Totems

A pack’s Totem is a major part of the pack’s identity — it represents the ideals and ambitions that the pack holds most dear, and the qualities they strive to emulate. Finding a group of like-minded Garou who all share the same regard for a particular totem spirit is not always a quick or easy process, and it’s a decision to take very seriously.

Some totems are particularly well-suited to the setting of TowersMUX: the unique totems created for the game (Badger, Goose, Hedgehog, and Squirrel), Stag, Cockroach, Owl, Raven, Fox, Boar and Rat, in particular. Conversely, Uktena, Coyote, Griffin, and Wendigo are much less likely to accept a pack of London-based Garou; it’s very unlikely that a Griffin-affiliated pack will be approved because of the relatively limited RP opportunities.

TowersMUX does not support Garou having personal totems — only totems in the context of a pack. Of course, individual characters may still follow the ideals of a particular spirit, which may help them bond with that spirit when they do form a pack. We prefer to invest staff and Storyteller time into content that will involve a group, rather than an individual player.

Unique Totems

In addition to the book totems, we’ve created some specifically for the game:

Badger

Slow to anger, Badger fights with relentless rage when cornered. Though he prefers to keep to himself rather than go looking for trouble, his teeth and claws can tear even much larger opponents to shreds in defense of his home or his territory. While totems of War are often aggressive and even reckless, Badger is a more thoughtful fighter who knows that it’s better to save your strength for when it’s truly needed, rather than waste it unnecessarily. But no one who’s seen him defend his burrow would ever dismiss his bravery — he’ll fight on long after others have given up or fallen from exhaustion.

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 6
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Badger gain a dot of Stamina and gain two points of Glory renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Badger may use the Gift: Burrow, once per day. They may also call on a pool of three Willpower points per story.
  • Ban: You must maintain a neat and tidy territory, preferably underground, and cannot have a pack larger than six. Followers of Hedgehog do not view you kindly.

Goose

Garou who’ve lived exclusively in cities may not take Goose seriously as a totem of War, but those who’ve encountered her children know better. Utterly fearless, loud, belligerent, and constantly alert, Goose has been beloved of cultures since ancient Egypt and Rome for these qualities. If she lacks the sharp beak of Griffin or the murderous claws of Fenris, her wings can strike with enough power to deal with any opponent brave enough to face her.

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 6
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Goose gain a dot in Strength and one dot of Glory renown. They are also very hard to sneak up on, increasing the difficulty by two for Perception rolls to surprise or discover the sneaky Goose’s child.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Goose subtract one from the difficulty of Brawl rolls involving the use of fists, elbows, or shoulders. They may also add three dots to Intimidation, and one dot to Subterfuge and Larceny rolls.
  • Ban: You must frustrate your enemies in small, annoying ways whenever possible, always blaming someone else.

Hedgehog

Hedgehog may be small, but she has a wealth of knowledge to share. Never far from the earth, she has an acute understanding of the natural world. She knows many practical things to make everyday life easier, like how to keep a garden free of pests, and she is also a fierce nocturnal hunter who has no fear of venomous snakes. Able to live in even the smallest of places so long as there’s somewhere for her to shelter, she enjoys exploring the world around her. Secure in a protective spiky coat that keeps all but the most determined predators at bay, she is often willing to talk first rather than fighting.

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Hedgehog gain a coat of quills in the Umbra that deter and damage potential attackers. When hit with a melee attack or blocking a melee attack from a natural weapon in the Umbra, roll Dexterity + Brawl vs 6. For each two successes you may choose to soak one level of damage or cause one level of Lethal damage up to the amount soaked to the attacker as the quills stab in and break off. They also subtract two from difficulties involving poisons or toxins and gain one point of Wisdom renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Hedgehog gain three dots of Survival, one of Diplomacy, and one of Brawl. One pack member may also manifest quills with a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 8) that act the same as the quills in the Umbra.
  • Ban: Get plenty of sleep and spend your nights out exploring the world. Smelling good is important, too. Be sure to thwart the children of Badger as often as you can.

London (City Parent)

The City Mother of London appears as a vigorous woman with a few gray hairs in her long, heavy braid. Elegant and well-dressed in somewhat dated Edwardian clothes that have a smudge of coal dust here and there, she has a gracefully arched Roman brooch pinned to her lapel. With an brass sextant in one hand and a cellphone in the other, London has sharp hazel eyes and is always smiling slightly — like someone who knows more than she’s telling. She’s often accompanied by the deep sound of a bell or water splashing on shore, and sometimes by the smell of cordite and smoke. London welcomes all who pay her homage, whatever their tribe or breed, but expects her children to stand on their own rather than coming to depend on her help. Despite her approval of fair dealings and free trade, she can be decidedly imperious when she thinks she holds an advantage over someone, and is given to viewing her own past actions through rose-colored glasses. 

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Children of London are treated as though they have one dot in Area Knowledge that can apply to any of the city’s boroughs. This does not stack with any actual Area Knowledge dots — a child of London with Area Knowledge 2 (Hackney and Greenwich) has 2 dots only for Hackney and Greenwich, and is treated as having 1 for all others. Additionally, as long as they are within the city’s boundaries, her followers have an instinctive knowledge of where they are relative to the city’s major landmarks, making it difficult or impossible for them to get lost. People who truly love London may sometimes come to the aid of the pack, recognizing them as kindred spirits.
  • Pack Traits: Wherever they go, packs that follow London may use the Gift: Speech of the World, allowing them to communicate with anyone they encounter. London can always find the pack as long as they’re within the city — there is no need to spend Totem points on this ability unless they wish her to be able to find them elsewhere. They also gain three dots of Streetwise and one dot of Diplomacy.
  • Ban: London asks that her children always promote a positive view of her, speaking of the city in positive terms, minimizing her faults, and describing her history in the best possible light. It’s not necessarily taboo to complain about the general travails of city life, but it’s a good idea to remind everyone that other cities have it worse.

Squirrel

Ubiquitous and forgettable, Squirrel can live equally well alongside humans or without them. He has adapted to the city better than almost any other totems besides Rat and Cockroach, and yet he is not considered a pest by the homids as they are. Quick, nimble, and light on his feet, Squirrel is quick to scamper out of the way when danger threatens, but his foresight and preparedness allow him to survive when conditions are so harsh that the most fearsome predators go hungry. Although many Garou consider him to be a coward’s totem — and Squirrel is first and foremost a survivor — he can also fight viciously when backed into a corner.

  • Type: Cunning
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Squirrel gain a dot of Manipulation or Perception but subtract one from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Squirrel gain two dots of Athletics, two dots of Survival, and once per story may tap into Squirrel’s hidden caches, finding food, coins, or other small non-story related items secreted away for just such an occasion.
  • Ban: Plant seeds in the forest to grow whenever possible. Never hunt a rodent, or pass up an opportunity to tease a domestic dog.

Standard Totems

Below are the totems listed in the Werewolf 20th Anniversary Edition core book. For the most part, we follow the book listings for each, but in some cases where Abilities have been changed, combined, or deprecated for TowersMUX, we have made the minimum adjustments necessary to the individual totems. If there has been a change, it will be noted beneath the entry.

Totems of Respect

Falcon

  • Type: Respect
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Falcon gain two points of Honor renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Falcon gain three dots in Leadership and four Willpower points per story.
  • Ban: Never dishonor yourself or the pack. Any permanent loss of Honor renown requires the pack to immediately put the wrong right or perform a Rite of Contrition and then atone by attacking a powerful minion of the Wyrm. This may be a suicide run, but no matter the result, the blood spilled will wash away the stain of dishonor.

Grandfather Thunder

  • Type: Respect
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Grandfather Thunder gain one point of Honor renown and two extra dice to Intimidation when Grandfather Thunder’s name is invoked.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Grandfather Thunder gain three dots of Etiquette as well as five points of Willpower per story. Shadow Lords follow the Pack’s activities with interest.
  • Ban: You must never give someone more respect than they have earned. Suck-ups and ass-kissers need not apply to Grandfather Thunder’s pack.

Pegasus

  • Type: Respect
  • Background Cost: 4
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Pegasus gain two points of Honor renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Pegasus gain three dots of Animal Ken and three points of Willpower per story.
  • Ban: You may not refuse to offer help to females of any species, especially young females.

Stag

  • Type: Respect
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Stag gain three points of Honor renown and an additional point of Stamina that can only be used for long-distance running.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Stag gain three dots of Survival and three points of Willpower per story. Fianna may be well disposed to the pack, as are Fae, Spirits, and Changelings.
  • Ban: You may not refuse to aid fae or spirits when asked (although you do not have to do exactly as they ask). You must respect your prey at all times, including performing a Prayer for the Prey after every successful hunt.

Totems of Wisdom

Chimera

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Chimera subtract two from the difficulty of rolls involving riddles, dream interpretations, or enigmas and gain two points in Wisdom Renown. They can also disguise themselves as something else in the Umbra with a Gnosis roll (difficulty 7).
  • Pack Traits: Followers of Chimera gain three dots of Enigma and one of Perception.
  • Ban: You must seek enlightenment in some way.

Cockroach

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 6
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Cockroach subtract two from all difficulties involving computers, electricity, and applied science. They are also able to perceive the contents of data streams in the Umbra, listening in on a cellphone call or watching a video on YouTube with a successful Gnosis roll (difficulty 6).
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Cockroach gain three dice that apply to any roll to activate a gift that affects technology.
  • Ban: You must never kill a cockroach.

Owl

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Owl gain wings in the Umbra that allow them to fly from place to place. They also subtract two from difficulties involving stealth or silence and gain two points of Wisdom renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Owl often receive premonitions and prophetic dreams that draw them to mystic places long forgotten. They also gain three dice that apply to any gift that involves air, travel, movement, or darkness. Silent Striders may appear to aid the pack when it is in danger, but followers of Rat, understandably, have a dim view of those that follow Owl.
  • Ban: You must leave small rodents tied and helpless in the woods for Owl and his children.

Raven

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Raven gain a point of Wisdom.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Raven gain three dots of Survival, one of Subterfuge, and one of Enigmas. Corax are generally well-disposed towards followers of Raven, for obvious reasons.
  • Ban: You may not carry wealth. Trust Raven to provide.

Uktena

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 6
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Uktena add three dice to soak rolls in the Umbra. They also gain two points of Wisdom renown. Social rolls to interact with Garou not part of the Wendigo or Uktena tribe are more difficult by one.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Uktena are treated by those of the Uktena tribe as brothers.
  • Ban: You must recover mystical lore, objects, places, and animals from the minions of the Wyrm.
  • NOTE: This totem has had its cost reduced from what is printed in the book, due to the removal of the two bonus XP granted per story.

Unicorn

  • Type: Wisdom
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Unicorn move at twice their normal speed in the Umbra. They also subtract two from all difficulties involving healing and empathy, add two to all difficulties to harm other Garou (except Black Spiral Dancers or others tainted by the Wyrm), and gain three points of Wisdom renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Unicorn gain three dice when using Gifts of healing, strength, and protection. Children of Gaia will normally aid the pack and will usually side with them in disputes.
  • Ban: You must protect the weak and exploited, as long as you do not aid the Wyrm while doing it.

Totems of Cunning

Coyote

  • Type: Cunning
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Coyote subtract one from any awards of temporary Wisdom renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Coyote gain three dots of Stealth, three dots of Streetwise, one dot of Subterfuge, and one dot of Survival. Coyote’s avatars can always find their packs – the pack does not need to spend Totem points on that ability.
  • Ban: Coyote has no bans.

Cuckoo

  • Type: Cunning
  • Background Cost: 6
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Cuckoo subtract two from any awards of temporary Honor renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Cuckoo gain a dot of Manipulation and two dots of Subterfuge. One pack member at a time can use the ability to be overlooked by rolling Manipulation + Subterfuge (Difficulty 6, or higher if the Garou doesn’t look like they belong there). Anyone who notices the player must make a Perception + Alertness roll and score more successes than the player to realize that they’re not supposed to be there. If the character does something to draw attention to themselves they must roll again with a +2 difficulty penalty or lose the benefit of this effect.
  • Ban: You must never pass up an opportunity to improve your pack’s situation at the expense of others.

Fox

  • Type: Cunning
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Fox gain a dot of manipulation but subtract one from any awards of temporary Honor Renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Fox gain two dots of Stealth, two dots of Streetwise, and three dots of Subterfuge.
  • Ban: You may never participate in a Fox hunt and must sabotage any hunts that you find.

Totems of War

Bear

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Bear gain a dot of Strength, can use the Gift: Mother’s Touch once per day, and can hibernate for up to three months without the need of food or water. They lose five points of temporary Honor renown if they have it and reduce all Honor awards by one point.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Bear can use three dots of Medicine and are well regarded by Gurahl.
  • Ban: You have already paid much to follow Bear. There are no requirements.

Boar

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Boar gain a dot of Stamina.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Boar can use two dots of Brawl.
  • Ban: You must never hunt or eat wild boars.

Fenris

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Fenris gain two points of Glory Renown and increases one Physical attribute by 1.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Fenris are respected by the Get of Fenris and will be tested, frequently, by being invited to Wild Hunts and battles against powerful enemies.
  • Ban: You must never pass up the opportunity for a worthy fight.

Griffin

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 4
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Griffin can communicate with birds of prey without use of a gift and gain two dots of Glory.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Griffin gain three dots of Alertness and Red Talons show respect for the pack.
  • Ban: You may not associate with humans. Griffin has never accepted a pack containing a Homid Garou.

Rat

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 5
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Rat subtract one from the difficulty of all bite rolls and from all difficulties of rolls involving stealth or quiet.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Rat can call on a pool of five Willpower points per story. Bone Gnawers will aid the pack, and Ratkin might even tolerate them.
  • Ban: You must not kill vermin of any kind.

Wendigo

  • Type: War
  • Background Cost: 7
  • Individual Traits: Followers of Wendigo start each story with 5 additional Rage points regardless of their rating. They also gain 2 points of Glory renown.
  • Pack Traits: Packs that follow Wendigo are respected by those in the Wendigo tribe, although they aren’t fully trusted.
  • Ban: You must aid indigenous peoples in need.

Creating Your Own Totem

Players may also want to create a totem for their pack, if none of the existing totems seems suitable. That’s fine! A pack of Stoats, for instance, could be an interesting addition, as long as the new totem is balanced well against those already in play. There are some basic guidelines for totems that the book follows, and any requested totems will be reviewed in light of these guidelines.

Pack totem cost generally ranges between five and seven. Griffin and Pegasus are the Totems that cost four, but there are a lot of limitations to both that make them inexpensive for the points. Totem Bonuses can be just about anything, from increased Stamina or Wits, bonus dots in particular skills, or bonuses for rolls while in particular locations, like the Umbra.

Think on the creature or concept the Totem would represent and look for things that fit. Giving three dots in Etiquette to a Totem of War, for instance, wouldn’t fit thematically, while granting dots of Intimidation might. There’s really no hard and fast rule that we’ve seen, either – a five point Totem may grant a dot of Wisdom, while another five point grants reduced difficulty on bite rolls and any rolls involving stealth or quiet.

In general, these are the kinds of individual traits one would see in common amongst Totems of a particular type:

  • Respect – One to Two bonus honor renown. Higher-priced totems gain extra dice or a dot to a physical skill, usually limited in some way.
  • War – One dot added to some physical trait, Glory Renown
  • Wisdom – Minus 2 difficulty on certain traits, some Umbral benefits
  • Cunning – Loss of Honor Renown and reduction of Honor Renown awards, some bonuses on particular skills.