Renown & Standing Among the Forsaken

Pacey: "So how do I get them? The brands. Do I just … do something impressive?"

Mara: "You do something worthy. And someone has to see it. The Lunes don't care about your plans. They care about what you did, what it cost you, and who saw it."

Pacey: "What if nobody sees it?"

Mara: "Then you write it down. Tell your story. Prove it happened. There's more than one way to earn a Lune's attention."

Renown is purchased with 3 Experiences (XP). But XP alone is not enough. You must also have a story reason — a deed that proves you deserve that new dot. The Lunes do not give their brands to the unworthy.

The Four Paths to Renown

There are four ways to earn the right to spend your XP on a new dot of Renown. You only need one of them:

1. The Bluebook

Write up a Renown-worthy deed as a solo narrative. This is sometimes called a "bluebook" — a short piece of fiction about your character doing something that earns notice. Submit it to your Storyteller for approval. This is a great option for players who prefer writing over live scenes, or who want to explore their character's solo moments.

2. Pack Witness

Do something worthy in a scene where your packmates are present. They see what you did. They can speak to the Lunes on your behalf. Their testimony matters. This is the most common path — do the deed in play, and let your pack be your proof.

3. Lune Witness

The Storyteller may appear as a Lune to acknowledge your deed directly. This is a formal, spiritual moment. The Lune sees what you've done and marks you for it. This path carries extra weight in the spirit world and often happens during important scenes or turning points.

4. Storyteller Declaration

Sometimes, in the middle of a scene, the Storyteller may say: "You may use this scene as justification for the following Renown." This is the ST recognizing that what you're doing right now, in this moment, counts. Take note — you can spend the XP later.

Banking Deeds

If you earn the right to a Renown dot but don't have the XP yet, you can "bank" that deed. Talk to your ST about it. When you have the XP, you can spend it using that banked deed as your justification. Just don't wait too long — a deed from six months ago may lose its punch.

Mara traced the brands on her arm, pointing to different runes.

"Five kinds. Each one tracks a different kind of strength. No one type is better than another. The best packs have a mix of all five." She tapped a mark near her wrist — sharp, angular. "This one's Wisdom. My auspice Renown. Ithaeur, like you." She moved her finger up. "This one's Cunning. Earned it the hard way." She didn't elaborate on that one.

Cunning

"Fangs win fights. Brains win hunts."

Auspice: Irraka (New Moon) | Tribe: Iron Masters

Cunning is the Renown of the trickster, the planner, and the wolf who wins without ever being seen. It rewards creativity, cleverness, and the ability to solve problems without brute force. The Uratha hunt things bigger and meaner than they are. Sometimes the only way to win is to be smarter.

Sample Deeds of Cunning: Sneaking into an enemy's territory undetected. Luring prey into a trap. Tricking a spirit into a bad deal. Using human laws to secure a territory. Convincing an enemy's allies to switch sides. Proving a task doesn't need to be done at all. Baiting spirits away from a locus. Finding a way to win that no one expected.

Glory

"I didn't survive that fight to be quiet about it."

Auspice: Cahalith (Gibbous Moon) | Tribe: Blood Talons

Glory is the Renown of the warrior, the survivor, and the wolf who faces impossible odds and does not flinch. It rewards bravery, strength, and the willingness to stand and fight when retreat would be easier. Glory doesn't require winning — it requires showing up and giving everything you have.

Sample Deeds of Glory: Defeating a stronger enemy. Standing against overwhelming numbers, win or lose. Holding off a dangerous foe to save others. Facing a werewolf in Death Rage. Joining a suicide mission and surviving to tell the tale. Challenging a leader for the good of the pack.

Honor

"Anyone can kill. It takes an Uratha to know when not to."

Auspice: Elodoth (Half Moon) | Tribe: Storm Lords

Honor is the Renown of the judge, the mediator, and the wolf who does what is right even when it hurts. It rewards fairness, honesty, and the courage to hold yourself to a higher standard. Honorable Uratha are the ones who keep the People from tearing themselves apart.

Sample Deeds of Honor: Standing as a neutral party when a packmate is judged. Mediating a dispute between packs. Submitting yourself to judgment. Making things right with someone you wronged. Announcing an attack before striking. Seeking peace with rivals. Fighting fair even when you could cheat. Telling the truth when a lie would help you. Giving up territory to someone who deserves it more.

Purity

"Father Wolf's duty didn't die with him. We carry it."

Auspice: Rahu (Full Moon) | Tribe: Hunters in Darkness

Purity is the Renown of the devout, the dutiful, and the wolf who puts the Oath of the Moon above all else. It rewards sacrifice, discipline, and commitment to the sacred role of the Forsaken. Pure Uratha are the living example of what Father Wolf intended his children to be.

Sample Deeds of Purity: Sacrificing something important to uphold the Oath of the Moon. Showing respect to a stronger enemy. Showing reverence to worthy prey. Taking a mate. Protecting the secret of the Uratha from mortals. Sparing an enemy who deserves mercy. Fasting outside of the hunt. Losing face to keep your tribal oath.

Wisdom

"The Shadow has answers. Most wolves are too loud to hear them."

Auspice: Ithaeur (Crescent Moon) | Tribe: Bone Shadows

Wisdom is the Renown of the scholar, the shaman, and the wolf who understands that not every problem is a nail. It rewards knowledge, insight, and the ability to see the big picture. Wise Uratha are half-spirit themselves, and they never forget it.

Sample Deeds of Wisdom: Making a deal with a dangerous spirit. Healing bad resonance in a territory. Finding a nonviolent answer when violence was expected. Creating a fetish. Learning a spirit's ban and using it wisely. Helping another werewolf earn a rare Gift. Securing a territory through spiritual means. Creating a new rite. Discovering hidden lore. Strengthening a locus.

"The Lunes gave you those brands. They can take them back."

Renown is earned through deeds. It can also be lost through failure, cowardice, or betrayal. The Lunes are always watching, and they remember everything.

Losing Renown is rare, but it happens. It is one of the most devastating things that can happen to an Uratha. Your brands dim. Spirits that once feared you now sneer. Packmates who looked up to you start to wonder if you’re still worthy.

How Renown Is Lost

Acts Unworthy of Your Renown

If you act against the very thing your Renown represents, the Lunes may strip a dot. A werewolf with high Honor who betrays an ally. A warrior with high Glory who flees a fight she could have won. A schemer with high Cunning who falls for an obvious trap. These are the kinds of failures that catch a Lune’s attention.

Breaking the Oath of the Moon

The Oath is sacred. Breaking it doesn’t just risk your Harmony — it risks your Renown. Especially Purity. The Lunes do not brand oathbreakers kindly.

Public Failure

Renown is public. Everyone sees your brands. If you fail in a big, visible way — especially in front of spirits or other Uratha — the damage to your reputation can cost you a dot. The key word is “public.” A private failure is embarrassing. A public one changes how the world sees you.

Storyteller Discretion

Renown loss is always a Storyteller call. It should never feel random or punitive. It should feel like a natural consequence of your character’s choices. If you’re about to do something that might cost you Renown, the ST should warn you first.

Pacey: "Can you lose them? The brands?"

Mara's hand went still on her arm.

"Yes." One word. Flat. Final.

"The Lunes gave you those brands. They can take them back. It's rare. But it's one of the most devastating things that can happen to an Uratha. Your brands dim. Spirits that once feared you now sneer. Packmates who looked up to you start to wonder if you're still worthy."

Pacey: "Has it happened to you?"

Mara looked at her for a long moment. Then she pulled her sleeve down.

"Once. A long time ago. I earned it back. Not everyone does."

How Renown Is Lost

Acts Unworthy of Your Renown: If you act against the very thing your Renown represents, the Lunes may strip a dot. A werewolf with high Honor who betrays an ally. A warrior with high Glory who flees a fight she could have won. A schemer with high Cunning who falls for an obvious trap. These are the kinds of failures that catch a Lune's attention.

Breaking the Oath of the Moon: The Oath is sacred. Breaking it doesn't just risk your Harmony — it risks your Renown. Especially Purity. The Lunes do not brand oathbreakers kindly.

Public Failure: Renown is public. Everyone sees your brands. If you fail in a big, visible way — especially in front of spirits or other Uratha — the damage to your reputation can cost you a dot. The key word is "public." A private failure is embarrassing. A public one changes how the world sees you.

Storyteller Discretion: Renown loss is always a Storyteller call. It should never feel random or punitive. It should feel like a natural consequence of your character's choices. If you're about to do something that might cost you Renown, the ST should warn you first.

Mara: "Renown is what the spirits see. Status is what your tribe sees. They're connected but not the same. I know a werewolf with brands running up both arms — spirits bow when she walks past. But she's burned every bridge in her own tribe. High Renown, no status. Nobody in the Hirfathra Hissu will return her calls."

Pacey: "How does that work?"

Mara: "Every tribe has its own internal hierarchy. You earn it through service, commitment, and effectiveness at pursuing your tribe's sacred prey. It's political. It's personal. And it matters just as much as what's written on your skin."

Tribal Status is earned through play. It reflects how much your tribe values your contributions, your commitment to their oath, and your effectiveness in pursuing their sacred prey.

Blood Talons — Suthar Anzuth

"Offer no surrender you would not accept."

Tribal Renown: Glory | Sacred Prey: Other Werewolves | Firstborn: Fenris-Ur, the Destroyer Wolf

Earn Status By: Winning difficult fights. Leading hunts against dangerous prey. Supporting your packmates in combat. Showing discipline under pressure. Challenging a rival fairly and honorably.

Lose Status By: Abandoning a packmate in a fight. Surrendering dishonorably. Starting a fight that gets your pack hurt for nothing. Showing cowardice when courage was needed.

Bone Shadows — Hirfathra Hissu

"Pay each spirit in kind."

Tribal Renown: Wisdom | Sacred Prey: Spirits | Firstborn: Kamduis-Ur, Death Wolf

Earn Status By: Discovering hidden lore or spirit bans. Making profitable deals with spirits. Teaching younger packmates about the Shadow. Protecting holy places. Creating fetishes or new rites.

Lose Status By: Making deals that harm the tribe. Ignoring a spirit threat in your territory. Hoarding knowledge instead of sharing it. Being careless with the secrets of the dead.

Hunters in Darkness — Meninna

"Let no sacred place in your territory be violated."

Tribal Renown: Purity | Sacred Prey: The Hosts (Shartha) | Firstborn: Hikaon-Ur, Black Wolf (the Silent Mother)

Earn Status By: Defending your territory from intrusion. Hunting and destroying shartha. Discovering and protecting loci. Setting effective traps and wards. Maintaining the spiritual health of your hunting ground.

Lose Status By: Letting an intruder violate your territory unchallenged. Allowing shartha to infest your hunting ground. Neglecting your territory's spiritual wellbeing. Being caught unaware in your own territory.

Iron Masters — Farsil Luhal

"Honor your territory in all things."

Tribal Renown: Cunning | Sacred Prey: Humans (their structures and systems) | Firstborn: Sagrim-Ur, Red Wolf

Earn Status By: Solving problems with creative, modern solutions. Building useful connections in the human world. Adapting old tactics to new situations. Using technology to help the pack. Sharing innovations with the tribe.

Lose Status By: Refusing to adapt when the situation changes. Clinging to outdated methods. Ignoring the human world. Being outsmarted by the prey you're supposed to understand.

Storm Lords — Iminir

"Allow no one to witness or tend your weakness."

Tribal Renown: Honor | Sacred Prey: The Urged and the Claimed | Firstborn: Skolis-Ur, Winter Wolf

Earn Status By: Enduring hardship without complaint. Leading under impossible conditions. Hunting the Claimed and Ridden. Improving yourself constantly. Never showing weakness to outsiders.

Lose Status By: Showing weakness publicly. Complaining about your burdens. Failing to lead when leadership was needed. Letting an emotional outburst compromise the pack.

Pacey: "What about the wolves who don't have a tribe? How do they earn standing?"

Mara: "The hard way. No Firstborn watching over them. No tribal network to back them up. A Ghost Wolf earns respect by proving herself useful, reliable, and capable without any of the support structure the rest of us take for granted." She paused. "In Alaska, there are more Ghost Wolves than you'd expect. The land is too big and the Forsaken too few for every new Change to find a tribe quickly. Some never do."

"I didn't ask for this. But I'm still standing."

Tribal Renown: None | Sacred Prey: None (varies by individual) | Firstborn: None

Ghost Wolves have no tribe. They have no tribal Renown and start with one fewer dot than other Forsaken. But that doesn't mean they can't earn respect. Ghost Wolves earn it the hard way — by proving themselves useful, reliable, and capable without the support of a tribal network.

Earn Ghost Wolf Respect By: Being useful to packs that aren't your own. Surviving on your own terms. Solving problems no one else wants to touch. Showing up when you're needed. Being reliable without being asked.

Lose Ghost Wolf Respect By: Being a liability to the packs around you. Causing problems that spill into other territories. Refusing to help when help is clearly needed. Being unpredictable in a bad way.

Pacey: "What about the people in our pack who aren't … like us? The Wolf-Blooded. The humans. They can't earn Renown. So what do they get?"

Mara: "Standing. It's a parallel track. The Lunes don't brand them, but that doesn't mean they go unnoticed. Among the Forsaken, non-Uratha pack members can earn something just as valuable — the trust and respect of the wolves around them. And that matters. A Wolf-Blooded with high Standing can speak at a protectorate gathering. A mortal who's earned the rank of Kin would have werewolves burn the world to keep them safe."

Not everyone in a pack is Uratha. Wolf-Blooded and mortals play vital roles in the world of the Forsaken. They maintain covers, tend territories, gather information, and sometimes do things that werewolves simply cannot.

Wolf-Blooded and mortals do not have Renown. The Lunes do not brand them. But that does not mean they go unnoticed. Among the Forsaken, non-Uratha pack members can earn Standing — a measure of respect, trust, and influence within the pack and the wider protectorate.

Standing is local. It applies within your pack and, to a lesser degree, the protectorate your pack belongs to. A Wolf-Blooded respected in one city might be unknown in another.

Wolf-Blooded Standing

Wolf-Blooded are the blood of the wolf. They carry Tells — supernatural traits that mark them as something more than human. They can see the brands of Renown, sense the spirit world, and resist Lunacy better than mortals. They are family, and the Forsaken treat them as such.

Earn Wolf-Blooded Standing By: Maintaining the pack's cover among humans. Tending the territory when the pack hunts in the Shadow. Gathering intelligence the pack can't get themselves. Supporting the pack through crisis. Using your Tells to help the pack. Being dependable and brave.

Mortal Standing

Some mortals learn the truth about the Uratha and choose to stay. They may be lovers, friends, employees, or simply people who stumbled into the wrong alley at the wrong time and proved useful. Mortals are fragile compared to the People, but their perspective and their access to the human world make them valuable.

Earn Mortal Standing By: Being useful without being a burden. Keeping the secret of the Uratha. Taking risks for the pack. Providing access, skills, or resources the pack cannot get on their own. Staying calm in the face of the terrifying truth.

The aurora had faded. The sky was black and full of stars — more stars than Pacey had ever seen in her life, because this was Alaska and the nearest city lights were behind them.

Mara stood up and brushed ice crystals off her coat.

"One more thing, cub."

Pacey looked up.

"Renown is earned, not given. Standing is earned, not given. None of this comes free. But here's the part nobody tells you —" Mara looked down at her, and for a moment the brands on her arms glowed bright enough to cast shadows on the rooftop. "The climbing is the best part. The falling is the worst. But both of them are the story. Don't avoid it. Lean in."

Renown Is Earned, Not Given. You cannot buy Renown without a deed behind it. The XP is the cost. The story is the reason. Do the deed, get the proof, spend the XP. That's the cycle.

Actions Must Have Stakes. The Lunes don't care about easy victories. They care about sacrifice, risk, and commitment. If it didn't cost you anything, it doesn't count.

Renown Is Public. Everyone can see your brands in the spirit world. Spirits know what you've done. Other Uratha know what you've done. There are no secrets when it comes to Renown.

Status Is Political. Tribal Status and Pack Reputation are about relationships. Every gain and every loss affects how others treat you. Play the politics or be played by them.

Standing Matters. Wolf-Blooded and mortals are not second-class citizens. They are pack. Treat them like it, and they'll prove their worth a hundred times over.

This Is Story Fuel. Climbing, falling, earning, losing, challenging, defending — all of it is part of the Forsaken experience. Don't avoid conflict. Lean into it. The best stories come from characters who risk everything and see what happens.

The wolf must hunt.
The question is whether you're hunting alone.

All rules citations from Werewolf: The Forsaken, Second Edition. Prepared for the Last Frontier Chronicle — Anchorage, Alaska.