Garou, Honor Among Wolves

“To die among friends. Can a man ask more? Can the world offer less? Who wants to live ’til the last bottle is empty? It’s all for one, d’Artagnan, and one for all.
-The Three Musketeers

Playtest Version

This material is still in the process of being playtested. It is fully usable as written, but may be refined or changed in later versions. As always, this content should only be used with GM permission.

The Garou


Amid the clashing of swords and the popping of champagne corks, these stylish wolf folk thrive. Outsiders sometimes expect them to be something akin to a werewolf, but they are more likely to be well-dressed, well-mannered (albeit sometimes hedonistic) philosophers, knights, hunters, and crafters.

Renowned with the Sword

Every garou youngster is trained in the use of swords, be they the child of an elector-prince or of a simple lumberjack. The art of swordsmanship is paramount in their culture and exceptional talent and skill at arms can be one of the fastest paths to class advancement in their society. Each school of combat has its own preferred forms and weapons, but all cover the basics for wielding any sort of sword. There are rumors among other folk that even a garou raised away from their own kind will inevitably seek a sword teacher or simply experiment until they are self-taught if none are available.

Civilized, but with a Warrior’s Heart

Garou society promotes a fondness for refined things, for elegant craftsmanship, for masterful poetry, for excelling in the skill of one’s trade. They also prefer to resolve internal conflicts through contests rather than civil war. However, they live by a philosophy of passions. To fulfill one’s potential, they believe, one must pursue what one is passionate about, without reservation. They will celebrate, mourn, or duel as their hearts demand, and their hearts revel in excitement. Since they rarely take up arms against each other except in single contests or sparring, many will join expeditionary forces or mercenary companies to satisfy their desire to test their skill.

Noble School Lineages

Noble status is only obliquely hereditary in garou society. There are noble families, but to actually possess noble office, one must be in the upper ranks of a noble school, with only the grand master of the most prestigious schools holding the status of elector-prince. The sword schools are so central to garou society, in fact, that most organizations—including trade guilds and temples—have taken the organizational model of these schools. All schools of combat or dueling teach the sword and are considered “sword schools” even if it is not the primary weapon utilized in the style, such as the Loxley Ranger School.

Garou Names

Each garou is given a personal name by their parents at birth and receives as an “errant name” the more prestigious of their parents’ last names. Typically, commoners only have their personal name and errant name, but those who attain full membership in one of the various schools are considered to be adopted into the family of the school’s grand master and add the school’s name to their own. For example, a master in the illustrious Michel Fencing School would add d’Michel to the end of their name, whereas the son of a master of that school would simply have Michel as their errant name until they earned a place in that school (becoming, for example, André Michel d’Michel) or in another (becoming André Michel d’Flament).
Except in formal situations, individuals with a school name will introduce themselves by only their personal name and school name, as the school name itself is akin to a minor noble title. On the rare occasion that someone attains full membership in multiple, such as a sword master who is also a priest of a lineaged temple, the school names will be listed in the order they were attained, as all such organizations are (at least officially) considered equally illustrious, even if only a few have elector seats.

Masculine Names: Adrien, Alexandre, Benoît, Charles, Édouard, Flavien, Gérald, Hercule, Juste, Lune, Maxime, Nicodème, Paol, Philippe, Reynaud, Serge, Yves

Feminine Names: Amélie, Brigitte, Céleste, Élise, Fleur, Juliette, Lucette, Marceline, Placide, Roxanne, Sibylle, Thérèse, Victoire, Yseult, Zoé

Errant (Family) Names: Artagnan, Bellamy, Chevrolet, Fèvre, Gagnier, Joubert, Laurent, Lune, Planchet, Renaud, Savatier, Thénardier, Villenueve

Sword School Names: d’Bélanger, d’Chastain, d’Dantès, d’Enjolras, d’Georges, d’Les Frères, d’Loxley, d’Martel, d’Michel, d’Olympe, d’Porthos, d’Roux, d’Sérafine

Trade Guild School Names: d’Avrigny, d’Brodeur, d’Cloclès, d’Forestier, d’Justine, d’Inès, d’Lachance, d’Lefurgey, d’Montesson, d’Pelletiere, d’Prouvaire, d’Roux-et-blanc, d’Villefort

Religious Order School Names: d’Aramis, d’Bologne, d’Flament, d’Epinay, d’Grantaire, d’Hélène, d’Lévesque, d’Morrel, d’Poirier, d’Rémy, d’Saint-Amour, d’Valois


New Species: Garou

    Common Personality Traits: Quick-tempered, jovial, boastful, romantic, impulsive, debonair
    Common Physical Traits: Deft, poised, light-footed
    Type: Medium biped folk with a Reach of 1. Your maximum wounds equal your Constitution score.

  • Attributes: +1 to the highest of Strength, Dexerity, or Wisdom; then +1 to lowest of Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom
  • Base Speed: 30 ft.
  • Accomplished Armsmaster: You gain 1 skill point each time you gain a permanent Melee Combat feat.
  • Bloodhound: Your base scent range increments are equal to your Wisdom score × 5 ft. Further, you gain a +4 to all Tracking checks.
  • Parry: You gain the Parry trick (see FC, page 222).
  • Specialized Proficiencies: You begin play with 2 fewer proficiencies (minimum 0), then you gain the Edged proficiency.

Legal Appendix

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Open Game License v1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Rules Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

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