Academics - This ability represents a knowledge of various academic subjects, the "Humanities." This can be extremely useful for research, as well as general knowledge of history, literature, art, culture, etc. This is almost always a mental challenge.
Alertness - This ability allows you to notice things others don't. This usually applies to perception-based challenges.
Animal Ken - Given time and a captive animal, you may train it to perform tasks. A Static Mental Challenge against a difficulty determined by the Storyteller may be necessary for difficult tasks. You may also try to calm an attacking or frightened animal by winning a similar Static Social Challenge with a difficulty dependent on how tame the animal is.
Archery - Like Firearms but relating to the use of Bows and Crossbows.
Athletics - Skill in all manner of unskilled physical feasts, such as swimming, running or climbing.
Awareness - Awareness is a mystical awareness and sometimes sixth sense. This Ability may allow you to sense large concentrations of unnatural events or powers. After a supernatural power has failed on you, you may make a static Mental challenge to sense that someone attempted to affect you (retestable with Awareness).
Blind-Fighting - You have learned to fight without the aid of your eyes. In hand-to-hand combat, you suffer no penalties when blinded. This Ability has no effect on ranged combat. You may expend a level of Blindfighting to negate the darkness retest for being blind or in darkness.
Brawl - This ability aids in bare-handed attacks and allows you to expend a level for a retest in unarmed combat situations once per challenge.
Bureaucracy - You know how to appropriate licenses, use a contract to your advantage and recover, alter, and destroy files from most organizations. This often requires a Mental or Social Challenge, and at Storyteller discretion may mitigate some Background expenditures.
Computer - You know how to use a computer to find information. Multiple levels allow you to infiltrate systems, steal information, and forge records in databanks. Such tasks usually require a Mental Challenge.
Crafts - Building or assembling items.
Dodge - You are skilled in getting out of the way of attacks. This ability adds to all attempts to get out of the way of an attack. This Ability could also aid in attempts to dive for cover or employ Fair Escape.
Drive - While most adults have some familiarity with modern vehicles, this ability goes beyond the basics. You are adept at tailing and avoiding tails, avoiding collisions and using the vehicle as a weapon. A Physical or Mental Challenge is often required.
Empathy - You are sensitive to the moods and emotions of the people around you, either in terms of motivation or truthfulness. You can determine someone's Demeanor with this skill.
Enigmas - Riddles, puzzles and problems are you passion. Almost always a Mental challenge, you may expend a Mental trait to double the time limit and use an appropriate skill retest.
Etiquette - You can blend in and impress most social circles and gatherings. Etiquette may be expended to negate any single faux pas.
Expression - Words and feelings flow freely from you. With this ability, you can compose or write works of meaning and convey your message well.
Finance - You can follow money trails, perform accounting tasks, and understand ideas like investment, buyouts, etc. You can also use Finance to make money quickly, though this and other actions often require a Mental Challenge to perform. You can exend a level of Finance to scare up roughly $250 between games.
Firearms - You know how to use a gun, granting you use of the weapon's bonus Traits when in combat. With higher levels of this Ability, you can attempt to modify weapons and perform other functions with a Mental Challenge. You may also bid Mental Traits instead of Physical Traits when using a gun in combat. You may expend a level of Firearms to call for a retest once a challenge.
Intimidation - You know how to frighten people, or at least cause them to think twice before performing an action. This allows you to retest many Social Challenges or uses of Dominate, and may also be used out-of-game to frighten mortals into doing what you want. This may require a Social Challenge.
Investigation - You know how to pick out clues, uncover hidden details, and uncover information. With a Mental Challenge, you can determine if someone is carrying a concealed weapon at a glance. You may also attempt to track a person in a city by using this ability.
Law - You know how to write binding contracts, defend people in court, and research case history. You also have a knowledge of various law and legal systems. Most actions require a Mental Challenge. May also be applicable for use in the study of Garou Law.
Leadership - If you are in an authoritative position, you may attempt to make reasonable requests of those under you. With a Social Challenge, they must follow these requests, though not if they would violate their Nature or Demeanor, or endanger them.
Linguistics - Each level of this Ability indicates a level of fluency in a specific language, as well as overall language skill. Extra languages per levels:
- 1 - 1
- 2 - 2
- 3 - 4
- 4 - 8
- 5 - 16
Lore - Each level of this Ability indicates a level of knowledge about some aspect of supernatural society. There are many types of Lore, each it's own Ability. Many knowledges are not accessible to most Garou. Sample knowledges include Weaver Lore, Spirit Lore, Silver Fang Lore, Umbra Lore, Garou Lore, Wraith Lore, etc. A character without Vampire Lore, for example, knows very little about Leeches at all, and would have to go off of movies (Garlic, holy water, crosses). Remembering or uncovering some bits of information may require multiple levels or a challenge. The more specific a Lore Ability, the more knowledge a character has in that area. If a character has one level of Shadow Lord Lore, he would know more about Shadow Lords than a character with three levels of Garou Lore.
Medicine - You are adept at treating the injuries, diseases and ailments of living creatures. You can double the healing time of any injury with the proper supplies and a Static Mental Challenge. You can also safely collect and store blood, diagnose illnesses, or extract foreign objects while causing minimal damage to surrounding tissue. At higher levels, this Ability also includes forensic uses.
Meditation - By centering your mind, you may calm your emotions, focus your mind and relax your body. No matter which technique is used, you may expend a number of Meditation traits and make an equal number of simple tests. For each success or tie, a Willpower trait is regained.
Melee - You are trained in the use of weapons, granting you the bonus Traits of a weapon and allowing you to perform special maneuvers in combat. The expenditure of a level of the Melee ability allows you to call for a retest during a melee combat.
Occult - You have a store of knowledge in all things arcane. You can identify the use of visible magics, rites and rituals, identify cults or occult organizations, and perform occult research. Many uses require a Mental Challenge, and some require multiple levels of Occult. At Storyteller discretion, this may also help you to perform certain rites.
Performance - You have the gift of expression. Each level of Performance represents skill in a certain medium, whether it be painting, sculpting, acting, composing music, or playing a type of instrument. An appropriate challenge may determine the genius of your creativity. This skill applies to the plying your medium before an audience, as opposed to the creation of the work, which is ''Expression.''
Politics - You are well-versed in the world of hierarchies, red-tape and influence, residing in both human and vampire societies alike. By expending a Politics trait, you may discern the rank level of someone.
Primal-Urge - You are particularly in tune with the wolf withinm the primal Garou side of things. Primal Urge makes it easier to shapechange, amongst other things. Homids cannot start with this Ability, but may develop it through roleplay.
Psychology - You have a working understanding of human and vampire minds. By taking anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour listening to and studying your subject, you may attempt to discern Nature and derangements.
Repair - With enough time and the right tools, you can fix or alter mechanical objects. Complex objects may require multiple levels, and most actions require a Static Mental Challenge.
Rituals - Representing the Garou's ability and experience performing different minor and greater Rituals.
Science - Each level in this Ability represents a degree of expertise in a certain scientific field (i.e., Biology or Chemistry). Some actions may require a Mental Challenge. Each field can be a separate Ability, at the Storyteller's discretion.
Scrounge - This Ability allows you to produce items through connections, wits and ingenuity. Often, the items produced are not quite what you want, but usually will suffice. A Mental or Social Challenge may be necessary to use this Ability.
Security - You have knowledge of how security systems work, allowing you to build or bypass them. This will usually require a Mental Challenge to build or a Physical Challenge to bypass, and may require money or the right tools.
Stealth - Representing an affinity with moving silently and hiding, this Ability may be used in challenges in which you wish to remain hidden. When used alone anyone can see you by winning a Mental Challenge against your Physical Traits. Anyone with Heightened Senses or a related supernatural power activated has a free retest in this challenge.
Streetwise - You know how to get information off the street, deal with gangs, and survive without an income. This often require a Social Challenge.
Subterfuge - With a successful Social Challenge, you can obtain information from someone who is not willing to give it. You must first get the subject to come up in a conversation. Sample bits of information include Nature, Demeanor, hidden secrets, or allies and enemies. You may also use this Ability to lie when confronted, either directly or with Subterfuge or another Ability or Discipline. A Social Challenge is necessary to see if the lie is believed.
Survival - You know how to find food, water, and shelter in a wilderness setting. You may also attempt to track others in such a setting, though this usually requires a Mental Challenge.
Throwing - While most thrown objects do not grant Bonus Traits, you may use this ability to aid you when throwing an object.
Torture - You know how to extract information from a victim using physical means. With the appropriate challenge, you can force a captive victim to reveal all.
Vamp - A seduction retest for gaining information from anyone, it can also be used in certain types of interrogation.
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