totem. One Voice is the spirit of a crowd speaking in unison to make their voices heard, having quickly pulled together a full protest while the adrenaline was high. While it is not going to complain about planned protests, it prefers flashmobs and sudden protests thrown together through chains of telephone calls or Internet posts. One Voice speaks in the whispers of forgotten thoughts. Its voice is a composite of words said to the dialing tone, brought together to make new words, urging its pack to action. It communicates through cellphones whenever possible, either speaking to the pack directly or flashing up text messages from an unknown sender. If it must physically appear, it manifests as a faceless everyman with physical characteristics and clothing who is entirely average for the local area.
Individual Traits: Pack members each gain two dots of Leadership, the better to gather and coordinate crowds.
Pack Traits: One Voice's packs gain access to the Philodox Gift: Command the Gathering.
Ban: One Voice's packs cannot through action or inaction subvert the will or purpose of any group with which they're working.
Polar Bear ( Rage Across The World -- Page 121 )
Background Cost: 10
Bear is a long-standing totem among Garou. Due to Bear's ties to the Gurahl, his followers are considered less honorable than their comrades. Polar Bear is a similar to Bear but specifically relates to the Ice Stalkers, the Siberian bear shifters. Where Bear is a resting defender, Polar Bear fights the rising tides and sinking landmasses of her homeland. This makes Polar Bear a much more urgent and violent totem.
Individual Traits: Followers of Polar Bear gain a dot of Strength, and a dot of Stamina. They can also use the Gift: Mother's Touch once per day. They can regrow limbs with a Willpower point. This heals any non-aggravated health levels that resulted in the disabled or removed limb. As with Bear's followers, adopting Polar Bear causes distrust within the Garou community. Followers lose five points of temporary Honor, and all Honor rewards are reduced by one point.
Pack Traits: Polar Bear's pack gains access to two dots of Medicine, and two dots of Brawl.
Ban: Unlike Bear, Polar Bear does not accept her honor loss as ban enough. She also requires her followers strike out at any threats that threaten to end a species.
Rat [Pack Totem] ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 374 )
Background Cost: 5
Rat is the swift, silent master of hit-and-run warfare -- the original totem of guerrilla fighters. While Rat fights to weaken, cripple, then overwhelm, he can be as vicious as any other totem when cornered.
Individual Traits: Rat's children subtract one from the difficulty of all bite rolls, and from the difficulties of rolls involving stealth or quiet.
Pack Traits: Rat's packs can call on a pool of five Willpower points per story. Bone Gnawers will aid the pack, and even Ratkin will be somewhat tolerant of the pack's existence.
Ban: Rat's children must not kill vermin of any kind.
Rat [Sept Totem] ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 31 )
Background Cost: Unknown
Rat is a totem of asymmetrical warfare, the master of hit-and-run attacks, stealth, and sabotage. His septs work mercilessly to weaken their enemies one step at a time, then overwhelm them. They fight viciously in defense of their own territory. Septs dedicated to Rat often find it easier to coexist with the local Ratkin population.
Common Traits: Members of Rat's septs subtract one from the difficulty of all bite rolls, as well as roles involving the Stealth ability or otherwise remaining quiet and unseen.
Pack Traits: Rat can distribute five Willpower points among his sept's packs.
Ban: Septs dedicated to Rat cannot do anything to kill or drive away rats that nest in the caern.
Trapdoor Spider ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 106 )
Background Cost: 6
A cunning strategist, Trapdoor Spider is patient and aggressive. It will wait days for prey to come along before it strikes. It waits for the precise moment, and then attacks, quickly and efficiently. The target rarely knows it has fallen into a trap until it is far too late for escape.
Individual Traits: Followers of Trapdoor Spider gain one dot in Dexterity.
Pack Traits: Packs that follow Trapdoor Spider gain three dots of Athletics as well as four points of Willpower per story.
Ban: Children of the Trapdoor Spider are forbidden from entering any combat situation without a plan.
Wasp ( Rage Across The World 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 31 )
Background Cost: Unknown
Wasps are dispassionate creatures, working together to hold territory and drive out invaders. Wasp is a totem of cooperation. She demands that Garou followers emulate her children: Tireless, harmonious, and vicious in defense what is theirs. Because female wasps rule the nest, Black Furies have a certain fondness for this totem.
Common Traits: When she is invoked, Wasp grants all her children the Mental Speech Gift, though it can only be used to communicate with septmates.
Pack Traits: A pack that is imbued with Wasp's blessing deals an extra point of damage with all unarmed attacks. The pack's unarmed attacks deal lethal damage even in Homid form. The pack also gains the effects of the Resist Toxin Gift.
Ban: Wasp will abandon a sept if it is riven by internal strife. She also asks that her followers sing while they work.
Wendigo ( Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 374 )
Background Cost: 7
Appearing as a cannibal-spirit cloaked in ice, the Wendigo stalks the frozen wastes, eating the hearts of his foes. He teaches the Garou to be as relentless as the storm, leashing the cold bitterness that lurks within and turning it into a lethal rage.
Individual Traits: Wendigo's children start each story with five extra Rage points, regardless of their rating. Each werewolf also gains two points of Glory Renown.
Pack Traits: Members of the Wendigo tribe respect those packs who take their patron as a totem, though they do not fully trust them.
Ban: Wendigo's children must offer aid to animistic peoples in need.
Xochipilli ( Changing Breeds 20th Anniversary Edition -- Page 170 )
Background Cost: 5
A spirit of chance and especially of risk, Nuwisha who follow this totem take great joy in risking almost certain death and living to tell the tale. Even many werecoyotes consider those who follow Xochipilli to be insane.
Individual Traits: Followers gain three dots of Survival. Xochipilli also grants five soak dice when performing outrageous and exceedingly dangerous stunts. This special ability only works when the odds are very much against the Nuwisha surviving the encounter. Optionally, Storytellers may simply state the follower survived, but was badly injured by an event that would have obviously killed anyone else.
Pack Traits: None
Ban: Followers can never turn away from a dare, even one that seems suicidal.