Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition form
Crinos
Crinos is a form in Werewolf W5: The war form, the massive wolf-human hybrid that wins the fight and ends every conversation in the room.
Last reviewed
Overview
Crinos carries the biggest numbers on the sheet: 4 extra dice on Physical tests and 4 extra Health levels. It also fails every Social test automatically, causes Delirium in mortals, and cannot use tools or handle anything needing fine manipulation. In play, shifting to Crinos is the decision to stop negotiating. The form wins what is in front of you and hands the Storyteller the rest: a broken witness, no way to drive the car you arrived in, and a Philodox whose entire toolkit just switched off. Most packs treat it as the answer to a question the Ragabash failed to solve quietly.
How it works
Attribute Changes: None as ratings. The form grants 4 dice on Physical tests and 4 Health levels on top of Stamina plus 3. Social: Social tests fail automatically. There is no pool to roll and no argument to win. Speed: Far faster than a human on two legs, short of Hispo and Lupus on four. Delirium: Mortal witnesses suffer the Delirium, which protects the Veil and costs you the witness. Shifting: Rage buys the form, and the same 0 to 5 tracker is what risks frenzy while you are in it. Tools: Unusable. No firearms, no phones, no locks, no fine manipulation of any kind.
Tips and playstyle
Best for: The fight you mean to win outright, with no witnesses you need afterward and nothing left to say. Character concepts: An Ahroun who shifts last rather than first, a Red Talon defending a treeline, a young Garou who has not yet learned what Delirium costs. Synergies: Strength and Brawl turn the 4 dice into damage, and high Composure decides whether you are still making choices once you are in there.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Delirium do to a scene?
It breaks the mortals who saw you: they panic, flee, or rewrite the memory into something they can live with. That protects the Veil and removes the witness, so a Crinos shift in public is a story decision as much as a combat one.
Do the extra Health levels stay when I shift back?
No. The 4 levels belong to the form, so leaving Crinos while wounded hands back cushion you may currently be standing on. Shift down after the fight, not during it.
Can I do anything but fight in Crinos?
Very little. Social tests fail automatically and tools are unusable, so the form covers violence, presence, and carrying something heavy. Everything else waits for Glabro or Homid.