Frenzy

Both Vampires and the Bete suffer from the complete loss of control that comes when the Beast overwealms senses. For each, however, there are different reactions and different solutions.

Vampires


In Vampire the term only applies to the "fight" half of the "fight-or-flight" response, though Rotschreck (the "flight" half) is a similar experience in many respects. The primary purpose of the frenzy is to kill or otherwise neutralize the stimulus responsible for it, so a vampire driven to frenzy will attempt to feed on anything she can catch whereas a character entering frenzy in combat will attempt to kill all nearby combatants. The Kindred of the Camarilla consider frenzy dangerous, beastial and a sign of weak will and try to avoid it whenever possible. Sabbat vampires may resist or embrace frenzy (or "ride the wave") depending on their Path of Enlightenment (Road).

The player may choose to resist frenzy (with a Self Control roll) or enter the frenzy but attempt to guide the character's actions with Instinct rolls. The player may spend a point of Willpower to put the frenzy on hold for one round. Character in frenzy are immune to Rötschreck.

Garou


The great curse of Garou, which can sometimes be turned to one's advantage. Any Rage roll can ignite a Frenzy, including rolls to recover from injury or to activate Gifts. The character accumulates successes from each roll. The Storyteller decides whether a stimulus requires a Rage roll (such as taking damage, or being humiliated), and whether there are bonus dice or difficulty penalties to this roll. Note that higher-ranking Garou have automatic difficulty penalties — at Rank 3, frenzy rolls have +1 difficulty penalty. At Rank 4 and Rank 5, frenzy rolls have +2 difficulty. 4 successes on a Rage roll indicates a frenzy. Failure means nothing, but a botch can either trigger a Fox frenzy or causes the Garou to lose 1 temporary Rage for each 1 on the roll. A garou who has 6 successes on a Rage roll will enter a Thrall of the Wyrm frenzy. The basic rules for Frenzy are found in the Werewolf: the Apocalypse book, pages 190-191. A character may spend a Willpower point while in a frenzy to have the chance to roll Willpower, +2 difficulty, to overcome his frenzy. This may only happen if the Storyteller believes the impetus for the frenzy has been removed.

Berserk
A Garou in a berserk frenzy will attack all visible targets who appear to be threatening. He ignores all wound penalties and will regain 1 Rage per round. He may spend Rage and take the combat actions of biting, clawing or moving to a target, but cannot create tactical plans, speak, or manipulate objects. He may use simple melee weapons that were already in his hands, but he cannot perform special combat maneuvers with these weapons. He will not use guns except as clubs. Distractions such as smartgoggle feeds and comm links may be torn away. He will dodge only if it the enemy is clearly using something that might kill him, and he must take at least one offensive action every round.

Fox
The Garou is overwhelmed with fear and will run away. He will fight anything trying to stop him from escaping, but otherwise will do nothing but run. He may spend Rage and take Rage actions as normal to do this. He will not use weapons and will prefer to dodge and run rather than fight. He will not speak and will remove any distractions such as smartgoggles if they are not helping him run away. He may stop running when he can no longer see or smell the source of his fear.

The Thrall of the Wyrm
A werewolf’s Rage is fearful enough, but sometimes a frenzy is abnormal. If a werewolf descends too far into frenzy, his Rage is no longer pure. Instead, he has opened himself up to be used by the Wyrm.

If a player rolls six or more successes on a Rage roll, the character enters a berserk frenzy, and spending Willpower will not bring her out of it. The character is said to be "in the Thrall of the Wyrm." The frenzy follows normal tendencies with regards to attacks and duration, but it includes some even more horrific aspects.

Each of the breeds of Garou carries a piece of the Triatic Wyrm, and during such a frenzy, that Wyrm can demand its due.

Homid: Eater-of-Souls has long held humans as its special children, and this attention includes Homid Garou. The Wyrm can drive such Garou to acts of cannibalism upon humans, wolves or even other Garou. When a homid-breed Garou in the Thrall kills or incapacitates an opponent (friend or foe), her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the Garou must stop for a turn and feast.

Metis: Barred as they are from breeding, metis are special targets of the Defiler Wyrm. Metis Garou in the Thrall sometimes practice unspeakable acts of perversion on fallen opponents, regardless of their respective genders. If a metis kills or incapacitates a foe while in the Thrall, her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the Garou stops fighting for a turprand slakes heir unholy lust on her helpless opponent.

Lupus: The savage, feral lupus feel the pull of Beast-of- War. A lupus Garou in the thrall will savage a fallen opponent, friend or foe, and not pull away until the body lies in pieces around her. The Garou loses all sense of mercy, regardless of her comparative Gnosis and Rage scores. When a lupus Garou kills or incapacitates a foe while in the Thrall, her player must roll Wits (difficulty 7). If the roll botches, the lupus must continue to attack until her opponent is torn limb from limb.

Succumbing to the Thrall of the Wyrm is terrifying to the Garou. A normal frenzy is considered a defense mechanism against pain, a pure if brutal method of survival. A Wyrm-frenzy is nothing of the kind. It brings to light the inner struggle with the Wyrm, which is something few Garou are prepared to face. Unable to live with their deed, some werewolves even end their lives after such a frenzy.

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