Renown

Renown is a set of Traits that measures how well a character is living up to his expected role in Garou society. It's this reason that connects Renown so closely with auspices. Unlike experience points, a character's Renown reflects her standing among the Garou as a result of her deeds and actions -- a character can rack up plenty of experience for his actions, but if he does not perform the duties expected of his auspice, his Renown will not increase.

A character's Rank is tied to his Renown. As such, those with low Renown are expected to respect and defer to werewolves of higher Rank. Some Garou rail against this system, but that's a fast track to losing even more Renown.

The Garou measure Renown in three separate areas: Glory, Honor, and Wisdom. Each one is somewhat self-explanatory. Glory represents a character's physical deeds, including feats of strength, stamina, and agility, such as those that made Hercules a legend. It also measures bravery, a willingness to take extreme risks (at least, extreme risks that pay off) and victory in battle. Honor measures a Garou's sense of duty and history. It speaks of the character's ethics and morals, as well as his personal sense of pride. Finally, Wisdom celebrates the more mental virtues of a character, including strategy, cunning and insight. Patience and a strong connection to the spirit world also help a Garou increase his Wisdom.

Characters record Renown in two forms. The dots represent the character's permanent Renown rating, while the squares denote a character's pool of temporary Renown points. Renown differs from other Traits that have both permanent and temporary ratings, in that a character starts with no points of temporary Renown, and temporary Renown is allowed to exceed the Renown rating. Permanent Renown changes rarely (only normally due to a Punishment Rite or a Rite of Accomplishment), while temporary Renown is always in flux, and can shift several times in one session.

Temporary Renown awards have no mechanical impact until the player amasses 10 or more points in any one category. When that happens, 10 of the points are converted into one dot of permanent Renown. Most awards range between 1 and 7 points in any category, with larger awards or penalties kept for the greatest deeds or most vile treacheries. (Punishments for deeds that result in the loss of more than seven points are likely to be much more severe than a simple loss of face, however.) Some deeds grant awards in more than one category simultaneously.

Beginning Renown
All new characters start play with three permanent dots in Renown, which are distributed according to her auspice. She earns this Renown as part of her Rite of Passage, and if the Storyteller intends the pack to play through the rite, players shouldn't assign these dots until the rite is completed. Starting Garou begin the game at Rank 1.

Special Considerations
One question that has come up a lot over the past twenty years is whether a deed has to be witnessed by other Garou before it is worthy of Renown. If a werewolf sacrifices himself as the only defender of the caern, will he earn his posthumous Renown? When two Garou have sex, violating the Litany, do they have to be observed before their disgrace is known?

In general, this system assumes that Renown awards or penalties take place automatically, without the need for someone else to spread the tale. The nature of this change may differ slightly from chronicle to chronicle: Perhaps the spirit world takes notice and passes judgment, or maybe something about the deed changes the Garou's spiritual appearance subtly, leaving a literal mark of honor (or dishonor, as the case may be). The Renown system isn't based purely on politics or community -- the acts of an individual werewolf are distinct and indelible, regardless of what the pack or the sept thinks. In Werewolf, actions have consequences, even private ones.

The social expectations of breed, auspice, and tribe may have an impact on Renown awards and penalties. An Ahroun who flees from a battle might be penalized more severely than a Philodox that does the same, because the Ahroun are considered to be warriors. A Fianna that tells a particularly masterful story might be elevated more quickly than her Glass Walker cousin who does the same. A Ragabash may not lose as much Honor from falsely accusing other Garou, because they are expected to be a little disreputable, but they may also find it harder to gain Honor as well. On the whole, however, Garou are generally held to the same standards in the eyes of the spirits.

Another question that may come up is who gets the Renown award for killing which minion of the Wyrm. Here are a couple of points to help you decide how to best gauge Renown awards in combat.

* When more than one opponent attacks within a single combat scene, consider them a collective threat instead of an individual one. One vampire might only be a minor threat, but a pack of four vampires may represent an average or even a strong threat. As such, they would collectively count as 3 Glory, rather than 8 (2 for each one).

* If multiple Garou are involved in taking down a particularly large foe or a large group, each character who contributed to the combat gets the Renown award, not just the person who struck the killing blow. In the case of the pack of vampires, for example, every Garou who fought the Wyrm creatures would get the award of 3 Glory. To Garou, it is the pack that is glorious, not the individuals that make it up.

Glory

 * I shall be valorous
 * I shall be dependable
 * I shall be generous
 * I shall protect the weak
 * I shall slay the Wyrm

Many Garou earn Glory through defeating mighty enemies and succeeding at dangerous quests. A werewolf can earn Glory by fighting on through overwhelming odds in order to triumph, but Glory is not the Renown of a mere brawler. A werewolf must have a reason and a cause to fight for, and though the odds are against her, she must never surrender --regardless of the cost. Many young Garou have their Glory stripped from them for leaping into fights that they cannot hope to win; Glory only trucks with stupidity when a character actually succeeds at the impossible. That said, a grand death in service to a noble ideal may give the deceased a large share of the Glory they so desired in life -- if anyone ever hears about it.

Honor

 * I shall be respectful
 * I shall be loyal
 * I shall be just
 * I shall live by my word
 * I shall accept all fair challenges

Garou earn Honor by following their moral imperative to uphold the laws of the Garou. It refers to a fundamental belief in the wisdom of their society's laws, which all derive from the ultimate standard of Garou behavior: the Litany. To gain Honor Renown among Garou society shows an individual to be of honesty, integrity, and respect. Honor can be a rare trait, but werewolves who have it strive to maintain their honor with ferocity for fear of losing it.

Werewolves hold themselves to the highest possible standards in the name of Honor. That's not to say that they feel superior to others -- a Garou who looks down his nose at his compatriots isn't exactly behaving honorably towards them. Those who tolerate a braggart will soon surpass him. Instead, a werewolf holds himself to high standards in the sometimes vain hope of staving off pride.

Honor, after all, is all about self-control. Not just the self-control that comes with upholding strict principles when easier alternatives abound, but the iron will to avoid falling into frenzy. When berserk, a Garou is capable of all manner of evil acts. More than a few newly-Changed Garou have awakened after a frenzy to find themselves soaked in blood and bereft of honor.

Wisdom

 * I shall be calm
 * I shall be prudent
 * I shall be merciful
 * I shall think before I act and listen before I think

A character who thinks through her words and actions before sharing them, and is adept at sensing when others have not done the same. As such, werewolves with a reputation for Wisdom are likely to find others listening and deferring to them at moots.

The deeds of a wise werewolf rarely align with those of a glorious one. Glory-seekers charge into battle whenever they see a goal worth chasing, while those who quest for Wisdom pick their fights carefully, to ensure they have the greatest chance of victory. Both werewolves have their uses to a pack, but those who do not succeed on their quest for Wisdom are more likely to survive to try again. Those werewolves who are both wise and valorous know both when to fight and how to win. It's a fine balance to strike, but those who manage it are valuable allies to all Garou.

Gaining And Losing Permanent Renown
Once a character has gained 10 points of temporary Renown in a particular category, she needs to ask another Garou of equal or higher Rank (and not of the character's pack) to perform a Rite Of Accomplishment for her. If the Rite is successful, the character's standing has increased in Garou society, and the player can add a point of permanent Renown in that category. She also erases all temporary points in that category -- any "extra" points above 10 are lost.

If someone cannot (or will not) perform the Rite, the character can instead challenge an elder. If the challenge is accepted, all temporary points are removed from that category, but should she succeed against the elder's challenge, the Garou in question gains the point of permanent Renown. This method is more risky, but it still provides an avenue for advancement for less-popular werewolves.

In very rare cases, the character's courage, wisdom, or honor is so exceptional that there is little doubt that the werewolf has increased in standing. If that is the case, you can simply decide to award a point of permanent Renown without the Rite or the challenge. This should happen very infrequently, reserved for cases where the tales of the character's deeds will last for a long time.

On the other hand, the actions of the Garou can reduce her standing just as it can increase it. Whenever a Renown penalty would reduce the character's temporary Renown in a category below zero, a dot of permanent Renown is lost and "converted" to 10 temporary points in order to make up the difference. This is usually reserved for serious offenses however -- if the character has just earned a permanent dot and then makes a minor mistake for the loss of a single temporary point, you may rule that the loss will come out of a future temporary point gain, or is ignored altogether. However, if the offense is remotely serious, it is likely that the point will be lost and converted back into temporary points.

If a character loses enough permanent Renown to drop her below the requirements of her current rank, she loses all of the benefits of that rank. She keeps knowledge and Gifts learned at that rank, but everything else only returns to her once she brings her Renown back up to the appropriate levels.

Optional Rule: Renown For Kinfolk
Most tribes recognize (if sometimes grudgingly) that dutiful Kinfolk deserve praise. In cases of great valor and honor, Kinfolk do earn Renown. It's the same system as Garou Renown, with a few limitations.

As with werewolves, when Galliards sing their tales at a moot, Kinfolk earn temporary Renown, which gets converted to permanent Renown through a Rite of Accomplishment. However, Kinfolk can't have more than five points of permanent Renown in each category: Honor, Glory, and Wisdom. Thus, the most permanent Renown a Kin can ever possess is 15 points.

Furthermore, werewolves are far stingier in bestowing Renown to Kin; similar actions net Kin far less Renown than a Garou. Kinfolk also don't get any extra Renown for fighting against silver; to them, it's no more dangerous than any other weapon. They also don't receive Renown for protecting their own tribe's Garou and Kin; that's their expected role. In general, a Kin must do more than a Garou to receive even a fraction of their accolades. If in doubt, err on the miserly side and withhold Renown for Kin.

Remember as well, regardless of how much Renown they may accumulate, Kinfolk have no Rank whatsoever. A respectful Garou relative might introduce a Kin with Renown as "my sister who slew twelve Banes" or "my cousin, known for his sage words to the tribe," but that's the extent of it.

And finally, it's also far easier for Kinfolk to lose Renown once they've earned it. Disrespect to their "betters" (i.e., any Garou), momentary lack of attention to duty, and irresponsible choices can all lead to Kinfolk's losing what precious little Renown they've managed to earn. In addition, should a Kin get too big for their britches about the Renown they've garnered, that can in and of itself be a scandal worthy of Renown loss. Most tribes keep careful tabs on Kinfolk with Renown and swiftly lower the boom on whoever gets a big head.

Provided is a list of suggestions for Renown awards for Kinfolk; use it to extrapolate additional awards to suit your chronicle. When using the Renown chart, don't forget that Kinfolk awards are not worth as many points. In general, award one point of Kin Renown per every three or four points of Renown earned by werewolves for a similar action. If you think giving Kinfolk Renown will upset the balance of your chronicle, don't use it at all.