Werewolf:Totems

These are some clarifications in the process of creating a totem, as explained by Isador.

Step 1: Concept
Choose a name and a concept for your spirit totem. Not a very hard step. For example: Pulverizing-Fists, an earth elemental.

Step 2: Attributes
Spirits only have 3 attributes (Power, Finesse and Resistance), and get 9 points to spend across these attributes. Spirits have a Corpus rating instead of Health, which is calculated by adding their Size to their Resistance (assume a Greater Gaffling, the normal rank for a totem spirit, has size 5. Consult with your storyteller if you wish the totem to have a different size). Being a Greater Gaffling, the spirit cannot have attributes above 7 under any circumstances, and has a maximum essence pool of 15. Willpower is determined by adding Power to Resistance, and recovers at a rate of 1 per day, though this can be increased if the spirit harvests essence of the same resonance as it. Its Initiative is Finesse plus Resistance. Its Defense is equal to Power or Finesse, whichever is higher. The spirit has a speed equal to its Power plus Finesse, plus a factor determined by the spirit's species (Consult your storyteller on what would be apropriate).

Step 3: Influences
The spirit gets 2 dots to spend among its influences. Influences are usually determined by the spirit's nature. A spirit of shadows for example would have 1 or 2 dots in the Shadows influence. This allows the spirit to enhance its sphere of influence. For example, the same spirit of shadows would be able to expand or deepen existing shadows at 1 dot, or create new shadows at 2 dots.

Step 4: Numina and Totem Points
The spirit automatically gains the Numima: Material Vision, and one other Numina of the player's choice for free. After that, the pack may assign Totem Merit points. This is a merit exclusive to Uratha which costs 3xp a piece, and can be spend in to increase the spirit's attributes, buy new Numina or give the pack bonusses. The amount of totem points the pack spends on the totem is a crucial part of the next step.

Step 5: Assign Ban
A ban must be assigned to the pack by the spirit as the price for the power it provides. Bans are rated 1-5 (consult a storyteller for the rating of bans that you came up with) with a rank 1 Ban being something that the pack has to do every month or so and requires no real investment of resources or effort on part of the pack, whereas a rank 5 Ban is crippling to the pack and requires the pack to be incredibly careful not to break it. The minimum rank of the Ban the spirit must assign to its pack is determined by the amount of Totem Points spend on the totem. For example, a totem that has 6 totem points spend on it must have at least a rank 2 Ban, whereas a totem with 21 totem points spend must levy at least a rank 5 Ban. In addition, the pack may choose to pick a Ban for their totem two ranks higher then the Ban rank the totem would otherwise require in order to get a discount on their totem equal to the rank of the Ban they choose. This means that a pack that spend 10 Totem Points on their spirit and choose a rank 5 Ban would get a 5 Totem Point discount on their totem. However, this discount can never more then half the totem's cost. Therefore, a pack that spend on 4 totem points on their totem would have to pick a rank 3 Ban to get a discount, but would only get 2 points worth of discount.

Extra Note
Though the book doesn't list it, be sure to also give your totem spirit a Ban of its own. The Ban it levies on its pack is not necessarily the same as its own Ban, and being a totem spirit doesn't somehow exempt it from the rules that all spirits must follow.

FAQ
1 - Can I make my totem spirit do stuff at my command? It would depend on the totem spirit, but no. Consider the totem spirit to be, for most purposes, to be an additional pack member. You can demand that it does something for you, but it might take offense, or demand that you do something in return.

2 - When is a pack considered to be a pack? The moment the pack gets a totem spirit, it is considered a true pack. Until then, powers that only work on pack members (such as being able to draw each other across the Gauntlet) do not work.

3 - How do I get a totem spirit? You must travel into the depths of the Hisil and somehow coerce it into becoming your pack's totem. You need to have a pack of at least 3 Uratha, and the exact method will differ per spirit. A spirit of war or violence may have to be subdued with force, whereas a spirit of subtlety may require the pack to solve a riddle. Very rarely a spirit will ask a pack to become their totem spirit. A pack is not obligated to accept this offer, but rejecting the spirit is considered a grievous insult.

4 - Can the totem learn gifts? No, spirits cannot learn gifts, totem spirits are no different. A spirit's supernatural powers are called Numina, which are (arguably) a lot more diverse then werewolf Gifts. However, a totem spirit can still teach gifts to its pack in accordance with its nature. However, be aware that even though the totem spirit is an official ally of the pack, no spirit will ever teach gifts for free.

5 - Can my totem grow? Yes, you can feed it extra totem points, but spending those points requires an increase in the severity of the spirit's ban. The strength of the spirit itself may be increased by feeding it other spirits, and this method may or may not result in an increase in ban severity. See a storyteller for details.

6 - Do I have to spend totem points if I come into the pack after the totem has been created? Yes, you must invest at least 1 totem point in the pack's totem before you can benefit from the pack bond. The pack can choose not to spend this point, however, if they want to avoid increasing the severity of the spirit's ban.

7 - Why are totem points considered a merit? Like all merits, the number of dots you can have in it can be no greater than five. This means that to keep a stronger, meaner spirit, you need a large pack.

8 - If we get the ban severity discount, do we get to keep it when we raise the level of the spirit? No, you must pay the cost of the discount over time when you raise the rank of the spirit.

9 - Can a spirit surpass 25 totem points? Yes, but they cannot be spent to improve the totem in any way, as there's no 6-Severity ban... yet.

10 - Will a totem ever leave a pack? The bond between totem and pack is a very close one, so this won't happen easily. However, this is very dependant on the spirit's nature. If a spirit of honour sees the ban it placed upon the pack broken and the pack spits in its eye when it demands the Rite of Contrition, there's a good chance the spirit will abandon the pack altogether and spread word of the Uratha's ill manners. Note, however, the breaking a pack ban is not usually grounds for a spirit to abandon the pack altogether. It will be offended and retract its support until the pack makes amends, but it would take an in perticulairy insulting or revolting course of action to make a spirit quit its job. A pack can also decide to abandon its totem, but without a good reason, the totem might take offense at being abandoned.

11 - What are the different types of totem? There are three different types of totem. The first is the regular Forsaken totem, which is within the power range of a Greater Gaffling and normally doesn't exceed this level of power. The Pure totems, however, are far more powerful, with Lesser Jagglings being the weakest of Pure totems, and in rare cases, even Greater Jagglings will act as totems for the Pure. Thirdly and lastly, there are the Lone Wolf totems, which bind so closely to their chosen Uratha that the two merge into a new entity entirely, without the need of a pack.

''12 - Wait, where's my totem? I don't see it anywhere...'' The totem spirit of a pack will always hang around the pack in the Twilight (the ethereal spectrum between the Hisil and the physical world, from where spirits can spy or influence the physical world). The pack itself (and by extension, every member of the pack) acts as a fetter for the totem, meaning that unlike unfettered spirits, the totem does not lose essence for hanging around in the Twilight, as long as it remains at least one mile from any pack member. Of course, this also means that just like regular spirits, it is ethereal and thus not physically present. A spirit thus follows the same rules as other spirits in the Twilight, and thus requires the appropriate Numina to affect the physical world from the Twilight. However, like other spirits, the totem can pass through the gauntlet at a Locus into the Hisil, where it is as physical as any other spirit in the Spirit World.

13 - Can we take Lunes as totems? Yes. However, for the first month after getting a lune as a totem, the entire pack will suffer from, in addition to the spirit's appointed bans, from a minor derangement. After the first lunar month, it becomes a major derangement.

''14 - What about evil/corruptive spirits?" Yes. However, be prepared that what such spirits might as off a pack might not be desireable in the slightest. Such spirits might even have a bad influence on the pack by default, or will tarnish the pack's reputation by assocation. Ultimately, it's up to what the pack wants. They're just going to have to be prepared to deal with the consequences.