1. Rules & Custom Content

General House Rules

Retainer

We will be using the version of the Retainer Merit found in Geist. For those without access, the wording is as follows:

If a retainer must roll for an action, double the Retainer Merit dots and use them as a dice pool for any action core to his primary focus or concept. For example, an auto mechanic would get that on Crafts or perhaps Drive rolls. For other rolls, use the Merit rating by itself as a dice pool. Additionally, a Retainer can have access to twice the Merit dots in her own Merits. These are limited to Merits that don’t create additional Storyteller Characters — your Retainer can’t have a Retainer, who then has another Retainer, for example. But he could have Resources, Status, or a fighting Style Merit.

Weapon Ranges and Distance

We will be using the range bands system from Hurt Locker

Ambidextrous

Only costs 1 XP instead of 3 as stated in the book and can be bought after character creation

Quick Draw

This applies to any weapons, even those that fall under Athletics like bows, not just Weaponry and Firearms

Kanka is built by just the two of us. Support our quest and enjoy an ad-free experience for less than the cost of a fancy coffee. Become a member.

Werewolf House Rules and Seasonal Mechanics

Seasonal Effects

Alaska’s extreme seasons are not backdrop—they are a constant mechanical presence that shapes every hunt, every patrol, and every decision.

Winter Mechanics (October–March)

Darkness: Daylight shrinks from 11 hours (October) to 5.5 hours (December). Activities requiring daylight become increasingly restricted.
Cold Penalties: At temperatures below 0°F, characters without supernatural cold resistance suffer –1 to all physical rolls. Below –20°F, this increases to –2. Exposure without shelter deals 1B damage per hour.
Gauntlet Thinning: The Gauntlet weakens by 1 during winter months, making spirit interactions easier but also allowing more spirit incursions.
Spirit Activity: Winter spirits are dominant and aggressive. Encounters with hunger, isolation, and darkness spirits increase significantly.
Morale: Extended darkness imposes a cumulative –1 penalty to Social rolls with humans after 3+ months of limited daylight, reflecting seasonal depression’s effect on the mortal population.


Summer Mechanics (April–September)

Light: Daylight extends from 14 hours (April) to 19+ hours (June). True darkness barely exists at the solstice.
Midnight Sun: During June and July, Lunacy effects are reduced by 1 stage due to the moon’s diminished visible presence. Gift activation related to moonlight requires Harmony rolls.
Gauntlet Thickening: The Gauntlet strengthens by 1 during summer, making crossing more difficult but also providing protection from spirit incursion.
Frenetic Energy: Summer spirits are hyperactive and unstable. Commerce, tourism, and construction spirits dominate.
Population Surge: Tourist season brings transients, making territory management harder but also providing cover for supernatural activity.

Aurora Mechanics

The northern lights are not merely atmospheric—they are visible manifestations of spiritual energy along the boundary between worlds.

Aurora Effects

Normal Aurora (Green/Purple): Gift activation becomes unpredictable. Low rolls (1–3 on a d10 before modifiers) double Essence cost; high rolls (8–10) eliminate Essence cost entirely. The Gauntlet fluctuates by ±1 each hour.
Yellow Aurora: All normal aurora penalties apply AND worsen. The Gauntlet weakens by an additional 1. Spirits become agitated and hostile. Wolfbloods experience vivid nightmares. Characters must roll Resolve + Composure or suffer the Shaken Condition.
Sustained Yellow Aurora: If yellow aurora persists for more than one scene, all characters in the open gain the Spooked Condition. Loci in affected areas flare unpredictably. The King’s influence strengthens (ST discretion on specific effects).

Survival Mechanics

Alaska demands respect. The following rules apply year-round but are especially relevant in winter.

Shelter: Characters caught in the open below 0°F without adequate shelter or supernatural protection must roll Stamina + Survival each hour. Failure inflicts 1L damage from exposure.
Travel: Winter road conditions impose –2 to all Drive rolls. Off-road travel through snow requires Athletics rolls; failure means getting stuck or lost.
Isolation: Characters who spend more than 72 hours alone in the wilderness without contact with their pack must roll Resolve + Composure or gain the Isolated Condition (–1 to all Social rolls until they reconnect with pack for at least one scene).

For more information regarding the custom mechanics built off of our setting location see The Aurora Borealis page.

Lodges

The only Lodges that are available in our setting are the ones located on the Lodges page.

Tells & Supernatural Merits and Templates

A wolfblood may take more than 1 tell by taking the Tell Merit. This ability is capped to being used once IF the wolfblood takes a quarter template or supernatural merit, this is to represent the fact that the wolfblood is focusing more on their mortal side than their wolf side.

March 11th, 2026

Rules & Custom Content

VtR Feeding Rules VtR Status