Auspice Fetishes

Auspice Fetishes are fetishes unique to the Garou Auspices: Ragabash, Theurge, Philodox, Galliard and Ahroun.

Overview

Ragabash

The Questioner caste, more than any other, loves talens. A trick is only ever good once, if it's done right; since after that no one should fall for it again. (If they keep falling for it, no one's learning anything and the Ragabash haven't done their job properly at all.) In greater scope in their ability to effectively question a wider number of aspects in Garou culture.

While one might suspect the Ragabash of favoring stealthy fetishes like Phoebe's Veil or Nightshade, in fact it is rare that Ragabash ever use such things. The masters of stealth in Garou society rarely need the outside help that such fetishes provide. They can handle not being seen, so what they often use fetishes for is the opposite - making bright, gaudy shows to highlight their humiliation of the real fools.

Where Ragabash do value stealth is in the actual design of the fetish itself. If they create fetishes, the actual fetish is often designed in dark colors and is easily concealed.

Theurge

Almost the archetypal fetish user, a Theurge may well have any type of fetish. Weapons, fetish drums, no matter what the fetish is, the Theurge is expected to be the one to make it. As the auspice considered the rightful creators of fetishes, Theurges can often wield considerable power within septs, particularly within those with very strict auspice roles. In most, however, there's not overwhelming disdain for non-Theurges learning the Rite of the Fetish - as a one-person rite, it's considerably difficult to police anyway, and most Philodox hardly find it worth the time. Every fetish, after all, strengthens Gaia's cause. The majority of fetishes still come from Theurges, but not all by any means.

Theurges tend to find two sorts of fetishes useful. The first (and most obvious) are any fetishes that involve dealing with spirits directly, such as Spirit Tracers, Baneskins or Bane arrows. Even though all Theurges should be capable of such dealings without fetishes spirits are diverse and unusual enough that every extra option helps.

However, fetish weapons also enjoy great popularity among Theurges, particularly ones capable of doing great damage or pain in a short amount of time. While no werewolf is ever defenseless, Theurges are the most common "support" member of a pack, courtesy of Gifts like Mother's Touch and Command Spirit. Since they frequently have duties in battle that aren't direct translations of "Kill the bastards," they often have an increased need to put an enemy down in the shortest time possible.

As Theurges create more fetishes than any other auspice, they set the standard for fetish design rather than deviate from it. Theurges make fetishes however they damn well feel like, and the other Garou imitate them.

Philodox

Young cubs often see the werewolves with the biggest, flashiest and most decorated fetishes and immediately assume they're Ahroun. Those cubs are wrong, of course. Many Ahroun have little need for stealth, certainly, but they also don't have nearly as much need to stamp their authority on a scene by mere dint of their presence. Like a sheriff's badge, the fetish bestows authority upon its owner, and no auspice makes better use of that then the Philodox. When the sept's lawkeeper bears a klaive's legend with her, people tend to listen.

As such, Philodox fetishes tend to be very simple in design. Clearly visible glyphs proclaim the fetish's name and story in broad, simple terms. Philodox don't need a troublemaker to sit down and learn the detailed legend behind a fetish; they need them to take one look, realize exactly what this guy is carrying, sit down and shut up. Beads and other decorations are also highly popular, anything that draws attention to it works for them.

Weapons are, without a doubt, the most popular fetish for a Philodox, preferably large ones. Harmony flutes are another fetish popular with this auspice, for fairly obvious reasons.

Galliard

Almost the inverse of the Philodox, Galliard fetishes tend to be remarkably complex and in many ways ten to be the most beautiful. As the keepers of history, Galliards tend to carve their fetishes with endless amounts of tiny glyphs, and well made ones are stunningly intricate. For this auspice, a fetish is a wonderful thing: a firm connection with the past. A rite can have been first performed in time immemorial, but the performers today were never there. A fetish, by contrast, is a physical part of history, and brings its history with it to the modern world.

While any type of fetish would be suitable for a Galliard, these designs mean that nearly all Galliard fetishes tend to be large as is feasible. In addition, any musical fetishes (such as fetish drums) are often considered to be within the auspice's particular territory.

Ahroun

Unsurprisingly, there are many Ahroun who carry fetish weapons. More surprisingly, they're less common than among the other auspices. In much the same way that Ragabash are skilled with stealth enough to not need help in such areas, Ahroun tend to be more than capable of ripping folks limb from limb without requiring a klaive. Those Ahroun that do carry fetish weapons most commonly do so from a sense of tradition. As the chosen warriors from within Gaia's chosen warriors, they damn well should have a potent weapon handy! Hence, it is relatively rare for Ahroun to carry small fetish weaponry; most Ahroun prefer the large and impressive. Those who do favor smaller and more subtle fetish weapons are those that prefer a more tactical, subtle approach to their art of war.

The more practical Ahroun, however, choose the very same fetishes you'd expect most Ragabash to - Phoebe's Veil, Nightshade and other stealth aids. The arts of stealth can be vitally important to Gaia's warriors, and smart Ahroun quickly come to appreciate help in such areas. Anything that helps locate specific enemies, such as spirit tracers and Wyrm scales, it also very popular.

List of Ragabash Fetishes

• Pinch Bugs - Level 1, Gnosis 3 - Pinch bugs are fetishes that appear to be some kind of larger insect - ladybugs, bumblebees or mantises, for example - crafted from clay and often painted garish colors. A werewolf can stick one of these little bugs to an item he wants to protect from casual snooping, activating the fetish as it is attached. When anyone but the werewolf tries to open or disturb the item in question, the pinch bug comes to life and "stings" the offender. This is nonlethal, but it's exceedingly painful, like the worst wasp sting imaginable. If the offender has some compelling reason to remain silent, he must make a Willpower roll, difficulty 8, to avoid screeching or hurling some kind of expletive at the top of his lungs.
• Emotion Gem - Level 3, Gnosis 5 - An older and much subtler version of the McGuffin, an emotion gem is a fine example of how useful it can sometimes be to underplay your hand. The only essential part of an Emotion Gem is a diamond. Normally it is hidden within a standard item of jewelry such as a necklace, brooch or tiepin, but this isn't required as long as the diamond can be seen. this is then bound with a fox-spirit, but most commonly an infant one not yet at the height of its power. When activated, it produces a low level of desire that confuses any who see it since they don't actively associate the Gem with their sudden burst of desire. This tends to produce people prone to acting on whims and even slightly felt desires that they would otherwise quickly realize were bad ideas. Anyone who sees the Gem while it is activated acts as if he had one less dot in Wits than normal, and is easily lead astray any offer that might benefit him - Subterfuge and Seduction rolls are made at -2 difficulty against them.
• The McGuffin - Level 3, Gnosis 7 - The McGuffin is a modern fetish, allegedly inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's famous definition and rapidly adopted by the New Moons of several tribes. Though it doesn't actually matter what the McGuffin is, most are created from an empty box, suitcase, or some other opaque container. When activated, the McGuffin immediately causes everyone who sees it within the day to develop an intense desire to own the McGuffin. People so affected must roll Willpower (difficulty 7) to avoid trying everything in their power to possess the McGuffin. These desires last for one week. The Ragabash and his pack are not immune to the fetish's effects, so the McGuffin is always placed very carefully. The McGuffin is often possessed by Nuwisha and Corax as well as Garou Ragabash. It is created by binding the spirit of any particularly brightly colored animal.
• Loki's Fire - Level 4, Gnosis 7 - This fetish usually appears as a fiery red stone about the size of a human's palm, similar in color to a carnelian. When activated with the expenditure of a Gnosis point (a simple roll will not activate a fetish of this potency), it allows the wielder to raise her Manipulation by two points for the duration of a scene. Ideally, the user takes this opportunity to successfully perform a prank or somehow use the advantage in a way the stone's namesake would approve. A spirit of deceit is often the source of the fetish's power.

List of Ragabash Talens

• Face Paint - Gnosis 7 - Face Paint can take on a number of appearances, from pancake makeup to rich ochre mud, usually depending on the cultural background of its maker. It's an extremely useful fetish, as it can temporarily obfuscate the wearer's appearance. When activated, the paint can simply make the user appear more or less beautiful (raising or lowering Appearance by two points), or give the wearer different facial features entirely. A person with dark skin and brown eyes might, for example, choose the have blue eyes and tan skin. The changes aren't present anywhere except in the face, but this is quite a useful item to have when impersonating someone. The effects last for a scene.

List of Theurge Fetishes

• Spirit Phone - Level 1, Gnosis 6 - Some poorly informed Glass Walkers like to think that they invented this fetish, and that it is of recent origin. Since their models of this fetish tend to be created from cell phones, they think it very unlikely other tribes would have created them. They are, however, entirely wrong. Fetishes of this sort have existed for centuries, created from seashells, carved representations of animals with open mouths, and numerous other objects. In all cases, however, the purpose of the object remains the same, as does the type of spirit bound within (always a songbird-spirit of some sort). The fetish allows for instant communication with a spirit no matter how far away it is. The spirit may be either materialized or not, and it does not matter if the werewolf is in the Umbra or the material world. all the Theurge has to do is activate the fetish while in the spirit's presence, and for the next three hours anything the spirit says is instantly communicated back to the fetish. This has one downside: The fetish makes an audible noise and thus can be heard by enemies. It is, however, decidedly useful for a number of purposes. The Glass Walkers adore using spirits to act as intelligence sources on a battlefield, and co-ordinate their assaults from a spirit "eye in the sky." Many Theurges find these fetishes a helpful aid to making other fetishes by allowing a spirit in the Umbra to speak its mind about an object the Theurge is preparing with no extra effort on their part. Others still find it a fantastic security device, left activated and hidden in a room to issue dread warnings to any who should enter. In all uses, it is a favored tool of many Theurges in all tribes.
• Totem Mask - Level 4, Gnosis 7 - Theurges are not commonly sought out for their assistance in leadership or diplomatic situations, but sometimes their spirit knowledge can be very helpful in those cases nonetheless. In particular, the Theurge's great understanding of the spirit world, and close link to his pack totem, can allow him to help two packs coordinate their activities better through the links of their totems. Totem masks are always made in a set of two, between two packs working together toward a common cause with different totem spirits. Each is made to represent the totem of the other pack, and is then worn by one member of each pack (most commonly the alpha). This sole member is then considered a member of both packs while the Mask is being worn, capable of engaging in pack tactics with either and able to draw upon the benefits of the other totem. On the downside, she's also obliged to adhere to the Bans of both. While it is possible to create a full set of Masks, one for each member of both packs (provided they have the same number of members, for each must be created in a set of two), the costs involved tend to prevent this. Each Mask is good for one highly specific cause only, and once that cause is accomplished the Masks become nothing more than mundane objects. As such, creating a whole host of these potent fetishes is only done for the most important of causes. Needless to say, an avatar of the other pack's totem spirit is bound into the Mask. Each activation lasts for one scene.

List of Philodox Fetishes

• Feather of Ma'at - Level 3, Gnosis 5 - Originally a creation of the Silent Striders, the Striders have been known to share this fetish with Half-Moons of other tribes who've been a great aid to Owl's children. The feather can be of various forms, from an ostrich plume to a raven's quill. When a Philodox is speaking to someone, she "applies" the feather against the truth of their speech by tossing it into the air. If the feather sinks to the earth, it "weighs" more than the words of the person speaking; they are being truthful. However, if the speaker is lying, the feather remains floating; their words are too "heavy." Should the werewolf using the feather fail to activate it, the default is that the feather falls to the ground... and she may not realize she's hearing lies.
• Stinger Blade - Level 3, Gnosis 8 - A specifically Half Moon fetish weapon, the Stinger Blade is a large, very heavy weapon with a rather dull edge. It bears exactly three glyphs along one side of the blade, representing the three codes of Renown: Honor, Glory and Wisdom. Upon the other side are three different glyphs: the name of the blade, the name of the owner, and the name of the creator. (Should the latter two be the same person, it will only bear two glyphs upon that side.) The blade houses a bee or wasp-spirit. Because the blade is so heavy, it is phenomenally unwieldy to strike with (difficulty 7), and the dull edge only does Strength -2 bashing damage per hit. However, every strike made while the weapon is activated does an additional seven dice of wound penalties. A healthy Garou who takes four health levels of damage from this weapon will only be physically Bruised, but will be wracked with such pain that his wound penalty will be as Wounded, at -2. Because of these advantages and disadvantages, it makes a lousy weapon of war. It simply can't kill quickly enough, and even if one enemy is incapacitated with a few strikes, it can still take actions and make a nuisance of itself if it's left alone. (Worse, since the damage is considered bashing, many opponents can heal these wound penalties quickly unless the pounding continues.) The weapon simply leaves the Philodox too open to attack from the enemy's allies. But for a keeper of the peace, it's a brilliant device. When one Garou is out of control, the blade can swiftly reduce the werewolf to a whining puppy upon the ground, being belted time and time again with the weapon until he is finally prepared to surrender and see sense.
• Storyglass - Level 4, Gnosis 6 - A storyglass can be an ordinary pocket mirror, shard of glass or other reflective surface (as long as it's not silver!) When activated, the user speaks a specific question to the glass, such as "Show me who stole my klaive." A brief, silent image will appear. Such flashes can be misleading, as they don't often give a complete picture of what occurred and why. The images also reflect "visible" reality; if someone is wearing a disguise, that's what the viewer sees, not the person under the mask. Images in a storyglass aren't hard and fast evidence for moots or rites of punishment, but they can point a Philodox in a useful direction.
• Questing Collar - Level 5, Gnosis 7 - One of the more dreaded tools at the disposal of the Half Moons, a questing collar (also derogatorily known as a "slave collar") isa fetish designed to judge the untrustworthy and to enforce the right of law. To make one, a heavy iron collar is bound with any spirit with the capacity to kill large numbers of people if need be. The Questing Collar is rare in modern times, as the trial by fire that it enforces is harsh by anyone's standards. A Philodox, who publicly charges the accused with a trial to overcome places the questing collar around an offender's neck. This trial may go some length toward the Philodox's or his sept's personal interests, but this is expected. Simply being issued with a collar is a considerable blow to one's Honor, since it is a clear sign that she is not trusted. Wearing a questing collar strips away 4 temporary Honor. However, if it is generally felt that the collar has been unfairly employed, and the accused completes her set quest, she may well earn back that Honor and some Glory besides. Those who are seen as deserving of the collar, however, take much longer to earn back the trust their people have lost in them. After issuing the trial, the Philodox also issue a deadline for the trial's completion; traditionally this is one lunar month, although difficult trials may take longer. At this point, the Philodox activates the fetish, which will remain activated until the trial is finished or the collar is destroyed. Once the time frame is up, the collar shatters and the spirit within is released. The spirit within will then move to kill those closest to the wearer: family, mates, children, and so on. However, spirits almost invariably demand a taboo declaring that they not be used unjustly in this fetish. When the Philodox clearly uses the collar as nothing but a means to destroy opponents, the spirits inside have a history of fulfilling the contract by killing the wearer's family, and then coming back for the Philodox who issued the trial. Spirits also have sense of justice, and if a Philodox shows he has no right to the authority he wields, then those same spirits tend not to respect it, and to try and correct tings....

List of Galliard Fetishes

• Plate of Ages - Level 1, Gnosis 5 - An unusual fetish, but one in which many Galliards trust, the Plate of Ages is a valuable recording tool of history. Made from a small metal plate screwed, welded or otherwise attached to another object (most commonly other fetishes), the Plate of Ages is initially entirely blank, without a single mark upon it. However, as the plate and the object it is attached to are passed down from owner to owner, the plate begins to engrave itself with the names of those who own it. If it is attached to a fetish, then the first successful activation of that fetish that the owner makes automatically activates the plate as well, which immediately inscribes itself with the glyph of the owner's name. If it is attached to a non-fetish, then the plate itself will need to be activated for this to occur. Should the owner not have a deed name or a glyph to represent himself, the name is written in human language. The plate is surprisingly clever. If it begins to run out of space, previous inscriptions shrinks in size, get moved, or otherwise make space for the new ones. If absolutely needed, the plate can even increase its own size to make room for new inscriptions. The Plate of Ages is bound with an elephant or turtle-spirit.
• Memory Cup - Level 2, Gnosis 5 - This fetish usually takes the form of a drinking horn, a tankard or hip flask, or an elaborate ceremonial goblet. Glass Walkers sometimes prefer shot glasses, and Bone Gnawers are fond of creating memory cups out of glass tumblers, usually those featuring some old faded cultural icon (old children's cartoons are a favorite), shined up as nice and pretty as can be. Within the fetish is bound a spirit of a songbird, a lovebird, a turtle or (rarely) an elephant. The memory cup must be filled with an alcoholic drink (although the Bone Gnawer variant will accept a soft drink) before it can be activated. Whoever drinks next out of the fetish is filled with memoires of his past, whether they be from yesterday or from the few days after his birth, in perfect detail. By rolling Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8) the drinker may try to pick out a specific detail he didn't previously take much notice of for an event in which he was present, no matter how long ago. Galliards are fond of using this fetish to pry details out of eyewitnesses to a particularly interesting story.
• Thunder Drum - Level 2, Gnosis 6 - This fetish doesn't actually have to be a drum; any easily portable musical instrument will do, as long as it can play low, threatening tones (no one has ever crafted a Thunder Banjo, for instance). The Garou beats the drum while marching into battle, unnerving his foes with its quiet, yet pervasive rhythm. The activation successes are subtracted from the initiative scores of any opponent who hears it, for the first turn of combat only. The Garou must beat the drum for at least two turns before rolling to activate the fetish. To create a Thunder Drum, the Garou must bind a war-spirit into the instrument.
• Monkey's Tongue - Level 3, Gnosis 7 - Despite the name, this is rarely made from a tongue (though when it is, a human tongue is commonly used). Just as often, the Garou binds a spirit associated with language - a parrot or magpie, or sometimes a Weaver-spirit - into a book or some other innocuous item. When activated, the fetish translates one language into a tongue of the Garou's choice for the rest of the scene. The fetish only works on one language at a time, so it can't simultaneously translate French and Spanish. it does, however, work both ways - the Garou appears to be speaking in the targeted language, even if he doesn't speak a word of it. This fetish can translate human languages into the Garou tongue. No one speaking in the targeted language notices the difference; if a Garou uses this fetish to translate German into English, he hears English when others speak German, but anything speaking in German doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

List of Ahroun Fetishes

• Hunter's Necklace - Level 3, Gnosis 6 - No plan ever survives the first ten minutes of battle. The reason behind this isn't poor planning but luck - no one can account for the inexplicable. Apart, that is, from those bearing this fetish. The Hunter's Necklace is made from the teeth and claws of a predatory animal and is bound with a cat or owl-spirit. When activated, the necklace imbues the wearer with an incredible sense of resilience, not only in body but in spirit. When activated the wearer receives one extra Bruised health level, and receives a +1 bonus to all rolls which primarily depend upon luck. (Storyteller caveat: This does not mean all die rolls, despite the fact that the dice's results hinge on luck. Don't let a player convince you otherwise!) Furthermore, the spirit within the fetish is loosely bound enough by this rite to exert greater force than normal if needed. If activated, the plater can choose to allow the necklace to absorb either a single blow that would otherwise kill the wearer, or to somehow reverse the effects of one suddenly disastrous stroke of bad luck. If this happens, then the necklace falls apart and can never be put back together again.

List of Ahroun Talens

• Bloody Bandages - Gnosis 7 - These days, Bloody Bandages have fallen out of favor, mainly because the war has become so constant. But when the Garou actually have times of peace and can plan their battles ahead of time, Ahroun often take the time to prepare this most useful of talens. The effect this talen has is quite desirable - when activated, the talen restores a number of health levels equal to the number of successes rolled on the activation roll. If this takes the warrior above perfectly healthy, then he gains an extra number of health levels above the normal ones. These additional health levels are lost first and then are not healed in battle. However, making one is a trial in itself. The object required for the talen is a set of bandages that can cover most of the werewolf's arms, legs and chest in Crinos form, soaked in the wearer's own blood. The talen does not work if the amount of blood lost doesn't bring the werewolf down to Incapacitated. While regeneration means that a werewolf can quickly heal from such a debilitating loss of blood, most feel this period of weakness is intolerable in the modern age. The Apocalypse War comes to the Garou these days, and any time their greatest warriors are not completely prepared and alert is unacceptable. But, should the chance to make them present itself, Bloody Bandages can be invaluable. Bloody Bandages are bound with a leech-spirit.

References

• WTA: Hammer & Klaive, p. 35, 81, 102-103
• WTA: Book of Auspices, p. 24-25, 78-81