Mental States

Frenzy

The popular image of the werewolf is that of a snarling,
uncontrollable beast, and that isn't entirely untrue. No
matter how centered or citified he ,is every werewolf carries
Rage in his heart. Any werewolf can lose control and run
amok if that Rage is not curtailed.

Any Rage roll can ignite a frenzy, even4l»se made to
activate specific Gifts. Any Rage rolls should be interpreted
as an attempt — willing or otherwise — to awaken the
primal Beast that drives the Garou. If a player rolls four or
more successes on a Rage roll, her character frenzies. The
player may spend a Willpower point right then to halt the
frenzy, but her character loses any further actions that turn.

Garou with permanent Rage ratings lower than four
carvfrejnzy, but only under extreme circumstances. Highly
erftgitronal and personal circumstances (such as the threat of
ripe in a Black Fury's -case , or the threat of imprisonment for
a claustrophobic Silent Strider) can boost a werewolf s Rage
above the permanent rating. It is this higher rating that the
player usegfor Rage rolls.

The two types of frenzy follow:

• Berserk Frenzy Garou see only red and moving
shapes. They wish Only to reduce these shapes to mangled
carcasses. A berserk Garou shifts immediately to Crinos or
Hispo (player's choice) and attacks.

Exactly whom she attacks depends on the circumstances.
A Garou whose permanent Gnosis exceeds her
permanent Rage will not attack her packmates (unless she
is in the Thrall of the Wyrm). She will attack anything else
that moves, however, including allied Garou who are not
members of her pack.

If, however, her permanent Rage exceeds her permanent
Gnosis, she attacks anything that moves, and she can
make no distinction between targets unless her player spends
a Willpower point. If such is the case, the Storyteller can
direct her as to which target to attack. In addition, such
Garou do not remember what happens to them during
frenzy. Often, they collapse when the frenzy ends.

• Fox Frenzy. Entering a fox frenzy means that the
character flees in terror for her life. She shifts to Lupus form
and runs, attacking anything that gets in her way (although
more with the intention of getting past than of killing).
Once the character reaches a safe hiding place, she will
remain there until the frenzy passes.

In either frenzy, special maneuvers and pack tactics are
impossible. The extent of the werewolf s attack capability is
to bite, claw or run. The character may spend Rage for extra
actions, but he may not split dice pools. Using Gifts in frenzy
is normally impossible, as is stepping sideways. A werewolf
does not suffer from pain in frenzy, though, so he ignores all
wound penalties.

Coming out of frenzy requires that the situation that
triggered it be over. When the trigger event is over, the
player may roll Willpower (difficulty of the Garou's own
Rage) to escape the frenzy. Even if this roll fails, she may try
again each turn.

The Thrall of the Worm


A werewolf s Rage is fearful enough, but sometimes a
frenzy is abnormal. If a werewolf descends too far into frenzy,
his Rage is no longer pure. Instead, he has opened himself up
to be used by the Wyrm.

If a player rolls six or more successes on a Rage roll, the
character enters a berserk frenzy, and spending Willpower
will not bring her out of it. The character is said to be "in the
Thrall of the Wyrm." The frenzy follows normal tendencies
with regards to attacks and duration, but it includes some
even more horrific aspects.

Each of the breeds of Garou carries a piece of the Triatic
Wyfm, and during such a frenzy, that Wyrm can demand its due.

• Homid: Eater-of-Souls has long held humans as its
special children, and this attention includes Homid Garou.
The Wyrm can drive such Garou to acts of cannibalism
upon humans, wolves or even other Garou. When a homidbreed
Garou in the Thrall kills or incapacitates an opponent
(friend or foe), herplayermust roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the
roll botches, the Garou must stop for a turn and feast.

• Metis: Barred as they are from breeding, metis are
special targets of the Defiler Wyrm. Metis Garou in the
Thrall sometimes practice unspeakable acts of perversion on
fallen opponents, regardless of their respective genders. If a
metis kills or incapacitates a foe while in the Thrall, her
player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the
Garou stops fighting for a turprand slakes heir unholy lust on
her helpless opponent.

• Lupus: The savage, feral lupus fecfme pull of Beastof-
War. A lupus Garou in the thrall will savage a fallen
opponent, friend or foe, and not pull away until the body lies
in pieces around her. The Garou loses all sense of mercy,
regardless of her comparative Gnosis and Rage scores. When
a lupus Garou kills or incapacitates a foe while in the Thrall,
her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches,
the lupus must continue to attack until her opponent is torn
limb from limb.

Succumbing to the Thrall of the Wyrm is terrifying to
the Garou. A normal frenzy is considered a defense mechanism
against pain, a pure if brutal method of survival. A
Wyrm-frenzy is nothing of the kind. It brings to light the
inner struggle with the Wyrm, which is something few
Garou are prepared to face. Unable to live with their deed,
some werewolves even end their lives after such a frenzy.

The Curse

Frenzy is hardly the only effect that Rage has on Garou,
and it is not at all the worst. Other animals, especially
humans, can sense the predator in a werewolf, and they shy
from him. Whenever a Garou's Rage exceeds a human's
Willpower, the human will avoid contact with the Garou as
much as possible. This avoidance may consist of crossing the
street to avoid "that weirdo" or even running in fear. Since the
average human's Willpower is usually from 2 to 4, the Curse
is no laughing matter. Wolves are also subject to this dread,
and most natural wolves will avoid Garou whenever possible.

Garou call this phenomenon the Curse, for it makes
normal relationships with humans or wolves all but impossible.
Garou cannot usually maintain families among humans
or wolves, as the Beast makes even their own Kin uncomfortable,
albeit to a lesser degree. Only among other werewolves
can the Garou find true, honest companionship — and the
logical result of such relationships is prohibited by the Litany.

The Delirium

Werewolves preyed on humans for over 3000 years, and
while most humans have no idea that werewolves truly exist,
a part of them remembers. The horrible wolf-man, the
Crinos form, incites a kind of madness in humans that
Garou call the Delirium.

The stronger a human's will, the more clearly she can
deal with seeing a werewolf. Most humans, however, either
panic and run, or they just collapse. Even stronger-willed
people tend to forget the encounter later, either by rationalizing
what they saw ("A bear! I'm not kidding!") or by
omitting the entire incident from their minds. The Garou
refer to this subconscious denial as the Veil, and they look
at it as one of their greatest assets.

The following chart shows what a human will do when
he sees a Crinos as per his Willpower score. The chart also
shows whether and to what degree the human will forget the
encounter, as well as what percentage of the populace will
react in that way. Students of the occult might gain some
bonus on this chart. Storytellers may choose to allow such
humans a Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 9), with each success
moving the human up one level on the chart. In addition,
members of cultures that didn't suffer the Impergium to a
great degree (such as Native Americans and Australian
Aborigines) might also be granted a bonus. Photographs or
such evidence don't trigger any fear reaction, although
human witnesses will probably rationalize the photos away
as publicity stunts or some such unless they have a Willpower
of 8 or higher. Kinfolk are immune to the Delirium.