Dramatic Systems
Quick reference for core Garou mechanics that have real rules and real consequences. These are often treated as automatic in social play, but not in any story or combat scenes. Automatic successes when dice pools exceed diff are up to the running ST's discretion
Shifting Forms
Roll: Stamina + Primal-Urge
Successes needed: One per form crossed to reach the target (e.g., Homid → Crinos requires 2 successes: through Glabro, then Crinos; Homid → Lupus requires 4)
Shifting to breed form is always instant and requires no roll. Spending 1 Rage to change form is also immediate, no roll required.
Difficulties by Form
| Form | Shift Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Homid | 6 (if breed form, no roll) |
| Glabro | 7 |
| Crinos | 6 |
| Hispo | 7 |
| Lupus | 6 (if breed form, no roll) |
Form Stat Adjustments
All adjustments are relative to Homid baseline.
| Form | Str | Dex | Sta | Man | App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homid | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glabro | +2 | — | +2 | −2 | −1 |
| Crinos | +4 | +1 | +3 | −3 | 0 * |
| Hispo | +3 | +2 | +3 | −3 | — |
| Lupus | +1 | +2 | +2 | −3 | — |
* Crinos Appearance is effectively 0 — not used for social rolls.
Involuntary Shifting
- Berserk frenzy: Immediately shift to Crinos or Hispo (player's choice)
- Incapacitated (bashing): Revert to breed form and collapse
- Incapacitated (lethal): Fall unconscious and revert to breed form
- Moon Sign talen: Willpower diff 7 to resist — fail = forced shift to Lupus
W20 p.285–287
Stepping Sideways
Entering the Umbra is not automatic. It requires focus, a reflective surface, and a Gnosis roll against the local Gauntlet.
Roll: Gnosis
Difficulty: Local Gauntlet rating (see table below)
Requirement: The Garou must focus on a highly reflective surface like a mirror, still water, glass. Using a portable reflective object rather than one anchored to the surroundings increases difficulty by 1.
Exception: Garou with the Gift Pulse of the Invisible need no reflective surface.
Gauntlet by Location
| Area | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Science lab | 9 |
| Inner city / downtown | 8 |
| Average city street | 7 |
| Rural countryside | 6 |
| Deep wilderness | 5 |
| Urban caern | 5 |
| Active caern (levels 1–2) | 4 |
| Strong caern (levels 3–4) | 3 |
| Powerful caern (level 5) | 2 |
Successes and Crossing Time
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| Botch | Caught in the Gauntlet (see below) |
| 0 | Fail — wait 1 hour before trying again |
| 1 | 5 minutes |
| 2 | 30 seconds |
| 3+ | Instant |
On a Botch
The Garou is caught between worlds, half physical, half spirit. They cannot be seen or attacked by physical beings. Evil spirits wander the Gauntlet preying on trapped travelers. Another Garou can free them by making a successful sidestep roll. After one hour the trapped Garou may try again , if that roll also botches, they cannot free themselves and must be rescued.
Traveling with Others
One pack member may roll for the entire pack. All must be willing and capable of stepping sideways. If the pack roll botches, each member must attempt to cross individually.
Non-pack Garou must cross on their own. Non-Garou cannot cross unless the leading Garou knows the Gift Grasp the Beyond.
W20 p.308–310