Although it’s uncommon to make rolls involving Background Traits, your ST might have you do so to see if you can obtain information, goods or favours. For example, you might have to roll Wits + Resources to keep your stock options healthy, or Manipulation + Contacts to wheedle that extra favour from your smuggler “associate”.

Allies are humans who support and help you - family, friends or even a local organisation that owes you some loyalty. Though allies aid you willingly, without coaxing or coercion, they are not always available to offer assistance; they have their own concerns and can do only so mush in the name of friendship. However, they might have some useful Background Traits of their own, and might provide you with indirect access to their contacts, influence or resources.

Allies are typically persons of influence or power in your home city. They can be of almost any sort, pending your ST’s permission; you may have friends in the precinct morgue, or perhaps even the mayor’s ear, depending on how many dots you spend on this Trait. Your allies are generally trustworthy (although they probably don’t know that you’re garou, or even that werewolves exist). However, nothing comes for free; if you wind up drawing favours from your friend in the Cosa Nostra, he’ll probably ask you to do him a favour in kind in the future.

* One ally of moderate influence or power (doctor or veterinarian, local activist).

** Two allies, both of moderate power (district ranger, deputy sheriff).

*** Three allies, one of whom is quite influential (newspaper editor, local philanthropist).

**** Four allies, one of whom is very influential (city councilman, military base commander).

***** Five allies, one of whom is extremely influential (mayor, senator’s aide).

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Allies) of each of your character’s allies. Who are they? What do they do? How do you come to know them?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

To humans, ancestral memory is a pseudo-scientific concept at best. To Garou it’s a fact of life. Many werewolves have some of the memories of their distant ancestors; some even allow their forebears to take over their bodies.

Once per game session, the player of a Garou with this Background may roll his Ancestors Background (difficulty 8, or 10 if he’s trying to contact the spirit of a specific ancestor). Each success allows the character to add one die to the dice pool of any Ability (even if the character doesn’t possess that Ability).

While it is more difficult to contact a specific ancestor, successful contact may provide counsel or precognitive visions at the discretion of the ST.

Botching an Ancestors roll may indicate that the character becomes catatonic for the remainder of the scene as he’s overwhelmed by the memories of thousands of lives. Alternatively, the ancestral spirit refuses to relinquish the body. How long the ancestor stays depends on the ST.

* You have brief, hazy visions from the distant past.

** You remember faces and places from past lives just as you remember those of your early childhood.

*** You put names to faces among your ancestors.

**** Ancestors converse with you on a regular basis.

***** Your ancestors watch your adventures with interest, and they often come to counsel you.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Ancestors) of the ancestors that you may contact. Who are your ancestors? What were they? When did you first realise you could contact them? Do they often provide advice and/or assistance or only in emergencies?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

You know people all over the city. When you start making phone calls around your network, the amount of information you can dig up is almost terrifying. Contacts are largely people whom you can bribe, manipulate or coerce into offering information, but you also have a few major contacts - friends whom you can rely on to give you accurate information in their fields of expertise. You should describe each major contact in some detail before the game begins.

In addition to your major contacts, you also have a number of minor contacts spread throughout the city; your major contact might be in the district attorney’s office, while your minor contacts might include beat cops, DMV clerks, club bouncers or even hot-dog vendors. You need not detail these various “passing acquaintances” before play; instead, to successfully get in touch with a minor contact, you should roll your Contacts rating (difficulty 7). You can reach one minor contact for each success; of course, you still have to coerce them into telling you what you need to know.

* One major contact.

** Two major contacts.

*** Three major contacts.

**** Four major contacts.

***** Five major contacts.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Contacts) of each of your character’s major contacts. Who are they? What do they do? How do you come to know them? Why are they prepared to help you?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

You possess a fetish, a physical object into which a spirit has been bound. Fetishes have a number of powers granted by the spirit, so they are very significant to the Garou. Such things are valuable, and other Garou (or supernatural beings) may covet them.

* You possess one Level One fetish.

** You possess one Level Two fetish or two Level One fetishes.

*** You possess one or more fetishes with a total of three levels.

**** You possess one or more fetishes with a total of four levels.

***** You possess one of more fetishes with a total of five levels.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Fetish) of your character’s fetish(es). What is the fetish? Where did your character get it? What powers does it have?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

You are in contact with certain humans or wolves who are descended from Garou without actually being werewolves themselves. While kinfolk are normal members of their species in most respects, they have an advantage (?) of immunity to the Delirium. They know that you are Garou, and they are willing to help you however they can, although most are not in positions of power (such people are considered Allies). Networks of kinfolk are a valuable way for werewolves to deal with the human world without risking frenzy or discovery.

* Two kinfolk.

** Five kinfolk.

*** Ten kinfolk.

**** Twenty kinfolk.

***** Fifty kinfolk.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Kinfolk) of your character’s kinfolk. Who are they? What is their relationship to you? Why are they willing to help you? Where/when did you meet them?, etc. etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

Many Garou have one or more elders that look after them. The rating of your Mentor background quantifies how powerful your mentor is within the tribe and what rank he or she has achieved. A mentor can teach you skills, advise you or speak on your behalf at a council fire. Of course, your mentor may expect something in return for his assistance, be it good company, an occasional gofer, a champion or perhaps a supporter in sept politics. In general, however, you will receive more than you give.

A powerful mentor doesn’t have to be a single person; a pack or council of elders might be considered a collective mentor. The latter would almost certainly have a rating of four or five dots, even if no one on the council is above Rank5.

* Mentor is Rank 2.

** Mentor is Rank 3.

*** Mentor is Rank 4.

**** Mentor is Rank 5.

***** Mentor is Rank 6.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Mentor) of your character’s mentor. Who is he/she? What is your relationship to him/her? How did you meet him/her? What is his/her status? Why is he/she prepared to help you?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

Garou take great stock in ancestry, and the werewolf who is descended from renowned forbears has a definite advantage in Garou society. This Background represents your lineage, markings, bearing and other features of birth. Other Garou revere werewolves with high scores in Pure Breed as heroes of yore come to life - and such werewolves are expected to act the part. The higher your Pure Breed score is, the more likely you are to impress elder councils or receive hospitality from foreign tribes. Each point of Pure Breed adds an extra die to Social or challenge rolls involving other Garou (even Ronin or Black Spiral Dancers).

Some tribes place more value on good breeding than others, but Pure Breed is almost universally respected. It’s almost a mystical trait, and werewolves can tell instinctively whose blood is particularly pure. Of course, Garou expect those of pure blood to live up to the standards set by their noble ancestors. They frown on those who can’t or won’t accept the challenge.

Over the eons, whole lines of heroes have fallen to war, Wyrm or simply time. In this latter age, very few pure-bred Garou walk the Earth.

* You have your father’s eyes.

** Your grandfather made a name for himself at the Battle of Bloody Ford, and you carry that name with pride.

*** Your pedigree is blessed with pillars of the Garou Nation, and the blood tells.

**** You can be dressed as a beggar and still command respect.

***** The greatest of heroes live on in you.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Pure Breed) of your character’s lineage. Who are your ancestors of note? What did they do to become known? What advantages/disadvantages have you experienced due to your pure-bred status?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

This Trait describes your personal financial resources, or your access to such. A high Resources rating doesn’t necessarily reflect your liquid assets; this Background describes your standard of “living”, your possessions and your buying power. No dots in Resources is just that: You have no permanent haven and no possessions save a few clothes and possibly a weapon or pocketful of coins.

You receive a basic allowance each month based on your rating; be certain to detail exactly where this money comes from, be it a job, trust fund or dividends. After all, your fortune may well run out over the course of the chronicle, depending on how well you maintain it. You can also sell your less liquid resources if you need the cash, but this can take weeks or even months, depending on what exactly you’re trying to sell. Art buyers don’t just pop out of the woodwork, after all.

* Small savings: a small apartment and maybe a motorcycle. If liquidated, you would have about $1,000 in cash. Allowance of $500 per month.

** Middle class: an apartment or condominium. If liquidated, you would have at least $8,000 in cash. Allowance of $1,200 per month.

*** Large savings: a home owner or someone with some equity. If liquidated, you would have at least $50,000 in cash. Allowance of $3,000 per month.

**** Well-off: a member of the upper class. You own a very large house, or perhaps a dilapidated mansion. If liquidated, you would have at least $500,000 in cash. Allowance of $9,000 per month.

***** Ridiculously affluent: A multimillionaire. Your haven is limited by little save your imagination. If liquidated, you would have at least $5,000,000 in cash. Allowance of $30,000 per month.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (approx 500 words per dot of Resources) of your character’s resources. How did you obtain your wealth? Where is your money kept (bank account, in a shoebox under your bed)? Is your money working for you (investments, stock market)?, etc, etc. This description must include details of your character’s haven. Where is it? When did you buy/inherit it? Describe the exterior/interior, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted.

Rituals are an important part of Garou life. This Background denotes how many rites the character knows at the beginning of the game. The rating represents levels of rites, so a character with Rites 4 may have a Level Four rite, one Level One and one Level Three rite or any other combination. Remember that to learn a rite the character needs a Rituals Knowledge rating at least equal to the level of a given rite. While rank is not necessarily a factor, a Theurge would need a pretty convincing reason to teach a Level Five rite to a Rank 1 Garou. Note that two minor rites can be purchased in place of one Level One rite.

* Character knows one level of rites.

** Character knows two levels of rites.

*** Character knows three levels of rites.

**** Character knows four levels of rites.

***** Character knows five levels of rites.

NB. All rites/rituals known by a character must be detailed on their character sheet and mailed to the MST.

Unlike other backgrounds, this Trait applies to the character’s pack rather than the individual. The members of the pack pool the points invested in this background to determine the totem’s power.

Each totem has a Background cost rating; the pack must spend that amount to ally with that totem. Some totems are willing to lend great powers to their adherents; their point costs are correspondingly greater. All Pack Totems are detailed on page 293 of White Wolf’s core rulebook, Werewolf: the Apocalypse.

Regardless of how many points the initial totem costs, all beginning totems have a base of eight points to divide among rage, Willpower and Gnosis. The totem also begins with the Air Sense and Re-form Charms. Apart from bestowing power, totems are somewhat aloof from the pack, and they have little influence among spirits. With time, roleplaying and experience points, pack totems can grow more powerful, and they could even become the totems of whole septs or (in legendary circumstances) even tribes.

Most of the powers totems bestow are usually available to only one pack member at a time. At the end of each turn, the Garou with the power declares who the power may be given to next turn (assuming that she doesn’t keep it). After the initial cost of the totem has been spent, any other background points add to the totem’s strength and abilities.

1 Per three points to spend on Willpower, Rage and/or Gnosis.

1 Totem can speak to the pack without the benefit of the Gift: Spirit Speech.

1 Totem can always find the pack members.

2 Totem is nearly always with the pack members.

2 Totem is respected by other spirits.

2 Per charm possessed.

3 Per extra pack member who can use the totem’s powers in the same turn.

4 Totem is connected mystically to all pack members, allowing communication among them even at great distances (at Sts discretion).

5 Totem is feared by agents of the Wyrm, which could mean that either the agents run away or they do their best to kill the pack…

NOTE: The listed cost in Background points, which can be bought through experience at the rate of two experience points per Background point. The Totem Background is the only one that can be increased through experience. Increases in totem power will be permitted only when it fits in to the storyline, such as when a pack member gains a higher rank, a new member joins the pack or when pack members gain new insight into the nature of their totem. When the totem is affiliated with a more powerful spirit, the greater spirit might grant the strengthening of its servant (pack totem) in return for a great service done it by the pack.

NB. The MST requires a detailed description (minimum 1,000 words per point of Totem) of your character’s pack and totem. What is the totem? What powers does it bestow upon the pack? How many members are there in the pack? Who are they? Where is the pack based?, etc, etc. This must be mailed to the MST within 7 days of your character being accepted. Also, any increase to the Totem Background through experience must be mailed to the MST for final approval.