Enemy Ways
This is a danger sense. Taught by one of Grandfather Thunder’s Stormcrows, Enemy Ways is more than just a heightened (and reasonably accurate) sense of paranoia. Instead, it provides solid information on what immediate peril a Corax faces.
System - With a successful Perception + Stealth roll the Corax can pick up hints as to the nature of enemies in the area. Usually a Corax who uses this Gift successfully can pick out the number and type of his opponents; with five or more successes sometimes more can be learned.
Morse
There are messages that need to move faster than any Corax can fly, and there are times when neither computer nor phone is a safe method of information transfer. At times like that, a Corax still has a method of getting his message to his nearest fellow wereraven, namely, the use of this Gift. By merely tapping out his message onto any hard surface and using this Gift, a Corax can make sure that someone out there gets his message right now - because there may not be time for a later. This Gift is taught by a Machine-spirit.
System - With this Gift, the Corax can tap out a Morse code message on any surface and, by spending a Gnosis (and succeeding on a Wits + Empathy roll, difficulty 8), have the nearest Corax hear the message clear as day. Of course, the receiving Corax might not know Morse code, but that’s the sort of risk you’ve got to take.
Open Seal
With this Gift, the Garou can open nearly any sort of closed or locked physical device. Things like clasps may or may not be considered 'closed physical devices' according to the GM in the scene. Buttons, velcro, zippers and snaps, however, generally do not count. A raccoon-spirit teaches this Gift.
System - The player rolls Gnosis (difficulty of the local Gauntlet rating).
Raven's Gleaning
Raven’s Gleaning takes advantage of the legendary Corax predilection for bright, shiny objects. In essence, a value detector, the Gift allows a Corax to look at a shiny object and, at a glance, discover whether or not it’s worth picking up. Raven himself, or a Raven-spirit acting under orders from the big guy, teaches this Gift.
System - Raven’s Gleaning costs a point of Gnosis, and requires a Perception + Subterfuge roll (difficulty 5). A single success merely gives a yes/no answer as to whether the item is worth snatching. Additional successes can give the Corax an idea of value, composition, craftsmanship and so on.
Scent of the True Form
his Gift allows the Garou to determine the true nature of a person. This information is conveyed as an olfactory sensation - it is actually a scent of the target's natural form. Any spirit servant of Gaia can teach this Gift.
System - The Garou can tell automatically when someone is a werewolf; anything else requires a Perception + Primal-Urge roll. It takes two successes to detect Vampires, faeries or other shapeshifters as such, and it takes four to detect fomori or Mages.
Truth of Gaia
As judges of the Litany, Philodox have the ability to sense whether others have spoken truth or falsehood. A Gaffling of Falcon teaches this Gift.
System - The player rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty of the subject's Manipulation + Subterfuge). This Gift reveals only whether the target speaks the truth or lies.
Voice of the Mimic
This Gift allows the Cora to imitate any sound or voice she has heard. Voices and accents are all covered by the scope of the Gift, as are machine noises, crashes, gunfire and any other noise you can imagine. Voice of the Mimic is taught by a mynah-spirit.
System - The Gift requires a Perception + Expression (or Mimicry) roll, with the difficulty based on the complexity of the sound.
Word Beyond
When traveling through the Umbra, Corax often feel the need to leave information for their fellow birds. After all, it’s common courtesy to inform a relative that the old safe road now leads right into a nest of Pattern Spiders, right? Unfortunately, there’s a dearth of writing materials in the Umbra, which means only that the Corax had to find an alternate method of leaving their missives. That’s where this Gift - which allows a Corax to create a recognizable sigil out of whatever’s handy - comes in. A spirit in service to Coyote teaches this Gift (when he feels like it).
System - In the Umbra, the Corax (by rolling Wits + Expression, difficulty 6) can create a marker out of available materials for any other Corax who come by. The number of successes indicates the complexity of the message that can be encrypted into the marker, which can be decrypted by another Corax rolling Perception + Occult (difficulty 7).
Carrion's Call
As much as their other functions obscure the fact, the Corax still feed on - and are intimately linked to - death and the dead. Furthermore, the Corax have a nigh-sacred duty relating to the corpses of the slain that demands that Raven’s children be able to find the freshly slaughtered. This Gift tells a Corax when a fresh corpse is nearby, and inexorably leads the wereraven to the site where the body rests. This has its ups and downs - clever fomor are more than happy to murder innocents to attract the attention of Corax with this Gift. After all, once Carrion’s Call has been issued, the Corax has no choice but to eventually, somehow, respond. Carrion’s Call is taught by a Vulture-spirit.
System - A Corax can hear Carrion’s Call by rolling Perception + Empathy (difficulty 6) and spending a point of Gnosis. The Gift’s range is up to a mile, and in case of extreme success, even further. While a Corax does not need to respond to Carrion’s Call immediately, he has no more than 24 hours in which to do so or else Raven himself will punish the Corax for dereliction of duty. This punishment takes the form of stripping the Corax of one permanent Honor Renown, as the transgressor has clearly ignored honor’s demands by refusing to heed the call.
Omens and Signs
Corax can find symbolic portents in their surroundings without even trying - but this Gift helps. The world is full of omens, after all, but a Corax with this Gift knows where to look for them. This Gift is taught by a Stormcrow.
System - To find an omen in her surroundings, the Corax rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 6). However, Corax have to be careful not to abuse this Gift. Otherwise, they start to mistake false omens for true - proof positive that the universe doesn’t like to give away all of its secrets.
Razor Feathers
One of the Corax’s few combat-related Gifts, Razor Feathers operates only when the Corax is in Crinos form. The primary effect of Razor Feathers is to make the feathers along the edge of the raven’s wing hard and sharp as steel. The hardened feathers are strong enough to parry knives or claws, and are sharp enough to slice easily through unprotected flesh - or even stronger materials. Razor Feathers is taught by a steel-spirit.
System - To access this Gift, the Corax spends a point of Gnosis and rolls Stamina (difficulty 6). The number of successes indicates the number of turns that the effect lasts. With Razor Feathers active, the Corax can use the Wing Swipe maneuver.
Wing Swipe Maneuver - Corax who know Razor Feathers have at their disposal a unique combat maneuver that takes full advantage of the possibilities the Gift offers. Once the Gift is in effect, the Corax simply drops his shoulder and brings the wing around in a vicious slash, which hopefully drags the cutting edge of the Razor Feathers across the wereraven's target. With any luck, even if the attack doesn't connect, the target is so busy spinning out of the way that he's off-balance for his next attack.
System - A Wing Swipe requires a Dexterity + Brawl roll (difficulty 7), but it does Strength + 3 levels of aggravated damage. Furthermore, even if the attack misses, the Corax's opponent must roll Dexterity (Difficulty 5) or be knocked off-balance by the assault. Off-balance opponents are at +1 difficulty to rolls the next round.
Successful Wing Swipes cause lengthy slashes that, while not deep, do bleed profusely. The force behind a Wing Swipe is also more than sufficient to cut ropes, break windows, slash tires, and so on.
Sky's Beneficence
Sky’s Beneficence allows a Corax to drop a package of any sort onto a target from any altitude that the bird can fly to. Any aerial spirit can teach this Gift.
System - Sky’s Beneficence requires a Perception + Melee roll (difficulty 7). If this Gift is used, the Corax automatically takes into account factors like crosswinds, precipitation and so on, meaning that the difficulty of the roll is always 7. The Corax must be able to see her target to use this Gift.
Sky's Shadow
There’s little that is more frustrating than a creeping sensation that you’re being watched. This Gift allows a Corax to bestow that feeling on the target of victim. Sometimes the Gift creates the shadow of a large bird that follows the target everywhere; other times, it just imbues a sense of pure paranoia. At first glance, Sky’s Shadow might not seem like a terribly effective Gift, but nervous men make mistakes - and this Gift can make even the strongest-willed man nervous. Any bird spirit can teach this gift.
System - The Gift implants in the target the certainty that he is being watched, with the feeling lasting a day for each success on a Manipulation + Intimidation roll (difficulty 7). The Gift costs a point of Rage to activate. While under the Gift’s influence, the victim is constantly aware of the shadowy eyes of unknown figures upon him. This takes away from his ability to concentrate, and he’s at + 1 difficulty on all Willpower- and Mental-related rolls as long as the Gift’s effect lasts.
Swallow's Return
Corax usually know where they are going. That's more or less part of the package that comes with the Spirit egg, after all. However, there are times when a Corax is too tired or too badly injured to navigate himself back home. That is when he turnes to this gift. Swallows Return, is nothing less than an autopilot, brining the Corax safely back home even while the wereraven sleeps or heals. A swallow-Spirit teaches this Gift.
System - Corax wishing to use this gift must give up a point of Gnosis, and trust his luck, also making a Wits + Empathy roll (Difficulty 6). Swallows return only brings the Corax home - no alternate destinations can be inserted - and the defination of "home" can occasionally get the Corax in trouble.
Taking the Forgotten
The Ragabash with this Gift can steal something from a target, and his victim will forget that she ever possessed the stolen item. A mouse-spirit teaches this Gift.
System - The player must score three successes on a Wits + Stealth roll (difficulty of the victim's Intelligence + Streetwise).
Tounges
The world grows even smaller in the Last Days, and the Garou do their battle in further flung locations than ever before. While those who would seek to fight the Wyrm in foreign lands should still practice their Español (or whatever) for speaking, this Gift at least gives them a chance to blend in reasonably well without effort. Many Galliards also employ the Gift to decipher ancient texts that they may encounter.
For the Corax, they may read and write any human language she encounters, including language and script. A wind-spirit teaches the Gift.
System - The player spends one Willpower point and then rolls Intelligence + Linguistics. Difficulty is determined by the relative age of the language. Modern French would be difficulty 4, old Gaelic difficulty 7, and something truly obscure would be difficulty 10. The more successes gained, the more fluent the character will be. All effects last one scene. The Gift works strictly on mundane human languages; it will not decipher other Shapeshifter glyphs or Hunter code, for example.
In the case of Corax, this ability lasts until the next sunrise.
Dark Truths
This gift allows the corax to uncover a secret truth or character flaw of an observed subject. As you might expect Corax love to use this Gift. There's even a game related to Dark Truth's that some Corax play; One Corax uses the gift on a Mortal (say in a bar); the other contestants then have to try and wheedle that same secret out of the Mark without using Dark Truth's. A fly Spirit teaches this gift.
System - To utilize Dark Truths, the Corax spends a Gnosis point and rolls Perception + Enigmas (difficulty 7). With a success, the Corax acquires knowledge of one of his target’s deep dark secrets. While this Gift doesn’t turn loose the sort of secrets that are useful in combat, it does pry loose all sorts of interesting blackmail material.
Dead Talk
There are secrets you just can’t get from a dead man’s eyeball. There are times when you need more than just a stiffs last sight. At those difficult times, being able to hold a conversation with, or at least get a few straight answers out of, the spirit of the deceased increases the Corax’ information-gathering Possibilities exponentially. A Vulture-spirit teaches this Gift, though supposedly some wraiths can teach it as well.
System - The Corax, by spending a Gnosis point and rolling Perception + Occult (difficulty 8), can hear and speak to a recently dead body (no more than 24 hours dead). The corpse’s willingness to talk is determined by the number of successes, but no matter how many successes the Corn achieves, all he’ll get is the body’s mechanistic response to his questions. Odds are, the corpse’s ghost is long gone.
Eyes of the Eagle
One of the few Corax Gifts available in any form, Eyes of the Eagle allows the wereraven’s vision to pierce fog, smoke, cloud and darkness. When this Gift is called upon, the Corax can suddenly see through anything short of a solid object. Eagle-spirits teach this Gift.
System - This Gift requires the expenditure of a single point of Gnosis, and a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6). The effect of the Gift lasts for as many minutes as there are successes rolled. The expenditure of a Willpower point extends the effect from minutes to hours.
Flight of the Swift
Raven's aren't the fastest flyers out there. They admit this, and don't have a problem with it under most circumstances. However, on those rare occasions when a Corax finds himself chased by something both airborne, faster and nastier than he is, the Corax gets a little envious of his faster, smaller cousins. That's where Flight of the Swift comes in. In essence, it's a set of afterburners that a Corax can hide under her feathers giving her the wherewithal for an extremely speedy escape. A Swift-spirit teaches this gift.
System - All this Gift does is allow a Corax to double his rate of speed. Corax normally fly at up to 35 MPH, so a Corax calling upon Flight of the Swift can reach up to 70 mph. Using Flight of the Swift requires the sacrfice of a point of Rage and a Dexterity + Flying roll (Difficulty 5). Multiple successes can allow a Corax to go even faster than he is supposed to go by the Gift's parameters.
Hummingbird Dart
This gift is most often utilized in conjunction with Razor Feathers, in which case it makes for a devastating weapon. Hummingbird Dart permits a Corax to pluck one of her own feathers and throw it like (as one might guess) a dart. The feather flies Straight and true, ignoring even the laws of Physics and the strictures of aerodynamics. A Hummingbird-spirit teaches this Gift.
System - The Hummingbird Dart requires that the Corax Spend a Point of Rage and then roll Dexterity + Melee (difficulty 5). If a Corax chooses to use this Gift after calling for Razor Feathers, the results can be vicious. A Razored Hummingbird Dart is, in essence, a throwing shiv that does aggravated damage, and should be treated accordingly. The thrown feather does Dexterity +3 dice of damage.
Larder of the Shrike
Shrikes are notorious for killing more than they need, then storing the corpses for later use. Shrike-spirits can share the knowledge of the benefits that can accrue from such behavior. Essentially, this Gift allows them to Store food - and anything else, like, say, a corpse - in Perfect condition for up to a year, so long as the stored item is allowed to hang free in the “larder.”
System - By spending a Gnosis and succeeding on a Willpower roll (difficulty 6, a Corax can use this Gift on a hunk of meat (or vegetables, though few Corax have deigned to do so) to preserve it nearly ad infinitum for future use. For as long as the Gift’s effect lasts, neither rot nor bloat affects the stored items - including dead bodies. Living items cannot be placed into a state of suspended animation by this Gift, which only affects dead things. Vampires and Risen don’t fall under Larder of the Shrike’s purview either, unfortunately.
Mynah's Touch
This Gift allows a Corax to know the details of any Garou Gift of a lower level than the Corax herself. This knowledge flees the instant that the Corax actually uses the “borrowed” Gift, but in the meantime an impressive body of knowledge is there for the taking. This Gift is only taught by mynah-spirits.
System - The use of this Gift demands two points of Gnosis, as well as a Wits + Alertness roll (difficulty 6). If there are any successes, the Corax using the Gift can now pick and choose knowledge of a single Gift from the entire list of Garou Gifts lower in level than he is. The stolen Gift can be used once.
Sun's Guard
Givens to his children by Raven after the great misadventure with Helios, this Gift serves to protect Corax from excessive heat. After all, the ravens got away with being burned to a crisp on the outside the first time; next time, the Corax might not be so lucky. To no one's surprise, an Avatar of Raven teaches this gift.
System - Raven’s Guard costs two points of Rage, and also demands a Stamina + Primal Urge roll (difficulty 6). Each success is a turn during which the Corax is immune to flames literally up to and including those of the surface of the sun. This includes regular flames, magickally conjured fire, and even balefire.
Airt Sense
This is the same as the spirit Charm, and can be taught by any type of spirit possessing that particular Charm.
System - Corax using Airt Sense must spend one Gnosis point and roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 7) to utilize it. The understanding of the ways of the Umbra granted by this Gift halves travel time through the spirit world.
Helios' Child
Occasionally the Sun deigns to lend a bit of himself to a Corax in need. This present takes the form of a ball of lambent flame that materializes in the Corax' hand. The fire doesn't burn the Corax, but will ignite anything it touches (effective temperature 1000 degrees Fahrenheit; doing damage akin to that of a chemical fire.). One of Helios' spirit-servents teaches this gift.
System - To summon Helios' Child the Corax first asks Helios for help. The gift can be called upon at any time, day or night, but the request must me made of Helios before anything else happens. Of course, various Corax have various definitions of what constitutes a "request" and Corax theologians point to the continued workings of this Gift as proof that Helios does in fact have a sense of humor. Beyond the request, the Corax must burn two points of Gnosis and close his eyes for a brief second (and roll Manipulation + Subterfuge, difficulty 7). When the Corax opens his eyes, if the Gift has functioned properly, a little piece of the sun will be resting in his palm ready for use.
Gauntlet Runner
With all the time the Corax spend popping in and out of the Umbra, it’s no surprise that they’ve acquired a trick for lowering the Gauntlet and making the trip back and forth immeasurably easier. After all, when YOU need to get into the Umbra fast, lowering the Gauntlet before you start makes life a lot easier. Any Wyld-spirit can teach this Gift.
System - A roll of Wits + Enigmas (difficulty 8) reduces the Gauntlet by 1 for every two successes. The area affected can be UP to 20 feet on a side, but no matter how successful the Corax is on her roll, she must still use a reflective surface to enter the Umbra.
Vulture's Feast
Vulture's Feast (Level Four) - One of the great advantages of being a carrion eater is that your dinner plate is rarely empty. There's roadkill everywhere just waiting for you to dig in. What happens, however, if you want something a little fresher? After all, who knows how long that hunk of ex-squirrel has been hanging out in the passing lane? Vulture’s Feast allows a Corax to rot flesh with a touch, regardless of whether the target meat is dead or alive. Obviously, this is not a Gift to be used lightly, but there are times when even the most peaceable Corax has no recourse but to turn someone’s face into a mass of decaying Suppuration- A Vulture-spirit teaches this Gift.
System - The exercise of Vulture’s Feast requires the expenditure of a Willpower point and two Gnosis. The Corn must then make a successful Dexterity + Brawl roll (difficulty 5) in order to touch his victim, then he must succeed on a contested Stamina roll. If he wins, the flesh he’s currently touching becomes withered, dead and rotted; the victim takes one Health Level of aggravated damage for each success the Corax has left. Only Corax in Homid can make use of this Gift. Corax who become too fond of using Vulture’s Feast are often easily turned to the Wyrm, so anyone who gets a reputation for using Vulture’s Feast frequently will find himself watched carefully by his fellow wereravens.
Gift of Eyes
The Corax’ duty of drinking the eyes of the slain can inflict a montage of supremely horrific images upon those who tend to their duties. In many cases, those images are the Corax's burden, to suffer with in silence. That’s not always the case, however. With Gift of Eyes, a Corax can pass along a vision from an eye he’s drunk to any non-Corm he chooses. The image is transferred in all its glory and gore, just as the Corax himself first saw it. Unprepared viewers may faint or scream; prepared ones may find clues or details they need in this glimpse of a dead man’s last seconds. Raven or one of his spirits teaches this Gift.
System - The expenditure of a pair of Gnosis points and a contested Willpower roll against the intended victim are what’s needed to effect a Gift of Eyes. The Corax can transfer any memory he’s devoured with no distortion or dilution of the image.
Moments of Eclipse
There are times when a Corax must make a near-supreme sacrifice, voluntarily severing his connection to the Sun. The reasons for doing so are few, but always drastic. Perhaps the Corax has been chained with gold, and needs a few minutes in which to work an escape (or else he’ll die a horrible, agonizing death), or maybe he needs to prove his “worth” to a gang of vampires he’s trying to infiltrate. Regardless, this is not an action that any Corax should ever take lightly, and Helios himself notices if a wereraven abuses this Gift. After all, he’s the one who teaches it.
System - Given by Helios reluctantly (and some say, at the last minute) to his new acquisitions, this Gift allows a Corax to sever his connection to the Sun temporarily - 10 minutes for every success on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) after the expenditure of 2 points of Gnosis. If the roll is a success, the Corax is suddenly cut off from Helios. This has both positive and negative effects. On the plus side, the Corax is no longer vulnerable to the pernicious effects of gold for the duration of the Gift’s effects. On the other hand, for so long as the Corax is cut off from Helios, she cannot use Rage.
Portents
Taught by a Wind-spirit, this Gift is a sneak peek at the most important events of the near future. There’s no greater secret than what is to happen, and as a result Corax will sell their own kidneys for a look at the future.
System - The player must spend two Gnosis points and roll Intelligence + Enigmas (difficulty 8). In addition, he can nominate an area of interest (say, the future of a local charity house or Magadon’s CEO) or just try for a general event. If he succeeds, the Corax can see a future event with clarity. Though the future is mutable, the Corm sees the most likely event. Any visions that follow are purely the Storyteller’s discretion.
Theft of Stars
In some Native American legends, Raven was responsible for placing the sun, moon and stars into the sky. However, what Raven giveth, Raven can take away - or at least borrow with the help of the Corax. This Gift has a truly terrifying effect, rendering the target completely unable to see any light derived from a natural light source (the sun, moon or stars). Victims of this power are reduced to stumbling around in a bizarre twilight, if not absolute darkness. Helios’ Avatar teaches this Gift, but only to Corax whom the Sun trusts in its use.
System - A point of Willpower and a point of Rage are needed to activate Theft of Stars, as is a contested Willpower roll with the victim. If the Corax wins the roll, her victim is immediately plunged into darkness, as no natural light registers with his eyes. Artificial light (lamps, fire, etc.) registers just fine, but who’s got their lights on in the middle of the day? The effects of Theft of Stars last a single hour, but that’s usually more than enough.
Thieving Talons of the Magpie
The Garou can steal the powers of others and use them herself. These powers can be Garou Gifts, spirit Charms, vampiric Disciplines, True Magic or any other such power. Naturally, a magpie-spirit teaches this Gift.
System - The player must gain three successes on a Wits + Stealth roll (difficulty of the target's Willpower). If successful, the Ragabash can use the specified power (and the victim cannot) for each successive turn she is willing to spend a Gnosis point. The werewolf's Gnosis is substituted for any Traits exclusive to the victim that might be necessary to work the power, such as a vampire's blood pool or a mage's Arete. The Ragabash must know something about his target's powers, and he must target a power in the terms by which he would understand it.