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ScarFetish

Scar Fetish is a term used by the Garou to describe the resulting product of having a spirit bound to body marks or decorations, making that body mark itself some sort of fetish.

Overview[]

Some respected Garou of much merit are occasionally granted the right to bind spirits into scars or other body decorations, such as piercings. These fetishes, especially those bound directly into a tattoo, are living fetishes, part of the Garou herself, and can hold any kind of function or power relevant to it. Most commonly war-spirits are bound into these, but some Garou have wisdom or cunning spirits bound to them, granting them boons relevant to these spirits.

Beginning characters should generally not start with scar fetishes, as only Garou having performed great achievements are granted the right to bear these. Similarly, the Storyteller and player should agree on the exact nature, level power of such a Fetish (WOD).

List of Scar Fetishes[]

  • Scar Fetish - Level and Gnosis Variable
  • Mokolé: Scar Fetish - Level and Gnosis Variable
  • Children of Gaia: Tattoo of True Shape - Level 2, Gnosis 6 - This fetish is usually a tattoo or scar, although it can also be worn as a piercing. An octopus-spirit or other shapeshifting spirit is bound into the fetish. Developed by the Ragabash Soldier-of-Paradise, it contours the Garou's shapeshifting to make him comfortable and functional in any space. Thus the huge Crinos form might become thicker-bodied and smaller in a confined corridor, more able to move or fight. The Hispo would fit into a tiny elevator by being taller and more erect, though its four-footed stance and fighting claws would not change. A Garou can shift from Homid to Lupis while in a cramped tunnel without the Crinos shape being a problem. The tattoo must be activated during shapeshifting; it's impossible to spend a Rage point to shift forms and activate the tattoo in the same turn. The five forms are still recognizable no matter what the fetish does, and it does not enable Garou to take new forms. This fetish is especially helpful to Garou who invade Black Spiral labyrinths and other alien Wyrm-spaces. Whether the Black Spirals themselves have learned of it is not known.
  • Red Talons: Cunning Fetish - Level 1, Gnosis 5 - Powered the spirit of a raccoon or equally clever little beast, this fetish allows the player to add activation successes to her character's Enigmas for the scene.
  • Red Talons: Swift Fetish - Level 2, Gnosis 6 - A swift-moving bird spirit or hare-spirit powers this fetish. For every two activation successes, the character's running speed doubles for one scene (so four successes would quadruple the character's speed for a scene).
  • Red Talons: Might Fetish - Level 3, Gnosis 7 - The spirit of a strong animal, such as a moose or a bear, is bound into the scar. The player may activate the fetish and add the activation successes to the character's Athletics for one scene.
  • Red Talons: Tears-at-Flesh: Far Bite - Level 4, Gnosis 8 - This is a Scar Fetish depicting a pair of fangs with wings. It is carved into Tears-At-Flesh's shoulder. When activated, it allows him to bite anyone within line of sight. He must spend one Gnosis point for this.
  • Uktena: Scarification - Level 1 or 2, Gnosis 5 - These permanent fetishes are unlike most others. Taken from African practices, the patterns of scarification link a willing spirit to the Garou. The patterning is done by means of a silver needle and is quite painful. Scarification fetishes allow the Garou so marked to utilize any single Level One or Level Two Gift. There is no Gnosis cost to use any Gift bestowed upon the Garou in this fashion, though if the Gift usually calls for the expenditure of Rage or Willpower, the recipient must pay those costs normally. The pattern is representative of the spirit who usually teaches that Gift (for example, a pattern that allowed the Garou to learn the Level Two Metis Gift: Burrow would look like a mole, while one that gave her the Level One Ragabash Gift: Open Seal might resemble a raccoon). To gain more than one Gift, the Garou would have to have more scarification. Simply making the marks is not enough, even if made with silver; a willing spirit must power the fetish for it to be effective.
  • Wyrm Scars - Level 1, Gnosis 6 - These are scars that must be dealt by a minion of the Wyrm. (To the frustrations of some shapeshifters, the blows of a normal Fera or Garou never work for this.) It is then bound with a wolf or dog-spirit, or the spirit of any other animal who employs smell as one of their primary senses. When activated, the fetish acts as a constant Sense Wyrm gift, and this lasts for a week from activation. When this scar detects a Wyrm presence, it itches in a distinct and powerful way, a way cannot be confused with a normal itch. Although useful, a Wyrm Scar can be a pain in the ass to activate in any environment other than purest wilderness, and are not common in the modern day. Most urban areas are permeated with Wyrmish energies to varying degrees, and a werewolf can be plagued with an itching scare for days without ever meeting so much as a fomor face to face.
  • Soul of Lightning - Level 4, Gnosis 7 - The name given to an unusual scar fetish particularly favored by the Glass Walkers and Shadow Lords. It is created from scars that wound the arms, hands, or shoulders of the bearer, and is bound with either a storm-spirit of some sort (a popular Shadow Lord choice) or electricity elemental (a Glass Walker favorite). When activated, the scars glow blue and electricity pours from the scar over both arms and claws. The lightning adds two dice of damage to any claw strike and any such strike causing more than four health levels of damage (after soak) stuns the victim, causing her to lose all actions for the next round. The lightning lasts for one turn per success on the activation roll, or five turns if a Gnosis point is spent to activate the fetish.
  • Body of Scars - Level 5, Gnosis 7 - Fetishes must be made from a grievous wound indeed, one that has a genuine chance of killing the recipient. (In game terms, it must have brought him below Incapacitated.) The scar left by this wound is then bound with a spirit associated with growth - scrub plant-spirits or rabbit-spirits are both common choices. When activated before a battle, the scar begins to slowly grow, spreading out over the body, and if a blow strikes the bearer, the scar will immediately surface there. The hard scar tissue protects the body, granting another two dice of soak. After the scene, the scar tissue heals back to normal quickly. While gruesome, this fetish is popular among most tribes. Sadly, it is also popular among the Black Spiral dancers, who bind disease Banes into the scar to get the same result, but the base fetish existed well before the Dancers and few Garou see it as inherently tainted.
  • Anton Nordenskald: Scar Fetish - Level 5, Gnosis 8 - Each success on the activation roll adds one extra soak die against any type of wound, including aggravated damage. This scarified tattoo appears as a medieval shield.
  • Sherrick Drast: Scar Fetish Armor - Level 3, Gnosis 5 - This is a small tattoo of a shield. It acts as magical protection for Sherrick's whole body, providing two dice of armor.
  • Thunder Tiger: Tiger-Scar - Level 2, Gnosis 5 - A Gift from Panthesilea, this mark of great pride and respect. Thunder Tiger is at -2 to any Social roll difficulty with the Bastet.

List of Tattoo Fetishes[]

Tattoos are common among the Fianna; some have spirits bound into them. These take the form of Celtic designs or Garou glyphs, and must be of quality craftsmanship - a spirit isn't likely to willingly enter a heart with "Mom" written across it, particularly if such a mark was purchased in a parlor. System-wise, tattoo fetishes are treated like ordinary fetishes with one exception: should the player ever botch her activation roll, the spirit is instantly freed; the tattoo flares, leaving an outline on the skin which gradually fades away.

  • Fianna: Tattoo of Protection - Level 3, Gnosis 7 - When activated, the tattoo soaks the first wound level of damage taken by a Fianna in any given turn. The tattoo contains a turtle or stone spirit. If the Garou botches her activation roll, the tattoo flares and vanishes from her skin.

References[]

Werewolf: The Apocalypse Fetishes and Talens
Garou Ancestor · Apocalyptic · Artifacts · Auspice · Breed · Caern · Celestial · Claw Carvings · Cyberfetishes · Drums · General Fetishes · Klaives: Bane Klaives - Grand Klaives · Legendary · Masks · Natural · Scars/Tattoos · Softwere · Special Items · Talens · Torcs · Tribal · Umbral · WeaverTech: Hardware - Software - Wetware · Wyld · Wyrm
Kinfolk Kinfolk Fetishes · Kinfolk Talens
Fera Ahadi · Ajaba · Camazotz · Drums · Fylfot · Gurahl · Hengeyokai · Kitsune · Masks · Mokolé · Nagah: - Bindhi · Nuwisha · Rokea · Scars/Tattoos · Shiny Things · Trinkets · Toys
Fomori Wyrm
Mages, Dreamspeakers & Spirit Sphere General Fetishes · Trinkets
Fifth Edition Talismans Klaives · Legendary · Talismans · Talens