rolls (of any sort) for each caem represented; these extra dice last for one day per caem represented. Some such pilgrims have wandered for years; Janine OliveBranches, an elderly Garou from France, has walked for four decades collecting caem tokens against the War of the Apocalypse .... MET: With each caem that participates in the Pilgrim's Staff, the Garou who bears it gains one free retest tO use during peace negotiations. The retests are represented as a pool; only one retest may be used in a single challenge, and the second result must stand. lk~~,h;,J> CPn/ Level Four, Gnosis 6 This appears to be a length of hemp cord knotted and braided into elaborate patterns. Lengths vary, but there will usually be enough to make necklaces, belts, etc., for a pack. A unity-spirit (such as the spirit of a flock of birds) is bound into it. When the pack leader wishes, she may spend 1 Gnosis and share one of her abilities, such as a Gift or skill, with any pack member. She can only share with as many pack members as she has current Gnosis. One use for this is to share skills or abilities; another is to aid pack members by giving them the leader's Rage or Gnosis. The effects last for one scene. MET: The pack leader spends one Gnosis and may share a single Ability or Gift with her pack. No pack member can receive a Gift that is higher than her ability to perform (for example, a Garou who can only perform Basic Gifts may not use an Advanced G ift). This effect lasts for one scene. Ch~ /lfd o/ ~d,Jd.I<J~ Level Six, Gnosis 8 This mystic chalice of gold appeared to Garret Faithful and his warriors as they sat at meat before going to the Amazon. It is known to have appeared from time to time throughout the Children's legends. Some say it held Mother Gaia's tears when she wept for her children, the five slain Garou pups who founded the tribe. Others claim that it was the cup sought by Arthur's knights. Its powers are certain. Only one such chalice has ever existed. One new moon in three, the chalice fills with seawater. Anyone who drinks this primeval saltwater falls into a deep sleep wherein they have a vision of Gaia. This vision is different each time but always contains the sorrow of a mother for her fallen children and the renewal of life with the morning. These are the memories of Gaia, but also relate to the dreamer's own life and work. O n waking, the dreamer is cured of all diseases or wounds. ~41 7hll.:llt#f/PM1t!f# This powerful potion is made by ritemasters who are also herbalists. Portia Tucker, Child of Gaia and survivor of the Civil War, was one of the last who knew how to make it. Its ingredients include wolfsbane and heart's ease as well as alcohol. When consumed, the drinker can Change only once more before it takes effect, and thereafter cannot shapeshift ever again. She remains Garou in all ways, including rites and Gifts, but is trapped in one form till death. Uses for this drug vary. Septs have used it as a punishment for breakers of the Litany, but some older Children of Gaia have used it as a form of retirement (or suicide) after a lifetime of service. As the drinker cannot shapeshift for any reason (even ifGnosisdrops to zero), some take it, enter Crinos and go to death in battle. Metis have even used it to ensure that they will not break the Veil by sleeping or dying to reveal their Crinos form. ..MAJ ftiJ/it .0#~?/11/ff#bh • Scaly Skin: You are covered with scales in your Crinos and Hispo form; in Homid, Glabro and Lupus, the scales are limited to small patches on your back, shoulders and hips. Your Appearance is lowered by 1, and other Garou don't like looking at you. However, reptilian shapeshifters may actually regard you favorably. Some metis with this disfigurement are prone to strange and inchoate dreams of long ago; the reason is unknown. MET: In Crinos and H ispo form, lose all beneficial Social Traits relating to appearance (AUuring, Gorgeous, etc.) and gain the Negative Social Traits Repulsive x 3. You also suffer a two-Trait Social penalty during interactions with other Garou or fur-bearing shifters while you are in Crinos or Hispo. Should you interact with Mokole, you do not suffer any Social Trait loss or penalty. • Long Ears: You have long, donkey like ears in all your forms but Homid. In your Ha mid form, your ears are simply big and ugly. FollowersofMule may actually consider you favored by their totem, but other Garou find your ears a repulsive trait, the mark of prey rather than a predator. MET: Gain the Negative Social Trait Repulsive, and wear a tag to indicate your deformity. Indeed, Asoka the Beloved wishes all beings noninjury, balance and restraint, even toward the offensive. And this is the best conquest, Conquest by the Way Edict of Asoka, 250 BC ftp~(),;l> "All right, then," William Great Wings said with some relief, "these are the final terms?" "Yes," growled the massive Get on one side of the stOne table. "We will withdraw our packs from this territory, and not cross this boundary again without permission, so long as we are not further provoked." "And we," growled the Wendigo on the other side, "will pay ten Bane Arrows and one Baneskin 'wergild' as our ... apology for the ... unfortunate death of your tribesman, and harry your packs no more." "Good," said William. "Thatsoundsquitefair. Gaia blesses the both of you for your wisdom." You are skilled in conflict resolution and "talking things out." Whether or not you have renounced violence, you are able to practice alternatives to it. This is a difficult skill for Garou to learn, and some Kin learn it as a matter of course. You kept your siblings from fighting over the prize from the Grain Flakes box. • • You manage to talk you and your pals out of bar fights on a regular basis. • • • Your pack works together well because you keep the peace. • • • • Diplomat behind the scenes at moots. • • • • • You could reconcile a Get to a Black Spiralnot that you'd want to. /.:.6r.Uif - 7#d fV1JI P/#P Jft# The whir of wood through the air died down as Melanie gave the staff one final spin, brought it to an immediate standstill before her chest, then saluted her opponent. In return, he shook his head, swod up with some difficulty, and bowed to her before melting back from the Glabro into Homid. "Point taken," he grimaced, feeling at his jaw. "ALl right, all right, I'll quit nagging the elders to give me Thousand-Songs' klaive. A fetish weapon's nothing without skill." His grin widened. "Butyouknow, you never told me whether your staffs a fetish or not." He eyed the length of rosewood appraisingly. Melanie sighed and shook her head. The quarter staff (or bo, if you prefer) is one of the most simple yet profound weapons known. It is nothing more than a pole with no sharp edges or points, yet its use relies on all the fundamental techniques for all major weapons. Additionally, although the staff incorporates these techniques, it does not inherit their deadly force. In this sense, it is the perfect weapon for the Children of Gaia as it allows for a widely varied range of fighting options but focuses on the immobilization and disabling of opponents. While the word Iskakku is Sumerian in origin, it by no means should be thought that this style of fighting is a Sumerian martial arts form. Rather, it is the accumulation of generations of Children fighting lore, a mishmash of various fighting styles and techniques that all utilize either the staff or some other similar pole weapon. The names used for this style are meant to reflect upon the Sumerian hero, Harsag Zalazalag- "Peak Which Emits the Brilliance." A Garou who was conscripted into the army of Kish, he refused to use the war axes assigned to him by his commander. Instead, he broke the blade off a longhafted ax and chose the simple pole as his weapon. The commander, as punishment, forced him to defend himself with his makeshift staff as five other axwielding solders were set upon him. He defeated them all, taking no lives, and was allowed to keep his staff. Many consider him the forebear of this style in spirit only, since most of the maneuvers cannot be traced back as far as Sumeria. The art has practitioners among both Garou and Kin, and masters are not jealous of their art, unlike Kailindorani. With the departure of the Stargazers, the adepts of lskakku have attracted more attention, as tutelage in Kailindo, never easy to find, has become nearly unobtainable. Anyone can find a staff easily, although many masters have a favorite bamboo grove where they cut them. (Bamboo is light, strong, costs nothing, and does not harm the bamboo plant when it's cut, as bamboo is a form of grass and not a tree). Some bamboo groves near caerns have awakened spirits and allow a+ 1 to dice pools for the user of a staff from their canes. Garou must propitiate the spirit by tending the grove carefully and preventing harm to the plants. Many masters of lskakku dedicate or adapt the staff so that it grows to fit the huge paws of the Crinos shape and disappears in Hispo and Lupus. The style itself has no official path, but certain maneuvers are only possible once a certain amount of skill is attained. In game terms, each maneuver has a requirement in dots of lskakku that must be attained before the maneuver may be attempted. Alternatively, a Child of Gaia who has four or more dots in Melee and specializes in the staff may use the maneuvers as if she had her Melee skill minus two in Iskakku. Novice: You can use a staff to attack or defend. • • Practiced: You know the basics of disabling your opponents. • • • Competent: You are a flurry of blows and blocks. • • • • Expert: Shaolin monks stand up and take notice. • • • • • Master: You're almost more dangerous in Homid with a staff than in Crinos with your teeth and claws. .fhtr~# ,-tft1FJdijVIJI'./ • Attack and Block: You may substitute your Iskakku skill for Melee when using a staff in combat. • • Mahasu Qatu (Hand Smite): When being attacked by someone using another melee weapon, the character may opt to make a parry that also doubles as an attempt to dislocate the attacker's wrist. This not only knocks the oncoming attack away, but also potentially disable his opponent. The defender makes an lskakku + Dex roll (difficulty 8). If the number of successes exceeds the attacker's successes, then the attack is not only successfully deflected, but the attacker's wrist becomes dislocated and he may no longer use that hand until he heals (the equivalent of healing a level of bashing damage). Roll: Dex + IskakkuDifficulty: 8 Damage: Special Actions: Special • • Tammabukku Istu Kur (Dragon emerges from mountain): As a sudden departure from the usual series of swings, the character suddenly thrusts the staff forward as he would normally a spear. This blow is aimed at the face and may not be attempted more than once in a row. Roll: Dex + lskakkuDifficulty: Normal Damage: + 2 Dice Actions: 1 • • Tabalu Kur (Take away the land): With a sweep of the staff, the attacker may attempt to trip his opponent, forcing him to the ground. The attacker rolls Dex + lskakku (difficulty 8) while the defender resists with Dex + Athletics (difficulty 7). lf the attacker has more successes, then the defender falls. Otherwise he remains standing. Roll: Dex + IskakkuDifficulty: 8 Damage: Special Actions: 1 • • • Isten Kima Ummanate (One as an army): The staff can be wielded in such a way that both ends may be used to attack in quick succession. When using the technique, the character splits his attack dice in half, using the first (and larger if not an even split) pool for his initial attack and the second pool for another attack. While these attacks aren't as threatening as full swing, it tends to force the opponent to defend himself from the flurry of blows just to avoid being hit. All damage done with these attacks is one die less. Roll: Dex + lskakkuDifficulty: Normal Damage: -1 Die Actions: 1 • • • • Se(>u T.~tu An (Foot from heaven): The character uses his staff to vault himself through the air and deliver a powerful kick to his opponent. The attacker first must have a little running room, and then roll his Strength + Athletics (difficulty 5) to determine if he can vault far enough to his opponent. The distance vaulted is up to 8 feet per success. Upon landing, he rolls Dexterity + Brawl (difficulty 7) to deliver a powerful kick to his opponent. Regular combat rules apply to this attack. Roll: Dex + Brawl Difficulty: 7 Damage: Str + 3 Actions: 2 • • • • Sepsu Sepu (Powerful Foot): In addition to the extra attack allowed by Is ten Kima Ummanate, the character may now divide his attack dice into three pools and use the third for a kick. Using all three blows is usually reserved for fighting lots of untrained combatants. • • • • • Adannu Lukur Daku (Appointed time of the enemy's demise): The master oflskakku often ends the fight before it really begins. He stands in wait for his opponent's first attack; he parries with one end of the staff while moving past his opponent and then delivers a powerful blow to the back of the head with the other end.If stuck with precision, the blow to the cerebellum is enough to knock nearly anyone unconscious. The defender must first make a successful parry (difficulty 7) and then make a Dex + Iskakku roll (difficulty 8) to attack. If successful, the damage dealt is not applied as health levels of damage but is compared to the opponent's Stamina. If the damage is greater than his Stamina, the opponent is rendered unconscious. This imaginary damage cannot be soaked. Roll: Dex + lskakkuDifficulty: 8 Damage: Normal Actions: 2 MET: Iskakku must be bought as a separate, normal Ability. Those who have Melee with a specialization in Staff may substitute their Melee Ability (minus two levels) for Iskakku during retests. No martial art may be used during frenzythe mind is too overwrought with Rage to think clearly enough for martial arts of any kind. Each maneuver is marked by how many levels of lskakku the Garou must learn before she can attempt the maneuver. These maneuvers are gained when she purchases the next level of Iskakku. One Trait Attack and Block: You may substitute your Iskakku skill for Melee when using a staff in combat. Two Traits MahasuQatu (Hand Smite): With a successful Physical Challenge (retest with Iskakku), you may dislocate your attacker's wrist (equivalent of one level of bashing damage). Until the damage is healed, that hand may not be used in combat. Two Traits Tammabukku Istu Kur (Dragon Emerges from Mountain): With a successful Physical Challenge (retest lskakku), once per combat, you may thrust your staff at your opponent's face. The attack inflicts two levels of bashing damage. Two Traits Tabalu Kur (Take Away the Land): By sweeping your staff, you can knock your opponent to the ground. Engage your opponent in a Static Physical Challenge against seven Traits (in the event of ties, compare your Iskakku score to his Athletics). With success, your opponent must fall to the ground. Getting back on his feet follows normal combat rules. Four Traits Sepu lstu An (Foot from Heaven): This maneuver requires two actions to perform. You use your staff to vault yourself through the ai r, delivering a powerful kick to your target. You must first have running room, then make a Physical Challenge (retest Athletics) to make the vault. On landing, a second Physical Challenge (retest Brawl) is necessary to inflict the damage (which may be bashing or lethal depending on your form and Storyteller discretion). Five Traits Adannu Lukur Daku (Appointed Time of the Enemy's Demise): This maneuver requires two actions. With your enemy's first attack, make a challenge to parry the blow. With success, you may make a Physical Challenge (retest Iskakku) to attack. Success on your attack challenge allows you to strike the opponent on the back of the head with your staff, knocking them unconscious for the next three rounds.
Children of Gaia · Werewolf