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Tactical Movement / Physical Strength / Leaping / Combat Manuevers / Feats of Stamina

The following rules are expanded versions of pre-existing rules found in various Werewolf table top books. They are presented here for two reasons.

Illustration of Character capabilities.
Examples of other methods of play.


It is our belief that these and all other rules we introduce into the game are there to enhance the game environment. All rules listed below provide interesting ideas to novice player by illustrating things their characters are capable of, but things they might not have thought of as players. As people, we tend not to think of picking up cars and using them as clubs - it is something beyond our normal ability. However a Garou would think of such a thing, because some Garou might very well be capable of such a thing.

Also note that the ST Staff reserves the right to claim these rules as invalid or make amendments should the situation warrant. Garou in Homid form should never be able to break through a steel wall, regardless of how many Strength Traits they might have. A Garou in Crinos attempting the same feat might take a level or two of bashing or even lethal damage. In the end, these rules should enhance game play, not hinder it. All parties involved should use a nice helping of common sense.

Eric E. Johnson, Garou AST, March 2005

Tactical Movement

Original Rules taken from Werewolf: The Apocalypse 2nd Edition; conversions by DarkPro ST

Moving during a Combat Scene
Around a table, descriptions might work well. Miniatures are sometimes used to mark the positions of characters. In Darker Productions games, when tactics do matter, we move as players to represent where our characters are positioned.

There are a number of easy to understand terms that must first be explained before delving into Tactical Movement.

Half Action - any action made within a Turn that can be done within a few seconds.
Full Action - any action made within a Turn that requires the full Turn to complete.
Free Speech Action - a simple one sentence phrase or comment (such as a Taunt) that any person can take at any point during any Round or Action (except Rage Actions). Only one Free Speech Action can be made per Turn.
Free Action - an action that take virtually no time at all to complete. Static Challenges usually are considered Free Actions (this includes the activation of Gifts that require a Static Challenge to activate).
Interrupt Action - an action that can be use at almost any time, regardless as to who has the initiative. The Gift Spirit of the Fray is always an Interrupt Action.
Movement Action - any action taken that requires the character to actually move. A Movement Action allows a human character (or humanoid character) to take 3 Steps. Movement Actions may be made before or after an Attack Action, and they count as Half Actions.
Full Move Action - A Movement Action that describes a running character. Characters performing a Full Move Action cannot make any kind of Attack Action during their Turn. A Normal Human can move 6 steps in a Full Move Action.
Everyman Round - Usually the first round of combat, the Everyman Round is the Round in which all characters normally take actions.
Everyman Action - every character is capable of making a single action per turn. This is called an Everyman Action and it takes place in an Everyman Round.
Rage Actions - These are additional actions, be they attacks or movement, provided to a Garou character by spending Rage Traits. Rage Actions are subject to the same rules and definitions as Everyman Actions, and therefore can be comprised of Move Actions, Half Actions, Interrupt Actions, Attack Actions, and Full Attack Actions.
Rage Rounds - These are additional combat rounds that are equal in number to the highest amount of Rage spent by any Garou within the combat scene. For Example, if Ulrich spends 5 Rage for extra actions, then there will be 5 Rage Rounds. Rage Rounds only occur after the Everyman Round.
Initiative - this term is used to describe order of Turns of the Round. The person with the highest Initiative count acts first. Initiative Order is determined Mental Traits. Resolve this as if it were a Challenge, but no Challenge need be thrown. Each player must announce their Initiative Count (Mental Traits) as if a Challenge was made. Like any other Challenge, any player may decide to declare less Traits than they actually have. Once Initiative is announced, it cannot be altered. If two or more characters have the same number of Mental Traits, then their actions go off at the same time, regardless of what those actions are. Initiative still determines who acts first within a Rage Round.
Celerity Rounds - these are special rounds provided by a Vampiric Discipline called Celerity. Celerity Rounds are divided into the following categories: Alacrity, Swiftness, and Legerity. Each Celerity Round will correspond to a Rage Round (if applicable). For Example, the First Rage Round take place at the same time as the Alacrity Round. The second Rage Round happens at the same time as the Swiftness Round, and the third Rage Round is the same as the Legerity Round. Rage Actions beyond Legerity (4th and subsequent) are simply referred to by their number (i.e. 4th Rage Round). Initiative still determines who acts first within these Celerity Rounds.
Celerity Actions - bonus actions provided by certain levels of the Celerity Discipline. These Actions are called Alacrity, Swiftness, and Legerity actions, and they may only be used within their appropriate and corresponding Rounds (Alacrity action in the Alacrity Round, etc). Celerity Actions are subject to the same rules and definitions as Everyman Actions, and therefore can be comprised of Move Actions, Half Actions, Interrupt Actions, Attack Actions, and Full Attack Actions.
Regen Actions - this is a unique action reserved for Garou. It counts as a Full Move Action, meaning the Garou may not do anything other than this action within their Turn. A Regen Action allows a Garou character the ability to instantly recover a single Health Level of Bashing or Lethal Damage.
Turn - term used to describe a single character's ability to take actions within any given Round (i.e. It's Ulrich's Turn). Turns are determined by Initiative. A Turn is comprised of a Move Action and an Attack Action. Full Move Actions take the entirety of one's Turn, as do Full Attack Actions.
Round - term used to describe the time it takes all characters to complete their Everyman (or other form of) Action. A Round is representative of 6 seconds (give or take, at the ST's discretion).
Steps - a step is a measure of movement within Tactical Combat. Whenever a Step is made, it should be a relaxed and measured step without exaggeration or understatement. STs will make determinations of the validity of Steps on a case by case basis.
Big Steps - A Big Step (or Giant Step) is an exaggerated step that increases a normal range slightly without increasing the actual number of Steps made within a Movement Action. Big Steps can be proxied to a taller person at the STs discretion.
Attack Action - any part of a character's Turn when a normal attack is made. Attack Actions can be made before or after a Move Action, and they count as Half Actions.
Attack Equivalent Action - this is any action any ST determines to be equivalent to an Attack, thereby allowing a character to still make a Movement Action is they are able.
Move Equivalent Action - this is any action any ST determines to be equivalent to a Move Action, thereby allowing the character to still make an Attack Action. The activation of a Gift is almost always a Move Eqivilent Action, as is the act of looking around an area or rummaging through a container such as a backpack for a specific item.
Full Attack Action - this is an action that allows for a character to make multiple attacks within their normal turn within a single round. This includes all forms of Two Weapon Fighting and Shape Changing. Any time a Full Attack Action is made, the player forfiets the character's Move Action within that Turn.


Garou Movement Abilities

Humans move at a fixed rate of 3 Steps per Move Action they make. Since normal humans are limited to a single Move Action during the Everyman round, this marks them as being relatively slow moving. The only way a normal human can increase this movement rate is with the Sprinting Merit, which allows a character to burn a Dexterity/Speed related Trait to make a single additional Step.

Garou on the other hand (as well as most other Changing Breeds) are not limited to such movements. Garou can burn Rage during their Turn to increase the number of Move Actions they may take. The Changing Breeds also have another decided advantage when it comes to movement: shape changing.

Depending on what Form the Garou is in, the character might be allowed a number of additional Steps. In order to move at a certain rate, the character must be in the listed form at the beginning of their Turn.

Form Number of Steps
Homid 3
Glabro 3
Crinos 3 (or 5 if running quadruped)
Hispo 6
Lupus 8

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Physical Strength


Garou are warriors, and warriors are strong. That simple statement covers the basic understanding of this next section. Here, we will determine just how strong a given Garou is, and what their Strength allows them to do.
The following table lists a given number of Strength-related Traits needed to perform an example task (a Feat of Strength) and a rough estimate of the amount of force of that feat.

Strength Traits Feat of Strength Force
1 crush a beer can 50 lbs.
2 break a chair 100 lbs.
3 break down a simple wooden door 250 lbs.
4 break a 2"x4" 400 lbs.
5 break open a metal fire door 650 lbs.
6 lift a motorcycle or rip out a car's engine 800 lbs.
7 flip over a small car 900 lbs.
8 break a 3" lead pipe or break open a car door (hinge intact) 1000 lbs. / .5 tons
9 punch through a cement wall or uproot a small tree 1200 lbs.
10 rip open a steel drum or car door (no more hinge) 1500 lbs.
11 punch through 1" sheet metal or throw a motorcycle 2000 lbs. / 1 ton
12 burst through a brick wall 2500 lbs./ 1.25 ton
13 break a metal lamp post 3000 lbs. / 1.5 tons
14 throw a "standard car" 3500 lbs. / 1.75 tons
15 break open a bank vault (hinge intact) 4000 lbs / 2 tons
16 uproot a large tree 4500 lbs. / 2.25 tons
17 throw a utilty van 5000 lbs. / 2.5 tons
18 burst through a reinforced brick wall 5500 lbs. / 2.75 tons
19 throw a full-size truck 6000 lbs. / 3 tons
20 lift a diesel rig 7000 lbs. / 3.5 tons


Spirit Strength, the power of supernatural physical strength found within some Garou, enables a Garou to perform Feats of Strength as if their total number of Strength Traits were increased by 5. Spirit Strength only increases the Trait Totals for the purposes of Feats of Strength and never for combat or. This Spirit Strength bonus is added in before any other Gifts or Powers of any kind are figured. Thus, a Cliath with a single Brawny Trait and Spirit Strength could rip out a car's engine block. By the same token, an Elder with 10 Strength Traits and Might of Thor in addition to Spirit Strength suddenly finds themselves off the chart and capable of a 30 Trait Feat of Strength.

To calculate further Force Estimations beyond the listed 20 Traits, simple add 1000 lbs. / half-a-ton to the listed weight. Thus, a Garou with the equivalent of 30 Strength Traits could manipulate somewhere near 17,000 lbs., or near eight and one half tons of whatever!

One final rule of thumb in regards to Supernatural Strength: the ST Staff may rule at any time any relevent side-effects of any Feat of Strength. For example, a Garou might try to catch a car from falling off a bridge, and the STs could very reasonably rule that the Garou left hand prints from gripping the car with such strength. In fact, hand imprints should be a pretty common residual effect of very powerful Garou. Another reasonable side-effects include the breaking of the manipulated item (as in using an uprooted tree or lamp post as a club). Also note that almost all Feats of Strength can and usually will constitute a Tear of the Veil.

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Leaping


Ever want to close combat distance with a quickness? Does your character happen to be one of those that does not have Speed of Thought? Is Spirit Speed too expensive for you? Well, have your character do what it most natural for a lot of predators in the natural world do: leap at your enemies!

The question comes in to play now: how do we measure leaping capability for a race as powerful as a Garou? Most simplistically, we shall compare an individual's Strength Traits, Spirit Strength, and the distance one would like to cover.

In addition, there are three simplistic rules that cover the basis of all Leap Attacks:
  • Leaping requires a Physical Challenge without a retest (except for the possibility of Spirit Strength). Leaping with a running start provides the character the ability to retest with Athletics (in addition to the possibility of Spirit Strength).
  • All leaping efforts count as Move Actions (thereby allowing a character to leap and then attack, or attack and leap out of range).
  • All Move Actions that facilitate Leaping count as Static Challenges (meaning you risk no traits in the effort). There are no partial successes - you win the challenge and cover the distance, you tie and barely manage to grasp the edge before you fall, or you lose and you fall. The Difficulty of all Leap Challenges is listed in the chart below.


Strength Traits Distance (height/long)in feet Difficulty
2 2/5 4
3 3/6 5
4 4/8 6
5 5/10 7
6 6/12 8
7 7/14 9
8 8/16 10
9 9/18 11
10 10/20 12
+1 +1/+2 +1


The Different Forms the Garou may take can and will increase the base distance that can be covered by a Leap Challenge. These bonuses are listed below:
  • Crinos: +5 feet
  • Hispo: +10 feet to long jumps
  • Lupus: +15 feet to long jumps


Having Spirit Strength can and will alter Leap Challenges further in the following ways:
  • Jumping the normal distance allowed by the Garou's total of Strength Traits is done automatically and without Challenge.
  • The Garou may attempt to cover double their normal distance by making a Static Physical Challenge at a Difficulty equal to the distance's normal Difficulty +5.

For Example, Ulrich has 9 Strength Related Traits and he also has Spirit Strength: level three (Might Retest and the Bomb). He can leap up to 9 feet straight up or 18 feet across without the need for a Challenge at all. If he needed to cross twice that distance, he would need to make a Physical Challenge against a Difficulty of 13 Traits. For this Challenge, he could throw the Bomb and retest Might, though we seriously doubt it will come to that....

Certian Gifts can and will further increase these distances. Also, carrying heavy weights will cut the leaping distance down at the Storyteller's discretion. So, none of this "Ulrich is leaping 30 feet and carrying me across the ravine...." You'd better be in Lupus-form and you'd better be a Cub....

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Combat Maneuvers


Wolves are natural hunters and killers. Werewolves have several hundred generations of combat expertise to draw upon. Based on these two facts, all Garou characters can purchase the following Combat Manuevers with XP.

The following Maneuvers are broken into three categories: Common, Klaivaskar, and Kailindo. Obviously, you must have a certain number of Traits to posses Klaivaskar or Kailindo Maneuvers. And in some cases, you might need certain Abilities for the more Common ones as well...

ST Note: Please note that all Maneuvers marked as Pack Tactics cannot be used unless the Garou are indeed fighting as a Pack (i.e. Mob Combat)

Pack Tactics, basic Garou excel in working as a cohesive unit... when they put their minds to the task of doing so. By investing a bit of time to put a human understanding behind this powerful animalistic urge, the Garou are capable of performing extraordinary things within a single combat round. If all members of a pack have this Maneuever, then they may use other Maneuvers within Mob Combat without disrupting the Combat Scene.
Normally, all those within a Mob Combat must lend some form of Trait to the Leader. With Pack Tactics, a pack of 6 could have 3 members engaging in Mob Combat, 1 member using Fur Gnarl, 1 member using Lockjaw, and the last using Evasion.
Once Pack Tactics are learned, even if the pack disbands, the members still retain the ability to participate in Pack Tactics.
Challenge: Social, retest with Leadership
Difficulty: resisted as normal
Damage: Special Results
Usable by: Garou in any Form
Pack Tactic? yes
Requires: Primal Urge Ability
Experience Cost: 9
Pack Tactics, advanced The pack at this stage is so used to fighting as a group that whenever any member of the Pack is the target of a Mob Attack, that target receives a Free Retest in any Challenge within that Round.
Challenge: none
Difficulty: n/a
Damage: none
Usable by: Garou in all forms
Pack Tactic? yes
Requires: Pack Tactics - basic, Primal Urge Ability x2
Experience Cost: 3
Evasion This maneuver involves leaping, spinning, jumping, diving, and generally dodging out of the way in effort to escape from harm. Success results in the Garou avoiding all damage during that round. Garou using this maneuver cannot participate in Mob Combat or lend to Pack Tactics.
Challenge: Mental, retest with Dodge.
Difficulty: 10
Damage: none
Usable by: Garou in all forms
Pack Tactic? no
Requires: Primal Urge Ability, Dodge Ability
Experience Cost: 3
Lockjaw The Garou uses his or her powerful jaws to lock onto their target - and not let go. The sheer pressure of the jaws forces the target to the ground. This attack does no actual damage, but if the Garou has more Strength related Traits than the Target has Stamina Related Traits, then the Target goes down in a heap and is considered prone. To maintain the hold, the Garou must spend one Strength related Physical Trait per round. The Target may resist by spending a Stamina Related Trait and entering into a Physical Challenge with the Garou. Once the hold is broken, it must be re-established all over again.
Challenge: Physical, retest with Brawl (considered a grapple/bite attack)
Difficulty: resisted
Damage: fatigue
Usable by: Crinos, Hispo, or Lupus
Pack Tactic? no
Requires: Primal Urge Ability, Brawl Ability x3, Specialized in either Bite or Grappling
Experience Cost: 5
Fur Gnarl The attacker lashes out with their claws, rending fur and protective hide. This attack is intended to tear past any protection the target might have, to include Body Armor. For every level of damage the Garou inflicts by using this maneuver, Two Armor Levels are removed from the Target. If the target has no actual Body Armor (Gifts that provide additional Health Levels are immune to this technique), then they will lose two Stamina Related Traits for each level of damage done.
Challenge:Physical, retest with Brawl (considered a grapple/bite attack)
Difficulty: resisted as normal, with a +3 bonus
Damage: normal, with Special Results
Usable by: Crinos and Hispo
Pack Tactic? no
Requires: Primal Urge Ability
Experience Cost: 5
Hamstring By sinking claws or teeth into the tendons of the lower leg and ripping them out, the attacker may disable the target and impair their Movement Rate. If this attack is successful, the target is capable of only making 1/4 their normal Movement(1 Step for a normal human) within any type of Move Action (Full Move Actions used to facilitate a quick crawl will allow the target to make 2 Steps). If the target is quadrupedal, then normal Movement is reduced by 1/2. This damage is always considered Aggravated.
Challenge: Physical, retest with Brawl
Difficulty: resisted as normal
Damage: normal, with Special Results
Usable by: Crinos, Hispo, and Lupus
Pack Tactic? no
Requires: Brawl Ability, at least 3 Strength-related Traits
Experience Cost:6
Leaping Rake The attacker leaps at the target, attacking in mid-air and allowing their momentum to continue to carry them passed their opponent. The attacker must declare how far they want to leap past their target and must be able to do so (se Leaping Rules, above). If the distance is within the realm of capacity for the Garou, the Player must make a normal Attack Challenge based on a Dexterity Trait and must risk an Additional Dexterity Trait (this additional Trait is lost even if the Challenge is won), regardless as to the form of attack. If the Challenge is made, then the target is unable to counter within that round unless they can turn and close the distance.
Difficulty: resisted as normal
Damage: normal, with Special Results
Usable by: Crinos only
Pack Tactic? no
Requires: Athletics Ability x2, at least 3 Strength-related Traits
Experience Cost: 6


Klaivaskar and Kailindo Manuevers will be posted soon!

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Garou Stamina


Garou are capable of great feats, but the rules don't quite define just how long a Garou can keep up the fantastic things they might try. We will examine this very thing.

As supernatural creatures with uncanny regeneration capabilities, Garou are quite resistant to normal diseases and toxins. Garou never get the common cold or the flu - only the most serious of diseases will even impair a Garou. Only supernatural diseases will have full effect against this healing factor.

In a similar vein, poisons and toxins also have a hard time overcoming the Garou's immune systems. In order for a Garou to get drunk, stoned, or "enjoy" any other form of body chemistry alterations, they must be in their Breed Form. This means that Metis Garou cannot suffer the effects of intoxication or inebriation whatsoever, as they quickly recover from all forms of damage in all their Shape-changing forms. A metis Garou could smoke 3 packs of cigarettes a day in Homid form and most likely will never have to even consider the possibility of cancer (unless it was genetic in the first place). Some industrious Glass Walkers and Theurges have taken to Spiritually Awaken the drugs and intoxicants they want to "enjoy", thus allowing them to partake of such things in any form.

Hold your Breath...
Again, due to their healing factor, all Garou enjoy an enhanced lung capacity. Garou are capable of holding their breath for much longer than any human could ever try. But in the end, even a Garou will begin choking and suffocating. The table below outlines how long Garou can hold their breath:

Stamina Traits Length of Time
1 15 seconds (2 or 3 Rounds)
2 45 seconds (6 to 8 Rounds)
3 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes
4 2to 3 minutes
5 5 minutes
6 8 minutes
7 12 minutes
8 up to 20 minutes
9 up to 30 minutes
10 up to 45 minutes
+1 +5 to 10 minutes