Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Street Level Threats

 Welcome back to the blog, or welcome if you're new. It's lovely to have you here. 

Sundays here are all about Werewolf: the Apocalypse, the eco-horror roleplaying game created by White Wolf Game Studio, and now published both by them and by Onyx Path Publishing. I focus on the latter's game, 20th Anniversary Edition, which consolidates so much of the original run into a number of excellent books as well as developing it in interesting directions. These blog pieces are partly analysis and commentary, but I'm also trying to make new opponents for the game, particularly where there are gaps that don't seem to make any sense. These may lead to me trying to publish a couple of small supplements on Storyteller's Vault, if enough people are interested (please let me know if you are).  

As I've discussed elsewhere, Werewolf is a game that feels like it's only become more relevant as time's gone on. With Climate Change, materialism, and the growth of something that looks very look like Fascism springing up across the world, the Garou's war feels prescient and immediate. Our streets run the risk of becoming battlefields, no matter where we are. You only need to look at last July's race riots in the UK to see that. The street, in all its maddening activity and sensory overload, is also where many of the werewolves' fights will happen. These Blights, as the game defines them, are the centre of much of the war against the Wyrm and the Weaver, where brave packs venture to make war upon Gaia's enemies. 

Let's consider some of the threats our bold monsters might encounter:

Supernaturals

There are many monsters who make the cities their home. City adventures can make great opportunities for the Garou and Vampire worlds to smack up against each other, hard. They're natural antagonists and seldom have much to discuss, a truth that applies even to the Garou Tribes who have adopted the cities as home. The Vampires' Masquerade means that they're usually buried behind human fronts and don't really advertise their presence. Their control of human institutions means that they have plenty of support to call upon, and a werewolf pack can get into a fight with the Kindred without ever knowing it. This, of course, allows for the vampires to seek retribution at a later date, probably in a way that the werewolves didn't anticipate.

Vampires do serve the Wyrm, even if they don't recognise it. Even the Followers of Setite, who may be closest to the truth through their worship of Set and closeness to the Egyptian Chaos Serpent, Apep, are ignorant of the Wyrm's coils. The Kindred are practical, pragmatic, monsters, and much of their monstrous nature derives from their desire to protect themselves, or make their existences easier. It's a selfish urge and one that puts them at direct loggerheads with the Garou's more idealistic natures. 

I haven't touched on Mages in this series about Werewolf - in part because I haven't needed to and in part because while I do love Mage: The Ascension, it's also a headache of a game and provokes far too many arguments. If we consider how the Awakened could be a street level threat for a pack of werewolves, in some ways we could see it as simple as not poking a scorpion with a stick; you don't know what'll happen because every mage is different. Outside of their Tradition, Convention or Craft, mages can specialise in the magic that most aligns with their character and beliefs. In this respect, they're far less constrained than either vampires or werewolves, whose powers are drawn from specific bloodlines and Tribes. 

At street level, its also far more likely that the Garou will discover Orphans and Craft mages, who seldom want much to do with the rest of the Awakened. Frankly, this is a blessing—because a prepared and well-trained magus is a nightmare to fight. Your pack should tread carefully in these circumstances, and be aware that the best mages - the ones that survive - are subtle and slow to anger. 

Even if individual mages and Garou might avoid each other, conflicts are inevitable when it comes to resources. Nowhere is this clearer than in the battle over Caerns and Nodes. I've never been exactly clear if Gnosis and Quintessence (the Mage occult fuel) are the same thing, and suspect they aren't. However, they are usually found in the same places, leading to competition for resources. This can be one of the main places where Garou become involved in the Ascension War, as the Awakened are always looking for new power sources, and Magick is one thing werewolves struggle to combat, especially if the will workers are willing to throw subtlety aside and work blatant, reality-defying Magick.

Ultimately, the best protection the Garou have against mages is that, if the will workers are aware of them, they'll usually take steps to avoid confrontation—realising a pack of enraged werewolves is a threat even they don’t want to face.

In a similar way, Garou may not interact with Wraiths very often and the Restless may not be the most persistent or obvious threat. That doesn't mean they're not there of course, but the worlds inhabited by the Garou and the Restless are very different. Only the Silent Striders, with their affinity for the dead, tend to interact with them at all. There may be instances where their paths cross, and a ghost could be a compelling antagonist for your pack. A ghost could even be personally tied to the player characters—perhaps they’re the reason the wraith ended up in the Shadowlands in the first place. In addition, there may be instances where the pack stumble into Haunts during the course of their investigations, ending up fighting something they may not even be able to discern. 

Most wraiths interact with the Skinlands only through Mediums, and their concerns are deeply personal, rooted in the reasons they haven’t moved on. As a consequence, it's unlikely they'll be particularly invested in what another supernatural faction is doing, they're much more interested in making sure that their grandchild is safe or that the locket they entrusted to their spouse is going to be kept safe than they are in the fate of the world. If they pay attention to the pack, it's because they have skin in the game. The pack may have killed them, or damaged part of the fetters that bind them to the world of the living.

If a Garou pack finds itself fighting a wraith, chances are the ghost isn’t acting of its own free will. Vampires and mages—particularly the Giovanni and Nephandi—are known to enslave ghosts, using them as spies and soldiers. Given what we've discussed about vampires and mages, a werewolf pack could easily find itself the target of a necromancer's wrath—perhaps without even realizing why.

In a similar fashion, Changelings dwell on the periphery of the werewolves' world and their interests don't often align with the Garou Nations. Changelings exist in both the mortal and fae realms and a werewolf pack could walk past a thousand of them without ever realising it as a consequence. It's quite likely that only by calling on the Wyrd or enchanting a werewolf, that a Changeling may make themselves sufficiently obvious for a Garou to realise what they actually are. If the thought of a Get of Fenris coming face to face with a seven-foot-tall, blue-skinned Troll—who gives them a slow, judging once-over before sighing in disappointment—makes you smile, we're on the same page.

Changelings present an intriguing paradox in Werewolf: on the surface, their world of dreams and imagination might seem frivolous compared to the Garou’s battle for survival. In truth, the werewolves need dreams and hope—without them, how can they convince humanity to fight for a better future? Unlike the other supernatural creatures that haunt the cities, Changelings can be selfless allies, their goals sometimes aligning with the Garou’s. A Sidhe of House Liam may be just as invested in creating a homeless shelter or women's refuge as a Black Fury, Bone Gnawer, or Child of Gaia. But not all fae are allies. Unseelie Changelings or those of the Shadow Court may have desires that run counter to the Garou’s, creating potential for conflict—or even a dangerous game of manipulation.

As a Storyteller, I’d advise using Changelings sparingly—only if your players will appreciate their presence and the themes they bring to the table. Like Wraith, Changeling doesn’t have much direct overlap with Werewolf. Only one Tribe, the Fianna, has strong ties to them—much like the Silent Striders do with the dead.

Banes, Fomori, and Black Spiral Dancers

Street-level horror thrives on the unseen, and Banes are perfect for this. They lurk everywhere, whispering in human ears, pushing people toward evil acts. The world around us is tainted with twisted elementals, and in the World of Darkness, smog doesn’t just threaten your lungs—it corrupts your very soul. And that’s before considering the poor souls who live in these conditions: freezing in the winter, boiling in the summer, their only refuge temporary shelters that offer little more than brief reprieve.

The Frozen: Spirits of Cold and Despair

In the most brutal and unforgiving corners of the world, where the cold bites at your bones and the world seems to hold its breath, the Frozen make their home. These Banes are elemental spirits of ice and sorrow, thriving in the harshest conditions. They infect the environment around them, spreading the sting of cold not just in the air, but deep in the hearts of the afflicted. The Frozen target the vulnerable, the broken, and those who are left behind—often the homeless, the marginalized, or those pushed to the fringes of society. They feed on despair, spreading the spiritual taint of the Wyrm wherever they take root.

These creatures don’t just chill the air—they freeze the spirit. Those who fall under their influence feel an unnatural cold in their very bones, a numbness that saps their will and their hope. Their victim's thoughts grow foggy, and the emptiness inside them deepens, making them more susceptible to the Wyrm's whispers. What’s worse, the Frozen pass on their taint with a simple touch. A hug, a handshake, even a casual brush of the arm—a simple act of human contact becomes a conduit for their influence. A group of people caught in the thrall of these Banes becomes a mob of hopelessness and violence, a cold-hearted collective that will stop at nothing to spread their despair.

To face the Frozen is to face an enemy that doesn’t need to scream or shout; it simply exists in the quiet places where no one looks, in the cracks and forgotten corners of society. And where they are found, there is no warmth, no hope, just the frost that creeps inward and freezes everything it touches.

Rage: 5 Gnosis: 6 Willpower: 9 Essence: 20

Charms: Airt Sense, Possession, Frosted Touch*, Mob Mind*

Frosted Touch: This power allows The Frozen to spread their cold and despair through touch. Those affected suffer -1 on all rolls for the next hour and feel an overwhelming urge to isolate themselves. The Storyteller spends a point of the spirit's Essence and rolls the spirit's Gnosis against a target of the victim's Willpower. 

Mob Mind: When The Frozen has infected several individuals (often homeless or disaffected people), they can spread their control to create a unified mob, all under the control of their icy will. When the Bane's influence has reached a significant number of individuals (5 or more), they can form a collective, acting as one force, driven by the same frigid, dismal impulses. This can be used to turn a mob into a frightening weapon. The group will behave in an erratic, violent, and mindless way, attacking anyone who isn't infected with the Bane's influence. The Storyteller spends 4 Essence and rolls the spirit's Gnosis against a difficulty of 8. 

The Alley Spirit: Murderous Shortcut

During the day, the alleyway looks safe enough, a simple cut through on a city street, leading from one place to another. True, it's covered in graffiti, with a faulty streetlight. It's full of litter and the local animals avoid it, but it's still a serviceable shortcut. Despite efforts to clean it up, the alley always ends up looking like this, though the process is slow, usually taking months. People blame the local teenagers, though nobody remembers seeing anyone graffitiing alley. 

At night, it's a different story. The streetlight flickers, a wind picks up and blows the trash gently along the alley's length. The graffiti on the wall distorts and changes, spelling out messages and names - the names of the people who have been murdered here. A site of stabbings and shootings, muggings and worse, the alley has become corrupted by the evil deeds performed on it. The spirit itself has fallen to the Wyrm, and while its in a great deal of pain, it hungers for violence. Despite it's rundown appearance, it draws in victims, both those who perform violent acts and the people who'll be most affected by them. It does this by whispering corrupting thoughts into the minds of the people who pass through it. 

Rage: 3 Gnosis: 5 Willpower: 6 Essence: 14

Charms: Corruption, Realm Sense, Create Wind

This is my first time making anything like Banes so, I hope those are okay. 

Fomori are embodied corruption, people so thoroughly consumed by Bane spirits they've become their permanent hosts. If we think about the street level nature of the threats we're talking about, there are a large number of possibilities for creating interesting Fomori. Today, we'll use some pretty low hanging fruit, in the form of a Fomori drug dealer, who I'm picturing more as a one off than as a specific breed of Fomor. 

The Dealer

Appearance: At first glance, the Dealer appears as a run-of-the-mill street hustler. They could be a part of a drug cartel, a local gang member, or just a smooth-talking individual selling cheap knockoff goods. Their skin is slightly too pale, and they always wear sunglasses or a hoodie, trying to hide the emptiness in their eyes. Their smile is disarming, warm even—but there’s something wrong about it. Their teeth are sharp, their fingers too long, and when they speak, their voice has an unnatural edge that leaves a chill down your spine. The Dealer’s true nature emerges when they get closer, their body subtly distorting—teeth and claws visible, skin warping unnaturally as if a shadow is consuming their form.

Behaviour: The Dealer lures individuals into traps, whether through addiction, manipulation, or blackmail. They prey on vulnerable people, offering them "deals" that appear to be tempting and beneficial, but always come at a steep price. Their victims are often driven to desperation, spiralling into addictions, abusive relationships, or destructive behaviours, all while the Dealer feeds off their pain, frustration, and lost potential. The Dealer thrives on the misery and hopelessness of their customers, manipulating their desires into something far darker.

Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4

Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 2

Perception 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 3, Brawl 4, Intimidation 3, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge 3. Drive 2, Firearms 3, Larceny 3, Melee 2, Stealth 4. Law 1, Science 2, Technology 3.

Willpower 3, Gnosis 0, Rage 0

Fomori Powers: Deception, Eyes Of The Wyrm, Footpads

The Fomori isn't the most handy in combat, so it's probable they'd have some backup to help them out when the Garou come calling. I'm conscious that by using Fomori powers from the core rulebook, I may have short changed him with a lack of specific powers that could consolidate his niche in the world, so I might come back to play with him again at a later date. 

The Black Spiral Dancer: A Subtle Threat

The Black Spiral Dancers are the very embodiment of corruption, betrayal, and madness. A Garou who falls to the Black Spiral is not just lost—they are a twisted reflection of everything they once fought for. Unlike other enemies of the Garou, who may be motivated by greed, anger, or simple malice, the Black Spiral Dancers are driven by the complete subversion of the Garou's noble ideals. Their power comes not from strength or intelligence but from the Wyrm's ability to infect the mind, body, and spirit.

Their methods are insidious, operating from the shadows. Black Spiral Dancers are not loud and obvious in their threat; they are the silent manipulators, the whisperers in the dark. They prefer to corrupt from within, weaving themselves into human institutions, Garou politics, or even the lives of unsuspecting packs. By appearing as sympathetic figures, they can manipulate those around them, pushing them toward self-destructive actions. They may seem like friendly faces at first—comrades who speak of unity and the Garou cause—but their words are poisoned, and their goals are always self-serving.

Black Spiral Dancers have the ability to shape the environment to their twisted needs. They work through dreams, visions, and subtle manipulations. Their ultimate goal is to lead the Garou to ruin, to tear apart the bonds of unity, and to collapse the spiritual and physical realms in on themselves.

When facing a Black Spiral Dancer, a pack should be cautious. They might not even recognize the threat until it's too late. Sometimes, the only clue that something is amiss is a growing sense of unease, a gnawing feeling that something is just out of place.

Fetish: The Echo of Sorrow

Type: Fetish (Totem Focus)
Level: 3
Description: This small, intricate charm resembles a crude wooden figure shaped like a person, wrapped in tattered cloth. When activated, it emits the sound of someone in distress—screams, cries, or begging, depending on the user's intent. The sound seems to come from the very air around the user, making it difficult for anyone to determine its source. The sound is always perfectly timed to coincide with a moment of emotional vulnerability, drawing attention and provoking a sense of concern in those nearby.

Effect: The Echo of Sorrow is used to manipulate and ensnare others emotionally. When activated, it draws people in, especially those who feel protective or empathetic. It can mimic the voice of a loved one or a victim, effectively luring targets into traps or leading them into dangerous situations. The sounds it produces have an almost hypnotic quality, designed to provoke a sense of urgency or helplessness in those who hear them.

Activation Roll: The user rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7) to activate the Fetish. If successful, the sound is emitted for a number of turns equal to the successes rolled.

Side Effects: The sound can have unintended emotional consequences, causing paranoia, fear, or even guilt in the listener if they're unable to help or figure out the source of the cries. Prolonged exposure to the sound may cause mental strain, particularly for those with low Willpower or strong emotional ties to the sound being mimicked. Those who hear the cries often find themselves distracted, unwilling or unable to focus on other important tasks, making them vulnerable to attack.

As we’ve seen, the streets of the World of Darkness are far from empty. Whether it’s the twisted whispers of Banes, the shadows of Fomori lurking in plain sight, or the ever-looming threat of the Black Spiral Dancers, there’s no shortage of danger waiting for the Garou who venture into the urban underbelly. The city, in all its chaos, is a battlefield—an ever-shifting landscape where the Wyrm’s influence seeps into every corner. But it’s also a place where the Garou can make a difference, fighting not just for Gaia, but for the very soul of humanity. Street-level horror isn’t just about the monsters we face—it’s about the war for the streets themselves, and the delicate balance between hope and despair that keeps the world from falling into darkness.

Stay tuned for more as we dive deeper into the urban fight against the Wyrm, and don’t forget to let me know if any of these new threats have inspired your own stories or campaigns. Until next time, keep your eyes open and your claws sharper. The streets are watching.