Opening Gifts

Lodges The Faithful p. 50
Auspice, Lodges & Tribes
Lodge of Doors only
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Doors, minds, pathways — all of these things function best when open. The Lodge of Doors dedicates itself to opening the gates of knowledge, and the Opening Gifts provide the means to do so. What they do not provide, though, is a way to detect secrets or knowledge. The Lurker in Doorways and its spiritual brethren can provide the means to open a door, once the Uratha has found it. Spirits of creatures that excel in bypassing barriers, such as raccoons and rodents, often teach Opening Gifts.

Gift Levels

Work of Opening (•)

A common saying in the lodge is, “Try every door. You never know what’s unlocked.” Indeed, many Lurkers are surprised to find how easy it is to gain access merely by trying the most obvious methods. This Gift allows the Uratha to open an unlocked door, turn on a computer or even flip a rock with a gesture.

A werewolf can use Clear the Way either on a deliberate target or simply to see what opens. In either case, the character simply makes a fist and then opens it, focusing either on his immediate area or on the object he wishes to open. The Gift only functions on objects with a 15-foot radius of the character and only on objects that might lead to knowledge or information (computers, filing cabinets, doors and books are just a few examples). If the object is locked or barred in any way, the Gift does not function. A book lying closed on a table can be opened with this Gift, but a book on a shelf wedged between other books cannot.

Work of Opening (••)

Bypassing barriers and locks is an important part of ferreting out secrets. Many Lurkers are capable of picking locks, hacking computers and simply smashing or tearing away the impediments to their goals, but sometimes a more subtle approach is necessary. This Gift allows the werewolf to bypass physical locks with a simple knock.

Lurker’s Key works on electronic locks and can even be used to bypass computer security. In keeping with the lodge’s insistence on earning knowledge, however, the character must rely on her own skills to do so. Using this Gift on a mechanical or electronic lock uses the Larceny Skill. Bypassing computer security uses the Computer Skill. In any case, if the character attempts to use this Gift without any dots in the proper Skill, she suffers the usual unskilled penalty. The character must be able to touch the lock (or the computer’s monitor, in the case of computer security) to use this Gift. Most Bone Shadows knock, but a gentle touch works just as well.

Create Opening (•••)

The initial Opening Gifts deal with already extant apertures. This Gift, however, creates new ones. The werewolf focuses on a seamless object, be it a steel plate, a brick wall or a living being, and wills the object to open. A single, smooth tear appears in the object, beginning as hairline fracture and widening as it goes. Used on a physical object, this Gift can render something useless, create a small portal through which the character can escape or even allow the character to peek through a wall. Used on a living being, of course, the effects are far more painful (and usually messy).

The character need not touch the target for the Gift to function, but using the Gift at a distance imposes a –3 penalty to the roll. The maximum range for the Gift is one foot per dot of Primal Urge the character possesses, in any event.

The Open Mind (••••)

The world is a constant rush of information, and only by filtering out most of it are we able to function. This Gift opens the target’s mind to not only the physical world, but all of the sensation of the Hisil. The target is inundated by a swirling onslaught of sensation, which normally leaves him incapacitated and terrified. Those who manage to cope with this madness, however, can draw strength from it.

The Bone Shadow must make eye contact with the target or touch his skin. She then wills his mind open.

Gauntlet Key (•••••)

The most experienced and wise members of the Lodge of Doors are granted a great secret — how to bypass the Gauntlet without a locus or a rite. Only the Lurker in the Doorway teaches this Gift, and only to Uratha whom the spirit believes will use the Gift responsibly and within the principles of the lodge.

To activate the Gift, the character must be completely alone. If the character is observed by anyone on his side of the Gauntlet, the Gift does not function. The character must find a gateway — a doorway, two trees spaced a few feet apart, even a crude sketch in the dirt will do. The character steps through the gateway and, provided the Gift works, finds himself on the other side of the Gauntlet. The character cannot act as a pathfinder (see p. 251 of Werewolf: The Forsaken) while using this Gift. When stepping into the physical world from the spirit wilds, the character must again step into a location where he is unobserved. The Lurker in the Doorway does not approve of using this Gift is rather squeamish about violence) and revokes the Gift as well as the fifth dot of Renown that allowed the character to learn it if the Uratha attempts such a thing. Spying, however, is a perfectly acceptable use of the Gift. for purposes of assassination or surprise attacks (as the spirit is rather squeamish about violence) and revokes the Gift as well as the fifth dot of Renown that allowed the character to learn it if the Uratha attempts such a thing. Spying, however, is a perfectly acceptable use of the Gift.