Silent Strider Gifts

# Silent Striders

The spirits bless the enigmatic Striders with Gifts of travel and speed.

## Level One Gifts

### Heavens’ Guidance

The Strider is never lost while the stars shine in the sky. This Gift is taught by a spirit servant of the North Star.

System: The werewolf gains an innate sense of direction; he always knows which way is north and the path he took to reach where he is. This Gift’s effects are permanent.

### Sense Wyrm

The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm’s spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn’t necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn’t function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit.

System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm’s influence: sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher.

### Silence

The Strider can muffle any sound she makes, the better to creep up on the Wyrm’s minions or escape them unnoticed. An owlspirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player adds two dice to all Dexterity + Stealth rolls.

### Speed of Thought

The Garou doubles her running speed. A roadrunner- or cheetah-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. The Gift lasts until the end of the scene.

### Tireless Running

Young Silent Striders quickly learn the need for extraordinary speed and stamina — often the message that even untested youths are asked to carry cannot wait for the message bearer to sleep or eat. A Garou with this Gift can run from moonrise to moonrise subsisting on nothing more than her spiritual energy, crossing almost four hundred miles, but as soon as she breaks her run she must eat and rest. This Gift is taught by a wolf-spirit.

System: The player spends on Gnosis point. The character (who must be in Lupus form) may long run for twenty-four hours without the player making a Stamina roll. After twenty-four hours, and each twenty-four hour period thereafter, the player must spend one point of Gnosis and one point of Willpower to allow the character to continue running; otherwise, she must stop. Whenever the character stops running, for whatever reason, she suffers -2 dice to all pools until she has a chance to eat and rest, unless she has run a number of hours that is less than her Stamina.

### Visions of Dust

The werewolf’s eyes become cloudy and pale as she attunes her vision to the ashen landscape of the Underworld. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 7). For the rest of the scene, the character can see (and hear) ghosts and detect haunted areas with another Perception + Occult roll (difficulty corresponds to the severity of the haunting). This Gift bestows no power to touch or communicate with the dead, however — that usually requires the use of the Descent into the Underworld rite. A botch causes the Garou’s eyes to shine as beacons in the underworld, drawing the notice of broken, vengeful shades.

## Level Two Gifts

### Axis Mundi

The Strider reaches out with her spirit to feel the presence of Gaia, centering herself with relation to her Mother. She always knows what direction she is traveling or facing in, so long as she travels within the Gaia Realm. The spirits of migratory birds teach this Gift.

System: This Gift’s effects are permanent.

### Blissful Ignorance

The Garou can become completely invisible to all senses, spirits or monitoring devices by remaining still. A chameleon-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Stamina + Stealth (difficulty 5). Each success subtracts one success from the Perception + Alertness rolls of those looking for the character. If no one is actively seeking the werewolf, one success provides perfect concealment.

### Messenger’s Fortitude

The Strider can run at full speed for three days without rest, food, or water. When she reaches her destination, she has 10 minutes to complete whatever business brought her, then she must sleep for one full day. A camel- or wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. Doing anything other than running ends the Gift. Others may be granted the Messenger’s Fortitude as well, for one Gnosis point per additional runner.

### Speech of the World

This Gift allows Gaia’s warriors to read and wield the spirit of speech, bypassing the need to learn different languages and dialects. The Garou may speak and understand any human language she encounters, though she speaks with an obvious accent, marking her as an outsider. Speech of the World doesn’t convey literacy, nor is it an encyclopedia of cultural information. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Academics (difficulty 7). The effect lasts for one scene.

### Summon Talisman

The Strider can summon to herself any dedicated handheld object (see the Rite of Talisman Dedication). The item disappears from wherever it currently rests, even from somebody else’s grasp, and appears in the Garou’s grip. Striders use this Gift to bring special items to them once they have finished a journey or to recover items lost along the way. A packrat-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou need only spend one Gnosis point and concentrate on the item. The Garou can call only half of his dedicated items — he must choose which ones upon learning this Gift.

### Tread Sebek’s Back

The werewolf calls upon the river to support her steps, allowing her to walk or run across water or other liquids. Her feet gain no special protection if she chooses to run across Wyrmtoxins or other hazardous liquids. A crocodile-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Dexterity + Survival (difficulty 7). The Strider may travel across liquid as if it were open ground for one hour per success.

## Level Three Gifts

### Adaptation

The Strider takes no damage from poison or disease, and he may exist in any environment, regardless of pressure, temperature, or atmospheric conditions. This Gift doesn’t protect the Garou from hazardous situations (such as falling), only hazardous environments. A bear-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Survival (difficulty 7). The Gift lasts for one hour per success.

### Death Track

Sometimes someone’s journey ends too soon, such as a man dying before he can tell the Silent Strider important information. Silent Striders with this Gift do not let the end of someone else’s journey be the end of theirs. As long as the Silent Strider can find the body, they can then follow the trails of the spirit until they find the ghost. A servant of Owl teaches this Gift.

System: The Silent Strider stands over the body of the dead. Then, the player spends one point of Gnosis and rolls Perception + Occult, difficulty 7. One success is needed to smell the direction of the ghost from the body. Every day the search continues, another Perception + Occult roll must be made, with one additional success required for each day spent searching. The Storyteller determines how far away the ghost is.

### Great Leap

The Strider can jump truly astounding distances. A jackrabbit-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Willpower point and rolls Strength + Athletics. The character may jump 100 feet per success.

### Long Running

Whether the Garou is on foot or in a vehicle, this Gift allows him to reduce the travel time on a lengthy journey. Striders use this Gift only when the need is dire; usually, they prefer to see the sights and take their time. A horse-spirit can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Athletics (or Drive) at a difficulty equal to the local Gauntlet; she must also spend one Gnosis point. For every success, the travel time diminishes by 5 percent. A botch increases travel time by 25 percent or indicates that travel has stopped altogether (e.g., due to a flat tire or a twisted ankle).

### Mark of the Death-Wolf

The Silent Strider uses his claws to gouge an eerie sigil into a nearby surface, which fascinates and attracts the unquiet dead. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point upon making the mark, which takes a full turn, and then rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 7). The mark retains its mystic potency for one week per success, leaving the area around it badly haunted if there are any ghosts in the area at all. Destroying the mark can end this Gift’s effects prematurely.

### Scale of Ma’at

The Halls of Ma’at are where the dead go to be judged; the liars, cheaters and murders are denied eternal life. The Silent Striders can invoke the judgement of Ma’at on the living, seeing through lies to find the ugly truth beneath. This Gift is taught by an ibis-spirit, the symbol of Thoth.

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty of the subject’s Manipulation + Subterfuge). Success indicates that the character knows which of the subject’s statements are true, and which are false. If the character chooses to delve more deeply into any statement, true or false, the player must first succeed at a Perception + Empathy roll against the same difficulty. Success unveils the complete truth to the Garou; a botch ends this use of the Gift, and closes this topic to the Strider forever — at least when questioning this individual.

### Sense the Unnatural

The werewolf can sense any supernatural presence and determine its approximate strength and type. Supernatural presences can include magic, spirits, Wyrm taint, ghosts, vampires, faeries, and any other such unnatural manifestation — although it won’t pick them out specifically as such. A werewolf may sense a person plagued by haunting as easily as a ghost. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.

System: The player rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 6). The more successes he rolls, the more information he gains. The sensory input is somewhat vague and subject to interpretation, though. For instance, a vampire might smell of clotted blood, fear, corpse-meat or whatever else the Storyteller finds appropriate.

### Tongues

This Gift allows the user to read or write any human language encountered, no matter how ancient or obscure. Galliards often use this Gift when translating ancient texts to revive old legends or compose new songs for moots. This Gift is taught by a Raven-spirit.

System: After spending one Willpower point, the player rolls her Intelligence + Linguistics. The obscurity and relative age of the language determines the difficulty. A common modern language such as Spanish is difficulty 4. An ancient and obscure tongue, such as Etruscan, would be difficulty 10. The number of successes determines the character’s fluency with the language.

## Level Four Gifts

### Attunement

As the Bone Gnawer Gift, but when learned, the Strider must decide whether the Gift functions in the city or the wilderness. The “city” version is identical to the Bone Gnawer Gift; the “wilderness” version is similar, but the roll required is Perception + Survival.

### Black Mark

The Strider’s claws darken with the leaden sheen of the Dark Umbra, marking her foes fit for the attentions of the restless dead. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player may spend a point of Gnosis when the strider successfully strikes an opponent with her claws, but before rolling damage. The target becomes haunted for one day per level of damage inflicted, as with Mark of the Death-Wolf.

### Dam the Heartflood

No tribe hates vampires more than the Silent Striders, who lost their homeland to the leeches. This Gift allows Strider heroes to nullify the magic inherent to blood. It is taught by a cobra-spirit.

System: The player spends a Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the target’s Willpower). Each success prevents the target from using any magic related in any way to blood for one turn. It also prohibits the spending blood points for any purpose for the same duration, should the target possess a blood pool trait (such as that of vampires, ghouls, and Ananasi).

### Guiding Hand of Djeheuty

None could stay the words of Djeheuty, the messenger of the Gods. Those who have this Gift do not even have to accompany the message, but can send it on its way and be assured that it will reach its destination. The spirit of any migrating animal teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends two points of Gnosis and rolls Charisma + Occult, difficulty 8, while the Strider loudly states the message’s destination. The message must be written on something physical (paper, tablet, bone shard). A simple success imbues the message with a Gaffling that will ensure it arrives at the stated destination. The method of delivery is a matter of coincidence; the message is picked up by someone curious, ends up on a truck heading that direction, floats on the wind, etc. The number of additional successes determines how long this takes, regardless of distance.

**Number of Successes**                  **Length of Transit**

1                                                             A year

2                                                            Six months

3                                                           One season

4                                                           One week

5                                                          One day

While the message is in transit, the Silent Strider cannot regain the two points of Gnosis invested in it. Nor can they revoke the message. As a result, this Gift tends to be used only when all other avenues have been tried and failed, or if the Strider’s death is certain. The Strider’s death will not disrupt this Gift.

### Speed Beyond Thought

The werewolf can run at 10 times his normal land speed. The effects last for up to eight hours, during which the Strider can do nothing but concentrate on running. When the Gift’s effects end, the werewolf must eat immediately or face frenzy from hunger. A cheetah- or air-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Stamina + Athletics (difficulty 7) to activate this Gift.

### Touch of Death

The Garou can inflict visions of death upon an unsuspecting opponent. Worse, these visions are highly personal premonitions of the opponent’s untimely demise, as if someone “had walked over his grave.” The fear this creates is paralyzing; in the worst cases, the victim falls catatonic and cannot be revived for days. On recovery, the stricken individual cannot remember details of what so terrified him, simply that involved his death. Victims who survive the encounter with the Eater of the Dead are forever marked with a white lock or patch of hair. This Gift is taught by a death-spirit.

System: The Garou must touch her victim; the player rolls Dexterity + Brawl if in combat, Dexterity + Stealth if sneaking up unnoticed, or Manipulation + Subterfuge if casually touching him in the course of conversation. On success, the player spends two points of Gnosis and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). If the Eater of the Dead achieves more successes than the target has Willpower, the victim becomes catatonic with fear. if the successes are fewer than the target’s Willpower, the target suffers a -1 penalty to all dice pools for each success due to the debilitating fear. In both cases, the successes are eliminated at a rate of one per day — a catatonic victim does not awaken until all of the initial successes are eliminated.

## Level Five Gifts

### Gate of the Moon

This Gift creates as specialized moon bridge that takes the Strider to her destination instantly. At least a sliver of the moon must be visible at her area of departure. A Lune teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point for every 100 miles the Strider needs to travel. She then rolls Intelligence + Alertness (difficulty varies by how far the journey is and how well the Strider knows the way). Success transports the character instantly to her destination.

### Invocation of the Pharaoh

This awe-inspiring Gift is only available to the greatest Strider heroes. The Strider must be in Homid form, must spend a Gnosis and a Willpower point, and must enact a 10-minute chant to the greatest of ancient Egyptian spirits. Once this is done, the Garou expands and grows, becoming a giant similar to the depictions of pharaohs on mastabas and sarcophagi. This Gift is taught by Sphinx.

System: The Garou grows to a height of nearly eight feet, but otherwise remains in Homid form. The Garou gains the Physical Attributes of a Crinos, but loses no Social Attributes; indeed, the Garou’s Charisma and Manipulation are treated as 6 when making Leadership or Intimidation rolls. A Garou in Pharaoh form does not inflict aggravated damage, but adds one to all Brawl and Melee damage inflicted against Wyrm-foes (or adds two when facing Followers of Set). The Garou regenerates as a Crinos, but is invulnerable to silver and cannot frenzy. Essentially, the Pharaoh form combines the best of both Homid and Crinos forms. This form lasts for one scene.

### Reach the Umbra

The Garou may step in and out of the Umbra at will, without need of a reflective surface or even any effort at all. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The Garou may step sideways instantly, at any time, with no fear of being “caught.” No roll is necessary. All rolls to enter or leave Umbral Realms receive a –2 difficulty bonus. She may not, however, spend Rage on the turn that she steps sideways. The Garou may not step sideways quickly enough to dodge an attack that has already been declared.

## Camp Gifts

### Level One Camp Gifts

#### Grim Resolve

Camp: Harbingers

Other werewolves look to the Ahroun for leadership in combat. The Gift of Inspiration is one reason. The Garou with this Gift lends new resolve and righteous anger to his brethren. Either a lion- or wolf-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends one Gnosis point. All comrades (but not the Gift’s user) receive one automatic success on any Willpower rolls made during the scene.

### Level Two Camp Gifts

#### Curse of Hatred

Camp: Bitter Hex

The metis may verbalize the hatred in her heart, disheartening opponents with the intensity of her emotion. A spirit of hate teaches this Gift.

System: The player spends on Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Expression (difficulty of the opponent’s Willpower). If she succeeds, her opponent loses two Willpower points and two Rage points. This Gift may be used on an opponent only once per scene.

#### Graceful Strike

Camp: Dispossessed

This Gift was used in bygone days to assassinate corrupt officials or merchants who were the tools of vampires. Beautiful young Garou would dance for them, then strike when the target least suspected. The secrets of the dancer’s knife had been kept alive by members of the Dispossessed camp, who found it useful to play on their gypsy heritage. In these desperate times, it’s a common tool of the camp’s Galliards when a fight gets messy. This Gift is taught by a cobra-spirit.

System: The player spends one point of Gnosis before making an attack roll as usual (Dexterity + Melee, difficulty dictated by the weapon), though the character’s attack is unusually fluid and dance-like. If the attack is successful, the player adds the character’s Performance skill rating in the dice to the damage roll.

#### Pulse of the Prey

Camp: Seekers

If he knows anything about his prey, the character can track it down as rapidly as he can travel. This unerring sense of direction operates anywhere, and it is useful for tracking spirits through the Umbra as well as finding beings on Earth. A wolf- or dog-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: No roll is required unless the target is hiding actively (intent alone is not enough), in which case a Perception + Enigmas roll is made against a difficulty of the target’s Wits + Stealth. If the target is a spirit, the difficulty is the spirit’s Gnosis.

#### Spectral Authority

Camp: Wayfarers

Any spirit the Philodox knows by name is a potential servitor. With this Gift, the werewolf can summon and command any spirit she knows by name. Only one command is possible at a time, and the spirit departs after fulfilling the one request. An Incarna avatar teaches this Gift.

System: Obviously, the Philodox must learn the spirit’s name, which usually requires personal acquaintance or use of the Gift: Name the Spirit. The Player rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty of the spirit’s Willpower). If the player spends two Gnosis points, the werewolf can summon all Gaian spirits within one mile to protect or assist her, even if she does not know their names.

#### Troubleseeker

Camp: Harbingers

The Harbingers are noted for their intuitive ability to find trouble or Wyrm-corruption, no matter how well hidden. They sometimes appear from nowhere, just “happening across” some problem or threat. This Gift allows a Harbinger to discover trouble without really searching for it — he just starts down a road and sees where it takes him. Almost invariably, his path crosses some threat that needs seeing to.

System: The Harbinger rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 8). Success indicates that his travels will indirectly but quickly take him to a “trouble spot” of some gravity. Multiple successes on the roll allow the Harbinger to discover more dangerous or subtly hidden threats, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

### Level Three Camp Gifts

#### Ghost Touched

Camp: Harbingers

Once a Garou steps into the Dark Umbra, he carries an aura of death and decay with him always. The aura is difficult to see, but it is there nonetheless — the perceptive might smell a faint must in his fur, or catch strange reflections in the pupils of his eyes. This Gift harnesses that deathly aura, weaving it into a protective shield against the attacks or special abilities of ghosts. This Gift is taught by the denizens of the Dark Umbra, and is not easily come by.

System: Once learned, this Gift is always in effect; no roll need be made. The difficulties of all rolls made by ghosts (wraiths or specters, if you’re also using Wraith: The Oblivion) to affect the character are made at +2 difficulty (maximum 10). This includes effects that would be beneficial. Using the energies of the Dark Umbra in this way reinforces the impression of death that others may feel, which will increase the difficulty on Social rolls when the Storyteller feels it to be appropriate.

### Level Four Camp Gifts

#### Mindblock

Camp: Sword of Night

The Garou fortifies her will against mystical influences of all sorts. A falconspirit teaches this Gift.

System: The difficulties of any direct mental attacks or attempts to control the Garou’s mind, as well as more insidious psychic assaults (mind-reading, illusions, possession, and so forth) are raised to 10. The effects of this Gift are permanent, but do not apply to magic which sways the Garou’s emotions.

### Level Five Camp Gifts

#### Fetish Doll

Camp: Bitter Hex

Sympathetic magic is the oldest form of sorcery, and it is still effective. Although many cultures find this sort of magic repellent, the Uktena believe that the ends well justify the means. The Garou can harm his victim from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.

System: The doll takes one week to construct and enchant. The player rolls Perception + Crafts (difficulty 8) to construct the doll. When the doll is complete, the player may roll Intelligence + Medicine (difficulty of the victim’s Willpower). Each success inflicts one level of aggravated damage on the victim, which eh may soak if he is capable of doing so. The doll is only capable of transferring 10 levels of damage. After 10 successes, the doll is too mutilated to be of further use. A botched roll destroys the doll without inflicting any damage.