The Camarilla UK: Forsaken

W:tF Character Quick Start Guide

This Character Quick start Guide will help you make a Werewolf: the Forsaken (W:tF) player character (PC) for the Camarilla's sanctioned chronicle in the World of Darkness. It assumes that you're making a Werewolf PC for the Forsaken venue. You should have a copy of Minds Eye Theatre: The World of Darkness (MET WoD), Werewolf: the Forsaken and access to the Werewolf: the Forsaken Minds Eye Theatre/settings guide (part of the Approvals Addendum which can be found online) handy, or a friend who's very familiar with those books.

Fairly standard by-the-book character concepts can be immediately approved by your Storyteller for play; for more unusual and rare things, you will need to get special approvals. Your Storyteller can give you more information about that process.

Now progress through the following steps to make a Werewolf the Forsaken PC:

Step 1:

First choose your character's names. A deed name is usually earned by a Werewolf soon before or during tribal initiation. Examples include “Knife-to-the-Back,” “Winterborn,” or “Bleeding- Edge.” Pick a concept for your PC; this can be something as simple as 'intrepid adventurer' or 'angst-filled loner', or something more elaborate. The PC's age at metamorphosis or “first change” will give you an idea of how long your character has been active as a Werewolf. Your character's Virtue and Vice determine the best and worst elements of her nature - if you role-play out your Virtue and Vice, your Storyteller (ST) is likely to reward you with more experience points (XP), or similar bonuses.

Pick 1 Virtue and 1 Vice (See MET WOD pages 117-127 for more info):

Step 2:

2.1 Pick Your Attributes: distribute by darkening in the dots:

Prioritize your Attributes: the primary category (e.g. Physical) gets five free points to spend amongst the three Attributes in it on a one for one basis, the secondary gets four, and the tertiary three. The first dot in every Attribute is free and darkened, but to get the fifth dot in an Attribute costs two of your points at character creation.

2.2 Select Skills and Skill Specialties: distribute points by darkening in the dots

Prioritize your Skill categories (the first dots aren't free in Skills, unlike Attributes): The primary category gets eleven points to spend on Skills in it, the secondary gets seven and the tertiary gets four. The fifth dot in any Skill costs two points at character creation. Then take three Skill Specialties (e.g. Fencing as a specialty of Weaponry, details on MET WoD p. 58) of your choice and write them below the appropriate category's column.

Step 3:

Since you're playing a Werewolf, select your auspice and tribe from the lists below. Auspice is based on the phase of the moon during the PC's first change. Your character's auspice will grant a measure of supernatural aptitude for certain tasks as well as providing a sense of the character's place in a pack. A character's auspice does not change.

3.1 Auspice

A free Specialty is gained at character creation in one of three Skills based on your character's auspice, in addition to the standard Specialties available. You must have at least one dot in one of these three Skills to gain an Auspice Specialty. There's no award otherwise.

Auspice ~ Stereotype ~ Speciality

3.2 Tribe

Tribe is subject to the werewolf character's (and player's) choice. Each tribe is associated with a ban, which dictates acceptable behaviour within the tribe. You can decide that your character hasn't joined a tribe, and is currently considered a “Ghost Wolf.” Ghost Wolves have yet to join a tribe, have no particular reason to join a given tribe, or reject the idea of swearing allegiance to a tribal totem. These Ghost Wolves walk the dangerous yet somewhat freer path of the Tribeless. More details regarding each tribe can be found in W:tF pages 84-101.

Tribe ~ Stereotype ~ Ban

3.3 Renown

Renown dictates the level of Gifts to which you have access and indicates social status within werewolf society. Assign one dot to each primary Renown based on your character's auspice and tribe, and a third dot to a Renown of your choice. Note that a Ghost Wolf receives Renown for auspice, but not for tribe.

3.4 Choose Gifts

Choose one Gift from a list associated with your character's auspice, one from a list associated with your character's tribe, and one from a list of your choice.

The only lists from which you cannot choose Gifts are those that are synonymous with auspices other than your own: Full Moon (Rahu), Gibbous Moon (Cahalith), Half Moon (Elodoth), Crescent Moon (Ithaeur) and New Moon (Irraka). Your highest-dot Gift cannot exceed your character's highest primary Renown,. You may only select a second (or third) level starting Gift if you have the previous levels of it (so a Storm Lord Rahu might have the first and second level Dominance Gifts, as long as he had the previous ones).

Although Ghost Wolves do not have a tribe, they still are allowed three dots of Gifts, and may choose from the Father Wolf or Mother Luna lists for their "Tribal" Gift."

An alternative to choosing a Gift at character creation is the rituals trait.

The “free” pick with which you can normally choose a Gift from any list is traded for a single dot in rituals. No more than one dot can be acquired at character creation. In addition to allowing your character access to purchase one-dot rites, one dot in rituals grants your character a free, single, one-dot rite, as chosen from those offered on W:tF p. 147 - 165.

If you have purchased a dot in rituals, you may purchase additional one-dot rites during character creation using Merit points (in Step 4 below). Each Merit dot invested in this fashion purchases an additional one-dot rite.

Step 4:

4.1 Primal Urge

A Werewolf's starting (free) Primal Urge is always 1. At character creation, an additional dot of Primal Urge may be bought at the cost of 3 of your starting 7 Merit points (in Step 4 below). You may purchase up to two points of Primal Urge (for a total of 3) in this manner using 6 of your 7 starting Merit points. Regardless of how much Primal Urge you buy with starting Merit points, additional levels may be bought by spending the level of Primal Urge you're buying times eight in XP (in Step 5, below). This can be done both at character creation and once your character is in play. Intervening levels must also be bought, e.g. to go from Primal Urge 3 to Primal Urge 4 is 32XP. To go from Primal Urge 3 to Primal Urge 6 is 120XP (32+40+48). Consult the following chart for effects of Primal Urge:

Characters should discuss the effects of Primal Urge with their ST's. More details on Primal Urge can be found in W:tF pages 75-76.

4.2 Merits

Select 7 points worth of Merits (up to 6 of which can be spent on Primal Urge 2 and 3). Some Merits are 'Creation Only', which means that unlike other Merits, they can only be bought with the 7 Merit points during this stage of character creation. If a Merit is labelled 'special', you will need to take to your Storyteller about details pertaining to taking it, e.g. where your Allies are and what they do. Note for Merits which offer variable dot costs, the fifth costs two points to purchase at character creation. (See Chapter 5 of MET WoD for more information on general Merits and their effects and pages 128-135 of MET Requiem for more information on Vampiric specific Merits and their effects.)

The following Merits will require you to consult with your Storyteller on order to detail them: Allies, Contacts, Fame, Mentor, Retainer, Status, Fetish, Totem and all Territory merits.

4.3 Werewolf Specific Merits

Fetishes can only be purchased with Merit dots during character creation. While they can also be acquired in game, they can not be purchased with XP. The Totem Merit is shared by all members of the pack; each member who contributes Merit points to Totem reaps the benefits, and the totem becomes stronger. See W:tF page 79 for more information on these Merits, and W:tF pages 186-195 for systems to create a pack totem.

Step 5:

5.1 Starting Experience points and Membership Class

Determine starting experience points by taking your current Membership Class (MC) times 20 and adding 30. If you are new to Camarilla UK then your starting MC will be 1. (E.g. a total of 50XP to spend if you're MC1). You can spend your MC derived XP (MC XP) according to the costs below; you can't get any level six dots or above during this step, with the exception of Renown and Harmony. MC XP may be spent on non-Affinity Gifts. After fully creating your character, you may permanently remove any dots or XP from your sheet if you so wish if, for instance, it doesn't fit their concept.

5.2 How much XP does everything cost?

Item to be purchased ~ Experience Point Costs

Note that Ithaeur characters have reduced costs for rituals, New Dot x 4, and rites, rite Dot x 1, per the “Ritual Master” auspice ability (W:tF, page 82).

For each purchased level of Renown, the PC gets one free Affinity Gift of the same level; it does not matter if any other Gifts of that list are known. For each purchased level of rituals, the PC gets one free rite of the same level.

The level of Gifts can never exceed a character's highest Primary Renown. Likewise, the level of rites can never exceed a character's level in Rituals. Gifts need not be purchased in the sequence that they're listed, but cost an extra 3 XP per level skipped.

Step 6:

6.1 Advantages

After adding everything bought with XP, determine your character's Advantages. Advantages are derived from your character's Attributes as follows: Size (base of 5, see page 107 of MET WoD for more info), Health (Stamina + Size), Speed (Strength + Dexterity +5), Willpower (Resolve +Composure), Initiative (Dexterity + Composure), and Humanity (7 for starting characters), Defence (the lower of Dexterity and Wits). No optional rules (from Forsaken or WoD) are used for sanctioned character creation in the Camarilla, such as dropping Harmony for more XP.

If the character qualifies, he may enter one of his tribe's lodges, societies within the tribe that are dedicated to a particular facet of the tribe's totem and activities. For details of which Lodges are available to play please see the Werewolf: The Forsaken Mind's Eye Theatre/settings guide (part of the Approvals Addendum which can be found online), please note that most Lodges require some level of Approval to be a member of.

6.2 Record keeping

Enter all of your character's details on your character sheet and have it agreed by your direct Storyteller to have it approved for play. You should also go to the online Camarilla Approvals DB, create a login, and enter your character there: http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/approvals/

If you do not have internet access then please ask your Storyteller to put your character on the Database for you.

6.3 Useful web addresses

Camarilla International website: http://camarilla.white-wolf.com. This web site is the home of the Camarilla International and contains all sorts of useful information about the global chronicle and the organisation.

Approvals Database: http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/approvals. This page is the access point for the Camarilla International Approvals Database, it is where all the approved characters for the Global Camarilla Chronicle are stored and their Approvals registered and approved by the Storytellers.

Approvals Addendum: http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/rules/Camarilla%20Addendum.html. This page covers all things which require approval for Camarilla -sanctioned play.

Camarilla UK web site: http://www.camarilla.org.uk. This website is the Camarilla UK's web site and contains among other things contacts and news for each of the venues, games and events.

Other Resources (global/White Wolf email lists):

There are global in-character and out-of-character email lists for the Camarilla, often a very good place to look for connections for your character: http://cammail.white-wolf.com/mailman/listinfo/Forsaken

And the general OOC (out-of-character) list: http://cammail.white-wolf.com/mailman/listinfo/Forsaken-ooc

Other Resources (global mIRC channels): http://camarilla.white-wolf.com/irc. Information on in-character IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channels can be found at the above address.

Camarilla UK General lists:

6.4 Forsaken e-mail lists

Camarilla UK Tribe lists:

Please note that at this stage all tribe email lists are for OOC chat between players only.

Camarilla UK Auspices lists:

Please note that at this stage all auspice email lists are for OOC chat between players only.

6.5 Contacts

Contacts can be found online but here are a few of the more commonly used ones:






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