fetish creation guide - mind's eye society · 1 fetish creation guide fetishes are a vital and...
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Fetish Creation Guide
Fetishes are a vital and important part of the Forsaken
venue. They can add inspiration, creativity, and fun
to most any game, if created and used well. If used
poorly, however, they can be extremely detrimental.
This guide is intended to alleviate the latter problem.
A Note on Lore of the Forsaken
The aim of this guide is to consolidate, clarify,
and codify Fetish creation and usage information
for the specific needs of the Mind’s Eye Society
chronicle. This guide does not invalidate
Chapter 4 of Lore of the Forsaken in its
entirety. In fact, the rules and information
listed on pages 138 through 145 of that book are
both sanctioned for play and quite useful for
Fetish enthusiasts. It includes further
information on the in-character construction of
Fetishes, expansion of Fetish Rite mechanics, as
well as Fetish identification and communication
rules.
How to Use this Guide The first section of this guide will outline the basic
conceptual steps a player and storyteller should be
going through in order to create a fetish. This will
include the original concept of the fetish, what sorts
of spirits may be workable for that item, appropriate
vessels for the spirit, and potential chiminage as well.
The second section of this guide details the
mechanical aspects of a fetish, to help determine
what level fetish the item is. For the purposes of the
Mind's Eye Society, any deviation from the rules set
forth in this guide defaults the fetish to a truly custom
item, and thus is unavailable in sanctioned play. This
guide is intended to provide players with a certain
degree of autonomy when making their own fetishes
– to account for a “typical” range of fetishes, with
those that are truly exceptional in some way are the
province of the source material published by White
Wolf and its licensees.
The last section of this guide will detail what is
required to go into an application for a fetish when
putting it into the Approvals Database, in a helpful
template format.
Throughout the guide, there will be sidebars that
specifically call out special rules or reminders for
players and storytellers alike.
Fetishes ≠ Spirit Awakened Objects The Rite of Spirit Awakening in W:tF Core and the
custom Call to the Slumbering Spirit can
create/awaken the spirits of inanimate objects (and
animate ones as well). These are NOT the same
thing as fetishes. In fact, these spirits, like any other,
can be bound into fetishes!
Though these spirits are often anchored to the
corresponding physical object they were awakened
from, they are as aware as any other healthy spirit.
Whereas a spirit bound into and empowering a fetish
is in a perpetual state of slumber save for the split
second that the fetish is activated or the Rouse the
Fetish ritual is performed (see Lore of the Forsaken
pp. 142-143).
Specific mechanics pertaining to Awakened Spirits
receive their own treatment in Lore of the Forsaken
(pp. 136-138). The main thing to remember is that
like all unbound spirits these are non-player
characters with their own alien agendas that are under
control of the Storyteller chain. The most
appropriate mechanic to use to represent a positive
relationship with such a spirit (or any other that isn’t
a Totem) is the Allies Merit. Specifics on Uratha
having spirit Allies are detailed in The Rage pp. 102-
103.
Like any other ally, these spirits expect something in
return for their aide. An Uratha that’s constantly
doing favors for a spirit it has no Totemic
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relationship with opens himself up to suspicion from
other Forsaken.
Concept The first step, and arguably the most important, in
making a fetish is to create the concept. In short, what
do you want your fetish to do? Don’t worry about
mechanics at this point – think in abstract and very
basic terms. Do you want your fetish to provide your
character with armor? Allow greater movement,
whether that is a faster swimming speed, or perhaps
more running speed? At this point, it is probably best
to have a sheet of paper to write down your ideas,
scratch out things that are or are not workable.
Once you have the concept sorted out, it’s time to
think of what kind of spirit you want to use in your
spirit. It should be indicative of your fetish’s concept
in some manner – a cheetah-spirit, for instance, is not
a good choice in a fetish whose concept is tied to
unlocking security doors, for instance. Don’t be
afraid, though, to stretch your thinking a little. A
fetish that provides speed
has a number of different spirits that may be able to
provide benefits – spirits of sports cars (or the
aforementioned cheetah!) would be particularly
suitable, but so, too, are spirits of horses, the wind, or
even lightning. Surely you’ve heard the phrase “quick
as lightning”? Don’t keep to typical expressions of
your concept, but put that animistic thinking cap on,
and consider broader spiritual concepts that may be
workable for your fetish idea.
Many fetishes have a quirk or other idiosyncrasy
inherent to them. This is not mandatory, but when
present is almost always tied to either the nature of
the spirit (or its inhabiting spirit), or to the amount of
power the fetish provides to the character. Make a
note of two or three possibilities here – it’s not
imperative to choose one right now, but get some
ideas down. At the very least, they’ll spark with
something later in the process, and guide you to a
perfect quirk for your fetish.
Thinking of the physical side – what does your fetish
look like? What might be an acceptable “house” for
your desired spirit? Dependent upon the type of
spirit, your character may be treading dangerously
close to violating the spirit’s Ban in some manner.
Keep this in mind when working on your fetish, and
ensure that the vessel is fitting from a thematic
standpoint.
Storyteller Note: Red Flags There are some things that a player may add to a fetish
that, combined with other things on the sheet, can become unbalancing. There is no creation system out there that can
accurately and reliably counteract this sort of behavior,
either intentional or not. That’s where the Storyteller
comes in. It is –your– responsibility to keep an eye out for those fetishes that, when combined with other powers or
talents, unbalance the game.
There are a number of things to keep an eye out for. These
are:
A fetish that covers up a weakness of some kind –
whether derived from tribe, auspice, lodge, or simply
being a werewolf.
A fetish that is a straight port of a spirit’s Numina.
Spirits trapped within a fetish do not have access to
their Numina normally, and while a fetish’s powers may be similar in theme, they are not identical. Also,
as noted later in this document, this is specifically not
allowed.
A fetish that intrudes upon the role of another faction
within Forsaken society. An Irraka creating a fetish designed to give him prophetic dreams should be
discouraged, for instance, as that intrudes upon the
role of the Cahalith.
Remember, fetishes are not simply “magic items”.
They possess a spirit within them – and that spirit has
its own goals, personality, and may affect how well the fetish performs. See “Rebellious Tools”, p.143 of
Lore of the Forsaken.
Lastly, remember that fetishes are an “add on”, if you
will. They should not replace or overawe the
character’s natural abilities of tooth, claw, and Gift.
Fetishes enhance and aid – they do not overpower.
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Mechanics Basics At this point, it’s time to at least consider the game-
mechanics side of things. Jot down whatever you’d
like the fetish to do as a general concept. Things like
“add armor” or “make me go faster” or even “make
me harder to see” are all worthwhile abilities for a
fetish to have. The exact mechanics of the fetish will
be worked out below – but for now, having a solid
vision of exactly what you want your fetish to do will
keep you on-task and focused, without adding a lot of
unnecessary tweaks to the final product.
Remember – with the exception of fetishes that
utilize the character’s stats to be able to work (hitting
a target with a klaive, for instance, to deliver another
effect) – all relevant pools are based off the fetish,
not the Uratha. It is the fetish’s power that is being
utilized, not necessarily the character. For example, if
a werewolf wanted to make a fetish that duplicated
the effects of the Gift: Primal Anger (which adds the
user’s Primal Urge to combat dice pools for the
duration of a scene), the bonus would be based on the
power level of the fetish, not the user’s Primal Urge.
The following lists enable players to select a number
of powers available to create a suite of abilities for
their fetish. They also allow for some enhancement of
the fetish, as well as adding some mechanical
restrictions to reflect some of the odd quirks of the
fetish, noted above.
It should be noted that any deviation from the powers
listed in this Guide pushes the fetish into the realm of
the un-sanctionable. More unique or special fetishes
are the domain of the White Wolf licensed source
material.
Fetish Gift Duplication Some things should be clarified in regards to fetishes
duplicating Gifts. In no case is this system meant to
truly short-change the requirements of a power.
When utilized in fetish form, the costs of the power
must still be paid, in Essence and/or Willpower. In
addition, if the power in question only lasts for a
number of turns equal to the number of successes, the
fetish is considered to have the “Restricted Duration”
Minor Restriction, without lowering the “cost” of the
fetish.
Or, to put it another way, unless additional
Enhancements or Restrictions – over and beyond
what is required by the power– are placed on the
fetish, the duplicated power works exactly as written,
with no alteration of the fetish’s power level.
However, the activation test pool for any fetish that
duplicates a Gift is equal to the user’s Harmony
minus the fetish’s level (instead of the usual Attribute
+ Skill + Etcetera), as with any other fetish.
In no case can any fetish ever duplicate any Auspice
Gift, nor can a character create a fetish that duplicates
a Gift that the character normally wouldn’t ever be
able to learn (so, a Forsaken werewolf would not be
able to create a fetish that duplicated the powers of
any of the Pure’s Gifts, or of a Gift from the Tainted
Moon, or Wound Gift lists. It is entirely possible for a
Forsaken werewolf to acquire a Pure fetish as a spoil
of war, however.)
Lastly, in no case can a fetish circumvent the
Approval level a Gift. The fetish’s approval level is
always the higher of the two (fetish or Gift).
Level One (Middling) Fetish Powers (+10 pts)
At this level, a fetish is no more useful than a good
piece of technology. The benefits provided at this
level are relatively minor, and certainly not game-
breaking. The storyteller should still utilize caution
for characters that possess a number of “smaller”
fetishes.
This power acts as a ±2 modifier to a draw based
on a single Attribute or Skill. Thus, fetish
providing a +2 to Computer draws qualifies here,
but a fetish providing a +2 to Intelligence draws
–and– Computer draws does not. This power
may not be selected more than once on the same
fetish.
This ability adds up to a ±1 modifier to a
derivative trait, such as Defense, Speed, Initiative
or Health (Health levels can only be added to and
the rule for Temporary Health Dots on MET pp.
238-239 apply).
The power creates light, equal to that of a high-
powered flashlight.
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The power permits short-lived levitation (no
more than a few turns usually).
The power duplicates the effect of a 1-dot Gift.
The power provides 1/1 Armor.
The fetish changes Bashing damage to Lethal.
The power repairs small, simple objects with few
moving parts.
The power initiates communication with spirits,
but does not provide a means to do so.
The power duplicates one particular ability of a
mundane object (make a call, unlock a lock,
deliver a poison), noted specifically in the
description of the fetish.
The power ignites a flame with a combined size
and intensity adding up to 1 (see MET p. 247).
Ignition lasts one turn per activation success.
This power can be taken up to five times on the
same fetish adding to the flame’s combined size
and intensity each time.
Level Two (Extraordinary) Fetish Powers (+20 pts)
The powers bestowed at this level of ability are
useful, and are likely to be used during any individual
game session.
This ability adds up to a ±2 modifier to a task
draw, but modifies a single trait category
(Mental, Physical, Social) or use groups (Power,
Finesse, Resistance).
This ability provides a ±4 bonus to a task draw
utilizing a single Attribute or Skill. This power
may not be selected more than once on the same
fetish.
This ability adds up to a ±2 modifier to a
derivative trait, such as Defense, Speed, Initiative
or Health (Health levels can only be added to).
This ability adds ±1 dot to an Attribute or Size
with the appropriate modifications to derivative
traits (Health levels can only be added to and the
rule for Temporary Health Dots on MET pp.
238-239 apply).
The power provides 2/2 Armor.
The fetish permits communication across the
Gauntlet.
The fetish provides a minor healing effect, such
as clearing infection. Healing damage is not
possible at this level.
The fetish duplicates the effects of a 2-dot Gift.
The fetish is a minor klaive with a base damage
rating of 1 or 2. See Appendix I.
The fetish may create illusions that may fool
most senses, but may not do damage.
The fetish is usable by a wolf-blooded character.
The power can cause the Knockdown effect on
another character. This effect can't be combined
with doing damage.
The power produces a Minor electrical discharge
(see MET p. 244). Electrical powers cannot have
their damage class intensified (i.e. Bashing to
Lethal) or be taken multiple times on the same
fetish.
Level Three (Exceptional) Fetish Powers (+30 pts)
The powers available to a fetish at this level begin to
border on the exceptionally powerful. Fetishes at this
level are expected to be used often, so Storytellers
should plan for this eventuality.
This ability adds up to a ±4 modifer to task
draws utilizing either a single trait category
(Mental, Physical, Social), or use group (Power,
Finesse, Resistance).
This ability adds up to a ±3 modifier to a
derivative trait, such as Defense, Speed, Initiative
or Health (Health levels can only be added to and
the rule for Temporary Health Dots on MET pp.
238-239 apply).
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The fetish is a greater klaive, with a base damage
rating of 3 or 4. See Appendix I.
This ability duplicates the effects of a 3-dot Gift.
The power ends or modifies Death Rage or
otherwise modifies Rage.
The fetish permits a new mode of travel for the
character: swimming, burrowing, or flying.
The ability heals Bashing damage.
The fetish provides good luck to its owner,
allowing her to benefit from the 9-again rule for
the duration of the power. This power can be
taken up to twice to provide 8-again.
The power provides 3/3 Armor.
The Fetish allows one specific non-combat task
to be performed as a Rote Action.
The power produces a Major electrical discharge
(see MET p. 244). Electrical powers can not have
their damage class intensified (i.e. Bashing to
Lethal) or be taken multiple times on the same
fetish.
Level Four (Potent) Fetish Powers (+40 pts)
At this level of power, fetishes are called upon often,
and provide for their wielder a large degree of power.
The fetish conceals the user from magical
scrying.
This ability adds up to a ±4 modifier to a
derivative trait, such as Defense, Speed, Initiative
or Health (Health levels can only be added to and
the rule for Temporary Health Dots on MET pp.
238-239 apply).
The ability alters the local Gauntlet rating, plus
or minus two.
The fetish provides direct control over spirits
while in the Shadow – forcing them to become
visible, for example. This ability cannot deal
damage to the spirit or make it utilize its
Numina.
The fetish duplicates the effects of a 4-dot Gift.
The fetish allows the character to perform a
specific task as an Advanced Action (MET
p.182) for the duration of the power.
This fetish can hex an opponent applying the
Double Trouble rule (MET p.182) for the
duration of the power. Activation is resisted by
the opponent’s Power Stat or Spirit Rank,
whichever is higher.
The power reduces travel time in the Shadow up
to half.
The power drains Essence from an opponent with
an Essence Pool equal to activation successes.
Activation is resisted by the opponent’s Power
Stat or Spirit Rank, whichever is higher.
The power provides up to a +4 bonus when
dealing with hazards in the Shadow.
The power provides 4/4 Armor.
The fetish permits mind reading. Utilize the rules
for Telepathy in MET: Requiem, pgs. 164‐ 165.
The fetish creates illusions that may inflict
Bashing or Lethal damage, using the fetishes
level as the relevant draw pool for attacks.
The power may heal Lethal damage.
The power produces a Severe electrical discharge
(see MET p. 244). Electrical powers can not have
their damage class intensified (i.e. Bashing to
Lethal) or be taken multiple times on the same
fetish.
Level Five (Penultimate) Fetish Powers (+55 pts)
The strongest set of abilities a fetish can possess,
these powers are the pinnacle of achievement. Only
the most powerful spirits that can be housed in a
fetish power these abilities, and characters should be
very careful in making deals with these entities, lest
they come out on the short end of the stick.
This power destroys a single man-made object
per use.
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The fetish may command obedience from one
or more targets without a reflexive action to
resist its effects.
The fetish is a weapon that inflicts aggravated
damage.
The fetish is unbreakable, or unmovable.
This power duplicates the effect of a 5-dot
Gift.
The fetish adds +5 or more to a draw.
This ability allows for a fetish to affect the
spirit that is within a host or a shell (Such as a
spirit using the Claim Numen)
This ability adds up to a ±5 or greater
modifier to a derivative trait, such as Defense,
Speed, Initiative or Health (Health levels can
only be added to and the rule for Temporary
Health Dots on MET pp. 238-239 apply).
The power siphons Essence from an opponent
with an Essence Pool to the user’s essence
pool equal to activation successes. Activation
is resisted by the opponent’s Power Stat or
Spirit Rank, whichever is higher.
This power may heal Aggravated damage.
The power provides 5/5 Armor.
The power produces a Fatal electrical
discharge (see MET p. 244). Electrical powers
cannot have their damage class intensified
(i.e. Bashing to Lethal) or be taken multiple
times on the same fetish.
Enhancements and Restrictions
Once the core powers of the fetish are created, they may
be modified somewhat by utilizing enhancements and restrictions. These typically adjust things like the duration
of the fetish’s powers, their range, or what costs the fetish
requires to utilizes its abilities.
[Adapted from Lore of the Forsaken, pgs 148-149, with modifications]
Enhancements
Minor Enhancements: (+5)
Automatic: A minor power that works automatically, but only under limited circumstances. This does not mean
automatic activation of the fetish.
Immunity: The character cannot be affected by the fetish’
own power. For example, the power is some kind of
explosion or emanation that does not affect the wielder.
Range: The power doubles the range of weapons or
thrown objects.
Time: Changes a fetish’s power duration from a number
of turns equal to the successes on the activation draw (the
default) to a minute per success on the activation draw. Spending a point of Essence instead of making an
activation draw is counted as drawing one success.
Major Enhancements: (+10)
Extra Uses: The fetish has one extra use (talens only).
Fast Activation: Activating the fetish is a reflexive
action, rather than an instant action. Almost all combat oriented fetishes have this enhancement, otherwise an
Uratha would have to activate it and then use the fetish on
the following turn. The activation action may only be used once per turn on the same target.
Range: The power quadruples the range of weapons or thrown objects.
Tattoo: A fetish that exists as a tattoo (this may be a normal tattoo, a scar or a brand). To destroy the tattoo
fetish, the Uratha must suffer a number of aggravated
points of damage equal to the rank of the fetish, delivered
to the general area of the tattoo (remember to employ called shot penalties).
Time: This changes a fetish’s power duration from a number of turns equal to the successes on the activation
draw (the default) to an hour per success on the activation
draw. Spending a point of Essence instead of making an
activation draw is counted as drawing one success.
Restrictions
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Minor (-5 points each)
Restricted Targets: This power only affects certain, specific targets: duguthim, Azlu, males or whatever.
Restricted Locations: This power can only function in forests, in the Shadow, in the ocean and so on. These are
usually places where Uratha often find themselves.
Extra Cost: Using the fetish costs a point of Essence.
Minor Chiminage: The spirit must be offered some fairly easily obtainable offering to use the fetish again. Needs to
recharge in the sun, under flowing water, in a basin filled
with 16-year-old, single malt scotch or whatever seems
appropriate (Cost ●+). Or some sort of task that uses up one downtime action.
Minor Consequences: Activating the fetish levies a -2 penalty on another draw, lasting one scene or less.
Restricted Duration: Power that normally lasts a scene only lasts for one round per success.
Restricted Number of Uses: Power can only be activated three or fewer times a day.
Major (-10 points each)
Difficult Activation: Using the fetish takes an Extended
Action.
Unreliable: The target of the power gets a reflexive roll to
avoid its effect.
Major Consequences: Upon activation levies a -4 penalty
on a another draw, lasting one scene or less, or levies a -2 penalty for a minimum of a day.
Actions: This power can only be called upon in a few, specific cases, such as defense of a locus, during a ungin,
while fighting a specific foe and so on. Only in highly
specific circumstances does the nature of the power
suggest broader uses.
Extra Cost: Using the fetish costs a point of Willpower.
Restricted Number of Uses: Power can only be activated
once a month.
Major Chiminage: As above with Minor Chiminage, but
the spirit’s chiminage is difficult to obtain: the blood of a
vampire, uncut diamonds (Cost ●●●+). Or some sort of
task equal to half the fetish’s dot rating (round up) in downtime actions to a minimum of two downtime actions.
Talen: The fetish is a talen.
Restricted Duration: A power that normally lasts a scene
may only last for one round.
Ghost-Touched Object or Cursed Item: See Appendix
II. Cursed items always include a Major Consequence
with no additional cost mitigation.
No matter how many restrictions are placed on a fetish,
the fetish level cannot be reduced by more than one level.
So, a fetish that has 60 points invested into it (thus, a 5-dot fetish) cannot be lowered to a 3-dots or lower due to
restrictions. Players are encouraged to place whatever
restrictions that make sense on the fetish from a thematic point of view, however. Once you’ve selected Powers,
Enhancements, and Restrictions, consult the following
table (taken from p. 146 of Lore of the Forsaken) to
determine the level of your fetish.
Fetish Level
Points Level
≤ 10 1
11 - 20 2
21 - 30 3
31 - 40 4
41+ 5
≤ 30 Talen
Talens Talens often serve as informal currency amongst the cagey Uratha. Tossing in a Talen or three is usually enough to sweeten up the deal and make even the most taciturn Alpha more likely to hear you out. The reason is simple: Talens are powerful. Despite the fact that they’re only good for one or two uses, often that’s all it takes to give its user the upper hand. Because
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of this they serve handily as “chiminage for Uratha” in much the same way that Essence does for spirits.
Talens are much easier to convince spirits to inhabit peacefully, after all they’re not stuck in there forever. Usually ritualists only binds a talen’s spirit inside for a season to a year at most. Often savvy ritemasters will build up a harem of spirits amenable to be being used in talens. After all once the talen is used the spirit will find itself in a new and sometimes interesting place, many times on the fleshy side of the Gauntlet.
Some guidelines concerning these minor fetishes:
Talens can only be used once (twice with the appropriate
Enhancement), afterwards they turn into spiritually inert mundane objects.
Talens are created with the Fetish Rite. Bone Shadows
can also use the Create Talen ritual (see Tribes of the Moon pp. 72-73).
Talens are equivalent to “0 dot” Fetishes for the purposes of activation, thus there is no automatic draw penalty
equal to the level of the fetish.
A character can have as many Talens attuned to them as
they have dots of Harmony.
Once a Talen is used up its inhabiting spirit will be
released into whichever locale and layer of reality the
Talen was in during activation. Spirits released in the
physical world will be in Twilight unless they choose to use the Materialize Numen.
In all other respects Talens function as Fetishes do.
Gut Check The Gut Check step is the most important one. The
storyteller should take a look at the fetish, compare it to
other powers and fetishes the character has, and look for any particularly unbalancing combinations. The storyteller
should also compare the incoming fetish to published
fetishes of the same level. If at any point the storyteller is not satisfied, or otherwise feels as though the fetish
doesn’t work well with other elements within the scope of
their authority, they should either go to the player with their concerns or, if this is not workable, deny the fetish.
Obviously, in some cases, the final approval storyteller may not be local to the player. Therefore, this Gut Check
step will happen via the Approvals Database – so it’s very
important to be very clear and concise when writing up
your fetish!
Putting It All Together Once you have the concept and style and mechanics to
your fetish complete, now is when you put it into the Approvals Database. There are a number of things to
include in your application for it to be considered
complete.
This section will provide a template for use when putting
the fetish application in the Approvals Database, and some
helpful advice.
Every single fetish application needs to have the following
information, for the storyteller chain to make informed decisions about your fetish. It should further be noted that
each fetish requires its own application – multiple fetishes
should not be in one “lump sum” application. This makes
reading and evaluating fetishes much easier on your storytelling staff!
Fetish Name: What is it called?
Fetish Level: How many dots is it?
Physical Description: What does your fetish look like?
Does it always come in one form, or could this be crafted
some other way?
Empowering Spirit: What spirit is housed within the
fetish?
The Deal: What sort of chiminage was provided to the
spirit to get it to agree to reside within the fetish? Or did
your character lock the spirit in a binding circle and force it into the fetish?
Descriptive Paragraph: Technically, this is optional, but
highly recommended, as this describes how everything fits
together.
Point Breakdown: Each Power, Enhancement, and
Restriction needs listed out, with its associated number of
points alongside it.
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Durability: Described on p.187‐ 188 in the MET core
book, Durability is the measure of the fetish’s hardness.
Use the chart on p.188 of the MET book to determine your
fetish’s Durability. Many fetishes will be rated at a one or a two – however, remember that Durability is enhanced by
the rating of the fetish. Therefore, a 2‐ dot fetish with a
“natural” Durability of 2 has a reinforced Durability of 4. List this as the natural Durability, followed by the
reinforced figure in parenthesis. For instance, the example
above would read “Durability 2 (reinforced 4)”.
Size: Use the chart below to determine the Size of your
fetish, and list it.
Structure: This is the sum of the (reinforced) Durability, and Size of the fetish. So, if the example fetish above is a
Size 1 item (say, a skull of some sort), its Structure is 5
Damage: If applicable, list the Damage rating of the
fetish, followed by the damage type abbreviated in parenthesis afterwards. By way of an example, a fetish
greatsword would be listed “Damage: 4 (L)”.
Fetish Size Chart
Size Example Fetish Items
0 Jewelry, tooth, stone, bracelet, brass knuckles, gloves
1 Knife, pistol, skull
2 Cane, club, sword
3 Rifle, large axe
4 Greatsword, spear
5 Door, wheelbarrow
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Appendix I: Klaives and Weapon Fetishes
Klaives
For many werewolves, teeth and claws are the only weapons they ever need. But the Uratha also have a long history of forging weapons and binding spirits into them to increase their power. These fetish weapons are called klaives.
A klaive is a hand-to-hand weapon — a sword, dagger, spear, axe, hammer or other implement of destruction. A werewolf in the throes of Rage isn’t capable of using such delicate, finesse weapons, and klaives are made for the sort of life-and-death situations in which Rage is quick to rise.
Werewolves of all tribes use klaives. The Blood Talons favor klaives that emphasize strength, such as heavy axes and hammers. The Bone Shadows and Storm Lords prefer klaives that can be used with a bit more finesse, such as daggers and swords. The Hunters in Darkness favor spears and daggers for their utility outside of combat. The Iron Masters sometimes make fetish weapons that other werewolves refuse to call “klaives” — sharpened jags of metal torn from steel pipes, clubs made from “found objects,” and other variations on urban brutality.
Activating a klaive is normally a reflexive action that invokes the weapon’s power for the remainder of a scene. Even without being activated, a klaive is still a solidly made weapon of its type.
- Werewolf the Forsaken, p205
Fetish Weapons ≠ Klaives Although a brutal instrument such as a lead pipe could have a spirit bound within, it wouldn’t be a klaive. A klaive is a weapon forged by Uratha, imbued with minor powers of war. They are often sized such that they can be used most effectively in Dalu form, yet also useful in Gauru. Ownership of a klaive is a clear mark of status for the Uratha; it indicates a werewolf of combat discipline and strong connections.
- Lore of the Forsaken, p 149
All Klaives are fetish weapons, but not all fetish weapons are Klaives. For our purposes, and to promote a uniform
understanding of what a Klaive is, and is not, here are
some guidelines:
Klaives...
Are made items, forged by Uratha.
Are most effective in Dalu and Gauru forms.
Do not require a successful Resolve + Composure
check to be usable in Gauru form.
Are NOT weapons bought from a store, online, or
made for human use.
Are never firearms or archery tackle.
Are not delicate, and do not require finesse in
order to use (e.g. use Strength not Dexterity).
Conversely, Fetish Weapons...
Can be any weapon with a spirit bound to it.
Can be a mundane weapon, from any source.
Should impose a Resolve + Composure draw in
order to be usable in Gauru, provided it is a
weapon that can be used in Gauru in the first place
(example: NOT a Firearm)
Overall When creating Klaives and Fetished weapons, itʹs important to keep in mind that most spirits will be fairly
particular about what manner of item they inhabit. If the
item is too small for the power level of the desired Fetish, the spirits will be insulted, and most certainly bear a
grudge. If the item is too large for the relevant power of
the Fetish, they will be suitably flattered, but in the end,
the task they are being asked may well be too daunting for them to take on.
In mechanics terms, use the natural damage rating of the weapon (see Armory: Reforged) as a general guide for an
appropriate level for the Fetish, for example: A standard
Dagger (a Small Blade) has a damage rating of 1. Any spirits who would willingly meld with the item to create a
Fetish will be very small and weak (Rank 1 or Rank 2, at
most), keeping the level of the Fetish to one or two dots in
power.
A Large Axe (a Long Blade) carries a damage rating of 3.
This could potentially house multiple smaller spirits (three Rank 1, one Rank 1 and one Rank 2), or one median sized
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spirit (one rank 3). Combined, the Spirits would amount to
an item up to 2-3 dots in the Fetish Merit.
A Great Axe (a Heavy Blade), with itʹs hefty damage of 4,
can house the larger spirits (Rank 4 or Rank 5), with a Fetish rating of up to 4 or 5 dots.
Deviations from the above guidelines are allowable, and
should be made with the following considerations in mind:
What is the quality of the item? A normal dagger,
bought at a cutlery shop or Army/Navy surplus
store wonʹt attract more potent spirits. However, a dagger hand crafted by a blacksmith or master
knife maker (Crafts 4 or higher), or one with a
significant amount of effort put into the quality of the item (6+ Successes on the draw to create the
item) certainly would. The description of the item
should reflect the quality of the weapon.
What is the weapons personal history? A brand
new, out of the box Mossberg 590 12 gauge,
bought from an online auction, wonʹt catch the eye
of a greater Spirit. A Thompson M1928 used by a US Army Ranger to assault German machine gun
nests on D-Day would stand a better chance. The
sidearm of a county sheriff, carried day in, day out, cleaned daily, used with a good deal of
reverence and seriousness in the line of duty for
over 30 years (thus establishing a behavior pattern
of care and ritual-like treatment) would also please a more potent spirit. The Weapons history
should be included in the write up of the Fetish, as
well as the Application for the item.
Did the PC bribe the spirit in a suitable fashion? Is
the PC creator or PC user making it ʹworth their
whileʹ to give up freedom for this type of service? This could be reflected as a certain form of
Chiminage (in the form of a restriction on the
item) or other restriction that in a very real way
make the PC have to go out of their way on a regular basis (in rare circumstances, on a daily
basis; more commonly weekly; and monthly for
less powerful items). The Chiminage should be noted in the Fetish Write Up, as well as the
Application for the item.
Damage: Above and Beyond… Weapons are built with limited capacity to cause damage.
Size, shape, and type of weapon all affect it ability to deal
damage. Asking a spirit to imbue the item with a greater
ability to harm itʹs target requires extra coercion,
convincing, or perhaps even some bribery.
Fetish Weapons and Klaives has the same damage rating
as the weapon carries in its normal, inert state at no extra cost. To increase the damage rating of a Fetish beyond
those limits, apply the following as individual Fetish
Powers during creation:
+1 damage past base (10 point power)
+2 damage past base (20 point power)
+3 damage past base (30 point power)
+4 damage past base (40 point power)
Note, Klaives and Fetish weaponry created from ordinary
items cannot have a damage rating greater than 5. Example: A Longsword has a base damage of +3. You
could spend 10 points to raise that to +4, or 20 to raise it
to +5, but not 30 to bring it to +6.
Be mindful that any extra damage modifier added this way
counts towards the ±10 maximum as per the Universal Addendum [Section VII.C.1.d.i].
Upping the Ante Construction, method of use, and materials determine the
type damage a weapon can dish out. Clubs, cudgels,
nightsticks cause blunt force trauma, bashing damage.
Blades, knives, swords, axes cause lacerations and cuts, hacking away at flesh and slicing bone, dealing lethal
damage to itʹs target. Likewise, Fetish Weaponry and
Klaives deal the same type of Damage that the natural, mundane item would deal in itʹs base state, this is at no
cost to the player. If the player wishes to upgrade from
bashing to lethal, apply the following cost as a power during creation:
The fetish changes Bashing damage to Lethal. (10 point
power)
Specific materials can cause aggravated damage to
different targets. However, Uratha frown upon Silver weaponry, and shaping fire and other elements into a
permanent weapon is not possible. No mundane melee
weapon, and only a few firearms and ammunition types, have the ability to inflict aggravated damage. If a player
wishes the Fetish to deal aggravated damage, they must
add the following as a power during creation of the fetish:
The fetish is a weapon that inflicts aggravated damage. (55 point power)
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Appendix II: Variations on a Theme: Ghost-Touched Objects and Cursed Items
The Rage introduces new categories of magic items for
Werewolf: the Forsaken. Cursed Items which are objects that have been present at an event of great tragedy or evil
and have retained some of the dark power of those
happenings. As well as Ghost-Touched Objects which are
empowered by a human Ghost that has become anchored to it.
For the purposes of the In-Character world it is important to note that neither of these sort power-objects can be
deliberately created by player characters. For our Out-of-
Character purposes it’s important to note that these items function mechanically as Fetishes do with some specific
variations unique to themselves. We are including rules
for these items here for the use of players and storytellers
to create unique objects tied to specific story-lines. Indeed, the dark consequences inherent to these items tend
to generate stories all their own.
Gazhdum: (Ghost-Touched Objects) [Excerpted from The Rage pp. 138-139]
Ghosts stain the world around them with their presence.
The residue of death-given-consciousness leaves behind
an imperceptible taint, an invisible veneer of rot and decay. Sometimes, a specter is given over to such intense,
single-minded emotion or powerful insanity that the very
physical world around the ghost grows dark with the stain of the ghost’s power. Other times, the ghost literally
imbues a part of the world with some or all of himself,
either linking himself to an object (making it his anchor)
or possessing it outright.
Werewolves call objects specifically possessed by ghosts
gazhdum, or “ghost-touched.” Some believe the use of such objects as fetishes is justified, harnessing them for
the werewolf’s own needs. Others believe the use of such
objects is blasphemous, and using a human soul — one theoretically trapped — is a gross misdeed against one’s
own Harmony.
Ghost-touched objects subscribe to the following rules:
A player can purchase these objects with the
Fetish Merit.
Every ghost-touched object is tied somehow to the
ghost that inhabits it; the possession isn’t random.
A ghost of a man who murdered his family with a
fire axe may dwell in that very axe. The specter of that man’s wife may possess her wedding ring, her
wedding dress or even a lock of her dead
daughter’s hair.
Ghost-touched objects smell strongly of scents
associated with death — anything from rotten
flowers to grave-dirt to roadkill to formaldehyde.
This smell lingers for a scene. A character tracking a ghost-touched object or its user by nose
gets a +2 to the draw.
The effects of gazhdum are always negative, and
often associated with death. Such an object will
not grant a werewolf hope or provide positive
feelings; even the effects are marked by the provenance of the grave.
Gazhdum cannot be created using the Fetish Rite.
Activating a ghost-touched object requires the expenditure of one Willpower point. The object is
insidious, and demands that the owner devote his
will toward appeasing the specter within.
A werewolf cannot spend Essence instead of
Willpower, as no Shadow-native spirit resides
within to “bribe.”
Werewolves are not the only creatures capable of
using ghost-touched objects, although they
(particularly Bone Shadows) are often among the
most capable of identifying such items (add a Bone Shadow’s Wisdom dots to an Intelligence +
Occult draw to identify the item as gazhdum).
Due to how “wrong” the use of such items can be
storytellers are encouraged to work in the interactions described on Page 60 of Book of the
Dead in relation to werewolves, the underworld,
and ghostly things.
Arrathudum: (Cursed Items)
[Excerpted from The Rage p. 141]
Some objects are cursed. Powerful emotion, as noted, leaves a resonance. This residue can feed the spirits of an
area or even create a locus. The residue can also, at times,
mark an object in the physical world with a strongly negative spiritual resonance. Only scenes of great horror
and atrocity can change an object in such a way. The
Forsaken call such objects the arrathudum, or the “accursed icons.”
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Accursed objects work according to the following rules:
Every arrathudum has both a power and a
drawback. These both occur at the time of
activation.
Because the object serves as a link to the Shadow,
like a pinprick between worlds, the object can
help a werewolf cross the Gauntlet. When
stepping sideways at a locus, a werewolf with one of these objects in her possession gains a +1 to the
roll to enter the spirit world.
A player can purchase these objects with points in
the Fetish Merit.
Activating a cursed object follows the same basic
rules found on p. 204 of Werewolf: The Forsaken, with a few exceptions.
Any entity with a Morality Trait can roll that Trait
to activate the object; vampires roll Humanity,
werewolves Harmony and so on. Cursed objects seem to react more strongly to souls that seem
“stronger” in some way. Given their slight
corruptive influence, this is not necessarily a good thing.
A point of Essence spent will not obviate the need
for a roll; as the object has no spirit, Essence cannot “bribe” the spirit.
Failure to activate the object still earns the owner
the item’s drawback, but not its power.
Dramatic failure requires a roll to resist Death
Rage or Frenzy as appropriate
This guide was adapted from material written for the Mind’s Eye
Society Werewolf: the Forsaken Chronicle and works by White Wolf
Publishing. Edited and Revised by Tyler Brooks (US2002022858) and
Andrew Adams (US2007070332); Styled by Kyle Solberg
(US2013010058) using Mr. Gone’s WoD Graphics and WoD font
guides found at http://mrgone.rocksolidshells.com/.