Academics

You possess higher learning beyond the normal bounds of education. With Academics, you can debate the existence of gravity or give Ben Stein a challenge. This broad Ability covers all sorts of arts and humanities. Academics allows you to recognize historical, artistic and cultural references, pursue studies into those fields, or create a critique. Calling on Academics may require a Mental or Social Challenge to determine your exact level of competence.

You may further direct your studies by choosing a specific field, such as Art History, Classics,Joumalism, Theology or anything else that could be studied with higher education.

 

Animal Ken

You understand the temperament of animals, allowing you to empathize and communicate with them. It’s not like Dr. Doolittle; rather you can deal with them more equitably. Though most animals may retain a healthy fear of the Rage lurking

within you, you know what drives them and how to assuage their fears.  WithAnimalKen, youcan trainananimal (especially aKinfolk) to perfomspecific behaviors, or attempt to deduce an animal’s state of being with a Mental Challenge. If you work with an animal for at least a month or so, you may be able to teach it a simple trick, up to a limit of one trick for each Mental Trait the animal possess.

 

Athletics

You might have been a jock in high school, or perhaps you are just naturally talented, but you are skilled in all manners of athletic endeavors. You can throw a ball, catch, sprint, climb, jump and swim and run with the best of them. This is a benefit for you, especially for Garou who fight often and require athleticism to keep bouncing all over the place.

Your Athletics Ability is used for retests on most forms of raw physical activity: acrobatics, running, climbing, jumping, swimming, throwing, ballet dancing and other activities.

 

Awareness

You have a talent for knowing when things are amiss, whether by that strange feeling in the pit of your gut or through scrupulous observation. This is particularly useful for sensing when other supernatural creatures are about, detecting evidence of  Wyrm-taint, or just knowing when things are about to get crazy. Awareness requires a Mental Challenge to use.

 

Brawl

You roughed up the kids at the schoolyard, hard-styled the martial arts students and kicked ass in bars fights. You might have some military training, or maybe you just grew up with a bunch of rough-and-tumble siblings. Whatever the case, you know how to dish out damage with your fists and feet. Use the Brawl Ability for retests in combat when you are using your natural weapons (teeth, claws or fists). This Ability is also the province of the martial arts, although you should specify which art when taking this Ability.

 

Computer

Most Garou are not familiar with new technology and, as a result, tend to shy away from all things artificial and silicon, although a few daring souls have move through the modem world with ease. With the Computer Ability, you are versed in the

methods of basic computer operation, programming and accessing other computers. You can hack into systems, write complex programs and viruses, and decode unfamiliar languages by using Computer with a successful Mental Challenge (difficulty determined by the Storyteller).

 

Crafts

You build and construct things. Depending on your specific area of expertise, you might know how to remodel a house or sculpt figures out of ice. As such, you must specify an area of expertise, a focus, such as Weaving, Carpentry or Sculpting. Crafts also covers more labor-intensive technical skills, such as Mechanics and Electronics. Making or repairing an item with Crafts is decided by a challenge, with difficulty set by the Storyteller based on the type of job (drawing up architectural schematics is decisively more difficult than sanding a 2 x 4).  Crafts also includes body art, such as tattooing, piercing or other applications of body alterations.

 

 

Dodge

You possess enough fighting savvy to avoid physical harm by manipulating your body away from directed attacks and, to a lesser degree, gunfire -you know when to hit the floor or how to dive for cover. You can only use Dodge against any attack that you’re consciously aware of: a fight in which you are a participant or a drive-by shooting that you happen to see unfold. Dodge is used to retest challenges where you attempt to avoid physical harm

 

Drive

You’re at home with either a stick shift or an automatic, rush hour is no concern, and you can get the most performance out of a car. In dangerous situations, you can evade traffic and even use your vehicle as a weapon. Bear in mind that just because you candrive astation wagondoesn’t mean you can drive a semi with equal ease. A Mental Challenge may be required to allow you to figure out where everything is in an unfamiliar vehicle. Drive tests most often involve a Physical Challenge with your reflexes.

 

Empathy

You are sensitive to the moods and emotions of people around you. When you listen to someone, you understand his feelings. You can identify with others and tell when people are lying or holding back while talking to you. With a Social Challenge and the expenditure of a level of Empathy, you can determine if the last thing that someone said was a lie (although Subterfuge can defend against this expenditure). Alternately, you can attempt to determine the subject’s current Demeanor.

 

Enigmas

You are good at solving mysteries and puzzles - you can solve word searches in a few minutes or play with Zen koans for fun. This Ability measures how well you can solve problems, delve into metaphysical questions or collect scattered details into a coherent whole. Enigmas is used with Mental Challenges to see if you can figure out a problem set before, like solving a maze or answering a riddle. The Storyteller may require a number of Traits to be risked, depending on the difficulty of the puzzle.

 

Ettiquite

You know when to bow in the presence of an elder and how to address her in a polite manner. You can hold a toast with the best of them, and you keep your cool in any social scenario, from high tea to a gang rally. The Etiquette Ability can be used with Social Tests to impress or blend in at parties. If you make a socialfauxpas, you may expend an Etiquette Ability immediately to negate the gaffe - your character knew better than to make the mistake.

 

Expression

Words and feelings flow freely from you. When the Muse strikes, you put pen to paper (or fingers to instrument) and pour out a torrent of emotion and stirring imagery. You can convey message and meaning in your art, from symphonies to poetry, and

whatever you write is both clear and moving. While it is possible to create a work without Expression, it may very well be technically brilliant but emotionally sterile.

 

Finance

You understand interest, CDs, stock market transactions, currency exchanges and GNPs. You can also use your Finance to balance books, run a business of your own, follow a money trail, perform an audit or clean up an accounting mess with a Mental Challenge (difficulty dependent on the task, as determined by the Storyteller).

Alternately, you can spend a level of Finance Ability to raise $250 in cash between games. Not every use of Finance is so benign - money-laundering has to come from somewhere.

 

Firearms

A little time at the gun range goes a long way. You know how to hold, fire and clean a gun. You can unjamone, too, and you can tell different models apart. You know how to stand to get the best aim, how to handle recoil and how to take care of problems in the field. If you posses the Firearms Ability, you may use your Mental Traits for gun combat instead of using Physical Traits, at no cost. You can expend a level of Firearms for a retest in ranged-fire combat.

 

Hobby / Professional/ Expert Ability

In a certain area of expertise not covered by another Ability, you have achieved some level of skill. You may have a small grasp of a trade due to some work on the side, or perhaps you’ve specifically studied a topic. Hobby/Professiond/ExpertA bility is a catch-all category for highly unusual Abilities like Garou Lore, Undertaking, Demolitions and so on. The Storyteller must specifically approve any Ability of this type and will define its capabilities.

 

Intimidation

Intimidation represents any of a broad variety of techniques for terrifying people into compliance. This could be anything from physical size, to a toothy grin in your Crinos form, to knowing which emotional buttons to push. You can use Intimidation when trying to scare someone with a Social Challenge, with certain Gifts, or in retests where the Delirium would have an effect.

 

Investigation

You know how to pick up clues and to put together disparate pieces of information. By habit and training, you can set a jumbled mass of data into order, discovering identities, motives and patterns in an otherwise chaotic scene. You can use Investigation with a Mental Challenge when trying to puzzle out meaning to a random scene.

 

Law

Nobody is above the law, except those who know how to use it to their own advantage. You’re one of the latter. Perhaps you uphold the law, or maybe you twist it to your own ends. Your knowledge of Law allows you to understand legal processes, courts and lawyers and to use them effectively. Use the Law Ability in court situations or with Social Challenges involving legal matters. Because the legal body is so vast, your Storyteller may require you to select a particular area of study (Criminal, Entertainment, etc.). Alternately, you may choose make a specialized study of the Litany or other Garou law

 

Leadership

When you speak, people listen. A good speaking voice and self-confidence lend a powerful presence to a leader. The Leadership Ability represents your ability to motivate people and to get them to follow your guidance. Even among those who do not know or respect you, you can demand attention. You can use Leadership with a Social Challenge to try to get a minor favor or task from a character.

 

Linguistics

You’ve studied a language - or languages - other than your native tongue. Whether you frequent the global community, or it is necessary for other studies, you can speak, write and read other languages. You must choose one language for each level of Linguistics you possess. Thus, you could have Linguistics: Cantonese and Linguistics: German. Alternately, you can focus

on the underlying study of Linguistics itself, granting some understanding of the principles behind the structure of language. Languages need not be spoken; American Sign Language or Egyptian hieroglyphics would also be considered fields for study.Those who wish to converse in another language (but cannot actually do so) should hold up one hand with the first finger and thumb, making an L-shape to indicate to other players that the characters are not speaking English. Those who wish to listen to the conversation must also possess the language.