Applying the Forsaken Template: Pacey the Cub's Creation Walkthrough

Werewolf ST: "Your auspice is the moon you Changed under. You didn't choose it. It chose you. The phase of the moon at the moment of your First Change marked your soul and set your path among the Forsaken."

Pacey's Player: "So Pacey is an Ithaeur because the moon was a crescent when she …"

Werewolf ST: "When she tore through her old life and became something new. Yes. The crescent moon makes her a spirit master — a ritualist, a seer, an advisor. That doesn't mean she can't fight, can't lead, can't sneak. It means the spirits will always answer to her more readily than to anyone else in the pack."

Choose one of the five auspices. Your auspice gives you:

1. One free Skill dot — Choose one of your auspice's three Skills and add a free dot (cannot exceed 5).

2. One dot of auspice Renown — Marked automatically.

3. Your Moon Gift — You receive the first Facet of your auspice's Moon Gift for free.

4. Your auspice ability — A unique power tied to your moon phase.

5. Your hunter's aspect — How you hunt during the Sacred Hunt.

Werewolf ST: "Unlike your auspice, your tribe is a choice. Pacey gets to choose which Firstborn she pledges herself to — which oath she swears, which sacred prey she hunts, which spiritual family she joins." She paused. "Or she chooses none of them."

Pacey's Player looked at the blank space on the form.

Werewolf ST: "Ghost Wolf is a valid choice. It costs you a Renown dot, a Shadow Gift, and a tribal safety net. But it's valid. For now, leave it blank. You'll know when you're ready."

Choose one of the five tribes, or remain a Ghost Wolf. Your tribe gives you:

1. One dot of tribal Renown — Marked automatically.

2. Access to tribal Gifts — Three Shadow Gift affinities (cheaper to buy).

3. A tribal oath — A vow you swear to your Firstborn. Breaking it is a Harmony breaking point.

4. A sacred prey — The quarry your tribe is dedicated to hunting.

Werewolf ST: "By now you should have two dots of Renown — one from your auspice, one from your tribe. Now you get one more, in any Renown you choose. But you can't put it in the same category as either of your first two if that would give you three dots in one Renown. The maximum at creation is two in any single Renown."

Pacey's Player: "So I have Wisdom from being an Ithaeur. If I'd joined the Bone Shadows, I'd have a second Wisdom from the tribe. That means my free dot would have to go somewhere else."

Werewolf ST: "Exactly. And that matters, because your Renown determines which Gift Facets you can take. No Renown in a category means no Facets in that category."

Restriction: You cannot have 3 dots in any single Renown at character creation.

Ghost Wolves: Receive only the auspice dot plus the free dot (2 total). This means they cannot start with 2 dots in their auspice Renown, which locks them out of the second Facet of their Moon Gift at creation.

Werewolf ST: "Blood is who you are on the hunt. When claws are out and lives are on the line — who are you? The protector? The monster? The tactician?"

Pacey's Player: "And Bone?"

Werewolf ST: "Bone is who you are behind the fur. Your inner nature. The self that doesn't change when the moon pulls at your blood." She tapped the form. "These aren't just flavor. You regain Willpower when you fulfill your Blood in a hunting scene and when you express your Bone in a non-hunting scene. Choose ones that feel true, not ones that sound cool."

Choose one Blood archetype and one Bone archetype. They should be different from each other.

Blood reflects your character's behavior and identity on the hunt — when claws are out and lives are on the line. Fulfilling your Blood during a hunt scene lets you regain a point of Willpower.

Bone reflects your character's sense of self-identity — who she is behind the instincts, fur, and fury. Expressing your Bone in a non-hunt scene lets you regain a point of Willpower.

The full list of Blood and Bone archetypes can be found in Werewolf: The Forsaken 2e, p. 85. Some common examples:

This is not the full list — check the book for all options, and talk to your ST about custom archetypes if none of them fit.

Werewolf ST: "Touchstones are the anchors that keep your Harmony balanced. One pulls you toward the Flesh. One pulls you toward the Spirit. Between them, they keep you on the tightrope."

Pacey's Player: "What kind of things?"

Werewolf ST: "A Flesh Touchstone is usually a person — a human connection that reminds you what it means to be part of the physical world. A lover. A child. An old friend who doesn't know what you are. A Spirit Touchstone is something that connects you to the Hisil — a locus, a spirit ally, a sacred place, a fetish. Lose either one and your Harmony will start to drift."

Choose two Touchstones:

Flesh Touchstone: Something that ties you to the physical, human world. Usually a person — a loved one, a mentor, a friend, a rival. Someone whose existence reminds you that you are more than just a predator. If you lose your Flesh Touchstone, your Harmony drifts toward Spirit.

Spirit Touchstone: Something that ties you to the Shadow, the spirit world, and your Uratha nature. A locus, a spirit contact, a sacred place, a fetish, or even a spiritual obligation. If you lose your Spirit Touchstone, your Harmony drifts toward Flesh.

Werewolf ST: "Death Rage. Kuruth. Basu-Im. Whatever you call it, it's the monster that lives inside every Uratha. Under certain conditions, it tears free. You black out. The wolf takes over. And when you wake up, you find out what it did."

Pacey's Player shivered.

Werewolf ST: "Everyone has triggers — situations that bring the rage closer to the surface. Your triggers are based on your auspice and your Harmony. The closer you are to the middle of the Harmony scale, the harder they are to set off. The further you drift toward either extreme, the easier it gets."

Every Uratha has a set of Kuruth triggers — situations that can send them into Death Rage. Your triggers are determined by your auspice. Each auspice has a specific set of triggers tied to different Harmony levels.

The full trigger tables are in Werewolf: The Forsaken 2e, p. 97. 

At Harmony 7, your Kuruth triggers are relatively difficult to set off. As your Harmony drifts in either direction, triggers become easier. The specifics vary by auspice — a Rahu's triggers revolve around violence and challenge, while an Ithaeur's might center on spiritual violation and helplessness.

Werewolf ST: "This is the part where most new players get confused. Gifts are not spells. They are not learned. They are carved into your spirit by other spirits. Each Gift has five Facets — five levels — and each Facet is tied to one of the five Renown types."

Pacey's Player: "So I can only use a Facet if I have dots in the right Renown?"

Werewolf ST: "Exactly. No Renown, no Facet. Plan your Renown and your Gifts at the same time. They're two halves of the same decision."

Starting Gifts

At character creation, you receive the following:

1. Moon Gift (automatic): The first Facet of your auspice's Moon Gift. This is free and automatic.

2. Two Shadow Gift Facets: Choose one Facet each from two different Shadow Gifts. These must come from your tribe or auspice list. Ghost Wolves choose from any Shadow Gift, but only get one Facet instead of two.

3. One additional Facet:

• If you have 2 dots in your auspice Renown: Take the second Facet of your Moon Gift.
• If you don't: Take one Facet of a Wolf Gift (Change, Hunting, or Pack).

Critical rule: You cannot choose a Facet tied to a Renown in which you have zero dots.

Gift Affinities

Your tribe and auspice each have Shadow Gifts they have an affinity for. Buying the first Facet of an affinity Gift costs 3 Experiences. Non-affinity Gifts cost 5 Experiences. Once you've bought the first Facet, additional Facets from that Gift cost 2 Experiences regardless. Ghost Wolves have no tribal affinities — everything is non-affinity cost.

Starting Rites

You start with two dots of rites. Additional rite dots may be purchased with Merit dots (1 Merit dot = 1 rite dot, up to 5 additional dots).

Werewolf ST: "You have 10 Merit dots to spend. Some of those will go to normal Merits — Allies, Resources, Fighting Styles, whatever fits your character. But some are specific to being Uratha, and there are a few chronicle-specific rules you need to know."

You receive 10 Merit dots total. In addition, every werewolf receives the following for free:

Language (First Tongue): Free. All Uratha speak the First Tongue instinctively.

Totem (•): 1 free dot. Every werewolf starts with one dot in the Totem Merit. Additional dots may be purchased from your Merit pool.

Key Werewolf Merits

Primal Urge: Starts at 2 dots for free in our chronicle (the book default is 1). May be raised to 3 with Merit dots at a cost of 5 Merit dots per additional dot. Primal Urge is capped at 3 at creation.

Totem: All pack members contribute to the shared Totem Merit. You need at least 3 dots of Totem across the pack to have a totem at all. Individual characters may purchase additional dots. Totem may not exceed 5 dots total for a pack's totem.

Additional Rites: You can purchase extra rite dots with Merit dots, at 1 Merit dot per 1 rite dot, up to 5 additional dots.

Lodge Membership: Available if your character's backstory supports membership in one of the chronicle's lodges (Lodge of First Peoples, Lodge of the Long Winter, Lodge of the Valkyrie, or Lodge of Northern Lights).

Werewolf ST: "Now we calculate the numbers. These are derived from your other traits — you don't spend points on them."

These values change when you shapeshift. Each form (Hishu, Dalu, Gauru, Urshul, Urhan) modifies your Attributes, Size, Health, Speed, and available abilities. Those details are covered in the shapeshifting section of the Harmony guide.

Our sheet does this automatically, but it's good to understand what the formulas are and how these traits are derived so that you know if something isn't right on the sheet.

The Werewolf set down her pen and looked over the completed sheet.

"Almost done. A few more things that don't go in boxes but matter just as much."

Aspirations

Choose three Aspirations — concrete, achievable goals for your character. These are things your character wants to accomplish, not personality traits. At least one should be achievable in a single session. At least one should be a longer-term goal. You also choose one Totem Aspiration — something your pack's totem wants accomplished if you come in with a pack at creation.

Chronicle-Specific Considerations

Reason to be in Anchorage: Your character needs a reason to be in Alaska. Born here? Moved here? First Changed here? Fled here? Heard the call? The land shapes the Uratha, and your connection to Anchorage will shape your story.

The Forsaken victory over the Pure: This is recent history. How does your character relate to it? Were they part of the fight? Did they arrive after? Do they have opinions about what the Pure left behind?

Territory and Pack: Territory claims are ongoing. Work with your pack to determine where you fit. If you're joining an existing pack, talk to those players. If you're forming a new one, coordinate with the ST.

Available Lodges: The Lodge of First Peoples, Lodge of the Long Winter, Lodge of the Valkyrie, and the Lodge of Northern Lights are chronicle-specific lodges available with appropriate backstory.

Antagonists Not Allowed

The following character types are not available for player characters:

• Pure
• Bale Hounds
• RD-13
• Ghost Wolves from Night Horrors: Shunned by the Moon
• anything else out of the Night Horrors: Shunned by the Moon book
• any other antagonist faction.

These exist solely as NPC antagonists controlled by the Storyteller(s).

Forsaken Template Checklist

Experience Costs (For Later)

The Werewolf ST slid the completed sheet across the table. Pacey's Player looked at it — all the boxes filled in, all the numbers calculated, all the choices made. It looked like a person. It looked like Pacey.

"That's who Pacey is," the ST said. "On paper, anyway. The real character is the one you play. The one who makes choices the sheet can't predict. The one who surprises you."

She stood up and collected her pen.

"Now go surprise me, cub."

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