United Kingdom Fetishes

The items in this section are some of the traditional tools crafted by the Forsaken of Britain. Although Storytellers and players should not feel restricted in using these items in chronicles set outside the United Kingdom, it should be clear that these fetishes are primarily used by the British Forsaken. Storytellers should note that there are fewer examples of tribe-specific fetishes in the following list, due to the overall interaction between werewolves and the extremely mixed-tribe packs that make up the Uratha of the United Kingdom.

List of Fetishes

Gruel Pot: An uninspired version of an old British myth, the Gruel Pot is nevertheless a useful survival aid for a werewolf trapped somewhere without the chance to hunt in the wilds or buy food in a city. A spirit of gluttony or necessity is bound into a ceramic mug or a metal saucepan, and when activated, the fetish container will fill with a bland and lukewarm porridge. The food is enough to fight off hunger, but certainly isn't big on taste. The Elodoth historian that first created a Gruel Pot was said to be disappointed that it didn't turn out quite like the "Cauldron of Plenty" he'd been hoping for.
Action: Instant

Man's Best Friend: This fetish - a favorite among certain Irraka and urban-dwelling werewolves - is made from binding a spirit of deception of lies into the skull of a dog. The skull itself is marked with the glyph for "surrender" and is threaded onto a metal necklace to be worn around the neck of the bearer in Urhan form. When activated, Man's Best Friend convinces all mortal onlookers (but not Uratha or mortal characters with the Wolf-Blooded Merit) that the wolf they see is in face a large dog of an unthreatening breed. The deception lasts for an entire scene, and although the deception conceals any trinkets or fetishes on the werewolf's body, it doesn't change the werewolf's cleanliness or hide any injuries. For example, a dirty mangy wolf will appear as a filthy, mangy dog without a collar (which would more than like warrant a call to the relevant authorities anyway). However, for the careful werewolf who possess this fetish, it is one of the more useful tools in making sure The Herd Must Not Know.
The masking effects of the fetish can only conceal a werewolf's Urhan form and has no power to disguise the Urshul or Gauru forms. Also, it should be noted that if the character uses Gifts or behaves strangely in public, she might still draw attention to herself and even inspire Lunacy if she demonstrates blatant supernatural powers.
Action: Instant

Marriage Brooch: In the press of the cities, when Forsaken must often defend small hunting grounds against intrusion, it has been known that sometimes battles come at the wrong times. Wolf-blooded relatives can be caught in the middle of conflict, and a werewolf can't always rely on his tracking skills to find his kin. This fetish takes the form of a brooch, crafted from metal wire (usually copper and iron) and bound with a Lune of any choir. It is understandably difficult to persuade a Lune to enter a fetish, and because of the fetishes' rarity. Marriage Brooches are often given to beloved spouses as wedding gifts. Traditionally, the wolf-blooded character sleeps with the fetish under her pillow for at least four nights every week, though she gives the fetish back to her Uratha relative when she awakes. With the fetish in his possession, the werewolf adds +3 to any Tracking rolls to find the wolf-blooded kin when it is activated.
Action: Instant

Nona's Blessing: Named for a lesser-known Roman goddess of pregnancy, the Blessing is a small pebble (of any type of stone) that is cleaned thoroughly, ritually bathed in pure water for 24 hours, and then bound with a hope- or joy-spirit. The Blessing is worn in the woman's navel during sex, and almost guarantees the chance of conception between a male naturally able to sire children and a female naturally able to bear them. Children conceived with Nona's Blessing are said to be more likely to become Uratha in life, though this has never been proven. The fetish is considered active at all times it is worn in the navel, with no roll necessary.
Action: Reflexive

Shadow Jacket: A minor but useful tool, Shadow Jackets are valued by many Uratha involved in stealthy urban-based guerilla warfare. The fetish is a dark coat (of any style) with a darkness-, night- or shadow-spirit bound within. When activated, the wearer adds +1 to all rolls involving Stealth for the rest of the scene, whether they refer to sight, sound or smell. The main disadvantage to the fetish is that it cannot be activated during the day, and fails to function if an attempt is made.
Action: Reflexive

Charm Bracelet: This fetish is a small, thin chain worn on the wrist, with give tiny "charms" that each feature a different glyph representing one of the five faces of Luna. When activated, one of the charms will fall from the chain and turn to dust as the charm makes contact with the ground, and for the rest of the scene, the werewolf receives a +1 luck bonus on all rolls. The fetish can be activated five times in total, before the charm-less chain bracelet turns to dust and the luck-spirit within goes free.
Action: Reflexive

Ghosts of the Forest: These wind chimes are handmade from wood the fetish maker collects himself, and carved into hollow tubes, each bearing the name of someone the creator wishes to protect. A protective, cantankerous spirit is required for these fetishes; badger-spirits are the most common choice. These fetishes are most often given to beloved wolf-blooded families, to watch over them when the Uratha is with the pack and away from home. The wind chimes are hung at the main entrance to a building or room, and function for a year after activation, when the agreement with the spirit within must be renewed. Any ordinary humans approaching the chimes with ill intent toward those named on the wooden tubes will suffer extreme discomfort and the onset of fear as the chimes start to clatter together and whistle softly, whether there is wind or not. Such trespassers must pass a Resolve + Composure roll, or flee with all possible haste. Anything short of an exceptional success on this roll still inflicts a -2 penalty on all of the trespassers' rolls while the trespassers are within the building or room that the chimes are guarding, as the chimes rattle and whisper with unearthly voices.
Action: Instant to activate; permanent thereafter.

Vermin's Flight Necklace: Made from the skull or a normal adult rat, these necklaces are favored by werewolves with a penchant for urban violence and rooftop battles - and those with a need to flee in a hurry. The skull is worn on a metal chain or leather thong around the neck or wrist, and when activated, will add +2 to the wearer's Speed, in addition to add +2 dice on all rolls involving jumping. The bonus lasts for three turns per dot of the user's Primal Urge; the fetish can be activated once per scene. Curiously, the fetishes have been known to function when made from smaller and more fragile pigeon skulls, as long as either version is bound with a cat-spirit.
Action: Reflexive

Black Blood Candle: In some occult traditions, a black candle is burned to banish negativity and evil spirits. The Bone Shadows pass this ancient pagan custom down through to the modern nights, using a fetish candle to ward and area against spiritual intrusion for several hours. The Black Blood Candle is aptly named, for it is created by adding three drops of the maker's blood to the tallow mixture as the candle is first made. The finished fetish is black wax with warding glyphs scratched into the sides, and with a fear-spirit bound into the candle.
When activated, the fetish burns for six hours. It can be remade by mixing the remains of the candle in with fresh tallow, and adding the blood again - this can be done without the Fetish Rite, as the fetish itself is only lost if it is completely burned and used before being mixed again. While the candle burns, any spirits within scent range of the candle (the same room, or approximately 25 feet) suffer a -2 penalty on all rolls to use their Influences and Numina on targets in the physical world.
Action: Instant

Bond of Law: This extremely useful fetish sees a great deal of use by Ithaeur and any other werewolves dealing extensively with the denizens of the spirit world. Any Uratha can become confused by the complex codes of conduct and interaction displayed by the spirits of Shadow. The Bond of Law is a fetish designed to wring straight answers out of reluctant or alien spirits that are disinclined (or otherwise unable) to speak the direct truth. A magpie feather bound with a spirit of lies, deception or an animal spirit associated with trickery (such as a magpie or fox) is worn touching the fetish-user's skin. Commonly the feather is tied into a lock of hair or worn on a necklace of twine. When activated, the Bond of Law is able to detect whenever a spirit is lying to the wearer, and it grows warm to the touch when such deceptions are spoken. The Bond of Law only works when pointing out the lies of spirits; the untruths of humans and other supernatural creatures remain undetected.
Action: Instant

Crone's Axe: This axe is constructed from an arm-length wooden haft and set with a wide, flat blade at the top, crafted in the Celtic style. The Crone's Axe features carved runes on the blade; iconography of Morrigan, the raven spirit of war. When activated, the axe emits a screeching, howling series of cries and caws, sounding like a flock of ravens and a woman dying in agony. The sound rings in the ears and minds of the axe-bearer's foes at painful volume, hurting and disorientating anyone nearby who regard the wielder as an enemy, causing a -1 penalty to all Mental and social rolls for the rest of the scene.
Action: Reflexive

Heart Spear: This short spear of clean, stripped oak is just over a meter long, making it slightly longer than the length of a man's arm. Painted on the sides of the Spear are seven small glyphs, each inked in the blood of seven prey animals (rabbits, hares, deer, etc.) and forming the sentence All become prey when the heart's blood flows. When activated, the Spear adds +3 to all Melee rolls for the rest of the scene, as the weapon constantly turns in the wielder's hands and leaps forward to the opponent's heart.
Action: Reflexive

Storm Gauntlets: These fingerless gloves are made from black leather and appear to be any other pair of faded motorcycle gloves. Other Storm Gauntlets have been created using various styles of gloves, but the fingerless black leather look seems to work the best. It is said the fetishes were once made from metal gauntlets such as those worn by knights in the Middle Ages, and, in one instance, a pianist's white gloves in the Victorian era. It seems many incarnations of the Storm Gauntlets have appeared throughout the centuries.
The gloves are bound with a minor storm or thunder-spirit, and when activated, the werewolf claps his hands together to unleash a cacophonic crash of thunder that echoes in the minds of all those who beat the user any immediate ill will. Any attacking enemies (or enemies about to attack in the next few seconds) within hearing range of the user suffer -2 to Initiative rolls and all dice pools involving Dexterity or Wits for the next six turns, as their balance and hearing are distorted from the explosion of noise. These fetishes are understandably popular with werewolves of the Storm Lords tribe, and a rarer variant exists where the spirit is bound into a necklace, and the roar of thunder sounds when the werewolf howls. The gloves may be be activated once per scene.
Action: Instant

Woad Tattoo: A legacy of the Celts that has bled down the centuries, some Uratha take the tradition of painting blue woad onto a warrior's body before a battle to a modern extreme. Tattoos are inked into the flesh, created with a mixture of blue ink, fetish-maker's own blood and the spirit of a stag. Most Woad Tattoos appear on a werewolf's forearms, biceps or back, but in some rare cases, a particularly enthusiastic Uratha has had the tattoo cover much of his neck and face as well. As permanent fetishes that become part of the werewolf's body (much in the way of scar fetishes), Woad Tattoos are highly prized and difficult to create. When activated, the tattoos run with fresh blood (causing one point of lethal damage from blood loss and staining any clothing worn) but add +2 to the beater's Strength for the duration of the scene.
Action: Reflexive

Effigy of the Hunters: This fetish appears as a carved statuette approximately the size and width of two fingers. Effigy of the Hunters can be carved roughly or with great skill, from any durable material, but must show the faces of at least five wolves. The spirit of any animal that hunts in a pack (which can be rare in Britain and difficult to find) is bound within the fetish, allowing the beater to activate the fetish and call five wolf-like war-spirits to her aid. These spirits can only manifest in the Shadow Realm, and each fight using a Power, Finesse and Resistance of 3. The war-spirits are incapable of communication, and instinctively attack anyone the bearer of the fetish regards as an enemy. The effects of the Great Hunt last for a scene. This fetish can be activated once per moon phase (roughly twice per week).
Action: Instant

Knock-Knock Stick: These tools are among the most unsubtle fetishes used by the Forsaken of Britain. Guns are nowhere near as common as they are in America, so when a werewolf makes a fetish firearm, there is usually something special about the weapon. A perfect example of this is the type of fetish called a Knock-Knock Stick. These items take the form of a shotgun, bound with a bull-spirit, and often showing the etched glyphs Nu Bath Githul - The Herd Must Not Know. When activated and fired at any unliving object (cars, doors, walls, etc.), the spirit within the gun rages out and smashes into the offending structure, most likely knocking it down or destroying it completely. The gun cannot damage anything larger than Size 7, though the weapon can break open Size 7 holes in a larger object if fired at one, such as a bus or house wall. This in itself might be enough to cause enough structural damage to bring the target crashing down.
Attack rolls are made as normal, with a +4 bonus for the Knock-Knock Stick as a tool. Damage done is determined normally, but the applied damage ignores the item's Durability, directly attacking the Structure. Used against living targets, in addition to shell damage, the shotgun knocks the target backwards five feet per damage point applied after soak.
Action: Reflexive

Salmon Charm: This fetish takes the form of a small, finger-sized carving of a salmon, twisting as if it were leaping into the air. This is an extremely useful tool, serving two purposes when activated. The salmon-spirit within the carving increases the bearer's Wits by 2 for the remainder of the scene, and also allows the user to use the two-dot Strength Gift: Mighty Bound. The effects of both powers last for a scene, and the werewolf is capable of using either ability (or both) when the fetish is active.
Action: Instant

References

• WTF: Shadows of the UK, p. 95-99