Advancing in Rank

Over the course of the chronicle, werewolf characters accumulate temporary Renown, which eventually converts to permanent Renown. Neither form of Renown can be bought with experience points; it can only be earned through deeds and roleplay. Renown comes in three different categories — Glory, Honor, and Wisdom — and points cannot be exchanged between categories. Characters can also be stripped of Renown for inappropriate actions. 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.

The W20 Core Book, as well as various online resources have example renown charts to serve as guidelines for Storytellers and players when it comes to awarding and receiving Renown. Here at Broken Sky, Storytellers will not be using this chart as a hard rule, so players should not expect to be able to itemize their renown gains based on these tables. However, a link has been provided to the chart below, to help new players familiarize themselves with some examples of deeds that earn positive renown, as well as those actions that can be seen as worthy of losing 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.

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.

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.

High Wisdom Renown is the mark of 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.

A character needs to acquire enough permanent Renown points for their auspice to progress to the next rank. Except for the Ragabash, each auspice has a number of points in each category that they must possess.The tables below provide the required renown for each rank, according to the Garou's auspice. Once they have enough points, they must challenge a Garou of equal or higher Rank to the one they want to attain. The character can choose whomever she wishes to challenge, but the challenged werewolf decides the nature of the contest, and may make it as simple or as difficult as he desires. If the challenger wins, she is awarded her new Rank. Challenges can be standard, or devised by the challenged Garou. They can be as simple as a dominance challenge,
or as elaborate as a quest. They are often specific to the challenger, based on her tribe, auspice, and skills.