The Face of Rage series

The Face of Rage, 11-1999

by Kioma Winterwolf

Introduction

Since time immemorial, the Garou have used items of power – fetishes and talens – to assist their struggle against all who would harm their Mother, Gaia. The first instance of a fetish is still very much debated, but the story of Great Song of the Morning and her magic bowl of water is a common one around the fires of the Theurges.

Whatever the truth, the Garou now hold many fetishes of varying power and ability, physical objects containing a spirit bound inside, allowing it special powers otherwise unheard of. That flute played by the Galliard at the Moot may have more power than just that needed to make a jaunty tune. The mighty sword that Ahroun swings may bite deeper than it should, or may crackle with electricity as it strikes its target.

The stick that the Philodox gave you when it was your turn to speak may bar your tongue from uttering falsehood. The hand-woven net the Theurge uses in that odd Rite may be used for more sinister purposes than catching fish. The spinning disk that the Ragabash is playing with may distract you long enough for the Trickster to get away with something valuable.

And the one-time objects of power, or talens, are no less potent. Though they can only be used once before the spirit within them is freed, their power may just sway the battle in favor of your pack, or allow you access to a Caern when bartered to the resident Sept.

Whichever way you look at it, the truth is clear: fetishes and talens add a spice to any Werewolf: the Apocalypse game that you just can’t get any other way. Within this article I attempt to address the issues of fetishes and talens in a Werewolf game, and offer a couple of ways to include them in your Chronicle.

The Nature of Fetishes and Talens

In its simplest, most direct and coldest form, a fetish can be described as a physical object with a spirit bound inside which imparts supernatural powers to that object and, by extension, that objects owner. Similarly, a talen can be defined as a fetish that can only be used a specified number of times (usually once) before the spirit is freed and the talen rendered mundane once again.

These definitions share a few things in common. Firstly, they are accurate. Secondly, they do not give the whole picture; Thirdly, they completely fail to convey the meaning that these objects hold for the Garou. And fourthly, they are as boring as anything.

The fetish represents the completion of a circle of beings and matter to the Garou. On one hand there is the physical object, which yearns to be one with spiritual matter, and on the other there is the spirit, a part of which cries out for the matter which has been denied it since the Gauntlet rose up, separating and defining the physical and spiritual worlds.

And in the center is the Garou herself, a being both matter and spirit, and a traveler between both worlds. In this way the Garou and the fetish are very much like each other, and accordingly both are due respect; a strong bond of friendship can form between a Garou and her fetish.

Regardless, in game terms the initial definitions stand. Both talens and fetishes are physical objects with a spirit bound into them, imparting some special ability to that object. The ability is always related directly to the type of spirit bound into the object. However, while a fetish can be used over and over, a talen can only be used a very limited number of times, normally only once. Some talens, particularly those with a liquid component, can be effective for more than one usage.

The Nature of Spirits

To be specific, this section deals with the nature of spirits in regards to fetishes and talens; in particular, their attitudes to being bound into a single object for any given amount of time and their reactions to their owners’ behavior. For more general information on spirits, consult the Werewolf: the Apocalypse and Mage: the Ascension rulebooks, and the excellent if long overdue for a rewrite Axis Mundi: the Book of Spirits.

Being bound into a fetish or talen is no small matter for a spirit. There are a number of reasons for this, and all of them are, in the minds of the spirits in any case, relevant and important.

In their natural state, spirits have no solidly defined form. Travelers in the Umbra may perceive them as having a defined shape but this is merely the essence of the spirit imprinting itself onto the viewer’s psyche in a form it can recognize – a traveler may see a Deer-spirit and know it to be a spirit with the essential nature ‘deer’; thus the image of a deer is imposed upon the viewer’s senses in order to make sense of it. Clear? Good.

The physical component of a fetish or talen is just that – physical. Even if it has or incorporates a gas, this is still infinitely more restrictive than the spirit’s true form. The practical upshot of this is that a spirit that is bound into a fetish object is restricted in action and form, which is initially quite uncomfortable.

A spirit in a physical object is also bound to servitude. As long as the owner is attuned to the fetish it is hers, and she can dictate what she will do with it. For a spirit whose very nature is to serve an Incarna this is not such a big deal, but for a spirit whose nature is to be wild and free, it is a very frightening concept indeed.

This is compounded by the fact that once bound into a physical object there is the chance of said object falling into enemy hands, a terrifying concept to Gaian spirits. One of the most compelling arguments that a Garou can propose to a Gaian spirit – that is, any spirit in league with Gaia – is a chance to make a direct, definite difference in the war against the Wyrm and Weaver, the two main forces who threaten Gaia’s very existence. The chance of falling into the hands of the very enemy the spirit intends to oppose, and not being able to do much about it, is a disturbing reality.

Most spirits protect themselves against misuse by demanding some sort of specific treatment from the Garou using the fetish – some small ritual to assist with Gnosis regeneration, such as being bathed in moonlight or pure water once a month; a simple gesture of respect and thanks every time the fetish is used, such as a verbal thanks or the removal of blood from a fetish blade; or an outright Ban on the fetish being used in a particular way, like using your Klaive to slice knackwurst.

Should the spirit feel it is being incorrectly treated or abused, it may take action against the owner. This could mean an increased difficulty to use the fetish, complete unresponsiveness on the part of the spirit, or in extreme cases the fetish’s powers may actually turn on the user – the exact nature of this ‘revenge’ of the slighted spirit is up to the Storyteller and may be as savage and ‘unfair’ as is deemed fit, until the Garou makes amends for her transgression.

The Origin and Evolution of Fetishes

The origin of fetishes and talens is a much-debated issue but, when it comes right down to it, the matter is irrelevant. For whatever reason, someone came up with the idea of binding a spirit into a physical object – possibly a spirit thought of this – and the fetish was born. Certainly, the Garou have been in the possession of fetishes since the Stone Age, and presumably before, though the fetishes in question would undoubtedly have been very primitive in form and function.

With the birth of tools came a much wider selection of fetishes and talens became possible. In particular, as edged and distance weapon technology progressed from rocks to leather slings and stone knives to bows and simple axes, the spirits aligned with conflict and war, and thus the fetishes they empowered, became much more prominent. Here was the potency of modern weapons at the Stone Age level – slings whose stones flew with unerring accuracy, arrows that would actively seek out hidden Banes, axes that could kill prey with one strike – without a doubt, the Garou and similar beings, who could create and/or wield these spirits-in-physical-objects, had a distinct advantage.

As technology progressed, specialization became an issue. Now certain tools were for one purpose only, whereas previously they had been multi-use tools. Akin to ‘natural’ evolution, these specialized fetishes held more power but also bore more weighty restrictions, due to their singular nature. The Industrial Revolution saw the creation of techno-fetishes, devices of unnatural origin with spirits of technology bound into them, and often implanted directly into the user’s body.

Nowadays most fetishes, and talens in particular, are very specific in their usage and must be treated accordingly. A spirit who believes the fetish they reside within is being treated with disrespect or used inappropriately are likely to become testy, and may stop responding or, in extreme cases, simply backfire.

The Fetish versus the Mundane

Why bother going to all the trouble to making an object, hunting down a spirit and scraping and bowing until it agrees to be bound into the thingy when it’s a lot easier just to get a chain-gun and blow your enemy to hell?

I’ve only been asked this once. My response was somewhat acidic. In short, I pointed out that the process of creating a fetish during the events of a Chronicle is an involved, painstaking and above all involved process, and the results are many and varied. There is, however, NO WAY in any of the paradoxes of Hell that you’re going to get your paws on a high-grade military weapon like a chain-gun in my game. No way, no how.

My view on this has not relented. If your Storyteller is allowing you access to such potent weapons then your games are likely to be action-packed, violent, exciting and very, very short. However, if you have to build your way up from a clueless cub to a mighty warrior of Gaia using your wits, the help of your pack and the assistance of the natural servants of Gaia – the spirits – then you’ve got the recipe for a meaningful, worthwhile and fun Chronicle.

Even going for a simple but deadly weapon like a sword is very well and good, and certainly you don’t have to appease it and so forth – but the next time your sword-specialist Ahroun demands to be appeased with a duel, your opponent may just pull out a sword with the ability to deliver an electric charge or cause your wounds to sting twice as much as they otherwise would, then you might think twice. Settling for a mundane weapon is, in my mind, limiting.

But, contrary to popular belief, there are more sorts of fetishes than just weapons. All sorts of spiritually-enhanced objects make the life of the Garou a little less troublesome and allows a bit more of an edge: a rabbit’s-foot which actually imparts luck; a Bic lighter that never runs out of fuel; a compass that allows you to locate anyone you think of; a pair of glasses that allow you to see enormous distances. The last of these is the only one that technology has managed to duplicate – the world of the spirit is still far advanced to that of base technology.

The Pros and Cons of Fetishes in a Chronicle

Fetishes can enrich the gaming experience. Spirits are part of the game, and a great deal of Garou society revolves around spiritual matters. Her peers almost invariably scorn the Garou who ignores the spiritual.

This is not to say that every Garou should own a fetish – on the contrary, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince spirits to ally with the Garou to the point where they will willingly let themselves be bound into a fetish or talen.

However, a Garou that openly scorns such potent tools is likely to find herself on the sharp end of a lesson involving the business end of an elder’s fetish. This is particularly true for Theurges, as it is their sacred duty to involve themselves deeply with the spiritual world, which includes fetishes.

There are many advantages to including fetishes in Chronicles. A simple story concept can be developed around the go-fetch idea of hunting down a fetish or talen for an elder. A small and inoffensive talen could, at the right moment in a story, save the entire pack; this is useful, as the talen cannot be used again, and properly handled it will instill a certain amount of awe in the potential for talens and fetishes.

There are also some disadvantages in including such items; namely, unbalance. It is unusually easy to simply tip the scales far too clearly in favor for or against the pack with the aid of fetishes, potent war-fetishes in particular. Also, overuse of fetishes can take some of the mystery out of the undertaking. An elaborate ritual that must be performed to appease the spirit inside a fetish is likely to bore a player to tears and should probably be dropped – unless the fetish is obscenely powerful. And, of course, if the players get caught in a power-game based around the amount of fetishes the pack-members own, the whole game can dissolve into a yelling match within seconds.

The DIY Fetish-Guide

In this section I attempt to address some of the issues of fetish creation within a Chronicle, as well as the pros and cons of starting fetishes. Take the word ‘fetish’ to mean ‘fetish or talen’ in most cases.

Players’ Section

So, you’re a player who wants their character to have a fetish? Enraptured by the lure of owning something a little out of the ordinary? Well, there’s four ways of doing it.

Firstly, you can start off with a fetish or talen, on number thereof, via the Background: Fetish. However, chances are that your selection of fetishes and talens, and their potency and uses, will be somewhat limited. Nevertheless, if your Storyteller is happy to have a newly tested cub running around with a Grand Klaive, feel free. All you have to do is convince the Storyteller and you’re set.

Secondly, you can find one. This is rare but possible; you may, literally, stumble over one some day. You may also find a fetish or talen by searching through the freshly killed corpse of your latest enemy and just happening to see the Klaive they were wielding before.

Thirdly, you may receive one as a gift, or as a reward. This is also fairly rare, but more likely than finding a fetish hidden under some unusually thick grass somewhere. Elders do sometimes give fetishes to heroes who have performed suitably monumental tasks and more importantly, Garou who are in a position of power and/or responsibility, such as Caern Warder or suchlike, may receive a fetish traditionally held by the Garou in that post. Sometimes sitting at home playing by the rules pays off.

Fourthly, and this is the most interesting part, you can get off your furry butt and go out there and make one, thanks to the Rite of the Fetish. This is not the easiest, but is definitely the most rewarding option available to a player, even if you have to walk up to your Storyteller and say, "Look here, you. My Ahroun Bone Gnawer, Angle Grinder, wants to find a Raccoon-spirit and convince it to enter his trench coat so it can make people ignore him." It opens up options for role-playing, can run the length of a chapter or two or even an entire story, and can involve the whole pack (perhaps the Theurge will summon the Raccoon-spirit, the Ragabash negotiate with it, the Ahroun prove his worth by performing some task, etc.). There are also the matters of the Renown, experience and the actual fetish at the end of it all, but we won’t mention those, will we?

The Starting Fetish

A common urge upon sitting down and looking the character creation rules over is to have your character start off as powerful as possible. After all, the Fetish Background is there to be used, isn’t it?

Having a Garou start off with something that gives them the edge sounds like a good idea, especially considering all the dangers she’ll inevitably be facing.

However, there’s one problem to overcome: Justification.

Most players look the other way when it comes to the dreaded Justification problem. It’s true. I do it and I’m willing to bet that you’ve done it before as well. Having a cub with a powerful fetish like a Klaive (always a favorite) is tempting, but it doesn’t let you avoid the simplest question that can bring all your dreams of an unstoppable combat monster crashing down: WHY does she have the ?

When you have your character start with a fetish, you MUST give some sort of reason for the character to have it, no matter how small or insignificant it seems. This gives you some sort of anchor for your character, defines how she feels about the fetish, and gives the Storyteller one or two less reasons to deny your character having it. Most Storytellers will let a player get away with murder if she gives a compelling reason for it.

Making a Fetish During the Chronicle

The only way to get a fetish as close to what you want it to do is to make it yourself. This is not a small task, and can span many chapters, or even stories. A lot of players are put off by the potentially monumental scope of this task, but there’s no need to be.

The process of making a fetish during gameplay has officially been broken up into five sections – Planning, Preparation, Questing, Negotiation and Execution – in the Werewolf Storyteller’s Guide. I believe I can condense that a little.

Conceptualization

This is the bit that a lot of players and Storytellers alike get stuck on – thinking up a decent fetish concept. A lot of people are dead in the water before they start.

The problem of Conceptualization is twofold. First, you’ve got to think up a neat idea for a fetish. Then you have to ask yourself, frankly, would your character have thought of that? If it’s unlikely then it might be an idea to think of something else.

There are a few nifty tricks to keep in mind when thinking up an idea for a fetish. All of these may need a little tweaking, but they are still ideas and should not be immediately discarded on such a paltry excuse as believability.

Firstly, if you have seen some magical item or other in a book, movie or whatnot, you’ve got a basis for an approximate fetish. That flaming sword you saw might be effective as a long blade with a resident fire spirit which ignites any easily flammable substance (like hair or clothing) which it strikes. The magical whistle which sends foes to sleep may be very well possible given a suitable instrument and a spirit aligned with sleep – though you may have to settle for sending everyone to sleep, not just your foes.

Secondly, by grabbing the Werewolf core rulebook or Axis Mundi and simply flicking through, it’s easy enough to find powers (Gifts, Charms and the like) which would be useful if accessible to the Garou. In the now-ancient Valkenburg Foundation book, the infamous Samuel Haight has a fetish called Shedding the Snake’s Skin, a mummified snake painted with bizarre runes which allows him to Reform in the Umbra as if he were a spirit with that Charm. With a bit of discussion and a little compromise, you should be able to get the elders (i.e.. the Storyteller) to agree on your Garou undertaking such a quest. Of course you may not feel you need the elders’ approval, but you'll certainly need the approval of the Storyteller.

Thirdly, brainstorming is always popular. The easiest method of brainstorming I find is to get a blank sheet of paper, write the Breed, Auspice and Tribe of my character at the top, and start writing down anything that comes to my mind below it. Eventually something will stick.

Fourthly, thinking up little bonuses can be a big help in conceptualization. A +1 die bonus to this, a –2 difficulty bonus to that, a fetish which cancels out any botch when Ability X is used, and so on.

Preparation

This stage involves the legwork of the fetish creation. First the Garou must find something into which she will bind the spirit, and needs to ‘make it up nice’. This will almost certainly involve decoration, and in many (in fact most) cases the actual fetish object is handmade.

The Garou should do a bit of research into what sort of spirit she wants bound into the fetish; elders are good for this. Once this is determined, the fetish object must be fashioned in such a way that it will represent both what the fetish is meant to do and what type of spirit is to be bound into it. Carving is a common fetish decoration, but small additions like feathers, leather thongs, bits of rock, paint and so on is often used.

For urban spirits, these elements may be a little different. A Garou wishing to bind an electricity elemental into something, as an example, should probably make the majority of the fetish out of metal (perhaps with a rubber gripping area to avoid electrocution when the fetish is activated) and should certainly incorporate wires and the like into the fetish’s structure (as electricity elementals have a Ban which states that they must remain near wires – even if the Storyteller deems that this may be overcome, it is polite to make the spirit feel more at home and will undoubtedly make the negotiation process easier).

Once this has been done, the Garou must find the spirit. This is not usually much of a trouble, as spirits can be summoned, but the best technique is to actually find the spirit in the Umbra. This shows respect for the spirit, willingness to go through the treacherous reaches of the spirit world to find the spirit, and the overall ability of the Garou to handle herself in the Big Wide World.

Execution

The execution of the fetish creation process is twofold. Firstly, having found the spirit, the Garou must impress it sufficiently, whether cajoling, questing or threatening does this. Secondly, the Garou must perform the actual rite.

Impressing the spirit is likely to be very difficult. Remember that the spirit is going to be bound into servitude for an unspecified length of time; the spirit may indeed demand that the Garou break the fetish, thereby releasing the spirit, after a certain length of time. However, as spirits have a different concept of time than physical beings, this time period is likely to be either unreasonably short (three or four days) or incredibly long (several hundred years).

A Garou trying to impress a spirit should be ready for a number of things. The spirit will demand proof that the Garou is going to keep her word, and this may involve a quest on behalf of the spirit and/or its controlling Incarna/Celestine. Cajoling or flattering the spirit may work; expending Gnosis as a bribe might also do it.

To successfully perform the Rite of the Fetish, the Garou needs to know the Rite (which involves the ritual cleansing of the fetish object) and may also need to know (at the Storyteller’s discretion) the spirit’s True Name. Should the spirit’s True Name be known, the Rite may proceed somewhat easier (as the spirit will be unable to resist, willing or no, the effects of the Rite).

It is entirely possible that the spirit will refuse flatly, and the Garou’s entire efforts may seem wasted. This is a possibility that you, as a player, should be aware of; another thing to keep in mind is that if one spirit says no, that doesn’t mean the next one will. It shows a remarkable lack of resolve to give up if refused the first time.

Finally, the fetish will be dormant (unusable) until the resident spirit’s Power is fully restored. If the spirit was forced into the fetish this will take longer; otherwise, the fetish may be ready to use in a matter of hours.

Example of Fetish Creation

The aforementioned Garou shall be used in this example, which will outline from beginning to end the fetish-making process.

Angle Grinder is a Rank 2 Homid Ahroun Bone Gnawer, who has an idea for a fetish. He has a trench coat, lovingly cared-for and much valued, which he wishes to bind a spirit into in order to make a fetish which will allow him to force others to ignore him. He knows of a Gift that will do the same thing (Blissful Ignorance, Level 2 Ragabash Gift), but he does not have the head for studying and cajoling. He likes the idea of the fetish and a pack-mate, Hidden Shadows the Theurge, has taunted him previously as to his lack of subtlety when dealing with spirits.

Firstly, having already thought of an idea and having already found the object, he goes to an elder to ask for advice. The elder in question does not believe that Angle Grinder has the mettle to carry this out, but does believe that learning more about spirits and their nature would be a very good lesson for the Ahroun, and so agrees to advise him.

Angle Grinder is told that Raccoon-spirits highly prize garbage and love digging through Stuff piles. They appreciate any gifts of food and the like, and highly value the ability to scrounge as a survival trait. This gets him to thinking, and he begins collecting some of the most interesting Stuff he has – together with some more everyday items and a little bit of food – into a large, tatty backpack, which he binds to himself with the Rite of Talisman Dedication. He is also told they are known occasionally to perform guerilla raids upon Weaver Realms in the Umbra and, with a bit more respect for the Raccoon-spirits, files this bit of knowledge away for later use.

Soon, Angle Grinder has a backpack full of a variety of very interesting Stuff. Just about any Raccoon-spirit would adore a chance to dig through his pack, he feels, and he is very optimistic about the fetish-making process. He has even found himself a fabric marker, the permanent kind, and has decorated the backpack with pictures of raccoons – he is not a very good artist, but the thought is there.

Now, the Ahroun turns his attentions to his trench coat. How can he make it seem appealing to a Raccoon-spirit? He decides that he must decorate it in a manner that will attract Raccoon-spirits, but not so that it will attract too much attention; if he does so it will completely defeat the purpose of the fetish.

The trench coat itself is a quite dark gray. Scrounging up some more fabric markers, he sits down by himself with the trench coat. Thinking hard on the manner of spirits, raccoons and invisibility, he takes a deep breath and begins to draw upon the trench coat.

He has had the foresight to look at pictures of raccoons, and has learnt a symbol meaning ‘raccoon’, which he carefully draws upon the trench coat. Then, with infinite care, he draws a series of raccoon-like markings on the trench coat. Because the fabric is dark gray, the black marker shows up enough to be seen but not enough to be really eye-catching. Finally, after a couple of hours and several packs of fabric markers, he is finished.

At this point, Angle Grinder comes up against a bit of a problem. He must now find a Raccoon-spirit. He has not been looking forward to this; the Theurge of his pack, Hidden Shadows, has indicated a serious amount of scorn for the Ahroun’s spirit-oriented plan. However, biting his pride back, he approaches his pack and requests assistance.

To his amazement, Hidden Shadows agrees. There’s no taunting comments, no scathing remarks; little does Angle Grinder know, the Theurge elder he approached earlier in the process for advice has since ‘had a few words’ with Hidden Shadows.

Upon entering the Umbra, the pack goes off to find a Raccoon-spirit. A short Story ensues, and culminates at a rubbish pile inhabited by a Heap Gaffling, who decides that it likes the pack, and gives them ‘treasures’ – bits of rubbish that it feels are worth recycling. Angle Grinder grins and puts his bit of rubbish into his backpack.

At the rubbish heap they find several Raccoon-spirits. Approaching one, Angle Grinder offers it the backpack to search through. In short order, the excited exclamations have the entire local population of Raccoon-spirits scrambling for the choicest bits of Stuff. The contents of the backpack go EVERYWHERE – the backpack itself is badly damaged in the spirits’ scrounging frenzy.

Once the clamor has died down, Angle Grinder asks Hidden Shadows to speak for him. After a short, squeaky conversation it becomes clear that Angle Grinder has impressed the Raccoon-spirits greatly. They discuss the matter by themselves and then deliver their verdict.

Angle Grinder must allow the Raccoon-spirit in question to travel with him for a month; this spirit will get the first pick of any Stuff he finds. The Ahroun must also agree to take on a Ban that specifically states that he may not kill vermin, in accordance with Raccoon’s alliance with Rat. To this, Angle Grinder readily agrees; as a Bone Gnawer he knows that a live rat can be much more use than a dead one.

Finally, he must agree to take Raccoon as a Personal Totem. After a small amount of discussion, Hidden Shadows relays the message that not only will Angle Grinder take Raccoon as a Personal Totem, but that they will go the spirit one better – the entire pack will take Raccoon as their Totem.

The Raccoon-spirits chatter in excitement, and one of them agrees to go with Angle Grinder. After a short time with them the Raccoon-spirit gets irritated and teaches Angle Grinder the Gift: Spirit Speech, so as to make communication easier.

During this month, the pack witnesses something they had not hitherto known. Every so often a small object would disappear from the physical plane. Soon they discover that the Raccoon-spirit has a Charm known as Acquisition, a power that allows the spirit to filch items from the physical world. Once more, the pack learns something useful.

When the month is up, the Raccoon-spirit is more than willing to go into the trench coat. It gives the Ahroun its True Name and Angle Grinder has the elder he first spoke to perform the Rite of the Fetish; to make the Rite go easier, the Ahroun sacrifices one of his precious Gnosis points to make the fetish stronger. This is a permanent loss; the Garou will feel this loss but considers it worthwhile.

Finally, the Rite is completed. With a degree of ceremony uncommon to the rough Homid, Angle Grinder lifts the trench coat and thanks Raccoon, the Raccoon-spirit, the elder and, finally, his pack. He dons the trench coat and howls with joy – a new fetish is born under this moon!

Storytellers’ Section

There are a number of things to consider when including a fetish or talen in your Chronicle. This also applies to starting fetishes and talens bought with the Fetishes Background.

• Firstly, will this fetish unbalance the game?

There’s no fun in playing a game in which a player has a fetish that makes them invincible, not even if you are the player in question. There is no fun if there is no challenge, and players cannot take a Storyteller seriously if they allow obscenely powerful fetishes into the Chronicle. When in doubt, disallow. Then, when things are quieter and you have time to think about it, consider as to whether the fetish is going to unbalance the game.

• Secondly, will it ruin the storyline?

If the fetish will break the flow of the story, it should not be allowed into the Chronicle. If you’ve come up with a fetish concept that you just can’t let go of, write it down somewhere and shape the Chronicle to include it – do NOT simply throw it in and hope for the best. Trust me, I speak from experience – this does NOT work.

• Thirdly, will it allow a character to dominate gameplay?

This is a very real danger – if a fetish is too powerful or too useful, then the other characters may well be left behind as the owner of the fetish saves the day over and over and over… Having some special edge is all very well and good, but no one likes a prima donna.

The OOC Fetish

The OOC Fetish is a fetish or talen which is introduced into the Chronicle rather than created within it. Such a fetish is normally introduced as equipment held by a non-player character (NPC) or a player character’s (PC’s) starting fetish/es.

Fetishes, especially powerful ones, are rare. It’s an odd situation when a new cub has one fetish, let alone more. Within character creation, I don’t allow the Fetish background to be taken higher than 3. On the rare occasions that I do allow this, I refuse any fetish higher than level 3 anyway – sorry, no Klaive-wielding cubs in my stories.

It may seem a bit harsh, but the reason I do it is because the potency of fetishes can too easily allow a cub to completely dominate the surrounding area. In such a case the cub in question suddenly finds themselves the main target on the battlefield if it’s a war-fetish, and the primary interest in spirits – for good or evil – during everyday life. The mere presence of a powerful spirit bound into a fetish, even in half-Slumber, is enough to draw the attention of roaming spirits of all kinds.

The Player-Built Fetish

When a player wishes to make a fetish, the workload of the Storyteller increases dramatically. However, this should not be seen as a bad thing – it gives the players a chance to develop their characters and makes thinking up ideas for plot lines a lot easier. A few things to be kept in mind when a player wishes to make a fetish are listed below.

Conceptualization

The more powerful the fetish, the more powerful the spirit that must be bound into it. Remember that nothing is actually impossible in the Umbra, but the chances of getting an Incarna to agree to being bound into a fetish are so close to impossible as to be indistinguishable.

The more powerful the fetish, too, the more potential drawbacks it can have. During this phase the Storyteller and player must agree to what powers the fetish will have, but the drawbacks may not be evident until later on.

Keep in mind that some fetish concepts will not be viable. A fetish gun that does more damage is not practical; the gun may be a fetish but unless the player is willing to invest a great deal of time, effort and Gnosis creating talen bullets, the powers are unlikely to be great. To add to this, the only spirits likely to inhabit such an item are technology spirits.

Feel free to offer alternatives to the fetish the player suggests. While a fetish gun may be impractical, a fetish gun-sight may certainly assist in aiming.

Choosing the right spirit is just as important as what the fetish will do, because the type of spirit defines what the fetish’s capabilities are. A fire-spirit isn’t going to be able to grant any powers concerning water, for example.

A good guide is to ask you if the spirit has a Charm that could simulate the power the fetish is supposed to have. If the answer is no, then it may be an idea to look elsewhere – a lava spirit may be able to perform tricks that a fire elemental wouldn’t, for example.

When thinking of spirits, remember that there is a spirit for just about everything. Animals, concepts, places, inanimate objects, elements, technological advances like electricity, metal and plastic elementals, and so on all have spirit presence, and thus related spirits.

Preparation

There are a number of things to take into consideration during the preparation phase. They all have to do with impressing the spirit that is eventually to be bound into the fetish.

The object must be shaped or at least decorated to suit both its purpose (war, stealth, luck, whatever) AND the spirit the Garou intends to bind into it (fire elemental, Raccoon-spirit, spirit of Fear, whatever). If the purpose and the form of the fetish contradict each other (a knife that causes battle to stop, for example), then chances are it should be seriously rethought.

Finding the spirit is unlikely to be difficult unless it’s a rare kind of spirit (such as a Wyldling or a spirit of Enigma). Most Naturae (spirits of animals, plants and the like) can be found in their appropriate areas (Deer-spirits near deer herds, water elementals near large bodies of water, and so on).

Should a player think up something to suitably butter the spirit in question up, you should feel free to reward them in a suitable manner, such as making the negotiation rolls/role-playing a little easier. An example of this is Angle Grinder’s bag of Stuff, above. A player should not be ignored if they’re being creative. Not all attempts to butter up a spirit should work, however, and it should not be taken for granted that they will.

Below is an abridged version of the Stages of Spirit Acceptance table from the Werewolf Storyteller’s Handbook.

It is up to the Storyteller as to what will advance the Garou a category, or indeed set the character back a step. Most spirits start out Neutral or Wary, but some may be more interested. Below is a breakdown of Angle Grinder’s negotiations.

• Normally, the spirits would be Neutral. However, Angle Grinder opened brilliantly (especially for an Ahroun) with his backpack of Stuff, advancing the spirit’s stage to Curious.

• The now-impressed Raccoon-spirits decide to place a temporary condition on Angle Grinder (allowing the Raccoon-spirit to travel with him for a month – at the end of such an ordeal anyone who hasn’t chased the spirit off in frustration must be a bit of all right). In addition they reinforce the Ban on killing rodents. The Garou’s willingness to take on both conditions moves them to Interested.

• The coup-de-grace is the Totem thing. The Raccoon-spirits proposed that Angle Grinder take the Incarna Raccoon as a Personal Totem; he agreed to this and the pack then promptly ‘went one better’ and took Raccoon as their Pack Totem, moving the spirits from Interested to (once the month was over) Committed. This pack is WELL in the favor of Raccoon now.

Requesting such a dedication is a clever move on behalf of the Raccoon-spirits; not only does their Incarna become more powerful, but the pack is now bound to the Bans of being Children of Raccoon, too! Making a move like this can confirm the ties between the Garou and the spirits, and make for some interesting role-playing situations (if the raccoon population become threatened by the unjust culling of their numbers for a crime they didn’t – or perhaps did – commit, the pack may be called upon as Children of Raccoon to investigate and put matters right).

Execution

Things can go wrong in the Rite of the Fetish. The Rite involves a roll and the difficulty for that roll is, at base level, 10. It’s very likely that the Rite will fail unless steps are taken.

The most direct course of action is to spend permanent Gnosis during the Rite; each point lowers the difficulty by 2. However, this is a major sacrifice and should not be undertaken lightly; it is permanent Gnosis we’re talking, not temporary. The core rulebook doesn’t actually give other options for lowering this difficulty, so I’m going to give one now.

True Names and the Rite of the Fetish

A spirit’s True Name is its power. If a ritualist has a spirit’s True Name then the spirit cannot resist, even if it wanted to. Some very powerful spirits (Incarna and suchlike) have several True Names, all of which must be known to order it around without fear of resistance.

In terms of the Rite of the Fetish, the True Name can be very useful. Whether gathered from the spirit by guile, friendship, supernatural powers or force, the True Name of a spirit will allow the ritualist much more chance to successfully bind the spirit into the fetish object. Be aware, however, that most spirits would rather cease to exist than give their True Names under force.

Should the ritualist know the spirit’s True Name, the difficulty of the Wits + Rituals roll should be lowered by 2. The ritualist can also bypass the negotiations and simply order the spirit to comply – but unless the spirit is willing there’s nothing to stop it from turning on the fetish’s owner once its Power has recharged…