Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition auspice
Galliard
Galliard is an auspice in Werewolf W5: The Gibbous Moon storyteller, keeper of Garou history and the voice that moves the pack.
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Key facts
- Moon
- Gibbous Moon
- Gift Themes
- Inspiration, history, performance
Overview
The Galliard is the Gibbous Moon auspice, the bard who holds Garou history and hands it back as song, taunt, or eulogy. Gift themes are inspiration, history, and performance. A Galliard is why a pack's victory becomes a story other septs repeat, and why its failures are remembered accurately enough not to happen twice. In play the Galliard owns the scenes between fights: rallying a demoralized pack, shaming a rival in front of a moot, coaxing the truth from a witness who will not talk to an Ahroun. You are also the pack's memory, so track what the elders said and hand it to the Philodox when a precedent is needed.
How it works
Moon: Gibbous Moon Role: Storyteller and bard, keeper of history Gift Themes: Inspiration, history, performance Starting Gifts: 3 at creation, one of which must come from your auspice list Renown: A deed told well is usually recognized as Glory, and the Galliard witnesses everyone else's. You assign 3 dots at creation, no more than 2 in one category Forms: Glabro's 2 extra dice on Physical tests cost you 2 dice on Social tests, so stay Homid when the scene is a performance
Tips and playstyle
Best For: Players who want the social spotlight and a hand in how the chronicle gets remembered. Playstyle: Spend on Performance, Persuasion, and Academics, and treat every session as material. Naming what the pack did, in front of witnesses, is how Renown gets recognized at all. Character Concepts: Touring musician, oral historian, war correspondent, the pack's hype man, a griot keeping the names of the dead.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to perform at the table?
No. Describe the song or the speech and roll it. The auspice rewards intent, not the player's singing voice, and one sentence about how the crowd reacts does the same work.
Can a Galliard hold a front line?
Yes, through Rage and the forms rather than combat Gifts. Crinos gives 4 extra dice on Physical tests and 4 extra Health levels, but Social tests fail automatically there, which shuts off your best tool for the rest of the scene.
Why does a pack need a historian?
Because Renown is social. Deeds nobody witnesses or retells rarely get recognized, and raising a Renown dot costs its new rating times 5 XP, so the Galliard who tells it well is doing the whole pack's advancement a favor.