The Many Faces of Luna - an Auspice primer
Ragabash - Questioner of Ways: Prankster. Infiltrator. Rogue. Scout. These are the kind of phrases you hear thrown around in regards to the Ragabash. Some of them make sense more than others. Every army needs scouts. Subtle warriors are just as important - sometimes more so - than overt ones. But trickster? Prankster? Precisely what purpose do those serve in Garou society?
The Garou are an incredibly stubborn and an incredibly angry race. Without the Ragabash, it isn't long before everyone else starts taking themselves waaaaay too seriously. But even more than that, the Ragabash's reputation as the least-serious Garou (though I imagine some waning Ragabash might say different!) allows them to serve a role much like that of medieval court jesters. They're the ones who can point out an Ahroun's or Elder's mistakes/stupidity without getting completely shredded.
A Ragabash's pranks should TEACH A LESSON that can't be taught any other way. A proper Ragabash prank should leave its victim thinking "Wow, okay... I was definitely being an asshole." If the victim doesn't learn a lesson, the Ragabash has failed in their duty. A Ragabash who pranks for no reason is on the fast track to being pranked (or Shamed, Scorned, or perhaps even Satirized) themselves.
Theurge - Umbral Specialist: Theurges are extremely important to Garou society, and are probably the most diverse of the Auspices. You have your Combat Medics/Healers, your Spirit Speakers, your Umbral Guides, your Quartermasters/Artisans, your Ritualists, etc.
Combat Medics are pretty self-explanatory. Garou physiology makes it so that the majority of injuries aren't particularly distressing, but the things that they can't regenerate are incredibly nasty and extremely debilitating. This type of Theurge often branches out to become a Healer or Purifier - specializing in not only healing battle wounds, but purging Wyrm-taint directly. These Theurges make great Keepers of the Land.
Spirit Speakers are the Theurges who specialize in interacting with spirits. They tend to have high Enigmas and Occult stats, but can vary wildly beyond that. You'll have your Uktena and Shadow Lord Spirit Speakers who tend to be more demanding and aggressive toward spirits, your Children of Gaia and Silver Fang Speakers who tend to be more about negotiating and making deals, and then your Get of Fenris and Red Talon speakers who almost behave like Ahroun who specialize in fighting spirits.
Umbral Guides are the ones who know all the best Airt Paths, Spirit Tracks, Moon Paths, etc. This kind of Theurge is especially important if your pack is planning on travelling outside of the Penumbra.
Artisans are your Talen/Fetish-crafters. The end.
Ritualists are the Theurges with laundry lists of Rites. High-ranking ritualists are going to be top contenders for the Master of the Rite position and are often the ones who keep caerns working properly.
As far as Theurges go, find a niche and specialize in it, then expand outward from there.
Philodox - Pillars of the Garou Nation: The judges. The mediators. The law. The life of a Philodox is one of duality. They're halfway between wolf and human, halfway between flesh and spirit, and are halfway between the New Moons and the Full Moons. Philodox are all about balance. Because of this duality, Philodox are the best-equipped to see both sides of any situation. Hell, their entire lives are about walking the razor's edge between two extremes, whatever those two extremes may be. If Plato were a Garou, he would most assuredly be a Philodox.
The majority of good Alphas are Philodox, as well as many of the best leaders (this isn't always the case, as Shadow Lords [Theurge], Fianna [Galliard], and Get of Fenris [Ahroun] will point out). But what exactly constitutes a good Philodox?
The Philodox judge and interpret the Litany. If there's a question of whether or not a Garou's actions violated the Litany, it's going to be a Philodox who makes a ruling. If the Litany is indeed broken, it's going to be a Philodox who determines the appropriate response. It's going to be a Philodox who determines punishment. The Ragabash are going to look to the Philodox to determine who to Scandalize.
Philodox are also mediators. Truthcatchers are near-universally Philodox. When two parties disagree in such a manner that's not going to be handled via Challenge, it's going to be the Philodox they'll sit down with and come up with a solution. They're the ones who are responsible for maintaining peace within a sept, between septs, and with Kinfolk.
Philodox is probably the most social of the auspices, but don't be fooled. Some of the most feared Garou out there are Philodox.
Galliard - Loremasters: People often make the mistake of assuming that all Galliards are the artsy type. This simply isn't true. If anything, the Galliards are the historians of the Garou, rather than the artists. The Garou have a very strong oral tradition, and the Galliard are responsible for ensuring that all the important stories - and the lessons that can be learned from them - continue to be remembered.
Much like a Ragabash prank, a Galliard's story should teach a lesson or otherwise emphasize something of importance. But more than that, a Galliard's job is about telling a good story. If your story teaches a lesson that nobody remembers, did it really teach a lesson at all?
Of the five auspices, Galliards are perhaps the most-influenced by tribal affiliation. Every group has their favorite way of making stories memorable, and each individual Galliard has their specific brand of storytelling. Some of them are able to pull off the very monotone, Ben Stein-ish approach, while others are incredibly flamboyant and dramatic.
Ahroun - Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, Marines: The Garou are a race of warriors. They have to be in order to serve as Gaia's protectors. But not all warriors are created equal. There isn't a lot more to say here... Ahroun is the most straightforward auspice to play, but because of that, many players have a tendency to cheapen it. Ahroun will usually have high ranks in more than one combat stat, and usually one of them will be Brawl.
A note on fetish weapons: A lot fewer Ahroun use fetish weapons than most people think. They have plenty of Rage and combat-focused Gifts already, and their tendency to have shorter lifespans than the other Auspices means fetish weapons are often wasted on them. Klaives/labryses/ironhammers/Jarlhammers are the exception, but only in specific tribes and only for Ahroun of higher ranks. An Ahroun is far more likely to have a fetish that shores up one of their weaknesses than one that improves what they're already good at.
Topic: Werewolf: the Apocalypse - Sept of the Shrouded Echo (Galliard needed!) (Read 5708 times)