CHARGEN

Step 1: Choose Your Character Concept

Before entering numbers, decide who your character actually is.

You should have a rough idea of:

• Who they are.
• What they do.
• Why they are in Los Angeles.
• What kind of Garou they are likely to become within the Sept.
• Their Tribe, Breed, and Auspice.

You do not need a completed backstory yet. A strong two- or three-word concept is enough to begin.

Step 2: Set Splat, Tribe, Breed & Auspice

Start by identifying your character as Garou and setting their major factions and types.

Set Your Splat

Set the Garou Nation

Choose Your Tribe

Liberation particularly encourages characters from the following Tribes:

Choose a Camp, If Any

Set Your Character Type

A Kinfolk character would instead use:

Choose Your Breed

Choose:

• Homid
• Metis
• Lupus

Choose Your Auspice

Choose:

• Ragabash
• Theurge
• Philodox
• Galliard
• Ahroun

Step 3: Assign Attributes

Prioritize your three Attribute categories:

Assign:

• 7 dots to your primary category.
• 5 dots to your secondary category.
• 3 dots to your tertiary category.

Kinfolk instead receive 6 / 4 / 3.

Set individual Attributes using +selfstat.

Step 4: Assign Abilities

Prioritize your three Ability categories:

Kinfolk also receive 13 / 9 / 5.

Type:

to see the complete list of Abilities and Secondary Abilities available to your character.

Example:

Step 5: Choose Backgrounds

Garou receive 5 dots of Backgrounds.

See the Backgrounds page for Liberation’s Background rules.

Some Tribes have additional restrictions or strong thematic expectations:

• Bone Gnawers: Resources is discouraged. Ancestors and Pure Breed are restricted.
• Children of Gaia: No additional restrictions.
• Glass Walkers: Non-Glass Walker Mentors are discouraged. Ancestors and Pure Breed are restricted.
• Uktena: No additional restrictions.
• Black Furies: No additional restrictions.

Step 6: Set Rage, Gnosis & Willpower

Rage: Determined by Auspice

Example:

Gnosis: Determined by Breed

Example:

Willpower: Determined by Tribe

Example:

Step 7: Choose Starting Renown & Ways

Starting Renown

For example:

or:

Starting Ways

Liberation organizes Garou Gifts through the Ways of Glory, Honor, and Wisdom.

Your available Ways are determined by your:

• Breed
• Auspice
• Tribe

Your starting Renown determines how deeply you may access the associated Ways.

See the Renown, Gifts & Camps Update for the complete system.

Step 8: Spend Freebie Points

Garou receive 15 Freebie Points.

Kinfolk receive 21 Freebie Points.

See the Merits & Flaws page for available options.

Step 9: Spend Tier XP, If Applicable

Some applications receive additional Tier XP for concepts that Liberation is currently encouraging, as well as for certain leadership or setting-supporting roles.

Tier XP:

• May be spent during character creation.
• Does not count against your eventual XP softcap.
• Should be entered using +selfstat, just like ordinary chargen purchases.
• Must be recorded in a +note before approval.

Relevant Liberation costs include:

• Willpower: 10 XP per dot.
• Backgrounds: 5 XP per dot.
• Merits: 5 XP per dot.

Buying Renown With XP

Liberation uses its own Renown advancement system.

• The first dot of a Renown Trait, from 0 → 1, costs 10 XP.
• Later dots cost New Rating × 5 XP.

For example:

• Glory 1 → 2 costs 10 XP.
• Glory 2 → 3 costs 15 XP.

Each newly purchased Renown dot also grants a free increase to one innate Way associated with that Renown Trait.

See the Renown, Gifts & Camps Update before spending Tier XP on Renown or Ways.

Step 10: Finish Your +Sheet

Before moving on to your written notes, make sure the basic information on your +sheet is complete.

Set your:

For a Lupus or Metis character, “Full Name” may of course be whatever is appropriate for the character rather than a conventional legal name.

See the Archetypes page for available Natures and Demeanors.

Step 11: Write Your Notes & Backstory

Use +help notes for the note system.

Backstory

Pages 117–121 of W20 provide useful questions for developing a character’s “spark of life.”

For Liberation, the most useful backstory explains:

• Your character’s First Change.
• The important events that made them who they are now.
• What they have been doing recently.
• Why they are in Los Angeles.
• Why they would become involved with an urban caern and Sept.

Characters drawn to an urban caern in the heart of Los Angeles may differ considerably from Garou whose entire lives have centered around isolated rural septs. Familiarity with Liberation’s Werewolf setting will help establish why your character fits here.

See A Cub’s History of Los Angeles for setting background.

Other Common Notes

Not every character needs every one of these, but most characters will need several:

If you are Metis, also record your deformity:

See page 74 of W20 for Metis deformities.

Step 12: Set Your Description & +Finger

Consider setting up:

• Your +finger: +help +finger
• Your form descriptions: +help +mdesc

You do not need a description for every Garou form before approval.

You must, however, have at least a Homid description.

If the multi-description system seems intimidating, you may simply use:

Step 13: Review & Submit for Approval

Before submitting, check that you have:

• Set your Splat, Tribe, Breed, and Auspice.
• Spent all Attribute and Ability dots correctly.
• Selected your Backgrounds.
• Set starting Rage, Gnosis, and Willpower.
• Allocated your starting Renown.
• Selected your starting Ways.
• Spent and recorded all Freebie Points.
• Spent and recorded Tier XP, if applicable.
• Set Concept, Birthdate, Nature, Demeanor, and Full Name.
• Written your Backstory.
• Added notes explaining anything requiring clarification.
• Set at least your Homid description.

When everything is complete, type:

After Approval: Introduce Your Character

Garou and Garou Kinfolk can earn an easy nom by posting an introduction to:

Put your character’s name in the title and give other players some information that might reasonably be known about them IC.

This can be:

• A straightforward bullet-point list.
• A letter.
• A rumor sheet.
• A one-sided IC conversation.
• A short narrative introduction.
• Anything else that gives players hooks for approaching your character.

The purpose is simple: help other players find reasons to RP with you and help your character become integrated into the Sept.

Kinfolk Character Creation

Kinfolk use many of the same commands and steps above, with several mechanical differences.

Useful references include:

• W20 Core, pages 379–381.
• W20 Kinfolk: A Breed Apart.
• Hunters Hunted II for relevant Numina and Backgrounds.

The major chargen differences already noted above include:

• Attributes: 6 / 4 / 3.
• Abilities: 13 / 9 / 5.
• Freebie Points: 21.

Kinfolk may normally possess more than ten dots of Merits.

However, a Kinfolk who acquires Gnosis, Gifts, or Numina is considered a supernatural Kinfolk and becomes subject to the normal 10-dot supernatural Merit limit.

A player may have one Kinfolk character in addition to a Shifter character, provided this does not create a conflict-of-interest situation.

Fera Character Creation

Players with access to Changing Breeds 20th Anniversary Edition can use the Garou process above as a general framework for creating Fera characters.

Breed-specific mechanics should follow the appropriate Changing Breeds rules and any applicable Liberation house rules.