Pack Tactics: What They Are and Why Your Pack Needs Them
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Pack Tactics: What They Are and Why Your Pack Needs Them

Werewolf: The Forsaken

The first time Pacey saw a Pack Tactic in action, she didn't understand what she was looking at.

The pack had tracked a pain-spirit through the industrial district's Shadow — a nasty thing, bloated on the resonance of a warehouse where someone had died badly. It was Rank 2, fast, and it knew the terrain. Pacey expected a brawl. What she got was a machine.

The Irraka cut off the spirit's escape route before it knew she was there. The Rahu drove it toward the alley where the Elodoth was waiting with the spirit's bane — a handful of rusted nails from the warehouse floor. Mara spoke a word in the First Tongue, and the totem surged through the pack bond like an electric current. Every wolf moved at once. Not rehearsed — not exactly — but perfectly coordinated, as if they could feel each other's intentions through their skin.

The spirit never had a chance.

Afterward, catching her breath in the alley, Pacey asked: "How did you all just … do that?"

The Rahu grinned. "Pack Tactics."

Mara was already walking. "Come on, cub. Time for you to learn what those are."

What Are Pack Tactics?

Pack Tactics are special team moves your pack can use together. They help you hunt better, fight harder, or even talk to people in clever ways. The pack works as one. Everyone has a job. Everyone helps.

Pack Tactics are not magic. They are not Gifts. They are something a pack just knows how to do, because the pack is a pack.

Who Can Use Pack Tactics?

  • All werewolves (Uratha) in the pack can use them.
  • Wolf-Blooded with the Primal Instincts Tell can also use them. This is a special trait. Without that Tell, a Wolf-Blooded packmate cannot use tactics.
  • No one else. Not vampires. Not mages. Not regular humans.

If a Wolf-Blooded has the Primal Instincts Tell, they can lead a tactic as alpha or help as beta. They join in just like the werewolves do.

Some humans and some other creatures have moves that look like Pack Tactics. They are not the same thing. The book is clear: only Uratha (and these special Wolf-Blooded) can use real Pack Tactics.

Hunting Nature Matters

Every werewolf pack has a Hunting Nature. There are three kinds. Your pack's Hunting Nature changes what tactics you can do.

Human Hunting Nature

  • Your pack thinks first, then acts.
  • You can learn complex tactics, even big ones (4 or 5 dots).
  • You cannot make up tactics on the fly. You must learn each one first.

Wolf Hunting Nature

  • Your pack acts on instinct.
  • You can make up tactics on the fly (called "spontaneous" tactics).
  • You cannot use tactics higher than 3 dots, even ones you bought before.

Werewolf Hunting Nature

  • The best of both.
  • You can learn tactics of any size.
  • You can also make up tactics on the fly.
  • You have no penalties from this list.
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Hunting Nature

What Is Hunting Nature?

Werewolves are pulled between two worlds. They were born and raised as humans. Then they had their First Change and felt the wolf for the first time. Most werewolves spend their lives moving between these two sides.

A pack works the same way. Hunting Nature is the pack's overall style — does it lean toward wolf? Toward human? Or has it found a balance? The pack's choices in play push it one way or the other.

A pack's Hunting Nature can change over time. It is not set in stone.

Who Has a Hunting Nature?

Only packs with werewolves (Uratha) have a Hunting Nature. A pack made up only of Wolf-Blooded and humans does not have one, no matter how feral or how strict its members are. The Uratha are the link.

Even a pack with werewolves might not have a Hunting Nature. Some packs lose their nature over time. Some never lean far enough one way to gain one.

The Four States

A pack is always in one of these four states:

No Hunting Nature

The pack is balanced, but not in a strong way. It has not gone far toward wolf or human. It also has not pulled the two together into the werewolf path.
No bonuses.
No drawbacks.

Wolf Hunting Nature

Can use spontaneous Pack Tactics.
Can spend XP to learn permanent Pack Tactics, but only up to 3 dots.
Can spend XP to codify successful spontaneous tactics into permanent ones (at -1 dice during practice instead of -3), still capped at 3 dots.
Cannot use Pack Tactics over 3 dots, even ones the pack already paid XP for under a different Hunting Nature. The knowledge stays, but the pack can't execute them while in Wolf nature.
The pack gets a Willpower pool each lunar cycle equal to the number of werewolves in the pack. Any packmate in Urshul or Urhan form can spend from this pool.

Human Hunting Nature

The pack thinks first, plans, and practices.
Cannot use spontaneous Pack Tactics.
Can spend XP to learn and use Pack Tactics of any size, even big ones (4 or 5 dots).
The pack gets a Willpower pool each lunar cycle equal to the number of werewolves in the pack. Any packmate in Hishu or Dalu form can spend from this pool.

Werewolf Hunting Nature

The pack has joined both sides. It plans like a human and reacts like a wolf.
Can use spontaneous Pack Tactics.
Can spend XP to learn and use Pack Tactics of any size.
No drawbacks from the other natures.
The pack gets a Willpower pool each lunar cycle equal to the number of werewolves in the pack. Any packmate can spend from this pool in any form.
The pool also gains +1 Willpower each time a packmate enters Basu-Im (Death Rage), up to the number of werewolves in the pack.
The pack gains +2 dice on Intimidation rolls. Prey can feel that something is wrong with this pack.

Starting Hunting Nature

When a pack is first formed, the Storyteller rolls dice to find the pack's starting Hunting Nature. The dice pool is the total Primal Urge of every werewolf in the pack.

Roll Result

Failure: The pack starts with No Hunting Nature.
Success: The players choose Human or Wolf Hunting Nature.
Exceptional Success: The pack starts with Werewolf Hunting Nature.

How Hunting Nature Shifts

The pack's Hunting Nature changes over time. The pack's actions push the marker on the Pack Sheet toward wolf, toward human, or toward werewolf.

The marker can only actually change the pack's Hunting Nature once a month (one lunar cycle, every 28 days). But the marker itself moves whenever the pack does something that fits one of the categories below.

Actions That Shift the Pack

The book lists these as examples. The Storyteller decides if other actions count.

Action

Shifts Toward

Kill with natural weapons (claws, teeth) — but not in GauruWolf
Eat raw meatWolf
Sleep and feed mostly outdoors for a weekWolf
Mark territory with scent or body fluidsWolf
Kill with human-made weapons — but not in GauruHuman
Sleep and feed mostly indoors for a weekHuman
Eat processed foodHuman
Mark territory with symbols or tagsHuman
Kill in Gauru formWerewolf
Successfully complete the Siskur-Dah (Sacred Hunt)Werewolf
More than three packmates in Basu-Im (Death Rage) at the same timeWerewolf

How the Marker Moves
  • Wolf and Human actions push the marker toward those extremes.
  • The further from center the pack already is, the bigger the action needs to be to push it further.
  • Werewolf actions always pull the marker back toward the center. If the pack is already balanced, Werewolf actions push up the Werewolf track.
  • If the pack is on the Werewolf track and does a non-Werewolf action, the marker comes back down to center first before moving toward wolf or human.

The Monthly Roll (Lunar Cycle)

Once every 28 days, the pack rolls to see what its Hunting Nature is for the next month. The Storyteller (or a player) rolls a dice pool equal to the current value on the Hunting Nature track.

If the pack is on the '0' box (right in the middle, no clear lean), they roll a Chance Die instead.

The pack picks when its lunar cycle starts. It does not have to be the new moon or full moon. Most packs pick a date that means something to them — when they first came together, when they bound their totem, etc. After that, the cycle rolls every 28 days.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The pack gains the Lost Hunters Condition. They lose touch with both sides.
Failure: The pack has No Hunting Nature for the next cycle. The pack may choose to take a Dramatic Failure instead, to gain a Pack Beat.
Success: The pack gains the Hunting Nature that fits its position on the track. (If they rolled a Chance Die from the '0' box, they pick Wolf or Human.)
Exceptional Success: The pack gets the Werewolf Hunting Nature for one week, then gets the nature its track position would have given. If the pack was rolling on the Werewolf track, they keep Werewolf Hunting Nature for two full lunar cycles and skip the next monthly roll.

Earning Beats from Your Nature

Each Hunting Nature comes with a small drawback that can earn you Beats. This is how it works:

Wolf Hunting Nature: A packmate can choose to take -2 dice on a Mental Skill roll. If the roll fails, they get a Beat.
Human Hunting Nature: A packmate can choose to take -2 dice on a Physical Skill roll. If the roll fails, they get a Beat.
Werewolf Hunting Nature: A packmate can choose to take -2 dice on a Social Skill roll (except Intimidation). If the roll fails, they get a Beat.

The choice is always optional. Players decide moment by moment.
  • Wolf and Human actions push the marker toward those extremes.
  • The further from center the pack already is, the bigger the action needs to be to push it further.
  • Werewolf actions always pull the marker back toward the center. If the pack is already balanced, Werewolf actions push up the Werewolf track.
  • If the pack is on the Werewolf track and does a non-Werewolf action, the marker comes back down to center first before moving toward wolf or human.
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How Pack Tactics Work

When the pack uses a tactic, all werewolf pack members must take part. This is called a teamwork action.

One werewolf is the leader. The book calls this the primary actor or alpha. The leader rolls the dice. The other pack members roll to help. Their successes are added to the leader's roll.

In a fight, this matters: the leader has to wait. The leader takes their turn when the slowest pack member acts. This is called holding the action.

What You Roll

Each tactic has a set dice pool. The pool stays the same every time. The pool is an Attribute + a Skill. For example: Strength + Brawl or Presence + Socialize.

The prey (the target) usually rolls back to resist. They use their own pool.

Some powerful tactics make it harder for the prey to resist:

  • A tactic where prey only uses their Resistance Attribute (no Skill) costs +2 dots.
  • A tactic where prey cannot resist at all costs +3 dots.

Roll Results

  • Dramatic Failure: The pack falls apart. Every pack member gets the Lost Cohesion Condition.
  • Failure: The tactic does not work. If you try this tactic again this scene, every helper rolls at -2 dice.
  • Success: The tactic works. The success effect happens.
  • Exceptional Success: The tactic works extra well. The exceptional effect also happens.

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Themes

Themes are ideas that mean something to your pack. They are the feeling and story behind a tactic.

Common themes include:

  • The pack bond itself
  • Blood
  • A specific werewolf form (like Hishu, the human form)
  • A special place, time, or situation
  • A specific kind of prey

How Many Themes?

  • Each tactic has two themes for every dot.
    • 1-dot tactic → 2 themes
    • 3-dot tactic → 6 themes
    • 5-dot tactic → 10 themes

Why Themes Matter

If a theme is present in the scene where you use the tactic, the leader gets +2 dice on the roll.

You do not need themes to use a tactic. The pack can use a tactic without any of its themes around. Themes just make tactics easier and stronger.

What Tactics Can Do (Effects)

When a tactic is built, the pack picks one effect for what happens on a success, and one more for what happens on an exceptional success.

Here is the list of effects to pick from:

  • Add or remove 2 dice to or from a roll
  • Add or remove one Door in Social maneuvering
  • Move first impressions one step better (or worse) in Social maneuvering
  • Treat a specific action as an Advanced Action
  • Count half of the helpers' dice pools as automatic successes in teamwork
  • Allow Exceptional Success on 3 successes instead of 5
  • Cut an enemy's Defense in half for one turn (or skip it for one attack)
  • Add one extra success to a roll that already worked
  • Apply a Condition or Tilt to the target
  • Apply a Persistent Condition (counts as two picks)
Some effects can be picked twice for a stronger version. Some can be picked twice to last the whole scene instead of one action. See the Pack pgs. 58-63 for more information 58–63
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Spontaneous Tactics (Wolf and Werewolf Only)

If your pack has the Wolf or Werewolf Hunting Nature, you can make up a tactic right now, in the moment, with no practice.

How to Do It

  • The alpha decides what the pack should do.
  • The alpha shows the themes through words, howls, body language, or a quick action.
  • The alpha rolls Wits + Expression. This is a reflexive (free) action.

Roll Results for Spontaneous Tactics

Dramatic Failure: Everyone in the pack gets the Lost Cohesion Condition.
Failure: The pack does not understand. The tactic does not happen.
Success: The pack gets it. Pick two effects from the list. The pack acts together right away.
Exceptional Success: Pick a third effect, OR have the tactic hit two extra targets.

Important Limit

Wolf Hunting Nature packs cannot use spontaneous tactics higher than 3 dots, even if they bought a bigger one before.

How Much Do Pack Tactics Cost?

Pack Tactics cost 2 Experiences (XP) per dot.
1 dot: 2 XP
2 dots: 4 XP
3 dots: 6 XP
4 dots: 8 XP
5 dots: 10 XP

XP can come from:

Pooled individual XP (everyone chips in from their own XP). When the pack pays for a tactic, every pack member knows it. No one has to pay extra.
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Building a New Tactic

This is a four-step process. Players and the Storyteller work together.

Step 1: Decide What It Does

Most tactics hurt or weaken the prey. Tactics can also help the pack. Some can affect bystanders. A tactic always does the same thing every time. If you want a different result, you have to build a new tactic.

Step 2: Set the Dot Rating

All tactics start at 1 dot. The dot rating goes up if the tactic is bigger.

AspectExtra Dots
Hits more targets+1 dot per 2 extra targets (round up)
Has more effects+1 dot per extra pick from the effects list
Needs fewer pack members+1 dot per 2 fewer Uratha (must use at least 3)
Prey uses only Resistance Attribute (no Skill)+2 dots
Prey cannot resist at all+3 dots
Step 3: Pick Themes
Pick a number of themes equal to 2 × the tactic's dots.

Step 4: Pick a Dice Pool

Work with your Storyteller. Pick an Attribute + Skill that fits the tactic. Pick a defense pool for the prey too.

Practice Time

Most packs need to practice a new tactic for four weeks (one lunar cycle). During practice, pack members rolling the tactic suffer a -3 dice penalty. A pack can only learn one tactic at a time.

Special Rule for Wolf and Werewolf Hunting Natures

  • If your pack does a spontaneous tactic that works, you can pay XP to lock it in as a permanent Pack Tactic later. You only suffer a -1 dice penalty during practice (instead of -3).
  • A spontaneous success can become a 2-dot tactic.
  • A spontaneous exceptional success can become a 3-dot tactic.
  • Wolf Hunting Nature packs cap out at 3-dot tactics, no matter what.
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