Half Moon Gifts

Werewolf The Forsaken Sourcebook p. 120-119
Auspice, Lodges & Tribes
Elodoth only
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The patrons of the Elodoth auspice, the Lunes of the Elunim Choir, expect werewolves to live in harmony and with honor. Their Gifts encourage honorable dealings among the People and between the worlds of flesh and spirit. While the Forsaken as a whole dedicate themselves to protecting the physical world from the ravages of the Shadow, Elodoth are expected to recognize spirits’ right to exist. Members of the auspice do what must be done to forestall spirit depredations, but they must recognize that the same cannot be inflicted upon the spirit world in return. Therefore, using these Gifts for abusive, treacherous or selfserving ends is a good way to incur the wrath of the Elunim.

Scent Beneath the Surface (•)

Part of upholding the precepts of virtue, as Elodoth must, is being able to recognize dishonorable behavior even when it is disguised. The Elunim grant their chosen a decided advantage in such matters, though they still expect werewolves to do some of the work on their own.

After paying close attention to someone for a single turn, the character gains a keen insight into not only what that person’s words and nonverbal behavior show, but also what his heart conceals. Unless the subject uses some supernatural means to hide his emotions and intent, the Elodoth can immediately tell whether he’s lying outright, lying by omission, speaking the truth in a deliberately misleading way or is intentionally evasive. The Elodoth can also piece together a general impression of the subject’s emotional state, regardless of how well the subject acts in order to conceal it.

This Gift doesn’t reveal the whole truth behind a subject’s lies, but a clever Elodoth can usually deduce it from context. The Gift doesn’t act like sonar, vigilantly seeking out all forms of deception and alerting the werewolf to them. It applies to only one subject at a time and to intentional forms of expressed deception that are directed at the Elodoth specifically. Disguising oneself to look like an Elodoth’s father doesn’t automatically alert him to the deception. Calling him, “My son!” and generally acting like his father reveals the deception.

Snarl of Command (••)

Sometimes it’s enough just to know that someone is lying or holding something back. If the subject has any valor at all, simply being caught in a lie is enough to shame him into admitting the truth. When time is an issue, however, or when the subject of an inquiry clearly has no virtue, an Elodoth can rely on this Gift to cut to the chase.

With an ugly snarl and a few harsh words, the Elodoth commands a subject to reveal the simple truth behind a topic of contention, and the subject is compelled to comply. Doing so usually entails answering a single question truthfully, but the subject can also be made to remove a disguise or reveal his magically concealed true form (provided the magical means of concealment is under his control). A subject cannot reveal a truth of which he is unaware, and this Gift cannot be used to simply issue random commands for a subject to follow. It works to reveal only the truth behind a particular deception or to force one true answer from a liar’s mouth. An Elodoth doesn’t have to use Scent Beneath the Surface before using this Gift, but doing so is a good idea. Using this Gift and contemptuously demanding that someone come clean when he’s actually telling the truth is shameful and can provoke violence.

Snarl of Command can be used on a subject, whether successfully or not, only once per day. Werewolf and subject must be in face-to-face contact with one another. Such awareness persists for the remainder of the scene.

Aura of Truce (•••)

Most Elodoth don’t need to turn to Gifts to fulfill the role of arbitrator, but sometimes speed is of the essence or matters are particularly delicate. When the Elodoth uses this power, a subtle half-moon halo appears in the air behind her, bathing everyone present in calming, soothing light. While it shines, tension dissipates and cool heads have a chance to prevail.

This Gift lasts for one scene, and flaring tempers subside while it is in use. Opposing parties may disagree and voices may even be raised in anger, but the power of the Gift is such that outright hostilities are harder to perform than normal. In order to commit a violent act — be it an attack, an attempt to damage someone else’s property or an attempt to use a Gift against an unwilling subject — a Willpower point must be spent reflexively for the intended perpetrator. That participant has free reign thereafter. His aggressive actions do not necessarily discontinue the effect for everyone else, but if the Elodoth cannot get the malcontent under control she is wise to absolve everyone. If the character using the Gift attacks anyone under its influence, the power terminates automatically.

The user may choose to terminate the Gift before the end of the scene, but she cannot do so selectively; the Gift ends with regard to all participants or to none. Those affected must be able to see and hear the user directly, and she must be able to do the same.

This Gift works only before violence has broken out. Once a fight is underway, the power is useless on combatants.

Fuel Rage (••••)

A werewolf can remain in the deadly Gauru form for only so long, based on his Stamina + Primal Urge. When that time is up, he loses the ability to maintain the delicate balance between flesh and spirit. The Elodoth, touched by duality, can learn a greater facility with maintaining that balance.

Using this Gift before assuming Gauru form, the Elodoth increases the number of turns in which he can remain in Gauru form. The Gift must be performed in the turn immediately prior to that in which the character changes forms, or it can be used in the same turn if the change to Gauru occurs reflexively. (Just be sure that Essence spent in a single turn doesn’t exceed the limit set by the character’s Primal Urge — see p. 76.) If the form change doesn’t occur in the character’s same or next turn, the Essence spent on the Gift is lost and no special benefits are gained.

Time spent in Gauru increases by a number of turns equal to the number of successes achieved on a Stamina + Occult + Purity roll. These extra turns begin after the number of turns based on the werewolf’s Stamina + Primal Urge have elapsed. A werewolf whose time in Gauru has been extended can still change out of that form at will. He’s not forced to remain in it, unless Death Rage is invoked (see p. 173). The power has no effect on a user in the Shadow. This power does not influence taking forms other than Gauru. Nor can it be applied successfully more than once per scene.

Bind or Sunder (•••••)

Like the Fuel Rage Gift, this power influences time spent in Gauru form. Unlike that Gift, however, this one is used on other werewolves to extend or reduce their time spent in the war form.

Using this Gift, the Elodoth can increase the number of turns that a werewolf of his choice remains in Gauru form. With the expenditure of one Essence, he can increase the number of turns the subject remains in Gauru by the number of successes achieved on a Stamina + Occult + Purity roll. These extra turns begin after the number of turns based on the werewolf’s Stamina + Primal Urge have elapsed. A werewolf whose time in Gauru has been extended can still change out of that form at will. He’s not forced to remain in that form, unless Death Rage is invoked^[1].

An alternative use of this Gift can disrupt the balance required to maintain Gauru form by interfering with a subject’s connection to his spiritual self. An Essence point is spent and Manipulation + Occult + Cunning is rolled, with a dice-pool penalty equal to a resisting subject’s Resolve. (If a subject is compliant, no penalty is imposed.) Successes on this roll subtract from the number of turns the subject may remain in Gauru form. A subject forced out of Gauru reverts to Hishu form.

Two Gift users can target the same subject with opposing versions of this power at the same time, with the resulting number based on the net successes rolled. So, if three are rolled to increase time in Gauru and one is rolled to diminish it, a total of two extra turns are gained. A single Elodoth cannot have more than one version of this Gift active at a time. He cannot empower each of his packmates on successive turns and then turn around in the next turn and weaken a rival. The Gift is considered active for as long as an affected werewolf remains in Gauru form.

This power doesn’t influence taking forms other than Gauru, and doesn’t affect beings other than Uratha. It cannot be used to reduce the amount of time that a werewolf spends in Death Rage.

The subject must be within line of sight of the Gift user. This power cannot be used on the Gift user himself.