Delirium is the overwhelming instinctive fear that affects human beings who see werewolves and some other Fera in their war forms - with the exception of their kinfolk, who are entirely immune to the effects Delirium, as are ghouls, vampires, and large armies of mortals (over 50).
Overview[]
For over three thousand years, Garou preyed on humans. Even though most humans have no idea that werewolves exist, some part of the collective unconscious remembers those millennia of terror called the Impergium. The Crinos hybrid form, an avatar of bloody death, incites a kind of madness in humans that Garou call the Delirium.
Stronger-willed people can deal better with seeing a werewolf than most. The majority of humans panic and run, or collapse into a catatonic fear. Even those who can control themselves will forget the encounter later, either by rationalizing what they saw as a bear or by forgetting the whole incident. This subconscious denial is a supernatural force that the Garou dub the Veil, and they look at it as one of their greatest assets.
The Delirium only affects people who can see the werewolf in person. Photographs, video (live or recorded), or other such evidence won’t trigger any fear reaction. Human witnesses will rationalize the evidence away as a Photoshopped image or a publicity stunt, unless their Willpower is 8 or higher. The Delirium is also tied to the Impergium, and therefore, shifters such as the Kitsune, who did not participate, do not trigger the Delirium. Certain aboriginal cultures whose ancestors weren't part of the Impergium also do not trigger Delirium.
Delirium is invoked as soon as the person sees the shapeshifter. This includes if the shapeshifter shifts in the presence of someone. The only exception is the Crawerling form of the Ananasi or the Microchiptera form of the Camazotz. Simply seeing the multitude of spiders or bats will not cause Delirium. It will invoke if the shifter shifts to or from that form. Kitsune took no part in the Impergium and therefore they do not induce Delirium in any form.
Delirium Effects[]
How a human acts when faced with a Crinos werewolf depends on his Willpower score. The chart below indicates how a human will react, to what degree the human will remember his encounter, and what percentage of the populace will react in this way. A few humans may be desensitized to the worst of the horror of seeing a Crinos werewolf through their studies of the occult. Members of cultures that didn’t suffer the Impergium to a great degree (such as Native Americans and Aboriginal Australians) might also be granted a bonus to resist Delirium — though only if they’ve been raised without contact with other cultures.
| Willpower | % of Population | Forget? | Reaction |
| 1 | 10% | Yes | Catatonic Fear: The human faints, or collapses in fear; |
| 2 | 20% | Yes | Panic: The human bolts, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Garou as possible; |
| 3 | 18% | Yes | Disbelief: The human retreats to a corner to avoid the “hallucination” until it passes, but doesn’t collapse in fear; |
| 4 | 15% | Yes | Berserk: The human attacks, be it firing a gun (he won’t have enough presence of mind to reload, however), throwing crockery, or even leaping at the “monster”; |
| 5 | 13% | Yes | Terror: Much like panic, except with rational thought. The human is able to think enough to lock doors behind him or to get in a car and flee; |
| 6 | 10% | Yes | Conciliatory: The human will try to plead and bargain with the Garou, doing anything possible so as not to get hurt; |
| 7 | 7% | No, but will rationalize | Controlled Fear: Although terrified, he does not panic. The human will flee or fight as appropriate, but remains in control of his actions; |
| 8 | 5% | No, but will rationalize | Curiosity: These people are dangerous, because they remember what they saw (more or less), and they might well investigate the matter further; |
| 9 | 1.5% | No | Bloodlust: This human refuses to take anymore. She is afraid but angry, and she will remember the Garou and probably even try to hunt it down; |
| 10 | 0.5% | No | No reaction: The human is not the slightest bit afraid or bothered by the Garou. Even Kinfolk aren’t this stoic, so Garou tend to be very suspicious of such folks; |
Reduced Delirium[]
Some forms do not induce the full Delirium, and instead invoke reduced delirium. The same table is used, but the target's Willpower is considered to be two points higher than what it would usually be.
Gallery[]
References[]
- WTA: Players Guide to the Changing Breeds, p. 167
- W20: Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 262-263