A leader must keep a tight grip on his power, and this Gift allows the Garou to do so literally. The Garou's hands or jaws tighten in a mighty death-grip, making it nearly impossible to escape. A falcon-spirit teaches the Silver Fang version of this Gift. A gila monster or alligator-spirit teaches the Uktena version.
Camp: Scouts
This Gift strengthens the Garou's stamina and allows her to travel much more quickly than would normally be possible. Using the Gift allows the Garou to determine the path of least resistance, so she can move from one place to another with great speed and less interference. While not a replacement for a Moon Bridge, Fast Track lets the Garou continue traveling long past the time she would normally become exhausted. She can effectively make a forced march that covers three times the distance she would normally cover in the same amount of time and arrive no more tired than usual. This Gift is taught by a bear-spirit.
Garou are well versed in hunting and tracking prey, yet there are times when they have no idea where such a trail starts or which journey to undertake first when a choice presents itself. The Gift of the Moonstruck Path allows the Garou to perceive the beginning of the path he must take in a given situation, even if she herself is not sure of its ultimate purpose. When the Gift is utilized, a ghostly pale blue-white beam of moonlight points to the correct direction for one scene. Sometimes, as when the Garou doesn’t know why she needs to move in a certain direction or what to do once she reaches her destination, it becomes a leap of faith, with the werewolf starting on an unknown path and only later discovering why. This Gift is taught by one of Uktena’s spirit brood.
Using a forked stick or a smooth stone, a Garou can locate water hidden underground or within a succulent plant and pull it to the surface to be used. This Gift may tap into underground wells, water locked within loamy ground, moisture held within cacti or deep streams far beneath the desert floor. Some Uktena have used this Gift to help their Kinfolk in desert nations irrigate their fields, while others have kept a pack from dying of thirst when crossing badlands and open desert. Spirit servants of Uktena teach this Gift.
The Uktena can discern magical energies, whether they emanate from Garou Gifts, vampiric wizardry or even human magic. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
The werewolf can sense manifestations of the Wyrm in the nearby area. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although werewolves using the Gift sometimes say things like, "This place stinks of the Wyrm" (with a few more colorful adjectives). Garou should remember that the Wyrm's taint can cling to relatively blameless souls. Werewolves may sense an innocent person who happens to work in a Wyrm-controlled factory or who has eated tainted food. This power requires active concentration. Any spirit of Gaia may teach this Gift.
The Garou can create a field of inky blackness through which only she can see. A night-spirit teaches this Gift.
The werewolf’s hands and feet spout hundreds of tiny hooks, allowing her to climb across or cling to any surface — even sheer horizontal surfaces and ceilings. A gecko-spirit teaches this Gift.
This Gift allows the Garou to communicate with encountered spirits. The Garou is thus able to address them whether they wish to be adddressed or not. Of course, nothing (usually) prevents the spirit from ignoring the Theurge or leaving. Any spirit can teach this Gift.
This Gift, taught by a crane- or turkey-spirit, allows a Garou to appear physically grander and more impressive than he truly is.
The human cultures of Uktena Kinfolk are too-frequently ignored or derided by the mainstream; their wolf Kin are persecuted as a matter of course. This Gift opens the eyes of the ignorant to life on the other side, showing them a new and (for a while, at least) fascinating perspective. By speaking briefly with the subject about the culture or species in question, the Garou can instill curiosity or appreciation for the culture -- or if particularly successful, an obsession with learning about and aiding the Kinfolk's people. The Earth Guides in particular use this Gift to nudge adversaries (usually in government or the media) into the role of allies. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
(called Natural Camouflage in original tribebook, and Blending in revised)
Camp: Wyld Children
Using this Gift, a Garou can summon the Wyld in its raw essence to disrupt the manifestations of the Weaver. This energy must be concentrated to interfere with the working of machinery or technological items to be effective. Unlike the Homid Gift of Jam Technology, Call Forth the Wyld permanently disrupts the devices it affects. Barring costly repairs and replacement of fizzled parts, the item will never work properly again. Not that the items cease to function; they just work in an odd and unforeseen manner. Rather than merely creating a glitch, this Gift actually disrupts the Weaver energy by overpowering it with the chaos of the Wyld. Devices may function in reverse of normal (clocks run backward, cars only drive in reverse, computers print out information upside down) or may function in some totally random manner (guns explode when used; missiles reprogram themselves to hit a random target after initiating their own countdown and firing sequence; cars only function underwater). Creative anarchy should reign. Obviously, this Gift can be highly dangerous.
Using this Gift, an Uktena can call forth dark tentacles of mist or fog that wrap around enemies and hold them in a viselike grip. Each coil is four feet long and possesses the same Physical characteristics as the werewolf who summons the coils. Any snake-spirit can teach this Gift.
The Uktena need not carry her fetishes with her at all. She may draw them from a hidden cache whenever she needs them, no matter the distance. A packrat-spirit teaches this Gift.
Sometimes, one must give information to get information. Perhaps an explanation is necessary to get the curious to go away. However, Uktena are notoriously tightfisted with secrets. With this Gift, the Uktena can share a bit of knowledge that later vanishes from the subject's memory. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift. Both Raiders and Pathdancers commonly learn this Gift, through it can be found throughout the tribe.
When the humans began hunting animals, the animals retaliated by sending disease amongst the humans to kill them. Once they saw that their diseases killed good people as well as bad, they relented and herb-spirits came to medicine men in dreams to tell them how to heal the sick. Wise Uktena still know that medicine comes from these spirits in dreams, and this Gift allows them to call forth the herbs for wisdom. It is taught by the spirit of an aloe plant.
It can be quite useful to be ignored at times. You can overhear what was not meant for your ears, or see armed guards look right past you. As long as the Uktena keeps a low profile, a supervisor will assume he's just another tech, or the cowboys will see only "some tame Injun asleep by the hitchin' post." Some Ragabash call this the "Tonto goes to town" Gift; members of the Scouts also favor it. A cuckoo-spirit teaches this Gift.
This Gift allows an Uktena to find non-supernatural items that may be eluding his search. This is a perfect tool to locate hidden passageways, concealed tomes of lore or a normal foe that may be successfully hiding from the werewolves. A Crow spirit teaches the Gift. Scouts (and their darker campmates, the Raiders) consider this Gift practically a requisite.
Sometimes, one must give information to get information. However, Uktena are notoriously tightfisted with secrets. With this Gift, the werewolf can share a bit of knowledge that later vanishes from the subject’s memory. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
As the Uktena seek all things hidden, they may be gifted with the ability to find and see within unseen hollows such as caves, hollow trees, underwater caverns and hidden spaces. Objects and beings within the hidden area are seen as though lit by normal daylight and may even be examined utilizing other Gifts such as Sense Wyrm. Spirits of burrowing animals teach this Gift.
(Camp: Children of Crow)
Uktena Gift Description: Few enemies would expect a werewolf to attack from above, which is precisely why the Uktena developed the means to do so. The Garou may hover, fly or float. Any bird spirit can teach this Gift.
The werewolf blessed with this Gift can breathe underwater and swim as fast as he can run in Hispo form. Unsurprisingly, a fish-spirit teaches this Gift.
The Uktena can use this Gift to mesmerize an opponent by making direct eye contact. If the Gift is successful, the target freezes dead in his tracks. A spirit of Uktena teaches the Gift.
Camp: Skywalkers Note: the Skywalkers will teach this Gift to any fellow Uktena or Wendigo
This Gift helps Garou cross the Gauntlet and traverse the Umbra more easily. Once in the Umbra, the Gift helps the Garou orient herself so she has less chance of becoming lost or confused as to where she is. Further, it seems to urge the Garou toward a direction she needs to travel. Thus, if something terrible is happening in the Umbra, use of this Gift will point the Garou right toward it. This could be a good thing or very inconvenient and potentially deadly, depending on the Garou's point of view and her ability to talk or fight her way out of difficult situations. This Gift is taught by any bird-spirit.
Camp: Earth Guides
By accustoming themselves to a particular area or tribal group, the Earth Guides can "recall" pertinent information about tribal practices or traditions that may have been lost over time. This might uncover hidden lore of the tribe or simply reveal everyday information not generally known by outsiders. The Gift is taught by an Uktena ancestor-spirit. Garou using this Gift need not have Background: Ancestors.
By speaking words of forbiddance, the Uktena can bar pack or personal totems from giving their children aid. Doing so also disrupts the spiritual rapport between packmates, making it difficult for them to execute pack tactics or act in concert. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
Silvery filaments spin out from the Garou’s claws, becoming streamers of mist that enwrap and confound nearby spirits, sapping their strength. A fog-spirit teaches this Gift.
Sometimes, death is the only way out. But that doesn't mean you want to stay that way. With this Gift, the Uktena may appear dead, following the expected progression (lividity, rigor, etc.) well enough to fool a forensics team. While "dead," the Uktena is in a muted state, unable to move; his senses are still active but dulled and dreamlike. The danger is reviving, as the effort required to return to the living increases with time, and eventually the character is no longer feigning. An opossum-spirit teaches this Gift.
The Garou can vanish from sight. When this Gift is in use, the Garou must concentrate on staying invisible. He cannot move faster than half normal walking speed, and he cannot draw attention to himself. A spirit servant of Uktena teaches this Gift.
The werewolf’s claws burn with mystic force, rending apart the delicate workings of magic. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
By staring into a mirror or other reflective surface, the Uktena can witness distant events or spy on rivals. She can follow a comrade's progress into a dangerous ambush or sneak a peek into the Tremere chantry house. Other supernaturals, especially ones with similar abilities, may have defenses against this Gift, which is taught by a fly-spirit.
Uktena are said to possess more hidden knowledge than any other tribe. This Gift may be one reason it is so. With Secrets, an Uktena can have one specific question answered simply by touching somebody who knows the answer. The answer to any question -- such as "Where is the vampire's lair?" -- leaps into the Garou's mind if, in fact, the target knows the answer in the first place. A dream-spirit can teach this Gift after being caught.
This Gift is used to bring rain from the heavens, either to nourish crops and cleanse the land, or to cause damage through mudslides and flooding. This Gift is common among Ghost Dancers. A frog-spirit teaches the Gift.
Camp: Bane Tenders
This Gift provides Bane Tenders with extra power when attempting to bind or destroy a Bane (or other troublesome spirit) or keep it locked within its bindings. This is usually used against a Bane that the Garou is responsible for overseeing. Occasionally, another Bane Tender will be overcome, and the Garou must use this to regain control of the newly loosed Bane. Even more rare are those instances when the Garou is asked to locate and bind a particular Bane. This Gift is never used simply to overcome a Bane met by chance. It is too costly. The power gained lasts for the duration of the battle or scene. The Gift is taught by a wolf-spirit.
This Gift allows the Garou to calm or agitate water, whether in the form of a river, stream or lake. She may calm rapids or endow a placid lake with waves to help speed along a canoe or wash a swimmer to shore. The power to shorten a trip or thwart enemy craft is yet another advantage of this Gift. The spirits of the river trout and salmon teach this Gift.
Although all Garou can Peek from the Penumbra into the Realm, the Theurge is capable of shifting his sight into the Penumbra from the physical world. This Gift is taught by an owl-spirit.
All werewolves have an innate connection to their ancestors, a form of racial unconscious accessible through intense meditation. The Philodox can tap into these deep memories to remember ancient facts and lore. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
(Lay of the Land)
The Garou may commune with the spirits of a city or town and gain information about the area from them, including rough population, enclaves of Garou or other being and secret tunnels. This Gift does not function in the wilderness, since the Bone Gnawers have lost the knack for conversing with such spirits easily. A rat-spirit teaches this Gift.
Camp: Earth Guides
This Gift utilizes the Uktena's noted penchant for delving into the deepest secrets. The Earth Guides use this Gift to examine Bane Tenders for signs of Wyrm-taint. Using the clear sight granted him by this Gift, an Uktena can look beyond outward manifestations, internal manipulations and even magical disguises that might mask Wyrm-taint, corruption or evil intent and pierce straight to the heart of the truth. Thus, the Garou might note that an otherwise normal-looking person is really a fomor or a Black Spiral Dancer by use of this Gift. Garou using the Gift could also determine that someone is disguised (via cosmetic means or magical change), but only if that person has evil intent (i.e., intends to commit some evil — as defined by the Garou's concept of evil — while so disguised. Thus, if a bank-robbery was in the offing, the Garou might not see through the mask unless he cares about that bank, but he would unmask someone intending to clear-cut a virgin forest.) This Gift is taught by an Incarna avatar.
The Garou is able to call one of the four classic elementals to his aid (earth, air, fire or water). An elemental teaches this Gift.
The werewolf dominates a talen-bound spirit, spinning webs of metaphysical authority to forcibly lengthen its service to her. Some consider this Gift disrespectful, but the Shadow Lords find it ridiculous to discard a weapon that might serve Gaia, just for the sake of politeness. This Gift is taught by a spider-spirit.
In desperate times the Uktena must call upon their endurance reserves to be vigilant, whether it is a Theurge locked in a multi-day rite, a Bane-Tender waiting vainly for reinforcements, or a lone warrior holding a mountain pass with no hope of retreat. This Gift gives them the strength to stave off the needs of the body in order to focus on the daunting task at hand. Those needs are not erased but merely deferred, however, so this ancestor-spirit-taught Gift is used only at great need. Many Bane-Tenders learn this Gift.
By drawing on the land's energies, the Uktena can move any one object weighing up to 1000 pounds telekinetically. An air elemental and an earth elemental must teach this Gift in concert.
The Garou can inflict ranged damage by simply pointing a bone at an opponent. After gathering the bone from some corpse herself, the Uktena can change it into a devastating weapon. A vulture-spirit can teach this Gift in exchange for a few scraps.
The Uktena, ever delving into spirit matters, have learned the secrets of attacking Banes in the spirit world without ever leaving the physical realm. The Uktena's arms seem to blur and vanish as she strikes into the Penumbra. This Gift is taught by a spirit servant of Uktena.
A potent Gift, Spirit's Horse allows an Uktena to turn his body into a temporary home for an ancestor-spirit or other important creature from the time of legends. The Gift provides more than the memories and abilities associated with the Ancestors Background because for a brief time, the Uktena actually becomes the spirit who inhabits his body. The intent of the Gift is to honor an ancestor by allowing her to physically take part in a ceremony or moot, meet her descendents and share in the joys of the physical world. The Rite of Invitation to the Ancestors is often used in conjunction with this Gift, and these events almost never take place outside a tribal moot or council. An ancestor-spirit teaches the Gift.
The highest-ranked Galliards can bring the products of their imagination to very solid live, crafting creatures from the spiritual essence of dreams. Chimerlings teach this Gift.
(Camp: Bitter Hex)
Sympathetic magic is the oldest form of sorcery, and it is still effective. Although many cultures find this sort of magic repellent, the Uktena believe that the ends well justify the means. The Garou can harm his victim from afar using a specially created doll. He must have a piece of his victim or an object belonging to him, and he must then construct the doll. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift.
Just as the anger within Great Uktena burns those who dare to face him, so can the follower of Uktena sear foes with his own Rage. To one who is worthy, Uktena may teach this Gift.
The legends of the Cherokee say that a man was transformed into the Great Uktena to try to kill the sun. Great Uktena was around long before the Cherokee, but Garou have taken the form of his children on two or three occasions. Great Uktena teaches this Gift only to the most worthy of his Uktena followers; with it, the hero may transform into a creature even a Thunderwyrm would fear. After the crisis is resolved (assuming he lives), the new uktena slips into the nearest body of water and into the umbra, forever parting with his Garou brethren to join his father in Galunlati. Such a glorious end to an already legendary career is worthy of fireside retellings for generations.