Blood Memory

Ratkin -

Quiet, introspective rodents can have remarkable flashes of insight. For instance, a wererat who calmly listens to the sound of his own blood can remember the name of another Ratkin he's never met before. With enough effort, a Ratkin might even recall another wererat's aspect, what part of the world he hails from, or where he's been.

Knowledge of ancient labyrinths is also passed down from generation to generation. A Ratkin can't "remember" passages that have changed during the last ten years, but in any major city, there's a chance that she can find a secret path that's been long forgotten. If it doesn't exist in the physical world, it might exist in the spirit world. Tunnel Runners excel at this. A lone Ratkin, through introspection, can even attempt to channel memories of ancestors who served his aspect. Though this may sound similar to the Garou's Past Life Background, it has one important difference: It's limited to memories.A wererat cannot channel the heroes of Ratkin history to work through him. This feat is somewhat more difficult than the other applications of Blood Memory.

System: Calling upon Blood Memory is usually a simple Gnosis roll. "Remembering" the name of a Ratkin you've never met is difficulty 6. Finding your way in a place you've never been is difficulty 8 (or difficulty 6 if you're a Tunnel Runner). Recalling visions of the past is far more difficult: it requires the expenditure of a point of Gnosis and a roll of the remaining temporary Gnosis; the difficulty is 9. This last ability can only be used once per game session. Ancient revelations are always sensory experiences, and often relate to the situation the wererat is currently struggling with — they're usually panic-filled flashes of mad flight and desperate searching. True clarity is impossible, articularly when trying to regain facts having nothing to do with hiding places or fellow Ratkin's personal history. The amount of time you can reach back depends on the number of successes you obtain on the Gnosis roll. Memories more recent than ten years ago cannot be recalled. Infection plays hell with this talent, recalling memories of the Impergium that are as fresh as yesterday, and generally driving the Ratkin to the point of near-madness.

Visionary Revelations One success 10 to 50 years

Two successes 50 to 150 years

Three successes 150 to 500 years

Four successes 500 to 1000 years

Five successes 1000 to 2000 years

With more than six successes, a Ratkin will flash on memories from the War of Rage or the Impergium. Seeing back that far, of course, is extremely rare. Any characters wanting to remember back further or with actual clarity are advised to consult a Mokole; wererat Blood Memory can't compete with the Dragon Breed's Mnesis.

When a Ratkin goes into a meditative trance to seek a revelation from the past, the Storyteller has every right to tailor the nature of the information gained, making it succinct and clear or keeping it vague and mystical. The Storyteller should definitely try to dredge up something that would make a good plot thread. Just keep in mind that most Storytellers aren't eager to circumvent an entire story with a single die roll.