Totems of Cunning
Butterfly
Background Cost: 5
Butterfly is a strange Totem, and only those who look past the pretty exterior see the cunning trickster below. When he begins his life, Butterfly is but an easily damaged, harmless caterpillar. To ward off enemies, he releases a sticky, sugary secretion that small predators, such as ants, carry off as food. So that they may protect their food source, these recruited soldiers fight other ants, defending the caterpillar, even after the caterpillar has retreated into its cocoon and no longer provides food. Once he becomes Butterfly, he flees quickly, deserting his willing dupes. And besides, isn't a desperate and ugly time followed by great beauty exactly how the Fera hope the tales of the Apocalypse will be told?
Traits: Butterfly grants his children the Gift: Tag-along, although instead of ingratiating themselves before their target, they must present her with a gift. In addition, he teaches his packs +2 Subterfuge so that they may hide their deceptions, and +1 Athletics to aid them when such deceptions are uncovered. As a shapeshifter spirit, Butterfly greatly admires those hiding their true identity under another one, and these bonuses are doubled when impersonating someone else.
Bans: Those who follow Butterfly may never aid someone weaker than they are without promise of quid pro quo; that's for the ants to do. In addition, he is seen as a pretty, weakling Totem. His children receive one less temporary Glory from any Glory awards.
Goat
Background Cost: 5
Many of the best defenders of the Cunning Totems follow Goat. Like Bull, Goat is stubborn to the point of obsession, but is versatile and clever. Not adverse to lies, politics, or straight violence, Goat is the pragmatist amongst the totems. He is also, however, their glutton.
Traits: Each of Goat's children receives +2 Subterfuge and +2 Survival, and makes Willpower rolls at -1 difficulty.
Ban: Like Goat, those who follow him must eat any seemingly edible and non-toxic food offered to them.
Gull
Background Cost: 4
The seagull might not be a particularly attractive or friendly bird, but it is a tough and canny survivor, found the world over. For those willing to look beyond the bird droppings and trash eating, Gull is willing to share what her quick, darting eyes have seen in her travels.
Traits: Gull's children each receive two dice in the Area Knowledge skill for coastal areas around the world ( including large lakes). In addition, Gull's children float as easily as she does. In the physical world, no Athletics check is needed to float on top the water for any length of time, and any roll to swim back to the surface is made at -2 difficulty. In the Umbra, children of Gull can run across the surface of the water. Due to the totem's unsavory habits, children of Gull lose two points of temporary Honor renown upon adopting this totem.
Bans: Gull cannot bear to spend any long period of time away from open water. The pack's totem will not insist that they remain near the shore, but if the pack remains inland for too long (in the Storyteller's estimation), she will return to the sea, taking all pack benefits with her. This includes such benefits as crossing the Gauntlet as a pack and any telepathic bonding the totem may provide. Gull happily rejoins the pack as soon as they return to environs she enjoys.
Hyena
Background Cost: 4
Hyena mocks anyone with power, heedless of the possibility of revenge. She finds fault with everything she sees, and often uses these misperceptions as excuses to victimize the weak as potential prey. When dealing with elders, Hyena packs criticize, mock, and laugh at the mistakes of higher ranking Garou; thus, some insist on having their Ragabash serve as the pack alpha during sept moots. Rabble disgusted with their elders may turn to Hyena for help, for few of them ever expect to gain enough Honor to advance in rank. Instead, they tend to shy away from septs, even though isolation from society can slowly drive them mad.
Traits: All of Hyena's companions — no one can truly "follow" Hyena — gain Primal-Urge 2 and Subterfuge 2. After becoming fostern (rank two), each member of a hyena pack gains the Bone Gnawer Gift: Laugh of the Hyena. They may draw on four extra Willpower points per story.
Bans: Though Hyena is wise and clever, her ways are not the Garou's, and it's dangerous for werewolves to attach themselves too closely to her. Werewolf packs dedicated to Hyena are plagued by a creeping madness, one that intensifies when they drift from the company of other Garou. Each morning, each Garou in a Hyena pack must roll Willpower against a difficulty of 8. If the Garou has spent at least a day within the bawn of a caern during the last month, the difficulty for this roll is reduced to 6. On a failed roll (that is, lacking even one success), the character becomes subject to a delusion or dementia devised by the Storyteller for the rest of the day. These delusions often apply to potential victims or potential oppressors (such as elders) and should include some clever variety of poetic justice.
Totems of Respect
Dragon (Mokole Clutches Only)
Background Cost: 5
Dragon personifies the 150 million years during which reptiles ruled the earth. Dragon is great and fierce, burning all those who oppose him with his poisonous breath. He asks that his children succor his progeny, reptiles and birds, and preserve the memory of the Dinosaur Kings. Dragon has never yet accepted Garou as his Children.
Traits: Dragon gives the Gift: Dragon's Breath to those whom he favors; any one member of the clutch can use the Gift at a time. When his children are in true need, he may teach them the Gift of Dream Semblance, allowing them to appear as a true dragon for a scene.
Ban: No Mokolé may dishonor Dragon. Definitions of this ban vary, but violations of the Duties, betrayal of Mokolé secrets, or other actions endangering Dragon's Breed would qualify.
African Pygmy Falcon
Background Cost: 5
Like the Garou he serves, Falcon is a most noble spirit. His keen eyes look deep into the Fera’s heart, rewarding and inspiring the valorous and honorable. A respected totem, Falcon brings unity to the Garou and thus the shifters of the Ahadi.
Traits: Packs chosen by Falcon gain three dice to Leadership as well as an extra four Willpower points per story. Each pack member also gains two points of Honor Renown.
Ban: To Falcon's children, dishonor is worse than death; they cart never allow themselves to lose permanent Honor. If they do, they must either put right the wrong or perform a Rite of Contrition and further atone for their offense by hurling themselves at a powerful minion of the Wyrm. While essentially a suicide run, their blood will wash away the stain on their names.
Finch
Background Cost: 5
Finch is a wise totem who personifies adaptation and change. He revels in his ability to shift the shape of his beak, which changes according to the place that he is in. Mokolé say that they can learn much from watching his beak change its shape and size. Finch is also known to the Corax, who try to learn the secrets of life from him. Finch and Horseshoe Crab do not like each other very much.
Traits: Finch, naturally enough, grants his children the Gift: Beak of the Finch. His children also receive one temporary point of Honor, and can draw on three extra Willpower points per story.
Ban: Finch's Children must adapt themselves to their environment. If they live by a river, they must eat fish. They must be content with what Gaia provides and ready them-selves to take advantage of Her gifts.
Frog
Background Cost: 7
Though small, Frog carries a respect that belies her meager size, like Gaia's chosen, Frog is a shapeshifter spirit and a predator. As a spirit of change, bound by the changing water levels brought by tides and temperature, Frog is associated with the seasonal cycle, as well as with both Luna and Helios. If asked properly, Frog will guard her children's lands well and make them prosper, and her many years of guarding caerns have made her a highly honored totem.
Traits: Frog is adept at understanding the four forces of the world: the Seasons, the Elements, the Triat and Gaia. As such, she teaches her children the Gift: Elemental Favor, focusing on the classical elements. With this Gift, Frog's children can summon rain with water elementals, so long as there are already clouds. Frog also keenly maps the land of the heart, and her packs receive +2 Empathy. Finally, as the children of a strongly respected totem, those associated with her each receive +2 Honor.
Ban: Though a ruler of the seasons, Frog is also bound by them. Frog's children suffer a +1 difficulty penalty to all rolls during the winter.
Lion
Background Cost: 5
The Garou distrust those that would let their children fall, and thus the ancient totem of the White Howlers doesn't curry as much favor as one of his strength otherwise might. However, some packs appreciate Lion's dominant approach to leadership, particularly those among the Kucha Ekundu who share with him a respect for tradition. Lion is eager to adopt such packs.
Traits: Packs adopted by Lion gain 1 Honor and +3 Animal Ken. His packs may draw upon four additional Willpower points per story, and make rolls to impress an elder at -1 difficulty. (Lion has always known how to appeal to tradition. In the case of an unusually progressive elder, the Storyteller may waive this bonus.)
Ban: Lion's children must destroy anyone who would hunt wild animals for pleasure. Poachers are a highly sought after sacrifice to Lion.
Totems of War
Bull
Background Cost: 8
The Apocalypse is nigh, and each year more and more Garou decide that the time for subtlety or negotiation is long since past. Fortified by the strength of many warriors and overflowing with Rage, Bull has become one of the dominant War Totems among the shifters of Africa. Appearing as a fiery aurochs, Bull favors try-and-die, head on attacks. He is popular among almost all tribes. The Kucha Ekundu also approve of Bull for his connections to their brood as a representative of an extinct species.
Traits: In the last few years, Bull has become much stronger and extends this strength to his children. Each member of a Bull pack receives an additional dot of Strength, as well as +3 Brawl. He also offers 4 Rage to his packs, which may be drawn upon once per story. Last, being associated with Bull earns his children +1 Glory.
Ban: However, Bull has also grown more desperate in the final days. His children find it very difficult to resist frenzy, and are at -2 difficulty on Rage rolls. He also disapproves of indirect solutions to problems, and may temporarily withdraw his support if his pack adopts such methods.
Cobra
Background Cost: 7
The queen of the cobras was known to the Egyptian people as the goddess Wadjet, the protectress of the pharaoh. The theft of her symbols and the corruption of a number of her spirit brood by vampires like Sutekh infuriated the goddess; a serpent's fury is cold, and only grows with time. Warlike Silent Striders and angry cobra-spirits are drawn to each other, joining together to take their war to the corrupting minions of the Wyrm — especially the Leeches. And woe to anyone else who stands in their way.
Traits: Children of Cobra gain an immunity to snake venom, and an additional four dice to soak any other poison damage. Also, once per day, each member of the pack gains the ability to inflict four dice of lethal poison damage with his bite, in addition to the damage from the bite itself. Against Banes and vampires, this damage is aggravated.
Ban: Cobra grows impatient with Shifers who will not fight (though of course she has no problem with stealth and ambush tactics). She demands that her packs take every opportunity to root out the vampires of Egypt and their corruption.
Crocodile
Background Cost: 5
Crocodile is a wily hunter. He lurks, unmoving and unseen, beneath murky waters; the violent end of any prey that wanders too close to his jaws is inevitable. Crocodile chooses wily warriors to call his children, taking only those who understand that surprise and overwhelming strength is the only way to win.
Traits: Crocodile grants each of his children an additional die of damage with the bite maneuver (and the teeth of his children appear unusually long and sharp, even in Homid form). Also, each member of the pack can channel Crocodile's cold calm to force down a frenzy. Upon invoking this ability, the urge to frenzy disappears, and the werewolf cannot frenzy for the remainder of the scene. This ability can only be used once per story.
Ban: Packs that follow Crocodile must not attack or bring harm to the Mokole, the reclusive reptilian shapechangers. This is a ban that is not tested often, but when it does come into play, these packs might be accused as traitors.
Harrier
Background Cost: 4
Compared to many of Falcon's brood, Harrier is small, plain and unremarkable. However, her wisdom is unsurpassed and she always seeks to encourage cooperation in those who follow her.
Traits: Harrier gives her children two dots of Empathy and allows them -2 difficulty on all Social rolls to do with negotiation, truces and alliances. She also gives her children speed, to arrive on time where they are needed. Harrier's children may double standard movement rates in all forms.
Ban: Harrier cautions her children to listen before they speak, and insists that they listen to all debates for five minutes before starting to speak themselves.
Porcupine
Background Cost: 3
Traits: Porcupine carries her defenses with her, quills bristlin to sink under the skin of any who are foolish enough to attack her. She is generaly mild mannered and sometimes overly blasé, but her spiky quills go a long way towards frightening off any casual foe. When attacked, she lowers her head stubbornly and lashes out with her tail, sending hooked barbs to embed themselves deeply into her opponent's flesh. Each member of a Porcupine pack gains one dot of Intimidation and Melee.
Ban: Children of Porcupine tend to find romantic situations difficult, but other than that, have few limitations.
Rhinoceros
Background Cost: 5
Lion may claim otherwise, but not all would acknowledge the great cat as the king of the savanna. Rhino, with his proud stoicism, is Lion's opposite. Where Lion is arrogant and showy, Rhino moves slowly and carefully. Rhino is humble, but a great defender of his own, and most underestimate his thoughtfulness, worldliness and ancient knowledge. He is popular among shifters of Africa. Occasionally, he has been called upon to resolve disputes within the Ahadi.
Traits: Rhino grants his children both his strength and patience; each of his children receives + 1 Strength and one point of Willpower. In addition, Rhino teaches those he adopts how to quickly end a fight, and his packs can add +1 to their Brawl or Melee for the first attack they make in a combat.
Ban: Packs adopted by Rhino must actively attempt to save his true children. He will also not adopt any Garou without Wisdom.
Ratel
Background Cost: 7
Some homids are surprised to learn that Ratel is a totem of War, expecting her to be a Totem of Cunning, instead. And whilst Ratel is cunning in-deed, she is no mere trickster, but a sneaky, dexterous and relentless warrior. Like Flea, Ratel favors quick strikes and surprise above sheer muscle. Unlike Flea, she will never back down until a foe is destroyed.
Traits: Ratel gives one point of Dexterity and an additional die to Dodge pools to each of her children, and they all gain an extra die of damage on bite attacks as well.
Ban: Ratel packs must never show fear.
Totems of Wisdom
African Pygmy Mouse
Background Cost: 1
Mouse is humble, for she is one of the lowliest of all totems. She is a common totem among the rabble, for she is the only one willing to look after a lone Garou. While she may help an outsider find a temporary pack, she does not expect her ward to remain in it for long. Mouse's survival depends on hiding completely from her predators. She is quiet enough to live in the midst of mankind without attracting attention to herself. Her children are also perfectly willing to travel with others who are stronger and more capable than they are. This totem was once known as the Great White Mouse, but she has become so weak that her status has diminished.
Traits: Mouse bestows Stealth 1 and the Gift: Tag-along. A Garou does not have to belong to a pack to follow this totem. The loner's totem-spirit is, of course, a Gaffling that appears as a tiny mouse.
Ban: If a follower of Mouse has not temporarily joined a pack with Tagalong, he must uphold the High Ban and stay in Homid form until he does. If he does not uphold this ban, he loses his totem spirit until the next full moon; he also loses a point of temporary Honor or Wisdom (Storyteller's choice). If a homid Garou following Mouse is wounded, he may step sideways, shift out of breed form, and heal before returning to the physical world. Regardless of breed, her followers uphold this stricture until they can find other packs that will accept them.
Bat
Background Cost: 5
Bat is an unusual totem, and a rare choice — as far as most Shifters know, he has fallen entirely into the thrall of the Wyrm. Until recently, this was a very accurate summation; the fall of the Camazotz centuries ago destroyed Bat's sanity, and in his hatred he turned against Gaia so that he could help to destroy the Garou who drove his children to extinction. Recent events in Africa, however, have partially redeemed Bat, or at least a portion of him. Like the deity revered by the tribal cultures so long ago, Bat now appears to have a dual aspect — in some respects he is still of the Wyrm, but in others he has come back to Gaia. Most Shifters don't know what to make of this, and look on Bat's followers with great suspicion. None seem to be corrupt, but that doesn't make them innocent.
For their part, Bat's children have deep ties to the earth unmatched by those of other Shifters. They listen to the voices of the Camazotz, and are making a sincere effort to continue that lost Breed's work. The voice of Gaia sings through them, and they listen to Her voice so that they can find Her enemies and destroy them.
Traits: Bat's children gain three dots of Enigmas, and each may use the Gift: Ears of the Bat once per day for the duration of a scene. Each pack member's Perception increases by one permanently, even if this would raise the rating above 5. Pack members also gain two points of Wisdom.
Garou with this totem are well regarded by many Fera, particularly those in Central and Eastern Africa. However, Garou look upon Bat and his children with suspicion, meaning that all Garou pack members lose five points of temporary Honor (if they have that many) and subtract one from any temporary Honor Renown awards they receive. The pack members must work harder to prove that they are honorable.
Ban: Bat demands that his children never fight with Gaia's other children — including other Gaian Garou. Even ritualized or honorable combat is forbidden. His followers simply need to find other ways to resolve disputes because of the horrors of the War of Rage. Bat is often considered to be one of the Ahadi’s most cooperative-geared spirits, next to Rhinoceros.
Chameleon
Background Cost: 4
Changing animals share a strong kinship with the Fera, and few are as well-known and respected as Chameleon. Ever adaptable, invisible, silent and observant, Chameleon favors patient beings who prefer to unobtrusively observe before acting. He is the patron of many Bastet and Mokolé.
Traits: Packs adopted by Chameleon are taught the Gift: Blur of the Milky Eye and are granted three points of Perception.
Bans: Chameleon's packs may not act until they have fully taken stock of their situation.
Ibis
Background Cost: 6
The ibis has since ancient times been the symbol of Thoth, the healer, scribe and keeper of mystic lore. The ibis is also a moon spirit, one of Luna's brood — for the Egyptians, Thoth ruled the moon's path through the night, and even today the curved beak of the ibis is seen as symbolic of the crescent moon. Ibis's greatest gift to the Garou is memory: The Garou seldom record their thoughts, plans or teachings, but Ibis does, and his writings are incorruptible and enduring. The Ibis guards many secrets that would otherwise be lost to the Silent Striders — and some that have been lost, as the Striders have forgotten even to ask.
Traits: Packs that follow Ibis may call on their totem to aid their memory, as the spirit records their experiences. Any sight, sound, message or even scent may be recalled (requiring an Intelligence roll at a variable difficulty). Note that unless the pack spends Background points to improve their totem so that it may remain in contact with all of them, if the pack splits up, only members that remain with the totem spirit will have their experiences recorded. Even more importantly for the Striders, a child of Ibis can ask after any specific memory recorded from any child of Ibis, living or dead (success requires a properly worded request, a successful Intelligence + Enigmas roll at a difficulty of 10 from the player, and usually a great deal of time). The difficulty of all magic worked against children of Ibis (whether "true magick," hedge wizardry or vampiric Thaumaturgy) is raised by one. Lastly, packs pledged to Ibis gain three dice of Medicine that may be allocated among the pack's members.
Bans: Followers of Ibis may not harm marsh birds, nor may they use throwing sticks as weapons (like the Wadjet's Fang talen). Since Thoth was the advocate for the dead, children of Ibis must also intercede on behalf of ghosts in need of help to continue their journey to the afterlife.
Jackal
Background Cost: 5
A rare breed of Kucha Ekundu fervently believes that the tribe can be traced back to a network of "scavenger caerns" in North Africa. Some of these tales are grossly exaggerated, and most evidence of their existence is gone, but there was a time when many Garou in that part of the world followed a common totem. Kucha Ekundu knew him as Jackal. Silent Striders allegedly communed with another aspect of the Incarna, one they knew as Anubis. When Jackal packs first found out about the Striders' war against Set and Apophis in the Kingdom of Khem, they leapt into the fray. When Khem fell, Jackal's followers suffered almost as much as the Striders did.
Traits: Those who follow Jackal gain Survival 2, Leadership 1, and the Gift: Blur of the Milky Eye. Each Garou in the pack also gets one dot in the Ancestors Background. Even Bone Gnawers and Silent Striders get this benefit, but this requires them to travel on an Umbral quest once each year (with or without their pack) to relieve a major experience of this ancestor. Over the course of the chronicle, the Storyteller must create a background and backstory for this bygone Jackal pack from the days of Ancient Khem or the nights of Northern Africa before the Concord.
Bans: Jackal rarely strikes the first blow in any fight; he waits for others to kill. If attacked, he will defend himself, but followers of this totem prefer to wait and feast off the victims that remain. That doesn't prevent them from taunting a foe into attacking them or commanding others to attack, but as "true scavengers," they prefer to exploit the martial talents of stronger warriors. After the fall of Khem, followers of Jackal have also been known for their bad luck. Some believe this "losing streak" began when Jackal packs failed to recapture the Kingdom of Khem from the Wyrm's minions.
In a pack of Jackals, if a pack member strikes the first blow in a fight, the Storyteller can place some form of idol or marker in front of the player representing him. While that player has the idol, he is immune to the Ban: he can continue to strike first in combat. However, the player's character is destined to have a streak of bad luck. Within three game sessions, the Storyteller can take the idol back to turn one successful die roll into a botch. After three game sessions, if the player still has the idol, the Storyteller takes it back without invoking this portion of the ban. Regardless of this curse, Jackal packs usually choose one warrior in their pack to strike the first blow — and suffer the consequences — for the good of the pack. Garou in a Jackal pack cannot take the Flaw: Jackal's Blood.
Owl
Background Cost: 6
Silent watcher, Owl strikes without warning in the darkness. Like the Silent Striders who claim the totem's protection, Owl holds hidden wisdom. The totem is also associated with secrets of death and the shadowy Dark Umbra. Some believe that owls are vengeful spirits of the dead.
Traits: Owl's children are often gifted with premonitions of danger and of the location of mystic places long forgotten. Upon entering the Umbra, each of Owl's children gains wings, allowing them to fly from place to place. Owl's children subtract two from all difficulties involving stealth, silence or quiet. The pack gains three dice when using any Gift involving air, travel, movement or darkness. Each pack member gains two points of Wisdom. Silent Striders may appear mysteriously to aid the pack when it is in danger. Ratkin and children of Rat do not get along well at all with Owl's children, considering Owl's predatory nature.
Ban: Owl asks that the pack leave small tied or helpless rodents in the woods for him and his kind.
Raven
Background Cost: 6
A scavenger and a trickster, Raven follows wolf pack to feast on their leavings, and shows his primal animalistic face to the Kucha Ekundu. Packs who follow the feral version of Raven are often shocked that Raven's more citified incarnation provides money to other Garou.
Traits: Raven is delicate but nimble -- he knows that one strong blow will kill him, and thus tries to stay out of harm's way. Each of his children adds one dot of Wits and can call upon Dodge 2. Packs who follow Raven gain one point of Wisdom upon choosing him as their totem.
Ban: Raven aks that Garou who follow him always leave part of carcass behind for him to feast on. He is partial to eyes.
The Spirit Without Name
Background Cost: 7
The Spirit without Name is a misnomer. This spirit most definitely does have a name, but it is unpronounceable by humans, only conveyed by wolves through scent, body motion and instinct. Humans cannot name it, cannot comprehend it. Wolves can-not miss it, and see it in every motion of the breeze. It doesn't represent anything, for then it would signify that, and such semiotics are the thinking of humans. It merely is, signifies nothing, has very firm characteristics and is deeply meaningful — if you're a wolf. (The spirit's children tend to ignore claims from some homids that it may simply not choose to reveal himself to humans in order to improve its mystique.) Even if any human used these exact words, they'd get it wrong. Nonetheless, the spirit is the connection between the individual and the immediate, always fleeting environment surrounding him. It is the pack instinct. It is the brook and the knowledge of that brook; the tree and the knowledge of the tree at that very instant. It is here now, not a second ago, not a moment ahead, but exactly at this instant, as any wolf will understand it to be. It is, of course, most commonly the patron of Kucha Ekundu packs.
Traits: Those who follow this spirit are strongly attuned to their inner nature and instincts, and receive +2 Primal-Urge even if this takes their score over 5. Those of his children who have 6 or 7 Primal-Urge receive -1 or -2 difficulty to all Dodge rolls respectively. In addition, he attunes his children more strongly to what happens around them. The difficulty of all pack tactics is reduced by 1, and by spending one Gnosis point and rolling Perception + Primal-Urge (difficulty 8), for one minute a child of the Spirit without Name can sense all events around her for 20' per success rolled.
Bans: The spirit cannot even be sensed by those with less than Primal-Urge 3, and thus he will not adopt them. Nor will he adopt any pack with a homid in its ranks. Lastly, the spirit's blessings cannot be received in the unnatural city.
