Editing Werewolf: The Apocalypse (section)

==Auspice==
The five phases of the moon that determines the duty of Garou. This is found on the night of birth and forges a role in their society.

This influences starting rage value, additional starting gifts, and the expected duty that you function in the pack. There is a difference if they're born on the waning (past full and moving toward a new moon) or waxing (moving toward a full moon) phases of the moon. Waning cycles tend to be more aggressive while waxing are more relaxed and light hearted.

'''Ragabash''' (The New Moon, The Trickster): The alternative name is more fitting since the position is really to mess with your enemies and sometimes even your allies. Their official duty is to question the decisions and rules they encounter, as all too often human, werewolf, and even spirit society gets gummed up with bad rules perpetuated by those too mindless and or pretentious to admit there is a problem, let alone fix it. They are also charged with being the teachers, in a "Guess what? Don't depend on that gun of yours so much, someone might steal the bullets!" kind of way. A well played Ragabash always has a point to his pranks, so that those who spend more time thinking about it rather than whining have the opportunity to become better people. Typical attitudes are questioning and going against the norms, playing devil's advocate and keeping things from going completely stagnant. Still, if you want to play them as the moron who keeps asking "Why?" like a five-year-old or act like a furry Fishmalk, someone is going to kill you. And you'll deserve it.

'''Theurge''' (The Crescent Moon, The Seer): The spiritual leaders of the Garou who often appear to like spending their time with Spirits rather than solid beings. They are the guide to consulting Spirits and keep the Garou in connection with them. Oh, and they start hearing/seeing Spirits from the Umbra in reality and are the healers and rite leaders for a pack or sept. Lupus have a better time with the Theurge auspice because they are born with a closer tie to Nature (they start with a Gnosis rating almost twice as high as a Metis and five times as high as a Homid. Pick Lupus or be prepared to spend exp points to upgrade Gnosis). Probably the hardest Auspice to play well, since you will be your pack's 'broker' for dealing with the spirits, and healer... which means you cannot heal yourself, and if you screw up on the deals everyone pays.

'''Philodox''' (The Half Moon, The Mediator): The counselor/mediators of Garou society and on average are the wisest members. They are leaders in "peacetime" (I guess this means the times when they aren't fighting the eternal decaying of the world, which is never), but will defer to Ahroun or Galliards for leadership in war (which is all the time). Serving as judge and jury, knowledgeable about the Garou laws, they are highly respected. They also hold some of the most powerful combat gifts, and make devastating warriors when played correctly.

'''Galliard''' (The Gibbous Moon, The Moon Dancer): The warlord choice of the bunch, leading more towards the leader and not the warrior part. They can cheer, fight, and tell stories. Passionate fighters to the point where they feel an intense range of emotions. Their duty is as morale boosters and can move the pack through actions and words. Their gifts are more fitting as "combat mystic", giving them telepathy, mass mind control, short range teleportation, party-buffs, and other effects best used in combat. They are the keepers of legend and lore, and frequently are the voice of the group, certainly when it comes time to report on how amazing the group is (and thus why they should be given renown and rank.)

'''Ahroun''' (The Full Moon, The Warrior): The primary reason the Garou can kick ass. A young Ahroun can take on the leading members of other auspices without much trouble. The big problem with Ahrouns is that their lifespan isn't that long due to their killer instinct. Due to their high level of rage, they often are not terribly gifted when it comes to social skills and can often freak normal humans out by just being near them.  They give off a serial-killer vibe. They are the most willing to take on the biggest challenges, lean towards violent solutions, and least willing to back down from a fight. Ahroun Get of Fenris and Red Talons are terrifying to behold and think they are the strongest fighters of the Garou. Unfortunately, they are also the most prone to entering berzerk frenzies, and can paradoxically be the most likely to flee for no reason (as one of the options for a Garou trying to control his Rage is to go 'Fox' and flee from stress rather than attack it, useful for dealing with high ranking mother-in-laws). Note that while Ahroun do excel at combat, the gap between them and combat oriented builds from the other auspices is slight. Any Garou can be built as a killing machine but not every Garou can be built as a healer or a spy.

While Auspice could be viewed as the "class" choice of the game, it isn't really. You can still be a Theurge and kick down the door and murder everyone or be a Ahroun who is knowledgeable and converses with spirits, thanks to the way experience points work. It just affects where you start. It is possible to join an auspice that does not match one's birth by way of a ritual, but those Garou who do so are often seen with suspicion and have to be damn good at their new jobs to not be scorned.